Where to Start with Cassie Mae
If you are new to Cassie Mae's brand of lighthearted, nerdy romance, you have two excellent entry points depending on your preference for series or standalones. For those who want to dive into a themed series, the best starting point is How to Date a Nerd, the 2012 novel that launched her popular How To series. It perfectly encapsulates her signature style: closet geeks, high school awkwardness, and sweet, slow-burn romantic tension.
If you prefer a standalone story, you should start with her breakout debut, Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend (2013). This novel remains a fan favorite for its refreshing, humorous, and deeply relatable take on high school friendship, self-acceptance, and unrequited love.
How To Series
The How To series is a collection of companion novels focusing on high schoolers who embrace their inner geek. While the books are set in the same general universe, they feature different couples and can easily be read as standalones. However, reading them in publication order is recommended to fully appreciate the evolution of the shared themes:
- How to Date a Nerd (2012) – Follows Zoe, a closet nerd hiding her love for X-Men comics, and her relationship with the school's proudest geek.
- How to Hook a Bookworm (2015) – Explores academic pressure, test anxiety, and an unexpected connection built over a love of reading.
- How to Score a Band Geek (2016) – Focuses on high school band dynamics and finding love where you least expect it. (Note: This book was also published under the title How to Seduce a Band Geek in 2014).
The Beds Series (Co-authored as Becca Ann)
The Beds series is a collaborative project written alongside author Theresa Paolo. For this series, Cassie Mae published under the pen name Becca Ann, while Paolo wrote as Tessa Marie. This series leans into New Adult contemporary romance with a cozy, lighthearted, and "fluffy" vibe. While the local database lists True Love and Magic Tricks as the third book by publication year, chronologically it serves as a prequel novella (numbered Book 0.5 by fans) and is best read first or as a companion piece.
The recommended reading order for the series is:
- True Love and Magic Tricks (2014) – A prequel novella set before the events of the main novels.
- King Sized Beds and Happy Trails (2014) – The first full-length novel, featuring childhood best friends forced to share a single king-sized bed during a senior ski trip.
- Beach Side Beds and Sandy Paths (2014) – Follows a sweet summer romance on the coast.
- Lonesome Beds and Bumpy Roads (2015) – The final entry, wrapping up the series with a road-trip-themed romance.
All About Love (Not Your Average) vs. Nerdy Thirties
Cassie Mae has two series that are frequently confused due to overlapping naming themes and publishing updates. It is important to distinguish between them to keep the characters and plots straight:
The "Not Your Average" (All About Love) Series
In local listings, this trilogy is cataloged as the All About Love books. It is a New York City-based contemporary romance series focusing on young adults navigating high-stakes bets, road trips, and friendship boundaries. They should be read in order:
- Not Your Average Engagement (2015) – Centers on Liz and Landon making a high-stakes bet about abstinence before their wedding night.
- Not Your Average Road Trip (2015) – Takes the romance on the road with unexpected detours and forced proximity.
- Not Your Average Friend Zone (2016) – Tackles the classic friends-to-lovers trope.
The Nerdy Thirties Series
Though some databases cross-reference the "Not Your Average" titles with this series due to digital re-releases, the Nerdy Thirties books focus on a distinct group of characters navigating life and love in their milestone decade. The reading order is:
- Flirty Thirty (2016)
- Make Lemonade (2017)
- Missed Kiss (2019)
- Maybe Baby (2019)
Other Modern Romance Series
Cassie Mae has penned several other duologies and trilogies that capture different romantic tropes, from small-town haunts to workplace rivalries:
Troublemaker Series
This series centers on contemporary romance tropes with high emotional stakes and playful banter. Read them in order:
- I Knew You Were Trouble (2020)
- Double Trouble (2020)
Quirky Girls Series
A collection of individual stories that highlight eccentric, highly relatable female leads. While some of these stories were written earlier in her career, they are grouped together under this series title:
- The Real Thing (2020)
- Switched (2020)
- Friday Night Alibi (2020)
Frostville Series
A charming duology set around a mystical mansion in Michigan rumored to be haunted by Cupid himself:
- The Princess and the Pizza Man (2017)
- Southern Spinster (2018)
Give me a Love Trope Series
A newer project focusing on classic, beloved romance setups:
- Enemies to Lovers (2023)
Standalone Novels and Novellas
If you want to read individual stories without committing to a larger continuity, Cassie Mae has a rich backlist of standalone contemporary romance novels. These can be read in any order, though reading them by publication year shows her growth as a writer:
- Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend (2013)
- Unexpectedly You (2013)
- Secret Catch (2014)
- Stage Kissed (2015)
- Southern Kicks (2016, Novella)
- You Can't Catch Me (2016)
- Broken Records (2016)
- Pillowtalk (2017)
- Merging Realities (2021)
- Heroes with Heat and Heart, Volume 3 (2023, Anthology contribution)
What to Know Before You Start
Cassie Mae's novels are celebrated for their lightheartedness, heavy use of pop-culture references (such as Harry Potter, X-Men, and The Flash), and positive focus on body image and mental health. Her characters are intentionally flawed, making them feel real and accessible. While her young adult novels like the How To series are entirely clean or very mild, her New Adult and contemporary romance series (like the Beds series or the All About Love series) contain more mature themes and moderate romance scenes suitable for older readers.