"Cars, Coffee, and a Badass Ninja Toilet" by K.C. Hilton

Julia Karr owns and runs the used car lot next to her house. Every day is busy and most of the customers are a little bit crazy. She encounters everything from people taking trucks for "test drives" so that they can move furniture, customers insisting on talking to her husband so they can buy a car, snakes, and redoing her bathroom (hence the toilet). She's been doing this long enough, that most encounters don't take her by surprise anymore, but they will surprise the reader. This novel is certainly zany!

I chose to review Cars, Coffee, and a Badass Ninja Toilet because it sounded funny (it seems like there isn't a huge market for humorous books, but I love them) and because it was compared to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Now don't get me wrong, this book was funny, but don't go into it expecting Julia Karr to be another Stephanie Plum. The story is not plot driven. Each chapter is very episodic, perfect for the reader who doesn't have the time to commit to a long novel. It's very easy to pause between chapters. It's mostly the day to day goings of Julia as she runs the car lot (and drinks a lot of coffee). I wasn't disappointed by this book, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. This book is good for those that work in a setting where you deal with customers and have those "is this really happening" moments. Julia deals with this every day so she is quick on her feet and always ready with a comeback. K. C. Hilton has created a quirky character who is rather memorable.

I don't know how to categorize this novel other than humor. There is no real conflict and each chapter is more or less it's own story. The only reoccurring characters are Julia and her husband, with a few side characters who are mostly just referred to. I'm not used to books like this, but in a way it was enjoyable. Sometimes, I don't like books with a lot of end-of-chapter cliff hangers. Sometimes I know that I have to deal with responsibilities outside of reading and tell myself I need to stop reading at the end of a chapter. It was very easy to do so with this book. It is a light read, good for vacation or when you aren't in the mood for something intense. It's also great if you are looking for something that will make you chuckle. And if you enjoy this one, make sure you check out the sequel: Cars, Coffee, and a Slightly Used Casket.

Happy Reading!
-Melly