Loved Jessica Anya Blau’s debut so I was excited to check out her newest Shopgirls. It was a fun coming of age novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an advance copy.

I really loved Mary Jane. This one started off well but then I felt like it wasn’t very cohesive and a little bit all over the place. I enjoyed the setting of the big department store and the cast of characters there but felt like the characters could’ve been more thoroughly developed. I did like the main character Zippy but the other characters felt superficial. I will still read what Blau writes next because I do enjoy her style.

i really enjoyed reading this book but i feel like i would have enjoyed listening to it better! Blau has such a unique voice that shines through throughout every single one of her works.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

I had such a good time with this. I love the 80's era (being an 80's baby how could I not!). I enjoyed the storylines, the references, the pinpoint issues of the era. I do wish we had more references and different ones, this seemed to settle on a couple of them but I feel like it could have jumped deeper in to them or just more in general. I read this is 2 days, the flow just kept you reading.

Thank you to the publishers for offering me an e-arc through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to more from Jessica!

I really enjoyed this book. Clearly cause I finished it in a day. The characters are great and have depth. I got marvelous Mrs Maisel vibes. I must now add the back log of Jessica Anya Blau to my TBR lists! I think this would make a great tv series.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for my arc in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for this advanced copy!

After falling in love with Mary Jane, one of my all-time favorite coming-of-age stories, I was beyond excited to dive into Jessica Anya Blau’s latest novel—and it absolutely did not disappoint!

As someone who has spent years working in retail, I found this book especially relatable and endlessly entertaining. Some of the customer interactions had me laughing out loud in recognition. The story centers on 19-year-old Zippy, a smart, funny, and endearing young woman working at a department store. The workplace is brought to life with a fun and quirky cast of women who support, challenge, and shape Zippy’s journey.

Watching Zippy come into her own—in work, in romance, within her family, and most importantly, in herself—was a joyful and heartfelt experience. Blau has a real talent for capturing the nuances of growing up, and she delivers yet another warm, accessible, and beautifully written coming-of-age tale.

Sprinkled with nostalgic 80s references, retail hilarity, and a whole lot of heart, this book was an absolute delight from start to finish. While Mary Jane holds a special place in my heart, Blau once again proves her gift for character-driven storytelling and cements her place on my “autobuy author” list. I’ll read anything she writes!

Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau
Women’s historical fiction. Mid 1980’s.
Until someone shows you how to do something, it’s a mystery. Zippy wasn’t shown how to find scholarships for school or where to even start so she gets a sales position at I Magnin. She finds clothing at a thrift store and adjusts it to match professional styles so she will fit in. Zippy is happy to get advice from anyone willing to share. She eats every other day to match her roommates diet. She befriends the sales women that are willing and has an eye for style. She’s successful at selling the right dress to the right women. It’s been a learning year for her and she even gets to meet the father that was never part of her life.
It’s the mid 1980’s and Zippy is living the best way she knows how.

This story brings back so many memories. The tv shows, the clothing styles, the sadness of a global illness, smoking on planes, and so much more.
For Zippy, it’s a learning experience as well.

An interesting trip of memories. A coming of age story.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

Short synopsis: 19 year old Zippy gets a job in a department store while not being able to afford any of the clothing. Instead she shows up to work in her three Salvation Army thrifted outfits.

My thoughts: This brought back so many memories from when I worked retail right after graduating high school. There were the judgmental women who had worked there for years, some friendly… others not so much. And, as mentioned in the book sale days were the worst. Black Friday was especially miserable.

This was a fun coming of age story of a young woman trying to find herself after having no real role models to look up to for aspirational goals. I enjoyed Zippy’s growth, the unlikely friendships, and her friendship especially with Raquel.

Read if you love:
* The year 1985 (a particularly great year if you ask me)
* Ever worked at a department store, or retail in general
* Unlikely friendships
* Coming of age stories
* Finding your passion

Shopgirls is a surprisingly fun read that I think is perfect if you liked Margo's Got Money Troubles from last year! It features young and naive Zippy as the main character as she navigates being a shopgirl in the 80s. It's crazy that this feels historical, but I thought the author really captured the nostalgic vibes quite well without them overpowering the story. It's definitely a character driven story with not the most complex plot, but I enjoyed being in Zippy's head as she tries to figure herself out at 19. There were a lot of subplots and honestly I think just a bit more would've fully fleshed those out. I wanted a bit more before it wrapped up at the end - it felt a bit rushed. Overall I do recommend this book!

In 1987, my first job after college was as the assistant manager in Hosiery at a Midwest department store chain. That is why I wanted to read Zippy's story about her experiences at I.Magnin in 1985.
Here are three things I really liked about this book:

👠Like Zippy, I wore pumps every day. I also shopped the clearance racks and tried to dress smartly on a budget. The 80's pop culture was so fun to read about: Cathy comic strip, Cheers, The Cosby Show, the panic over AIDS and more. Like jumping in a time machine.

🙏Zippy's relationship with the other Miss Lena, the other petite dresses salesperson, was one of my favorite parts of the story. Miss Lena really cared about Zippy, praying for her and with her, as well as being an encouraging coworker.

💼The end results for Zippy were so heartwarming and encouraging. Really liked the work plot choices that Jessica Anya Blau made in the story.

Now for the bad news: there was too much about S-E-X (mostly girl talk) and AIDS. The balance was off in my opinion. I wanted more department store time!

Happy Pub Week! Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I am an instant Jessica Anya Blau reader now. I loved Mary Jane and adored this one. Felt like a new adult title at times which I don't think is a bad thing. It was very cinematic and comedic and there was something so beautiful and poignant about the main character's evolution from girl to woman.

