THE THUNDER GIRLS by MELANIE BLAKE

 THE THUNDER GIRLS

BY MELANIE BLAKE

THE BLURB:-

The

Chrissie, Roxanne, Carly and Anita: an Eighties pop sensation outselling and outclassing their competition. Until it all comes to an abrupt end and three of their careers are over, along with their friendship.

Thunder

Thirty years later, their old record label wants the band back together for a huge money making concert. But the wounds are deep and some need this gig more than others.

Girls

In those decades apart, life was far from the dream that they had been living as members of the Thunder Girls. Breakdowns, bankruptcy, addiction and divorce played a constant part in their lives. They've been to hell and back, and some of them are still there.

Can the past be laid to rest for a price? Or is there more to this reunion than any of them could possibly know? While they all hunger for a taste of success a second time around, someone is plotting their downfall in the deadliest way possible...

THE REALITY:-

Light, bright and trite in the nicest possible way, my SuperDean gave this to me to read as he thought I'd like it, as it's a book about four rock chicks who are roughly my age, and therefore my contemporaries. He wasn't wrong!

The author has been described as the “new Jackie Collins-” well, it's a long time since I've read Jackie Collins so I'm not quite sure about that, but I will say that it didn't come off as quite as glamorous as Ms Collins' offerings. But I think that's maybe because of the setting- to me, the UK is never going to be as enthralling as foreign soil, and the Collins world of Los Angeles society.

This certainly had a lot going on, in many layers, with a real mixture of characters. I have to say, I remain untouched by any of them, although they entertained me. I didn't quite get the defeatism of the three rejected Thunder Girls. Had I been writing the book, I would have had them forming their own triplet, maybe calling themselves the Thunder Queens, writing their own music and wiping the floor with the so-called charismatic “leader” of the gang. But then that would be a different story.

The author worked in the music business for real, so it's interesting that this is no doubt based upon autobiographical fiction and real people, as that's something I do too. There is a Thunder Girls play, which I will make a point of seeing (should things ever get back to normal). Another review I've seen mentioned the over-use of references to putting on lip gloss, and I have to say, enough of the lip gloss, already! I wish I had counted them, as there were way too many and seriously annoyed me.

But do make time for this good, easy read.