I loved Mary Jane by Blau, so I was pretty sure I would enjoy her new book Shopgirls. It was an easy story to get into and found it nostalgic with the 80's time set. While the story moved easily, was quite comcial and the characters were all fun to get to know, I found the middle to be a little slow and was losing interest half-way through. I kept waiting for something big to happen and wait for Zippy to stand up for herself a little bit.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

I loved Mary Jane so much and was super excited to read this new book. Sadly, I didn’t find it anywhere near as engaging. I liked Zippy - found her very likeable, but had trouble feeling immersed in the world and the book felt very slow as a result.

This one hurts, I fully expected this to be a 5 star read, I’ve read this authors previous novels and loved them. She really knows how to capture the nostalgia of the 70’s and 80’s. Her writing style is excellent, I feel like her characters are flawed but likeable which is how I feel most people are when I’m at my most optimistic.
When I read the synopsis I was so excited for this, 1980’s, retail store, California.
Zippy is a 19 year old retail clerk (shop girl) at an upscale department store in a mall. Set in San Francisco this is the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Zippy is natural at sales and that creates tension with some of the other sales girls. It’s really hard to sum up this novel as there’s not really a plot point, this is just a few months time in a young girls life in the 80’s. A novel does not need to have a huge plot point but I felt like this needed more. I did not get the same enjoyment that I had from her previous novels. This was a quick read and if you’re a Gen x er or just interested in that time period this was a fun book,
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for allowing me to read this early.The 1970's-centric Mary Jane author returns with another nostalgic story, this time revolving around the 1985 San Francisco shopping scene. It's a quick read with a satisfying ending.

Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau is set in the 1980s and features nineteen-year-old Zippy, the greenest and youngest salesgirl at I. Magnin, the exclusive department store in San Francisco. I wanted to like this book more than I did. Can’t quite put my finger on it—very likely it’s that I’m not the intended demographic.

Zippy was a likeable underdog whose primary asset was ambition and a willingness to learn. With no logical way to go to college, she aimed for an exclusive job where she would be exposed to fashion and “class.” Her hunger for success was rooted in the fact that she lived in a one-bedroom apartment above a liquor store with her mother and her mother’s nutty boyfriend. And, though she didn’t get that college degree, she got quite an education at I. Magnin.

Themes of friendship, fashion, found family, and the zeitgeist of 1985 shape the novel, which leaned toward being a coming-of-age story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an advance review copy.

This is a fun look into the life of a shopgirl set in San Francisco in the 1980s. Zippy (her real name) works at upscale department store I. Magnin in the Petite Dresses department. She loves her job, even though some of her co-workers are downers and she has begun to get negative customer comments. When her stepdad comes out on the wrong end of a power saw, Zippy has to consider changing jobs in order to make more money to be able to help her mother and stepdad with their medical expenses. At the same time, Zippy’s biological father has (finally!) reached out to her, wanting to meet up. Her experiences on this end hold a big surprise.

Zippy is an adorable character and I loved how the book was set in the 80s, with appropriate pop culture and fashion references. One reviewer criticized the book for not taking seriously enough some of the issues of the day, like AIDS, and I get her point, but I didn’t feel the lack in what was included. What this book is is a mostly lighthearted look into someone’s life who is happy with her job and whose ambition it is to someday make buyer for a department store, not to rule the world. It’s not a book that hits hard. To me, it succeeds in being what it purports to be, an upbeat story of a sweet young girl who is trying to make the most of the hand she has been dealt. I will recommend it to all of my friends as a “cute” story that is well worth the read.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for allowing me early access to this e-ARC.

I was so excited to be approved for this ARC as I loved Mary Jane by this author. I didn't connect with this story in the same way. The main character felt like an idea of a character not a person I could really empathize with or see their journey. Overall I still believe this author is talented but this isn't a book I'll be recommending to friends or family.

