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Shoulder Season
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A dazzling portrait of a young woman coming into her own, the youthful allure of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and what we lose—and gain—when we leave home.
ONCE IN A LIFETIME, YOU CAN HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE
The small town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is an unlikely location for a Playboy Resort, and nineteen-year old Sherri Taylor is an unlikely bunny. Growing up in neighboring East Troy, Sherri plays the organ at the local church and has never felt comfortable in her own skin. But when her parents die in quick succession, she leaves the only home she’s ever known for the chance to be part of a glamorous slice of history. In the winter of 1981, in a costume two sizes too small, her toes pinched by stilettos, Sherri joins the daughters of dairy farmers and factory workers for the defining experience of her life.
Living in the “bunny hutch”—Playboy’s version of a college dorm—Sherri gets her education in the joys of sisterhood, the thrill of financial independence, the magic of first love, and the heady effects of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. But as spring gives way to summer, Sherri finds herself caught in a romantic triangle—and the tragedy that ensues will haunt her for the next forty years.
From the Midwestern prairie to the California desert, from Wisconsin lakes to the Pacific Ocean, this is a story of what happens when small town life is sprinkled with stardust, and what we lose—and gain—when we leave home. With a heroine to root for and a narrative to get lost in, Christina Clancy's Shoulder Season is a sexy, evocative tale, drenched in longing and desire, that captures a fleeting moment in American history with nostalgia and heart.
A dazzling portrait of a young woman coming into her own, the youthful allure of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and what we lose—and gain—when we leave home.
ONCE IN A LIFETIME, YOU CAN HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE
The small town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is an unlikely location for a Playboy Resort, and nineteen-year old Sherri Taylor is an unlikely bunny. Growing up in neighboring East Troy, Sherri plays the organ at the local church and has never felt comfortable in her own skin. But when her parents die in quick succession, she leaves the only home she’s ever known for the chance to be part of a glamorous slice of history. In the winter of 1981, in a costume two sizes too small, her toes pinched by stilettos, Sherri joins the daughters of dairy farmers and factory workers for the defining experience of her life.
Living in the “bunny hutch”—Playboy’s version of a college dorm—Sherri gets her education in the joys of sisterhood, the thrill of financial independence, the magic of first love, and the heady effects of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. But as spring gives way to summer, Sherri finds herself caught in a romantic triangle—and the tragedy that ensues will haunt her for the next forty years.
From the Midwestern prairie to the California desert, from Wisconsin lakes to the Pacific Ocean, this is a story of what happens when small town life is sprinkled with stardust, and what we lose—and gain—when we leave home. With a heroine to root for and a narrative to get lost in, Christina Clancy's Shoulder Season is a sexy, evocative tale, drenched in longing and desire, that captures a fleeting moment in American history with nostalgia and heart.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2021
282 people are currently reading
13796 people want to read
About the author
Christina Clancy
3 books685 followersChristina Clancy is the author of Shoulder Season and The Second Home. Her short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times "Modern Love" column, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Sun Magazine, and in literary journals like Glimmer Train Stories, Hobart, Pleiades, The Minnesota Review and on Wisconsin Public Radio. She has a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and formerly taught English at Beloit College.
Born in Denver and raised in Milwaukee, she currently lives with her very tall husband and very small dog in Madison, Wisconsin, and in Palm Springs, California.
You can find out more on her website, http://www.christiclancywrites.com
Born in Denver and raised in Milwaukee, she currently lives with her very tall husband and very small dog in Madison, Wisconsin, and in Palm Springs, California.
You can find out more on her website, http://www.christiclancywrites.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,013 reviews
November 30, 2021
Wowza! What an interesting, intriguing, informative story takes place at the 80’s fabulously waning times of Wisconsin’s Playboy House!
Yes,I know those few words already got your attention! Welcome to the bunnies world! Nope, we’re not reading “Watership Down”, I’m not talking about those lovely, big eared, fluffy, jumping little animals! I’m talking about girls in bunny costumes. A sensational, scandalous era of the history. Do you want to know more about the story? Let’s focus on:
Sherri Taylor raised in small town neighboring East Troy, always having trouble to adjust in her social circle, playing organ at church,living under the criticizing looks of town’s people and now at 19, she’s an orphan: she lost both of her parents, all alone in the world. She has no idea what she’s going to do with her life.
Her best friend Roberta gives her idea to apply for being a “ Playboy bunny” at the resort located at the neighborhood, small town of Lake Geneva. And she cannot believe in her luck because she gets approval.
But she’s a great candidate to be one of the girls who also come from small towns, poverty, dysfunctional family lives, looking for a fresh start. They both learn to walk in their high heeled stilettos, two size tighter costumes show more curves and cleavages. Their innocence and naivety slowly disappear as they’re welcome to the world of men, sex, drugs without rock n roll!
After losing her blood family, Sherri feels like she just created her new one! But her life gets more out of control as she is dragged too deep in this notorious life style.
The author’s way honest and realistic way to tell the story picks your interest and you want to learn more about that part of history has not been much told. It’s well researched, detailed, well-balanced with realistic character analysis.
Sherri’s choices, flaws, mistakes were depicted genuinely even though she is not my favorite literature character, I still understand her motives, her suffering from the consequences of her faults.
It was a fast pacing, captivating novel keeps in your attention intact and hooking you from the first chapters.
Normally I’m not a big fan of historical fiction but trust me! This is easy to read,riveting kind of enjoyable book with great character portraits and honest depictions about the era.
I’m giving my 4 energizer bunny stars with recommendation to genre lovers!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital copy of this unique book in exchange my honest review.
Yes,I know those few words already got your attention! Welcome to the bunnies world! Nope, we’re not reading “Watership Down”, I’m not talking about those lovely, big eared, fluffy, jumping little animals! I’m talking about girls in bunny costumes. A sensational, scandalous era of the history. Do you want to know more about the story? Let’s focus on:
Sherri Taylor raised in small town neighboring East Troy, always having trouble to adjust in her social circle, playing organ at church,living under the criticizing looks of town’s people and now at 19, she’s an orphan: she lost both of her parents, all alone in the world. She has no idea what she’s going to do with her life.
Her best friend Roberta gives her idea to apply for being a “ Playboy bunny” at the resort located at the neighborhood, small town of Lake Geneva. And she cannot believe in her luck because she gets approval.
But she’s a great candidate to be one of the girls who also come from small towns, poverty, dysfunctional family lives, looking for a fresh start. They both learn to walk in their high heeled stilettos, two size tighter costumes show more curves and cleavages. Their innocence and naivety slowly disappear as they’re welcome to the world of men, sex, drugs without rock n roll!
After losing her blood family, Sherri feels like she just created her new one! But her life gets more out of control as she is dragged too deep in this notorious life style.
The author’s way honest and realistic way to tell the story picks your interest and you want to learn more about that part of history has not been much told. It’s well researched, detailed, well-balanced with realistic character analysis.
