What a fun read! Set during the summer in a mall in New Jersey in the early 90s, McCafferty brings her usual wit to all of her characters. She's a must read for me and I wasn't disappointed.

If you love the 90s then you are going to love this book.

Although I was a smidge young for some of the reference, I still adored then. From Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch to 90210 and everything in between, this book took me right back to my teenage days, loving the mall and everything it has to offer.

In this novel Cassie gets thrown for a loop when her boyfriend, who she has developed The Plan with, breaks up with her for a less than worthy opponent. Knowing she can't work with him for the entire summer, Cassie needs a backup plan. And fast.

This book was FUN. Scavenger hunts, 90s throwbacks, makeover scenes galore and some really fun characters that I loved to read about, I definitely loved getting to sneak into Cassie's world.

Its been awhile since I've read a YA novel and I was starting to worry that maybe the genre was done for me, so it was a nice surprise to pick up The Mall and find that as long as the writer is on point I am still all in.

If you're looking for a fun, fast read and you find yourself stuck in the 90s then this is totally the book for you. It's definitely a Dylan McKay.

I loved this book! It was the perfect blend of 90's nostalgia mixed with a scavenger hunt mystery taking place in a mall with a side of feminism. This is going to be the perfect summer read. It has Megan McCafferty's unique style of writing that is so easy to get lost in.

This was a fail for me.... I have tried 3 times to get into this book and it just isn’t holding my attention. I don’t want to give anything away. I hated the 90s as a kid and I still hate them now. This book was a hard pass for me. I wanted to like it. I may give it some time and go back and try to read it again.

**Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my opinion of the book**

The Mall was a cute title. I'm hesitant to call the 1990s "historical fiction", especially when the book still feels relevant to readers today. It is very firmly set in the 1990s, but I think the overall messages will still hit home with YA readers today.

Cassie Worthy has a "plan". She is going to get through the job she has with her boyfriend of two years, Troy, before they head off to NYC for college in the fall. Except the "plan" doesn't go according to plan: Troy dumps her for another girl and she's fired from her job after a bout of mono, leaving Cassie scrambling to figure out who she is and come up with a new "plan". She ends up with a job at a boutique run by the family of her ex-best friend, Drea Bellarosa, and getting sucked into a mall-wide scavenger hunt.

The beginning and parts of the ending were a little slow for me. Cassie spends many of the first few chapters crying about Troy, which rubbed me the wrong way. Anyone who would cheat on you while you have "the worst case of mono the doctor has seen in his 40 year tenure" (Cassie's words) is not worth your tears. The ending part that threw me off was that the author was introducing a new conflict with less than 20% of the book left. While I was expecting the conflict that came, it still felt kind of late to be adding additional problems for the protagonist to overcome.

Once she stopped crying over Troy, I really liked Cassie's story. Her friendship with Drea is very sweet and well written. The scavenger hunt was a fun angle. I found myself trying to figure out the clues before the characters could, so that added engagement with the book for me. The romance plot was cute and sufficiently showed Cassie's growth. Additionally, the "soundtrack" of songs mentioned are great, if you take the time to look it up. McCafferty mentions many songs of various genres, so you may just find a new favorite between these pages.

The last thing that I wanted to mention was the obvious pop culture references that come with a book set in the past. I was born in the early 90s, so some of these were familiar to me. Some of them weren't and I looked them up. While I didn't have a problem with the references since this is a book trying to evoke a certain time period, I was a little confused as to the audience McCafferty is intending to reach. Is it adults who are nostalgic for this time period? Is it teens who may be interested in the 90s the way some of us were interested in the 80s or 70s as kids? I just was unsure where this fits in with the current group of YA readers who are actually part of the YA audience since they won't be old enough to be nostalgic for the references throughout the book. She did a nice job with the references and they don't feel overwhelming the way some pop culture books can feel, but it does feel like a strange choice for readers who were born after the time period.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a fun romp through the mall with lessons about friendship, love, and identity along the way. It is one I would definitely recommend picking up when it's published in June

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the copy of this ARC! I was excited to read it the moment I saw it was set in 1991, which was my birth year. I'm a 90s baby, so of course most of my memories and formative years are set in the early 2000s, but I have a deep love for my birth decade and the music, pop culture, and fashion that came out of it. Also, I grew up in a small town (and have moved to another) where the only 'fun' thing to do for miles is to go to the mall, so I knew that no matter when I was born, I would relate to this story. I found out, though, that it was more than the setting and the time it takes place that I would find familiarity in. This novel is a coming of age story that will pull on the heartstrings of all its readers; no matter what generation they hail from.

