What a fantastic new read from auto-buy author, Christina Clancy!

After The Second Home, which I loved for it's Cape Cod setting I wasn't quite sure what to expect with a story centered around a Playboy Bunny! This book is a true reflection of youth, risk-taking, insecurities, immaturity and self-worth. What a great opportunity to read this coming of age story of Sherri and her best friend, Roberta. Oh the lives young women can live .. and often how that is wasted on the youth! The books was smart, funny, introspective, charming and captured the resourcefulness and perseverance of these characters.

Sherri is 18 and directionless after losing both of her parents. She's never felt pretty or popular, but on a whim, accompanies her friend Roberta for an interview at a Playboy Resort in Lake Geneva, WI. Sherri gets hired and the seemingly more self-assured Roberta does not. All of a sudden, a whole new world opens up for Sherri and she gains confidence, but she's still a very naive girl who makes a lot of mistakes when it comes to men.

I had not known much about the Playboy Bunny culture before reading this book, how strict the rules were for the girls and how the Bunny Mother tried to protect them.

I could relate to Sherri in some ways because I was hired into a profession that is often considered glamorous and I'd always thought of myself as kind of nerdy. My job gave me a lot of confidence, independence and worldliness, but like Sherri, I was kind of naive about men.

I also liked that this book was set in the 80's which is when I graduated from high school and college and that there were a lot of references to what was popular then.

In the end, the story was a little bit sad with a twist I didn't see coming, but overall, this novel kept my attention and I enjoyed the writing style.

Sherri, a recently orphaned 18 year old takes a job at the nearby Playboy resort as a bunny. Previously very naive, she is exposed to a whole new world where many people (especially men) take advantage of her. Eventually, the trauma of it all leads her down a path of drugs & alcohol. Sherri experiences a great deal more loss as a result of her time as a Bunny before she eventually leaves her job behind and is able start over.

The premise of this book fascinated me. I am familiar with the Lake Geneva area and never knew there was a Playboy Resort in the area, so immediately I wanted to read this.

This book is a coming of age story about Sherri Taylor from the the small town of East Troy, Wisconsin during 1981. Sherri is 19 years old and is recently orphaned. Feeling lost and directionless, she accompanies her childhood friend Roberta to a job interview to become a Playboy Bunny at the nearby Playboy Resort in Lake Geneva. Sherri ends up getting the job (not Roberta) and immerses herself in the lifestyle - working, living, and partying at the resort.

Throughout the book, Sherri grows from a naive and kind young woman to a world-weary drug addicted woman struggling to cope with the losses she's experienced in her life to a mature woman in her 60s managing an art museum in Palm Springs. She experiences sex and relationships while feeling empowered in her Playboy Bunny position and forms bonds with her co-workers that last her lifetime.

"Shoulder Seasons" definitely kept my rapt attention, and I wanted to read it. I stayed up late reading it several nights.

However, I did not like Sherri AT ALL. I found her to be an extreme narcissist. The author in one paragraph would describe her to be a kind, Midwestern, naive young lady, but the next paragraph found her rude and manipulative. When a horrible event happens to Sherri later in the novel while she was working, it seems odd that she would be so naive when just previously she had been manipulating a sexual partner. Sherri was not a well tuned character, and I cared very little for her.

What kept me going was to learn out how Sherri became a successful art museum curator in present day from her experiences in the 1980s, and the "reason" was a cop out and barely discussed.

The ending felt rushed and was not fulfilling.

Overall, I had hoped for a more literary read, but found this to be an enjoyable beach read. I definitely enjoyed reading it, but was not as blown away by it as I had hoped to be.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC for an honest review.

I enjoyed and was drawn to the subject of this book. It was so interesting to learn about playboy bunnies and that lifestyle in the 1980’s. I had some trouble with the characters, especially the main character. I found her hard to connect to and pretty unlikable.

