Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’Hare is a pure delight! This is the story of four friends who live in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They are all turning 30 – on the cusp of a new decade – and Thirst Trap is all about their friendship and lives. As the cover art indicates – the tone is distinctly dry and very funny – while being touching and tender too.
Opening sentence: It is almost midnight, and the three of them are trying to persuade a member of the door staff to let them bring a houseplant into the nightclub.
Meet the gang
Our lead characters are Maggie, Harley, Róise and Lydia. The things is, Lydia is actually dead. She died in an accident a year prior to when events in the books are set and the story explores how her three friends (and housemates) are coming to terms with it a year on.
But it is impossible to know now that Lydia is gone; and given the scale of their final fallout, it would be just as unlikely were she still here.
They are also all grappling with the reality of ‘growing up’ now that they face the reality of leaving their 20s and being serious, 30 year old women.
There’s tangled love affairs, boundaries broken with landlords, step brothers and the intricacies of female friendship. It was such a relatable and satisfying story that draws you in from the very first page.
LOL
Also, Thirst Trap is the first book that’s made me laugh-out-loud in quite a while and I realised how much I’ve missed that. From the gang paying special attention to the type of potatoes on a menu to amazing lines like this (Maggie is actually talking about how hot she is in a club):
‘I’M MELTING!’ Maggie hollers in agreement, her reply helpfully coinciding with a drop in the music to sound like the frenzied screech of the Wicked Witch of the West.
This book was the perfect blend of tough emotional situations and shining a spotlight on the small moments in life and friendship that make it all worthwhile. Such a great read, add Thirst Trap to your TBR now!
