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Hot Flash Club #1
The Hot Flash Club
From the bestselling author of Between Husbands and Friends and An Act of Love comes a wise, wonderful, and delightfully witty “coming of age” novel about four intrepid women who discover themselves as they were truly meant to passionate, alive, and ready to face the best years of their lives.
Meet Faye, Marilyn, Alice, and Shirley. Four women with skills, smarts, and secrets—all feeling over the hill and out of the race. But in a moment of delicious serendipity, they meet and realize they share more than raging hormones and lost dreams. Now as the Hot Flash Club, where the topics of motherhood, sex, and men are discussed with double servings of chocolate cake, they vow to help each other . . . and themselves.
Faye , the artist. A determinedly cheerful widow and connoisseur of control-top pantyhose, she’s struggling with creative block and an empty, lonely house. Now she’s got a tricky problem to bring to the club’s how can they catch her perfect son-in-law cheating on her only daughter Laura?
Shirley , the healer. Though her yoga-slender body belie her years, decades of dating losers and the strain of being broke make her feel her age. Shirley has a secret a wellness spa that nurtures body and soul. But first she needs to believe in herself, in her abilities, and in her friends at the club.
Marilyn , the brain. A paleontologist who has spent so many years looking at dried-up fossils, she’s almost become one herself. Worried that her brilliant but nerdy son is about to marry the very wrong woman, she gets some help from the HFC, who transform her from a caterpillar to a butterfly, with amazing results.
Alice , the executive. Black and regal, she soared to the top of the corporate ladder. Now her shoes are murder on her arthritic back and the younger jackals are circling in for the kill. But as the inspiration behind the HFC, she’s about to discover something contentment.
For Faye, Shirley, Marilyn, and Alice, the time has come to use it or lose it—be it their bodies, their brains, their spirits, and their sense of fun. Together they realize that they can have it all, perhaps for the first time in their lives. And though what sags may never rise again, feeling sexy has no expiration date— and best of all, with a little help from her friends, a woman can always start over . . . and never, ever, give up what matters most.
Meet Faye, Marilyn, Alice, and Shirley. Four women with skills, smarts, and secrets—all feeling over the hill and out of the race. But in a moment of delicious serendipity, they meet and realize they share more than raging hormones and lost dreams. Now as the Hot Flash Club, where the topics of motherhood, sex, and men are discussed with double servings of chocolate cake, they vow to help each other . . . and themselves.
Faye , the artist. A determinedly cheerful widow and connoisseur of control-top pantyhose, she’s struggling with creative block and an empty, lonely house. Now she’s got a tricky problem to bring to the club’s how can they catch her perfect son-in-law cheating on her only daughter Laura?
Shirley , the healer. Though her yoga-slender body belie her years, decades of dating losers and the strain of being broke make her feel her age. Shirley has a secret a wellness spa that nurtures body and soul. But first she needs to believe in herself, in her abilities, and in her friends at the club.
Marilyn , the brain. A paleontologist who has spent so many years looking at dried-up fossils, she’s almost become one herself. Worried that her brilliant but nerdy son is about to marry the very wrong woman, she gets some help from the HFC, who transform her from a caterpillar to a butterfly, with amazing results.
Alice , the executive. Black and regal, she soared to the top of the corporate ladder. Now her shoes are murder on her arthritic back and the younger jackals are circling in for the kill. But as the inspiration behind the HFC, she’s about to discover something contentment.
For Faye, Shirley, Marilyn, and Alice, the time has come to use it or lose it—be it their bodies, their brains, their spirits, and their sense of fun. Together they realize that they can have it all, perhaps for the first time in their lives. And though what sags may never rise again, feeling sexy has no expiration date— and best of all, with a little help from her friends, a woman can always start over . . . and never, ever, give up what matters most.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published December 30, 2003
467 people are currently reading
3093 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Thayer
53 books4,061 followersNancy Thayer has published 35 novels, including Family Reunion and Secrets in Summer. She has lived on Nantucket Island year-round for 38 years with her husband Charley Walters. They have two children and five grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 528 reviews
September 6, 2021
While I usually prefer more serious fiction, every now and then I like to relax with some fun chick lit. Some of it is excellent, incisive, insightful, and even well written in some cases.
