7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasant story about small town life; tepid romance - 3-1/2 stars..., July 1, 2010
This review is from: The Bikini Car Wash (Paperback)
Eight months after leaving Chicago and returning to her small hometown, Andrea Wolkowicz is flat broke and running out of options. "Andi" moved back to Plainview after the death of her Mom to help her father care for her disabled twin sister, Jelly. The recession has hit Plainview hard and jobs are non-existent. In desperation Andi decides to re-open her father's carwash...with a bikini clad staff! Andi may finally be turning a profit, but not without making more than a few enemies...
Pete Guthrie is struggling to keep his family owned grocery store afloat in the tough economy. He vaguely remembers Andi from High School, but frankly never paid much attention to the tomboyish Math geek. Andi's "work clothes" initially grab Pete's attention, but as he gets to know Andi he learns to respect the woman inside the bikini. Can Pete defuse the situation when his hot tempered father decides to shut Andi's business down?
Pamela Morsi has a gift for story-telling and this is a down to earth tale about the quirks of small-town life and everyday people coping with tough financial realities. While I liked the overall "feel" of the book, the romance between Andi and Pete lacked any sort of pizzazz. There was no chemistry between the two and the reader doesn't really get to see them fall for each other. Basically, they wind up in bed because neither one has had sex in a long time, they're unattached and the dating pool in Plainview is limited.
Andi's father, Walt, was a sympathetic (if a bit too saintly) character. I liked the compassionate but matter-of-fact way that he dealt with Jelly's disability and helped her build the best possible life for herself. In the past Walt had been chastised by medical 'professionals' for using the word retarded to describe his daughter's disability. They would prefer that he use a more politically correct term. Walt takes a great deal of pride in Jelly and calls her his "shining accomplishment". I was really touched by that passage in the book; it felt authentic.
This is a minor complaint but I hated some of the silly names in this book. Cher-L, Jelly and (gulp) Minx. Yes, really...Minx.
Bottom Line: If you're reading for the romance then you may be disappointed. If you want a charming little story about life in a small town then this might suit you.
While there is some sexual language the love scenes are strictly behind closed doors. PG.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasant but Predictable, July 26, 2010
This review is from: The Bikini Car Wash (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Attractive young woman moves to her small home town to take care of a deserving family member. She can't get a job, which should not be a surprise to anyone who's lived in a small, close-knit town.
So she decides to revive the family business - with a twist. This new business offers jobs to two very different women - a young tattooed twenty-something and a deserving, hard-working mother.
Opposing her every move is a crusty old curmudgeon who was hoping to buy the property for himself. He tries every trick to get her business shut down. The curmudgeon just happens to have a handsome, charming unmarried son who knew the heroine in high school.
Can you see where this is going? If not, you haven't seen movies like You've Got Mail. The only difference between this book and countless others is the business itself: the bikini car wash. The pacing is a little slow for this kind of escapist romantic fiction and the characters lack depth.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Much less lighthearted than the description implies, November 22, 2010
This review is from: The Bikini Car Wash (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The blurb for this book paints a picture of a light-hearted chick-lit book, but the book is surprisingly less amusing than expected. Though there were many strong elements of the book, ultimately the lackluster romance undermined the story, and i just never felt a real connection with Andi or Pete. They seemingly ended up together because neither had a better option in their small town which doesn't make for riveting fiction. Not a bad summer read but not as captivating as I had hoped. 3.5 stars.
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