Sherri’s choices, flaws, mistakes were depicted genuinely even though she is not my favorite literature character, I still understand her motives, her suffering from the consequences of her faults.
It was a fast pacing, captivating novel keeps in your attention intact and hooking you from the first chapters.
Normally I’m not a big fan of historical fiction but trust me! This is easy to read,riveting kind of enjoyable book with great character portraits and honest depictions about the era.
I’m giving my 4 energizer bunny stars with recommendation to genre lovers!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital copy of this unique book in exchange my honest review.
December 3, 2020
I was worried that this fictional book would traumatize me the way Gloria Steinem’s essay “I was a Playboy Bunny,” did in her anthology Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions when Steinem went undercover and wrote about the experience. When Sherri gets a job as a bunny in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, at the Playboy Resort, it starts out sounding like an exciting way to earn money and have fun with women her age. Yes, some men did treat Sherry poorly, but so did other women and herself. Reading about the terrible ways she acted wasn’t fun for me to read and it didn’t sound like she was always having the fun she thought she was having, like getting addicted to speed to be skinny but then having to come down from that drug. She also didn’t always treat her female friends the way they should.
The time she spent as a bunny will forever shape her life, and mostly not in good ways. Set initially in the early 80s, it’s definitely intriguing historical fiction.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES JULY 6, 2021.
The time she spent as a bunny will forever shape her life, and mostly not in good ways. Set initially in the early 80s, it’s definitely intriguing historical fiction.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES JULY 6, 2021.
July 12, 2021
I enjoyed Christina Clancy’s debut, The Second Home, last summer, and could not wait to read Shoulder Season this summer. The latter is historical fiction. Did you know there was a Playboy Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin? Shoulder Season is Sherri’s story of working there beginning at age nineteen. She feels she has to because her parents have passed away.
While at the resort, she lives in a dorm with the other women, behind a barbed wire fence, and this is where she comes of age. Eventually, Sherri moves on to become a success in business, but the road there was not a straight line.
This book was so engaging and had a memoir-like feel to me. Overall, Sherri is a complex character definitely worthy of watching grow.
I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
While at the resort, she lives in a dorm with the other women, behind a barbed wire fence, and this is where she comes of age. Eventually, Sherri moves on to become a success in business, but the road there was not a straight line.
This book was so engaging and had a memoir-like feel to me. Overall, Sherri is a complex character definitely worthy of watching grow.
I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
June 21, 2021
I don’t usually go in for women’s lit or beach reads. But when I was 11 years old, I announced to anyone who asked that what I wanted to be when I grew up was a playboy bunny. I had seen the resort in Jamaica and just thought that was the poshest thing ever. So, I wanted to read this book. This story takes place in 1981. Sherrie is at loose ends when she applies to be a bunny at a Playboy resort in Wisconsin. She’s 19, her mom has just died and she needs to earn a living.
I expected there to be some meaningful discussion about what how the girls perceived themselves. But the author spent more time talking about cramps and sore feet than what it meant to be a bunny. It became obvious this book was never going to be anything meaningful. I kept finding reasons to listen to anything but this. When something is that painful it’s time to give up. Which I did. This is a DNF.
Anna Leigh Ashford narrated and had one of those breathy sort of voices that irritated me.
I expected there to be some meaningful discussion about what how the girls perceived themselves. But the author spent more time talking about cramps and sore feet than what it meant to be a bunny. It became obvious this book was never going to be anything meaningful. I kept finding reasons to listen to anything but this. When something is that painful it’s time to give up. Which I did. This is a DNF.
Anna Leigh Ashford narrated and had one of those breathy sort of voices that irritated me.
August 12, 2021
Yowza this was rough. Shoulder Season was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the summer. I loved everything about the idea of it. The title, the cover, the premise. I thought for sure it was going to be a big hit and I was all ready to read about . . . .
Well, the small town girl part was right. Leading lady Sherri finds herself alone after her mother passes away and winds up interviewing/getting hired at the Lake Geneva Playboy resort. And then . . . .
I mean I get that she’s 19 and green, but Jeebus Christmas between the convincing herself a one night stand who lives across the country is her boyfriend, getting hooked on diet pills and coke, taking nudies for a dude pretending to be a Playboy photographer, getting swindled, a dead dude and on and on. Oh but since this book was nothing but terrible everything ends up just peachy. To those of you who are capable of doing the DNF – I applaud you. I really really applaud you. This was a mess!
August 15, 2021
3.75 bunny stars
This one is an insider’s peek into a Playboy Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and the life of one woman who was part of the resort. I didn’t even realize there were once several of these “family” resorts all over the country. We follow Sherri from the interview through her year at the resort and much of her life.
It was fascinating to read about the training these women had to go through and I’m glad that some things have changed with how women are treated. As you might expect, there were weigh-ins, tight costumes, diet pills, other drugs, and rules about men not touching them. There were celebrity parties that were over the top!
Sherri struggles in the romance department and it takes an effort to shake off her past as a bunny. Finding a “legitimate” job afterwards is hard too with all the perceptions seeing her Playboy past on her resume.
I did enjoy the descriptions of the beautiful Wisconsin setting and when Sherri returns to her hometown at the end. I like this author’s writing style and have enjoyed her earlier book too!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the copy of this one to read and review.
This one is an insider’s peek into a Playboy Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and the life of one woman who was part of the resort. I didn’t even realize there were once several of these “family” resorts all over the country. We follow Sherri from the interview through her year at the resort and much of her life.
It was fascinating to read about the training these women had to go through and I’m glad that some things have changed with how women are treated. As you might expect, there were weigh-ins, tight costumes, diet pills, other drugs, and rules about men not touching them. There were celebrity parties that were over the top!
Sherri struggles in the romance department and it takes an effort to shake off her past as a bunny. Finding a “legitimate” job afterwards is hard too with all the perceptions seeing her Playboy past on her resume.
I did enjoy the descriptions of the beautiful Wisconsin setting and when Sherri returns to her hometown at the end. I like this author’s writing style and have enjoyed her earlier book too!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the copy of this one to read and review.
July 12, 2021
Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy is a historical women’s fiction novel set in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in the early 1980s. While this title is fiction it is based on a true location of the Lake Geneva Playboy Club. The club was opened in May of 1968 as a Playboy resort and stayed through the early 80s with young women dressed as the famous Playboy Bunnies waiting on guests. After it closed up the resort was eventually sold and reopened in the 90s as the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa.
Sherri Taylor grew up in the neighboring small town of East Troy never feeling like she fit in and always awkward in her own skin. At nineteen Sherri’s best friend told her that she was applying at the resort to be a bunny and she wanted Sherri to tag along and interview too. Sherri thought she was crazy to go along thinking there was no way she would ever get the job so when she was offered the position and her friend wasn’t she was shocked. Sherri couldn’t turn down the opportunity to make more money than she would at anything in her small town so she accepts the job and heads to Lake Geneva.