This is none of those things. It's just fluffy nonsense and as easily forgotten as an ice cream. I was half way through before I realised I had even read it before. I can't remember what I thought of it first time round, but this time I found it poorly written, poorly constructed, with poor characterisation, full of plot "mistakes", full of episodes that stretched credibility to the utmost... all in all just a crap book.
Easy to read though, I'll say that. The only saving grace was that it managed to just about hold my interest so I wanted to see what happened next. I also had nothing else to read.
UPDATE to review: Ha ha ha. Recently we were short of paper to light a fire and I suddenly remembered how I hated this book. So I burnt it. Never burnt a book before. It felt sacreligious; quite thrilling.
Like this review? Why not check out my book review site: BelEdit Book Reviews?
This is none of those things. It's just fluffy nonsense and as easily forgotten as an ice cream. I was half way through before I realised I had even read it before. I can't remember what I thought of it first time round, but this time I found it poorly written, poorly constructed, with poor characterisation, full of plot "mistakes", full of episodes that stretched credibility to the utmost... all in all just a crap book.
Easy to read though, I'll say that. The only saving grace was that it managed to just about hold my interest so I wanted to see what happened next. I also had nothing else to read.
UPDATE to review: Ha ha ha. Recently we were short of paper to light a fire and I suddenly remembered how I hated this book. So I burnt it. Never burnt a book before. It felt sacreligious; quite thrilling.
Like this review? Why not check out my book review site: BelEdit Book Reviews?
October 19, 2020
This book, published in 2003, by Nancy Thayer, needs a new title!
Four intelligent women, with valuable work experience, are at different phases in their lives and careers. They all have one thing in common; they are all between 50-60 years old. They meet at an acquaintance’s corporate retirement party, and decide they share issues in common yet have lots of living still to do. So, they form a small little club with the dreaded name of this book.
The ‘label’ put on this book by its title, “The Hot Flash Club” made me not want to read it. I wanted nothing to do with what it was talking about even though I could have related to some of it. The ‘stigma’ on the words, ‘hot flash’ and ‘menopause’ equaled OLD or maybe NUTS. I have overheard people whisper, “Well, you know, she’s going through menopause, so you don’t know WHAT she’s thinking!” Does it say that to you, too?
I understand it is not the best of times, but we survive. We succeed and carry on. We are women. Just think of all the sixty, seventy and even eighty-year-old women out there in the world today, just ‘killing it.’ (I will not name names, but they are names we have all heard.)
Anyway, I realize it is 17 years later than when this book was published, but it is well-written and dealt with issues women, at this stage of their lives have dealt with. Everything from careers, marriages, divorce, adult children, self-worth, self-confidence, sex, health, and vitality to keep going strong for decades.
In my attempt to read ‘light’ books along with my regulars reads during this Pandemic, I thought this would fit the bill. It did but was more thought-provoking and affirming than I expected. So, a nice bonus, despite the title. So, Nancy Thayer, (and Random House – Ballentine) if you want to rebrand and update this book a smidge, I think you could have something here.
A blend of wise women who can be silly and fun when THEY choose. Like most of us.
This is Book One of four in a series; each can stand alone.
Cheers!
Four intelligent women, with valuable work experience, are at different phases in their lives and careers. They all have one thing in common; they are all between 50-60 years old. They meet at an acquaintance’s corporate retirement party, and decide they share issues in common yet have lots of living still to do. So, they form a small little club with the dreaded name of this book.
The ‘label’ put on this book by its title, “The Hot Flash Club” made me not want to read it. I wanted nothing to do with what it was talking about even though I could have related to some of it. The ‘stigma’ on the words, ‘hot flash’ and ‘menopause’ equaled OLD or maybe NUTS. I have overheard people whisper, “Well, you know, she’s going through menopause, so you don’t know WHAT she’s thinking!” Does it say that to you, too?
I understand it is not the best of times, but we survive. We succeed and carry on. We are women. Just think of all the sixty, seventy and even eighty-year-old women out there in the world today, just ‘killing it.’ (I will not name names, but they are names we have all heard.)
