Beauty Shop for Rent by Laura Bowers

Ambitious Abbey Garner spends a lot of her time hard at work at her great-grandmother Granny Po’s quaint though struggling beauty shop. It’s all part of her MBTF plan; Abbey has vowed to make a million dollars before she is thirty-five so she can be financially independent and not follow in her family’s tradition of getting pregnant young with the wrong man. When Gena, a posh young woman, decides to rent the beauty shop and turn it into a modern spa, Abbey is both excited and little apprehensive. She fears losing her job, but once Gena assures Abbey that her employment is guaranteed, Abbey realizes that she will be able to make some real money. But Abbey’s carefully constructed plans are altered when Abbey’s mother, who abandoned her four years earlier, reenters Abbey’s life. Abbey must learn to see though the lies and figure out who her family really is.

There is something so down-to-earth about Beauty Shop for Rent that makes the story so likeable. The characters have no shame, which was sometimes a little shocking but mostly refreshing because of their honesty. I loved how all of the characters were nicely developed, especially Abbey and Granny Po, who were my favorite characters. I also loved watching Abbey mature through the story. All the characters’ connections were easy to understand. I really loved Abbey’s family of friends, because though each contrasted another slightly, they all fit together perfectly. Laura Bowers wrote this story in a way that even though specific years and locations are given, it seem that this story could happen anytime and anyplace. I had a hard time believing Beauty Shop for Rent was a debut novel because it was so incredibly well-written.

Fans of Stephanie Kuehnert’s I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone will also enjoy Abbey’s coming-of-age story in Beauty Shop for Rent. I definitely recommend this funny, cute, and beautiful story to all readers.

Rating: 4.75

Review copy from library