As they say, you learn something new every day.. I had no idea before picking up this title that there even were Playboy resorts across the country at one point. I think it was interesting to get this glimpse of what probably was close to reality for these ladies in that era. The book spans forty some years from start to finish with Christina Clancy’s writing reminding me of a Danielle Steel novel where there are times that seem a bit too info dump-ish to cover a lot in the book. I’m not a huge fan of that style but will be forgiving when the story is compelling enough to keep me engaged through those moments which was what I found in here. I also really enjoyed how everything came about in the end making this one worth the read overall.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Sherri Taylor grew up in the neighboring small town of East Troy never feeling like she fit in and always awkward in her own skin. At nineteen Sherri’s best friend told her that she was applying at the resort to be a bunny and she wanted Sherri to tag along and interview too. Sherri thought she was crazy to go along thinking there was no way she would ever get the job so when she was offered the position and her friend wasn’t she was shocked. Sherri couldn’t turn down the opportunity to make more money than she would at anything in her small town so she accepts the job and heads to Lake Geneva.
As they say, you learn something new every day.. I had no idea before picking up this title that there even were Playboy resorts across the country at one point. I think it was interesting to get this glimpse of what probably was close to reality for these ladies in that era. The book spans forty some years from start to finish with Christina Clancy’s writing reminding me of a Danielle Steel novel where there are times that seem a bit too info dump-ish to cover a lot in the book. I’m not a huge fan of that style but will be forgiving when the story is compelling enough to keep me engaged through those moments which was what I found in here. I also really enjoyed how everything came about in the end making this one worth the read overall.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
July 1, 2021
Nothing seems right, and she's suddenly exhausted from a lifetime of constantly turning the volume of her personality up and down and never quite landing on the right setting.
Sherri Taylor is almost 60 in 2019 and the Event Coordinator for a prestigious art gallery in Palm Springs. But in 1981 she worked as a Playboy Bunny at the Lake Geneva resort not far from her hometown of East Troy. To read this book is to watch 19-year-old Sherri coming of age after she loses both her parents. How did working as a Bunny shape her going forward? How did she go from the Lake Geneva Playboy Resort to the Palm Springs Museum. Maybe it took her awhile, but she finally figures out that really living is about becoming and not just being.
Thank you to St. Martins Press and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Sherri Taylor is almost 60 in 2019 and the Event Coordinator for a prestigious art gallery in Palm Springs. But in 1981 she worked as a Playboy Bunny at the Lake Geneva resort not far from her hometown of East Troy. To read this book is to watch 19-year-old Sherri coming of age after she loses both her parents. How did working as a Bunny shape her going forward? How did she go from the Lake Geneva Playboy Resort to the Palm Springs Museum. Maybe it took her awhile, but she finally figures out that really living is about becoming and not just being.
Thank you to St. Martins Press and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
December 3, 2020
This book was one of the easiest to read that I’ve read in a while. From the very first, the story flowed very well. It’s an interesting storyline with believable characters. Sherri is the heroine of the story. She lives in a small backwoods town in Wisconsin. Her best friend is Roberta. Sherri’s life is going nowhere. And then Roberta decides to apply to be a Playboy bunny at a club that is fairly close to their “one horse” town. I think I knew Sherri when I was in high school ~ that’s how realistic the characters were. That and the fast paced story made this a five-star book. I would definitely read another book from this author and I will recommend it to anyone. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.
July 9, 2021
Shoulder Season is the perfect summer read! I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting and intriguing and it also broke my heart at times. I loved all the characters and the storyline. The book was fast paced and hard to put down. I found myself getting annoyed with Sherri sometimes for her decisions but she dealt with the consequences and in the end, learned some valuable life lessons. Everything about the 80s era depicted in the book felt correct and well researched. Overall, a fantastic, enjoyable read!
Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.
Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.
January 22, 2021
This book had me at 1980's Playboy Bunny - although in the end, it was not quite as much as I expected or hoped.
I am showing my naivete here, but I had no idea that in the 70's and 80's, there were multiple Playboy resorts across the country, and the world. I had only heard of Hefner's Playboy Mansion in California (which I also did not realize was originally located in Chicago). The background of the resorts was very interesting - for instance, they were highly touted as a "family friendly" escape, which I found amusing (although I know men who regularly take their young kids to Hooters - "for the wings" of course, so I guess not that much has changed really 🤨😅). It was very clear that Clancy did thorough research into the lives of the bunnies, and that was my favorite part. Unfortunately though, the rest of the experience was just mediocre.
The book synopsis states that it is a coming of age story about a young woman trying to learn how to love herself without needing the approval and acceptance of anyone else. I guess I can see that, but the issue I had is that the protagonist, Sherri, is so unlikeable that if she ever did truly learn to "love herself without the approval and acceptance of anyone else," it didn't really show through. It was as if Clancy couldn't decide what to do with her character, as one minute she was a sweet, innocent Midwest country girl, and the next minute she was a rude, conniving manipulator. Without giving too much away, the ending had the same feel - like Sherri's past bad behaviors were all justified because her "true love" didn't turn out to be the person she thought. It was just a strange obviation.
You also know from the prologue set in the present that Sheri becomes a successful businesswoman, so I put up with the tedious overabundance of parties, drugs, and sex, to find out just how she changed her path - but the reason was skirted around and never really fully discussed, which was disappointing.
I did enjoy Clancy's writing style - it was authentic to the point that at times it read more like a memoir than a work of fiction. It was also interesting to get a glimpse into the glitz and glam of the early Playboy empire - I just wish there had been more of it. Overall, it's a worthy read - I just wasn't as blown away by it as I thought I would be. 3.5 stars.
I am showing my naivete here, but I had no idea that in the 70's and 80's, there were multiple Playboy resorts across the country, and the world. I had only heard of Hefner's Playboy Mansion in California (which I also did not realize was originally located in Chicago). The background of the resorts was very interesting - for instance, they were highly touted as a "family friendly" escape, which I found amusing (although I know men who regularly take their young kids to Hooters - "for the wings" of course, so I guess not that much has changed really 🤨😅). It was very clear that Clancy did thorough research into the lives of the bunnies, and that was my favorite part. Unfortunately though, the rest of the experience was just mediocre.
The book synopsis states that it is a coming of age story about a young woman trying to learn how to love herself without needing the approval and acceptance of anyone else. I guess I can see that, but the issue I had is that the protagonist, Sherri, is so unlikeable that if she ever did truly learn to "love herself without the approval and acceptance of anyone else," it didn't really show through. It was as if Clancy couldn't decide what to do with her character, as one minute she was a sweet, innocent Midwest country girl, and the next minute she was a rude, conniving manipulator. Without giving too much away, the ending had the same feel - like Sherri's past bad behaviors were all justified because her "true love" didn't turn out to be the person she thought. It was just a strange obviation.
