Shopgirls – Jessica Anya Blau
A delightful and heartwarming look at the lives of women working in retail. Blau infuses humor, charm, and genuine emotional depth into a novel that celebrates female friendships, ambition, and the unexpected joys of customer service. A feel-good read that’s perfect for fans of character-driven contemporary fiction.

4.5 stars rounded up! I loved Jessica Anya Blau's previous novel, MARY JANE, so I was extra excited to read her latest. Blau has already shown that she is a pro at the coming-of-age story, and this novel only cements that. Set in 1985 San Francisco, SHOPGIRLS follows 19-year-old Zippy, the newest and youngest salesgirl at I. Magnin, one of the city's most esteemed department stores. Growing up in a one-bedroom apartment with her mother and her mother's eccentric boyfriend, Zippy has always dreamed of breaking out of her comfort zone, and I. Magnin represents her chance at a life of luxury and excitement. With the help of her coworkers and her stylish, driven roommate Raquel, Zippy begins to navigate life, love, family, friendship, and finally become the person she's always wanted to be...but what will happen when some surprises have her questioning everything she thought she knew?

This was a true delight from start to finish! Once again, Jessica Anya Blau masterfully develops the setting and characters to create a story of a young woman figuring out where she belongs and who she wants to be. I love how this is just a slice-of-life story, where readers are fully absorbed into Zippy's world. All of the characters were such a blast to read about, but I especially loved seeing the camaraderie between Zippy and her fellow shopgirls and the scenes where they were at work together, as well as following Zippy's relationships with Raquel and with her parents. The 80s setting was equally well-developed—it never felt like references to the time period were just shoehorned in. All of the details felt so natural and immersive to include! Overall, I would highly recommend SHOPGIRLS for a lighthearted, comforting coming-of-age tale, and am so excited to see what Blau has in store next. Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC.

I was/am IN LOVE with Jessica Anya Blau's novel 'Mary Jane' a couple years ago, so I was so excited to see that not only was she releasing another book in 2025, but that I received an early digital arc for it!

Zippy is 19-years-old living in 1980s San Francisco with her roommate, Raquel. Zippy is the newest shopgirl at I. Magnin working in the Petite dresses section. I. Magnin is a high-end clothing store that of which many wealthy women frequent. Zippy, who rotates 3 outfits she either thrifted or borrows from Raquel for work, can't help but compare herself to the women who shop at I. Magnin and wonder what she needs to do to make her dreams (detailed in her Day-Timer, of course) come true.

I'll be honest, I was so confused what the plot of this book was for the first 30% or so. The first chapter definitely caught my attention as we followed Zippy throughout a typical day at work, meeting her coworkers and getting to know her routines, but before I knew it, I had reached chapter 4 with no idea where the book was headed. Was this supposed to be a coming of age novel? A romance? Literary fiction? However, once I moved on from trying to understand the "point" of the book, I found myself genuinely enjoying following Zippy around -- it felt like watching someone's 'Day in the Life' YouTube video. Nothing especially special, but still entertaining and mildly riveting. Chapters revolved around Zippy ~zipping~ around the store looking for dresses for customers, trying to make enough sales to support her mother and weird step-father; making and playing with paper dolls with her super-religious co-worker, who also taught Zippy how to pray (in the dressing rooms ?); and filling out her day-timer with Raquel, writing about their goals and dreams.

Overall, I found that Zippy was a character who was easy to root for, despite her 19-year-old naivety. Although I was 19 myself only 4 years ago, it's such a young age to be fully independent. She has these hopes and dreams that seem unrealistic to her, given her current financial situation and career, but she holds on to those hopes and dreams despite that. The female characters in the book felt realistic -- sometimes they made Zippy's life more difficult, but other times they are exactly what she needs. Something that really resonated with me was a character telling Zippy she needed to be "the chooser" in her life. Too many of her decisions had been made for her, and to be the best version of herself, Zippy needed to gain the confidence to go after what she wanted. As another reviewer stated in their review, "Zippy's growth is subtle but gratifying," and I couldn't agree more.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for the early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

This is a very cute little story about a young high school graduate in the 1980s working at I. Magnin and trying to figure out her life. It's not great literature, and there's really not a lot of there there, but it is well written and entertaining and doesn't get too deep about anything. A fun, lighthearted read.

God I need more Jessica Anya Blau books. I read Mary Jane years ago, and I loved it so much. The way in which Blau writes young women in coming-of-age stories is just something magical. There are feelings and emotions placed onto these characters that I didn't even know I could feel. This will definitely be a title that I will sell the crap out of. I loved it so much.

