Fun standalone continuation of the At The Mall series of romantic novellas by Sarah Robinson. This time following vaccine scientist, snake enthusiast and “former-foster-child, current-lesbian” Nell and the new girl in town, Saoirse, as she reopens the local pub with a load of emotional baggage trailing behind her.

A quick wlw novella where love is found like a St Patrick’s Day miracle, connections are instantaneous, and runaway brides are the butt of the local newspapers headline jokes. In such a short period that the novella takes place the story does feel slightly rushed with the epilogue becoming rather confusing instead of enlightening. But it’s also sweet, even somewhat silly at times and full of a lot of heart!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for sending me an ebook to review! This does not affect my opinions.
Thank goodness this book came at the right time to pull me out of my reading slump! This short, sweet lesbian romance novella will have you giggling and smiling. I loved the format, as it made the romance less insta-lovey and more real. The characters are adorable, and I loved the way their relationship progressed. I would definitely want to read a full length novel about them! 4/5 stars.

Saoirse has just moved to town and is the new owner of Nell's favourite bar. Having left 3 people at the alter (2 men and 1 woman), Saoirse is the talk of this small town, but not in a good way! And Nell has burned her bridges when it comes to being a lesbian dating in this small town. The sparks instantly start to fly when these two meet, but so does some bad luck at The Lucky Leprechaun.

When I received this book from NetGalley, my initial thoughts were that the cover is really cute and the premise is really cute. It wasn't until I opened the novel for the first time, that I realized this was actually a novella. This entire series is a novella! Okay, no biggie, at least I'm prepared. But I wasn't prepared for how incredibly rushed this novella was. It literally went from "Okay, let's try this" to two years later. Instead of trying to tell an actual story and developing these characters or whatever, it felt like the author took the easy way out. Even the epilogue was rushed. It seemed like it just ended in the middle of the scene and was just rather abrupt.

Overall, just not for me. Too rushed, too many questions, too "insta-love-y". Try me again with a full length story from this author. 2/5 stars

I really enjoyed this book by Sarah Robinson. It was very well done and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone

Mall Out of Luck by Sarah Robinson
3rd At the Mall series. Contemporary F-F romance novella. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Nell finds out her favorite bar has been sold to a new owner and she finds the new owner irresistible.
An introduction of romance. Two women that have a mutual attraction. A beginning relationship.

Short and cute but missing the middle.
Nell is a STEM woman but is only really mentioned in the very beginning. Is she still there?
She made a sample drink for St Patrick’s day celebration. I want to know what was in it. And then I want to know how St Patrick’s day opening was for the bar. Did the darts tournaments start?
So many questions.
2.5

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

This book was three solid stars for me. Cute with a twist and a little bit of depth. Nell was stronger than she was given credit for. A true peacemaker and Saint because many things should have played out differently.

Fun and light hearted novella with just the right amount of angst to keep me reading. Soirse moves to a new town to start over and re open the local bar with an Irish theme. There she meets Nell who is a regular at the old bar and is interested to meet the woman that has a history of leaving her partners at the alter. There is an attraction that neither woman want to ignore but the focus is on the bar opening first and foremost that is until an ex turns up unexpectedly wanting answers.

This was so fun to read. It went by so quickly but that's definitely not a bad thing. I thought the characters were sweet and charming and I would definitely read more from Sarah!

• Mall out of Luck
• Author Sarah Robinson
• MC Saoirse & Nell James
• St. Patrick’s Day


Nell James is a scientist at the top of her field. Former foster kid, she has risen above the statistics and made something of herself. She frequents a local bar after work to unwind. On St. Patrick’s Day, she heads to the local bar and runs into Saoirse.


Saoirse, the new owner of the local bar, which she has renamed The Lucky Leprechaun. Sariose is new in town but her reputation has followed her. The runaway bride, jilting three lovers at the altar.

Saoirse and Nell are both strong main characters. They meet, and sparks fly.


This is a sweet lesbian romance, about two independent strong career driven woman, never giving up on love.



If you are looking for a fun romantic novella I highly recommend this story.


I received a copy of the book from NetGalley for an honest Review. 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Always on the lookout for F/f books, this new-to-me author, Ms. Robinson looks promising. It helps that she places her characters in Michigan where I live and gives a nod to my alma mater - Go Blue! This is a sweet romance that moved rapidly.

This story is part of a collection where love is in the air around a Mall. Business owners find their match I guess through customers coming through the doors. For Saoirse, she moves to Michigan to revamp an old bar into a new one - Lucky Leprechaun. This is how she meets the sexy Nell James.

As far as F/f romances go, this is a light and tame one. There is fade to black... kind of literally as they pair get drunk and sort of blackout after their first meeting. It's rather cute how the two learn more about each other. The conflicts in the story are odd. One of them kind of makes sense. The other one does not. Then again, I have zero journalist friends so I have no idea if local newspapers have writers on staff that are still so ruthless and basically asshats. The way that Dick the "interest piece" writer harasses Saoirse about her past relationships is crude, unprofessional, and makes me want to take a switch to the guy's ass. I am still a little incensed about it.

