1890s Singapore and MissCassidy takes up a new role as governess, English tutor and friend. Mr Kay asks her to teach and look after his twin daughters. Her duties will be varied and some will be dark and dangerous. But Miss Cassidy is a formidable woman.

Very well written and well narrated (I listened to the audiobook). Great characters, setting and plot twists. Often funny even at times of great peril. Can Miss Cassidy protect her charges from a blood thirsty demon? Read to find out.

Not what I expected at all, but this audio book was a delight. I love a historical novel and as The Formidable Miss Cassidy was set in Victorian Singapore, I thought I was on to a winner, I was, but not necesarily for the reasons I imagined. As well as well reseacrhed historical detail, we had supernatural suspence and fantasy thrown in. It was so well done I didn't have to suspend my disbelief for long.
The audio verion was exceptionally good. The accents, the characterisations, the pace and the dialogue led to an unexpectedly theatrical experience. I didn't want to stop listening.
I'd definately recommend this charming book to a wide audience. It is going into the stocking of a few people I know this Christmas.
As for me, I am looking forward to meeting Miss Cassidy again, and hope this becomes a series.

Miss Cassidy is hired to help a lonely teenage girl in Singapore, whose mother and siblings all succumbed to disease. Initially, Sarah-Jane almost ignores her, but eventually they start to get on well. Two years later Sarah-Jane and her father move and Miss Cassidy is hired by Mr Kay as an English teacher to his twin daughters.
Miss Cassidy is no ordinary governess, companion or teacher. She deals with mischievous and terrible beings, and protects those she cares for.
Pure escapism. Well read. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you for providing me with a copy of The Formidable Miss Cassidy. This was an excellent cozy read, perfect for this time of year when the weather is cooling down and it’s becoming more cloudy and rainy. I loved the mysterious aspect to this book and how we slowly get to know more about Miss Cassidy but at the same time without giving much away. I also loved that she follows a few different families and we get to meet a variety of characters, each with really distinct personalities who all jump off the page. The comedy throughout is also excellent but in a way that’s effortless and genuinely funny, not forcing the humour onto the page. This is a great option for someone looking for a cosier fantasy read but where the fantasy elements are more subtle and where there are more comedic aspects to the stories and characters - nothing overly serious.

4 stars.

Really enjoyed this one, I listened to this and the narrator was fantastic. I could listen on 3 x speed and still listen along fine. The accents were good to my untrained ear, she convinced me that each character had different nationalities.
I liked how the story unfolded, Miss Cassidy seemed like a Nanny McPhee/magical governess at first but we soon see that she's something else altogether.
The rich blend of cultures and mythology was very well done, if I didn't love to read; I'd wish it were a movie. I honestly could read about Miss Cassidy forever. The chapters felt episodic and it was easy to put down if you needed to but I read this in one sitting.
I wouldn't like to guess at Miss Cassidy's age but it was refreshing to have a book centered around an older character for once.
The setting of the book was very immersive and for most of the book I felt as though I was a fly on the wall.
Love to see more of Miss Cassidy or other books from the author, I'll be checking her out.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for the opportunity to listen to this.

Miss Cassidy travels from Scotland to Singapore to be the governess to Sarah Jane Bendemeer, only surviving child of widowed Captain Bendemeer. It soon becomes apparent there is more for Miss Cassidy to do. For she is no ordinary governess and there are sinister supernatural beings threatening the Captain.

After helping the Bendemeers Miss Cassidy moves to the Kay family. Trouble follows her or rather she finds different demons at work, threatening Mr Kay and his family.

I had started to read this but I had stopped. I liked the idea for the story but I had felt like I’d walked in part way through, or missed a bit that explained who or what Miss Cassidy was and how she can see these other world beings. It wasn’t that I hadn’t been enjoying it but I felt on the back foot. I did find I preferred to listen to it on Audio and once I started it didn’t take long to finish.

I liked the setting of the book, in early 20th Century Singapore and later in the UK. It was easy to imagine the scene depicted, the streets and the houses where Miss Cassidy works as governess, and supernatural hunter.

There’s a nice gentle pace to the story without it dragging and a hint of romance between Miss Cassidy and Mr Kay, who finds her amusing.

I liked the idea of the different supernatural creatures she came across. I would have liked a bit more background about them, their history and legend, the stories they come from, though as the story progressed that did happen more.

Having only just started to read more fantasy type books I’m not familiar with historical fantasy but this one was a good introduction with a fair balance of reality and mystical.

After an unsure start, this was a fun way to spend a few hours listening time.

