What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles

 

This is an older YA that came out while I was still in school and I remember wanting to read it SO badly. So obviously when I went to a thrift store and saw it sitting there, I had to think for about 2.5 seconds before going um, YAAAAASS.

WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE? is a pretty edgy and fucked-up book with loads of trigger warnings. It's about a pretty popular girl named Cass who wakes up from a drug-induced sleep to find herself in a box. Specifically a coffin, buried under ground. The boy who buried her did so because he blames her for her brother's suicide, and the clock is ticking until she dies-- unless she can keep him talking and figure out why he really put her underground.

There are three POVs in this story-- Kyle, the would-be murderer; Cass, the girl in the box; and Ben, the cop who's leading the investigation into Cass's disappearance. None of these characters are likable but the pacing is fast and the page count is short, so it still ends up being a pretty quick read.

I think the thriller/suspense angle is the best part of this book. You get invested and want to find out what happens to Cass. She's selfish and a little cruel but also a pretty typical teenage girl. It's the parents in this book who are the WORST. It ends up being really complex and there are all these layers as to why David, Kyle's brother, killed himself, and why Kyle buried Cass. I'm not sure it holds up all that well at this point in time but it was a brisk read and kept me entertained.

2.5 to 3 out of 5 stars