You also know from the prologue set in the present that Sheri becomes a successful businesswoman, so I put up with the tedious overabundance of parties, drugs, and sex, to find out just how she changed her path - but the reason was skirted around and never really fully discussed, which was disappointing.
I did enjoy Clancy's writing style - it was authentic to the point that at times it read more like a memoir than a work of fiction. It was also interesting to get a glimpse into the glitz and glam of the early Playboy empire - I just wish there had been more of it. Overall, it's a worthy read - I just wasn't as blown away by it as I thought I would be. 3.5 stars.
September 5, 2020
Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy, published by St. Martin's Press, is a full length, stand alone, contemporary romance. I loved her A Second Home and thought lets give this book a try. Yay me .
The story is told in the rare 3rd pov.
Sherri has lived her life to the fullest. She grew up in a small town, an only child who was early without any family. She simply goes and find a new family, not by blood, but by choice. Sound easy peasy? No there's nothing easy peasy in this story. It's a complex story, well written who tells Sherri's ups and downs, her successes, her mistakes and her lovestory. She lived a life fullfilled; with people and love- and at the end she comes full circle.
I started reading and was immediatedly sucked into the story, an intriguing read that had me in suspense til the last page.
I loved Sherri's character and at some point my heart was bleeding for her. She goes from a young girl who knows not much about life to a mature adult, like I said, a life well lived. I loved the storyline and the outstanding writing just like the characters. A great read, 5 stars.
The story is told in the rare 3rd pov.
Sherri has lived her life to the fullest. She grew up in a small town, an only child who was early without any family. She simply goes and find a new family, not by blood, but by choice. Sound easy peasy? No there's nothing easy peasy in this story. It's a complex story, well written who tells Sherri's ups and downs, her successes, her mistakes and her lovestory. She lived a life fullfilled; with people and love- and at the end she comes full circle.
I started reading and was immediatedly sucked into the story, an intriguing read that had me in suspense til the last page.
I loved Sherri's character and at some point my heart was bleeding for her. She goes from a young girl who knows not much about life to a mature adult, like I said, a life well lived. I loved the storyline and the outstanding writing just like the characters. A great read, 5 stars.
October 24, 2020
I chose this book because I enjoyed Christina Clancy's book, A Second Home. Shoulder Season is a stand alone book. This is a book that you should not judge by its cover. I am not a fan of the cover or the title of this book. To me, they don't represent the book but read it anyway. It is good! Should Season was described in the book as the time between tourist season and the winding down into the after Labor Day season.
I have stayed at the resort that this took place years after it was the Playboy Club and I spent many summer vacations in the area that this book took place in southern Wisconsin which added to my visions of the places in this book. Also, later in life I have traveled the short distance to Lake Geneva for bachelorette parties, weekends away, and bridal showers. I have been in the bars that were mentioned and have done the tourist things.
Sherri was dealt a hard life when she was a child. She faced the death of her father and illness that lead to the demise of her mother. It was hard to grow up in a small town of West Troy especially when you live on the square and everyone knows your business. Sherri found a new family of choice and freedom when she got a job at the Playboy resort in Lake Geneva, WI. It was interesting to read about the interviewing process, where the girls lived, the rules the girls had to live by, and their interaction with the guests. Life as a Playboy bunny is not all glamor as it would appear. She meet some men that added to life experiences but she would have rather avoided. She experienced trouble with friends and probably met the love of her life. Sherri was not a bunny for a long period of time but those months shaped the rest of her life.
Pay attention to the prologue in Palm Springs, 2019.. It comes around in the ending, like many books. I did find the ending of her younger life and the transition into her later life a bit abrupt. Ms. Clancy did tie up Sherri's life and did not leave me with questions which I appreciate in an ending.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for an advanced copy of #ShoulderSeason. I hope the best for #ChristinaClancy with Shoulder Season and I hope she keep writing books I love.
I have stayed at the resort that this took place years after it was the Playboy Club and I spent many summer vacations in the area that this book took place in southern Wisconsin which added to my visions of the places in this book. Also, later in life I have traveled the short distance to Lake Geneva for bachelorette parties, weekends away, and bridal showers. I have been in the bars that were mentioned and have done the tourist things.
Sherri was dealt a hard life when she was a child. She faced the death of her father and illness that lead to the demise of her mother. It was hard to grow up in a small town of West Troy especially when you live on the square and everyone knows your business. Sherri found a new family of choice and freedom when she got a job at the Playboy resort in Lake Geneva, WI. It was interesting to read about the interviewing process, where the girls lived, the rules the girls had to live by, and their interaction with the guests. Life as a Playboy bunny is not all glamor as it would appear. She meet some men that added to life experiences but she would have rather avoided. She experienced trouble with friends and probably met the love of her life. Sherri was not a bunny for a long period of time but those months shaped the rest of her life.
Pay attention to the prologue in Palm Springs, 2019.. It comes around in the ending, like many books. I did find the ending of her younger life and the transition into her later life a bit abrupt. Ms. Clancy did tie up Sherri's life and did not leave me with questions which I appreciate in an ending.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for an advanced copy of #ShoulderSeason. I hope the best for #ChristinaClancy with Shoulder Season and I hope she keep writing books I love.
September 16, 2020
Expertly researched and flawlessly executed, SHOULDER SEASON has a bit of everything: adventure and excess; love and heartbreak; shocking tragedy. You’ll start reading for the wild ride of the Playboy Resort but stay for Sherri, the complex protagonist at the heart of this exquisite novel. Clancy is a master of place, rendering Wisconsin so vividly that I’m homesick for somewhere I’ve never been. SHOULDER SEASON tore me apart then pieced me back together in ways I wasn’t expecting. I’ll be thinking about this novel for a long time.
November 11, 2020
I am literally just going to get into it. And ripping a new one is going to be incredibly topical for this review.
Let me first start by saying, coming of age stories are cool in my book. Historical fiction is amazing in my book. Learning about Playboy Bunny culture is so fucking cool in my book. Yet, I found this story to quickly fall and tumble at the hands of a shitty, terrible, no good, rotten ass “protagonist”. Yes, I went there. I can’t even really call Sherri a “protagonist” without disdain because the prefix pro- indicates movement, advancement, and forward momentum. And Sherri simply showed none of those qualities. In fact, she completely did a 180 with little to no redemption until she was a grown ass, old woman. Okay, cool….
Let’s discuss the monster that is Sherri. She is initially presented as this young woman who has had a heavy load placed on her shoulders. First chapters or so, she wasn’t so bad. You could feel for her and the situation she was in. But she quickly shows what I can only assume are her true colors. That was pretty much one of the last times I liked Sherri. From there, it kind of snowballs out of control. As does my patience and understanding with her.
So why do I hate this woman so passionately?
