I had never read any books from this author before, I’d actually never even heard of them. However, when I saw the cover of this book I was immediately interested. Once I read the summary, I was so excited to give it a try. I LOVE that it was set in 1991! It gave it just a feel good feeling. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher of this book for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.

The Jessica Darling books are my absolute favorite, so when I saw that Megan McCafferty was going full 90s with a book set at a New Jersey mall, I knew I was going to love it. With sky high expectations, I dove in, and holy wow did this book surpass them. I loved the trademark sardonic wit, the unique characters, the full-drawn setting, and all the wonderful quirks (a scavenger hunt through a mall to find counterfeit Cabbage Patch dolls? OF COURSE!). I loved getting to revisit Pineville, and those Jessica Darling easter eggs were there for the taking. I really hope this becomes a series, because I'd love to see Cassie's college life. Her character arc in The Mall was pitch perfect, but it's also clear there's still more for her to learn. And I'd love to watch her fumble through life in New York!

I was so excited when I heard that Megan McCafferty, author of the fantastic Jessica Darling series, was coming out with a new book. Then I got approved for the ARC from NetGalley during a really rough week, so I dropped my other current reads in favor of The Mall. It’s a great book, and it gave me a lot of laughs when I really needed them. I would have loved this book anyway, but it came to me at just the right time.
Cassie Worthy has a plan. After high school, she and her boyfriend Troy will spend the summer working together at ABC Cookies at the local mall food court. Then it’s off to college (Barnard and med school for her, Columbia and an MBA for him). But then she gets mono, and she emerges from a six-week quarantine to find that she’s lost both her summer job and her boyfriend. Now she has to figure out how to live without a plan. 
The Mall is a perfect coming of age novel. Cassie is a great character, someone who thinks she has it all figured out, only to have it all blow up in her face. She’s forced to take chances, including an unexpected new job, reconnecting with her childhood best friend, investigating a mystery at the mall, and a flirtation with an annoyingly hot guy who works at Sam Goody. While the romance is very sweet, the book focuses much more on friendship and self-discovery.

The book takes place in 1991, so it’s basically the pinnacle of American Mall culture (and this mall is the social epicenter of the New Jersey town it's set in). There are lots of nods to the 90s. Cassie and her ex-boyfriend rate mall jobs on a 90210 scale. The best jobs are the Dylan McKays and the worst jobs are the Scott Sampsons. New Kids on the Block is the summer soundtrack, but the hot record store employee introduces Cassie to an up and coming new band named Nirvana. There’s so much nostalgia, and I loved it.

I admit, I went into this book expecting it to be a bit of a cringy teen story so I had a slow start, but I was drawn in pretty quickly anyways and enjoyed it the whole time. There was growth and development in a pretty relatable way, a few scenes that put me right back into my teen days, and a lot of '90s nostalgia that made me so happy. I love the writing style and the way teens and young adults are cast - not too childish but also not too mature; it's a fine line and missing the mark makes it hard to really get into. Would definitely read more of this author's work.

This book brought back soooo many memories. Fun book! Definitely don't miss this one.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.