What a great book this was, and it has stayed so vivid in my memory months after devouring it in under a week - I couldn't put it down. Not generally one for historic American fiction, this was superb. I don't want to spoil the adventure, but I can say that the characters were well developed, relatable and/or believable - whether you took a liking to them or not. I was absolutely fascinated to learn about the 'no fault' divorce grounds in America back in the 1960's, so I learnt something on this fascinating and entertaining journey too. The lengths women went to to get to Reno and sit out the required time at a desert 'divorce ranch' to void their marriage was nothing short of tenacious and commendable. The 1960's was such a different world to the one we live in today, and reading this was a celebration of women and the sisterhood. Highly recommend.

Loved this historical fiction story set in the 1930's. Divorce was hard to get back then, illegal in most places. Nevada did offer divorce, and places like the Flying N ranch existed for the express purpose of providing a place to stay for those waiting the weeks it took for the divorce to become legal. The stories that were told and the reasons for divorce!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy to honestly review.

Set against the atmospheric backdrop of 1930s Nevada, Six Weeks in Reno by Lucy H. Hedrick is a poignant and empowering tale of reinvention, resilience, and the quiet strength it takes to reclaim one's life. Evelyn Henderson, a woman who’s spent two decades in a stifling marriage, makes the radical decision to seek a divorce—an act that, in her time, was not only rare but socially daring. Traveling to Reno, where a six-week residency was the only barrier to legal freedom, Evelyn checks into the Flying N Ranch, a haven for women in similar situations. What follows is a heartfelt journey of self-discovery as she forges unexpected friendships and slowly rediscovers the woman she used to be.

Hedrick masterfully captures the era’s unique tension—between tradition and independence, between societal expectations and personal truth. The vivid setting of the divorce ranches, a little-known slice of American history, is brought to life with rich detail and a subtle feminist undercurrent that never overwhelms the story, but rather strengthens it. Evelyn’s evolution is both believable and quietly powerful. As she shares laughter, tears, and stories with her fellow residents, readers are invited into a warm, complex web of human connection. Each character, no matter how briefly featured, feels real and necessary to Evelyn's growth.

Six Weeks in Reno isn’t just about divorce—it’s about second chances, chosen family, and the courage it takes to step into the unknown. With graceful prose and genuine heart, Hedrick delivers a novel that feels both historically grounded and emotionally timeless. Perfect for fans of historical fiction that centers on women’s inner lives and quiet rebellions, this debut marks Lucy H. Hedrick as a voice to watch.

With family near Reno, I found 'Six Weeks in Reno' particularly interesting as it brought to life the world of 1930s Reno and the 'divorce ranches' like the Flying N Ranch. The book effectively portrays the experiences of women like Evelyn Henderson, who came seeking freedom and a new beginning, and I could easily imagine similar stories unfolding in the landscape around nearby Virginia City. This engaging novel offers an educational look at a fascinating moment in history through the lens of personal transformation.

I'm surprised there haven't been more divorce ranch novels as they seem rife with juicy plot possibilities. Divorces were difficult for either sex to obtain. Nevada, a state known for being loose with their laws - legal gambling, prostitution and what not - gave women the right to declare residency for six weeks as proof they intended to live apart from their spouses. Divorce ranches were half resorts, half boarding houses. The women were given safe, clean, comfortable lodging and meals. Often the ranches had swimming pools and offered excursions into Reno for shopping and gambling.

Lucy Hedrick's novel Six Weeks in Reno offers a glimpse into life at a divorce ranch. Evelyn Henderson remarks of herself "According to gossip columnist Walter Winchell, she is traveling west to get “Reno-vated.” Evelyn models to earn money because her husband has been unemployed for 20 years. She joins a group of ladies at a divorce ranch to await her day in court. But one of the ladies may have nefarious intentions. The story is a bit static, with no real conflict. Hedrik doesn't really give the ladies much backstory, which is important to show divorce has myriad causes. Evelyn's story is compelling, but the novel falls flat because what little conflict there is shows up late in the story with no real tension in the build up. Despite this Six Weeks in Reno is a unique look into a niche aspect of women's history.