We are thrown in the midst of Cassie's perfect life. She has started a new job with her boyfriend of two years, and the two of them are planning their life together post-high school. Summer is here, and Cassie just got over mono, which knocked her out of commission for things like prom, graduation, and the first few weeks of life at the America's Best Cookie. Our protagonist is excited to return to normalcy, but is accosted her first day back with so much change that it sends her reeling straight out of her relationship, her job, and the person she thought she was. As she picks herself back up again, she finds a safe space within the halls of the Bellarosa Boutique, surrounded by her ex-best friend from fifth grade and a treasure hunt that brings the two of them together. Through Drea's encouragement and Cassie's hard life lessons, we see this girl change before our eyes. She learns to love again, but this time-- she's loving herself.

I was overwhelmed by the consistent theme of being you, no matter what that means. For Cassie, it's a complete overhaul; she realizes she doesn't have to be the prim, proper, and perfect overachiever that her ex-boyfriend fell in love with. She starts to take risks, both mentally and physically, and is a better person through it. For Drea, it's understanding that she deserves to follow her dreams outside the mall. For Cassie's parents, it's figuring out who they are apart after years of being staplegunned to the other's side. For Cassie's maybe beau, Sam Goody, it's stepping away from a life that has made him unhappy for so long to focus on the now. There are so many characters struggling in their own way within these pages, and despite the issues that they have, they find a version of happiness that suits them. It's incredibly uplifting, and even at 28 I am still figuring out who I am, so it's heartening to see that journey from ages 17 to 40-something. You're never too old to start again.

The references in this book were fantastic; the treasure hunt alone was littered with relics of a bygone era, lyrics from shows and bands from the decade are strewn throughout, and there is a distinct smell in the air of denim, hairspray, and the chlorine from the mall fountain. It brought back the mall I remember from my youth which has now lost its own fountain and closed up many of the shops that used to be so prevalent then. Spencer's and Bath and Body Works are still going strong, though, and the food court is still the happening place on a Friday night. It felt like home, and the hi-jinks that the varied cast of characters gets into reminded me of nights out with my best friends in high school; looking at things we didn't have the money to buy, having scavenger hunts, and just being young and alive. There is so much energy in this novel. I felt electrified as I was reading it and just was not able to stop. I recommend this to any adult trying to recapture what it felt like to be unencumbered and surrounded by seemingly endless possibilities, and to any teenager grappling with the daunting task of growing up. There's something here for everyone, just like the book's namesake.

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin Press for allowing me to read this arc.
This is the first time I've read anything by Megan McCafferty.

Do you love the 90's .. and is YA your jam? Then grab this book and don't look back. This is a laugh out loud and make you remember how much fun The Mall was and the place to be....back in 1991! This is a coming of age story of a girl named Cassie who has a little over a month before she leaves off to collage in the Big Apple. She experiences heartache, friendship, first times.

Go ahead and pick up this book .. take a trip back in time and enjoy her story of self growth...you won't regret it!

So your boyfriend who you have been with for two years breaks up with you. Everything you have known, everything you’re planning for, gone. And him and his new girlfriend work in the mall. So what will you do? You need a job. So the job hunt begins. Old friendships are rekindled. New ones are formed. A treasure hunt is initiated. This book grabbed me by surprise and I ended up reading it all in one day. Just couldn’t put it down. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a nice easy read. Anyone growing up in the late 80s/early 90s will recognize many of the pop culture references. Cassie is an overachieving teenager spending her last weeks in her hometown before activating "the plan" with her long-time boyfriend to go to school in New York. After a bout with mono, she finds out he's been cheating on her and has to find another job in The Mall to avoid him. This starts Cassie's true education - one that sees her grow up and become who see wants to be.

1991. Sophomore year in high school. I was fifteen. My favorite place to trek (besides the library) was the mall.

Just the mall. Names never mattered.

In McCafferty's novel, Cassie Worthy spends her summer trying to find her worth via neon, cassingles, and Orange Julius as she deals with an ex-boyfriend, an ex-best friend's advice, and rumors.

I thought this novel was cute. It gave me a slice of nostalgia that I love and I think those living at the moment would love too. If you want a taste of the early 90s (before Nirvana hit the scene), take a gander at this book. It's the bomb! (Yeah, I showed my age!)

