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Member Reviews
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I didn't love this book, it had groundhog day vibes but I cannot read a story that has magical vibes. It is just not to my taste I am afraid
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I really enjoyed this book! I loved seeing Cassandra discover more things about herself and her life every time she turned back time / time travelled, I liked seeing the different scenarios play out distantly each time and the relationships she had with everyone. I absolutely loved the ending and her realisation of what relationships are worth the effort and worth mending, and what you think is right but isn’t working may not be the right thing over all.
There is a revation about Cassandra really close to the end, which I caught onto much earlier- and I think it was intended this way, and things click into place even if you didn’t catch on. I think the representation was pretty well done, especially with certain parts (trying so hard to not spoil here!)
Overall I really enjoyed this book and some highlights include the ending, the mug, the dress and the punting - you gotta read it to find out what that means! I am giving The Cassandra Complex 4 stars!
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⭐️ 4 ⭐️
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I really enjoyed The Cassandra Complex.
I’ve read other books by Holly Smale and already knew that I liked her writing style. I thought the characters were well fleshed out, in particular Cassandra, who I thought was likeable and interesting.
The book is nicely paced, and the story held my attention throughout. I really enjoyed the time travel aspect.
A fun, entertaining read.
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Did not finish - I really couldn't get into the character or the story of this book, I tried up to 50 pages but it just didn't grip me and I stopped wanting to read it.
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My first Holly Smale novel and it was a page turner indeed!
Cassie is the main character, a hapless young lady who likes things a certain way only and dislikes changes of routine.
When she loses her job, and boyfriend she miraculously discovers she can go back in time, only a bit, to change the past, she tries to fix things, but it doesn’t make life any easier, maybe she’s not fixing the right things!
A Groundhog Day with a difference, Cassie wants her life to be just so and it’s not!
A very interesting and unusual perspective that kept me wanting more, with a very satisfying ending.
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Expertly balances plot and character development for a satisfying read.
A captivating book that offers a glimpse into the human ways and lives.
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A enjoyable read. Lovely characters and setting that flows and is written well. An easy read. Would recommend.
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Apologies for the delay in this review, i have been battling ill health.
Great story, lovely setting, enjoyed the charcters and the story very much. I thought it flowed really well and it was a really good read.
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This started off like a cute, happy version of the movie Groundhog Day. Cassandra is having a bad time, at home, at work and romantically. Then she discovers she can re-do days or hours and life starts to pick up, as she learns how to behave in different situations.
That part is lovely, like a nice "by the pool" summer read. Then at about halfway, we get to the real meat of the book and start to explore human relationships on a much deeper level. There's so much to think about!
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I really enjoyed this book. The time travel element was brilliant. I liked the characters and thought the story line was really good.
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I’d like to thank NetGalley and Century Books for approving me for an ARC of this book.
⌛The time travel element of this story was brilliant! I loved how Cassandra learnt how to control it and the effects it had on different situations. The plotting of this story was perfect!
👱🏻♀️ Our main character, Cassandra, was highly entertaining. Her candid, no-nonsense attitude often had me giggling. She was unique in how she saw social situations and her ability to assign a colour to different people and emotions was fascinating.
💓Throughout all her time travel episodes Cassie is desperately trying to put her life back together. The way her relationship with Will and her colleagues changed felt natural even if it was difficult at times.
💌There is an added layer of mystery surrounding the unopened letters. I liked this story thread and felt it went further to explain Cassie and her unique personality.
If you’re a fan of The Midnight Library or Begin Again then this is a book for you!
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Cassie has always struggled to fit in. She is a creature of habit and likes things done in a particular way. So on the morning she gets broken up with and fired from her job. Her local cafe running out of her favourite cake is the last straw. However, at this point she discovers something unbelievable. She's able to go back in time and do things differently. This does not always work out as she would like so she repeats the last 4 months multiple times before getting it right.
If you want to read a novel that leaves you thinking about it long after you have finished. This is it. I loved every word and have recommended this book to multiple people. I think it might be one of my favourite reads of the year.
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Cassie's life is in a downward spiral. She has lost her job, been dumped by her boyfriend and the local cafe runs out of her favourite banana muffins all on the same day!
However, she discovers that she has the ability to turn back the clock, although not far enough to prevent the accident that killed her parents 10 years ago.
She finds that she can slightly alter the events in her life to change the outcome of the day.
She still has a job, the relationship with her boyfriend has just started and the muffins are back in stock. Just what could go wrong?.....
I loved this book. It was a unique look at how the butterfly effect can change someone's life - just not always for the better, as Cassie soon discovers. She goes from one disaster to another, and tries to correct them along the way, but as she changes one thing it also changes another. Texts unsent, meetings never made and conversations never had.
A great read, and I will certainly be reading more from this author.
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Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, it was a strange one for me, I read it very quickly and enjoyed the main character Cassandra but not sure it was a book I'd pick up again
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Literary fiction that’s both intelligent and hilarious is a tall order, but the Cassandra Complex delivers, while also providing keen insight into human experiences that are frequently experienced but rarely discussed with such wit and depth. I went into this novel having read almost nothing about the plot and I think it’s best that way- I was able to fully experience appreciate this book that way, whereas the blurbs I read after finishing it would have made me less inclined to read it and I’d have assumed it was a knock off of some other recent and excellent books with characters that are either unique, eccentric, or neurodiverse. But this book is no one’s knock off. Highly recommend!
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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
I found this book unexpectedly moving, especially towards the conclusion. It was fairly obvious from the outset that Cassandra hadn't been given the power of time travel to fix her relationship with her boyfriend, but the ending was teased out slowly across the book, and I thought there was great character development and some lovely little touches in the sections of time travel. One for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
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The Cassandra Complex was my first experience of author Holly Smale and left me keen to read more of her books. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
The main character Cassie suddenly finds herself with the power to go back in time with just the blink of an eye. This made for a humorous read which will stay with you. Cassie doesn’t just travel back in time, she also goes on a journey of self discovery which at times can make for uncomfortable reading but provides good insight into autism.
A unique read which I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend especially if you are looking for something a little bit different.
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The Cassandra Complex is a story about a woman who discovers she can travel back in time to change the past. And it just so happens that she's been dumped by her boyfriend and fired from her job, so it's the perfect opportunity to do just that. But how will the changes she makes in the past affect her future, and how long will it be before she will accept herself as she is? It offers a glimpse inside the challenges that an autistic person faces on a daily basis. I found the Greek mythology element, though Cassandra's character was moulded around this, to be heavy and bog the story down.
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I really enjoyed this, I loved the main character and thought this was an intriguing read. I didn't expect the time travel element and it was interesting. I liked that, in the end, the love story wasn't the most important thing.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion
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I liked the premise of the novel but found it slow.and repetitive on several levels. As a reader, I struggled and failed to finish.