Recently I've been in a need for historical fiction focused on women and the "girl power" feelings and this book delievered! Lucy H. Hedrick present a beautiful, yet hurtful story of women in the 1930s.

Before I reached for this book I had no idea that Reno, Nevada was a divorce capital back in the days. This was an incredible information to me and I am in shook and in awe for all the women that decided to get their freedom and stay in that city at first for 6 months, and then after the law changed for 6 weeks. That took a lot of courage and some didn't last that long, I do hope that all of them did find the freedom they needed at last.

The motif of finding yourself is something that makes this novel important to me. Our main character - Evelyn - is finally tired of her life and decides to change it, when she goes to Reno we follow her for 6 weeks and 2 long train journies. We laugh with her, cry with her, and finally take a breath at the end.

I recommend this one for everyone! Fast read, beautiful story and an amazing history lesson.

Evelyn is heading to Reno for a divorce - its the 1930s and the easiest way in America to obtain a no-fault divorce was to be resident in Reno for 6 weeks. She has been trapped in a loveless marriage and now her children are grown, she wants to escape.

She meets up with other women, many escaping from worse marriages than hers with abuse and philandering, and makes friends as they spend their time on the 'divorce ranches' (who are making money to survive the back end of the Depression) and going into Reno for fun.

Its a really lovely read, Evelyn is a decent woman wanting to do right by her husband and family, knowing she will be ostracised by everyone in her small town back home. I wasn't aware of the Reno divorce system before, so I learned something new as well as enjoying a cracking read. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Evelyn Henderson is married to Dean and she has two college aged children. Her deceased parents were religious and they pushed her into marrying him, it wasn’t what she wanted and she boards a train for Reno, Nevada. The laws around divorce have changed, she has to stay at the Flying N Ranch for six weeks and become one of the “six weekers”, and they stay long enough to secure an uncontested divorce.

The ranch is run by Ramona and Arthur, and she becomes friendly with her housemates Beatrice, Madeline and Thistlena and they go into town for beauty appointments and shopping, and attend the dance-halls at night and which are frequented by cowboys and Evelyn has her head turned by the handsome Sundown.

Evelyn discovers the reasons why her friends want to get a divorce and for some the decision is easier than others and not all is what it seems and Reno is full casinos and prostitution, swindlers and crooks and can be a dangerous place for naive ladies and young girls.

I received a copy of Six Weeks in Reno by Lucy H. Hedrick from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. A story set in 1931 and during the Great Depression in America and about how those six weeks changed Evelyn's life, despite forming bonds with her housemates, I found her character rather shallow.

A three star read for me, the idea of women having to resort to such drastic measures to get a divorce was interesting and the cover is stunning and I had high hopes, however I felt the narrative lacked intellectual depth and I recommend borrowing a copy of the novel from the library.

I do not typically read this genre, but I do have to say that it is historically accurate in terms of the divorce requirements during the early 1900’s in Reno.

Evelyn is on a mission to 1930's Reno to get an uncontested divorce, but will she have the nerve to stay the full 6 weeks and come out a free lady?

I chose this book because I live in Reno, Nevada and was very excited to learn more of it's history. Every time Evelyn walked along the Truckee river or mentioned some of the places and streets that are still around today I internally cheered. Unfortunately, I want more than just historical facts and location lore in my books.

There is technically a plot to Evelyn's journey, but it doesn't really come together until the last 25% of the novel and the ending of her short-lived story was not even that satisfying. The majority of the book is seeing the Old West in the very judgey eyes of our MC. Every time something terrible happens to some one else or something even remotely inconvenient happens to her, Evelyn's internal monologue cries out saying "is this a sign that I should retreat back home?". No spoilers of course, but a funny inconsequential example of this is when she can't leave her hotel for a day because of a wind storm and her doubts come flying at you in the text! Evelyn is the stereotypical East coast high society snob, a gossiper who can't read social cues, too dim to piece together obvious "secrets", and the biggest little square in all of the 6 weekers and Renoites.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this eCopy to review

I recently finished reading "Six Weeks in Reno" by Lucy H. Hedrick, and I must say, it was a captivating journey through the emotional landscape of 1930s Nevada.

