Everything I have heard has been great phone, crappy battery. I think most people need to recharge every 12-18 hours.
I think, to some extent, everybody complains about battery life on any smartphone. I've always used the widget to turn the internet on and off, and usually keep it off when I'm not using my phone. Never really had a problem.
So far, the Thunderbolt is indeed badass. I look forward to replacing my shitty Droid Eris within the next week or so. Battery consumption hasn't been a problem so far, as long as you keep the 4G switched off when you're not using it. She uses WiFi whenever she can as well, and it eats up less battery than 4G.