This novel set in Reno in 1938, is narrated by the elderly Ward looking back at his time as a young ranch hand at the Flying Leap dude ranch. Wealthy women seeking divorce would stay there for six weeks for quick Reno divorces. During his time at the ranch he developed friendships with Nina, a wealthy amateur pilot, and Emily, who had run from her unfaithful husband. Ward fell in love with Emily, but her daughter showed up to complicate the situation. There is a twist at the end of this funny romantic novel with an interesting setting.

I received an ARC from Netgalley.

Set a divorce ranch in 1930s, Better Luck Next Times follows several characters while they want to get a divorce from their husbands.

Despite sounding interesting, I could not get into this book. It was well written with good character development It just be the time period. There were definitely a couple laugh out loud moments.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book.

I loved Be Frank With Me so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one and I was not disappointed.

This is a very fun read about something I had no idea existed in the 1930's - divorce dude ranches!!! Apparently wealthy women would come stay at these ranches in Reno for six weeks to establish residency to then be able to divorce their husbands.

These ranches hired good looking young men to take care of the women. I loved the growing friendship between Ward, Nina and Emily. The two girls sure got up to some trouble with Ward always looking after them.

It felt like a coming of age book for Ward in the things he had to deal with while on the ranch and I loved that he is the narrator of the story and found it happy yet sad how his story ended up.

Nina was such a strong, formidable character. I loved the way she took Emily under her wing and how their friendship grew.

It was a great story of friendship, love and family, especially family not bound by blood.

I liked the idea of this book (divorce ranch in the southwest in the 30s) but not sure I loved the execution. I didn't like the framing of the story with the older Ward talking to 'you.' The twist of who he was addressing was no big surprise but I thought him addressing this unknown person as 'you' without any actual dialogue didn't work for me. The divorce ranch was something I had not heard of before and I would have liked more detail about the ranches themselves and their history. I am glad the author wrapped up the story for each character in the final chapters so at least we weren't left hanging in terms of what happened to most of the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you Net Galley and HarperCollins Publishing for the ARC. The idea for this book was intriguing. I did not know that there was such a thing as divorce ranches in 1930’s Nevada. The story of Ward, one of the Cowboys that worked at The Flying Leap Ranch was interesting; however, I would have preferred to learn a little more about how the ranches were run, the women who sought refuge there while awaiting their divorces rather than the very limited story of Ward and Emily. Overall, it was a good read and did compel me to do some research on the divorce ranches out of curiosity but would have liked the book to expand a little more on the concept.

I give this one 3 1/2 stars. I had a hard time getting into it first but enjoyed the final third when more seemed to happen. This is definitely a fun read with quirky characters and lots of clever plays on words. Some of the references and jokes went over my head because they were before my time. I think one problem I had with the book is I didn't find the women very likable. Nina is supposed to be a fun loving, free spirit, but I found her behavior childlike. Ward was like a babysitter taking care of a bunch of wealthy women who live in an alternate reality. The women also come off as self absorbed and condescending towards those in a lower socioeconomic class. I also found the structure of the narrator randomly switching back to the present kind of distracting. Overall this was not my cup of tea but I can see how others would find it enjoyable, especially if they have some knowledge of the Nevada divorce ranch boom. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This is a completely unique, dare I say fun, period piece about women visiting a "divorce ranch" in Reno Nevada in the 1930's. . The narrator telling this story appealed to me as a young Hollywood cowboy, I could almost picture him. I mean really the book makes you want to picture him! The author also did an incredible job creating the two main women in the story. Again, I was able to see them as lead roles playing strong, independent women. The characters are made more enduring with all their flaws and imperfections. Beyond the characters, the setting screams old western. I could almost hear the clicking of a movie reel recording the story as I read it.
If you are looking for some old-fashioned charm & a feel-good story with a twist be sure to pick this up in January.