🌈 Historical mystery
🌈 Fantasy elements
🌈 Romantic elements

Miss Cassidy arrives in Singapore as a paid companion to a young lady. There's more to her than meets the eye. The indomitable Miss Cassidy has supernatural powers and a compassionate heart - and she is about to be put to the test in more ways than one.

While battling local magical beings who are trying to destroy those who she cares for, she also finds herself drawn to the persistent and attractive Mr Kay.

This is not really romance but the romantic subplot is very sweet. Mr Kay is a wonderful character.

I absolutely loved this story and how Miss Cassidy's adventures join together.

Singapore history and folklore is so interesting - it's a melting pot of cultures. The descriptions of food made me so hungry!

The only thing I wasn't completely taken with was Miss Cassidy's voice which seemed at times to be a bit too 'Mrs Doubtfire'. Miss Cassidy sounded older than her (apparent) 38 years of age and, at times, the voice didn't seem to match the dialogue. The other characters are read very well.

This book is award winning and I can understand why. I am very much looking forward to reading the next one.

I received an ARC of this audio book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Very, unusual book but I loved it!

Miss Cassidy a governess with echoes of both Mary Poppins and Miss Jean Brodie, travels to turn of 19th Century Singapore to teach Miss Sarah Jane Bendemeer. The Bendermeer family has been mostly wiped out due to illness and Miss Cassidy helps Sarah-Jane and her father deal with their grief and the mess left behind.

The narration of this Audiobook was OUTSTANDING, at first listen Miss Cassidy was reminding me a lot of Maggie Smith as Miss Jean Brodie and I did wonder if that would annoy me by end of book. I am happy to say it did not. There was a huge list of characters, each had their own voice. There were so many different accents too, Scottish, English, Irish, Indian, Chinese and Malay, they were all very distinct . Baffling how good Paula Masterton was at giving the characters life.

Aside from the narration the prose was excellent, there was a lot of humour in the book and the characters were very likeable . The author also conjured up images of late 19th century Singapore very well you can just imagine yourself immersed in this multicultural Island. A couple of loose ends were tied up a bit quickly at end is my only criticism of whole book.

I am not sure if I would have read this book, the super natural elements may have put me off but having listened to it I am quite sure I would have enjoyed it if I had, I am just as sure that Paula Masterton's excellent narration turned this from a solid 7 book to a 9 out of 10 highly enjoyable audio experience 😀. I look forward to hearing about Miss Cassidy's and Mr Kay's next adventure.

This was so cute! I love older main characters in books so this was so refreshing to read about. It felt like 3 stories within one, all following Mrs Cassidy and I did not expect her to end up a god! I hope we get an audiobook of the 2nd one as the narrator was great for this one!

This was the best audio book I have ever listened to. The story and narrator were absolutely brilliant and I was held gripped throughout. It wa a different genre for me but it was wonderfully written and so vivid.I really hope it does well when it is released - it certainly deserves to. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this audio book

Fun fiction audiobook. An interesting tale set in colonial Singapore of the 1890’s, with a bit of the local spiritual customs to add to the thrill. Miss Cassidy, a Mary Poppins for those with trouble with spirits and demons. No-one would expect it when she first arrives to be a companion to a young woman, but she seems ‘formidably’ prepared where they are concerned. Very perceptive too. Sarah Jane Bendemeer and her father are in much better hands than either could imagine. Thank you to Bolinda Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This is possibly the most genre confused book I have ever read! But...It works quite well.

A cross between a historical fiction novel - with the governess in 1800's Singapore, working for two families, a romance book - with the romances of quite a few characters worked through within the story or a supernatural or fantasy book - with allusions of her age, her knowledge of various mythical creatures and practices and her 'past'.

Miss Cassidy, who I found to be charming, insightful and dear rather than formidable, is written in such a way that I was often baffled at why she was doing what she was or thinking the thoughts she was. It wasn't read in a way that the reader was privy to the information at hand but rather it gets revealed at the end like a mystery novel.

I listened to an audio version and was very charmed by the narrators soft Scottish lilt. She spoke very well and had a wide range of accents and intonations for the characters.

All in all, quite an interesting read and it looks like there may be more in the series to look forward to.

Mt thanks to Netgalley, Bolinda Audio and Meihan Boey for an opportunity to read and give opinions on this ARC

Meihan Boey’s ‘The Formidable Miss Cassidy’ transports listeners to early twentieth-century Singapore, where we meet Miss Cassidy, a woman in her late thirties hired to serve as the “English” lady’s companion to 14-year-old Sarah Jane. The catch? Miss Cassidy is actually Scottish, not English, which makes her an amusing choice to explain English customs to her inquisitive charge and those around them. This twist of irony adds warmth and humour, as Miss Cassidy graciously navigates her role, with more than a few raised eyebrows at her considerable physical frame and stunning red hair.

