This book was a period piece that detailed how women went to divorce ranches in Nevada to get their divorces. It was interesting from that perspective but I didn’t get much sense of the depth of the characters or feel that much character development occurred. The main character is very unsophisticated. The Divorcees was a very interesting book for me. It was part historical fiction, part mystery, and part literary fiction.
Since I really didn't know anything about these divorce ranches, I found the story really interesting.It showed the struggle the women of that time had to go through just because they wanted better for themselves. Not just be married and have children. Plus there was the stigma of being divorced. Not always a great time to be a woman in that era. Rowan Beaird did a fantastic job with character development — I’m still thinking about these women!!
Thank you NetGalley and Rowan Beaird for a very interesting book. I would recommend it to my fellow readers.

What a fun story!
Years ago, in the 1950's, women of.a certain means were afforded divorces when they spent time in Nevada. The Divorcées details a in depth story of Lois's 6 week adventure a the Golden Yarrow Ranch as she awaits her full 6 weeks of residency to meet the requirement for divorce. Lois has trouble fitting in and isn't quite sure of what to make of the other girls.

When Greer Lang arrives, everything that Lois believes is put into question. Greer pushes boundaries, and chooses Lois to be her friend. What happens next is surprising and compelling. A true adventure novel for anyone stuck in a rut. #flatiron #TheDivorcées #rowanBeaird

Unexpected twists abound with women who have traveled to Reno, Nevada to spend their last days as married women. The Golden Yarrow is part spa and part boarding house for those seeking divorce in the 1960's. Their is a varied cast of young ladies at the ranch and the main character, Lois, is trying to figure out how to start her life over again without a husband or father to support her.

about a newly divorced woman forced to attend a divorcee retreat in order to terminate her marriage, this novel started out so strong however the plot points fell flat for me. to put it simply, it was fine. it’s out in march.

Being a lover of historical fiction novels has its pros and cons. A pro is that there are countless different types of historical fiction, though admittedly a lot of them are war-focused, and you’re never at a loss for options. A con is that it’s awfully easy to get stuck in a rut reading, i.e. reading war novels for example.

Rowan Beaird’s The Divorcées balanced those two things very nicely for me, personally. It’s not about a war and it’s in a period of history, focused on a very specific aspect of American womens’ history, that I’ve never really explored before. And best of all, it is a fantastic story.

The Divorcées is set in Reno, Nevada in the 1950s. From the earliest years of the 20th century to well past the 1950s, Reno was known as the destination for quick and easy divorces as much as Las Vegas was known for quick and easy weddings. The rules in Reno, those that are relevant to Beaird’s story, were that as long as you lived in Nevada for six weeks, you could get a no-fault, no-contest divorce. And as much as Las Vegas built its identity and industry around hotels and casinos and living your best, most carefree life, Reno did much the same in the other direction. There were boardinghouses and ranches that catered solely to the needs of those wanting to end a marriage in a time when that was not an acceptable thing in many parts of society.

Beaird’s novel is centered on a ranch that catered to a little more upper class clientele than some other places might. The story focuses primarily on Lois, who is portrayed as someone who has not been physically abused by her husband at least in comparison to the other women staying at Rita and Bailey’s ranch. Lois mostly simply did not want and does not want to be married. This sets her apart from most of the other women and she ends up keeping more to herself, with help from afar via her controlling and yet dismissive father, than she really wants to be.

It is a story of Lois’ journey of self-discovery and understanding. And it is a very good story of that.

There’s a character meant to be an antagonist that leans more toward outright villain, which is a little more than necessary for the purposes of what Beaird seems to be trying to say, but it does make the story interesting. No doubt about that.

cw: physical abuse, mental abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse, self-harm

(I received a copy of The Divorcées through NetGalley and Flatiron Books in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own.)

Interesting coming of age story about a woman living in a historical patriarchal society whose independence can't be stifled. Her naivete due to being a loner most of her life catches her when she finally meets a woman she admires, who acknowledges her, and becomes a friend. Lois' fierce independence got her to the ranch and will help her to ultimately prevail. This is an enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading more from this debuting author. I would love to read more about Lois after the story ends!

