The Mall

Megan McCafferty’s ‘The Mall’ is a perfect throwback coming-of-age story that will resonate just as well with Generation X as it will with Generation Z. (Millennials will love it too.) Set in the summer of 1991, mostly within the confines of a New Jersey mall, the aptly titled ‘The Mall’ follows Cassie Worthy as she tries to navigate through the summer before she leaves for college. When all of her best-laid plans seem to fall apart, she’ll have to rely on herself to figure out who she really is and who she wants to become. Also, there may be a little bit of a treasure hunt involved…

To me, this book embodies all of the things I crave for in YA, and in fiction in general. There’s a compelling protagonist who is profoundly human… flaws, insecurities, and all. There’s a beautiful female friendship that in many ways anchors the story. There’s a little bit of love, a little bit of loss, and a whole lot of personal growth. Add in hilariously crafted scenarios and sharp, witty dialogue? I’m so sold. The fact that it’s set in a mall during a time when malls were at their pinnacle? Perfection. McCafferty adeptly creates a story that is simultaneously of its era and is also timeless, which is a tough balance to achieve.

For me, this is an absolute must-read, whether you typically read YA or not. And I wouldn’t be sad if this got made into a movie. The soundtrack alone would be amazing.

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

Can we talk about how amazing Megan McCafferty is? Her books are consistently great and fun; The Mall is no exception. 

This absolutely felt like my teenage years, and I couldn't tell you the last time I thought about mall stores. Kaybee Toys, guys! KAYBEE TOYS. So yes, this book is completely perfect for people my age. It's the perfect amount of nostalgia.

But it's also good for the target audience. Current teens will probably find it to essentially be the Dark Ages (there's no internet! There are pay phones! You have to leave the house to buy things!) but it's also a complete delight. And they'll probably be really grateful to live in this time.

I absolutely loved this book and I hope that we get to spend more time with Cassie.

I loved this, and that’s not just the Sloppy Firsts nostalgia talking! Megan McCafferty is wonderful at capturing the angst and personality of teenage girls, especially those nerds dead set on a professional career that have a weakness for long haired rocker kids with a feminist vibe.

The Mall is set in the 90s and invokes those days of wandering around with your friends, checking out the stores (Spencer’s Gifts! Sam Goody!) of a capitalist past, pre-iPhones and online shopping. It follows Cassie before she heads off to college and after a bout of mono, and features some excellent dialogue (a McCafferty mainstay) between her and the other women in her life. As she reconnects with ex-bff Drea, navigates a new job and rumors abound, you are sucked into a treasure trove of humor and love. I can’t wait for everyone to read this, thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC and an early glance!

This is an incredibly fun romp that is not only perfect for 90s loving-young adults, but also the many 40-something readers who will remembers these classic cultural touchstones. A funny mystery, and McCafferty's classic, finger-on-the-pulse of smart young women P.O.V. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book. As a person who grew up in the 90s the idea of the mall brought up so much of my childhood memories. I absolutely love the character of Drea and Ghost Girl, would love a whole book about her. The only confusing part was when she would constantly switch between her parents names and calling them mom and dad.

I was a huge fan of Megan McCafferty's Jessica Darling series, and I couldn't wait to get the galley of this one (thank you, NetGalley! And the publisher, and the author!) There is a clear audience for this book - I'm not sure how it would be received by an older or younger group, but for those of us in the Oregon Trail generation, this book hits the sweet spot. Cassie Worthy has just completed high school. She's a nerd, but she's got a plan. She and her boyfriend, Troy, will be attending universities across the street from each other in New York City, planning to immerse themselves in the World of Knowledge while also having fun. Until Cassie gets sprayed by a rogue mister from Bath and Body Works - and it turns out the girl has been sneaking around with Troy. Cassie is suddenly unmoored, but over the course of the summer, she finds her way into all sorts of new adventures, learning about herself and who she is in the process. A confection that mall-lovers will adore, complete with a fun treasure-hunt subplot and several unlikely friendships.

