Lead Review
- Book: Holding Out for a Hero
- Location: New York City (NYC)
- Author: Victoria Van Tiem
3.5*
1980s and New York combined! Libby runs Pretty in Pink on the Lower East Side but she has been given notice to move. Her thrift shop is her passion, her life… she lives and breathes the 1980s. And it is quite some achievement to have a shop in that particular area!
Her friends are trying to take her in hand, after all shoulder pads and bouffant hair are so passé, just HOW is she ever going to find a decent boyfriend, especially considering she is heading for the ripe old age of thirty three!
It is an engaging storyline that whisks along like frothy Babycham (that was of the era, no?) with some peaks and quite a few troughs. The past will invariably come back to haunt you and Libby is having to see a therapist to unpick a few issues.
There is plenty of bubbly banter amongst the delightful friendship group as they support and cajole her and try to move her along.
The title of course is an 80’s song (hello Bonnie Tyler) and each chapter is titled with the name of a hit, which serves to remind you of the era. There is an acerbic counter comment that follows, like “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell, 1981, which is more like tainted life…
New York is the setting; it’s not overly strong in terms of literary tourism but there is a quick outing to touristy Katz’s Deli and a few locators to anchor the story in the city.
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