This was a fun, quick read. I've missed Megan McCafferty's writing. THE MALL doesn't have quite the same biting wit as the Jessica Darling series, but as always McCafferty's precise skewering of social groups and her own heroine's blind spots is perfection. I think readers who were actually teens in the 80s and early 90s will love the nostalgia fest. For others, it'll be a lighthearted read perfect for the pool — or between breaks at the mall.

It feels like forever since I hung out in Pineville New Jersey! I was a huge fan of the Sloppy Firsts series and have probably read the set 10 times. The problem with this book was that while I liked it immensely, for it to feel nostalgic you need to be my age, 37, or even a little older to be a product of the 80's. That being said, there is no way that I am going to be able to relate to Cassie like I did Jess Darling because like I said, I am 37! When I read Sloppy Firsts I was probably in my teens? Everything felt so similar to what life was, longing for a boy, going to college, figuring out who I was. But now I am an old married lady and it just didn't strike the same cord.

Don't get me wrong. I still loved going back to the 80's. Going to the mall, mean girls, jerky boys Megan McCafferty can write a feeling and a mood. I felt like I was there listening to Nirvana and drinking an Orange Julius. I definitely think a girl in her teens or twenties would love this book and see themselves in it. I would recommend it for sure and hope that they are cool enough to crimp their hair, roll their jeans and head on down to the mall.

3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Megan McCafferty is one of my favorite authors, so I had high hopes for this book. I didn't know anything going into it, just that it takes place in the 90s. And I feel bad saying this, but it read to me like it needs one more draft before publication, kinda.

If you've read the Jessica Darling books, The Mall takes place in the same universe and same town. There are a few connections sprinkled throughout like Easter eggs, and that was kinda fun. But there was something about this book that grated on me, even though the main character feels very similar to Jessica Darling. (Maybe it's just timing/my age--I last read the Jessica Darling books in college. Maybe I'd hate her now.)

The book follows recent Pineville High grad Cassie Worthy during the summer before she leaves for Barnard in NYC. She's just come off of a 6-week bout of mono and finds out she's been fired from her food court job at the mall before she could even start (probably because of the mono, is that legal?), and oh yeah, her only-other-intelligent-and-driven-person-at-their-school boyfriend of 2 years has been cheating on her while she's been sick. Cassie bounces back when she gets a job at a fashion boutique with her ex-best friend Drea, who turns her on to a literal treasure hunt at the mall.

There were weird things about this book that I couldn't get past, so I have to mention them: it's never addressed, but Cassie calls both of parents by their first names, and it's extremely strange. Just one line about that quirk would have helped, because not addressing it was weird. Similarly, Cassie and her new love interest don't know each other's names for almost the entire book, and that's only addressed in her head like once or twice. They call each other "Sam Goody" and "Bellarosa," the names of the stores they work in. Is it supposed to be cute? It felt weird because it went on for the whole freaking book.

Also, the narration felt weird to me. It's first person past tense, but phrases like "back in the summer of 91" or references to "years afterward" the current events of the book made me think that maybe there'd be an epilogue from the future at the end or something. (Spoiler alert, there wasn't.) I guess movie and TV voiceovers do this a lot, but it threw me off seeing it in a book. Maybe I just don't read enough books that do this, I don't know.

Anyway, the treasure hunt "clues" were a letdown, I actually started to feel claustrophobic that the book only takes place in the mall or in cars, and there were parts of the book that didn't feel fully fleshed out, like the middle. And did I mention that Drea's the best and Cassie's the worst? I'd read a Drea spinoff in a heartbeat.

Kinda disappointed but it was a quick read, at least.

I enjoyed this book and devoured it in one sitting. I loved the setting and had forgotten about some of the stores that McCafferty included in the story. I thought the added adventure within the rest of the story was well done but slightly anticlimactic. The love interest also left some things to be desired. I still enjoyed the book and will absolutely be recommending it to patrons at the library.

I don’t remember the early 90s, but I was a mall person in the late 90s, so the nostalgia pulled me in. But the references seemed a little forced, and as a YA novel, didn’t always make sense. I did enjoy the plot though... some mystery, part coming of age, part revenge - it was a fun read.

This book was so much fun and took me right back to my middle/high school years! I loved the mall setting and related to everything! Even Seaside Heights where I lived for a few years! I laughed and cried throughout this book. Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy!

A fun and fizzy love letter to the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. Set in a New Jersey shopping mall in the summer of 1991, where Cassie is set to enjoy three months of working at the food court with her high school boyfriend, before they both head for college in NYC. They’ve got their whole future planned. Until he breaks up with her on her first day.

Cassie suddenly has to scramble for a new job and new friends. In the insular world of the mall, there are rumors about everything from who’s hooking up, to whispers of a treasure hidden somewhere amid the Orange Juliuses and Sam Goodys.

