I loved Johnson's last book, Be Frank With Me, for its odd characters so hoped this would have the same balance between unusual and touching. This time, I felt as the premise ended up being too much. It’s set in the 1930s at a divorce ranch in Nevada and it felt flat and a bit silly. It reminded me of one of those old black and white movies they call screwball comedy. Everything was a bit exaggerated, including the dialogue. I hoped it would settle down into something with more depth, but that didn’t happen and I quit at 30%.

This novel was refreshing and funny. I would recommend it, especially for someone who enjoys historical fiction, but would like a break from WW2. It was a story I didn’t know I wanted to read.

I found the interview/story telling idea with the primary character, Howard Stovall Bennett III, a delightful change from the structure of many recent historical fiction novels. This was probably my favorite part. I look forward to enjoying more stories from Julia Claiborne Johnson.

I really enjoyed this story of a Divorce ranch in the 1930’s. I enjoyed learning about each person and their lives. I had no idea that a place like existed then. This book made me wonder if a place like this might exist today.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had never heard of the “Reno cure” and was delighted to read a historical fiction story about something I knew nothing about. The concept of dude range sequel getaways for wealthy women to stay in so they could quickly and legally divorce. I found myself struggling to engage and get into this story because the characters all fell kind of flat for me. I liked the general format of the story - and elderly Ward telling a journalist type person talking about his time as a pseudo cowboy in his youth. And the ending had a nice (but predictable twist). I felt like all of the characters had good potential but maybe there were too many to fully develop? I felt like the most love able character was Dumpling the horse.

In the 1930’s and 1940’s it was possible to get a quickie divorce in Nevada. The twist was that the person (male or female) had to live in Nevada for six weeks. Better Luck Next Time is set at the Flying Leap ranch. It catered to wealthy women who were looking for a divorce. Ward was one of the ranch hands that “tended” to the women. And by that I mean they served their meals, took them on trail rides, drove them to their lawyer appointments or shopping excursions. Ward and Sam – the other ranch hand – were forbidden to get involved in any way with the future divorcees. But that was before Nina and Emily came to the ranch. They were strangers when they arrived but became seemingly close friends while there. Better Luck Next Time is the story of their “vacation” at the Flying Leap. There are many chapters of laughter and a couple of heartbreak. The story is told by Ward from the present day looking back on the summer of 1938. While I saw part of the ending coming, I didn’t see the finale. Better Luck Next Time is worth the read.

What a fun historical novel. The book is set primarily in the 1930s in Reno at The Flying Leap ranch, catering to rich women staying to get residency and their quickie divorce. This is something Reno is known for in the past, back when if you stayed in the state for six weeks you could establish residency and apply for a divorce that would be settled fast.

The story is told through the lens of one of the ranch hands Ward, looking back 50 or so years later. He is talking to someone who found a photograph with a group of ladies that stayed at the ranch one summer. Ward retells that summer’s adventures, which were many, and turns out to be momentous for him. You do have to suspend disbelief that someone could remember with such details all that happened and conversation and everything such a long while ago.

The book has a campy sort of feel, at least at first, with the antics and colorful language. I enjoyed the sentences and phrasing, a way of putting things in a unique style. I did say this book was fun, but that campy fun part did diminish as the book went along, with the tone and all being more serious. Feels a little uneven with it starting out being light-hearted and laughing along the way.

