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A review by hookerkitty
Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
(Choosing to mostly ignore the last chapter, but knocking off a quarter star for it and only it)
The end of this made me practically sob, but in a good way. I’m 37 and we’ve (me and my mental health peeps) only just within the last year or so really realizing that I probs have autism (had a LOT of other stuff override focusing on that. Gotta love PTSD and treatment-resistant depression, amongst others). While my experience doesn’t exactly mirror Cassandra’s, the overall themes/features are the same (something’s wrong with me/I’m different/weird being a huge one). I looked it up and learned the author wasn’t diagnosed until she was 35, so I felt kinship there as well.
I don’t remember how I found out about this book (autism sub on Reddit probs), but I’m DEF glad I did. It just further cements that yeah, this explains me.
Part of me grieves for myself and wonder how much different my life would’ve turned out had I been diagnosed earlier on (same goes for some of my rare-ish health conditions too). Just one more thing that I want to go back to people in my past, smack them hard in the face, and yell “IT WASN'T ALL IN MY HEAD I WAS AND AM NOT FAKING ANYTHING.” But I’m grateful to at least know now.
I don’t know why it never really occurred to me to seek out books with neurospicy main characters. But I also wasn’t finally diagnosed with ADHD until a couple years ago (around 34-35 I think?). This book def makes me want to find them and not just come across them. Sometimes reading books with characters who do everything (or just a lot) “right” can bum me out since I would have probs doing that stuff. It feels less lonely reading about characters with similar issues, (esp since it wasn’t a downer book).
The end of this made me practically sob, but in a good way. I’m 37 and we’ve (me and my mental health peeps) only just within the last year or so really realizing that I probs have autism (had a LOT of other stuff override focusing on that. Gotta love PTSD and treatment-resistant depression, amongst others). While my experience doesn’t exactly mirror Cassandra’s, the overall themes/features are the same (something’s wrong with me/I’m different/weird being a huge one). I looked it up and learned the author wasn’t diagnosed until she was 35, so I felt kinship there as well.
I don’t remember how I found out about this book (autism sub on Reddit probs), but I’m DEF glad I did. It just further cements that yeah, this explains me.
Part of me grieves for myself and wonder how much different my life would’ve turned out had I been diagnosed earlier on (same goes for some of my rare-ish health conditions too). Just one more thing that I want to go back to people in my past, smack them hard in the face, and yell “IT WASN'T ALL IN MY HEAD I WAS AND AM NOT FAKING ANYTHING.” But I’m grateful to at least know now.
I don’t know why it never really occurred to me to seek out books with neurospicy main characters. But I also wasn’t finally diagnosed with ADHD until a couple years ago (around 34-35 I think?). This book def makes me want to find them and not just come across them. Sometimes reading books with characters who do everything (or just a lot) “right” can bum me out since I would have probs doing that stuff. It feels less lonely reading about characters with similar issues, (esp since it wasn’t a downer book).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Vomit, and Car accident