Libby is stuck in the 80s – she wears shoulder pads, leg warmers and fluoro; she listens to 80s music non-stop and she even runs a retro shop called Pretty in Pink. So her friends stage an intervention in time for her birthday – she is to undergo a 21st century makeover and date some new men. Meanwhile Libby is facing eviction from her store premises and is still desperately missing her former boyfriend, Ollie. This is a funny and bittersweet story with a loveable heroine, and plenty of pop culture references to reminisce about. I loved the Breakfast Club dating challenge and Libby’s work sidekick, Jasper, had me at “likes Green Day”. But sometimes the 80s references were a bit forced and I really wished it took me longer to figure out the Ollie scenario. Overall it’s an entertaining read that most readers will find, like, totally awesome.
Holding Out for a Hero, by Victoria Van Tiem, is about a girl who doesn't want to let go of the 80s. The summary says: "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?" Holding Out for a Hero is out in January 2016.