This book really didn't work for me. I honestly feel bad for saying that but I think the biggest reason it didn't work is because I live in Reno and this book just gets Reno so wrong. . . The author admits to only having spent 1 week here and visiting the historical society for information - which just wasn't enough. So I take issue with technical things like: 1. The Pierce Arrow described couldn't have existed - from 1936-38 they only made 1,000 cars total - from parts left from previous years and they went out of business in 1938 because of the depression. The car sounds like it has 4 doors and a golf club compartment - not possible - they didn't come like that. 2. The biplane had foldable wings and two in-line seats. The only biplane with folding wings (that I could find) was a British one seater from 1919 and I don't think a young American woman pilot would have had access to one. 3. There are no roadrunners in northern Nevada - they are rarely seen in Nevada and if seen are south of Las Vegas crossing into Arizona. 4. Groundhogs are part of the Marmot family - we call them marmots here not gophers. 5. Pyramid Lake isn't a place people would have gone to 'skinny dip' - it's a dangerous lake where numerous people have drowned and it's often 'turning' and algae isn't a fun thing to have hang off of the 'naked' bits. Not to mention that it is the ancient remains of an inland sea and the 'beach' is a dirt shoreline with tiny seashells that cut your feet - and it's HOT and there isn't ANY shade! 6. So much of 'the west' is cliched and wrong - we didn't really have the traditional 'cowboy' like in Texas - we had Basque sheepherders, and they didn't wear 'cowboy' gear. 7. The southern 'cowboy' accent - ugh, so awful. 8. The laundry list of historic places feels like a 'tick the box' drop in of places to make it sound like you're in Reno - Parker's Western Wear, Maples Hotel and Casino (which is mentioned being open in 1938 but wasn't built yet and opened in 1947), Pyramid Lake, the college (which presumably was the University of Nevada, Reno etc. Where's the description of neon signs that were part of the downtown landscape from the late 1920s?Also as far as writing, it was more 'tell me' than show me. It's beautiful here the way the expansive blue sky meets the mountains around the Truckee Meadows and that isn't described - at all. The frame story didn't work with the silent interviewer. Lastly, 'the twist' was telegraphed early in the book. I really wanted to be immersed in my city and I wish I had been able to edit this story to help make it more accurate and believable - it really had potential. I do appreciate that the story was an ode to the authors father who was briefly a cowboy and her mother that was always a doctor. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and I will be talking about the book on an upcoming Podcast - not trashing it, just talking about how it doesn't work well for Northern Nevadans.

I really liked the beginning of this one. It reminded me of the movie/play The Women in all the best ways: sassy women, snappy dialogue, goofy and snarky wordplay... It was populated by characters who were stereotypes but in a fun and entertaining way. It was light-hearted but with bite, and had that Clare Boothe Luce flare that I loved so much in the play / movie.

But what I came to realize as I continued to read, was that this was the entire book. Badinage. It's entertaining, but you need to have some sort of an underlying plot or evolution of the characters to hold that together - and that's where this one floundered for me. It was fun in the beginning, but it started to feel repetitive after a while, and left me wanting something substantial to happen...

Fun tale of 1930's divorce ranch told by one of the cowboys that worked there He is telling the story in the future to a reporter at a nursing home. This story-telling device made sense at the end, but could be a bit distracting to the reader, as it sometimes pulled you away from the action.. The women at the ranch, what brought them their and their hopes for the future was interesting especially considering the time period..

From the prologue I thought this is going to be fun. And it was. Nina, Emily and Max are truly entertaining characters. Delightful.

I struggled with this one because I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I didn’t love Ward’s narration and the portions about his parents’ death didn’t feel like it connected to the rest of the story.

I try to go into books relatively unassuming. While I may have picked up or shelved a book based on the description, when I crack it open I like to just fall head over heels into the plot and figure out what’s going on.

Better Luck Next Time deals with a divorce ranch in Reno, Nevada. Never heard of such a thing? Me either. I was a little bit enamored with the concept. The owners, Max and Margaret give their guests a one-of-a-kind experience, it’s basically a six-week long themed excursion where they’re catered to by young good looking cowboys. They get to pretend to have a “ranch experience” while also going into town for shopping trips and costume parties. Aside from the whole, staying there to get a divorce aspect, the trip sounds like a blast.

This tale had more depth though. The point of view is from a past ranch hand, Ward, who used to work at The Flying Leap. It seems he’s being interviewed by a reporter or journalist but we are only ever party to one side of the conversation here. Through Ward’s recollection we hear all about his time at the ranch and the women who were guests during a specific 6-week stretch.

I think the characters had charm and dimension. The story line was fun to follow, I only wish I could have had more. When Wade leaves the ranch so do we and the supporting characters were so intriguing I wish I could have followed them as well.

I love a historical fiction book about something different, things that are almost forgotten to time , and this fits the bill.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was put off about reading about the goings on at a “dude” ranch but I was pleasantly surprised.. l loved the narrator, a young innocent man, surrounded by experienced divorcees. Amid the laughter there was a reason all these women arrived on their own and waited out the six weeks of their stay.

