REVIEW: Outstanding! I’m blown away by the new novel Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy. Don’t get me wrong, her first novel Second Home was great but this new novel was even better. I am astounded. I enjoyed immersing myself in this story and I didn’t want it to end. It was that good. 

A large portion of the book has to do with a young girl named Sherri who applies for and becomes a Playboy Bunny. We learn what life was like at the resort for Sherri and we find out what the training and expectations were for these women. Although most of the Playboy clubs are closed, a few still exist.   

Her research was excellent. It was a big part of what made this book so good. The clubs were considered family friendly and I enjoyed the behind the scenes peek. I think you will too!

Her writing flowed like butter and her character development was excellent. There were parts that were hard to read especially the ones we see mistakes in judgement being made. You care for Sherri enough you want to reach out and tap her on the shoulder and tell her to think twice. I enjoyed getting to know her and all the pieces that make her who she was.

If you liked Second Home, you’ll love Shoulder Season even though it is so totally different. I highly recommend this book! 

I received a copy of this book from #St.MartinsPublishingGroup and #Netgalley. Thank you! 

SYNOPSIS: 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.