Lois Saunders, who has always felt like an outsider, thought marriage would possibly give her a place to belong and cure her loneliness. Unfortunately, marriage was just a different sort of lonely, and she finds herself at the Golden Yarrow, a respectable ranch for wealthy women looking to get "Reno-vated" with a quickie divorce in Reno. While there, she still feels herself to be an outsider until Greer Lane arrives at the ranch. Greer is exciting and independent, and soon the two hatch a plan to live life on their own terms after leaving Reno. However, there is more to Greer than meets the eye; is Greer trustworthy enough to build a future on?

I've been fascinated with divorce ranches since I saw The Women years ago, so I was really excited about this book. Parts of this book are very strong; the characters are individuated well, and the narration was detailed and delicate and sharp. That said, it was very slow-moving and took a very long time to get to the more interesting, mysterious parts of the plot. The last part after Lois left the ranch, in particular, felt meandering and took me a while to understand why the book was even continuing. I also was just as in the dark about Lois as I was about Greer, despite her being the narrator to the whole book. I related to her, but also didn't understand where she was coming from.

Overall, however, this book is an interesting look at the lives and relationships of women, and how they relate and rely on one another.

Such a beautifully written novel about women in an era where divorce was not only difficult to come by for women, but also as shameful as Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter.

I fell hard for Lois, the main character who found herself not wanting the conventional life she was supposed to want as a woman in the late 1940s. Her desire to divorce her husband leads her to a divorcee ranch in Reno where she will spend six weeks waiting to be granted a divorce. The bonds that ebb and flow between the other women at the ranch and the stories of Lois’ life there are rich and powerful.

I found myself cheering for her and wishing she would make better choices. As a woman on her own having been controlled by men and society’s rules she struggles to find her way and risks everything to carve out the life she wants.

Such an incredible debut novel by Rowan Beaird. I look forward to reading more!

Many thanks to Netgally and Flatiron Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love the premise of this novel and the snapshot of a particular time in history it presents. Unfortunately, the pace was very slow and the main characters largely unlikeable, while the secondary characters are 2 dimensional. 2.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

The premise of this book had me excited to read about an interesting point in history and feminism through the lens of a divorced farm but it couldn’t hook me in. There were too many characters with no discernible personalities that made this one hard to follow.

This book was a period piece that detailed how women went to divorce ranches in Nevada to get their divorces. It was interesting from that perspective but I didn’t get much sense of the depth of the characters or feel that much character development occurred. The main character is very unsophisticated. She finds a sense of herself only when she unknowingly unites with a scammer. Then once the scam is done, she still hopes to be reunited. I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this novel.

The Divorcees begins so slowly and could not hold my attention long enough to even discover if the background information is relevant to the story.

"The Divorcees" is a fun romp through a Reno divorce ranch in the 1950s. It has great characters and paints a portrait of a time and place many readers (including me) are not familiar with. This is more of a slow burn novel and I would recommend it for those who are curious about this time in history and enjoy character-rich stories. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

An interesting story about a ranch in Nevada during the 1950's. The ranch named the Golden Yarrow, provides shelter to women seeking a quick divorce with no scandal attached. Rita a strong woman with two girls of her own provides guidance through this waiting period and her guests leave with what they came for. A DIVORCE...

Lois a young woman from Chicago who realizes she doesn't want a family or a husband that she doesn't really love. Her father an over bearing man pays Lois's stay at the Golden Yarrow. He then wants her to get divorced with no scandal, return home to his home for six months. After the six months he expects Lois to remarry and have her new husband take care of her. This way he doesn't have to do anything for her again. The problem with this is Lois wants no part of it, but what is she to do. At that time women who divorce are entitled to nothing and must fend for themselves. Those were really hard times for these women who did not want marriage. Lois being one of them.

Now we have Greer a very mysterious guest who comes to the ranch during the night, doesn't have Bailey pick her up like everyone else, and does not socialize with any of the other guests. She stays in her room most of the time until she doesn't. That's when Lois's life takes a very interesting turn. She is taken with Greer and hangs on her every word. Greer is suddenly the center of Lois's world until a chain of events shows Lois that Greer is not who she said she was. This changes everything for Lois.

