Cassie Mae Book Reviews

Last year I stumbled upon an author by the name of Cassie Mae and her book, FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI.

The riotous way Mae wrote her main characters quickly had me hooked. In FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI, soon-to-be-college student Kellie makes quite a few bucks thanks to the boys in town who want to date girls their parents don’t exactly approve of. Kellie offers these guys an alibi for a buck – she sits at home playing video games and pretends to be on a date with “Frank” so “Frank” can really sneak off on a date with a totally different girl.

Kellie answers the phone when parents call, writes down a full itinerary of the fake date for the boy who purchases her services, and TA DA! Kellie makes money and the boys make out with the chicks they aren’t supposed to date. But then Kellie runs into Chase who is older than she is, and for the first time Kellie may no longer want to be just an alibi. Perfect brain candy for a rainy day!

So, then I read SWITCHED, because I loved ALIBI and sure enough, it was another fun, addictive read. It was a chocolate-covered pretzel, can’t-stop-eating-it type of literary snack attack. It was basically about a boy and girl teaming up to break up their friends from their significant others in an attempt to have a chance with those they are trying to split apart. Only problem is, they find themselves falling for one another and NOT the couple they are supposed to be driving a wedge between. Total fun.

But it wasn’t until I read REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND that I really thought Cassie Mae showed her true ability as a storyteller. I loved the concept, the idea of body image in young girls and how boys really see them. I loved the main characters and their chemistry and the running thoughts of the boy’s POV (which the entire story is written from – hello AWESOME idea). And while it was still a fun, fast read, it had a more serious slant that I loved.

So, whenever I need to come up for air from the dark worlds I write and read, Cassie Mae is my perfect ray of sunshine. Her stories are a tipsy combination of FRIENDS, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, and maybe just a pinch of 16 CANDLES.

And let’s face it – everyone needs a little Long Duk Dong in their life now and then :)