Author: Christina Clancy
Series: None
Publication Date: July 6, 2021
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 336
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line:
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab
Summary: 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. ~amazon.com
Review: I knew a year ago when I first heard about Shoulder Season that I needed to read it. I grew up going to Lake Geneva and yet somehow the fact that there was a Playboy Resort there was never known to me. The idea that it was billed as a family resort kind of cracks me up as well, so I wanted to read about one naive, young woman's experience as a bunny.
Sherri needs a change in her life as it's been filled with a lot of loss; so when her best friend wants to go for an interview at the Playboy resort she begs Sherri to come along and just interview. The interview and desire to hire her will change the trajectory of her life in good ways and bad. Things will happen that will haunt her until she's almost 60.
Her time at the Playboy resort will be short but the friendships and relationships she makes will see her through years. Sherri grows into herself in her time there but she also makes a lot of mistakes and hurts some people close to her.
I loved that Sherri grew up during her experience but she also had so much more to learn, which unfortunately meant making a few more mistakes but don't we all. I really liked how the story came full circle in the end. The friendships that the woman made as bunnies were inspiring. They really supported each other even if they didn't always get along.
I highly recommend this one if you are at all interested in recent contemporary history.
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