Review: The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again by Nancy Thayer (audio)

The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again by Nancy Thayer

Read by Carrington MacDuffie

Random House Audio

December 2004

Length: 12 hours

From the back of the audio case: The fabulous women from The Hot Flash Club
are back in top form, welcoming the stressed-out and pampering-deprived
through their discreet spa doors–as Nancy Thayer returns with a witty,
sexy, and heartwarming novel. The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again
also introduces four new women, ready for massages and seaweed wraps,
each struggling to reconcile her secret dreams, biggest fears, and
deepest feelings as topsy-turvy events shake up her life.

For Polly, Beth,
Carolyn, and Julia, the time has come to stand up for what matters–for
their passions, their hearts, and themselves. As they maneuver through
family drama and embrace unexpected change, they come to find that life
is much easier (and a lot more fun) when you’ve got friends, wine, and
chocolate along for the ride.

My thoughts: This is the second installment of The Hot Flash Club and I thought it was even better than the first one and I really liked that one, too! Once again Nancy Thayer is able to infuse some very touching moments throughout the hilarity of the story.

Picking up where the first one left off, we are introduced right away to four new women. Their connection is that they all start going to the spa that the Hot Flash Club gals just opened. We also get to catch up with those original HFC gals – Marilyn, Faye, Alice and Shirley – and find out that once again they are up to their overt conniving and scheming. This time, they manage to get the new characters together – realizing that they all seem to be dealing with a similar issue – the mother-in-law! Once Polly, Beth, Carolyn, and Julia start talking, they seem to shore each other up, giving advice and helping each other out as needed. What started as a fluke meeting in the jacuzzi turns into some strong friendships.

This is a fun story that moves quickly along. There are almost mini-cliffhangers as the story moves from one character to another. Just as you find out some interesting tidbit about a character or their situation, the story moves on to someone else and you have to wait til the story comes back around to the first character. 

I really enjoyed this second installment of the HFC and am looking forward to picking up the next book in the series. Have you read or listened to any of these books?

Audio thoughts: Carrington MacDuffie once again rises to the occasion and gives each character their own personality. Not only does she use the same unique voice for the four original characters, but she manages to give the four new characters their own unique voice. I felt that I could accurately picture each character based on their voice and the humor that Carrington infuses in her inflections made the story fly by!

(I borrowed this audio book from the library.)

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Books in this series:

  1. The Hot Flash Club
  2. The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again
  3. Hot Flash Holidays
  4. The Hot Flash Club Chills Out
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6 Comments

  1. Laurie C
    November 9, 2012 / 6:20 pm

    I haven't read or listened to the Hot Flash Club books but they sound like entertaining audios! I remember being impressed by the only Nancy Thayer book I've read, but it was an older, more serious one, Between Husbands and Friends.

    • Kristin
      November 10, 2012 / 2:04 pm

      I've listened to quite a few books by Nancy Thayer and have enjoyed them all. The non-HFC books have been a little heavier than the HFC books, but still good. I haven't tried Between Husbands and Friends, though, so I'll add it to the list!

  2. Jen (Devourer of Books)
    November 9, 2012 / 7:56 pm

    This definitely sounds like fun!

    • Kristin
      November 10, 2012 / 2:04 pm

      It definitely is!

  3. Heather
    November 12, 2012 / 11:32 am

    I enjoyed this one too.

    • Kristin
      November 12, 2012 / 2:02 pm

      Have you listened to any of the others?