Shopgirls is a short and sweet coming-of-age story set in the 1980s in San Francisco. Zippy is 19 and works at I. Magnin, a now defunct luxury department store. She has never met her father, has never been kissed, and feels a little lonely since her mom spends most of her time with her zany boyfriend, Howard. Zippy learns about life and love through the I. Magnin ladies she works with and her more worldly roommate, Raquel. All of the details about life in the 80s are captured in this slice-of-life story, and it brought up many happy memories of "Must-See TV," Jessica McClintock dresses, and neon-glo fashion. Put your shoulder padded jacket on, cue up some Golden Girls for the ambiance, and settle in with Shopgirls to find out where Zippy's life takes her. Thank you to Netgalley, Mariner Books, and author Jessica Anya Blau for the librarian preview copy!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected digital ARC of 'Shopgirls' by Jessica Anya Blau - expected release date 05/06/2025

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an easy book to read. Other than the many mentions of the AIDs outbreak, it was mostly about a sweet, naive retail sales girl trying to navigate her young adult life in the 80s. It wasn't really an especially deep storyline but it was fun to read and it all finished up perfectly, no loose ends. I'm happy things worked out for the FMC Zippy, she was always positive and I was rooting for her!

I loved Mary Jane, but this one missed the mark for me. It felt too formulaic - like trying to recreate a 1980s version of the same story. The characters in Mary Jane were interesting, complex, and endearing. The characters here were very flat in comparison. Zippy oddly felt more naive than Mary Jane, when she was not sheltered in the same way growing up. This was cute and nostalgic, but lacked the depth to make me invested in the story.

Girls love to shop and it brought back memories from the days of high-end fashion stores in downtown areas.

Zippy was 19 in 1985. She was working in a San Francisco petite dress department in sales and loving every minute. This was her dream job. However, it didn’t pay well and she needed to find a way of helping her mother with medical expenses.

It sent me into the past when I remembered walking into handsome buildings with gorgeous fashions, jewelry, shoes and cosmetics. The book made me imagine a world of luxury where $1,000 dresses were featured from top designers.

This story could be relished by young girls just out of high school and many who are faced with a complex world where money is tight. However, I doubt they would know what Tang is or Kmart’s collection with Jaclyn Smith. The story could also reach out to women who want to think back on some good times.

It wasn’t as absorbing as “Mary Jane” with a family-dynamic plot that so many of us could understand. Yet, it was charming and uplifting with high spiritual values, quirky in some parts, simple and quick. It wasn’t necessarily set up to be believable yet, it made me smile. It would make a fun movie.

My thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of May 6, 2025.

I normally don’t enjoy historical fiction or books about people’s daily lives but I really enjoyed this book. Zippy is so naive but what 19 year old girl isn’t? I loved the characters and their relationships with each other and with Zippy. Her friendship with Raquel was so pure and they were exactly what the other needed. Over all I enjoyed the book. It’s an easy read and not fast paced. It’s definitely a feel good book.

Shopgirls is kooky and warmhearted, and a love letter to naivety in the 1980s. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes not so much. Much like Blau’s previous novel, Mary Jane, the titular character in this novel, Zippy, is a sweet, nice teenager who is both smart and very naive, surrounded by some very unconventional people. Zippy has a job selling clothes at I. Magnin, which she loves and has a natural talent for. But a stepfather with a severe lack of common sense and a complaint card campaign against her at work have her wondering if she can continue on. Meanwhile, she’s surrounded by some very unconventional people and starts a relationship with the father she never knew. The exploration of workplace dynamics in the book is good. The paper dolls just feel immature and out of place. And a major opportunity is lost to explore in more detail how scary AIDS was for people in the mid-eighties, and how many misconceptions surrounded it. This ended up being a mixed bag for me. Every time I got to a point where I was getting into the story something dopey happened that broke up the rhythm I had gotten into. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau is a charming, nostalgic dive into 1980s San Francisco, following 19-year-old Zippy as she navigates life as a department store salesgirl. Blau crafts a vibrant, character-driven story filled with eccentric coworkers, wealthy clientele, and the complexities of young adulthood. While the novel captures the glamour and struggles of retail work, it sometimes skims over the deeper social issues of the era. Zippy’s journey of self-discovery is engaging, though the plot moves slowly at times. Overall, Shopgirls is a light, entertaining read with heart, perfect for fans of coming-of-age stories and retro settings.

