Customer Reviews

The Bikini Car Wash

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The first book I read by Pamela Morsi was Bitsy's Bait and BBQ. I really enjoyed it. I thought I'd found a new author to enjoy.

It's been a while since I scanned Morsi's titles but when I did, I landed on this one and decided it might be a cute, fun read. Some of it was fun but much of it just seemed to dribble along.

The Bikini Car Wash was OK but Bitsy's Bait and BBQ was a much more satisfying read.

I couldn't put this book down I stayed up late one night finishing it! Ms Morsi must have such a quirky sense of humor because her characters and stories are just so wonderful.

Andi has returned home from the big city and the corporate world after the death of her mother to help her father with her twin sister, Jelly. Jelly's handicapped and Andrea feels so responsible for her and loves her, Jelly is lonely without Mom.

Andi didn't realize she wouldn't be able to find a job in this little town in the rust-belt. Her father still has his empty car wash so Andi decides to open it back up but with young women in their bikinis doing the washing.

We meet all the personalities in the town when Andi opens her bikini car wash. Her hidden admirer is Pete Guthrie, the owner of the grocery store next to her carwash. He's upstairs in his office with his binoculars watching everyday. He likes that she has stood up to the narrow minded in the town of course it's been hard on her. These two are our heroine and hero and they are great!

There are so many little stories that intertwine with the big story to make this such an enjoyable book.

Twentysomething Andi has left her small town, where she was a social misfit and math geek, and gone off to the big city, where she's been successful in a high-powered corporate job. But when her mother dies, she decides she should move back home to be near her father and her disabled twin sister.

The problem is, no one has a job for a high-powered corporate type, even one willing to do whatever needs doing, and so Andi finds herself financially uncomfortable and at loose ends. Her father's car wash has been sitting idle, and so Andi considers various options for a business there, unaware that one of the town elders intends for it to stay idle. Furious and desperate, she and two other young out-of-work women decide they will stand up to the town and reopen the one business they're allowed on the site: a car wash. And even though the economy wouldn't support an ordinary hand car wash, young women in swimsuits have an impressive marketing draw.

I liked this pleasant novel of small town life, of motives and interactions, of small town politics and legal wrangling, of young women who were determined to provide for themselves and think creatively. The romance is light and not explicit. I liked that it was an attraction of kindred intellects rather than simply a physical attraction (though of course our characters are attractive).

It's a great summer read.

I liked the characters, and the small-town family & friend relationships are well-crafted. The search for just the right business is limited by restrictions, leading to the title. The romance is readable, if unoriginal. I think the book could use some judicious editing.

The Bikini Car Wash by Pamela Morsi (Paperback - Jul 1, 2010)


This is the second of Ms Morsi's novels that I have read, and I have enjoyed this one as much as I have her last one - "Red's Hot Honky -Tonk Bar". Ms Morsi delights readers with her smart women characters that are stuck in situations that may break less their less strong sisters. And throwing in the hot, sexy, and hot (did I say that already? Well it bears repeating!) understanding man doesn't hurt matters either!

In "The Bikini Car Wash" we meet Andi Wolkowiucz who has returned to the small town of her youth to take care of her father Walt and specially challenged sister Jelly... She tries to find a job and in this economy we know they are few and far between. Luckily her dad just happens to still be in possession of his old car wash. And all it will need is some sprucing up and some clever marketing ideas to make a go at it.
And boy do her ideas throw the town into a tizzy! Women washing cars in their bathing suits! That's enough to have this Puritanical town thinking of riding Andi out of town on rails! Now throw in the sexy Pete who is the owner of the grocery store that sits next to the car wash and watch the sparks fly. (Watch for a scene with Pete and what he does to catch glimpses of the lovely bikini clad ladies from the window of the grocery store)

With a wonderful and at times hilarious story, engaging and very real main characters, complicated yet entertaining secondary characters. A moving subject that can bring you to tears at times and then spin you around with laughter...Ms Morsi has another winner on her hands.

and the perfect end of the summer beach read!!! The Bikini Car Wash isn't what it really seems. I know some people will think, a bikini car wash? I don't want to read that! However, it goes beyond that. It is about fighting for something you want and believe in; finding out who you really are and love. I always love a good love story. Who doesn't? Pamela Morsi outdid herself with this one though!

I was stumped at first wondering what Pop was up to, sneaking around like that. I had my suspicions, but it was a surprise! Jelly is such a lovable character, with her Law & Order dialog. The romance between Pete and Andi was easy to see coming, but still very cute and romantic. I read this book in such a short time, Ms. Morsi writes with such ease you don't even realize how fast the pages fly by!

When Andi comes home to help take care of Jelly after their mom has passed, she applies for a job at Gutherie's Foods, to be only told she has too much experience. So her dad's old car wash has just been sitting there, wasting space. She goes in front of the town counsel to ask if she could get it rezoned for a coffee shop, only to be denied.

So she has a bit of help coming up with the bikini car wash; but they get it going. Despite a lot of people in town not wanting them to be clothed in so little -- In spite of all the negativity they end up pretty successful --

I will leave the rest for you to find out, you make sure you put this in your beach bag and take it with you, or on a long flight too! Enjoy!!!

After the death of Andrea's mother she returns to the small town where she grew up, she knows her father will need a little help taking care of her twin. Andrea's twin, Jelly, has some unique learning issues, and is only capable of certain things, though she can quote most any "Law & Order" line. Having been a huge corporate success she is a bit mystified to find she is unable to obtain a job in her small town.

She grew up helping in her father's now closed car wash and initially wants to turn it into a coffee drive-thru. When that falls apart she decides on a little less conventional option. A bikini car wash, knowing it might be looked upon as a little scandalous but with the support of her family she drives ahead.

Now citizens are up in arms, questioning her morals, and business. But business is booming and it isn't just men that seem to be attracted. The neighboring grocery store owner, Pete Guthrie, seems to be more intrigued that up in arms.

The Bikini Car Wash is a compelling story with small town values and reactions, with a hint of fun and defiant romance. I love how Ms. Morsi was able to take the situations that Andrea would be faced with and turn them into this fun and exciting story. She was also able to portray the small town atmosphere excellently (I live in a small town too). If you want a light hearted read with an interesting business proposal in it than pick up The Bikini Car Wash for a summer read.

Tanya
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed