Short but fun YA novel set in the ‘90s. I highly enjoyed the trip down memory lane! The teens reminded me of how important your friends are during such tumultuous times - and then how unimportant their opinions of you are, mere days later.

*Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Grab those scrunchies and aqua net, and fuel up on some Panda Express, cause this book is the ultimate mix tape of 90’s nostalgia amazingness!⁣
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My 90's teen Jersey heart is feeling all the lip smacker and fanny pack vibes with this one, and you can bet your tamagotchis' life you will smile the entire time you are reading it!⁣
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Cassie needs to lay low, take a chill pill, and work her job at the mall just for 6 weeks - til her and her boyfriend are off to the big and bright NYC for college. She thought “The Plan” was as organized as a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper. AS IF!⁣
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On the 90210 scale of awesomeness, her summer is about to become as crazy as Emily Valentine. An epic adventure, a bit of love, and a mystery that could be as dangerous as a slap bracelet... this fun story of Cassies’ summer at the mall, is all that and a bag of chips!⁣
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What are you waiting for?? It’s Hammer Time! Do the Running Man and get this one! it’s cool beans. I promise.⁣

I like to pretend I am going to give YA a try. I bought a few YA books in print lately and I remembered I had this on my Kindle. The blurb sounded cute with it’s mentions of being a teen in the 90’s and going to the mall. The book starts out with a breakup. And just went downhill from there. There were too many mentions of slutty clothes. **whisper yells** what does slutty clothes even mean? Anyway, I gave up when I saw another one and decided to move on with my life.

As someone who grew up in NJ in the 80's, this book screamed to be read. I loved it - the story line, the characters and the growth they saw during the story - it all worked for me. I would definitely encourage anyone looking for a bit of nostalgia as well as a great, fun read to run to get this.

The year is 1991. After recovering from a six week long illness of mono, Cassie is ready to start her summer job at a cookie store in the mall before she heads to college in NYC. She arrives for her first day of work with her boyfriend, Troy, only to find him kissing another girl. Her life is flipped upside down, after she loses her job and her life plans with her boyfriend. However, Cassie doesn’t want to tell her parents that she doesn’t have a job anymore. She finds another job at a clothing store with her ex-best friend, Drea. Drea decides to solve a mystery at the mall with Cassie. Cassie and Drea follow clues of Cabbage Patch Kids throughout the mall to find a hidden treasure.

This story was a lot of fun. I loved that it all took place at the mall. I relived so many of my memories of going to malls as a kid in the 90s while reading this book. For kids who don’t know what that atmosphere was like, think of the mall in the third season of Stranger Things. Though there were some devastating parts, like when Cassie discovered her boyfriend cheating on her, there were also some lighter scenes. The absurd treasure hunt using Cabbage Patch Kids was clever and funny at the same time.

One problem with this book is that I don’t think a young adult audience in 2020 will understand all of the references to things from the 80s and 90s. Some of these references include Cabbage Patch Kids, the show 90210, and cassette tapes. I asked my teenage cousin if she was familiar with these things and she had only heard of Cabbage Patch Kids. I didn’t understand the jokes about 90210, even though I was born in the 90s. Though these references aren’t necessarily important to understanding the plot, it could be frustrating and create distance for the young adult reader if they don’t understand the atmosphere of the story.

I really enjoyed this story!

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fun read but the characters lacked depth. I kept thinking it would be a great show but didn’t pack a punch as a book, then a light bit of research suggested this has been written with the intention of making it to the screen.

The Mall by Megan McCafferty is a young adult contemporary book that is full of nostalgia. This coming of age tale is set in 1991 and full of reminders of that era including the fact that malls were the teen place to be all over America.

Cassie Worthy is a recent high school graduate that thought she had her life perfectly planned out. However, just as Cassie graduated she came down with what her doctor called the worst case of mono he’d ever seen and Cassie ended up in bed recovering for six weeks.

Now that Cassie is fully healed she’s ready to pick up her plans and start the rest of her life in this last summer before college. First Cassie needs to return to the job she had lined up at Parkway Center Mall with her boyfriend of two years. However, Cassie’s plans start to explode in front of her eyes when she enters the mall and is accosted by a ranting lunatic who claims that Cassie is now with HER man.

