Julie's Review: Shoulder Season

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: 
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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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Julie's Review: The Second Home

Author: Christina Clancy
Series: None
Publication Date: June 2, 2020
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 352
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: All families are messy no matter how "normal"

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Summary: After a disastrous summer spent at her family summer home on Cape Cod, seventeen-year-old Ann Gordon was left with a secret that changed her life forever, and created a rift between her sister, Poppy, and their adopted brother, Michael. Now, fifteen years later, her parents have died, leaving Ann and Poppy to decide the fate of the Wellfleet home that's been in the Gordon family for generations. For Ann, the once-beloved house is tainted with bad memories. Poppy loves the old saltbox, but after years spent chasing waves around the world, she isn't sure she knows how to stay in one place. Just when the sisters decide to sell, Michael re-enters their lives with a legitimate claim to the house. But more than that, he wants to set the record straight about that long ago summer. Reunited after years apart, these very different siblings must decide if they can continue to be a family―and the house just might be the glue that holds them together.Told through the shifting perspectives of Ann, Poppy, and Michael, this assured and affecting debut captures the ache of nostalgia for summers past and the powerful draw of the places we return to again and again. It is about second homes, second families, and second chances. ~amazon.com

Review: I really do enjoy a good family drama and The Second Home definitely delivers on that end. Plus it's set in the Cape which I always enjoy as a backdrop to a good story. Anne and Poppy are close sisters and when they add Michael to the mix, it adds another layer to a complicated situation because Michael and Ann were friends before he was adopted by her parents and that leads to some  complicated feelings.  As Ann starts to spend most of her summer babysitting for an affluent family, she gets Michael a job with the landscaper who does most of the houses on the Cape. This leaves Poppy to find new people to hang out with and leads her to the surfers.

This summer is the turning point for all 3 of them as it will define their course in life. Poppy will lose her direction and wander the world not knowing that her parents died in a tragic accident. Ann will have to deal with her choice and the bitterness she feels over her situation. Michael will run to the place that he has always felt the most at home. What this means is that it will send them on a crash course of dealing with the past that none of them were truly prepared to do.

I enjoyed each of the characters and their journey but I perhaps identified the most with Ann who was the eldest daughter and the more responsible one. It is up to her to figure out what to do with the houses and she can't find a will, which will make things even more complex.

There are a couple really good subplots that tie in really well to the overarching plot. In fact, you get to know the characters better by understanding their own individual stories and journeys rather than just the commonalities they have.

I really enjoyed this book and am enjoying the buzz that it is getting because it deserves it. I look forward to what Ms. Clancy writes next.
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