Going in I only really knew that The Mall was about, well, a mall, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover a tale of female empowerment, friendship and… Cabbage Patch Dolls?

Within a couple of chapters of this story Cassie’s Plan gets horrendously derailed when she is dumped by her boyfriend, Troy. Before she knows it she’s left her job at America’s Best Cookie to escape from him and has managed to find employment at Bellarosa, her ex-best friend’s family boutique.

Drea Bellarosa is a whirlwind, and she quickly gets Cassie tangled up in a legendary treasure hunt throughout the mall. Both believing that there’s a fortune to be had, the girls rely on their smarts and sexuality to coerce and con various other mall employees to cough up the clues concealed in their stores.

Meanwhile, Cassie seems to be adding a new name to the list of people she’s avoiding every single day. Will the girls be able to find the treasure before Cassie has to avoid the mall for the rest of her life?

While reading The Mall I felt simultaneously too young and too old to enjoy it properly, which is probably the most confusing feeling I’ve had while reading anything this year. Being born in the mid-90s means that although I understood most of the references in this novel (a few were lost in translation from US -> UK) I didn’t feel any overt sense of nostalgia towards them. It did start some pretty fun conversations between me and my partner, though: “Oh my god, do you remember when you could buy cassettes in shops?” “Did you ever watch the 90210 reboot?”. I think if I’d been a couple of years older this might have ended up being a new favourite, but as it was it just made me have a bit of an existential crisis at the fact that YA set in the 90s is now being bandied about as ‘historical’…

That being said, I had a pleasant time reading this. The pace was a bit slow at times and I got frustrated that the treasure hunt kept taking a backseat – I’m a sucker for a treasure hunt! – but I could understand why because Cassie was dealing with a LOT of stuff. Even though this story deals with a teen character going to work every day there is a distinct lack of mundanity.

I liked the developing relationship between Cassie and music store employee Sam Cooke – as a big music fan I always like it when characters bond over their music tastes – but the shining point of this story is the friendship between Drea and Cassie. On the surface they couldn’t be more different: Cassie is buttoned-up and serious while Drea is footloose and fancy free, but throughout the course of the novel we discover different sides of the two characters and they become very realistic. Just because you’re the firecracker daughter of a boutique owner it doesn’t mean you’re an airhead, and just because you’re a serious student it doesn’t mean you can’t live on the wild side (occasionally!).

I ended up giving The Mall a high three stars. As I said earlier, I do think it could have been a new favourite if I’d been a little bit older, so if you were born in the late 80s or very early 90s I’d definitely recommend picking this one up. On the other hand, it’s great for the teens of today: if you wish you’d been born in the era of Nirvana and Robin Sparkles is your favourite How I Met Your Mother character then you will adore this book.

Short but fun YA novel set in the ‘90s. I highly enjoyed the trip down memory lane! The teens reminded me of how important your friends are during such tumultuous times - and then how unimportant their opinions of you are, mere days later.

*Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Grab those scrunchies and aqua net, and fuel up on some Panda Express, cause this book is the ultimate mix tape of 90’s nostalgia amazingness!⁣
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My 90's teen Jersey heart is feeling all the lip smacker and fanny pack vibes with this one, and you can bet your tamagotchis' life you will smile the entire time you are reading it!⁣
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Cassie needs to lay low, take a chill pill, and work her job at the mall just for 6 weeks - til her and her boyfriend are off to the big and bright NYC for college. She thought “The Plan” was as organized as a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper. AS IF!⁣
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On the 90210 scale of awesomeness, her summer is about to become as crazy as Emily Valentine. An epic adventure, a bit of love, and a mystery that could be as dangerous as a slap bracelet... this fun story of Cassies’ summer at the mall, is all that and a bag of chips!⁣
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What are you waiting for?? It’s Hammer Time! Do the Running Man and get this one! it’s cool beans. I promise.⁣

I like to pretend I am going to give YA a try. I bought a few YA books in print lately and I remembered I had this on my Kindle. The blurb sounded cute with it’s mentions of being a teen in the 90’s and going to the mall. The book starts out with a breakup. And just went downhill from there. There were too many mentions of slutty clothes. **whisper yells** what does slutty clothes even mean? Anyway, I gave up when I saw another one and decided to move on with my life.

