Cassandra in Reverse: A Reese's Book Club Pick

Different! Enjoyable. I recommend as a good, light-hearted yet thought-provoking book club read.

Amazing in just about every way. A fun adorable interesting funny sweet and relatable journey. I absolutely loved it! Fantastic

Written by an autistic female author. Primary point of view is an autistic female. It is funny, witty, surprising…not because it’s funny and witty. Twists and turns. It is not lacking in detail. I am thrilled that I was able to live in Cassandra’s mind for the past couple of days and experience how her brain works. It has made me feel a little closer to my autistic daughters. And myself. Go read it.

I knew from the beginning of this book that the main character, Cassandra, is on the autism spectrum. She seems to think, feel and perceive things differently than the people around her. She struggles with reading the meanings behind what others say and do. She hasn’t a clue to understanding people’s body language or to know when someone is being sarcastic. Sounds and sights and touches overwhelm her. Everything appears to too loud, too bright, too close. She avoids physical contact and struggles to look people in their eyes. She feels that she is broken and that something is wrong with her, but no matter how hard she tries and how much she struggles, she never seems to fit in anywhere. Yet it isn’t until the book’s final chapter that Cassandra discovers this for herself. However, all of the fun in reading this book resides in the twists and turns, starts and stops, do-overs and repeats, pivots and spins, and constant loops leading Cassandra to the final realization of her truth.I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found it to be an extremely interesting and different take on exploring autism and how a person on the spectrum thinks and feels. It’s not the first novel regarding autism that I’ve read, but it certainly is the most clever and inventive. Prior to the debut of “Cassandra in Reverse,” author Holly Smale’s first published adult novel, Ms. Smale won many awards for her hugely prolific and successful “Geek Girl” series of young adult novels. I am happy she finally has ventured into the world of adult novels and hope to read more inventive and entertaining stories from her in the future.I received an advanced readers copy of “Cassandra in Reverse” from NetGalley and am grateful to them, to Ms. Smale, and to her publisher, MIRA, for giving it to me. HOWEVER, not remembering I already had a copy, I PURCHASED the published book upon learning it was highly rated and had been picked by Reese Witherspoon for her book club. It was a wise choice for both Reese and me.

Enjoyed this book, just read with an open mind. All things are possible. Sometimes it takes longer to really understand one’s self, but we need to continue to work at it until we succeed. Enjoy this unusual read.