What I liked: A fun “Coming of Age” and “Found Family” story, set in a fancy department store in 1980s San Francisco

What I disliked: I was looking forward for this book, having enjoyed Mary Jane. But this time the author had too many plot holes and annoying characters

Thank you @marinerbooks for my gifted copy of Shopgirls! This book is out now.

This month, the #literarylovelies read Shopgirls! We have previously read another by this same author, Mary Jane. This was fun for the nostalgia of the mall. I’m from New Jersey and we LOVE malls.

Zippy works at a high end department store in San Francisco. She is the youngest employee of the women’s dress department and she’s still learning life. She recently moved in with a friend in her own apartment and she needs to pinch pennies to make sure her bills are paid. It’s 1985 and she’s experiencing a lot working along side different people.

There’s a lot about Zippy’s childhood- she grew up without her father and her mom recently married Howard, a loser who manages to cut off all his fingers. Zippy didn’t have a lot so she’s used to a minimal lifestyle. She has three outfits from goodwill she keeps in tiptop shape. She doesn’t have much experience dating and her roommate Raquel helps with this as her wingwoman.

This book was very character driven and I don’t usually mind that, but I found this book quite slow. I liked the mall life and the rivalry with different departments was entertaining. I also really loved the 1980s time period.

This book was a lot more character driven than my usual preference, but was so well done that I found myself reading in every spare moment I could find. I loved the richness of the setting and characters. It was set in a department store in San Francisco in the eighties, and the descriptions of clothing and style were just wonderful.

The lead character, Zippy, was naive, curious, and refreshingly likable. I was rooting for her the entire time. The supporting characters were well thought out, and their actions and motivations made sense.

While the book touched on some incredibly heavy topics at times, the writing left me with a sense of hope. I wanted to know what happened to Zippy in the future, because she was such a great character.

4.5 stars rounded up

I really like prices of this book, however some parts felt rushed. I would love more about Zippy’s dad. More about Just John and maybe an epilogue of Zippy in the future.

I really regret requesting this book. I’ve been holding off on reading and reviewing it. And sure enough, my gut was right, there was a lot going on and yet nothing happening with this book all at the same time.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This one sadly was a miss for me - I made it 60% before putting it down due to not being able to handle feeling triggered so often. The mean girl attitudes, the indifference, the insane and asinine "advice" (seriously? Only date a man with a rolex? Is that really advice that is given...?).

The one thing that I truly loved dearly was the setting - the 1980's in San Francisco? It sounds amazing! It was set before I was born but I have an extreme love for the 80's and really enjoyed learning more about it and the culture there!

I am just not sure what to make of this book. On one hand, i read it all in about a day so it kept my interest enough but also I dont know why I kept reading it because there wasnt much of a plot. Zippy was a tough characters for me, she was so childish and odd but also sympathetic in some ways with her weird parents and her latching on to coworkers and friends that are all older. I just wanted her to grow up a little and be her own person. There are a lot of side characters to keep track of, random new characters arriving in her life and no real central conflict. I didnt hate it but I also didnt love it.

This was such a unique book. Zippy is an interesting protagonist, she doesn't really feel real. Her life has a sort of sitcom quality to it that I didn't really care for. It was a fun read, but ultimately I don't think I got much from it. Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for this ARC!

Thank you to Mariner Books and Bookclubgirl for my #gifted copy of Shopgirls along with the NetGalley ebook in exchange for my honest opinion. I don’t know why I procrastinated reading this book because I really loved it! I borrowed the audiobook from my library and listened to that for the first third of the book, but I decided to switch to reading it with my eyes (no offense to the narrator - I was just more focused this way!). I’ve had Mary Jane by the author on my TBR for a long time, but I’m going to boost that one up the list after devouring Shopgirls.
Set in the 80s in San Francisco, Shopgirls is a lovely coming of age story with all the fashion, family, and friends you could want. Zippy is the youngest salesgirl at I. Magnin and her youthful energy is contagious. Having been raised by her single mother who got pregnant on a one-night stand, Zippy is obsessed with family and finding out who her dad is. And, as luck would have it, her father is trying to find her! Their reunion was so sweet, and I loved how it fit into the story. I also loved Zippy’s relationship with her roommate, Raquel. And how fun that the author worked at this store in the 80s as the youngest salesgirl. I definitely recommend this book and will be passing on my copy to my mom.

I definitely had a soft spot for Zippy, the main character. She’s 19, innocent, naive, and working at a high-end department store in San Francisco. The majority of novel revolves around her experience working at the store, and her interactions with her co-workers and customers. If you ever worked in retail, this book will surely be a hit for you.

In a nutshell, this novel showcases a young woman coming into her own, having fun, dating, clubbing, experimenting, trying to make a living, and enjoying life in an exciting city. It was definitely a fun read.

At first I wasn't sure about this book, but it was enjoyable once I got farther along! A nice quick read about a young girl working in a department store and how she makes her way

I loved Mary Jane, and I loved Shopgirls. Zippy is such an unforgettable character, and I absolutely loved her story.

The best part of this book was book was the time. It was set in 1985. I had a lot of good moments reliving the era of the 80s.
Zippy was just trying to make it but struggled when hardship plagued her family.
Her coworkers were an interesting lot.
The book moved rather slow and at times my interest waned.

I fell in love with Beau’s last book Mary Jane so my expectations were high for Shopgirls. Set in the 1980’s, Zippy is the novel’s main character and she works in a clothing store in San Francisco. This is a book about self-discovery, but somehow it felt a little too simplistic and overall not quite the story I was hoping for. I’ll still be interested in future works by Jessica Blau, but this one was a miss for me.

Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

I didn't think this book had a point to it. Was it meant to be a commentary? It moved along fine, but there was no real conflict.

After reading Mary Jane I was eagerly anticipating Blau's next novel. Hoping to the well developed characters and engaging story, I unfortunately was disappointed. Shopgirls seemed overly complicated with too many storylines and unclear characters.

i kept calling Shopgurls Zippy - but she really is the star. I loved this book and i knew i would because the author also wrote Mary Jane. Shopgirls is set in the 80s and brought back memories of goooood shopping. The book. says a lot about standing up for yourself, found family and friendship.

The narrator's voice was a bit young—I didn't really believe she was nineteen—and the stakes felt so low the whole time, it read more like a YA novel to me. Still, there were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments, and it was ultimately heartwarming. I loved "Mary Jane" so much, that maybe my expectations were a bit too high.

Jessica Anya Blau, how in the world are you going to come off of Mary Jane with this book?! What in the world?? I do not understand the thinking behind this book, the concept, Zippy. I love a book that is all vibes no plot, and this is it. This was so weird and I think very few people will connect with it. Will is still read anything she writes? Yes. Did this work for me? Not really. 3 stars but because of vibes.

Shopgirl is set in 1985 and follows 19-year-old Zippy as she navigates her job at a prestigious department store. While the premise and setting promised a nostalgic, coming-of-age read, the execution didn’t quite deliver for me.

Zippy’s character reads very young—perhaps too young. The dialogue between her and the other characters often felt immature, almost like eavesdropping on a group of teenagers trying a little too hard to sound edgy. While I appreciated the colorful cast of characters within the department store, they didn’t feel fully developed, and their interactions lacked depth.

Despite being a relatively short book, it took me longer than expected to finish. The pacing dragged, and I found myself disengaged more often than not. I did enjoy the 1980s nostalgia—the fashion, music, and workplace dynamics offered some fun throwbacks—but overall, the story didn’t hold up as a strong coming-of-age narrative. It leaned more YA than I expected and ultimately felt flat.