In the 1930s, Reno, Nevada made a name for itself in the divorce market. Women would travel there from all over the country, and after residing there for six weeks, often in one of the many ranches that specialised in the market, be granted a divorce. The concept of divorce ranches fascinated me. I read a couple of novels focused on this topic last year, but my interest wasn't sated.

Six Weeks in Reno follows Evelyn, a woman who was in a loveless marriage for more than 20 years. She thought long and hard about the implications and, despite her sister's vehement objections, decided to travel to Reno and get a divorce. For Evelyn, her stay is mostly filled with good times - shopping, visits to the hair salon, socialising, horseriding, and nights out dancing with cowboys. Evelyn is smart and wealthy; her marriage is not beset by violence or blatant infidelity. Not all women were so lucky. While Evelyn's is the main storyline we do get to see the experiences of other women - one who is working at the ranch to pay for her stay, one who is stalked by her abusive husband, one who can't fathom being single and is already searching for another husband, and one who becomes increasingly more distraught at the prospect of divorce even though her husband is objectively terrible. Hedrick also doesn't shy away from what all women risked by getting divorced, including financial hardship and becoming the topic of gossip, if not social rejection. And yet, for many, it was well worth it. The joy of groups of newly divorced women throwing their wedding rings into the river really sprang from the page. I thought the benefits of divorce as well as its costs for women were well represented and well balanced. The other aspect of this book that was especially well done was the setting. The cowboys, the dance halls, the gambling dens, as well as prostitution, a shoot out, and a group of swindlers all created a vivid picture of a Western town on the edge of lawlessness, one far outside the experiences of a woman like Evelyn. The change of energy in the town as new groups of divorce seeking women arrived, and the newly divorced departed came across well. It was clear the six weekers were contributing to an economic boom in Reno.

I did have a few quibbles. One was my desire to know what happened next for Evelyn? Did her children come to understand her decision? Did she manage to return to modelling? How did she cope with any social ostracism? Another was her husband's homosexulaity which is alluded to but never fully explored and thus felt an unnecessary inclusion. Overall though this was a solid, well-researched, and engaging story exploring an aspect of women's history in America that continues to fascinate me.
Many thanks to @netgalley and the publishers for the eARC. Six Weeks in Reno releases 4 March.

The premise had much promise! A divorce ranch is not something I had heard of before.

I loved the historical aspect and learning more about the divorce laws back in the 1930's.

But I struggled to connect with Evelyn (FMC) and unfortunately the book just didn't quite hit the spot for me.

I feel like this is one of those books I probably should have read after finishing another genre. As it was I had just finished a five star historical fiction read and was not as pulled in by this story as I could have been.
This book follows several women as they embark on a 6 week journey of living in 1930s Reno on “divorce ranches”. While I find the premise interesting, I couldn’t seem to connect with any of the characters.
Don’t get me wrong this is by no means a bad, it just wasn’t a knock my socks off read.
Overall I would say a solid 3.5:/5 stars.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

BOOK: SIX WEEKS IN RENO
AUTHOR: LUCY H. HENDRICK
PUB DATE: 4TH MARCH 2024
👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼
REVIEW- 2.5stars
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼
First of all, I liked the book's setting of Reno and its unique divorce proceedings. I'm glad that women's rights have improved so much! I praise those women who were willing to move somewhere completely new just to get a divorce. Unfortunately, that was my favorite thing.
👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼
Don't get me wrong, I liked the characters. They were okay. That was the problem. They were just 'Okay', especially the FMC, Evelyn. There was nothing special or exciting about her. I kept on reading expecting something, but I didn't get it. I'm disappointed because I thought this would be an amazing book in the women's fiction genre. In addition, this book would have been perfect with multiple POVs of the women from different walks of life.
👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼
I didn't really enjoy this book, but I was able to finish it in record time
👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼

It's 1931 and Evelyn is finally going to divorce her husband but first she must live in Reno for six weeks (thus the title). This skips lightly over the experience, with Evelyn interacting with other women living there and spreading her wings a bit. There's also a touch of romance (this disappointed me). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling.

This book gave me a fascinating insight into what it was like to get a divorce in the early 1930s. It also gave me a look into the different types of people who came to Reno for their divorces. Mostly, they were all monied women since this was at the height of the depression. I doubt that a less monied woman would be able to afford to become a "six-weeker."