So, I was born in 1997. I was alive for the end of the 90's, but I don't recall any of it. Therefore, I know very little about 90's culture in general, much less 1991, the year this novel is set it. However, I was excited by the prospect of a book set entirely in a mall, which were a staple of my childhood, and to learn a little about the early 90's!

And I have to say, I was not let down. This book is a treasure.

Let's get into it!

CHARACTERS
The Mall has a moderate cast of characters, told in the first-person perspective of Cassie Worthy, recent high school graduate and only child of two dentists. She suffered from a case of mono in her final month of high school, but she's set to work at America's Best Cookie in the local mall with her boyfriend Troy all summer, before both of them go to New York for college. Cassie is a full, rounded character from the start. She has snappy narration that's both easy to read and sounds like (what I imagine) an actual teenager in the early 90's would sound like. She's booksmart, but not people-smart, and goes through real growth over the course of the novel.

Then there's the secondary characters: Troy, her boyfriend, her coworker Drea (and Drea's mom), Cassie's parent's, and a plethora of other mall employees and shoppers. Nearly all of the named secondary characters feel just as real as Cassie, especially Drea and Cassie's mom. They have hopes, dreams, and likes, and all in all are very well written! I think Cassie herself was my favorite character, though.

PLOT
So, the plot's easy: Cassie works in a mall, is planning for college, and there's a treasure hunt running throughout the middle. Yep, a treasure hunt in a mall. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot here, as it's best experienced first-hand, but I will say that all aspects of the plot - as well as the subplots of Drea's college dreams and Cassie's parents' relationship issues - work very well together. Nothing feels thrown in randomly.

WRITING
In my opinion, The Mall is very well-written. Cassie sounds like her age, and McCafferty has found a balance between description and action that works well. The novel reads very easily, and it's easy to read quickly.

RATING
I give The Mall five stars! It's awesome

RECOMMENDATION
If you remember the 90's, like the 90's, or really enjoy malls (or just YA books in general), I totally recommend this book! It comes out June 9th, 2020.

Rejoice, rejoice for the first relatable YA novel I’ve read in ages.

This light, delightful novel takes us back to 1991, when malls were in their heyday and pegging your jeans was all the rage.

Half the fun of the book is mall nostalgia for those old enough to be familiar with the references but young enough to still take interest in YA books. I wish there had actually been more mall store name drops in this (can I get a Merry Go Round shoutout? Ups and Downs? Wild Pair?), but what’s there is fun and clever, as is the treasure hunt that forms the bones of the plot.

Even better than the trip down memory lane, however, is McCafferty’s refreshingly normal, relatable protagonist. Most YA would have you believe that teenage girls think about absolutely nothing but boys, exist in a perpetual state of melancholic angst, and are always victims of unspeakable tragedy.

While there is a place for those things in the genre, they’re so pervasive that McCafferty’s Cassie Worthy, an interesting young woman with relatable problems and interests, almost felt like a YA white whale. And I was delighted by her.

Sure, Cassie cares a LOT about boys. We all do at that age. But she also cares about school, and friendships, and her summer job, and her family, and music, and, and, and...

Point being, I really appreciated a YA author who acknowledges there’s more to teenage girls than crushes and crying.

More than anything else, this is a novel about friendship. The relationship between Cassie and Drea is the central one, and it makes for a fun, not-too-heavy read that also subtly imparts valuable lessons about loyalty and relating to those who aren’t exactly like you.

Thank you for restoring my faith in the YA genre, Ms McCafferty.

Well, this one sure brought me back! As a Jersey Girl, born and raised, growing up in the 80s and 90s, I couldn't ask for a book that gave me more nostalgic feels than "The Mall"!

I went to Sam Goody, I worked at the Garden State Plaza, and I dreamed of getting out of my small "village" after high school. I literally worked at Bath and Body Works! Spraying cucumber melon on strangers was my jam! Obviously, I related to Cassie on so many levels., including the heartbreaking first love breakup. Rude.

This books is sprinkled with 90s pop culture references on every page, and they all made me roar with laughter. Everything from "90210" job rankings to Z Cavariccis was thrown into this book, and I devoured it all. I loved the treasure hunt. It was ridiculous and whimsical.

