Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy is
Sherri a fascinating dive into the early 1980s at a Playboy Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The story revolves around Sherri, who works as a Bunny when she is 19 and recently lost her mother. The story begins and ends in present-day, when Sherri is in her 60s as she reflects on what happened while she was a Bunny.

Shoulder Season is a coming of age story, where Sherri's decisions in 1981 will affect the rest of her life. The sense of place in Shoulder Season is wonderful and I had a great sense of the characters. Though I sometimes found it difficult to connect with Sherri as she made naive decisions I found really frustrating. The story had some unexpected twists and I wasn't sure what would happen. We get some resolution at the end, but the characters continue to surprise. Overall, a very interesting story that kept my attention. I listened to the audiobook, which was skillfully narrated by Karissa Vacker, who well-embodied Sherri.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I really enjoyed Christina Clancy’s Shoulder Season. Based on the description I wasn’t so sure, I later found myself waiting for chances to be able to listen more.

Sherri needing a change after her parents die, decides to give up her old life and become a Playboy bunny. This book is more about Sherri and her life rather than the Playboy empire itself. Shoulder Season looks into the life of a bunny and young woman in the 80’s - partying, dating, friendships and more. Shoulder Season does not lack in detail of the times. A well developed cast of characters who all have their own secrets and quirks.

Overall, I’d recommend Shoulder Season. It’s engaging and entertaining - a good beach read for sure.

Audio thoughts: Karissa Vacker reads at a good pace and does different character voices very well. Her tone really helped me visualize what Sherri was experiencing.

This was an interesting story. I found the life of a bunny in the Wisconsin Playboy bunny resort interesting. I liked that it was the main focus of the MC so you learn a lot about the world. The weigh ins, the outfit 2 sizes too small, all the starts and men throwing themselves at them (but also trying to use them). I haven't read a book about it before so I was a bit fascinated.

The middle was a little slow but I liked how much it picked up after half way. Also, I did this as an audio book and I thought the narrator was absolutely wonderful! She added a lot of feeling to the story and definitely helped me enjoy it!

<i>A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.</i>

Sherri is at loose ends at nineteen years old after her mother dies. She is an orphan in East Troy, Michigan and doesn't have any idea what to do when her friend Roberta convinces her to audition to work at the Playboy Mansion.. When she becomes a bunny she feels part of something. But is Bunny Sherri the real Sherri? When she experiences another tragedy Sherri needs to figure out who she really is. A story of figuring out which version of yourself is the real one.

The narrator gives Sherri a voice and pulls you in to the story.

Rating: 3.5 rounded down

I always miss Wisconsin a little extra during the summer, and this book was the perfect nostalgia trip. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my copy—out 7/6!

PLOT: Growing up in a small southeastern Wisconsin town, 19-year-old Sherri has never felt comfortable in her own skin. But when her parents die in quick succession in 1981, she auditions to become a bunny at the Playboy resort in Lake Geneva, where rich Chicago businessmen go to escape the city, and has a summer that changes her life.

I enjoyed this one! I was expecting the book to be more of a party—I saw one comparison to Daisy Jones—but it's actually a coming-of-age novel about womanhood and friendship and first love and how the experiences of our youth shape the rest of our lives. I mainly picked this one up for the Wisconsin setting, and in that aspect I definitely wasn't disappointed. Even though I wasn't even born yet when the book takes place, the author did a great job of describing the magic of small-town lake life.

This was an interesting look at a group of women coming of age in the late 70s /early 80s. Navigating through social expectations, financial independence, and many times sexual naiveté.

Although this story is about women who worked at a playboy bunny resort. I feel it could have been at any establishment that has a ideal or reputation for woman being sexually admired. The location of the story being part of playboy did not add to the story as much as I had hoped it would.

Through much of the story Sherri makes some very uninformed, impulsive and often times bad decisions. It also seems by the end she has attributed the outcome and shaping of her life on the 8 months she spent as a bunny.

Overall it was moderately enjoyable while reading but was frustrating to follow all the characters choices. It is not a story I would plan to re-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced audiobook for review.

Set in Wisconsin in 1981, we follow 19 year old Sherri. She has never been the popular girl in small town East Troy, Wisconsin, she had a best friend and a quite regular Highschool experience but after her father dies and she assumes the responsibility of taking care of her ailing mother she is stuck with no alternatives. After her mother's death she is unsure of what to do. Coaxed into interviewing at the Lake Geneva “family friendly” Playboy Resort (which is not fictional but actually existed), she is shocked when she is hired. Enjoying the structure and attention being a Playboy Bunny brings to her life, Sherri learns quite a few things about sex, drugs, and a bit of rock and roll, but misses out on learning about life and love for a while.

