It took me a while to get to this and I lost my advanced copy so graciously provided by Netgalley and the publisher. So, upon publish I requested a copy at my local library.

I read this book and also listed on audio. I enjoyed the audio more than my read thanks.to the great narrator.

The story is relevant to what’s going on in the world currently in terms of women’s rights. Women had to have “good reason” to divorce their husband and even then could only seek divorce in certain states. Lois heads to Nevada to divorce her controlling mysoginist husband. At the ranch for divorcees, she meets several other women in the same position.

My thoughts: What drew me to this book was a historical point about which I did not know anything. I did know that in the 1950s, divorce was frowned upon, but I did not realize that there were actual ranches where women would go to stay while waiting for their divorce to get finalized. The idea of the story is great, how women adapt & survive. The story was so slow moving and had an abrupt end. I enjoyed the descriptions of the barren dry land within a glimpse of a beautiful vista; a repetition of an evening starting with cocktail hour at the ranch or the long night at a bar or a casino. The occupants are a study in themselves with the despair along with hopes and dreams of the future. I just wanted more.

I thought the concept of this novel was very interesting and I loved learning about the concept. I would have liked even more about the history personally. The narration by Bailey Carr was really easy to listen to. Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

I enjoyed this book for the most part, but the end felt very anticlimactic. The narrator was perfect for this one, and that definitely had a lot to do with me giving this book 4 stars (otherwise, probably would have been a 3 star). I was not a huge fan of the hate club most of the women in this book seemed to be in, but it felt so genuine in terms of what women are actually like. I can relate to the main characters feeling of being ostracized amongst a group of women who had similar “stains” on their own reputations. If you like a feel good book, this is not the one for you.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book but unfortunately the execution fell a bit flat for me. I loved the setting of a divorce ranch in Reno but I wanted more. I wish instead of focusing on one character who didn't get along with the other girls we got to see multiple POVs.

The pacing for this book was really inconsistent and oftentimes much too slow. I did enjoy the narration though.

The book was ok. I never could get hooked on it enough to want to read it and not put it down. It just wasn't a book for me.

This book did not keep my attention. The setting and idea of a “place to go” drew me but the characters weren’t all that interesting. I didn’t finish it.

The Divorcees had a great narrator who I thoroughly enjoyed listening to. The story is a bit of a slow burn, but I think it paid off well. I loved the topic-something I knew nothing about and it seems very relevant to the way woman act around romantic partners today.

THE DIVORCÉES review

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

👒My favorite thing about historical fiction is learning about parts of history I had never heard of. THE DIVORCÉES is about divorce ranches in Nevada in the 1960s. I listened to this one on audio and it was definitely an easy listen while working on chores and running errands!

👒Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Lois feels stuck in an unhappy marriage. Unfortunately, the only place that allows women to file for divorce is Nevada. She finds herself living on a divorce ranch for six weeks to file and process her divorce. Her days are filled with lounging by the pool and waiting for time to pass. Until a new resident at the ranch seems determined to shake up Lois’s entire world.

👒The history part of this story and I wished the book had dived deeper into that aspect of it. I would have loved an author’s note about the research behind on the story or insight into actual women who’ve lived on a divorce ranch. The characters felt flat and I didn’t really feel invested in them or their stories unfortunately. This one was just okay imo. The history part was interesting but otherwise I’m not sure I’d recommend it.

👒Thanks @macmillan.audio for my advanced copy! THE DIVORCÉES is available now!

Lois Saunders, née Gorski, is headed west from Chicago to Reno, NV to divorce her husband. Lois will spend six weeks at the Golden Yarrow with several other women waiting for their divorces to be finalized.

In the 1950s, the divorce ranches of Reno were filled with women seeking to change their lives. It was interesting to glimpse this part of American history as it isn't a subject often talked about.

The story follows Lois's experience and the interactions she has with the other women at the ranch. One fellow divorcée in particular grabs her attention, the late arrival of Greer Lang. Greer comes across as elegant and sophisticated and her self-assured demeanor has all the women willing to do whatever she says, especially Lois.

There are lots of secrets among the women and this was what I enjoyed most, the peeling back of each of their facades to their true selves.

I listened to the audiobook and the reader had such a breathless quality to her voice that was a perfect fit for the time period of the story.

If you're looking for a historical fiction novel that is off the beaten path, I enjoyed this one and would recommend it.

Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the advance listening copy.

Very nearly a DNF for me; the plot pacing is just unfortunate--much too slow--and while the divorce ranch concept is interesting and worth learning more about, and the author's descriptions of characters and places are quite well-done, the overall plot drags, Greer is annoying, and the Thelma and Louise vibe wears thin quite early on.