This book is basically Season 3 of Stranger Things for girls.

My only complaint about this book was Cassie's lack of experience, despite having had a long-term boyfriend. Call me a hoe, but that's NOT how I remember growing up in New Jersey in the 90s. I was third in my high school class, and even I was rolling my eyes at her "plan", so it's not a geek thing since I was one, too.

I loved Drea. Fun, funny, witty, daring, beautiful and talented, all in one package. You couldn't ask for a more fun character with which to hunt for treasure. And her mom and their store? I thought it sounded so cozy to be Drea. Ever want to crawl up into a character's life and live there? That's me with Drea.

Cassie's parents both being dentists was funny to me because my brother and his wife are both dentists. The scene in the book where they simultaneously refer to teeth as "number 8 and 9" could have been stolen right out of my brother's living room. Cute plot point.

I definitely recommend this young adult book to young adults and children of the 80s and 90s like me. It was incredibly fun and whimsical.

I loved the prominence of mono in the book. I remember everyone fearing and contracting mono in high school. I envied their ability to stay home for months and watch crappy tv. I love that Cassie is fresh into a mono recovery. So relevant for the time. What was it about the 90s and mono anyway? Do kids still get that?

Grab your scrunchies, your flannel shirts, put on your Nirvana playlist and get ready to enjoy a truly marvelous book!

The Mall by Megan McCafferty is one of those books that you just enjoy reading. It’s the story of Cassie Worthy and how her perfect summer with her “perfect” guy gets destroyed in a cloud of Cucumber Melon body spray. In the aftermath, Cassie has to reevaluate everything she thought about her life and herself. This book steps away from your normal guy screws over girl, girl meets new perfect guy, girl falls in love, and they run off into the sunset. This book is not about that, it’s about friendship. Complete with a treasure hunt, revenge, Cabbage Patch dolls, and enough 90’s nostalgia to make you want to jump up and do the Macarena, this book is a fun read. The characters were charming and delightful; they made you want to hop into the book and go grab an Orange Juilis together.

My only quibble with this book is that Cassie calls her parents by their first names and very rarely by Mom and Dad, and it’s never explained why? So keep that in mind when you start the book, because it’s not explained at first who Frank and Kathy are, it had me very confused. Though once you figure it out its easy going.

I give this book 5 out of 5. It made me want to ignore the outside world, risk reprimand at work for reading at my desk (which I chickened out and did not do), and miss many hours of sleep that I desperately needed. This book was all that and a bag of chips.

Another wonderful book from McCafferty. I love all of her books and this is definitely on par with the Jessica Darling series. I would love a sequel and see how Cassie and Drea do in college and if they stay best friends. This book definitely made me laugh out loud and feel nostalgic for how fun going to the mall could be as a teenager.

Fun coming of age novel set in a 1991 New Jersey mall. Pretty sure this is actually written for those of us who came of age in the 1990s rather than current adolescents, but it's a fun trip down memory lane.

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so fun! Megan McCafferty is great at writing books that are just enjoyable to read. In The Mall we meet Cassie who is figuring out her "plan" isn't going the way she hoped. I really liked Cassie. She was so difficult in the beginning and set in her ways, but working at Belladona with an ex-best friend made her into herself. I loved that two girls teamed up to not only find a secret treasure, but to own up to their potential.

Also the amazing 90's references. This novel was written for the 90's baby in me that wished I was a teen then. The notes to Marky Mark and the present tense discussion of Nirvana made my heart sing. I'm sure there were parts of the book that I struggled through, but I can't seem to remember them much. I disliked Troy but I felt he was a necessary character for Cassie to experience and grow from. I loved this nostalgic book that felt like something I needed in my life. I would 100% read this again and recommend it to anyone feeling a little like they should be brought back in time to a simple 90's mall life.

This is SUCH a fun YA coming of age, romance, and friendship story. McCafferty flawlessly transports readers to the 90s setting with so much attention to detail. I was super excited when I heard about this book and it surpassed expectations. This will be a fun pick for teens and adults alike and I look forward to recommending it.

