Newly graduated from high school, Ally Sullivan lands a contract to tour the country with a famous ice show. Her dreams have come true, but things aren’t exactly what she expected. Ally is quickly thrust into a hectic life on the road where she will learn more about who she is as a person and as a performer.
THE NEW GIRLS is not a typical coming-of-age story. Ally’s introduction to adulthood is a trial by fire. She is plunged into a world where friendships form just as quickly as rivalries, drugs and alcohol are used freely, and promiscuity is the norm. Author Nicholas Keagan doesn’t hold back on descriptions of adult situations, but this doesn’t mean the book is filled with steamy scenes. The characters speak frankly about their relationships and romantic encounters in a way that isn’t appropriate for younger readers, but does lend to the realism of the story.
While THE NEW GIRLS takes place in the 1980s, it feels quite current. The only things that really remind you that the novel takes place in the past are the lack of cell phones, some music references, and the growing panic surrounding the autoimmune disease we now know as AIDS. Rather than being over-saturated with nostalgia, THE NEW GIRLS highlights the commonalities of growing up in any era. There are a few drawbacks. The pacing could be better in some places. The story sometimes shifts rapidly between characters, who are not always well-developed. Some of them seem to have few distinctive traits other than their dialogue being written with exaggerated foreign accents. While the many twists and subplots are entertaining, the narrative sometimes shifts too far from Ally.
Overall, however, THE NEW GIRLS is a fun, breezy read with likeable and engaging characters. The ending is left open, setting up anticipation for the next installment of the series without creating a cliffhanger. Readers will enjoy getting to know Ally and her friends on the tour.
~Christine-Marie Liwag Dixon for IndieReader