As someone who grew up in NJ in the 80's, this book screamed to be read. I loved it - the story line, the characters and the growth they saw during the story - it all worked for me. I would definitely encourage anyone looking for a bit of nostalgia as well as a great, fun read to run to get this.

The year is 1991. After recovering from a six week long illness of mono, Cassie is ready to start her summer job at a cookie store in the mall before she heads to college in NYC. She arrives for her first day of work with her boyfriend, Troy, only to find him kissing another girl. Her life is flipped upside down, after she loses her job and her life plans with her boyfriend. However, Cassie doesn’t want to tell her parents that she doesn’t have a job anymore. She finds another job at a clothing store with her ex-best friend, Drea. Drea decides to solve a mystery at the mall with Cassie. Cassie and Drea follow clues of Cabbage Patch Kids throughout the mall to find a hidden treasure.

This story was a lot of fun. I loved that it all took place at the mall. I relived so many of my memories of going to malls as a kid in the 90s while reading this book. For kids who don’t know what that atmosphere was like, think of the mall in the third season of Stranger Things. Though there were some devastating parts, like when Cassie discovered her boyfriend cheating on her, there were also some lighter scenes. The absurd treasure hunt using Cabbage Patch Kids was clever and funny at the same time.

One problem with this book is that I don’t think a young adult audience in 2020 will understand all of the references to things from the 80s and 90s. Some of these references include Cabbage Patch Kids, the show 90210, and cassette tapes. I asked my teenage cousin if she was familiar with these things and she had only heard of Cabbage Patch Kids. I didn’t understand the jokes about 90210, even though I was born in the 90s. Though these references aren’t necessarily important to understanding the plot, it could be frustrating and create distance for the young adult reader if they don’t understand the atmosphere of the story.

I really enjoyed this story!

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Mall by Megan McCafferty is a young adult contemporary book that is full of nostalgia. This coming of age tale is set in 1991 and full of reminders of that era including the fact that malls were the teen place to be all over America.

Cassie Worthy is a recent high school graduate that thought she had her life perfectly planned out. However, just as Cassie graduated she came down with what her doctor called the worst case of mono he’d ever seen and Cassie ended up in bed recovering for six weeks.

Now that Cassie is fully healed she’s ready to pick up her plans and start the rest of her life in this last summer before college. First Cassie needs to return to the job she had lined up at Parkway Center Mall with her boyfriend of two years. However, Cassie’s plans start to explode in front of her eyes when she enters the mall and is accosted by a ranting lunatic who claims that Cassie is now with HER man.

Ok, I will admit I’m not the targeted age range for this particular book but that being said I picked this up out of nostalgia for the era and loved it. I think that anyone wanting to hop into a time machine and experience the early 90s again should give this one a try. The characters were spot on with their drama filled teen angst but all done in a fun way that kept me giggling and the whole treasure hunt in the mall was a blast. Definitely a light hearted fun way to pass a few hours reading!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Cassie Worthy is excited to spend summer ’91 working at the mall food court with her amazing boyfriend and preparing for fall where she’ll be headed to NYC for college. But, all of that comes crashing down and Casey finds herself spending her summer in a completely different way.

This book is part classic YA, part mall treasure hunt-adventure book, which surprised and slightly delighted me.

I absolutely loved all the 90’s references – to the hair and makeup to the music and even just the mall setting in an of itself. It was fun to explore the behind-the-scenes of the different stores and made me reminisce of times hanging out at the mall with friends (albeit in the 2000s, not the 90s).

I also enjoyed how light-hearted and fun the book was. We have a literal treasure hunt through the mall, I mean, come on! This definitely isn’t a deep story, and at times the characters lack depth and maturity, but for a bit of an escape it was a lot of fun!

Holy 90’s nostalgia!

I knew as soon as I saw the cover, I was going to love it! It was fresh and fun and had my complete attention the whole time! Full of 90’s tv show references, music and fashion. Not to mention a scavenger hunt around a mall with an old friend all while avoiding an ex and his new girlfriend and a new crush—who at first wasn’t what you expected. All the makings of a wonderful YA novel and it didn’t disappoint!

I would definitely recommend this to my 90’s friends and those who enjoy lighthearted YA reads.