I adored the author’s previous book Be Frank With Me, and once I read the premise of this one I HAD to read it! I loved it start to finish, and was totally charmed by the characters on the Flying Leap ranch. Great way to pass pandemic time!

The foundation of this story was interesting but I feel like it did not have the emotion behind it. I did like the ending.

Nevada has long been known for weddings, but I didn’t know it was also a place where you could come stay at a ranch for 6 weeks and get a quickie divorce. In 1938, Ward works at a divorce ranch and meets all sorts of interesting characters. He’s young and attractive and gets involved with one of the clients, against the ranch rules. The book has a unique setting to provide the backdrop of some humor, some heartbreak and some good stories.

This book was a FUN read and right now during this pandemic fun reads are much appreciated. In 1938. women divorcing their husbands was scandalous and Reno, Nevada become known as the 'divorce capital of the world'. The problem was you had to be a resident for at least six weeks. So what were the women to do? Establishments were popping up to allow the women a place to live and not feel so alone. This book uses the fictitious Flying Leap Dude Ranch. Ward is the main character/narrator. He is 24 years old and trying to figure out what to do next after his time at Yale ended do to the financial devastation of the Great Depression (and some other things that would be spoiler-y if explained). He's landed a job at the flying leap and the book focuses on a six week stint that featured a variety of divorcees. Two women play heavy in his memories as the book is started with him reminiscing on an old photo shown to him by a young man who came to interview him. The first is Nina, a heiress and a budding aviatrix is back for her third divorce. The second is Emily, who drove from San Francisco after learning her husband was cheating on her. We see Emily struggling with the idea that her daughter will come from a broken home and trying to figure out her identity beyond being a Mrs. Nina struggles with loving someone so much who cannot love her back the way she needs to be loved. Hijinks and hilarity ensue as all the women at the Flying Leap fight to figure out what next and push boundaries that now in 2020 I am so thankful women fought to push. Ward is a sympathetic character. A few times I thought of him oh when you are older you will understand. I knew we would see more of him as an older man based on how the novel started. I definitely recommend this book for a fun and still informative historical fiction read. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!.

It took me some time to warm up to this book and I can't figure out why. I loved that the book was narrated by an elderly gentleman who was relating his story to an unknown person. I liked all the characters very much. Even the bratty 13 year old daughter, because - let's face it - we've all been there. I liked the setting and the crazy antics the characters got up to. I liked the relationships - both good and contentious - between the various characters. I I liked that the author worked in a love of animals. I feel that we, as readers, were given closure with regard to what happened to most of the main characters and I appreciated that fact. That being said, I ended up LOVING the ending. It took me completely by surprise, but what a wonderful and heartwarming surprise it was.

Better Luck Next Time is the story of Ward, a make-believe cowboy on a divorce ranch, the Flying Leap, in Reno, Nevada in the 1930s. Back in the day, a woman could live in Reno for 6 weeks and become a resident, therefore, being able to divorce her husband. The ranch caters to every whim of the wealthy, soon-to-be divorcees. Ward becomes friends with two of the divorcees, Nina and Emily and that forever changes his life! Read this delightful, fun read to find out just how Ward's life was changed and watch out for the surprise at the end!

Thank you to Book Club Girl for the advanced copy; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Not sure how I feel about this book. The divorce ranch in Reno just reminded me of the movie The Women. Once I got past that, the story was ok. Didn’t really care for any of the characters. Felt some of them needed more fleshing out. I did like Ward being the narrator. Just felt like something was missing. Not one of my favorites.