She was the kind of protagonist you want to grab by the shoulders and shake or yell at at times for the ill choices or non choices she makes. She was so very naive and unsure of herself it seemed to get worse and worse for a while.
The story is written in a dual timeline and today’s Sherri needs to confront some choices she made and friends she’s hurt when a crisis forces her to go back home. The 40 year time gap is only covered in a couple of sentences but the experiences have led Sherri to growing up and she is now a much more likeable character.
Ultimately it was an interesting story and I did learn some stuff. It was intriguing to google the Lake Geneva Playboy Resort and look at the old pictures and the ads.
I have read articles on Clancy’s research as well that were absolutely fascinating - talking to former bunnies from way back and how their work was regarded in this very wholesome Midwest setting. Clancy herself sees her novel as "a book about looking back, and about how you hold on to the past and how you can feel guilty or bad about dumb things you did."
This one will be published next week, 6 July, so add it to your TBR if it sounds interesting to you!

I was provided a free audio ARC of this book from netgalley and macmillan.audio in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved this book!! It had so many twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!! This was my first book by this Author, and it won’t be the last!! Quick read!! Highly recommended!! You won’t be disappointed!!

I’ve been excited about this book for months - the cover is stunning and the story compulsively readable - a perfect poolside companion for the summer!

Sherri is a naive 19 year old girl from small town Wisconsin who ends up getting a job working as a Playboy bunny at a midwestern resort. Primarily set in the early 80s, this story is a coming of age tale that follows Sherri as she dives into a dark world of sex, drugs and scandal. Having recently lost both parents, Sherri was very much on her own until she became a Bunny, where she makes lifelong friends and meets a series of less than great men. Clancy does a wonderful job bringing to life the sexism and misogyny of the era and just how challenging working as Playboy bunny was.

My one critique was I felt more of an outside observer in Sherri’s life and wanted to connect on a deeper level.

Overall a fun read, perfect for fans of other recent young girl coming of age stories like Mary Jane or Songs in Ursa Major. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advance review copy! This book releases Tuesday and is definitely worth checking out!

I have watched The Girls Next Door and even in this current climate, I frequently proclaim that I wanted to be a Playboy bunny when I "grew up". (I am currently 47 with 4 children so this is clearly an aspiration that is strictly fictional.) I have watched A Bunny's Tale movie based on the Gloria Steinem article written when she worked undercover as a Playboy Bunny cocktail waitress at the NYC Playboy Club and chronicled her experience. So, when I saw the book Shoulder Season...I was all in!

While I enjoyed the story arc of the main character Sherry, I couldn't always find myself rooting for her. Would she be considered a flawed character? She tried to do the right thing but her character's development was a little uneven and inconsistent. The storyline was kind of all over the place and I'm not even sure what genre this would be considered. I think it had great potential but fell a bit flat.

The audiobook, however, is awesome. The narrator is a notable and familiar voice I have heard on other books, and I thought she did a great job!

Overall, I found the novel to be a tad problematic, even despite my intrigue for all things Bunny.
Grateful to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity for this review!

𝙊𝙉𝘾𝙀 𝙄𝙉 𝘼 𝙇𝙄𝙁𝙀𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙀, 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘾𝘼𝙉 𝙃𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙀 𝙊𝙁 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙇𝙄𝙁𝙀

𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨!

What a nice surprise, this coming-of-age story is has everything, scandal, tragedy, friendship and love, it’s the perfect summer read. It was fast-paced, engaging and impossible to put down. And easy to read an enjoyable tale that you need to read.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 NetGalley 𝘢𝘯𝘥 Macmillan Audio 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺.

𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘺 Christina Clancy 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘺 6, 2021.

Read if you like: coming-of-age stories, historical fiction, 80s era, women’s fiction.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

Shoulder season follows Sherri, as small town girl who on a whim decides to interview for a position as a Bunny at a Playboy Resort. We follow her as she grows and learns and tries to reinvent herself.

Okay wow, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I applied to read this book on a whim because I was in the mood for summer read. What I found was a story I could not stop listening until it was over.

This book covers love, loss, friendships and the repercussions of the choices we make.

We able to see the growth of Sherri and what the outcome of the choices she made in her later years, seeing both sides to this gave me a complete feeling.

Shoulder Season is set in the early 80's at a Playboy resort in Wisconsin. Sherri has lost her family and is struggling with what to do next when her friend drags her along to interview for a job as a bunny at the resort. The strict rules the bunnies must follow were interesting and seemed realistic. Sherri was likable at times and not likeable at others. But this made the character seem true to life. A tragedy occurs in Sherri's life that will impact her life and decisions for many years to come.
While the subject matter is not normally something I would be drawn to, I had heard some great things about the book, so I gave it a chance. I am glad I did. The audio book narrator did a great job projecting a 19 year old, and also later years in Sherri's life. A lot of life lessons can be learned from this book. Things are not always like we think they are.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc.

This book was just ok for me. I felt the description of the Midwest was so on point having grown up here myself. I wish I could have connected more to the main character.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the first book I’ve read by Christina Clancy but it will definitely not be my last. I do have her other book, The Second Home, on my list to read, and after reading this one, I will certainly be bumping that one up on my tbr!

First, let’s talk about this cover. It totally screams summer read, and while it is, the book is so much more than that. It’s an honest look into one girl’s struggle as she comes of age in a time that wasn’t easy. I have to say there were times I loved Sherri and there were times I couldn’t stand her or the choices she made, but I loved every second of this book. There is something so compelling about this story that just draws you in. This is exactly the type of summer read I am drawn to when I am looking for something to sink my teeth in to that isn’t my typical thriller or usual war-related historical fiction.