I’m so happy to have discovered Jessica Anya Blau. When I received an ARC for Mary Jane I instantly fell in love with the writing style, characters and story. She once again knocked it out of the park with Shopgirls. The story takes place in the 70’s San Francisco scene and follows 19 year old Zippy as she ventures out on her own. New apartment, new roommate/best friend, new job at a high end department store and a new relationship with her birth father that she never knew. Shopgirls made me laugh out loud and cheer for Zippy the whole way through! If you enjoyed Mary Jane you’ll definitely enjoy Shopgirls and if you haven’t read either of them yet then what are you even doing with your life!! You’re missing out!

Thank you #Netgalley #jessicaanyablau and #marinerbooks for the ARC and opportunity to read and review this book.

Dear Ms. Blau, You have done a lovely thing by writing and publishing this book . About this reader - When I was a young girl, I loved the writing of Lee Wyndham. She was the author of books about young girls who were the heroines of stories about how "nice" American girls faced a world inhabited by both motherly female mentors and jealously competitive mean girls. (See the Susie series published by Scholastic Books, among other books she wrote ). These books showed me what it was to be a young girl with a moral compass who was also not an ideologue. In my opinion, you have written a novel about a y0ung woman, 19 years old, with a similar moral compass who is living in mid-1980's San Francisco, with absolute authenticity of tjme and place (I was there too - as a young urban professional woman, I wore the Adrienne Vittadini outfits you sold!) On top of that - I had a close female relative who worked as a sales clerk in what was then called a "better women's clothing store" like I. Magnin. I recognized your descriptions of the interpersonal dynamics among those women. While reading the first 100 pages, I thought I was reading a memoir. Congratulations of writing a novel that is both true to time and place and showed us older "nice girls" that we can still be proud of our values and be fully inclusive in a new world.

This book was truly written for the shopgirls. As someone who worked in fashion retail for many years, I found the work environment incredibly realistic. There’s a good mix of coworkers—some nice, some not so nice—along with part-timers and lifers. Little details, like closing out your cash register at the end of a shift, meeting sales goals, and earning commission, were spot on. I also appreciated how well it captured the time period. Some books set in the past fail to transport you there, but Shopgirls absolutely did. I was in the ’80s, and I loved it. While I felt there could have been a bit more plot action, I enjoyed getting to know Zippy and watching her learn to navigate the world. This was my first book by this author but I plan to read Mary Jane next.

I had very much enjoyed this author's previous book "Mary Jane" so decided to try this one. It takes place in the 1980s in San Francisco as a young woman is trying to find herself. Zippy works in the Petite dresses section of a high-end clothing store, although she barely has enough nice outfits to wear herself. She sometimes borrows things from her roommate Raquel- her best friend. They both dream about their best lives, writing down their goals for jobs, boyfriends, and husbands, and even follow diets together. Her mother unexpectedly conceived her in a hallway during a one-night stand years ago, and Zippy has never met or spoken with her real biological father.

Sadly, this was a disappointment in comparison to her previous effort. Even though I'm a senior citizen I'm capable of appreciating and enjoying the growing pains of a still developing life, but this somehow read like a young adult/rom com seriously lacking in depth. I found myself reading other books for satisfaction around this one. My favorite and most interesting parts of the book involved the clothing store getting really busy and Zippy literally zipping around the multi-level store to procure what her clients needed- such as shoes, underwear, different sizes & colors- etc. The parts that made me roll my eyes were ridiculous stuff like making (and playing with) paper dolls of fellow employees during down times and kneeling to pray in the changing rooms with a kind but wacky co-worker. I was interested enough to finish the book, but this was a mediocre read.

Thank you to the publisher Mariner Books who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

Blau’s sophomore novel SHOPGIRLS features 19-year old Zippy, who works at the department store I. Magnin in San Franciso in 1985. This is a coming of age novel, as Zippy learns how to live on her own out of the shadow of her mother and her stepdad and figures out her career and have a relationship (although that’s a bit slapdash).

This novel felt very breezy with little substance. It seemed like Blau aged up Mary Jane from her debut novel. Zippy is pretty naive in some ways, but a prodigy in others. Much of the novel takes place at the department store with many “shopgirls” introduced. They all go by Miss So-and-So. A lot of characters but they do get some differentiation. Zippy’s roommate Raquel is Zippy’s mentor, and quite a bit of time is spent on whether they can eat that day. They switch between eating days and non-eating days.

There are some elements that Zippy deals with (like her suddenly-appearing father and the guy she meets) that seem very rushed. I thought MARY JANE was a much better novel, and this one disappointed me.