1. She isn’t smart. I don’t know why Clancy would continuously tell us Sherri was intelligent when she did literally little to nothing to prove Sherri’s intelligence. I can think of one single instance when Sherri indicated any sort of cerebral life in that dome of hers. Just saying, J.K. Rowling didn’t have to continuously tell us how smart Hermione was. It was evident in the characters actions. Clancy needs to spend a little time working that out. Or stop fucking saying it. It is okay to be an idiot. I’d also like to express that we aren’t talking stupid like I didn’t like her. I am legitimately claiming that her intelligence level was not even average. Reading her thoughts and understanding on things in this book is like mind boggling.
2. Sherri is immature, which doesn’t make a poor character. But she literally can’t even say the word condom out loud because that is embarrassing. Honey, if you can’t say condom out loud, you aren’t mature enough to be having sex. Furthermore, she bangs a guy and suddenly thinks they are something. And goes on and on about it even claiming he is her boyfriend. I don’t care how young or naïve you are. It was delusional at best. A “smart individual” would not have carried on like she did. I still read YA and enjoy it. So this isn’t a preference thing. This was a whole other level of infuriating immature ignorance.
3. Sherri is also a judgmental little bitch. This whole story she is passing judgement on Carmen for stripping to support a brother who was physically hurt. It was hard to swallow the absurd “I’m better than you” attitude from Sherri. And she keeps this mantra through out the book like she doesn’t wear a skimpy/basically stripper outfit for a living too.
4. Sherri is a shitty person to those she loves.
5. There really is no redemption or glow up. Sherri does her shitty routine and all of sudden its decades later and I have to take Clancy’s word that she isn’t a shitty bitch anymore. And I already don’t trust Clancy because she keeps telling me how smart Sherri is and yet she isn’t at all. So cool follow-up, but I ain’t buying it.
Overall, I thought this was a god awful story. Usually, I am not so aggressive with books and reviewing the bad. But this was a punishment to finish reading. There are many coming of age stories out there that do the theme much more justice. I would love to try another story surrounding the Bunny culture and lifestyle though. That was probably the best part of this story.
Also, I think Clancy wrote about the wrong character. Sherri was weak and stupid. Roberta wasn’t. I think this review would have been entirely different if we saw Roberta take over the Playboy Bunny culture and lifestyle.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the read. St. Martin’s Press don’t be angry with me and please keep approving my NetGalley requests.
***
It's risky creating protagonists that are so incredibly unlikable and stupid. I had really no reason to like Sherri and could not connect with this story.
NetGalley read. Full review to come.
Let me first start by saying, coming of age stories are cool in my book. Historical fiction is amazing in my book. Learning about Playboy Bunny culture is so fucking cool in my book. Yet, I found this story to quickly fall and tumble at the hands of a shitty, terrible, no good, rotten ass “protagonist”. Yes, I went there. I can’t even really call Sherri a “protagonist” without disdain because the prefix pro- indicates movement, advancement, and forward momentum. And Sherri simply showed none of those qualities. In fact, she completely did a 180 with little to no redemption until she was a grown ass, old woman. Okay, cool….
Let’s discuss the monster that is Sherri. She is initially presented as this young woman who has had a heavy load placed on her shoulders. First chapters or so, she wasn’t so bad. You could feel for her and the situation she was in. But she quickly shows what I can only assume are her true colors. That was pretty much one of the last times I liked Sherri. From there, it kind of snowballs out of control. As does my patience and understanding with her.
So why do I hate this woman so passionately?
1. She isn’t smart. I don’t know why Clancy would continuously tell us Sherri was intelligent when she did literally little to nothing to prove Sherri’s intelligence. I can think of one single instance when Sherri indicated any sort of cerebral life in that dome of hers. Just saying, J.K. Rowling didn’t have to continuously tell us how smart Hermione was. It was evident in the characters actions. Clancy needs to spend a little time working that out. Or stop fucking saying it. It is okay to be an idiot. I’d also like to express that we aren’t talking stupid like I didn’t like her. I am legitimately claiming that her intelligence level was not even average. Reading her thoughts and understanding on things in this book is like mind boggling.
2. Sherri is immature, which doesn’t make a poor character. But she literally can’t even say the word condom out loud because that is embarrassing. Honey, if you can’t say condom out loud, you aren’t mature enough to be having sex. Furthermore, she bangs a guy and suddenly thinks they are something. And goes on and on about it even claiming he is her boyfriend. I don’t care how young or naïve you are. It was delusional at best. A “smart individual” would not have carried on like she did. I still read YA and enjoy it. So this isn’t a preference thing. This was a whole other level of infuriating immature ignorance.
3. Sherri is also a judgmental little bitch. This whole story she is passing judgement on Carmen for stripping to support a brother who was physically hurt. It was hard to swallow the absurd “I’m better than you” attitude from Sherri. And she keeps this mantra through out the book like she doesn’t wear a skimpy/basically stripper outfit for a living too.
4. Sherri is a shitty person to those she loves.
5. There really is no redemption or glow up. Sherri does her shitty routine and all of sudden its decades later and I have to take Clancy’s word that she isn’t a shitty bitch anymore. And I already don’t trust Clancy because she keeps telling me how smart Sherri is and yet she isn’t at all. So cool follow-up, but I ain’t buying it.
Overall, I thought this was a god awful story. Usually, I am not so aggressive with books and reviewing the bad. But this was a punishment to finish reading. There are many coming of age stories out there that do the theme much more justice. I would love to try another story surrounding the Bunny culture and lifestyle though. That was probably the best part of this story.
Also, I think Clancy wrote about the wrong character. Sherri was weak and stupid. Roberta wasn’t. I think this review would have been entirely different if we saw Roberta take over the Playboy Bunny culture and lifestyle.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the read. St. Martin’s Press don’t be angry with me and please keep approving my NetGalley requests.
***
It's risky creating protagonists that are so incredibly unlikable and stupid. I had really no reason to like Sherri and could not connect with this story.
NetGalley read. Full review to come.
November 15, 2020
I was a big fan of Clancy’s debut novel THE SECOND HOME and her sophomore novel did not disappoint.
After losing her parents, Sherri Taylor makes a very out of character decision to become a bunny at The Playboy Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Young and impressionable, Sherri is pulled into a world that is far outside her comfort zone and is forced to make decisions and choices that have lasting ripple effects.
SHOULDER SEASON is ultimately a coming of age story about a young woman trying to learn how to love herself without needing the approval and acceptance of anyone else.
It is clear the author did a lot of research into the lives of the bunnies and I appreciated all of the details. It was also interesting to get the juxtaposition of the small town, mid-West mentality and the glitz and glam of the Playboy empire in the 80s.
SHOULDER SEASON features a large cast of supporting characters so there is always someone to love and someone to hate. With crisp writing and great pacing, Clancy pulls you so fully into a scene that it’s easy to imagine you are there with the characters.
