If you are 20-years-old, you probably want to live in an exciting place during exciting times.

New Hope, Bucks County, in the 1980s would have been a good place for you.

Jessica Addentro is there in Suzanne Mattaboni’s new novel “Once in a Lifetime” (TouchPoint Press, 338 pp; $16.99, print; $4.99, digital, 2022).

Jessica is waitressing in New Hope to finance a European study jaunt to become a “New Wave-inspired, multi-media art sensation.”

The term “waitress” has been replaced by gender neutral words, but then and now it is still a tough and crazy job, as shown by some wild examples in the book.

Jessica shares an apartment with girlfriends. Jessica is “hungry to get out into the world,” and they visit clubs where they meet a variety of people, have adventures, and Jessica finds romance.

New Hope was, and is, an artistic town, and the 1980s was a time when the world seemed to be opening up for women.

“We were told you can do anything you want,” says Mattaboni. “Our mothers did not get the same opportunities. Maybe you could go college and become a nurse or a teacher. You were more likely to become a housewife. There were limited expectations.

“But you come to realize that it is hard to do everything. There is a lot of pressure. And not everyone was ready for it to happen.”

The events in the book take place with a background of 1980s’ music. Each chapter title is the name of a song that fits the action: “Girls Want to Have Fun,” “Dumb Waiters,” “Catch Me I’m Falling” and “Melt With You.”

“The characters define themselves by the music,” says Mattaboni. “They pick sides.” For example, they are definitely not fans of Madonna.

“It was a time in music with electronic instruments that had not been heard before, like bass played on a synthesizer instead of a guitar. To be in the middle of that was a lot of fun. It was extraordinary. I wanted to be able to share that feeling and excitement in the book.

“Listening to music is now a whole different experience. Things are curated for people by online programs instead of artists deciding the order of songs when they make albums.”

Young people still go clubbing, have fun, and find love, but Mattaboni says the book’s story could not take place in today’s world.

“It would be different today. There are things that would never happen now, with cell phones, the Internet, GPS and social media. Now people are texting each other constantly. There was more mystery in not being able to contact each other at any second.”

Jennifer is based on Mattaboni herself. She waitressed in New Hope from April to August 1984.

“You start with your own experience. Some of the characters are people I know and some are consolidations of them. But once you start writing, sometimes the characters run their own way.”

Mattaboni and her husband have lived in Allen Township, Northampton County, for 17 years. They have two grown children.

She does public relations consulting with a variety of companies. She has written poetry, essays and short stories, “half about relationships and half that are horror,” she says. One of them was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her work has appeared in Seventeen, The Huntington Post, and “Chicken Soup for the Soul.”

“Women are still hitting walls,” says Mattaboni. And they still run into situations like “a conflict that arises in a relationship where you have your own goals. There are guys who feel threatened by women who have their own careers.

“I hope to inspire people and bring to light the challenges a headstrong, ambitious woman faces. You can’t let it stop you. I hope the book shows that it is nice to see that you are not alone.”

“Literary Scene” is a column about authors, books and publishing. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com