What did surprise me in this story is how it concluded so quickly by moving forward a couple of years. When I turned the page, I thought I would be entering into an awkward confrontation. Instead, we leap forward to an epilogue. I can't say that it was a problem. It was just unexpected. One other unexpected thing which I understand because of St. Patrick's Day's theme...using Green and White at U of M? BOOOO! Go to Michigan State!

This f/f romance is recommended to romance readers who want a sweet f/f contemporary romance.

This Sapphic meet-cute novella is the third book in Sarah Robinson’s At the Mall series of holiday-themed contemporary romance, but the story stands alone. It’s a cute St. Patrick’s Day themed story, and I liked both of the main characters, as well as Saoirse’s employee, Donner. It was an enjoyable enough quick read with a few laughs. However, the romance was a bit too rushed for my taste, and the ending felt very abrupt. The author included an epilogue that resolved some of the unanswered questions, but I found the transition from main story to epilogue very confusing.

These characters and the story setup had so much potential, but the story progressed too quickly. It seemed like the characters fell in love before actually getting to know each other. Also, I love a good fake marriage, but the author didn’t do as much with that as I hoped.

Although there is some swearing, there is no violence, and no sexual activity beyond kissing.

I received a free ARC through NetGalley, which I volunteered to review.

This short novella Mall out of luck by Sarah Robinson is set inside a pub in a large shopping center where the previous novella Mall you need is love also starred.

A nice story, which is pleasant to read and invites you to read more Mall stories that hopefully will come.

Mall out of luck is an LGTQIA romance about the love between two women. The tension between the two women is immediately palpable, but they have to overcome some hurdles to move on. It has humor and the setting is well thought out. Because it is such a short story, the development of the characters is a bit lacking, but by giving special character traits Robinson manages to make them come to life.

(What is it about)

The pub in the shopping center has just been taken over by Saoirse and she wants to make a success of it and open it on St Patrick's Day. Nell is a regular at the pub and is eager to know what's changed now that it's under new ownership. Both characters are a bit of misfits, but feisty women. Nell works as a lab technician and researcher and often has to endure something from the male colleagues. Saoirse has already broken off engagements three times in her quest, something that constantly haunts her. Saoirse and Nell's meeting takes a turn when they become fodder for a gossip newspaper and then there's an ex on the doorstep who won't be put off.

A funny novella with enough romance to appeal to a wider range of readers than a humorous piece alone. The characters are hysterical and their interactions will make you laugh out loud, while sometimes cringing a bit!

I want to say thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I know that this was a novella, but I felt like it was too quick. I felt like I couldn't connect with the characters. Also, Nell was a regular at Throwback Jacks but didn't know it switched ownership? I found that a little weird. I will admit I didn't see that twist coming with the Ex-Girlfriend though. Overall I liked this novella, I just wish there was more.

This was a quick read that I enjoyed. I like Saoirse & Nell together. The one thing I would like is the story longer but I get it’s a novella.

I have become a fan of these short novellas and this is no different. We get a cute story were things happen fast but it still gives us that romance we want. I love it!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super-cute St. Patty's Day themed sapphic romance. When Nell's favorite bar gets bought out, she is very nervous about who the new owner will be. She is scared of how the atmosphere will change, especially with the small town she lives in.
Saoirse is the new owner of an old bar. She is worried the town will not welcome her, especially once they find out about her past. She has left three people at the alter. Which is why she is running away to start a life where no one knows her. But of course, small town, word gets around.
Throw in an ex-girlfriend that they BOTH have dated and things.get.wild.
I am conflicted about the ending. It is a HEA, but not the one you were expecting. I totally understand the direction, and appreciate it. But at the same time was also disappointed? It's hard to really say without spoilers. You'll see.
This is a quick, cute read that I definitely recommend!

3.5 Stars
Saoirse Walsh has moved to Michigan after being dubbed The Runaway Bride to start over as a business woman and tonight’s the opening of her bar—The Lucky Leprechaun—and, as luck would have it, it’s also St. Patrick’s Day so it’s not surprising when she finds herself charmed by one of the patrons at the bar. Nell James is a brilliant scientist and former foster child with a pet snake and a rooster-themed kitchen, she’s as rare as a four-leaf clover in the small Michigan town. But when she meets Saoirse and finds themselves tumbling into some unlucky shenanigans, Nell begins to realize that she just may have found her perfect match in the woman she meets at the end of the rainbow.
A charming short story whilst part of the At The Mall series it’s easily read on its own. Things happen fast & as it's so short there's not much room for character development. I read it in a sitting. I liked the humour & there were a couple of surprises. I'm also glad there was an epilogue, which rounded off the story.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

A very quick, cute and different story. Not my usual type of book but I read it just the same. For an author I hope Sarah takes different views to this book as she would be able to do really well I am sure. Giving this 4 stars, had it been my type it would have been 5.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

Cute and quick, though the novella format felt like not quite enough time to delve into everything that was present here. As soon as it was introduced it was over.