Anyway, I realize it is 17 years later than when this book was published, but it is well-written and dealt with issues women, at this stage of their lives have dealt with. Everything from careers, marriages, divorce, adult children, self-worth, self-confidence, sex, health, and vitality to keep going strong for decades.
In my attempt to read ‘light’ books along with my regulars reads during this Pandemic, I thought this would fit the bill. It did but was more thought-provoking and affirming than I expected. So, a nice bonus, despite the title. So, Nancy Thayer, (and Random House – Ballentine) if you want to rebrand and update this book a smidge, I think you could have something here.
A blend of wise women who can be silly and fun when THEY choose. Like most of us.
This is Book One of four in a series; each can stand alone.
Cheers!
February 18, 2018
I really loved this book. I enjoyed the variety in the four women, their developing friendship, and how they were all able to comfort, support, and help each other.
June 13, 2010
"Women of a certain age" will definitely identify with the woes of the females in this book. I bought it because I loved Beachcombers, Thayer's most recent work. This book's plot intrigued me. It takes place in Boston, a city I'm familar with and is about a diverse group of women struggling to accept aging and the career and relationship changes that often accompany the process. I appreciate the proactive way the characters deal with their woes and the general air of positivity throughout.
It must be tough to decide how far to develop a character or storyline and still keep things clipping along for the reader. Unlike Beachcombers, I felt the characters were a bit underdeveloped in this work. I felt some of the story lines were clipped off a bit "prematurely" (pardon the pun referring to one of the clipped storylines mentioned above).
However,in my opinion nothing was clipped quite as randomly as the ending. It was as if the writer simply put down her pen and quit. I'm still wondering if perhaps my copy was missing a few pages...
It must be tough to decide how far to develop a character or storyline and still keep things clipping along for the reader. Unlike Beachcombers, I felt the characters were a bit underdeveloped in this work. I felt some of the story lines were clipped off a bit "prematurely" (pardon the pun referring to one of the clipped storylines mentioned above).
However,in my opinion nothing was clipped quite as randomly as the ending. It was as if the writer simply put down her pen and quit. I'm still wondering if perhaps my copy was missing a few pages...
July 15, 2012
I have read Thayer books and enjoyed them BUT this one just did not capture my interest. I am almost finished with it and this morning decided "why bother"? I found myself not really caring what happened to ANY of the characters. So, I am placing it on my DISCARDED shelf and cannot recommend it.
September 28, 2017
I loved this book. The close unlikely friendships formed from such different, unique women was brilliant. The way their lives intermingled to share and support each others' situations made me want to be part of the Hot Flash Club. Well, without the Hot flashes, lol. Can't wait to read the 2nd book in this sequal. As always, Nancy Thayer pulled me into her book, feeling like the characters were truly my friends.
January 10, 2022
Light chic lit book. After reading a few intense thrillers needed something like this. It was better than expected.
December 11, 2016
I picked this up because I wondered about its hot pink cover and needed a little humor. I'm in the middle of reading some other pretty heavy books and considering the results of the recent election I felt I needed something really really light.
It started out OK. A group of women meet and discover they have in common the "joys" of female aging. I was laughing as I recognized myself in some of their comments on their bodies and figured I might enjoy this.
Not much. The four decide they will meet regularly and help solve each other's various problems. Their decisions on how to help each other are absolutely absurd and unrealistic. The author throws in a few gratuitous sex scenes for no good reason and tries to redeem the story with some inner head trips may echo some people's thoughts in real life but she had lost me by then.
So I dragged myself though it just to finish it and was really disappointed. There is so much humor and pathos to be found in life as we get older. It's too bad the author didn't use it well. She went on to write a sequel or two. Someone else will have to read them. I'm out.
It started out OK. A group of women meet and discover they have in common the "joys" of female aging. I was laughing as I recognized myself in some of their comments on their bodies and figured I might enjoy this.
Not much. The four decide they will meet regularly and help solve each other's various problems. Their decisions on how to help each other are absolutely absurd and unrealistic. The author throws in a few gratuitous sex scenes for no good reason and tries to redeem the story with some inner head trips may echo some people's thoughts in real life but she had lost me by then.
