The Thunder Girls, the debut novel by Melanie Blake is one of the most hyped-up reads for the summer. So we just had to check it out and see if it lived up to the hype and yes it certainly did.
“Chrissie, Roxanne, Carly and Anita, an eighties pop sensation outselling and out-classing their competition. Until it, all comes to an abrupt end and three of their careers are over, and so is their friendship.
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.
In those decades apart life was far from the dream they were living as members of The Thunder Girls. Breakdowns, bankruptcy, addiction and divorce have been a constant part of their lives. They’ve been to hell and back, and some 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? Whilst they all hunger for a taste of success a second time around, someone is plotting their downfall in the deadliest way possible . . .”
Each Thunder Girl has faced their own demons and in some cases still, are. All have one thing in common they are all strong individuals but their joint past has certainly impacted all their lives. Melanie’s ability to write such strong and driven female characters, all who have complex secrets and deliver it as if she is chopping an onion, as that woman knows how to play with your emotions. Reading The Thunder Girls, we laughed, we cried, our hearts broke but ultimately this a positive and uplifting story of four women whose friendship was so strong it could overcome anything and take on the music industry and win!
Melanie’s talent as a writer means there is definitely a character you will connect with during the roller-coaster read. It may be Chrissie, Roxanne, Anita or Carly, or even their manager Rick or even their old label boss Jack ( all we have to say about him is n-a-s-t-y, but make up your own mind.)
For us, we connected with Carly, the youngest member of the band whose story is absolutely heartbreaking and shines a light on the #MeToo movement, as it all unfolds you realise just how central to the plot her and her story are as choices she and others in the band make, influence others in to wanting misconceived revenge, affect what happens to the entire band and their loved ones towards the end of the story.
Each woman’s story really makes you look at the music industry and what goes on, especially Carly and Anita’s, while entirely a fictional story you know what’s mentioned as probably happened at some point to someone as it discusses some really current themes.
We really only have one negative which is the book ended… we could have kept reading and reading. The Thunder Girls has huge potential to have a sequel or even prequels which focus on each of the women and tell their stories more in-depth, as while the story focused mostly on Chrissie some of the other girls like Carly’s story or even Anita’s would be a fantastic read in more depth.
The Thunder Girls is one of those books that stays with you long after you’ve read it as it gets you thinking about the music industry, it also had us wondering things about the characters and some of the smaller questions in the book that never get answered but you know got resolved away from the page.
If you want a book you cannot put down this summer ( we read it one entire sitting), then go pick up a copy of The Thunder Girls!
You can get your copy here.
Let us know if you loved The Thunder Girls as much as us at @Fuzzable!