The story follows Evelyn Henderson, a woman who, after twenty years in a loveless marriage, decides to escape her stifling suburban life. She boards a train to Reno, Nevada, a town booming with "six-weekers"—women who stay just long enough to secure an uncontested divorce. Evelyn settles into the Flying N Ranch, where she bonds with her housemates, most of whom are also seeking freedom from societal conventions.

The novel beautifully captures the essence of the era, with Evelyn experiencing the heady taste of freedom through ranch life and dance-hall cowboys by night. However, beneath the glamour lies the grim reality of Depression-era America and the devastating consequences of escape. Evelyn's journey is both heart breaking and hopeful as she is drawn out of her shell by a Hollywood-handsome wrangler and challenged by her new friends to reengage with the world.

"Six Weeks in Reno" is a powerful exploration of heartbreak, hope, and the allure of the unknown. It offers a poignant look at the struggles and triumphs of women seeking to live life on their own terms. If you're interested in historical fiction with strong emotional depth, this novel is definitely worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free arc of this book.

⭐️ 2.5
The synopsis of this book was really intriguing. I love historical fiction that is female centered and focuses on a piece of history that is not well known. Women traveling to Reno, Nevada in 1931 to establish residency in order to get a divorce sounded like a home run.

Unfortunately, this book was just okay. The main character, Evelyn, was likable enough, but at times, I found her naive. My biggest issue was the writing. Most of the time, the book was telling you what was happening instead of showing. This was especially difficult in the beginning when so many characters were introduced through throwaway conversations with the main character. It was hard to remember who was who or what their story was. Also, with so many side characters sharing space, it was impossible for any of them to be fleshed out.
The story progressed with one shocking event after another for Evelyn, but much like the characters, none of the plot points were given a lot of time or attention. There were a few that I believe added absolutely nothing to the story. Others were set up so clearly they were predictable early on.

I appreciate the choice of setting and overall idea of this book. The main character's view of the world and herself were challenged over her six weeks in Reno, and she came out with a new outlook. However, the problems I have with the writing outweighed anything I gained from this book.

I love an interesting book of historical fiction, especially when I'm able to learn something new. I had no idea about the history of Reno and the divorce ranches. Lucy H. Hendrick did a great job of creating such a variety of characters and fascinating story lines mixed in a little romance, some mystery and a good amount of empowerment. Thanks #NetGalley #LakeUnion

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher Lake Union Publishing, and author Lucy H. Hedrick for providing an eARC. I'm leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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If you like women-focused historical fiction with bits of feminism sprinkled in, you'll like this.

If you don't, you'll probably be bored.

FMC Evelyn is, as a character, not very exciting. What makes this book so compelling is everything that happens around her. Evelyn is a straight laced (literally, she still wears corsets in an era when corsets are not in fashion) goody-goody who's biggest risk is probably wearing white shoes after Labor Day. She's securing a divorce because she's unhappy in her marriage for a number of reasons, but she's not at risk of kidnapping, abuse, or destitution, like some of the other "six-weekers" staying at the ranch. She's wealthy, conventionally attractive enough to still be a model at nearly forty years old, doesn't own pants, doesn't own shoes that aren't heels, and finds joy in homemaking, childrearing, and charity work.

I cannot relate to this woman in nearly any capacity.

