THE HOT FLASH CLUB CHILLS OUT

Author: Nancy Thayer ISBN: 034548553X 8/2006 FICTION Publisher: BALLANTINE

House-sitting a charming beach house for a few months seems to promise the Hot Flash Club a long, languorous, relaxing summer. But it's never smooth sailing when this worldly-wise quintet assembles. Forget swimming and shopping—the women's personal lives are plenty busy already: Marilyn must contend with her fiance's layabout son; Shirley falls for a sexy, reclusive fisherman; Faye sets her sights on a rustic local home; Polly struggles to pry her boyfriend from his ex-wife's clutches; and Alice involves herself in an African-American cultural group. As the New England summer slips into autumn, the Hot Flash five find themselves contemplating the unthinkable: the sale of The Haven, their spa retreat for middle-aged women. And the long holiday will conclude with a wedding...but whose?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

It's always a pleasure when you visit old friends—and in this case it's Marilyn, Polly, Faye, Shirley and Alice of Nancy Thayer's THE HOT FLASH CLUB CHILLS OUT.

In their newest adventure the ladies are all invited to house sit on Nantucket Island by Nora Pettigrew, a friend of Shirley's who's off to have minor surgery. But in order to keep The Havenly Spa up and running while they're away, the girls must take turns with each other staying at Nora's house. However, once there, they soon find themselves wrapped up in the mysterious disappearance of some of Nora's antique heirlooms.

A lot has happened since I last visited with these ladies in THE HOT FLASH HOLIDAYS, so here's an update on just where things stand as this newest installment takes up:

Marilyn and Ian have moved in together and are still planning to marry. But during the last few months, their household has grown in size and Marilyn's beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed. Add in the gorgeous widow of Ian's Scottish childhood friend coming to stay indefinitely, and Marilyn's self doubts about Ian and their new life together begin to grow.

Helping out with granddaughter Aly while her son and daughter-in-law run catering for the spa, Alice is the same Alice: a control freak who tends to ignore the warning signals of her body. Stubborn as ever, Alice has been told to slow down for her health's sake. But how can she, when her son and daughter-in-law are so overwhelmed with work and a new baby that they seem to need her help now, more than ever?

Polly and Hugh are still an item, but things aren't going as well in their relationship as Polly would like. Hugh is at the beck and call of his ex-wife and the rest of his family, leaving Polly, more often than not, in the lurch and feeling like an awkward afterthought. Is Polly willing to remain at second place status in their relationship, or is this the beginning of the swan song for she and Hugh?

After her last disastrous May/December relationship, Shirley's now trying to date men her own age. Younger at heart than the rest of the girls, she's having a hard time adjusting—there's just no zip, no zing to the men she's encountered. A little bit lost and uncertain on just where to go in her life and knowing she's not the best at choosing her men, what lies in store on Nantucket for Shirley?

And finally, there's Faye. She and Aubrey are still together—well, for the time being. But one night, while having sex, Aubrey has a mishap and soon Faye sees another side of him that she's not quite sure she likes. Is she really willing to stay in the relationship despite her misgivings, or does she have some other direction she wants her life to take her?

I just love all five of these ladies and how they buoy each other up and constantly support one another. Nancy Thayer has created such a wonderful cast of characters, and coupled with the subject matter, dialogue and Thayer's writing style, anything featuring the Hot Flash ladies is always such a treat to read.

Be it you are a member of the baby boomers group or the 30-something generation, these lovely ladies will welcome you into their Hot Flash Club as you accompany them on their newest journey of self discovery... and you'll be very glad you joined them. I can hardly wait to read what happens to them next!

Nancy Davis