Story set in the 1930’s at the Flying Leap ranch in Reno, Nevada. The ranch is a place where women go for six weeks in order to get a divorce. Story centers on Ward a ranch hand and Nina and Emily who are staying at the ranch. Nina and Emily are complete opposites but quickly form a friendship. Ward is building a new life for himself and finds himself falling in love. Fun easy ready but predictable. Out January 5, 2021. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #NetGalley #BetterLuckNextTime

Better Luck Next Time is a unique story idea for historical fiction, focusing on a dude ranch for divorcees in 1938. The concept is a breath of fresh air from the glut of World War II novels that fill the shelves right now. That being said it didn't do all that much for me, either in concept or in execution. The story is narrated by Ward, who was a staff member on the ranch, as a now retired folksy small town doctor. Some may find this charming, but the reminiscing periodically interrupted by his medical practice that had nothing to do with the story being told was distracting to me. The story itself isn't particularly redeeming to me either, as Ward as a young man was incredibly naive and a little bit too agreeable, and the women he spends the most time with - Emily and Nina - are self-absorbed and oblivious to the real world problems of most people while the Depression is going on. Nina, the irrepressible one, takes it upon herself to lighten up the more straight-laced Emily. The two are having a grand adventure with Ward as their wingman when Emily's even more self-absorbed daughter Portia shows up as well as Archer, the husband she plans to divorce. Beyond the fact that a paper mache horse head and fairy wings have already made a significant appearance by this point, why shouldn't things get even messier? I would have liked this story to be more interesting, more redeeming and more engaging, but I just couldn't bring myself to like any of these characters or the rambling storyline.

Hilarious, entertaining and heartwarming, a quirky story of a divorce ranch in Reno in the 1930s, about wives who book a 6 week stay at the Flying Leap ranch in Reno to establish themselves as residents of Nevada and qualify for a quickie divorce. While they are there, the ranch has plenty of activities (and cowboys) to entertain them and they meet lots of women in a similar situation to commiserate with.. sounds like the perfect way to get over a divorce! The story is told through the eyes of Ward, a young ranch hand who had to leave medical school to work after his family lost everything in the Great Depression and learned a lot about life from some very spunky ladies, including Nina, an amateur pilot, and Emily, a kind young lady who has finally worked up the nerve to leave her cheating husband. I was surprised by the ending, and thoroughly enjoyed the both the light and serious parts of this story!

Thank you very much to NetGalley, William Morrow and Custom House for allowing me to listen to this story in exchange for an honest review.

Hot cowboys, rich divorcees, and a remote dude ranch in Reno at the height of the Depression all combined to make a surprisingly great read. I was drawn into the story immediately by the smooth cadence of the book's narrator, hunky and tenderhearted, Ward, as he reminisces about his final weeks working as a "fake" cowboy on a dude ranch designed for rich women who seek a Nevada style, quickie, non-contested divorce. When two of the dude ranch's rich divorcees, Nina and Emily, take a shining to Ward, they drag him into their world of mischievous romps and playful deceit. What's true? What's fake? And is it all just a harmless joke? As Ward ominously quotes famous cowboy, Roy Rogers, "Everything is funny, as long as it's happening to somebody else,” the plot thickens between the two women and Ward. Not my typical read, so I didn't see it coming, but I really liked this book!

Who knew a story about divorce could be so sweet? Set in the Divorce Capital of Reno, Nevada in the late 1930’s, Better Luck Next Time is hard to pigeonhole. It’s historical fiction about when women who were seeking a divorce needed to become residents of Nevada by staying six weeks and a whole industry developed to accommodate them. It’s also a story of friendship between women, mother and daughter relationships and a light romance thrown in for good measure. And did I mention comedy? Shifting between giggles and poignancy is no simple task, but Ms. Johnson accomplishes it. This will be a widely recommended read!

Better Luck Next Time is a rollicking good novel set in Reno in the 1930s. Women seeking a quick divorce from their husbands head to Reno, the "Divorce Capital of the World". The catch is they have to wait six weeks to become "residents". Flying Leap a "Divorce Ranch" caters to these women. Ward, "Cary Grant in cowboy boots", reflects on his job as a ranch hand there in an interview decades later. This fun, feel good novel is about friendships and love along with the complexities and complications of these relationships.
Thanks NetGalley for this fun read.