However, if the reader pauses and stops viewing Evelyn as a character, and instead views her as a reader-insert into the scary and foreign world of 1931 Nevada with the stigma of being a divorcee and trying to forge a life as an unmarried woman of a certain age, and with the rowdy gambling and dancing halls, and with the cruel possibility of Mother Nature herself tearing the roof off from over your head, it gets a lot more interesting. Through Evelyn as a device, we readers get to experience the stigma of divorce, the fear of being alone, the danger of walking alone at night, the risk of scandals and swindlers, and the unexpected impacts all these things could have on a person's conscience, and constitution. Mental health is explored a lot in this book, and while it doesn't use modern terms we're familiar (depression) it does describe the same things in the terms that were in use back then (bouts of melancholy).

To that point, every single supporting character stood out to me and felt richly developed and complex. Particular favorites were Savannah with her "demons", Beatrice with her melancholy, Madeline with her business acumen, Thistlena with her scandals (all of them, omg), Romana and Arthur with their tenacity, Little Hawk with his strength, and Miss Helen with her business and charity, Violet with her business, Neppy with her balance between dreams and duty, Sundown with his tenderness and independence... Even Dean, Evelyn's soon-to-be-ex-husband, is compelling to read about.

There were some reveals later in the book that readers can probably predict early on, but even still the reveals were well done and left with just a whisper of mystery around them. I liked that not everything was spelled out in an over-abundance of detail, but readers could piece together what happened with little to no doubt.

This book probably could use some trigger warnings, but also, I feel like if you know anything about divorce pre-1990, then you probably understand some of the things these women experienced both on and off page.

Originally, I picked this up because another "divorce ranch" book left me incredibly disappointed and wanting more; I had felt like that book was a whole lot of nothing. Six Weeks in Reno kept me interested with all the interpersonal drama and descriptions of life in a snapshot of a six-week period, and a lot happened. Evelyn didn't change much except for stepping outside her comfort zone a little bit, which is why this isn't a 5 star read for me (no one likes a dull main character), but everyone and everything around her was rich and colorful. I'm left hoping that Neppy can balance her dreams and duty, that Dean finds happiness, and that even Thistlena finds a happy ending.

Back in the day, divorce was hard to come by and was very much frowned upon, but then Reno, Nevada shortened the residency requirement law to six weeks and a new niche Depression Era industry was born. Lucy H Hedrick makes her fictional debut with this fascinating bit of American Women’s History and I just had to read it.

Six Weeks in Reno begins in 1931 when Evelyn Henderson leaves behind a twenty-year marriage under the disapproval of her wealthy East Coast family to journey by train to Reno and become one of the “six-weekers” who are there to obtain a divorce and a new life. Her mother arranged her marriage with a much older man and Evelyn is done stifling and struggling when her husband won’t find a job and claims he can’t during the depression. A secret she learns is the impetus for her new adventure.

Evelyn meets other women who come from all walks of life and marriage situations that have become untenable for various reasons. Their destination is a hick town in her eyes with no culture and she’s staying on one of the many local ranches who are using the “six-weeker” rush to become “Divorce Ranches” to help pay the bills.
Evelyn’s journey is not just the physical train ride that brings her to the Divorce Capital, but a private journey of finding herself. She has followed her strict, conservative family’s rules all her life and obeyed her mother in her marriage, but she is dreadfully unhappy and come unmoored. Arriving in Reno, getting to know the other women and the people on the ranch start to open her up and work changes on her. She starts out judgmental and reserved to the point of rudeness, but slowly she learns to connect, to trust, and to have real friends for the first time. She can meet a studly cowboy at a Reno dancehall and explore what attraction does to her and she can commiserate with women who have been abused, don’t have their paperwork, or, even now are vulnerable to a real estate con involving a casino. By the finish of her six-weeks, the new Evelyn can barely recognize the old and she’s facing the world with courage and confidence.

Six Weeks in Reno is historical fiction and I chose it for that as I was curious about the Divorce ranches and the “six-weeker”s since I had an older family member who was a Reno divorcee in her time. The detail and description of it all was all there. Even to the point of being just on the “too much” side so it drowned out plot. There are repetitive descriptions of the daily life and less attention to the story characters than I would have liked. But, what struck me was that this was a part of women’s history, too, and women had to be pretty brave, desperate, and determined to go this route because it wasn’t easy back in the ‘30’s and it wasn’t thought well of to be a divorced woman.

