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The Mall by Megan McCafferty takes the readers back to the early 1990's where some might say the times were simpler. With loads of references to popular bands, fashion, and movies, as well as the main setting being inside of the mall, it was easy to be transported back to the 1990's.
We follow Cassie as she goes from having The Plan to having no plan at all. She's had her whole life mapped out from what school activities to be involved in, what scores to get on tests, what colleges her and her boyfriend should go to, and what both of them will do after they graduate. When he boyfriend unexpectedly breaks up with her and she simultaneously loses her job, Cassie now is in a place she never thought she'd be. She finds a new job, a new romantic interest, and new friends which help her figure out that not every moment needs to be planned out.
This book was an extremely quick read. Even at 300 pages, it was easy to get immersed in the story, and to keep flipping the pages. This story is easy to read and follow, which many people will really love. There was also a little bit of everything from romance, friendships, self-discovery, and a treasure hunt. Having all of these elements in the book made it so there was never a dull moment. I loved the treasure hunt part of the book as it was clever and interesting to explore different parts of the mall.
My main problem with this book was Cassie herself. I was okay with Cassie in the beginning in the hopes that she would have a huge transformation over the course of the book. However, it felt like the exact opposite happened. As the book went on it felt like Cassie became even more selfish, more egotistical, and even more snotty. She constantly looked down on anyone who she deemed below her whether it was because of their job, their perceived intelligence, or anything else she didn't approve of. She never made moves to further understand people and instead blamed them for all of her problems. She never took time to self-reflect and take ownership of her actions and behavior. There was a slight redemption at the very, very end where she apologized for her behavior and everyone immediately accepted the apologies and forgave her instantly. I think if I had liked the main character more, I would have enjoyed this book much more than I did.
The other characters weren't much better and felt two-dimensional rather than fully fleshed out characters. There were stereotypes thrown around instead of creating these characters to be their own people, We had the tragic goth girl who was anti-man, creepy, and a loner. Then we had Drea who was self-absorbed, hotter than everyone else, and not book smart. We also had the ex-boyfriend who was a selfish jerk who realized his mistake and begged to be back in Cassie's good graces. We had the mother figure who stepped in because her own parents were absent (but not really). Finally, we have the love interest who loved everything about Cassie even though she constantly blew him off or only used him for her own purposes without actually trying to get to know him, I would have loved to see more of her parents and their relationship. I would have liked to know why Cassie didn't have any friends besides her boyfriend. The only character I was mildly interested in was Drea, but she was constantly shown to be less than Cassie because she was a sales person who liked fashion. Overall, it felt like the characters were lacking, and if these characters had been more fleshed out, then I think my enjoyment of this book would have been much higher.
Overall, this is a quick, fun book that's nice to read if you don't want to have to think too hard like with an adult fantasy. It was very straightforward and engaging, and I think many people will really enjoy reading it.
We follow Cassie as she goes from having The Plan to having no plan at all. She's had her whole life mapped out from what school activities to be involved in, what scores to get on tests, what colleges her and her boyfriend should go to, and what both of them will do after they graduate. When he boyfriend unexpectedly breaks up with her and she simultaneously loses her job, Cassie now is in a place she never thought she'd be. She finds a new job, a new romantic interest, and new friends which help her figure out that not every moment needs to be planned out.
This book was an extremely quick read. Even at 300 pages, it was easy to get immersed in the story, and to keep flipping the pages. This story is easy to read and follow, which many people will really love. There was also a little bit of everything from romance, friendships, self-discovery, and a treasure hunt. Having all of these elements in the book made it so there was never a dull moment. I loved the treasure hunt part of the book as it was clever and interesting to explore different parts of the mall.
My main problem with this book was Cassie herself. I was okay with Cassie in the beginning in the hopes that she would have a huge transformation over the course of the book. However, it felt like the exact opposite happened. As the book went on it felt like Cassie became even more selfish, more egotistical, and even more snotty. She constantly looked down on anyone who she deemed below her whether it was because of their job, their perceived intelligence, or anything else she didn't approve of. She never made moves to further understand people and instead blamed them for all of her problems. She never took time to self-reflect and take ownership of her actions and behavior. There was a slight redemption at the very, very end where she apologized for her behavior and everyone immediately accepted the apologies and forgave her instantly. I think if I had liked the main character more, I would have enjoyed this book much more than I did.
The other characters weren't much better and felt two-dimensional rather than fully fleshed out characters. There were stereotypes thrown around instead of creating these characters to be their own people, We had the tragic goth girl who was anti-man, creepy, and a loner. Then we had Drea who was self-absorbed, hotter than everyone else, and not book smart. We also had the ex-boyfriend who was a selfish jerk who realized his mistake and begged to be back in Cassie's good graces. We had the mother figure who stepped in because her own parents were absent (but not really). Finally, we have the love interest who loved everything about Cassie even though she constantly blew him off or only used him for her own purposes without actually trying to get to know him, I would have loved to see more of her parents and their relationship. I would have liked to know why Cassie didn't have any friends besides her boyfriend. The only character I was mildly interested in was Drea, but she was constantly shown to be less than Cassie because she was a sales person who liked fashion. Overall, it felt like the characters were lacking, and if these characters had been more fleshed out, then I think my enjoyment of this book would have been much higher.
Overall, this is a quick, fun book that's nice to read if you don't want to have to think too hard like with an adult fantasy. It was very straightforward and engaging, and I think many people will really enjoy reading it.