It took me a while to get into this book - it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t my favorite. A bit slow but overall decent!

How much can change in six weeks? Turns out, an awful lot.

Lois escapes a bad marriage to a famed “divorce ranch” in Reno, Nevada in the 1950s. Waiting out her mandatory 6 week residency, she makes new friends, has totally new experiences, and gets caught in some pretty sticky situations. Full of twists and turns, this fun read is perfect for the beach or pool.

4 ⭐️!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review..

The Divorcées is a story of women in the 50s looking to start over by way of a “divorce ranch”. It touches on the complicated dynamic of friendships between women. Also of how women were treated in the 50s and how they attempt to find their independence after divorce. I really enjoyed the story of Lois and the other women she spent her required 6 weeks with in Reno. You can see her growth throughout and how she overcomes the end of her marriage and being gaslighted by the mysterious Greer. This one touches on the tough topics of social expectations, domestic abuse, politics, and neglect. It was a quick read at under 300 pages but was fabulous for a debut novel!

The Divorceés caught my eye with its description. I found it interesting to read about a time, not too long ago, when women had no option other than to marry and had to hide away if they wanted to divorce. Taking place at a ranch in Reno where women go when leaving their husbands, the book had so much potential. Unfortunately I found this book to be a very slow read and the details of the main character sometimes were hard to follow. I kept with it because I committed to finishing and reviewing the work, but if I had not, it would have been a DNF for me.

Thank you Flatiron Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced reader's copy of this publication.
What a great story that has not been told before. I enjoyed every page turn and the excitement of the lives of women ending their marriages for multiple reasons. Who would of even thought this existed in our lifetime.

Great Read.

This book had a great premise and a strong start! I wondered what it would have been like to ride a train to Reno and spend 6 weeks establishing residency at a ranch for soon-to-be divorced women. Riding horses and lounging by the pool all day, drinking and gambling at the casino at night, and having meals prepared for you. It sounds like heaven! Of course, the ranch is infiltrated by a nefarious character and some shenanigans go down. The issue I had with this book is that...after all that...it just...ends. The character development is flat and the story arc just stalls. It was disappointing, because I feel like this book could have been really unique and special.

Thanks to NetGalley for early access.

I really loved the premise of the Divorcees. I had never heard of the divorce ranches of Nevada but thought that this was such an interesting and compelling setting for a book. I struggled through the story. I kept waiting for something to happen but just felt unfulfilled overall. I got to the end and just wasn't sure what the point was.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was just fine. Based on early reviews and marketing, I expected more from it. After reading it, I’m feeling a little empty.

Thank you Netgalley & Flatiron Books Publishing for an eARC ☺️♥️

Hey there, book lovers! Looking for a story that's like a breath of fresh air? This one's got it! Lois Saunders is done with her picture-perfect-but-actually-pretty-awful marriage, and she's off to Reno to get a divorce. But she doesn't just find freedom from her hubby - she finds a whole new side of herself at the Golden Yarrow divorce ranch!

First, she meets a crew of ladies who are all on the same journey. They're swapping their sad stories for saddle sores and horseback adventures. And then, enter Greer - the ultimate wild child who's got a spark that'll light up the whole ranch! With Greer's influence, Lois starts to realize that she doesn't have to be boxed in by society's expectations. She can be her own person, and have a blast doing it!

This book is like a fun ride through the Wild West, with a cast of characters that'll steal your heart. You'll cheer for Lois and her newfound independence, and you'll want to book a stay at the Golden Yarrow stat! 😊🔥

Thank you, NetGalley and Flatiron books for this advanced reader’s copy. I had heard of the divorce ranches of the 1950’s, as divorces were not super common in that time so when I read about this book I was excited to see what the author could do with the story. This is the story of Lois who travels to a divorce ranch in Reno, Nevada, in 1951 and the women she meets there. It is a sign of the times that many of these women are called “whores” when men find out where they are from, or that their parents want them to just return home to their husbands. These women can claim residency in Nevada for 6 weeks and then be granted a divorce to remarry or return home in shame. This book was fun, but also sad that this was the only way out of bad marriages for some women if they had the opportunity and money. I would like to see what this author comes up with next.

It’s 1951 and Lois wants to divorce her husband. So off she goes to Reno where she must stay at a divorce ranch for 6 months and then she will have her divorce granted. This one was not for me. I didn’t get it. I expected some kind of finding oneself, girl power, bonding kind of story, and I did not get that. Nothing happened. The whole story felt flat and bland. I thought things were going to pick up at the end and some things were going to be revealed…but no.

This novel is, in one word, boring. The characters are all just one dimensional. This plot had so much potential but fell flat. I honestly can't think of one thing I liked about this story,

I really loved the setting of this book! It takes place in 1951 at a hotel in Reno primarily occupied by women who are counting down the days until they can file for divorce. Ultimately, the plot moved a little too slowly for me. Readers who enjoy a sense of place more than a fast-paced plot will definitely enjoy this unique historical fiction book.

