Gradchanted

Gr 9 Up–Cass is an expert at ghosting. Having been through 16 schools because of her dads’ renovation business, she finds cutting ties easier than keeping in touch. As her parents get ready to move again, Cass plans to ghost once more after the Grad Nite celebration in Disneyland. However, the night soon turns disastrous, and Cass’s escape plan sours when she’s thrown into a time loop, forced to relive Grad Nite over and over. Can she find her way out, or will Cass be stuck perpetually facing her worst fears? Matson pens the second in her Disney Parks romance set with a teen stuck in her own personal Groundhog Day. While the initial build up through the first time loop can drag, once the loops begin, there are plenty of moments that are fun to read. Cass’s relatability to some teens may waver as piecing together what may stop the loop, through her interactions with love interest Freddie, reveals that the central communication conflict was easily solvable. The creative way Cass helps those around her is well managed, if somewhat predictable, by the time the last loop is happening. Secondary characters, while interesting, lack development beyond their introductions. Cass reads white and Freddie is cued as South Asian.