Shoulder Season tells the recollections of Sherri, who was a Bunny at the Wisconsin Playboy resort in the 1970s/1980s. The timeline wasn’t too clear. The story moves fairly slowly, and reads like a memoir instead of a fiction novel. It’s fine, I suppose but the writing didn’t grab my attention until the ending, where Sherri returns to her hometown after nearly 40 years away. I loved how the author described the new perspective that we have on our roots as we age and appreciate different things.

A novel about the 1980’s world of Playboy bunnies. I was hoping for a more Gloria Steinem version. Instead, we have a protagonist who is young and makes poor decisions. Not a deal breaker on its own, but I found her unlikeable and I bailed on this one.

Take your preconceived notions of what it was like to be a Playboy Bunny and toss them, no, heave them at full force into the abyss. Shoulder Season is a decades-long walk in towering stiletto heels along winding country roads of Wisconsin's lakes and into the desert of Palm Springs. Sherri Taylor's mother has just passed away, just a few years after her father had passed, leaving her alone before she's even become an adult. Barely twenty years old, she's on her own, naive, and desperate for life to begin. A friend drags her along to an interview at Wisconsin's Playboy Club, labeled a "family resort", and she's hired. Caught up in the whirlwind of freedom, Sherri lacks direction and loses herself in the nonstop party making choices that push her further from her small town midwestern roots. Not ready for the party to end, Sherri crashes into an unimaginable disaster, and, finding she can't cope, she flees to California. Finally ready to get her act together, Sherri knows she'll never be able to let go of the past. But the past isn't always how we remember - and every person has their own version to add to the picture of what once was. Forced to return to Wisconsin after 40 years away, Sherri learns seasons change, people move on, and our memories may not be the most accurate review of the past.
An excellent choice for book clubs - should be on everyone's summer 2021 reading list.

Christina Clancy’s ‘Shoulder Season’ is, at its core, a search for home. It’s nostalgic, poignant, and hopeful in its scope, and takes the reader on a journey that is both familiar and foreign.

When 19-year-old Sherri Taylor tags along to an audition to be a bunny at one of Playboy’s resorts, the last thing she expects is for her hiring to change the trajectory of her life. Steeped in wistfulness and youthful naiveté, Sherri’s coming-of-age story is equal parts heartbreaking and uplifting as she discovers who she really is underneath the bunny ears.

Set mostly in the past, ‘Shoulder Season’ is a delightful immersion in the early 1980s, into a past that feels more distant than it actually is. Sherri is a compelling protagonist, and you’ll cringe at her frailties while also crying with her as she experiences loss and despair. The plot deftly begins in the present and then spends the majority of the novel exploring the past, and then returns to the present in the perfect coda.

This novel wasn’t what I expected, and it wasn’t until the final few paragraphs that I felt the circuitous completeness and sense of peace that I was longing for. Clancy’s deft storytelling skills makes this a novel not to be missed.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a freaking page turner. Book had me guessing from page to page and I never wanted to put it down. Literally did not see the end coming. At all. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sherri Taylor is 19 years old and looking for more in life after caring for her sick mother who recently passed away. Almost as a fluke she interviews to be a Playboy bunny at the local resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. For the first time she is living on her own and experiencing a lot of firsts with relationships, drinking and drugs. A lot of opportunities are there for the taking and she's enjoying every minute of it! When an event happens at the end of the summer season it will haunt her for YEARS thinking that it was all her fault. Sherri moves to California and starts a whole new life. When she is called home years later she really comes to see how a small town and old friendships can mean more than you can ever know! Highly recommend this book!

Shoulder Season tells the story of Bunny Sherri, an unlikely addition to the Playboy resort in Wisconsin. As the reader gets to know Sherri, we quickly become invested in her life. Through ups and downs and some tragedies, the author manages an entertaining and well written novel.

What a train wreck. I could not finish this after getting 3/4 into it. Sherri is supposed to be very smart but her life decisions just keep getting worse and worse as the story moves on. After the only likable character drowns and stupid Sherri runs off to stupid Mitch in California I quit reading. Just don’t care what happens. I’m sure there are lessons here about those who are smart but not street smart and how your upbringing affects your life but it’s not enough to save it. I did enjoy the Wisconsin references since it’s where I live.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for providing the arc of Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy in exchange for my honest review.