4/5

First of all, the cover of this book is 100% on theme with the title in neon lights. It's eye-catching with the all black background, and if you're someone that judges a book by it's cover, you'll pick it up.

This book.....y'all it was a THROWBACK. I started Kindergarten in '93, so I was too young to really experience the 90's in all their glory, but I am obsessed with 80's and early 90's teen movies (think Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Clueless, etc.). The whole time I was reading this, I kept thinking that it would definitely have been the type of movie John Hughes would have loved to direct in his heyday.

Our main character, Cassie Worthy, has just finished high school, and has her life all planned out: Work at America's Best Cookie with her long term boyfriend Troy after graduation, attend an excellent college in the same city as him, graduate in her field of choice, get married, and live happily ever after. Except after a long bout of mono, Troy dumps her, she loses her job, and The Plan goes out the window. She ends up getting a job at a boutique working with her ex-best friend, going on a treasure hunt that involves Cabbage Patch Kids, and becoming who she REALLY is, not the person Troy wanted her to be. There is drama, romance, and adventure, and I honestly couldn't put it down.

I wouldn't say that this book was one of my favorites, but it was solid and fun, with heartwarming moments and scenes that literally made me LOL. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants an easy, feel good read. I can easily see this one making the rounds with my high school girls.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books to send me this ARC COPY in exchange my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this book.
I enjoyed this book and would reread it again but it’s not a favorite. It gave me vibez from the show 6teen.

This was a fun book to read, full of late 80s and early 90s references. The main character as relateable with her insecurities and typical angst and optimism about her future. It wasn’t an overly challenging book but it was enjoyable.

For all the 90's babes young adults. This is the book for you. The blast from the past. It's see it as a cult classic and a fun mystery. With a radical women POV. I definitely recommend this book.

A nostalgic trip back to the 90s! I think some of the pop culture references could be lost on a younger generation but ultimately, the coming of age tale and pleasant trip back to a different time for teenagers will still resonate. I really enjoyed this as a light novel and will add it to a reading list for fun and teen issues, for students who enjoy these slightly more mature stories in my older year groups.

This book had some throwback humor and some fun moments. This book was written for young adults but I hardly think any of that actual age will find it as enjoyable or humorous because they wouldn't get 90% of the references. The characters were fine and the story was enjoyable, however it seemed like the author threw in language and sex to try to make it more of a story. It took the characters way more out of character and didn't follow who they supposedly were throughout the rest of the book. I liked the throwback and the fun that part held, however didn't love the story enough to want to read others. The ending was lackluster and it was just ok by the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a fun ride back in time to my teens when there was nothing more fun than going to the mall- eating in the food court, trying to meet cute guys, shopping at Benetton and spraying every fragrance they had at Bath & Bodyworks. Those years could only have been better had I gone on adventures like those of Cassandra. A counterfeit Cabbage Patch Doll scavenger hunt? Partying in the mall’s underground tunnels? Befriending the Sam Goody guy? Yes, please! This was a wild trip down memory lane with a cute storyline that kept me guessing and turning down plans that cool Gen-Xers like me turn down. This comes out in June. Stay tuned! Get it! Thanks to MacMillan USA and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"The Mall" is the first of McCafferty's novels that I have read, so I am unable to compare it to her other works. What initially appealed to me was the neon cover and summary description as it sounded like a fun teen romp full of heartbreak, renewed friendships and youthful drama. In this I can say that I was not disappointed.

It is weird to me that the early 90s is considered retro now, but hey...time marches on. I enjoyed having the novel set in this time period, although the storyline could have been set in the 2000s, 2010s, 2020s, etc without detracting from the plot. Cassandra's problems were timeless, but I found the mall setting to be a quirky twist that I found refreshing. This book was vibrant and funny, and dealt with universal teen conflicts with equal measures of levity and gravity. The perfect summer beach read that I could not put down due to the ebullient entertainment value.

Loved this book. I have been a fan of Megan’s for a while so I was excited to read a new one from her. This book totally threw me back to my teenage years and going to the mall. Lighthearted and fun book

Thank you so much for inviting me to read this novel. I absolutely love the cover design and I was intrigued by the synopsis. Unfortunately, I am just not connecting with this book during this time. I read the first 25 percent before I decided to put it down. I will not be reviewing this title due to the small amount I have read. I wish this book all the best, and I look forward to working with you again in the future.

Kind regards,

Brittney