The Butlins Girls by Elaine Everest

The Butlins Girls by Elaine Everest
Buy The Butlins Girls by Elaine Everest at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Historical Fiction
Reviewer: Louise Jones
Summary: Molly Missons starts her new job at Butlins, Skegness in the hope of escaping her turbulent life at home. But has she just swapped one set of problems for another?
Buy? yes	Borrow? yes
Pages: 400	Date: May 2017
Publisher: Pan
ISBN: 9781447295532
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Fresh-faced Molly Missons has just arrived in Skegness to start her new job as a Butlins auntie. Behind the smiles and confident appearance, she hides a secret; she has taken the job to escape escalating problems at home. She soon finds good friends in her chalet-mates Bunty and Plum, and it turns out that they each have their own reasons for wanting a fresh start. Meanwhile, Molly is shocked to discover that her movie-star crush Johnny Johnson is working as an entertainment adviser at the camp. Is he really as suave as his on-screen persona? And why is he working at the camp anyway? As hidden secrets become discovered, Molly and her new friends face new threats and dangers that may threaten their new-found freedom.

The Butlins Girls is a spin-off to Everest's popular The Woolworths Girls. Molly, the heroine of this story is the best friend of Freda, one of the original trio in the first book. Like its prequel, the story is set in Erith, before moving on to the Butlins camp in Skegness. The book will bring back fond memories for anyone who has ever stayed at the Butlins camps and it helped me to realise what a revolutionary concept they were at the time, offering a real change of scene for working class families. The period detail is well researched and the author adds little details to bring the story to life. I enjoyed the scenes involving the various contests, like the knobbly knees contest and beauty pageant; real traditional seaside fun.

The story, like the previous one, focuses on three friends. Each has their own set of problems which they wish to keep secret. As the women get to know one another better, the secrets are slowly revealed over the course of the book and the consequences of each course of action play out to an exciting conclusion.

The book is about camaraderie, friendship and nostalgia and is a light-hearted, gentle read with nothing to shock or offend. It is a sweet, old-fashioned romance with likeable lead characters and despicable villains, as well as an engaging storyline; perfect for reading on the beach at the good old British seaside.

Although this is a standalone novel, readers will also enjoy The Woolworths Girls which tells Freda's back-story.

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You can read more book reviews or buy The Butlins Girls by Elaine Everest at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Butlins Girls by Elaine Everest at Amazon.com.

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