I highly enjoyed this book and recommend you pick up a copy when it comes out in July 2021. While you’re waiting you should definitely check out Clancy’s first book, THE SECOND HOME.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advance reading copy.
After losing her parents, Sherri Taylor makes a very out of character decision to become a bunny at The Playboy Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Young and impressionable, Sherri is pulled into a world that is far outside her comfort zone and is forced to make decisions and choices that have lasting ripple effects.
SHOULDER SEASON is ultimately a coming of age story about a young woman trying to learn how to love herself without needing the approval and acceptance of anyone else.
It is clear the author did a lot of research into the lives of the bunnies and I appreciated all of the details. It was also interesting to get the juxtaposition of the small town, mid-West mentality and the glitz and glam of the Playboy empire in the 80s.
SHOULDER SEASON features a large cast of supporting characters so there is always someone to love and someone to hate. With crisp writing and great pacing, Clancy pulls you so fully into a scene that it’s easy to imagine you are there with the characters.
I highly enjoyed this book and recommend you pick up a copy when it comes out in July 2021. While you’re waiting you should definitely check out Clancy’s first book, THE SECOND HOME.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advance reading copy.
October 16, 2020
Hauntingly beautiful. Incredibly poignant. Please, PLEASE read this book!
Summary: After the death of her parents n the 1980s, teenager Sherri becomes a Playboy Bunny in order to make something of herself. She loves her job, as it is almost a form of escape for her. Gradually, her romantic life begins to take off, and she is torn between two men, Mitch and Arthur. We know little about both, but through the story of Sherri's life, a beautiful and heartbreaking story takes place, following Sherri up until present day.
*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***
I am so thankful that I was able to read an early copy of this novel. I became so intertwined with the characters and their lives that it took up residence inside of me.
I thought that the storytelling was extremely well done, as I was transported back in time to sleepy little East Troy. I fell in love with Sherri, then Mitch, and then, finally Arthur. I grew with Sherri and these characters. Then, I experienced a devastating loss of Arthur with Sherri that led me scrambling around, trying to pick up the pieces. And then, at the very end, I was able to find closure with Sherri. I was able to say goodbye to this beautiful cast of characters and this wonderful novel.
I can safely say that I will be purchasing this book when it is finally released, and I hope you do as well.
Summary: After the death of her parents n the 1980s, teenager Sherri becomes a Playboy Bunny in order to make something of herself. She loves her job, as it is almost a form of escape for her. Gradually, her romantic life begins to take off, and she is torn between two men, Mitch and Arthur. We know little about both, but through the story of Sherri's life, a beautiful and heartbreaking story takes place, following Sherri up until present day.
*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***
I am so thankful that I was able to read an early copy of this novel. I became so intertwined with the characters and their lives that it took up residence inside of me.
I thought that the storytelling was extremely well done, as I was transported back in time to sleepy little East Troy. I fell in love with Sherri, then Mitch, and then, finally Arthur. I grew with Sherri and these characters. Then, I experienced a devastating loss of Arthur with Sherri that led me scrambling around, trying to pick up the pieces. And then, at the very end, I was able to find closure with Sherri. I was able to say goodbye to this beautiful cast of characters and this wonderful novel.
I can safely say that I will be purchasing this book when it is finally released, and I hope you do as well.
April 17, 2024
Side note: Goodreads, 1981 is not HF
Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy is a book about a young adult finding her way in life. On the journey she becomes a Bunny Sherrie She finds she is turning the heads of men , as she is learning how to put on makeup, she is also learning how to live in a world of sex drugs and rich men. As she encounters a life that women are undervalued , over sexed, she learns she can continue to faster and further with alcohol coke and speed. Well she could until she couldn’t. It led to her down fall.
I get people can go from rags to riches. But Sherrie seemed to go from Bunny to honey and kept getting ahead. I found the book shallow with underdeveloped characters. Perhaps it is me. I am all about Female Power and watch what i can do. Being a young adult in the 80s i remember well how women were sexualized, devalued and expected to be sexataries, teachers or nurses. I would have liked more detail on how Sherrie got ahead. How she gave up one lifestyle for a new one.
As for the overall story, i did enjoy it. It was potential which pulled the reader in.
Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy is a book about a young adult finding her way in life. On the journey she becomes a Bunny Sherrie She finds she is turning the heads of men , as she is learning how to put on makeup, she is also learning how to live in a world of sex drugs and rich men. As she encounters a life that women are undervalued , over sexed, she learns she can continue to faster and further with alcohol coke and speed. Well she could until she couldn’t. It led to her down fall.
I get people can go from rags to riches. But Sherrie seemed to go from Bunny to honey and kept getting ahead. I found the book shallow with underdeveloped characters. Perhaps it is me. I am all about Female Power and watch what i can do. Being a young adult in the 80s i remember well how women were sexualized, devalued and expected to be sexataries, teachers or nurses. I would have liked more detail on how Sherrie got ahead. How she gave up one lifestyle for a new one.
As for the overall story, i did enjoy it. It was potential which pulled the reader in.
January 1, 2022
3.5 stars
This was a trip down memory lane, the story of Sherry Taylor from East Troy, WI, who becomes a Playboy bunny at the first Playboy club in America, Lake Geneva, back in the early 1980s. Growing up just miles from there, all the venues were familiar to me, including the club, as we college students felt very privileged and special to have drinks there occasionally. What a joke! It went bust after a short time and today is a very nice family resort. A beautiful area that we still like visiting often.
Here we see how difficult and demeaning it was to be a bunny, and really just being a single woman, back then. Sherry grew up pretty straight-laced and uses her time as a bunny to go wild, experiment with drugs, and try to figure out what to do with her life. It takes a tragedy to realize she can't be a bunny forever, much as she might like to.
This was a trip down memory lane, the story of Sherry Taylor from East Troy, WI, who becomes a Playboy bunny at the first Playboy club in America, Lake Geneva, back in the early 1980s. Growing up just miles from there, all the venues were familiar to me, including the club, as we college students felt very privileged and special to have drinks there occasionally. What a joke! It went bust after a short time and today is a very nice family resort. A beautiful area that we still like visiting often.
Here we see how difficult and demeaning it was to be a bunny, and really just being a single woman, back then. Sherry grew up pretty straight-laced and uses her time as a bunny to go wild, experiment with drugs, and try to figure out what to do with her life. It takes a tragedy to realize she can't be a bunny forever, much as she might like to.
May 31, 2021
The story was honest to a fault. It revealed all the raw energy of a insecure, struggling young girl. This girl will grow and be hurt and hurt people in return. And life will still go on. It had all the nuances of someone not finding happiness. But that’s what life is all about, isn’t it? We don’t see the best things that are right in front of us. We’re not happy in the moment, because we are chasing a fictional thing.
This made me feel sad and sick. Scared and crazy. I even had to take a break from it. I felt so many things. But mostly I was shocked about the ending! Wow!!