Shoulder Season mostly takes place in the ’80s, in southern Wisconsin. Although we meet the MC, Sherri when she’s in her sixties living in California. After receiving some bad news about someone from her past, Sherri starts reminiscing about her past and she takes us along for the ride.

When we meet young Sherri her mother is sick, her father passed away a few years back. She’s a small-town girl with no plans for the future. When her mother passes away, she feels lost and trapped. Her BFF, Roberta, invites her to Lake Geneva, the home of a Playboy Resort, where Roberta has an interview to be a Bunny. Feeling insecure about herself, Sherri isn’t keen on going, but Roberta convinces her and with nothing else to do, Sherri goes.

Bunny Sherri is your typical lost twenty years old, who doesn’t know what to do with her life. Her first taste of freedom involves sex and drugs, which leads to bad decisions and hurting the people around her. We follow Sherri as she meets new people and misjudges a lot of them. Her naivete is obvious and kind of heartbreaking. There were many times I wanted to tell her to run. But we all make mistakes. When tragedy strikes, Sherri hops in her brand new, ugly brown car and heads straight for California and to a man, she thought she knew.

I had a difficult time with this one because Sherri’s flaws and wrong turns frustrated me. Although Clancy handles young Sherri well, I had a really hard time reading this one. I almost quit twice because I was SO annoyed with her. BUT overall it’s a quick read and gives a peek into the Playboy world. I wouldn’t call this one my favorites, but if you’re looking for something with a look at how we grew over time and how our mistakes shape us, you might enjoy this one.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy when I chose to read it but I was quickly blown away by it. Placed in East Troy, WI in the early 1980's, Sherri is a young woman who has lost both of her parents. Her father had passed away when she was younger and then she spent her late teen years taking care of a dying mother. So, when her best friend suggests that she come with her to apply at the Playboy Club in Lake Geneva for a bunny job she goes along on a lark. Surprised to be hired, Sherri decides she needs to belong somewhere and doesn't want to live in the apartment she shared with her mother, so the Playboy Club it is. We follow Sherry through her ups and downs, making friends with some of the girls, being pushed around by others and by the Bunny Mother. There are some nice men and there are of course the creeps.

The pressure on the girls to always look and act a certain way are strong and when Sherry has trouble zipping up her uniform she resorts to speed to help with her weight. The partying is certainly part of the life the girls lead but there is much more to their lives and their struggles to be true to themselves. Clancy does a great job of showing us the complexities of her characters.

I grew up in Southern Wisconsin and absolutely loved Clancy's descriptions of the area and mentioning the places that Sherri went while in the area. I have even stayed in the resort that had been the Playboy Club along with taking a boat trip on Lake Geneva. I hope I remember to tell all my school friends to read the book when it comes out next summer!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance read copy of this book.

I loved Shoulder Season for multiple reasons. When I found out it was about a Playboy Bunny, I simply couldn’t resist and wanted to read this book. Even though it doesn’t take place at the Playboy Bunny Mansion in Los Angeles, I felt that it was still a very realistic depiction of what life as a bunny. This book is a coming-of-age story and this is probably the first book that I have read that I felt was a real authentic coming-of-age story. Sherrie had little to no guidance after her parents died and she was from a small town which made her very vulnerable and naive to the happenings of the real world. This books showed how much she grew up in a short amount of time as a Playboy Bunny and then later showed how much her time as one affected her throughout the many years to come. I loved reading this book and thought it had a lot more substance than I originally thought it would.

Book: The Shoulder Season
Author: Christina Clancy
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for sending me an ARC.

I really enjoyed Christina’s first book, The Second Home, a lot. I went into this one thinking that it would have the same impact on me. However, I ended up being kind of disappointed by it. It wasn’t a bad book by any means, but it just didn’t hit me as hard as The Second Home.

