Genre: Women’s Fiction
POV: 3rd Person
Sensuality: Subtle
Violence: N/A
Format: Digital
Source: A digital ARC courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley
My Grade: A
Pamela Morsi is a recent discovery and I now have several of her books on my TBR pile (or its digital equivalent). When I saw that her July 2010 release was available for request at NetGalley, I literally squealed with delight. My enthusiasm was not misplaced. The Bikini Car Wash is a perfect romantic summer read.
Following her mother’s death, Andrea Wolkowicz quits her corporate job to move back to her small hometown. Andi’s twin sister Angelica – or Jelly – was deprived of oxygen at birth. As a result, she has special needs, and will never be able to live independently. Now that their mother is gone, Andi wants to help her dad look after Jelly.
The decision to move home was easy. Finding a new job is not. After months of searching, Andi decides the only way for her to earn money is to be self-employed. As luck would have it, her father’s still owns the premises of his old car wash business. But there’s a problem: thanks to the machinations of Hank Guthrie, a city alderman and one of the Big Business Owners in Plainville, the lot is under a preservation order. This seriously limits the possibilities to run any business other than the one originally on the lot: a hand car wash which can hardly compete against today’s cheaper, automatic varieties.
After her plans to open a coffee shop are rejected, Andi decides her only option is to re-open the car wash, albeit with a twist: she and her staff will hand wash cars wearing nothing but bikinis. The The Bikini Car Wash inevitably provokes both outrage and amusement in Plainview. With half the town campaigning to have her closed down, and the other half cheering her on, Andi is surprised to find support from an unlikely source: Hank Guthrie’s son, Pete, the current CEO of Guthrie Foods and Andi’s secret high school crush.
The Bikini Car Wash is a wonderful, feel-good book. It’s billed as Women’s Fiction, but it could also be described as Contemporary Romance. The focus on the romance element is stronger than it was in Red’s Hot Honky-Tonk Bar, the other book I’ve read by Pamela Morsi. The characters are complex, and the plot has a few unexpected twists.
I adored Pete Guthrie. He’s one of the best examples of a beta hero that I’ve come across. His relationship with his controlling father was brilliantly done. Hank Guthrie is an inveterate womaniser, ruthless in business, and disappointed in his son. Pete is determined not to emulate Hank, and has done his best to become a very different man to the one his father wanted him to be. As a result, they frequently clash.
Andi is a strong heroine. She’s funny, intelligent, and cares about people. When Hank and his cronies try to intimidate her into closing her business, she refuses to back down. What Andi lacks, though, is the ability to view her parents’ marriage through anything but rose-tinted glasses. She’s convinced herself that theirs was the perfect marriage and that she will settle for nothing less. Needless to say, Andi’s perception is skewed, and she is shocked when she discovers the secret her father has been keeping for over forty years.
Walt, Andi’s father, is another excellent character. His relationship with Andi’s mother was complex, and the author doesn’t take the predictable route in the depiction of their story. He’s fiercely supportive of both his daughters.
The absolute winner in this book, though, is Jelly. She provides some much needed comic relief to what is, at times, a sad story. Her obsession with Law and Order and constant use of phrases from the show made me laugh out loud. On occasion, Jelly’s simplistic world view is more accurate than that of her more intelligent family members. Pamela Morsi paints a vivid and convincing picture of what it’s like to live with a learning disability, and what it’s like for their caregivers.
I loved The Bikini Car Wash and I can highly recommend it to all readers looking for an absorbing, and ultimately uplifting book to read this summer.
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I read some of Pamela Morsi’s books years ago when her books were straight romance and really enjoyed them. After this review, I decided to try her women’s lit books. I just ordered this one from the library. It sounds like a good afternoon read.
I have yet to read any of her contemporaries, even though I think I have 2 (?) of them in Ye Olde TBR Mountain Range. This review clinches it. I ordered copies for work already…off to add my name to the waiting list
@Mary Beth: @Wendy: I hope you enjoy it!
Wendy told me you had reviewed this and I had to come read what you wrote. Excellent and I agree with you totally. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
@Phyl: Isn’t it great? I’m now on a Pamela Morsi glom!
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