MacCaffery clearly has great affection and nostalgia for this time and place. The stores and pop culture references are spot-on. Cassie has a sharp wit and too-real naïveté. She feels very much like Jessica Darling of the Sloppy First series. (There’s even a cameo from Jessica’s perfect older sister, Bethany!)

Also, not related to the story at all, but I’ve had Robin Sparkles’s “Let’s Go to the Mall” stuck in my head the whole time I’ve been reading this book.

I thought this story sounded so fun! I was born in 1991 and it brought back a lot of memories from my childhood with my friends growing up! I loved it! It was so fun to read and really enticing!

Reminiscent of McCafferty's older work but distinctly it's on book. the 90s culture was so fun to read for all of us that experienced IRL. Fun story, really enjoyable.

This book is nostalgia solidified for me. Early 1990's New Jersey, during a time of big hair, the teenage idyllic obsession with 90210, and when the local mall was the epicenter of the social scene. For readers in the 30's, Cassie's story is a chapter straight out of their own lives. For young adult readers, it's a fun book that gives some incite into what childhood was like for their parents and how the things they're going through aren't too different from what kid "back in the day" experienced.

Cassie Worthy is a newly graduated senior with a big goals. She's getting ready to attend college in the Big Apple, she has a job at the cookie place in the mall where she works with her boyfriend of two years, and she has two perfect parents who have shown Cassie what the ideal relationship looks like and why she should what that kind of future for herself. Ans Cassie plans to secure that life with her boyfriend, Troy.

Until she's hit with an epic case of mono and all of her carefully laid plans begin to unravel. Cassie gets dumped, fired, and assaulted by a snaggle-toothed teenage banshee brandishing body spray like mace, all within the span of a day. Gobsmacked by this unforeseen turn of events, Cassie is unemployed and heart sore. Then she gets offered an opportunity to manage the books of Bellarosa - a chintzy boutique catering to the wealthy women of Pineville, New Jersey. The issue? It belongs to the mother of her ex-middle school best friend Drea Bellarosa, who is the polar opposite of Cassie in every way. Glamorous, chic, and always dressed to the nines, Drea puts 100% of her effort into her appearance (while slacking on all of the other aspects of her life, like maintaining a GPA over a 2.0).

With Cassie's help, Drea is bound and determined to uncover the secret hiding place of the mall's infamous treasure, with clues that lie hidden in the identities of a batch of abandoned Cabbage Patch dolls. Rekindling her friendship with Drea and working to uncover the mystery of the Cabbage Patch Dolls, Cassie begins to learn that there's more fun to be had in life when she's not stuck on a plan and she can appreciate the moment.

Jessica Darling was my jam back in middle and high school...I think I discovered "Sloppy Firsts" in 8th Grade.

While this book is marketed as YA, let's be real...this thirty year old is the target audience for Cassie Worthy's summer tales.

I loved this book. It was a quick read, and everything I enjoyed as a teenager...and now.

I was sold, 100% on the premise of this book. Honestly, the nostalgic vibe going on here? Perfection. If I rated this book only on all the ways it took me back to the angsty, teenage version of myself - it'd be an easy five stars. There is a special place in my heart for the 90s, and Ms. McCafferty captured them perfectly.

That said, the story itself fell a little flat for me. This wasn't the kind of book you lose yourself in. While I appreciated the nostalgia of it, it only touched at surface level. I didn't really connect with (or even like all that much) any of the main characters and the storyline missed it's mark for me too.

It was decent, and fun! But slightly off-mark for me.

Okay, I loved this. Granted, I might be a little biased because I myself am a Jersey girl who grew up practically living in malls. Literally, as teenagers all we did was loiter around with a bunch of other teenagers every weekend at the mall - it was the go-to spot, so as soon as I saw a book about teenagers in a jersey mall scene I was practically already sold.

These teenagers, however, work there, but that doesn't mean they don't still know the entire layout and have the stores broken down by status. Also, it's set in the 90s and one of the characters works at Sam Goody, which was such a happy throwback for me.

Our main character, Cassie, was a little flat at first even though the novel does start out quick and gets the ball rolling. She seems a little lost, like she doesn't really know who she is, and as the book progresses she has such great character-building it made me want to hug her. Drea, her friend and fellow co-worker, was very stereotypical Jersey. It was almost a little cliched and over the top but I loved her all the same.

All the supporting characters were good, memorable and strong. The plot revolves around heartbreak and buried treasure, which, hello - who wouldn't enjoy that combination ??

It was such a happy quick read and I'm so glad I read it. Going to have to look for McCafferty's other works now!!

Recommend .

This was a lot of fun. Cassie Worthy had a plan. She and her boyfriend Troy were going to work together at the mall all summer, go to college in NYC together (him Columbia, her Barnard), and then take on the world. But when Troy breaks up with her on her first day back from mono-required house arrest, she is forced to find a new job, and maybe a whole new plan. Cassie finds unexpected new friends at the mall, and maybe even herself.

I thought the mystery was silly, but I enjoyed the setting and Cassie's summer of self-discovery.

I absolutely loved this book. Early 90s mall vibes, doesn't get better than that. One of my favorite reads of the year.

The entire time I was reading this I felt like it was a written version of a hilarious teen movie. I know the book isn't even out yet, but someone should definitely make this into a movie.

I will be honest, the main reason I picked this book to read next was the promise of 90s nostalgia. I was not expecting a relatable coming of age story. I was not expecting compelling characters. I wasn’t expecting a quirky, extremely low stakes yet enjoyable mystery. Happily, that is what I got.
The book blurb does not tell you what to expect, laying into the ninetiesness of it all (hence my primary expectation of a nostalgia fest). The book starts with Cassie’s life falling apart in a very high school, not falling apart kind of way. She missed the beginning of summer, training for her new job at America’s Best Cookie, and her prom. Her boyfriend, whom she had planned out their upcoming college future together with, dumps her.
The characters are the highlight of the book, which as a character-driven story, rather than plot-driven, is as it should be. The characters all feel individual and unique, with motivations and wants outside of their traditional stereotypes. Even the stoner who works at the arcade feels like something beyond ‘the stoner,’ although he does not get fleshed out until very late in the book. After the first few pages, I was worried the main character would wallow in teenage self-pity instead of having an actual personality. McCafferty does a good job pulling out of that and giving us something beyond teenage angst. Cassie is compelling, believable, and has a solid arc throughout the story. Her new best friend, her ex-boyfriend, the guy working at Sam Goodies, they are all believable characters. No one acts out of character, they all feel like people who would exist, yet are they are mostly all interesting and engaging. That, alone, is a small miracle in YA or coming of age type stories.
The mystery was a fun little surprise. I loved how low stakes it is and yet how it still manages to lend urgency, pushing the plot forward. They search the mall for stashed cabbage patch dolls in search of a treasure, following a bizarre set of clues. It made for a fun summer adventure that takes a backseat, in the end, to the character arc but remains worth following. Not something all mystery or thrillers manage to do right.
Plus, there is still great 90s nostalgia.
I did not expect much from this book going in, and now it is potentially the most enjoyable read I have had for months. It is possibly the best YA book I have read in several years. It is a fun, low stress read that I would recommend to anyone, but especially those of us who grew up hanging out in the mall during high school.

Having never read the Jessica Darling series, this was my first journey with Megan McCafferty's work and I'm kinda bummed! The blurb made this sound like it would be so cute and fun for nostalgia purposes, but I think I'm a little too young to really appreciate most of the references. Loved the concept and the mall being such a major piece of the story (I worked at dELiA*s back in the day, I get it!), but overall, a miss for me.

Thank you so so so much #NetGally, Megan McCafferty and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

I am a 90s girl. I was a Mall Rat in the early 90s and a Mall working in the mid 90s and this book was like a passage back to the past. This book is marketed toward YA, but to be honest, I don't think the current YA audience is going to get it as it is a PURE throwback to the 90s and I loved every minute of it! Cassie became my new favorite character (so sorry Jessica Darling) but she did. Awesome fun read!

Megan McCafferty has written a fun, period piece (HA) about what it was like growing up in 1991. Of course, it takes place at the only place where kids in that era could hang out-- the mall. While I might be biased by the fact that the imagery, the music, and the teens reminded me of my own coming of age era, I can see young adults today relating to the feelings and the dilemma of how to find yourself as you are on the brink of leaving home for college.

Cassie has been quarantined by mono for the last six weeks, missing prom, graduation, and her boyfriend of two years moving on without her. As she embarks on the last summer before college, she has to come to terms with the changes she sees in the people around her and finding her full, actualized self. With the help of a colorful old turned new bestie, Drea, and a job at the chicest boutique in the mall, Cassie has some unexpected fun, gets revenge, and even meets a sexy Sam Goody. There is an epic treasure hunt featuring the most iconic childhood toy of the time: Cabbage Patch Kids. It is such a fun plot with flawed and vibrant characters.

If you yearn for the days when you might meet someone while browsing the aisles of a record store, then this one is for you! I just loved it!

3.5 stars

I believe I was in the eight grade when I read Jessica Darling series. Or should I say, pretended to be sick so I could stay at home and read it.
Now, did the new Megan McCafferty's book have the same influence on me?
No, no really.
But it was a good story.
Writing amazing as always, characters realistic, and I loved the 90's vibe!
Overall, I did look forward to coming back home from work to read it. It's just that I didn't feel need to call in sick and stay at home all day long, cuddling it.