Thank you to netgalley, Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press and Megan McCafferty for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Was anyone else disturbed by cabbage patch dolls in the ‘90s? No? Okay they weren’t that bad. But if you want to go on a scavenger hunt through a New Jersey mall and be totally reminded of all the amazing things commercialism had to offer back then this book is a must. And if that isn’t enough for you it’s a amusingly fun journey of young love, self realization, and coming of age YA story.

This one had me laughing and giggling through all the antics that ensued. The personalities of each character were unique and embodied teen angst, but paralleled the amazing 90s family sitcoms and the lessons they taught us.

By the end I felt the slight warm and fuzzy feeling that you get when you see something come together and know that things will work out, even though there’s always going to be bumps and you won’t understand them as they happen.

Did not finish this book. I couldn't connect with the characters. I wanted to love it because of the 90's nostalgia but I just couldn't get connect.

Hilarious, Megan McCafferty still has it! I really loved this story and the 90s vibes were strong without a lot of the problematic text/themes you get with books set in this era.

I feel that this is a great book if you are looking for a nostalgic trip back to the 90's, However, if you don't remember the 90's (or weren't alive then), then a bunch of the references could be confusing. The plot was also just a little too light for me, based on what was promised. I was looking for a mystery/coming of age story, but this ended up being mostly a coming of age story with an extremely light shake of could-have-been-mystery in it. Not my type of book, but hey - not all books are made for me.

Talk about blast from the past! If we were back in Cassie’s era, she and I would be the same age and probably graduated in the same class. Let me tell you there are some serious flashbacks in this one and Megan McCafferty nailed them all SPOT ON.

Cassie Worthy is about to start her last summer before leaving for college, and she is psyched. Her plans are made and she will be attending a school right next to her longtime boyfriend, she is focused - with their future planned. Although this year wasn’t the senior year she expected (after contracting mono, being hospitalized for weeks, was unable to attend prom or graduate with the rest of her class) she’s anxious to get back to real life.

But on her first day back to the mall for her summer job, Cassie unexpectedly loses her boyfriend, her job, and everything around her home-life starts to fall apart. With the unexpected help of an ex-best friend from her past, a new job, and a very unique adventure, Cassie may learn a lot more about herself this summer that she may never had learned in school.

I need to read more YA. This book was such a delight. Not only was the story enjoyable but the characters were portrayed so perfectly that anyone at any age could completely relate. Our main character Cassie worries about the exact things a girl her age would prioritize, and Megan McCafferty surrounded her brilliantly with a silent assisting cast of 80’s and 90’s nostalgia. A perfect, fun and quirky coming of age book that makes even us oldsters remember that just because things don’t go the way we expected, the outcome may be precisely what we needed. 4 stars. Would definitely recommend for a quick and quirky beach read.

The Mall takes place in 1991 and is about a girl named Cassie who is leaving for college in six weeks with her boyfriend. They plan to work at the local mall until he dumps her out of the blue and says he found someone else. Luckily Cassie manages to score a new job at a boutique with her ex best friend, Drea, who drags her into a treasure hunt that takes place throughout the mall.

Honestly this book was just fun and cute, and really fast. I loved the setting of a 90s mall and how the entire book takes place there. The scavenger hunt was silly and I wanted more from it but it was still fun. The setting reminded me a lot of Stranger Things s3 (minus the bad guys and monsters lol). There's a mall in my town that hasn't been updated probably since it was made in the 70s and still has tons of neon lights, same vibe. Still love that shitty mall.

I had some issues with the MC, Cassie. Like how she would call women who dressed a certain way "bimbos" and completely dismissed Drea's dreams because she was just so judgmental and for what? Cassie does come around eventually but oh my god sis you aren't better than anyone else! Stop being an ass to a girl who has been nothing but nice to you all summer?? She was just so stuck up and hard to like.

I understand the point of the romance and I did think it was somewhat cute, imma pass on that. The main relationship in here was the friendship between Cassie and Drea, which was just so fun.

I really enjoyed this book. Sloppy firsts was a defining book for me as a teenager so it was super fun to go back and visit a favourite author and see what she is up too! Loved the 90s theme and just wasn't what I expected in a book. Had a little mystery, laughter and some sweet romance.