Many things surprised me about this book, and some things that I could see from a mile off. I could see Evelyn's husband for what he was, even though she didn't speak of it until the very last chapter.
We saw the best and the worst of people, and we even had a bit of a romance going. It would have been interesting to have a couple more chapters that dealt with the consequences of Evelyns divorce once she got home. Did her kids forgive her? Did she resume modeling? How did she get along with her sister?

All in all, it is an excellent read and perfect for book clubs since it gives us a lot to chew over.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Lake Union Publishing, the author, and NetGalley.

A book of self exploration and the realities of women seeking divorce in the 1930s, how vast and unique each woman’s situation is. Night life in prohibition era. A retro read. I enjoyed seeing Evelyn shed all the expectations and rules everyone has placed on her and seeing her choose what she wants and how she wants to live.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Lucy H. Hedrick for giving me an ARC for this book!

It is 1931 and Evelyn Henderson is heading west to Reno to get divorced from her husband of twenty years. She will meet many new people and have many adventures both good and bad. I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Brilliance Publishing for the digital copy of this book and audiobook; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I’m not sure why I requested this book about a “divorce ranch” other than the title intrigued me, and I love reading historical fiction. I knew from a lot of previous reading that Reno was THE place to go for a “quickie” divorce. I had no idea that the six-week requirement used to be six months and that it changed in the early 1930s.

It is because of this loosening of requirements that the protagonist of the story, Evelyn, has decided to make the trip, divorce her husband, and start a new life. She has spent 20 years with her husband and was one of those women who stayed with him as long as she did because of their two children. Her husband lost his job some years prior (even before the Great Depression started), and their family has been living with Evelyn’s well-to-do parents the past ten years.

Evelyn meets some women at the divorce ranch who are leaving their husbands for various reasons: infidelity, domestic violence, and other reasons. These six-weekers become roommates and friends as they await their divorces. Many of the women are enjoying the freedom that they haven’t felt in years, just like Evelyn. The book proceeds with their stories, which are a bit repetitive and monotonous, interspersed with some of the excitement of being in the wild wild west of Nevada.

Overall, I enjoyed this book for the most part. From other reviews I’ve read, it’s apparent that the author did her research into the history of Reno with accurate details. I always appreciate it when I hear from locals who confirm the writer didn’t play fast and loose with details. Sarah Naughton is the narrator of the book, and I especially liked the tone of her voice. It made the listening experience enjoyable, even when dealing with some unsavory conduct by men in the novel. I would definitely listen to something narrated by Naughton again.

After twenty years in a loveless marriage, Evelyn Henderson will do anything to escape her stifling suburban life. She boards a train for Reno, Nevada, a former frontier town that’s booming thanks to “six-weekers”: women from all walks of life who take up residence there just long enough to secure an uncontested divorce—a right they don’t yet have in their home states.

I found this book well written but it didn’t progress at any speed. It’s a very sedate pace and I found myself getting bored and skipping pages here and there to push it forward. Sorry but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing for this arc.

Sorry but this one is just not going to work for me. Within 3 pages I realized that the FMC is very, as another reviewer says, "snooty, snobby, prissy and judgmental." The writing was choppy as well. I think the FMC has an eating disorder which is randomly mentioned in a paragraph with no other context. Once everyone got to Reno, it was dull and boring. This is an interesting idea but poor execution of it. DNF

An historical fiction of women learning independency. The women stay for six weeks in a hotel in order to gain a divorce in Reno, Nevada. The women come together and form friendships and try to invest in new developments. With the relaxation of the Reno residence requirement for divorce going from 6 months to six weeks, Evelyn has finally decided to take the train to Reno. She seeks to file for divorce from her husband of 20 years who has all but given up on finding employment and is also harboring secrets within their marriage. Evelyn meets several other women on her journey who are all seeking divorce for different reasons- infidelity, domestic violence, etc. These women become roommates, friends, and companions as they navigate their first taste of freedom in Reno. Much of the story highlights the day to day life of the women which swings vastly between the monotony of living the same life just in a different place and the excitement of life out west. There was a repetitive emphasis on the classic east coast versus Wild West that I couldn’t shake. This portrayed the east coast women as high class, snobby, and fashionable. The women in Reno were salt of the earth, brothel owner with a heart of gold, or Native Americans. This was definitely an interesting book and educated me on the divorce aspect in older times. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity.