I found this story truly fascinating. While it might seem like there's not a lot of action, and truth be told there's not, its everything that simmering just under the surface for the cast of characters we're introduced to.

As a debut novel, I think Beaird did a stunning job. Told through the lens of Lois, a divorcée who doesn't have the traditional reasons for divorcing her husband, we're introduced to a number of other women who have traveled to Reno for the same end: a divorce.

All the women in this story have their hands tied by society. They cannot get the divorces they want or so desperately need under traditional circumstances, so they must become legal residences of Nevada. This is just one of the fascinating aspects of this story.

The women, slowly coming undone by the freedoms afforded to them by their new circumstances, and by the arrival of a new and mysterious divorcée, are bright pictures of the women of the time. They each represent a microcosm of the female experience and are given such rich lives. Those women are the heart of this story and it almost didn't need the strange side plot or side quest that was introduced about 3/4 of the way through. In some ways, it makes a little sense. But in other, and looking at it now that i've completed the story, it wasn't necessary. There were other ways for Lois to learn her ultimate lesson, which, to me, was to stand on her own two feet no matter the cost.

Rich in female characters, female friendships, and female behavior (the feeling of being an outsider, of talking too loud of wanting too much really resonates in a cast of all female characters) are the heart and soul of this book. I hope more enjoy it and I hope Beaird writes more.

1950’s housewife Lois finds herself fleeing to a divorce ranch in Reno for 6 weeks while she works to obtain a divorce. There she meets other divorceés, including Greer, whose influence on the rest of the women slowly starts to unravel the ranch.

I loved the concept and setting of this book, but it just fell flat. The timing was very slow for most of the book, so the actual action towards the end felt very rushed. I felt like there were a few too many unanswered questions at the end.

The characters felt like they were only half formed, and none of them left much of a lasting impact.

It just was a little disappointing.

Nonetheless, thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this book was so intriguing to me as I had never heard of the divorce ranch setting before - however, I was left wanting a bit more than what I got. The characters didn't develop enough for me to really care about any of them and the pacing was quite slow. Perhaps if Greer had been introduced sooner I would have been hooked more quickly? I liked the ending but overall this wasn't my favorite.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on March 19, 2024.

In the 1950s, divorce is hard to obtain for women. Lois thus finds herself in Reno at a divorce ranch where she will spend six weeks, to establish residency, before being able to file for divorce. Soon, she founds herself pulled into another guest's orbit. Greer is mysterious but Lois is intrigued. However, maybe there is more lurking behind her new friend.

I think it took too long to get to Lois and Greer's friendship. I think Beaird could have sprinkled breadcrumbs in earlier even if she didn't want to fully introduce Greer early. For instance, she could have had a prologue about meeting Greer or something. Additionally, I was expecting this to be more of a thriller based on the synopsis, but it is not really that.

After telling her husband she no longer wants to be married, twenty something Lois heads to Reno where young women can procure divorces more easily in the early 1950s. While you might expectyy the other residents of the "Divorce Ranch" where she's staying to be more independent or free-thinkers, most of them just want to get remarried and are living off their parents money. Lois doesn't have such a generous father, in sentiment or wallet. The ranch is inhabited by a fun cast of characters, and Lois begins to slip into a routine. Then the mysterious Greer arrives at the ranch, owning every room she walks into and quickly becoming a ringleader on the girls' nights out to bars and casinos. Her hold on Lois grows stronger, and Lois begins to side with Greer in the slowly building tension in the house. What will Lois do to hold on to Greer's friendship and the rebellious, independent idea of herself she sees in Greer's eyes? I enjoyed this book, while the story wasn't groundbreaking, I was surprised a time or two and felt the ending was satisfying.

More like 2.5 stars but I am being nice and rounding up . . .

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, but unfortunately it really missed the mark. I love women's fiction and historical fiction, so this novel was right up my alley. I also like the 1950s as a decade for book settings, and I had never heard of "divorce ranches" before, so I was intrigued by the premise. For those unfamiliar, since divorce was difficult/impossible in most states except Nevada, women would go and vacation on these ranches for 6 weeks to establish residency, after which time they would be legally entitled to a divorce.

This all sounds great, but the execution was lackluster. Lois, from the Chicago suburbs, goes to stay at the ranch. There, she meets a handful of women, one of whom is the mysterious Greer, an alleged Manhattan socialite escaping an abusive marriage. The book blurb promised me a "riveting page-turner and a dazzling exploration of female friendship, desire, and freedom," but there was actually minimal character development or female friendship. Also, the pace was quite slow until the last quarter of the book. Lastly, the novel hinted at a wlw romance between Lois and Greer, but nothing ever panned out in that department either.

I think with some major editing, this could be a great book. I could also see it rewritten as a screenplay and made into a compelling TV miniseries via something like Reese's Hello Sunshine.

Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and author Rowan Beaird for audiobook and e-book arcs in exchange for my honest review.