This isn’t a happy light story, but a realistic one.
This was my second book by Christina Clancy and she can really write a colorful story. I highly recommend listening to this for anyone who loves realistic fiction. This audiobook was narrated by Karissa Vacker and she was great!
Thanks to Macmillan Audio via Netgalley.
This made me feel sad and sick. Scared and crazy. I even had to take a break from it. I felt so many things. But mostly I was shocked about the ending! Wow!!
This isn’t a happy light story, but a realistic one.
This was my second book by Christina Clancy and she can really write a colorful story. I highly recommend listening to this for anyone who loves realistic fiction. This audiobook was narrated by Karissa Vacker and she was great!
Thanks to Macmillan Audio via Netgalley.
September 24, 2020
Clancy's second novel is as smart and sharp and keenly-observant as her first, and that's saying a lot, because SECOND HOME (which you should also read) is an incredible book. This novel is a coming-of-age story, but as much one woman's coming of age as it is the coming of age of an entire era and place. I was transfixed and transported to a place I thought too surreal to be true -- a Playboy club in lake country Wisconsin -- but it's all based on her exhaustive, sensitive research. One of the (many) things this book does well, moreover, is to take the surreal, the outlandish, and make them familiar, believable, achingly human. This isn't a story about a Playboy bunny; it's about a brave woman making incredible choices during an incredible time. Book clubs are going to line up for this one, and they should.
September 15, 2021
It's 1981 (yay 80s) and 19 year old Sherri has lost every thing, and finds herself working at The Playboy Resort in small town Wisconsin. Innocent Sherri is exposed to sex and drugs, and a little Rock and Roll. Sherri loses her way for a while, making some terrible decisions along the way which had me yelling at her and shaking my head.
The book starts and ends in 2019, and I thought the author did a great job filling in the nearly 40 year gap, hitting the high points, but giving enough detail that I felt I wasn't missing out.
This book is excellent, I truly felt transported to the time period. It actually reads like a biography and I can't quite believe these people don't exist.
I was lucky enough to read and listen to the audiobook, and the audio was so well done.
Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillanaudio for both the physical and audio copy.
The book starts and ends in 2019, and I thought the author did a great job filling in the nearly 40 year gap, hitting the high points, but giving enough detail that I felt I wasn't missing out.
This book is excellent, I truly felt transported to the time period. It actually reads like a biography and I can't quite believe these people don't exist.
I was lucky enough to read and listen to the audiobook, and the audio was so well done.
Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillanaudio for both the physical and audio copy.
September 3, 2024
Shoulder Season follows Sherri Taylor, a 19 year old reeling from grief after the recent loss of both of her parents. Looking for her next chapter, at the urging of her best friend, Sherri auditions for a “Bunny” role at the family-friendly Playboy resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This experience is eye-opening for Sherri, accustomed to small-town living. She learns a lot, forms friendships with some of the other bunnies, aspires for financial freedom, partakes in drugs and alcohol, and gets caught up in romances.
I liked the premise of this book and the setting, but hoped to enjoy the story more than I did. Understanding Sherri was only 19, I found her challenging to like based on many of her decisions — She would call a young girl a twerp in one sentence, then buy her a toy in the next. Despite saying she wanted independence and stating she didn’t want to get married, Sherri was all about the instalove too. There were multiple instances of contradictions in the story and it seemed to take a long time for Sherri to learn things.
I enjoyed The Second Home by Christina Clancy last summer and am looking forward to her 2025 release, however, Shoulder Season was just an ok read for me.
I liked the premise of this book and the setting, but hoped to enjoy the story more than I did. Understanding Sherri was only 19, I found her challenging to like based on many of her decisions — She would call a young girl a twerp in one sentence, then buy her a toy in the next. Despite saying she wanted independence and stating she didn’t want to get married, Sherri was all about the instalove too. There were multiple instances of contradictions in the story and it seemed to take a long time for Sherri to learn things.
I enjoyed The Second Home by Christina Clancy last summer and am looking forward to her 2025 release, however, Shoulder Season was just an ok read for me.
November 14, 2020
I absolutely loved this book! I was captured by the story, the characters and the settings. I especially enjoyed reading about the regimens of the Playboy Bunnies in their heyday, not an easy life, but they were definitely revered by many in those days.
The main character, Sherri, was a lost soul when she began her life as a Bunny, having just lost her mother after caring for her for a long time. She got caught up in the Bunny lifestyle, complete with drinking, drugs, and sex. What she didn’t realize was that was the beginning of her downward spiral, as the many bad decisions that she made during those months would influence the rest of her life. She wasn’t the most lovable of characters, but she was so vulnerable and naive that I just wanted to scream at her to stop what she was doing. The ending just brought me to tears for Sherri, I didn’t see that one coming at all, but it was perfect.
I loved this story and couldn’t put it down! This will make a great beach read...wish everyone didn’t have to wait until July 2021!
Many thanks to St Martin’s Press & Edelweiss for the advanced digital review copy!
The main character, Sherri, was a lost soul when she began her life as a Bunny, having just lost her mother after caring for her for a long time. She got caught up in the Bunny lifestyle, complete with drinking, drugs, and sex. What she didn’t realize was that was the beginning of her downward spiral, as the many bad decisions that she made during those months would influence the rest of her life. She wasn’t the most lovable of characters, but she was so vulnerable and naive that I just wanted to scream at her to stop what she was doing. The ending just brought me to tears for Sherri, I didn’t see that one coming at all, but it was perfect.
I loved this story and couldn’t put it down! This will make a great beach read...wish everyone didn’t have to wait until July 2021!
Many thanks to St Martin’s Press & Edelweiss for the advanced digital review copy!
September 27, 2020
Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I'll admit that I didn't realize WHAT shoulder season was until reading this book. The Playboy Bunny era. So intriguing and something that we wouldn't aspire to today. This book had very well done characters, and each had an interesting back story. The plot rang true, and there is a plot twist that threw me completely. I love a book where the author goes for originality and puts her heart in it, and you can feel that Ms. Clancy did that. Highly recommended.
July 3, 2021
It’s 1981. Sherri Taylor is 19 years old and was born and raised in the small town of East Troy, Wisconsin. In nearby Lake Geneva, the Playboy Resort and Country Club has become a regional destination. It also becomes a possible escape for Sherri, who has lost both of her parents and seeks a change. When her best friend suggests they try out to become Playboy bunnies, Sherri is shocked when she gets the job. She soon enters a world that at first is extremely exciting. She’s on her own, makes new friends and is earning good money. But Sherri is also exposed to its dark side which has serious consequences.
From the earliest pages of Shoulder Season, which takes place in the present, we know that Sherri, now approaching her 60s, has endured. This engaging book is Sherri’s journey from a young, innocent, naïve girl from the Midwest to an older and wiser survivor.