I loved that this is set during a time when the Playboy resorts were still a thing and drugs, sex and rock and roll didn’t have the negative connotations that they do nowadays. The idea of the grass being greener on the other side is such a strong theme throughout this book and I also loved just how much the idea of finding oneself was important. Those are such universal themes, but to see it played out in such a naïve character really hits home.

I cannot recommend this one enough. It is an engaging, entertaining read, perfect for the summer!



Audio thoughts: This was such a great book on audio and Karissa Vacker did such a great job narrating it. Her pacing and intonation were spot on and she infused just the right amount of emotion and tension into her voice as needed. I really enjoyed this one and enjoyed the right it was narrated.

19 year old Sherri Taylor has experienced a lot of loss in her young life.  Her parents recently died within a short time of one another, and she feels lost and disconnected.  When a girlfriend talks to her about the two of them applying to be Playboy bunnies at the nearby resort, Sherri is reluctant.  Upon entering the resort, however, she feels the excitement and glamour of the resort.  With a little help from a bunny, she nails down a position and is moves to the college dorm-like environment aptly called the “bunny hutch”.

Sherri’s new life at the resort is one filled with rules and expectations but she loves being part of a group. She finds herself accepting invitations to party every night and celebrates her new found confidence.  Sherri’s introduced to sex, drugs and rock and roll and soon becomes unrecognizable to those around her.  A tragic event changes everything and Sherri finds herself still contemplating the tragedy 40 years later.

This is a well written and interesting coming of age story.  Initially, Sherri presented as a lost soul trying to find her place in the world without her family.  I can only imagine how difficult this would be at a point in life where we start to develop our own identity. It was nice to see Sherri gain confidence and feel connected to others as she began working at the resort. Over a short length of time, however, her choices became self-destructive, egocentric and manipulative and she became unrecognizable to those around her.   The theme to this book highlights how our actions and choices not only impact us, but also those around us.

I listened to the audiobook version of Shoulder Season which was narrated by Karissa Vacker.   Her expression and enthusiasm were highly enjoyable and easy to listen to.    I would not hesitate to recommend this audiobook version of this book to those that appreciate this format.

What I Liked About Shoulder Season:

- The descriptions of life as a bunny and the resort itself
- The evolution of Sherri’s character throughout the book
- The theme of how our actions impact others

I Recommend This Book To:
Those readers who enjoy historical fiction set in the 1980’s or a good coming of age story.

3.5 stars - I would love to hear a true account from some Playboy bunnies. (I am sure they exist, but I haven't thought to seek them out until now!)

I enjoyed the stories of Sheri leaving home after high school, to become a bunny at a Playboy resort in Wisconsin. Honestly, it reminded me of going off to college. There is a lot of debauchery going on, and you are now a legal adult who chooses your level of participation. There are also plenty of opportunities to learn and mature, and to experience the glory and heartache that the real world has to offer.

I didn't really like Sheri very much, but I think that sometimes hooks you further into the book. ("What is this idiot getting herself into now???")

This is a fun read for the summer. It made me want to grab a swim (bunny?) suit and jump in the lake

The narrator did an incredible job of portraying 19 year old Sherri. The narrator also did an excellent job with the voices of the other playboy bunnies throughout the novel. They sounded just like I imagined them to sound. Young, pouty, and often naive.

This story is more of a historical fiction of what life was like for these young ladies in the early 1980’s working as playboy bunnies. The lifestyle and behaviors depicted in this book is what I pretty much expected despite my limited knowledge of playboy bunnies.

I didn’t really learn anything new in this book and for some reason I thought I would. But, it was an entertaining light listen that I enjoyed. I do think the narrator added more than what I might have gained from simply reading it.

The Second Home from this author is really worth reading, which is what initially prompted me to check this new release out.

Thank you Macmillan audio and Netgalley for an ARC audible version of this book. The opinions are solely my own.

This was a great book about a dazzling 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.

Sherri Taylor is a nineteen-year old lives in a small town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is an unlikely location for a Playboy Resort. 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.

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 Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

Pub Date 06 Jul 2021
Archive Date 13 Jul 2021

Author: Christina Clancy

A coming of age story set at the Playboy Resort in the early 1980s. Sherri is lost, she just lost her mother and father very close together. When her best friend asks her to go on a job interview to the Playboy Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, she decides to go, just to spend time with her friend. Unbeknownst to her, she receives an offer, while her friend does not.

Quickly Sherri’s life turns into a world of glamour, partying and drug use. She meets men, who fly her to locations. When she meets Arthur, Sherri catches a glimpse of her future. While trying to mange Arthur and this wild lifestyle, an incident happens that will haunt her for the rest of her life.

This was such a fun read. Sherri entered the story, lost, not knowing what to turn to. She quickly grows into a strong confident woman that you get to follow for the next 40 years. I really enjoyed this story a lot. This is a perfect beach read for anybody looking for a little glamour.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan Audio for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.