The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again

A Novel

By: Nancy Thayer

Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie

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.

After eighteen years of trying to make peace with her husband’s cold-as-ice mother, Polly vows to be the perfect mother-in-law: loving, accepting, and determined to keep her mouth shut. Then her son marries Amy, a Birkenstocked gal whose organic farm and family ooze a rather creepy serenity. Ever the optimist, Polly puts her best foot forward . . . so why does it end up in her mouth?

A shy and brilliant professor-to-be, Beth has lived a sheltered life. Then she meets Sonny, a rugged, sexy carpenter who sweeps her off her feet. The problem? Beth may not survive his loud, affectionate, athletic family–especially when the very beautiful and earthy woman everybody wanted Sonny to marry is still hanging around the family dinner table.

Heiress to one of New England’s oldest paper companies, Carolyn is the driving force behind the brand. Now, at thirty-seven, the workaholic executive is finally pregnant with her first child, and high blood pressure is forcing her to do something totally alien: relax. But how can she let down her guard when her seventy-something father has gone and eloped with a young bank clerk named Heather, whose rather plain looks and unassuming nature still manage to fill Carolyn with suspicion.

A free-spirited photographer, Julia has married a man she loves, but he’s come packed with baggage. Tim is a widower with a young daughter, and Julia has bravely stepped up to the plate, doing her best to provide maternal support. But as if being pinned down by the child’s slightly manipulative ways and (dare Julia say it) spoiled behavior wasn’t enough, there’s Tim’s ex-mother-in-law, whose meddling is getting nastier by the week.

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.©2004 Nancy Thayer; (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Frank and entertaining.”
–The New York Times A Guilty Pleasures Pick

“Funny stuff . . . Thayer’s characters are nicely drawn and sympathetic.”
–The Boston Globe

“Warm, lively, wise, and as much fun as a girls’ night out.”
–KRISTIN HANNAH, author of Between Sisters

“Nancy Thayer’s gift for reaching the emotional core of her characters [is] captivating.”
–Houston Chronicle

“Thayer tackles her subject with gusto and infectious joie de vivre.”
–ELIZABETH BUCHAN, author of Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman

Refreshingly honest!

I really enjoyed this series and am looking forward to hearing more. I felt like I was in the room with them as one of the girls. Thanks for the wonderful way this part of life is being addressed.

Female and over 50?... this is a MUST listen.

I read the Hot Flash Club a short while ago and decided the sequal might be a good one to listen to. That was a delightful understatement. Carrington Macduffie's charming narrative style made these well written, very human characters come to life. I enjoyed it so much I had to pop back into audible to grab book #3.

Nancy Thayer has captured the fun, frightening, frustrating adventure/drama that is "growing old"...and growing used to the idea. I enjoyed getting to know these characters so much, I may just have to start a Hot Flash Club here in Perth. Well Done Ladies!

Great fun for those of us in the Hot Flash Club ourselves

This is the second of these books I have listened to. They are very entertaining. The stories are complex and make your drive go by much faster.

Hysterical!

Just as good as the first. It was great to listen to this story because I found it different from traditional books. Finally a new idea

Nancy Thayer USED to be so good

I was so excited when I found this book because I loved Nancy Thayer's early works. What a disappointment! This is just chick-lit for the menopausal.