The first half of the novel is a pleasant, insightful dive into a society in transition, especially in how it treats women. Boey’s research shines here – colonial Singapore comes vividly to life, with its sights, sounds, and social rules feeling as authentic as they are captivating. I enjoyed how the book explored changing attitudes toward women, especially in such a unique setting.

Then, without warning, the story takes a hard left into the supernatural. One moment, Miss Cassidy’s juggling afternoon tea and the expectations of polite society; the next, she’s suddenly attempting to catch evil entities! While I appreciate a genre shift when it’s done well, this one felt a bit abrupt – almost like we’d wandered into a different novel entirely. It’s a bold move, but despite a few subtle hints in the first half of the story, the two halves don’t quite mesh as well as they could.

Several subplots crop up as well, some of which add layers to the story while others seem to contribute characters without adding much to the climax. Combined with some dips in pace, these almost-disassociated plots made the novel feel a bit disjointed at times.

Thankfully, Paula Masterton’s narration is spot-on. She brings Miss Cassidy to life with warmth and personality, and her Scottish accent adds a lovely authenticity to the character. Her delivery kept me engaged, even when the story slowed, and added an extra layer of charm to the experience.

4⭐️

I had the audiobook of this delightful fantasy read by Paula Masterton who was excellent. She has a lovely gentle Scottish burr for Miss Cassidy.

Historical fiction with the setting in Singapore 1890’s, Miss Cassidy works as an English tutor for Mr Kay Wing Tong’s family, but there’s more to Miss Cassidy than being a companion or tutor.

It’s a lighter gentle enjoyable story, it’s lightly dusted with the fantasy brush so it doesn’t alienate non fantasy readers, but it might be too light for the genre enthusiasts. I enjoyed the storytelling and the insights into the life of the time. I didn’t find her character to be formidable, I found her quite charming.

It looks like it might be a series, so I’d be keen to listen to the next one.

If Mary Poppins met Supernatural!

Miss Cassidy is a governess for wealthy families, in 1890’s Singapore. When she is not teaching the children English during the day, she is ridding their houses of ghosts and other creatures during the night.

Really lovely wholesome story with a bit of action. I nice mix of genres.

The narrator for the book added personality to each of the characters and it was a very enjoyable listen.

This was such an unexpected delight. A wild ride of manners, ettiquette, demons and magic with a very proper and extremely unflappable MC. Loved it.

*The Formidable Miss Cassidy* by Meihan Boey is a delightful, fast-paced story set in 1890s Singapore, where the resilient Miss Leda Cassidy faces a terrifying pontianak while caring for the Bendemeer family. She’s soon entangled in the affairs of the spirited Kay family, fighting supernatural threats to protect those she’s grown to love.

Narrator Paula Masterton brings this suspenseful tale to life, capturing Miss Cassidy’s strength and wit with engaging nuance. Her skillful voice work immerses you in the vibrant setting, adding depth to each character and drawing you deeper into the mystery from the very start. A surprising gem that hooks you immediately!

I found the audiobook of "The Formidable Miss Cassidy" to be an enchanting tale that transports readers to colonial Singapore. Blending historical fiction with Malay (and other) folklore, this captivating story follows the compelling Miss Leda Cassidy as she navigates the complexities of her role as governess and companion to two local families, and her own heritage.

What begins as a ordinary tale of teaching English and manners quickly evolves into a spellbinding adventure, as Miss Cassidy confronts the very real threat of ghostly entities, which I won't spoil. Weaving together strands of Celtic mythology and Singapore's rich cultural tapestry, the author has crafted a fascinating and even educational experience for the reader. If you love world mythology as I do, you will love this book.

The narrator was an absolutely perfect pick for this book. She was able to do many distinct voices with ease, and I could tell the characters apart despite the fact that there are mostly women characters.

With its vivid atmosphere, well-drawn characters, masterful blend of supernatural and the historical, and the perfect narrator, "The Formidable Miss Cassidy" is an enchanting listening experience.

I truly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It was so a great listen and I fell in love with Miss Cassidy as the story contained. She’s a fantastic character and I really enjoyed the people she met along the way.

The premise and foundations for Miss Cassidy are a compelling and unique twist on the typical cosy fantasy mystery novel. I loved the setting and the series of spooky mysteries uncovered. It would be great to get some more background on Miss Cassidy and the general fae lore. I found myself a little lost and struggling to understand the reasons behind some of the characters actions as no context was provided. Overall it was a fun read and the audiobook production is excellent. I would love for a sequel to have a deeper character exploration.