Since I really didn't know anything about these divorce ranches, I found the story really interesting.It showed the struggle the women of that time had to go through just because they wanted better for themselves. Not just be married and have children. Plus there was the stigma of being divorced. Not always a great time to be a woman in that era.

The twist and chain of events that came out of nowhere caught me off guard. How these events changed the course of Lois's life. Finding out this girl who you thought was a friend wasn't who she said she was. I liked the character of Lois. How she grew and decided to take charge of her own life. Maybe her time at the ranch and Rita's advice helped her grow. Enjoyable story.

Thank you NetGalley and Rowan Beaird for a very interesting book. I would recommend it to my fellow readers

I quickly got sucked into this book. I kept thinking it could have been written in the 50's as a movie script and it would be a Turner Classic movie today.

I loved it, really well written and thought provoking. Times have changed so much since then for women in abusive and unhappy marriages

Lois is headed to the Golden Yarrow ranch, a place where ladies of wealth go to in Reno to get quicky divorces. Never feeling like one of the crowds nothing changes with the other ladies until Greer arrives.

Set in 1950’s Reno, when women were basically property of their husband’s and “divorcee’” might as well have been a 4 letter word. Lois heads to Reno to get out of her loveless marriage, no different from her loveless childhood, with a domineering father and a disinterested and depressed mother. Hoping to change her life and become her own property, Lois must first spend 6 weeks at the ranch to make that happen.

Falling under the spell of Greer, Lois steps out of her shell and becomes an adventurous woman. But what happens when your stay at the ranch is over? Greer has a plan, and Lois must decide if she is going to play by Greer’s rules or her own?

This book starts slow, picks up fast and becomes hard to put down, but I think the ending leaves you flat. It is definitely thought provoking for how far women have come in the last century

What an intriguing and addictive historical fiction novel! The Divorcees centers around Lois Sanders, a young wife in 1951 who is looking to divorce her husband. When her father hears of her wishes, he’s immediately embarrassed and suggests she travel to Reno, Nevada and stay at a “divorce ranch”. At that time a no-fault divorce was legal for Nevada residents, so women would flock from all over and stay at a ranch for 6 weeks to establish residency, and then hopefully be granted a divorce. At the ranch, Lois, along with a hand full of ladies, cohabitate and socialize with each other in what I can best describe as a divorcee sorority of sorts. They all come from different backgrounds and areas of the country, and may initially seem that they wouldn’t mesh, but organically form bonds throughout the novel.

Having never heard of a divorce ranch before reading this novel, I was completely captivated! I felt like a fly on the wall throughout their journey, and I loved that! I enjoyed seeing the ladies transformation during their 6 weeks together. Rowan Beaird did a fantastic job with character development — I’m still thinking about these women!! The Divorcees is a 5 star novel that I found both entertaining and informative! I’m looking forward to reading more from Rowan Beaird in the future!

I had high hopes for The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird. Taking place in the 1950s and set in Reno, Nevada, the story revolves around women who are seeking a divorce and need to establish residency in order to obtain one. Unfortunately, the book just really dragged for me. Nothing really happened during the 6 weeks that the women stayed at the ranch besides some cocktail parties, outings to the local bars, and days by the pool. Two of the women develop a friendship of sorts but it soon becomes clear that Greer is up to something and has an ulterior motive. The ending just really fell flat. I kept waiting for something to happen and it just never did. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Not sure why I selected this book it appeals to a certain group of readers, which, I do not belong. I love the backdrop of the desert it’s my favorite type of country. If you love how strong a person can be to change her whole perspective of life for the very best. Read this book.

I love a good historical fiction. And this definitely gave me that. However, I felt the story kind of fall apart in real time. Once it got to the climax, I thought the author lost focus or lost the draw for readers. I loved seeing how Lois handled everything but at the same time, there feels like unfinished business. Which perhaps that was the point? Either way, I didn’t love the ending.