So I dragged myself though it just to finish it and was really disappointed. There is so much humor and pathos to be found in life as we get older. It's too bad the author didn't use it well. She went on to write a sequel or two. Someone else will have to read them. I'm out.
November 14, 2009
If you are over 40 this is a must read..Four friends and what happens in their lives and how "the change" effects them. It will make you laugh and maybe make you cry.. Start with this first and the series and read them all.
August 19, 2018
Great book! These women with all differentjobs,likes and skills get together and create the Hot flash Club. Very enjoyable read.
December 31, 2022
Nuostabi knyga,lengvai ir greitai susiskaitė,apie keturias moteris su savo pliusais ir minusais.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2020
I fit right in with this book as I reminisced while reading about going through some of life's changes as a woman becoming older in what seems to be a young person's society where youth and beauty are golden. The women in this book struggled with those types of changes, as do many (if not most or all) women in today's world. That being said, I thought the book was a tad bit strange too.
I also found a lot of the story line to be rather unbelievable. For example, one of the characters is a university professor who leaves what she's currently working on to help out a woman she's just met (her new friend) by spying as she pretends to be a secretary for her newly made friend just one day prior.
I do like light reads at times, especially on a lazy day when you don't feel like thinking; however, I do like depth to the characters in the books I read and I didn't feel like these women had any real depth to them, especially for their age in life.
I also found a lot of the story line to be rather unbelievable. For example, one of the characters is a university professor who leaves what she's currently working on to help out a woman she's just met (her new friend) by spying as she pretends to be a secretary for her newly made friend just one day prior.
I do like light reads at times, especially on a lazy day when you don't feel like thinking; however, I do like depth to the characters in the books I read and I didn't feel like these women had any real depth to them, especially for their age in life.
November 27, 2022
Definitely different than the books I usually read, but I ended up really enjoying The Hot Flash Club by Nancy Thayer! I identify most with the character Faye but found Marilyn's storyline highly entertaining!
I found this book through a blog post by author Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She stated that she was reading a lovely Nancy Thayer novel while on vacation. Researched Thayer's novels and here we are. I am now reading book two of The Hot Flash Club's adventures and enjoying every minute!
Book 2: The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again.
Note: Almost twenty years old, this is bit outdated. Palm Pilots are even mentioned once or twice.
I found this book through a blog post by author Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She stated that she was reading a lovely Nancy Thayer novel while on vacation. Researched Thayer's novels and here we are. I am now reading book two of The Hot Flash Club's adventures and enjoying every minute!
Book 2: The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again.
Note: Almost twenty years old, this is bit outdated. Palm Pilots are even mentioned once or twice.
November 27, 2016
I have a confession. When I picked this up to read, I realized that I'd tried to read it once before and it didn't grab me then. Despite its absolutely wonderful title, it still doesn't grab me. I even waited and tried it again when I was "of an age" with the characters. Nope. Didn't work. Yet I know there are devoted fans out there. I still can't put my finger on what exactly I don't like. I've learned that some chick lit can be fun but this wasn't fun for me. My girlfriends and I live a funnier and happier hot flash club in real life, so I'll stick to them, instead.
March 24, 2008
Great book and cant wait to finish the series.
This is a must for anyone between the ages of 50-65 or if you have a month going through those years.
It is about women that did not know each other and met at a retirement party for a mutual friend. Who would know that they would become best friends and help each other go through this period of their lives. Husbands, male friends, hot flashes, parents, children, grandchildren and other changes in their bodies and minds.
This is a must for anyone between the ages of 50-65 or if you have a month going through those years.
It is about women that did not know each other and met at a retirement party for a mutual friend. Who would know that they would become best friends and help each other go through this period of their lives. Husbands, male friends, hot flashes, parents, children, grandchildren and other changes in their bodies and minds.
August 28, 2010
I was simply looking for books in the used bookstore when the hot pink cover caught I attention. I am quite glad that it did. I loved the way Ms. Thayer wrote the story: romance, comedy, conflict with a bit of a punch to it.
December 28, 2011
When I read this I was nowhere close to being in the Hot Flash Club but I still found it ammusing and cleverly written. I really enjoyed this book and often buy it for those entering this very special club. :)
May 9, 2016
A very entertaining book about 4 older ladies (late 50s early 60s) becoming friends, trying to cope with ageing, grown-up children and life in general. A lovely light read that kept a smile on my face.
