The Mall: A blog tour post!
To celebrate the release of The Mall, here's my stop on the Wednesday Books tour!
Here's a brief synopsis:
New York Times bestselling author Megan McCafferty returns to her roots with this YA coming of age story set in a New Jersey mall.
The year is 1991. Scrunchies, mixtapes and 90210 are, like, totally fresh. Cassie Worthy is psyched to spend the summer after graduation working at the Parkway Center Mall. In six weeks, she and her boyfriend head off to college in NYC to fulfill The Plan: higher education and happily ever after.
But you know what they say about the best laid plans...
Set entirely in a classic “monument to consumerism,” the novel follows Cassie as she finds friendship, love, and ultimately herself, in the most unexpected of places. Megan McCafferty, beloved New York Times bestselling author of the Jessica Darling series, takes readers on an epic trip back in time to The Mall.
My review:
Content warnings: there are mentions of sex and revenge sex in the book.
This retro-set book weas a light, easy read for someone who was born in the '90s, but doesn't remember any of it. This book drew me into the era, full of teens NOT on iPhones and Cabbage Patch Kids still being a memorable aspect of childhood.
I enjoyed reading about Cassandra, and I felt like she was a stubborn character, just like the daughter of
the fashion shop's owner that hires her to 'fix' the books when she lost her summer job at America's Best Cookie. The mention of the cookie shop made me SUPER hungry and I craved cookies throughout reading this one.
The mystery (or treasure hunt) the girls went on was actually a pretty good way to show the differences in character growth, and made me feel a stronger connection to Cassie than I thought I'd have. The introduction of several other side characters during this hunt definitely gave me a neighbourhood shopping centre vibe that I really enjoyed.
Also, I love the subtle hint to mythology with the names- Troy, Helena, and Cassandra. That was cheeky, and I loved it.
Rating: 4/5
Here's an excerpt from the first chapter:
Less than five minutes into my triumphant return to the mall, I was targeted for assassination by a rabid spritzer from Bath & Body Works. Before the ambush, I was as happy as anyone making min- imum wage could possibly be. It was by far the best mood I’d been in since the night in late May when I’d landed in the ER with a teeth-chattering, bone-rattling case of mono. After six weeks of quarantine, I was finally reunited with my boyfriend, Troy. We had gone from seeing each other every day to not at all, and I could tell Troy was a bit discomfited by the space forcibly put between us. Luckily for him, I’d spent that time at home alone convalescing and contemplating the state of our re- lationship. By the end of my confinement, I’d come to a course- altering conclusion: Troy and I absolutely needed to have sex. The sooner, the better. I was barely keeping it together on the short walk from the parking lot to our jobs at the food court. “I missed you so much!” I angled for a kiss as Troy turned his head to check his watch. I got a mouthful of earlobe instead of lips. “Not now, Cassandra,” Troy said without slowing down. “I’m late for my shift.” “We’re late for our shift!”
Early praise:
"The Mall was to 1991 teenagers what the iPhone is to today’s generation: EVERYTHING. This delightful novel about that particular time and place is loaded with fun, warmth, intelligence, big hair and an even bigger heart. I loved it." -- New York Times bestselling author Rachel Cohn
"Both a laugh-out-loud pean to those bygone cathedrals of the 1990s, and a zippy coming-of-age tale, THE MALL is a delightful read for any generation. So tease your hair, grab your hotdog on a stick and prepare to have a freaking blast!" -- Gayle Forman, New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay and I Have Lost My Way
“What a pleasure it is to spend time in a McCafferty universe. Her writing is sharp, smart, sexy and oh-so-real. I’ll read her forever.” -- Rebecca Serle, New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years
"Totally rad! This former 1990s mall teen loved The Mall, an ode to tall bangs, boys with good taste in music, and female friendship, set in the only place that mattered. What a joy to have a new book from Megan McCafferty, who knows exactly how to make us laugh, cry, and fall in love with her characters." -- Amy Spalding, author of The Summer of Jordi Perez and The New Guy
"A delightful, funny, sweet and affecting real life adventure with such a big heart, it'll make you cry the happiest tears. The Mall is something special." -- Courtney Summers, New York Times bestselling author of Sadie
About the author:
Megan McCafferty writes fiction for tweens, teens and teens-at-heart of all ages. The author of several novels, she’s best known for Sloppy Firsts and several more books in the New York Times bestselling Jessica Darling series. Described in her first review as “Judy Blume meets Dorothy Parker” (Wall Street Journal), she’s been trying to live up to that high standard ever since.
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