➕ I really liked the chemistry among all the shopgirls. It felt like a very realistic working environment - sometimes supportive, sometimes pretty vicious.

➖ I wanted more 1985 vibes. At many times, this felt like it took place in the 1960s or before. And then there was a reference to Bill Cosby that seemed very much from the 2010s or 2020s.
➖ This novel felt rushed. So many strands felt incomplete or needed to be fleshed out more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

It publishes May 6, 2025.

Thank you to Mariner Books for an early electronic copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Zippy is a nineteen-year-old looking to make choices for herself in life. Scoring a job in the coveted I.Magnin's in San Francisco mid 1980's, she's about as happy with her life as she can be. She loves clothes and helping customers pick out the perfect outfit in the petites section, clothes that she herself cannot afford. She also dreams of becoming a buyer for the vaunted department store.

Zippy was mostly raised by a single mom without knowing her father. When he makes an appearance, it doesn't feel organic. It feels more like a vehicle to bring in another topic that was all-consuming in that time frame and just didn't hit right. It needed to be introduced earlier on or given more weight. It was glossed over and that didn't work for me.

Things I loved about this book was the timeframe, location, and descriptions of clothing circa mid-80's, references to TV shows and nightclubs. While most of the time was spent in I. Magnin's, conflict with Zippy's mom felt genuine. It's hard to tell a parent you want more in your life than what your parent's chose. A life to choose what makes you happy is the theme of Shopgirls.

An upbeat story of That Girl set in the 80's instead of 60's.

Shopgirls was such a fun, frolicking book. The 80s department store vibe was such a pleasure, I damned myself for not being old enough to have worked there. What a fun era I missed! Some of the characters, like Raquel, Miss Lena, Zippy’s parents, and especially Zippy, were so vibrant and positive, I wanted to put them in my pocket and have them do life with me. What could go wrong? The underlying message of following your own path to success hit just right and the plot delivered it to us through the beautiful change in Zippy. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this one a lot. Zippy was such a real person and she wanted to make a better life for herself. I enjoyed her day to day and wanted more about her dad. A super quick read but it made me feel good.

While I loved Blau's first book Maryanne, this one fell flat for me. Set in the 1980's in San Francisco, it follows the life of nineteen year old Zippy, a sales associate at I. Magnin. The setting and the timing were what appealed when I requested the ARC, but I just didn't relate to or feel for the characters.

Reading Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau felt like I was authentically revisiting the 1980s. Set in San Francisco, the story follows Zippy a 19 year old who, as someone who grew up in this time period, felt both authentic and relatable to me. Zippy grew up in a one bedroom apartment with her mother and her mom’s boyfriend but is now living with her best friend. Zippy’s background contrasts with the upscale world of I. Magnin where she is the youngest sale girl at San Francisco’s finest department store.

I admired Zippy’s determination to succeed in her job and could relate to piecing together outfits from the Salvation Army to match the professional image of the store. This detail made her feel incredibly real to me. Throughout the story, we witness Zippy’s personal growth, and her journey is filled with advice from the many women in her life like her mother, best friend, and colleagues. She’s such a likable character that I couldn’t help but root for her the entire time.

The small nods to iconic 1980s culture were a delightful touch. From the stress over the cost of long-distance phone calls to day planners and the thrill of Thursday night must-see TV, it all added to the atmosphere. I found these moments accurate and memories of navigating rent payments, embracing independence, dating, and enjoying nights out, all felt true to the decade.

The story itself is an easy read, but it leaves an impact. At its core, Shopgirls is a feel good story that delved into the challenges of young adulthood in the 1980s.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

I went into this book wanting to love it, but I just couldn’t get into it. It moved too slowly and couldn’t hold my interest. This was a DNF for me.

* slice of life
*80’s
*set in San Francisco

I went into this ready to love it - the 80‘s, the historical I. Magnin store, and San Francisco? So ready.

I found the MC insipid and annoying, the setting was dull (one of the only ways that I was able to recognize that it took place in the 80’s was the issue of the long distance call cost), and it never fully captured my interest.

Other readers will hopefully find more to love within these pages.



*Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for the DRC

I was a big fan of Mary Jane, but I was quite disappointed with this one. It read like YA. Certain parts felt very juvenile. The 80s nostalgia was fun.

Slow read I wanted to love this story but it was a slow burn and fell flat as to I kept trying to keep up

Shopgirls was such an entertaining look at 1980s San Francisco through the eyes of a young adult woman. A bit of a coming of age tale as she finds her place in the world. The book was heavier than I expected too.