Shopgirls was set in the nostalgic 80’s. I loved Mary Jane and was very excited for this new Anya Blau. I did not feel connected to the characters and found the topics to be stereotypical and lacking emotional depth. While I enjoyed parts of the book, it fell short for me overall.

I enjoyed reading this book so much. I love Mary Jane and looked forward to this one!

The characters are brilliant. Zippy!! I love Zippy. I also loved the department store setting. Raquel was so fun as well. I loved how the story unfolded and Zippy continued to grow throughout this whole book. The Berber Coffee guy being her dad was the best!! Air freshener Jesus. I loved literally everything start to finish and I will read this again and recommend to other readers. I cannot wait to buy a copy for my bookshelf! Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgally for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very quick, slice of life read perfect for someone looking for a period piece that isn't too heavy. While there are plenty of mentions of real life events (such as the AIDS crisis), there's never any real conflict or drama related to the time period. Zippy is a likeable character readers can root for, surrounded by a cast of entertaining characters that inject a bit of zaniness into this read.

This was like reaching back into my past in the 1980’s! Such a heartwarming book about life as a single girl working in retail at one of the best stores there was. The designers, the night life, must see tv, and all the clothes are memories I carry with me from that time. I was the same age as Zippy during this period. I really enjoyed reading about her life and experiences. The 80’s were a singular time like no other. The political climate and the AIDS attitudes and misinformation were touched on briefly, but were right on the mark. This was a fun, sweet read with interesting characters.

Shopgirls is short and sweet. Set in the world of a glamorous high-end San Francisco department store, Zippy (yes, that’s her name) feels out of place as a salesgirl for I.Magnin. This story explores themes of class and wealth disparity; Zippy is surrounded by wealth on a day-to-day basis yet she can’t afford to buy more than three outfits and is struggling to support her family. The lives of her rich clients are always a huge culture shock to her and Blau describes this incredulity in a ridiculous yet starkly real way. She candidly captures the frivolous, ignorant, and carefree lives of the uber-wealthy through a lower middle class lens, a stark and harrowing reflection of today’s top 1%.
The characters in this book are dynamic and so entertaining to read about. Raquel, Howard, Yolanda, and Marie are very over the top to the point of caricature which I love. In comparison, Zippy, our heroine, falls a bit flat. Aside from being kind and passionate about fashion, Zippy doesn’t have any distinct flaws, ideology, or qualities. You could call her bland, but I would argue that she’s a semi-blank slate for a reason!
Zippy is supposed to be an embodiment of the tumultuous and topsy-turvy lives of adolescents in a budding, fast-paced society. She’s supposed to be someone that young adult readers can see themselves in. Her struggles with love, career, family, friends, and self-image are universal. Much of her arc centers around finding a sense of autonomy and being able to live the life that she herself wants which is a narrative that many can find common ground with. Although most of us aren’t salesgirls peddling designer dresses to bored rich ladies, Shopgirls takes the multitudes and the high-lows of being a young adult head-on.
I will say that I wish that Shopgirls had explored the setting of the novel a bit more. This is San Francisco in the 80s! Life is vibrant, ever-changing, and flashy. Especially for a book about designer clothes, huge department stores, and fashion, I really think that going more into the cultural climate at that time could’ve contributed to the overall tone and ambience of Zippy’s life.
Overall, Shopgirls is a nice book. It’s a quick and interesting read. It’s fun yet poignant. It touches on some serious themes whilst retaining a light and frilly quality. Zippy's story is an interesting one and her perspective is refreshing. Blau did a solid job here and I can't wait to read more of her work. :)