In six weeks, she and her boyfriend head off to college in NYC to fulfill The Plan: higher education and happily ever after.īut you know what they say about the best laid plans…

Cassie Worthy is psyched to spend the summer after graduation working at the Parkway Center Mall. Scrunchies, mixtapes and 90210 are, like, totally fresh. New York Times bestselling author Megan McCafferty returns to her roots with this YA coming of age story set in a New Jersey mall. Hilarious romp through 1991 with characters that are endearing and sharp.Genre: YA, “Historical Fiction” Coming of AgeĬontent Warning: Slut shaming, cheating, divorce

All of this set behind the Mall, which is a character in itself. Later, she finds out not only secrets hidden in the Mall, but how not everything, including, people are what they seem at first glance.Īdd to all of this a painful breakup of not only Cassie, but her parents, a new romance, and reigniting lost friendships. When she asks Cassie to help her on a Mall scavenger hunt to find a rumored treasure, she's hesitant at first.

Cassie arcs at the end by learning she can rely on herself and not a boyfriend to make decisions she wants.Īnother plus has to be the interaction with her former BFF Drea. In that way this is like a coming of age story, where Cassie learns to not only reach out to others outside of her inner circle, but realize that maybe she shouldn't just settle for something that 'feels' comfortable. I like how Cassie evolves from being an overachiever whose future is intertwined with a boyfriend. The banter between Cassie and Drea is punchy, including Drea's infectious laugh! It moves the story along and reveals characters without telling too much. What works in this novel has to be the catchy dialogue that is Megan McCafferty's trademark. There are still some popular Malls out there, but the heyday times are now a fond memory. I really enjoyed how the novel reminded me of those times. Woven throughout this novel are time piece snapshots of that time-music hits, department stores, and yes, even how popular food courts were.

What worked: Memory lane visit to 1991, filled with humor, warmth, and friendship. Just when she feels she's losing it all, hope shows up in a most unlikely way. Then her boyfriend breaks up with her and she feels her life come apart. It's the summer of 1991 and she plans to work with her long-time boyfriend, Troy at the American Best Cookie at the local Mall's food court before they go off to college. Cassie Worthy won't let a little thing like Mono hold her back from completing the Plan.

The mall by megan mccafferty