While I was born in the early 90s, I still had nostalgic memories from this book. This is definitely one of my favorite YA novels to date, and not just because it's set in and heavily influenced by the 90s.

For all the 90's babes young adults. This is the book for you. The blast from the past. It's see it as a cult classic and a fun mystery. With a radical women POV. I definitely recommend this book.

Loved this book. I have been a fan of Megan’s for a while so I was excited to read a new one from her. This book totally threw me back to my teenage years and going to the mall. Lighthearted and fun book

What a fun read! Set during the summer in a mall in New Jersey in the early 90s, McCafferty brings her usual wit to all of her characters. She's a must read for me and I wasn't disappointed.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the copy of this ARC! I was excited to read it the moment I saw it was set in 1991, which was my birth year. I'm a 90s baby, so of course most of my memories and formative years are set in the early 2000s, but I have a deep love for my birth decade and the music, pop culture, and fashion that came out of it. Also, I grew up in a small town (and have moved to another) where the only 'fun' thing to do for miles is to go to the mall, so I knew that no matter when I was born, I would relate to this story. I found out, though, that it was more than the setting and the time it takes place that I would find familiarity in. This novel is a coming of age story that will pull on the heartstrings of all its readers; no matter what generation they hail from.

We are thrown in the midst of Cassie's perfect life. She has started a new job with her boyfriend of two years, and the two of them are planning their life together post-high school. Summer is here, and Cassie just got over mono, which knocked her out of commission for things like prom, graduation, and the first few weeks of life at the America's Best Cookie. Our protagonist is excited to return to normalcy, but is accosted her first day back with so much change that it sends her reeling straight out of her relationship, her job, and the person she thought she was. As she picks herself back up again, she finds a safe space within the halls of the Bellarosa Boutique, surrounded by her ex-best friend from fifth grade and a treasure hunt that brings the two of them together. Through Drea's encouragement and Cassie's hard life lessons, we see this girl change before our eyes. She learns to love again, but this time-- she's loving herself.

I was overwhelmed by the consistent theme of being you, no matter what that means. For Cassie, it's a complete overhaul; she realizes she doesn't have to be the prim, proper, and perfect overachiever that her ex-boyfriend fell in love with. She starts to take risks, both mentally and physically, and is a better person through it. For Drea, it's understanding that she deserves to follow her dreams outside the mall. For Cassie's parents, it's figuring out who they are apart after years of being staplegunned to the other's side. For Cassie's maybe beau, Sam Goody, it's stepping away from a life that has made him unhappy for so long to focus on the now. There are so many characters struggling in their own way within these pages, and despite the issues that they have, they find a version of happiness that suits them. It's incredibly uplifting, and even at 28 I am still figuring out who I am, so it's heartening to see that journey from ages 17 to 40-something. You're never too old to start again.

The references in this book were fantastic; the treasure hunt alone was littered with relics of a bygone era, lyrics from shows and bands from the decade are strewn throughout, and there is a distinct smell in the air of denim, hairspray, and the chlorine from the mall fountain. It brought back the mall I remember from my youth which has now lost its own fountain and closed up many of the shops that used to be so prevalent then. Spencer's and Bath and Body Works are still going strong, though, and the food court is still the happening place on a Friday night. It felt like home, and the hi-jinks that the varied cast of characters gets into reminded me of nights out with my best friends in high school; looking at things we didn't have the money to buy, having scavenger hunts, and just being young and alive. There is so much energy in this novel. I felt electrified as I was reading it and just was not able to stop. I recommend this to any adult trying to recapture what it felt like to be unencumbered and surrounded by seemingly endless possibilities, and to any teenager grappling with the daunting task of growing up. There's something here for everyone, just like the book's namesake.

This was a fun read. It was charming, fun, and enthralling. It was beautifully written. The characters were well developed. This will take you back to the 1990s and you will not want to leave. You will be so immersed in the story and characters. A real treat to read.