Ok, I will admit I’m not the targeted age range for this particular book but that being said I picked this up out of nostalgia for the era and loved it. I think that anyone wanting to hop into a time machine and experience the early 90s again should give this one a try. The characters were spot on with their drama filled teen angst but all done in a fun way that kept me giggling and the whole treasure hunt in the mall was a blast. Definitely a light hearted fun way to pass a few hours reading!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Cassie Worthy is excited to spend summer ’91 working at the mall food court with her amazing boyfriend and preparing for fall where she’ll be headed to NYC for college. But, all of that comes crashing down and Casey finds herself spending her summer in a completely different way.

This book is part classic YA, part mall treasure hunt-adventure book, which surprised and slightly delighted me.

I absolutely loved all the 90’s references – to the hair and makeup to the music and even just the mall setting in an of itself. It was fun to explore the behind-the-scenes of the different stores and made me reminisce of times hanging out at the mall with friends (albeit in the 2000s, not the 90s).

I also enjoyed how light-hearted and fun the book was. We have a literal treasure hunt through the mall, I mean, come on! This definitely isn’t a deep story, and at times the characters lack depth and maturity, but for a bit of an escape it was a lot of fun!

Holy 90’s nostalgia!

I knew as soon as I saw the cover, I was going to love it! It was fresh and fun and had my complete attention the whole time! Full of 90’s tv show references, music and fashion. Not to mention a scavenger hunt around a mall with an old friend all while avoiding an ex and his new girlfriend and a new crush—who at first wasn’t what you expected. All the makings of a wonderful YA novel and it didn’t disappoint!

I would definitely recommend this to my 90’s friends and those who enjoy lighthearted YA reads.

Thank you to netgalley, Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press and Megan McCafferty for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Was anyone else disturbed by cabbage patch dolls in the ‘90s? No? Okay they weren’t that bad. But if you want to go on a scavenger hunt through a New Jersey mall and be totally reminded of all the amazing things commercialism had to offer back then this book is a must. And if that isn’t enough for you it’s a amusingly fun journey of young love, self realization, and coming of age YA story.

This one had me laughing and giggling through all the antics that ensued. The personalities of each character were unique and embodied teen angst, but paralleled the amazing 90s family sitcoms and the lessons they taught us.

By the end I felt the slight warm and fuzzy feeling that you get when you see something come together and know that things will work out, even though there’s always going to be bumps and you won’t understand them as they happen.

Did not finish this book. I couldn't connect with the characters. I wanted to love it because of the 90's nostalgia but I just couldn't get connect.

Hilarious, Megan McCafferty still has it! I really loved this story and the 90s vibes were strong without a lot of the problematic text/themes you get with books set in this era.

I feel that this is a great book if you are looking for a nostalgic trip back to the 90's, However, if you don't remember the 90's (or weren't alive then), then a bunch of the references could be confusing. The plot was also just a little too light for me, based on what was promised. I was looking for a mystery/coming of age story, but this ended up being mostly a coming of age story with an extremely light shake of could-have-been-mystery in it. Not my type of book, but hey - not all books are made for me.

Talk about blast from the past! If we were back in Cassie’s era, she and I would be the same age and probably graduated in the same class. Let me tell you there are some serious flashbacks in this one and Megan McCafferty nailed them all SPOT ON.

Cassie Worthy is about to start her last summer before leaving for college, and she is psyched. Her plans are made and she will be attending a school right next to her longtime boyfriend, she is focused - with their future planned. Although this year wasn’t the senior year she expected (after contracting mono, being hospitalized for weeks, was unable to attend prom or graduate with the rest of her class) she’s anxious to get back to real life.

But on her first day back to the mall for her summer job, Cassie unexpectedly loses her boyfriend, her job, and everything around her home-life starts to fall apart. With the unexpected help of an ex-best friend from her past, a new job, and a very unique adventure, Cassie may learn a lot more about herself this summer that she may never had learned in school.

