Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson 

ARC from Custom House and Netgalley for an honest review

Book Blurb:

It’s 1938 and women seeking a quick, no-questions split from their husbands head to the “divorce capital of the world,” Reno, Nevada. There’s one catch: they have to wait six-weeks to become “residents.” Many of these wealthy, soon-to-be divorcees flock to the Flying Leap, a dude ranch that caters to their every need. 
Twenty-four-year-old Ward spent one year at Yale before his family lost everything in the Great Depression; now he’s earning an honest living as a ranch hand at the Flying Leap. Admired for his dashing good looks—“Cary Grant in cowboy boots”—Ward thinks he’s got the Flying Leap’s clients all figured out. But two new guests are about to upend everything he thinks he knows: Nina, a St Louis heiress and amateur pilot back for her third divorce, and Emily, whose bravest moment in life was leaving her cheating husband back in San Francisco and driving herself to Reno.

My Review: 4 stars

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Better Luck Next Time surprised me with its unusual setting and story that I relished from start to finish. It was a fabulous change to read American historical fiction from that time period. The book takes place on a dude ranch in Reno, Nevada; a place where I thought people went for quickie marriages. Turns out, it was quite famous for the six-week stay and get a divorce law, which for many women was the best and/or only option.

So, what is a dude ranch exactly? I was curious where the name came from. Apparently, back in the early 1900s, a “dude” was what legit cowboys and cattle ranchers coined urbanites or big-time city slickers. When these ranches opened up for tourism, calling it a dude ranch marked it as a vacation spot. The dude ranch in the book, The Flying Leap, catered strictly to women who’d come for a quickie divorce.

Ward, the main character who is sharing his story to an anonymous visitor at his assisted living home, was a ranch hand at The Flying Leap. He was there to do chores and fix things, but also, to be a handsome face for the women to look at. As he slowly shares the shenanigans of his last six-week stint working there, he unleashes a story about a handful of the women, in particular, Nina and Emily. These two each had practical reasons for getting divorced, but nothing is as simple as it seems. Infidelity, love, friendship, parenting, honesty, second-chances and class were all touched upon throughout the book.

I found myself completely engaged as I read and was anxious to learn who Ward was telling his story to. There was never a dull moment and I’m still trying to imagine a car with cashmere seats. Perfect ending to this delightful book.

Quotes I liked:

Sure, a juicy tip might help pay the mortgage, but it doesn’t do much for the soul. That’s something common to so many rich folks, though. They assume the approval of everybody they come in contact with can be bought.”

“That’s the danger of eavesdropping, isn’t it? Sometimes you overhear things you wish you could unhear.”