Let’s start with Sherri. I had a very difficult time connecting with her character. She seemed really judgmental, which made her very difficult to actually like. We start out by seeing that she has the weight of the world on her shoulders and life has been tough. It is this difficult life that has forced her to take up the role of a Playboy Bunny. We see her down on her luck and forced to do something that she probably would not have done had life handed her a better hand. In the beginning, I did feel bad for her and thought that I was going to really enjoy her character. However, she started to change and this change was not for the good. We kind of see her turn into a monster. We see her develop this “I’m better than you” attitude toward those around her, which I cannot stand in real life let alone in a book. We also see pass judgement on other characters who, like her, having been given the short end of the stick in life. If characters are going through hard times like yourself, you don’t pass judgement on them.

The writing was okay, but there was a lot of telling, not showing. We have to be told many times around Sherri’s character traits, instead of being shown them. This is a big issue for me. We need to see those traits in the character’s actions to back up what is being said. You can tell us these traits, but just have something in the book to back up what you are saying. I know that Christina is more than capable of doing this. I saw it in The Second Home.

The use of the Playboy Bunny story line was actually pretty interesting. Seeing the characters and how they got to this point really makes you stop and think about what brings people to that point. We get see a lot of people who have fallen on hard times and are just trying to make it in what is a harsh and unforgiving world. Hearing some of the back stories we tear at your heart and make you a little by less judgmental-unlike a certain main character. It is actually this tug that made me give this book a three star rating. I just wish that the whole thing had been done this way.

I still have a lot of faith in this author. I just think that I was expecting The Second Home again and didn’t get it. Had the whole thing pulled at me the way that certain characters did and had I actually enjoyed Sherri’s character, I would have enjoyed this one a lot more.
This book comes out on July 6, 2021.

To begin with, this is a coming-of-age...a naïve young woman who has lost both parents in quick succession. Living in a rural town in Wisconsin what will do with her life now that she is alone. At a suggestion, she decides to interview at the Playboy Club in Lake Geneva. Of course, without a doubt, she becomes a Playboy Bunny. What Playboy is looking for (hard to believe) are girls that are wholesome, that are pert and pretty, well just about everything our protagonist has!! And she gets educated, and certainly doesn't remain naïve for long. Set in the 1980's with our protagonist coming from a farm town of Wisconsin, perhaps I'm being too cynical to believe that we weren't sophisticated back then....yet in thinking about it, we're not talking "big city" here. The appeal here is the need to belong, the need to feel as if you are "one of the girls" not just looking from the outside, to feel the joy of "sisterhood." The author does an excellent job of creating that feeling, that need.; And trust me, you don't have to be from the backwoods to relate to those emotions. Add a romantic triangle, along with sex, drugs and rock'n'roll, you have a story that will bring back nostalgia to some, as well as an entertaining and intriguing novel.

My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Home is a place best arrived at on your own terms." I came into this story not thinking I would enjoy it a lot, because the beginning of the story seemed a bit slow - Sherri seemed shallow, a little naive, but still sweet. I was a little frustrated with her at the beginning for all of her decisions, and I felt bad for her at times too. However, after the event that scarred her and led her to leave home, I got really into the story and I began to really like Sherri. She has endured so much, loved and lost, and I liked how the author brought her home. This story is different from any other I've read before, and while it can be slow, the overall effect at the end is a story well told. I enjoyed this book, and I hope you will too.

Interesting story about a down-on-her-luck young woman who lands a job at the coveted Lake Geneva Playboy Club. This offers an interesting peek into the life of a bunny, and I found it especially interesting as I live 10 minutes away from the abandoned Playboy Resort in Vernon. The story follows Sherri through a wide variety of experiences, from living in the bunny hutch and getting caught up in the life of being a bunny. The story flows smoothly and will draw you in with its vivid characters and the ups and downs of Sherri's life. The character of Sherri herself is not a particularly likeable character, but her story will entertain you nonetheless. A good solid read by a terrific author. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.