I enjoyed Christina Clancy’s first book, Second Home, so this book was one I was looking forward to reading. While very different, I, once again, enjoyed the author’s writing style which is crisp and fast-moving. This book clearly required a lot of research to capture the lives of the women who chose to become Playboy bunnies. Shoulder Season also does a good job in providing an early 1980s vibe complete with a cameo by Gregg Allman.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this oftentimes heartbreaking coming-of-age book in advance of its July 6, 2021 publication.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com .
From the earliest pages of Shoulder Season, which takes place in the present, we know that Sherri, now approaching her 60s, has endured. This engaging book is Sherri’s journey from a young, innocent, naïve girl from the Midwest to an older and wiser survivor.
I enjoyed Christina Clancy’s first book, Second Home, so this book was one I was looking forward to reading. While very different, I, once again, enjoyed the author’s writing style which is crisp and fast-moving. This book clearly required a lot of research to capture the lives of the women who chose to become Playboy bunnies. Shoulder Season also does a good job in providing an early 1980s vibe complete with a cameo by Gregg Allman.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this oftentimes heartbreaking coming-of-age book in advance of its July 6, 2021 publication.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com .
September 15, 2020
Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy is a great historic fiction novel that was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I enjoyed traveling along with Sherri, her friend Roberta, and the full cast of characters as Sherri navigates small town Wisconsin, the 1980s, and figuring out life in general. I enjoyed Sherri. She was realistic, entertaining, complex, imperfect, yet like able and relatable. Her life certainly was not dull. It was great to follow along while she ventured out, grew into her own, made mistakes, found love, and found herself.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.
I enjoyed the plot, the smooth dialogue, and the pacing. This is the second book I have read from Ms. Clancy, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
I enjoyed traveling along with Sherri, her friend Roberta, and the full cast of characters as Sherri navigates small town Wisconsin, the 1980s, and figuring out life in general. I enjoyed Sherri. She was realistic, entertaining, complex, imperfect, yet like able and relatable. Her life certainly was not dull. It was great to follow along while she ventured out, grew into her own, made mistakes, found love, and found herself.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.
I enjoyed the plot, the smooth dialogue, and the pacing. This is the second book I have read from Ms. Clancy, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
September 15, 2020
This was such an amazing story! Sherri is on her own, from a small town in Wisconsin. Her friend Roberta tells her she has an interview at the Playboy Club resort to be a Playboy Bunny. She wants Sherri to come and apply too. Reluctantly, Sherri goes along and is hired, but Roberta is not. Sherri has found a new family among her co-workers. She is looking for glamor, fun, non-stop parties and magical romance. Along the way she makes mistakes, learns from some, but not from others. At the end of the cycle it all comes together for her. I could not do justice in giving more details. It is simply a delightful story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 16, 2020
With literary flair and great empathy, Christina Clancy chronicles the exhilaration and disillusionment of a small-town girl who takes a job as a “Bunny” during the waning days of Wisconsin’s Playboy Resort. Seamlessly researched and beautifully written, Shoulder Season vividly evokes a uniquely 1980s kind of “glamour” that’s almost inconceivable today but still hums with contemporary resonance. Clancy is a gifted storyteller, and Shoulder Season is a riveting tale of ambition, hard-won independence, romance, heartbreak and hope.
November 10, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
Shoulder Season.
I was intrigued by the premise so I was excited when my request was approved.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
Sherri Taylor is from a small town and has spent most of her life caring for her sick mother.
When she passes, Sherri desperately wants to leave her provincial hometown and do something with her life. Like, live it.
When she is offered a fantastic opportunity to become a Playboy Bunny, she jumps at the chance.
But her dreams of independence and a freewheeling life comes at a cost when her superficial ways derail her path in life and force her to face up to her mistakes, but not without suffering a devastating personal loss.
In the beginning, I sympathized and related to Sherri's hopes and dreams for a bigger, more interesting life.
There's nothing wrong with wanting more out of life, but as the narrative progressed, it began to read like those cheesy 80s/90s movies my sister and I enjoyed watching when we were young.
You know the plot; a naive country girl comes to the big city with dreams of stardom and becoming a model/actress but ends up in the porn business and/or becoming a sex worker. The girl ends up as a drug addict, and if she's lucky, not dead by 30.
I quickly lost sympathy for Sherri as her self respect and dignity eroded and her partying and selfish ways wrecked her life, and ruined personal and professional relationships before she hit rock bottom.
Shoulder Season is a coming of age story, and I'm not a big fan of those types of genres.
What made reading this un-fun was I didn't like Sherri and the narrative went on too long.
It became tedious, the parties, Sherri's repetitive utterances that she wanted to be loved and desired, her dalliances with Mitch and Arthur, followed by more parties.
What I did find fascinating was the culture of the Playboy Bunnies; the routines, rules and hierarchy. That was so interesting!
The fact that the resorts were touted as 'family friendly' was so bizarre I still can't wrap my head around it.
This book offered some insight behind the Playboy Bunnies when Playboy was at the height of its power and fame, but as a coming-of-age story, I didn't care for the main character and the stereotypical path of her journey.
I was intrigued by the premise so I was excited when my request was approved.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
Sherri Taylor is from a small town and has spent most of her life caring for her sick mother.
When she passes, Sherri desperately wants to leave her provincial hometown and do something with her life. Like, live it.
When she is offered a fantastic opportunity to become a Playboy Bunny, she jumps at the chance.
But her dreams of independence and a freewheeling life comes at a cost when her superficial ways derail her path in life and force her to face up to her mistakes, but not without suffering a devastating personal loss.
In the beginning, I sympathized and related to Sherri's hopes and dreams for a bigger, more interesting life.
There's nothing wrong with wanting more out of life, but as the narrative progressed, it began to read like those cheesy 80s/90s movies my sister and I enjoyed watching when we were young.
You know the plot; a naive country girl comes to the big city with dreams of stardom and becoming a model/actress but ends up in the porn business and/or becoming a sex worker. The girl ends up as a drug addict, and if she's lucky, not dead by 30.
I quickly lost sympathy for Sherri as her self respect and dignity eroded and her partying and selfish ways wrecked her life, and ruined personal and professional relationships before she hit rock bottom.
Shoulder Season is a coming of age story, and I'm not a big fan of those types of genres.
What made reading this un-fun was I didn't like Sherri and the narrative went on too long.
It became tedious, the parties, Sherri's repetitive utterances that she wanted to be loved and desired, her dalliances with Mitch and Arthur, followed by more parties.
What I did find fascinating was the culture of the Playboy Bunnies; the routines, rules and hierarchy. That was so interesting!
The fact that the resorts were touted as 'family friendly' was so bizarre I still can't wrap my head around it.
This book offered some insight behind the Playboy Bunnies when Playboy was at the height of its power and fame, but as a coming-of-age story, I didn't care for the main character and the stereotypical path of her journey.
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