Name: Ian Brakspear's review of The Cassandra Complex by Holly Smale
Item: The Cassandra Complex
Rating: 5
Author: Ian Brakspear

Holly Smale

Cassandra Penelope Dankworth has always had more than her name to contend with. But today is a new low... This morning, Cassie's boyfriend breaks up with her. By lunchtime, she is fired from her PR job for not being a 'People Person'. This evening, her ex turns up as if nothing happened and Cassie is too relieved to ask questions. She's just glad her longest ever romantic relationship (4 months) is back on track. Tomorrow, Cassie finds herself being dumped again. By lunchtime, she's being fired. When Cassie realises she is gifted - or perhaps cursed - with the power to travel back in time, she has a chance to do things differently. But will things keep going wrong for her when she has infinite chances to get them right?

The Cassandra Complex

Ian Brakspear

Alba Ramos

i, too, would be the worst time traveller ever, id just read a lot and sleep as much as i wanted to (i would win the lottery, tho)

One of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and What a book it was! This one is full of Humour, emotion, Self-Love and most importantly finding a voice in Society today. There were parts of Cassandra that I could really relate to and is what has made this a book that will stay with me for a long time to come; There is so much within these pages and I’m glad that I went into this one without much knowledge of the plot itself and it made it way more exciting. 

When we first meet Cassandra, she’s just been dumped and is fired from her PR job. She has what she describes as a meltdown and finds herself waking up in a scenario she’s already lived through. Her ability to time travel is never explained but it’s used as a device to help her to examine her character and relationships. 

Cassandra gets to play with time, reliving key dates in her quest to right her relationship and fix what she sees as the problem with her. However, it soon becomes clear to us that there’s aspects of her life she’s not letting us know about and that these might well hold the key to her gaining happiness. 

Huge Shout out to Holly Smale who has done an outstanding job of bringing Cassandra to life and creating a book that I think Autistic People will be able to relate to in one way or another and the final sentence in the Author note Says it all “We are beautiful, we are unique, and we are legion”. 

This is a book that is full of tender, heart-breaking moments. It's about grief, acceptance of self, forgiveness, the bonds of sisterhood and a whole lot more than I can even voice, The neurodiversity representation in this book is some of the best I've ever read!  I don’t want to divulge any further plot details, but it was great to see Cassandra slowly start figuring out herself and how others view her. While she in no way represents all autistic people, it was lovely to see her grow into accepting herself and to think about how the neurotypical world could start to work around her. 

One of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and What a book it was! This one is full of Humour, emotion, Self-Love and most importantly finding a voice in Society today. There were parts of Cassandra that I could really relate to and is what has made this a book that will stay with me for a long time to come; There is so much within these pages and I’m glad that I went into this one without much knowledge of the plot itself and it made it way more exciting. 

 

When we first meet Cassandra, she’s just been dumped and is fired from her PR job. She has what she describes as a meltdown and finds herself waking up in a scenario she’s already lived through. Her ability to time travel is never explained but it’s used as a device to help her to examine her character and relationships. 

Cassandra gets to play with time, reliving key dates in her quest to right her relationship and fix what she sees as the problem with her. However, it soon becomes clear to us that there’s aspects of her life she’s not letting us know about and that these might well hold the key to her gaining happiness. 

 

Huge Shout out to Holly Smale who has done an outstanding job of bringing Cassandra to life and creating a book that I think Autistic People will be able to relate to in one way or another and the final sentence in the Author note Says it all “We are beautiful, we are unique, and we are legion”. 

 

This is a book that is full of tender, heart-breaking moments. It's about grief, acceptance of self, forgiveness, the bonds of sisterhood and a whole lot more than I can even voice, The neurodiversity representation in this book is some of the best I've ever read!  I don’t want to divulge any further plot details, but it was great to see Cassandra slowly start figuring out herself and how others view her. While she in no way represents all autistic people, it was lovely to see her grow into accepting herself and to think about how the neurotypical world could start to work around her. 

Ian Brakspear &
The Cassandra Complex by Holly Smale

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Ian Brakspear &The Cassandra Complex by Holly Smale

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Join the club

Ian Brakspear &
The Cassandra Complex by Holly Smale