"The Divorcees" by Rowan Beaird is an interesting read with well-developed characters and an engaging storyline. However, at times, the pacing feels a bit slow, and some plot points could have been more fleshed out. Overall, it's worth a read!

Welcome to Reno in the 1950’s at a divorce ranch. A place that houses the women waiting out their 6 weeks of the required residency rule in order to obtain a divorce.
Narrated by the consistently sweet voiced Bailey Carr. We get an inside look to the pressures that women faced in those years and are reminded of how much things have changed for the better. We also see how two people in the same circumstances can cope so differently and use one another for their own gain.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for granting me the opportunity to listen to this great audiobook .
#NetGalley #Goodreads ##MacmillanAudio

It's 1951. Lois feels trapped in a marriage she never should have entered into. Unfortunately for her, you can't just leave your husband because you're unhappy, unless you live in Reno. Lois checks herself into a divorce ranch, a temporary home for unhappy women to give them a way out of their marriages. Amongst the women she is introduced to Greer, a mysterious newcomer who pushed Lois to be the person she always dreamed of being. Only, is this the person she's always wanted to be?

The vibe of this book is totally Thelma and Louise. Two women on the outskirts of society who ban together to make the life for themselves that they've always dreamed of. My only issue with this story is that it took so long to get to the meat of the story. All in all, I thought the story was interesting and unique.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook!

This debut novel about a Chicago woman seeking a divorce in Reno in the 1950s is the slowest of slow burns. The characters are compelling, although I HATED the vulnerability of Lois and the snarky know-it-all attitude of Greer. I know their personalities are what drive the story, but I found both of them to be annoying.

The storytelling through certain swaths was just downright boring, to the point that I wanted to DNF this book a few times. But Beaird does have a style of writing that brought the settings to life in a way that many writers can't for me, and Bailey Carr's narration of the audiobook gave the scenes a needed layer of richness.

I was really intrigued but not at all surprised at the turn of events that occurs before Lois finalizes her divorce. I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her for being so ridiculous. But her character development is interesting.

I was ready to maybe rate this 3.5 stars, but the ending was a huge yawn that I'm sure was meant to be symbolic or metaphorical. Whatever.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and I had high hopes for this book. I was fascinated to learn about “divorce ranches” as I had never heard of such a thing. While this was a part of the story, Lois’s relationship with Greer was the main focus. I ended up going back and forth between kindle and audiobook, hoping that one of the versions would entertain me more. I felt like the storyline went nowhere and it was almost a DNF for me.

Thank you @netgalley and @flatiron_books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

So much potential with this one but it fell flat for me in the end. I really enjoyed learning more about “divorce camps” in the 1950s but the story itself was so compelling only to just leave the reader/listener with what felt like no resolution.

In the 1950s, if a woman wanted a divorce she had to go to Reno, Nevada. Divorce ranches allowed women to live on the premises for a minimum of 6 weeks, establish residency, and then be eligible for divorce. Lois is divorcing her older, controlling husband, and by moving to Nevada, escaping her overbearing father.

At the Golden Yarrow, she and a handful of other women wait out their time. When Greer shows up in the middle of the night with bruises on her face, the women all speculate as to who she is and what may have happened to her. The novel explores the stigma of divorce in that time period, especially the limited options women had post-divorce.

The story took a long time to get going, especially since the prologue sets us up for suspense. The dynamic between the women was interesting, and the twist was a good one. But frankly, the ending lost me.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve never read a book that so effectively transports me to a totally unexpected time and place, this ranch in the desert populated by would be divorcees. Its descriptions were beautiful, characters memorable and prose vivid. I felt for Lois and was rooting for her ability to find a new life.

For some reason I thought it was going to be queer. Nevertheless, I was enjoying the dynamic between the women at the Golden Yarrow and how Greer's magnetism altered it. That is until it jumped the shark leading up to the novel's climax and then the ending was unnecessary.

The Divorcées follows Lois to Reno, Nevada in 1951, where she's staying at a divorce ranch, until she can divorce her husband and leave her loveless marriage. Lois has a hard time connecting to other people, always wearing the wrong clothes or talking too much about movies. She feels the same way at the Golden Yarrow amongst her fellow divorcées until Greer shows up. Greer is beautiful and mysterious, with a bruise on her cheek and a secret past. She pulls Lois into the limelight, taking her and the girls out to bars and casinos, challenging the women to dares and always pushing the limits. The writing of this book was really beautiful with a lot of internal dialogue and metaphors. It started out a bit slow, but the pace really picked up in the middle and towards the end. The narrator did a good job, although there were some snippets of audio that were obviously recorded at a different time. This will definitely appeal to readers of historical fiction and women's fiction.