Spending six weeks in Reno, which qualifies as residency, gives a person the chance to get a “quicky” divorce without having grounds or having to pay huge legal bills. The story takes place in 1931 when divorces were still considered very scandalous. Most of the people going to Reno were women, all of them had their individual reasons.

Evelyn, from New Jersey, is the main character, backed up by several other women in the same position. They are all in Reno, spending six weeks, to get divorced. I have trouble connecting with Evelyn. She has been a runway model previously, a fact that she likes to repeat often. I couldn’t find any endearing characteristics.

Reno was just in the early development stages in the story. I found this interesting. There were brothels, casinos, dance halls. It was still a frontier town, full of cowboys. There were ranches to accommodate and feed the “six weekers”.

There were day-by-day accounts of the divorce seekers' activities. Mostly rather dull: shopping trips, visiting a hair salon, manicures, going to dance halls.

One of the things that really bugged me: one of the woman’s names was Thistlena. Seriously??? It shouldn't affect how I feel about the book but I cringed every time it was mentioned. It didn't even come up when I Googled.

The second half of the book was slightly better than the first. But it's a long way to go to find enjoyment in a book. The premise of the book sounded interesting. However, the delivery, lack of character development and simplistic writing style did not appeal.
Sadly, this book did not do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

What an absolute intrigue of a premise. I have never heard of divorce ranches in Reno until I came across this book!

We meet Evelyn, who after dealing with her husband Dean’s depression and lack of motivation for 10 years decides to divorce him. In 1931, a six month required period of separation turns into 6 weeks and Reno is the place to do so as discreetly as possible. While I found Evelyn insufferable at times, I’m assuming her judgements were pretty true to being a woman in that time.

I found the stories of the other women at the ranch to be more intriguing, even if at times it felt highly unrealistic. What happens to each woman was either amazing or devastating.

I do wish the writing could have been more cohesive and fluid because I do think this was a good story to tell but I found myself at times bored with the repetition of the dance halls and Virginia Street.

Trigger warnings of what sounds like an eating disorder, attempted rape and suicide.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

I was originally pulled in by the title of this book. I was unfamiliar with the concept of the divorce ranch which was surprising as a Nevada native.

With the relaxation of the Reno residence requirement for divorce going from 6 months to six weeks, Evelyn has finally decided to take the train to Reno. She seeks to file for divorce from her husband of 20 years who has all but given up on finding employment and is also harboring secrets within their marriage. Evelyn meets several other women on her journey who are all seeking divorce for different reasons- infidelity, domestic violence, etc.

These women become roommates, friends, and companions as they navigate their first taste of freedom in Reno. Much of the story highlights the day to day life of the women which swings vastly between the monotony of living the same life just in a different place and the excitement of life out west. There was a repetitive emphasis on the classic east coast versus Wild West that I couldn’t shake. This portrayed the east coast women as high class, snobby, and fashionable. The women in Reno were salt of the earth, brothel owner with a heart of gold, or Native Americans.

Overall, I enjoyed this book as this has given me a unique perspective of this subject. I have never read anything else featuring the divorce ranches or the “six weekers”. I also sincerely appreciate the attention to detail regarding the geographical locations and names. The street names, alleyways, towns, and the Native American tribes mentioned were used correctly. Even the mention of the wedding chapel across from the court house is a very important detail, as there are many wedding chapels to this day right across the street. A huge pet peeve of mine is to read a book featuring a place the author has not researched.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for the eARC via NetGalley.

4.5 Stars rounded up

Set in 1931 USA, this story is a great example of the difficulties women faced when wanting to remove themselves from bad marriages. This is a topic I haven't read about before, so this was an informative story for me and a perfect way to learn about this time in history. It's a story of friendship, deceit, strength, and resilience. It's thought-provoking, empowering, engaging, and a great example of the challenges faced not only by women wanting to escape from sometimes life-threatening marriages, but also the hardships communities faced as a result of the Great Depression and severe dust storms. I enjoyed the romance aspect, which is mostly clean. I was not ready for this story to end - I have so many questions and I hope there's going to be a sequel!

I started out reading the novel, but I couldn't find time to read it and I was so invested in the story that I ended up switching to the audiobook. The narration is excellent and really brings the story to life.

Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing, and the author for an ARC for review. All opinions are my own and my review is left voluntarily.

The premise of this book had so much potential, but unfortunately, the execution didn’t live up to it. I often found myself confused about what was happening or who the characters were, as they weren’t introduced in a clear or meaningful way. Some sections felt rushed and lacked depth, while others were bogged down by repetitive details that seemed to drag on endlessly. I kept hoping the story would pick up or improve, but by the end, I was just eager for it to be over. It’s a shame because the concept had promise, but the delivery just wasn’t there.

My favorite thing about this book is its social commentary on open-mindedness and privilege. You never know what another person is going through. Everyone has different experiences that have brought them to where they are. Everyone feels strongly about the choices that they are making. Each person's feelings and experiences are valid, and no one's story should be used as a competition for the "Poor Me Award." Evelyn is an excellent example of knowing one's privilege, acknowledging it, and then learning and doing better for those around without that same privilege.

Thoroughly enjoyable!

Going back to the 1930's, divorces were not easy to obtain, and those that were divorced were often judged poorly for it. One place to accomplish this was Nevada; specifically Reno. But up until recently, the residency requirement was lengthy. But now that it's been reduced to six weeks, Miss Evelyn Henderson sees this as a viable option to escape her loveless marriage.

Boarding a train from the east cost bound for Reno, she and many other women referred to as "six weekers" are along for the same ride. And this has developed into a new business avenue amid the Depression for small ranches in Reno, offering a place to stay during the six week required stay. How different life is at these ranches compared to the stuffy atmosphere of their normal environment out East. The Flying N Ranch is where Evelyn lands, along with a group of women in similar situations. There's not much "culture" in Reno, and dancehalls provide most of the entertainment. And this is where Evelyn lays eyes on a handsome cowboy - one that could make it in Hollywood most certainly.

Having spent a fair bit of time in Reno, it was fun to imagine it way back when. There were so many enjoyable facets to the story and the characters were well developed but not predictable. Most inspiring was the way that most of these women built such independence and fortitude.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Lucy H. Hedrick for the eARC.

When I first came across this one, I thought it sounded interesting. I had actually never read anything about a “divorce ranch” before. I’ve read about how back in the 60’s a lot of states started adopting the “no-fault” divorces, but one didn’t need to establish residency to do that. At least I don’t think they had to. Anyway, the premise and storyline sounded interesting.

The book summary pretty much lays out the primary storyline of Evelyn, leaving her dead-beat husband after 20yrs. What the book summary doesn’t say is that Evelyn is harboring some kind of secret of what happened with her husband. The rest of the women that Evelyn comes across on the train out to Reno as well as the divorce ranch are there for so many of the typical reasons women leave their marriage like physical/substance abuse, infidelity, incarceration, abandonment, roommate syndrome, etc. With their first taste of freedom in years, they run around like kids in a candy store, getting high off the sugar rush (been there, done that). It’s not long before another storyline of Evelyn and her crush on one of the local ranch cowboys.

Anyway, most of the story revolves around Evelyn and her interactions with various women and their activities in and around town and on the ranch. Pretty early in the story, several of the “six weekers” (what the women at the divorce ranches are called by the townspeople) are approached and targeted by two men, Nate and Ray, and one of the women, Thistlena, about investing into a new casino that the three of them are going to start building as soon as they get enough investors. Oh dear! It’s obvious what’s going on with those three. However, Evelyn is not fooled by them and makes it clear she isn’t interested at all. Not the case with so many other women.

The character development for Evelyn and one or two of the women and Sundown (Evelyn’s Reno fling) was good, but really thin for the rest of the cast of characters with most of them just being talking heads. Frankly, I didn’t really like Evelyn all that much and I don’t do well with unlikeable MC’s. From the start I found her snooty, snobby, prissy and extremely judgmental. She learned a lot in the six weeks in Reno and lightened up a bit by the end. The pacing was really slow. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect the pacing to be. I went into the story with little to no expectations other than to find out what a divorce ranch was like during the depression and the story certainly served that purpose. It was actually that storyline that appealed to me from the start and remained throughout. The writing was ok, I liked the parts where Evelyn spent time on the ranch learning about life in Reno.

I’m looking at an overall rating of 3.3 that I will be rounding down to a 3star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #LakeUnionPublishing #SixWeeksInReno