Better Luck Next Time is the story of a dude ranch in Nevada in the 1930s where women came to live to establish residency to get a divorce. It was such a quirky book, full of humor and interesting characters. The story is told from the point of view Ward, now an older man looking back on his time as a “cowboy” at the ranch, particularly his relationships with two specific divorcees over a particular summer. This book provided a bit of history about a topic that I had not heard of before, which I love about historical fiction. I really enjoyed how the story came together in the end. It was a very fun read.

Wow! How did I not know about this before? I had NO idea that women had done this in order to get a divorce. What an interesting book about this era. I always learn so much more about history when relatable characters bring it to life!
Thank you to Custom House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I thought that this book came across as a love story for a time long gone. Back in the 1930s, when the wealthy wanted a divorce, they went to Reno, Nevada. There, once you were in residence for six weeks, you could get what today we’d call a “no-fault” divorce. Back then, if you wanted to get a divorce elsewhere, it could get messy; blame had to be place on someone, and disgrace was sure to follow. In Reno, they called this the divorce trade. Businesses grew to provide support for women who wanted divorces. In this book, we get to meet a group of women who take up residence at The Flying Leap, a dude ranch where these women can spend their six weeks in a clean and welcoming place that could also provide friendship, entertainment, shopping expeditions, and more.

We meet Dr. Howard Stovall Bennett II, when he was in his early twenties and working as a cowboy and all-around helper at The Flying Leap. He tells the story of the ranch, as well as some of the ladies who took up residence there. In specific, we get to learn about Nina O’Malley, a repeat divorcee and airplane pilot, and Emily Sommer. Both women are wealthy and used to being treated well. They form a fast friendship during their time at the ranch, but things don’t always go quite like they’d like.

The story is told 50 years after the fact by Howard, Ward, as he reminisces. We learn of his relationship with the women, particularly with Emily. He also tells of why he worked at The Flying Leap, and what he did afterwards. He’s a man with a conscience, and he took things seriously. He also learns of a big secret from the 30s that offers him a way of touching the future.

I enjoyed reading this book; it was fun and light-hearted with a serious undertone. It read quickly and easily and was thoroughly entertaining. It’s an ode to what once was. It’s hard to say if we’re better off now when divorces are relatively easy to get or not. In any case, it’s good to look back and remember what had been.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank them for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reaction to reading this book.

This was such a good read. Funny and heartbreaking. Told from an old man’s voice with his story intertwined with the women who went to Reno to get divorces. The characters are believable and the plot well designed.

Julia Claibourne Johnson has again crafted a story that is in turns funny, sad, heartwarming and dramatic. Set in the 1930s at a Reno-area dude ranch catering to divorce-seeking women, the reader comes to know the main characters Ward, Nina and Emily as they navigate the emotional road of the divorces the women think they want.

It took me a while to warm to this story but i enjoyed the setting and time in history. I think the storytelling structure is what really drew me in. Ward (in the present day) was so sweet and likable and I could picture him happily reminiscing about the past. I want to avoid spoilers but the end reveal is what ultimately made me enjoy this book.

Better Luck Next Time surprised me with its unusual setting and story that I relished from start to finish. It was a fabulous change to read American historical fiction from that time period. The book takes place on a dude ranch in Reno, Nevada; a place where I thought people went for quickie marriages. Turns out, it was quite famous for the six-week stay and get a divorce law, which for many women was the best and/or only option.

So, what is a dude ranch exactly? I was curious where the name came from. Apparently, back in the early 1900s, a “dude” was what legit cowboys and cattle ranchers coined urbanites or big-time city slickers. When these ranches opened up for tourism, calling it a dude ranch marked it as a vacation spot. The dude ranch in the book, The Flying Leap, catered strictly to women who’d come for a quickie divorce.

Ward, the main character who is sharing his story to an anonymous visitor at his assisted living home, was a ranch hand at The Flying Leap. He was there to do chores and fix things, but also, to be a handsome face for the women to look at. As he slowly shares the shenanigans of his last six-week stint working there, he unleashes a story about a handful of the women, in particular, Nina and Emily. These two each had practical reasons for getting divorced, but nothing is as simple as it seems. Infidelity, love, friendship, parenting, honesty, second-chances and class were all touched upon throughout the book.

I found myself completely engaged as I read and was anxious to learn who Ward was telling his story to. There was never a dull moment and I’m still trying to imagine a car with cashmere seats. Perfect ending to this delightful book.