Super fun! I always love McCafferty's books and this is no exception. Perfect for high schoolers and a great read when you want to forget what is going on in the world!

The nostalgia of early 90s mall life is REAL. It’s so funny to me because while I’m reading about the struggles these characters had of getting a hold of each other, I kept thinking to myself... why aren’t they texting?! Where’s voicemails?! Where is the GPS?!

Oh right, it’s 1991. *facepalm*

This was a fun coming of age story in which our teenage MC is learning what it means to be herself after her long term relationship has abruptly ended. She is a planner and all of her plans seem to be going down the toilet. Add in a treasure hunt and punnily-named mall stores, this was a fun book with a lot of heart.

Without even reading the synopsis for The Mall, I knew I wanted to read it. I love the nostalgia of the mall. I worked at the mall for several years, and I love movies and shows about the mall, and season three of Stranger Things was maybe my favorite (see my visit to filming locations here). Not to mention, for years my ringtone was Robin Sparkles' Let's Go to the Mall (if you know, you know). And while there was some sweet nostalgia and a fun scavenger hunt, this book unfortunately just did not hit for me.

Cassie Worthy is ready for the best summer of her life. She's recently mended from a bout of mono, and she's ready to spend her last summer before college alongside her perfect boyfriend working together at America's Best Cookie. But that plan abruptly comes to an end when she meets her boyfriend's new girlfriend and gets fired from her job that she's yet to even start. But when a discovery is found in the mall that leads Cassie on a scavenger hunt, she begins to figure out what's really important and who she really is.

I really wanted to love this book. It was relatable to me because I worked in a mall for a while, but I found the book to be really insensitive at times. The MC often refers to herself as a feminist, all the while calling other girls sluts or ugly. It really just didn't line up. And because of that, I couldn't fully appreciate the rest of the book.

I did enjoy the scavenger hunt and the nostalgic bits, but the book just seemed so hateful in ways that really bothered me. The writing itself was fun and really felt very 90s. It reminded me of the Sweet Valley High books in that way.

"If we put history totally behind us... how do we learn anything about ourselves?" - The Mall, Megan McCafferty

Honestly, lots of potential in this book but it just bothered me too much by claiming feminism and pinning all the female characters against each other.

I ENJOYED…
☂️
- In this book, we follow Cassie, our main character, ready to embrace her last high school summer working at the mall with her boyfriend, before heading off to college. Obviously it doesn’t take long for everything to go down south and…. well, it feels terrible to say this (I mean… poor Cassie) but it made for a very entertaining and fun read.
- I had a love/hate relationship with Cassie for most of the book, if I’m being honest. While, at times, I could feel for her, at other times she felt a little annoying and I wanted to shake her. She had her flaws, but she wanted to do her best, too and I could appreciate that. I also really liked seeing her grow and make up for her mistakes, too.
- One of my favorite parts of The Mall was the girls’ friendship. It’s not without its complications and drama, but I really appreciated having the friendship between Cassie and Drea as such a central part of the story. Old friends getting reaquainted, rebuilding a friendship with its ups and downs… it was wonderful to read and I loved their interactions so much.
- Both settings, in time and space, were great to read about. The Mall is, well, you can guess, set mostly in the mall where our main character works. I found it so much fun to read a book with a setting like that, with the different shops and everything happening there, but I think what I appreciated even more, is the time setting this book was in. Right in the time between high school and college, this period of uncertainty where the future seems a little blurry, almost there yet, no matter how deeply you want to reach it, it’s not quite reachable just yet. Or not quite what you expect it to be like, either.
- The little treasure hunt in this book was a nice addition: I was compelled to read on to see what would happen next and what Cassie and Drea would find hidden in the mall all along.


I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️
- I think my main issue with The Mall was that it lacked a little bit of depth for me to really feel for the story and characters, as much as I wanted to. If it was an entertaining read as a whole, I wished for the characters, the setting, the relationships, to be a little more three-dimensional and developed for me to grow fond of it all and to make this a little more of an unforgettable read.

OVERALL
☂️
If you’re looking for a quick, fun and entertaining read, I’d still recommend The Mall. Despite the lack of depth, this book made me smile and kept me on my toes with the little treasure hunt, from beginning to end.