Holding out for a Hero by Victoria Van Tiem

Published on 14 January
Published by PanMacmillan
Purchase from Amazon here


The blurb:

The problem with first love is that it never truly dies . . . Libby London fell in love with the eighties, came of age in the nineties, and now the twenty-first century is baffling her. Her New-York-City style is more, erm, vintage tragedy than retro babe and her penchant for All Things Eighties might just be what's holding her back in matters of life and love . . .

 At least that's what her well-meaning friends think. They've staged a #80sIntervention in an effort to bring Libby bang up to date. What with her dreaded birthday party, friends' madcap ambush, and being forced to relocate her vintage shop, Libby's nearing breaking point! Will she ever be able to move on when the one she loves keeps her in the past?


My review:

I was a teen of the 80's and love anything related to that era, so this book was right up my street. I loved Victoria Van Tiem's first book, and have been waiting excitedly for this to come out.

Whilst set in the present day the story frequently harks back to the 80's, particularly Pretty in Pink, which if you haven't seen it, you really must! Our lead character is Libby. She runs a vintage shop called, funny enough, Pretty in Pink, in New York, and is totally stuck in the 80's. With her birthday approaching her friends decide to stage an intervention to get Libby up to date, and out dating men. He reluctantly has to agree to go on fire dates set up by her friends who also attempt to transform her look. Running alongside this is  Libby's battle to save her store from closing.

The book is very funny. Libby and her friends are endearing, fun and sassy. I particularly enjoyed the dates. They really did make me laugh. The men she encountered sounded like a nightmare and made me quite glad I'm not into the whole dating game!

But there is also a more emotional side to the story which unravels as the book goes on. Libby was involved in an accident when she was a teenager, and has seen a therapist over the years. We get to see Libby in therapy during the book too. It is also obvious that Libby has had her heart broken, although we don't know what happened.....

I loved Libby. She was a girl after my own heart with her passion for all things 80's related. But she is also a really bubbly, loveable character. I enjoyed following her through her journey of dating disasters, her battle to save her vintage store, and her voyage of self discovery. Also look out for Jasper, Libby's co-worker. Such a likeable guy......

This book was brilliant. It kept me smiling, laughing, but also emotionally connected to the characters. I flew through it wanting to know what would happen next. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks to PanMacmillan who kindly provided a copy in return for an honest review.