June 26, 2008
Everyone will love this book and will be able to relate. You don't want this book to stop, fortunately, there are others after this one. You will simply enjoy them all!
August 29, 2014
what an awesome book! its laugh out loud funny and you just cant put it down, i am so glad this is a series, i cant wait to read the next one!
February 17, 2021
Suggested title for online book club discussion...It was not my usual genre and I thought it was predictable and dated.
April 18, 2022
Eh. A bit sophomoric.
November 14, 2024
Fun book about 4 ladies who meet each other at a retirement party. They all have problems in their lives and decide to form the Hot Flash Club to help each other out. They are a bit of a misfit group too. This was a fun book, slow to start and a bit disjointed in places but I got into it and looking forward to the next in the series! P.S. It’s not so much about menopause, but has little highlights here and there since they are all in that age group. Not an overwhelming part of the story at all.
July 22, 2023
After reading suspense and thrillers, this was a much needed fun read!
April 28, 2024
2.5 stars.
January 1, 2018
Not a bad book, entertaining.
March 2, 2025
A little slow going for me, but friendship books through the ages are usually good.
April 24, 2023
A good piece of fiction to read about a group of very different women who each use their strong points to help each other with their dilemmas. Wishful thinking in this day and age, since they all had wonderful capabilities and money, but that’s what makes it a fun read. The ending was a little more abrupt than I would have liked , but it seems most endings are.
June 23, 2021
Nancy Thayer and The Hot Flash Club is my inspiration!
Finally! Nancy Thayer has written a novel about women of a "Certain Age" for those of us who have long left our twenties...OK thirties...behind. With lots of wit and wisdom, Nancy Thayer's The Hot Flash Club, tackles romance, body changes and other worries women our age, face.
I first read The Hot Flash Club in paperback form, during a time when I was experiencing a crisis of faith. I was struck by Nancy Thayer's wisdom, compassion and empathy for the more experienced women and the challenges aging women face. Her writing hit a very tender part of my soul at the time. I gained the strength to draw my friends and family close and focus on what is important in life.
I re-read this novel recently in the Kindle version, again at a time in life where I was going through many changes. The Hot Flash Club inspired me to form my own club, and to write about the mad- cap adventures we experienced travelling together pre- pandemic. Nancy's story of four intrepid women whose serendipitous meeting, becomes a chance lifelong friendship and fun, reminded my friends and I, that there was plenty more life out there we could experience,if we just tried.
Nancy Thayer is a marvelous storyteller! Her characters ,like real women, develop and evolve throughout her story. As you read, you come to know these women, intimately. They become as real as your book club friends! In fact, this a great book club novel, as my friends and I discovered. Nancy also makes sure The Hot Flash Club ends in happily ever after. The HEA ensures us, the readers, will be left with a feeling ovf hope about our own futures. It is that, " if they can do it, so can I'll spirit, that got me through several crises in life.
And isn't that what good fiction is all about? Through our relationship with another's story, we can gain insight into our own life. Armed with a new perspective it just might be possible to change our own path and find the happily ever after we so crave. Nancy Thayer and The Hot Flash Club did just that for me! Give it a try and see where you end up!
Finally! Nancy Thayer has written a novel about women of a "Certain Age" for those of us who have long left our twenties...OK thirties...behind. With lots of wit and wisdom, Nancy Thayer's The Hot Flash Club, tackles romance, body changes and other worries women our age, face.
I first read The Hot Flash Club in paperback form, during a time when I was experiencing a crisis of faith. I was struck by Nancy Thayer's wisdom, compassion and empathy for the more experienced women and the challenges aging women face. Her writing hit a very tender part of my soul at the time. I gained the strength to draw my friends and family close and focus on what is important in life.
I re-read this novel recently in the Kindle version, again at a time in life where I was going through many changes. The Hot Flash Club inspired me to form my own club, and to write about the mad- cap adventures we experienced travelling together pre- pandemic. Nancy's story of four intrepid women whose serendipitous meeting, becomes a chance lifelong friendship and fun, reminded my friends and I, that there was plenty more life out there we could experience,if we just tried.