I need to read more YA. This book was such a delight. Not only was the story enjoyable but the characters were portrayed so perfectly that anyone at any age could completely relate. Our main character Cassie worries about the exact things a girl her age would prioritize, and Megan McCafferty surrounded her brilliantly with a silent assisting cast of 80’s and 90’s nostalgia. A perfect, fun and quirky coming of age book that makes even us oldsters remember that just because things don’t go the way we expected, the outcome may be precisely what we needed. 4 stars. Would definitely recommend for a quick and quirky beach read.

The Mall takes place in 1991 and is about a girl named Cassie who is leaving for college in six weeks with her boyfriend. They plan to work at the local mall until he dumps her out of the blue and says he found someone else. Luckily Cassie manages to score a new job at a boutique with her ex best friend, Drea, who drags her into a treasure hunt that takes place throughout the mall.

Honestly this book was just fun and cute, and really fast. I loved the setting of a 90s mall and how the entire book takes place there. The scavenger hunt was silly and I wanted more from it but it was still fun. The setting reminded me a lot of Stranger Things s3 (minus the bad guys and monsters lol). There's a mall in my town that hasn't been updated probably since it was made in the 70s and still has tons of neon lights, same vibe. Still love that shitty mall.

I had some issues with the MC, Cassie. Like how she would call women who dressed a certain way "bimbos" and completely dismissed Drea's dreams because she was just so judgmental and for what? Cassie does come around eventually but oh my god sis you aren't better than anyone else! Stop being an ass to a girl who has been nothing but nice to you all summer?? She was just so stuck up and hard to like.

I understand the point of the romance and I did think it was somewhat cute, imma pass on that. The main relationship in here was the friendship between Cassie and Drea, which was just so fun.

I really enjoyed this book. Sloppy firsts was a defining book for me as a teenager so it was super fun to go back and visit a favourite author and see what she is up too! Loved the 90s theme and just wasn't what I expected in a book. Had a little mystery, laughter and some sweet romance.

This book was awesome and I really enjoyed it. The plot was super engaging and atmospheric writing tied it all together, I can't wait to read more of McCafferty's books.

Super fun! I always love McCafferty's books and this is no exception. Perfect for high schoolers and a great read when you want to forget what is going on in the world!

The nostalgia of early 90s mall life is REAL. It’s so funny to me because while I’m reading about the struggles these characters had of getting a hold of each other, I kept thinking to myself... why aren’t they texting?! Where’s voicemails?! Where is the GPS?!

Oh right, it’s 1991. *facepalm*

This was a fun coming of age story in which our teenage MC is learning what it means to be herself after her long term relationship has abruptly ended. She is a planner and all of her plans seem to be going down the toilet. Add in a treasure hunt and punnily-named mall stores, this was a fun book with a lot of heart.

Without even reading the synopsis for The Mall, I knew I wanted to read it. I love the nostalgia of the mall. I worked at the mall for several years, and I love movies and shows about the mall, and season three of Stranger Things was maybe my favorite (see my visit to filming locations here). Not to mention, for years my ringtone was Robin Sparkles' Let's Go to the Mall (if you know, you know). And while there was some sweet nostalgia and a fun scavenger hunt, this book unfortunately just did not hit for me.

Cassie Worthy is ready for the best summer of her life. She's recently mended from a bout of mono, and she's ready to spend her last summer before college alongside her perfect boyfriend working together at America's Best Cookie. But that plan abruptly comes to an end when she meets her boyfriend's new girlfriend and gets fired from her job that she's yet to even start. But when a discovery is found in the mall that leads Cassie on a scavenger hunt, she begins to figure out what's really important and who she really is.

I really wanted to love this book. It was relatable to me because I worked in a mall for a while, but I found the book to be really insensitive at times. The MC often refers to herself as a feminist, all the while calling other girls sluts or ugly. It really just didn't line up. And because of that, I couldn't fully appreciate the rest of the book.

I did enjoy the scavenger hunt and the nostalgic bits, but the book just seemed so hateful in ways that really bothered me. The writing itself was fun and really felt very 90s. It reminded me of the Sweet Valley High books in that way.

"If we put history totally behind us... how do we learn anything about ourselves?" - The Mall, Megan McCafferty

Honestly, lots of potential in this book but it just bothered me too much by claiming feminism and pinning all the female characters against each other.