And, so, I was well-satisfied and glad I spotted Six Weeks to Reno now having a better understanding and feeling for that time, place, and the people through this fictional story. It is an obvious debut book and feels it, but well worth it for those who love women’s historical fiction in unique niche corners of history.

A woman at a “divorce ranch” in 1930s Reno strives to live life on her own terms in a powerful novel about heartbreak, hope, and the allure of the unknown.

A few states with more lenient policies sprung up as “divorce mills,” places where one-half of the couple could set up residence relatively quickly and split from their spouse on less stringent grounds. As men were the majority of the workforce, residency duties usually fell to the wife.

Nevada was entrepreneurial and strategic from the beginning, and liberal as a matter of necessity. When the Silver State was established in 1864, the residency requirements to enjoy such benefits as voting and filing legal suits—especially divorce suits—was just six months. It had to be brief: The population of Western boomtowns was transient by nature.But, on top of that, the grounds for divorce had wide berth. In some cases, it saved women from dangerously abusive relationships.

By 1909, Reno had already gained a reputation as a go-to for a quickie divorce. A very specific industry sprung up, with lodging and entertainment proliferating within steps of the Washoe County Courthouse. Divorce tourism bloomed: The bridge a block from the courthouse steps became known as the "Wedding Ring Bridge," where the newly divorced would dramatically toss their wedding rings into the Truckee River. Famous actresses like Mary Pickford had come for a divorce, and with them, the eyes of the world.

In 1927, the residency requirement was reduced to three months. After the Great Depression decimated the domestic industry, the 1931 Nevada legislature passed two crucial economically driven bills that would end up forever changing the state’s fortune. The first legalised gambling. And the second
upped the total grounds for divorce to nine and reduced the residency requirement from three months to just six weeks.

Divorce seekers had one thing in common: They needed somewhere to stay for six weeks, complete with a housing manager willing to testify that they hadn’t left the state for over 24 hours in that time.
If people had money and needed privacy, they stayed at one of the dude ranches around town, aka divorce ranches.

I had high hopes for this book. The premise was interesting as was the FMC. But once Evelyn arrives at the ranch with six weeks of waiting ahead, things got pretty dull. A rotation of dance hall visits, discussions about investing in western real estate, hair and nail appointments, and second guessing the decision to be there--it got old. And SO many characters: the visiting soon-to-be-divorceés, the hosts and workers at the ranch, the friends they met on the train staying at other ranches, the men they meet at the dance halls--I could not get invested in anyone. There are also some heavy subjects: spousal abuse, abortion, suicide, infidelity, eating disorders.

I applaud the author's effort, but I was either bored or irritated.

"Six Weeks in Reno" is light and enjoyable and a new twist on 20th century historical fiction. I would have liked a little more personality and depth to the characters and a happier ending, but it was a quick and easy read.

**Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**

Six Weeks in Reno is a historical novel set in the 1930's. Evelyn Henderson travels to Flying N Ranch to wait out time until her divorce is finalized. Her life is changed by her time at the ranch and the people she meets there.

I wanted to read this novel because I love historical fiction. I also found the setting and time period intriguing.

The novel centers on Evelyn's time at the ranch and her interactions with the other soon-to-be-divorcees. She also meets a handsome wrangler. I enjoyed the glimpse of life on the ranch and Reno during this time period.

I recommend Six Weeks in Reno for other fans of historical fiction.

Six Weeks in Reno by Lucy H. Hedrick is a captivating novel!
I absolutely loved it. It's a rare thing to get a historical fiction that is wonderfully researched, pitch-perfectly voiced and unputdownable, but this is the real deal. A perfectly formed masterpiece. I raced through it
With riveting prose the pages fly and the heart beats for the astonishing heroine. Well-developed character pulls you into the story immediately and stirs emotions within you. This book was masterfully narrated.
This really was historical fiction at its finest, this book made me feel things I haven't felt in some time.