Nancy Thayer is a marvelous storyteller! Her characters ,like real women, develop and evolve throughout her story. As you read, you come to know these women, intimately. They become as real as your book club friends! In fact, this a great book club novel, as my friends and I discovered. Nancy also makes sure The Hot Flash Club ends in happily ever after. The HEA ensures us, the readers, will be left with a feeling ovf hope about our own futures. It is that, " if they can do it, so can I'll spirit, that got me through several crises in life.
And isn't that what good fiction is all about? Through our relationship with another's story, we can gain insight into our own life. Armed with a new perspective it just might be possible to change our own path and find the happily ever after we so crave. Nancy Thayer and The Hot Flash Club did just that for me! Give it a try and see where you end up!
September 23, 2022
SOME SPOILERS - BUT NOTHING THAT WILL RUIN THE BOOK ;)
When four women in their 50s-60s meet by chance at a mutual acquaintance’s retirement party and duck out for some real fun (cocktails and chocolate), they find themselves commiserating over their mid-life issues. Deciding each one could play a part in helping the other through their difficulties, they form the HFC - The Hot Flash Club.
We then follow Faye, the recently widowed artist who is tapped to become a live-in housekeeper for an uber wealthy family to see if their daughter truly loves the son of HFC member Marilyn. Marilyn in turn, who is a tenured professor at MIT, takes on the role of assistant to Alice, the fierce executive to find out if Alice’s job is at risk. Alice assists Shirley, the flighty, hippie-dippie masseuse create a business plan to open a retreat, and Shirley spies on a young woman having an affair with Faye’s daughter.
While like any book where there are multiple protagonists, it takes a minute to keep the characters straight, but Nancy Thayer does an excellent job with that and with keeping the storyline moving quite cohesively. The downside for me was I really wanted more ‘hot flashishness.’
Written in 2003, The Hot Flash Club just sort of faded off into the reader’s imagination as the ending, which was a typical style of that time. This leaves the reader wondering about, well, everything. Did Faye’s daughter and her philandering husband work things out? Is Alice going to stay with the man whom she just met but confessed to having recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer? Will Shirley get the retreat up and running? And will Marilyn settle down with her co-worker? I’m not a fan of the fade to black ending as it leaves people like me with an innate need for clarity too many sleepless nights.
All-in-all, a fun, well-written, easy-to-read page-turner. (And for those of you who actually read reviews, that was likely the most hyphens I’ve ever used in one sentence!)
When four women in their 50s-60s meet by chance at a mutual acquaintance’s retirement party and duck out for some real fun (cocktails and chocolate), they find themselves commiserating over their mid-life issues. Deciding each one could play a part in helping the other through their difficulties, they form the HFC - The Hot Flash Club.
We then follow Faye, the recently widowed artist who is tapped to become a live-in housekeeper for an uber wealthy family to see if their daughter truly loves the son of HFC member Marilyn. Marilyn in turn, who is a tenured professor at MIT, takes on the role of assistant to Alice, the fierce executive to find out if Alice’s job is at risk. Alice assists Shirley, the flighty, hippie-dippie masseuse create a business plan to open a retreat, and Shirley spies on a young woman having an affair with Faye’s daughter.
While like any book where there are multiple protagonists, it takes a minute to keep the characters straight, but Nancy Thayer does an excellent job with that and with keeping the storyline moving quite cohesively. The downside for me was I really wanted more ‘hot flashishness.’
Written in 2003, The Hot Flash Club just sort of faded off into the reader’s imagination as the ending, which was a typical style of that time. This leaves the reader wondering about, well, everything. Did Faye’s daughter and her philandering husband work things out? Is Alice going to stay with the man whom she just met but confessed to having recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer? Will Shirley get the retreat up and running? And will Marilyn settle down with her co-worker? I’m not a fan of the fade to black ending as it leaves people like me with an innate need for clarity too many sleepless nights.
All-in-all, a fun, well-written, easy-to-read page-turner. (And for those of you who actually read reviews, that was likely the most hyphens I’ve ever used in one sentence!)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 528 reviews