I loved MaryJane so I had high hopes for this, but unfortunately it was a letdown.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Unique characters that were well-developed and distinct. Entertaining to read with just enough humor.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book early and n exchange for an honest review .. I have this book 3.5 stars .. I really enjoyed the wit and charm of this book

Sigh. I wanted to love this book and I tried. I really did. I wanted to love Zippy as much as I loved Mary Jane and I tried. I truly did. I wanted to find eccentric, but lovable characters in San Francisco just as I did in Baltimore. I wanted to be transported to the 80s the same way Mary Jane took me to the 70s. Honestly, I tried, but nothing worked.

Perhaps it’s a wrong book at the wrong time situation coming off reading a number of five star books. Perhaps it’s setting my expectations too high. Regardless, Shopgirls simply did not work for me.

It’s a quiet coming of age story of teenage Zippy, on her own for the first time and trying to find her way in the world. She has a wonderful (if mismatched) roommate and a collection of coworkers who fill her life, but I never connected with any of them. Honestly, a whole lot of nothing happened during 90% of this book.

The 80s vibe seemed anecdotal. It didn’t permeate the book the way the 70s music scene and cultural revolution did in Mary Jane. It felt referential rather than ingrained. This is particularly true of the AIDS epidemic that truly defined San Francisco during that period. I just wanted more.

I may go back to this at another time to see if it resonates with me under different circumstances. If you are a fan of character studies that meander slowly and aren’t terribly deep, you may want to give this one a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Shopgirls is a charming, coming-of-age novel about Zippy, a 19 year old girl working her dream job as a salesgirl at I.Magnin in San Francisco. Set in 1985, with the TV listings and mix-tape cassette list enhancing the scene, Zippy lives with her best friend and has a great relationship with her mother, who raised her on her own.

I enjoyed the character development and growth of Zippy. She is sweet and funny but allows others to direct her choices. However, this is something she works on. As someone who grew up in the ‘80s, it was fun to revisit this somewhat simpler time. This was a quick, fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Mariner Books for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Happy pub day to Shopgirls!

I enjoyed this- it’s a short read, and I loved the campiness of it! It was fun to live as a department store sales girl in the 80s.
I do feel like the characters lacked depth & consistency, and the plot felt noncommittal. BUT maybe that was the point?
Also did have to look up a fair amount of references / people given that I did not exist in the 80s.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217298078-shopgirls" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Shopgirls" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1728748553l/217298078._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217298078-shopgirls">Shopgirls</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1149861.Jessica_Anya_Blau">Jessica Anya Blau</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7342395905">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Happy pub day to Shopgirls! <br /><br />I enjoyed this- it’s a short read, and I loved the campiness of it! It was fun to live as a department store sales girl in the 80s. <br />I do feel like the characters lacked depth & consistency, and the plot felt noncommittal. BUT maybe that was the point? <br />Also did have to look up a fair amount of references / people given that I did not exist in the 80s. <br /><br />Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/160739929-alyssa-comer">View all my reviews</a>

I have done some thinking about this book. And I settled on a 3 star rating. And I hate to do that because I love, love, love this author. You cannot beat her book Mary Jane. But, even though this book has some of her brilliance. I just did not enjoy it quite like her other books, and I have read them all.

This story follows Zippy. She is a young, naive sales girl for I. Magnin. I loved Zippy’s intelligence and her work ethic. She knows how to read her clients and this leads to quite a lot of jealousy with her other sales girls.

I enjoyed reading about I. Magnin and how their process worked. And all the gorgeous clothes. This is a unique setting for sure!

However, this story is a bit slow and drawn out. There is a bit too much of the sales and who is buying what. And the paper dolls…🤷🏻‍♀️. These just didn’t seem to fit. You will need to read this to find out.

But, Zippy is the reason for everything in this book and she is a character that will keep you reading. She has a lot to learn and discover and she has such a big heart.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I loved Jessica Anya Blau’s last book, Mary Jane, for its nostalgic look at the 1970s, so I was excited to dive into a new decade in her latest novel, Shopgirls. Set in 1980s San Francisco, the story follows Zippy, a nineteen-year-old with big dreams of building a more glamorous life for herself, who begins working at the iconic I. Magnin department store. Blau brings the era to life with her signature humor and heart, crafting a vibrant coming-of-age story about finding your place in the world, and the people who help you along the way.

Jessica Anya Blau’s "Shopgirls" is a heartfelt coming-of-age story set in the flashy world of 1980s San Francisco department stores.

"Shopgirls" follows Zippy, a smart but insecure 19-year-old, as she finds her footing in retail while dealing with drama, self-doubt, and tricky coworkers. The plot moves at a nice, steady pace as it gives a behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows of sales floor life, vividly illustrated through Zippy’s time at I. Magnin, where her carefully-crafted, thrift store outfits underscore both her resourcefulness and her desire to fit in.

Zippy is an easy protagonist to root for, and her awkwardness and inner struggles feel real and relatable. While some side characters serve more as background extras, others help shape her journey, like her roommate Raquel, who encourages extreme dieting, suggesting she eat only every other day to lose weight. Moments like this highlight the pressures young women faced in this era, making Zippy’s battle with self-esteem hit hard in a way that’s honest and emotional without feeling overly heavy.

Blau brings the setting to life with great details, capturing the look, feel, and social vibe of high-end 1980s retail. There is plenty of workplace drama, but also moments of genuine humor and heart that keep things grounded. Blau doesn’t shy away from tough topics like body image and sexuality, giving the book an edge.

While Shopgirls might be softer than some of Blau’s earlier works, it retains her signature mix of wit and sincerity. Like many great coming-of-age narratives, it thrives on the unexpected, like showing how even a sales floor can become a space for self-discovery. This is a relatable, absorbing read for anyone who loves stories about finding yourself, especially in unlikely places.