Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the DRC

3.75

A tutorial on how to divorce your husband in the 1930s? Sign me up.

I found the premise and cover very intriguing. Showcasing the different women, their individual backgrounds and reasons for coming to Reno as well as meeting all the different inhabitants and witnessing their entanglement with the six-weekers was catching my attention from the start. I could however not relate to the main character at all. I admire her journey and willingness to change, but her thoughts about her husband were unfortunately quite repetitive and did not envoke nearly as much sympathy as the other divorcées’ stories, of which I could have gladly heard more. I loved however her journey of self-discovery through Sundown!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of Six Weeks in Reno.

3.5 Stars

I really enjoyed the historical aspect of Six Weeks in Reno. The author does a great job of showing the life of the six-weekers, who were coming to Reno for divorces in the early 1930s. Some of the women have experienced abuse and infidelity in their marriages, and Evelyn has been living in a loveless marriage with a husband who seems to have given up on life. I thought the book did a great job showing what the time in Reno looked like for these women. They were building relationships with one another, with the owners of the ranches that they stayed at, and for some, the cowboys that were there to show them a good time. There is also a side story of real estate fraud, that was taking place in the growing city of Reno during this time, that I thought was a nice addition to the story.

As far as Evelyn's character, I did feel sorry for her. She had been pushed into a marriage to an older man, by her mother. And after living with his failure to secure a job after so many years, and a secret that Evelyn has discovered, she decided it is finally time to take control of her life. For me, personally, I struggled with connecting to Evelyn. I felt like she was shallow and snobbish for most of the book, but she was also kind at times. I just didn't feel engaged with her as the FMC, as I find myself doing in other books.

The story does become a bit repetitive with the characters daily routines, but overall I found I just really loved the historical fiction story, and learning more about what was happening with the divorce laws for women during this time period.

Six Weeks in Reno by Lucy H. Hedrick is a historical fiction novel set in the early 1930's. The protagonist, Evelyn Henderson, is on a trip out west to Reno to seek a divorce. During that era, Reno NV had a local law that granted divorces to women as long as they resided there for at least 6 weeks. The "divorce ranches" were local establishments that rented out rooms and provided accommodation/meals/entertainment to women of means seeking divorces. Usually, it was a working ranch that needed the added income due to the depression era struggles. The ranchers provided a service and an opportunity for the soon to be divorcees to live locally and gain residency.
Evelyn is from money with a husband that she never wanted to marry. Forced into a predicament by her parents, societal rules, and obligated to stay married even though her husband refused to work for decades. After the death of her parents, and her children off to college/careers, Evelyn chooses to finally seek a divorce.
Six Weeks in Reno is a journey that follows sheltered Evelyn and the group of women at Flying N Ranch. From troubled marriages, abusive spouses, neglect, cheaters, etc., each woman has her own reason for seeking a divorce. Attending local nightclubs and dances with cowboys and ranchers, the women are drawn out of their normally stifled lives into a new environment. Discovering for themselves what other possibilities life can offer including the dangers of being a solo woman in the world in 1930.
Evelyn is smart and guarded yet takes an interest in a local handsome rancher. She receives telegrams from home that attempt to draw her back to the life she is trying to flee. Will she go through with the divorce? What will she do with herself if she does? That's the adventure of this novel...

I loved this story!

In 1931, Evelyn Henderson heads to Reno to secure a divorce and runs into an adventure and awakening she was not expecting.

It was interesting to watch Evelyn's character develop and change throughout the story. This really was a fun, entertaining, and sometimes surprising as her adventures with the other "six weekers" unravel. 1931 was not a freeing time for women and what these women were doing was courageous and inspiring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a decent book. It was an interesting read. I do t think it’s for everyone though, but the right people might love it.

Calling all historical fiction lovers—come read about the depression-era women who sought their freedom from ugly, unloving marriages through a residency program in Reno, Nevada. I looked it up—this was really a thing!

Told from the perspective of Evelyn, an upper-class woman of a certain age from Hackensack, we learn about the journey many women took, the town that granted them their freedom, and the pitfalls that befell many along the way. Evelyn discovers her new self and her strength in this story, acknowledging the real challenges she’ll face from her community, her sister, her ex-husband, and her college-age children.

Lucy Hedrick introduces a place and time after the depression where accommodations are made. to keep life alive. Add to the mix a group of women who want to improve their lives with locals trying to maintain homes and business the best they can. With all the questions included I was pulled into their lives to find the secrets. Good read, Thank you Netgalley

To get divorced from her husband, Evelyn Henderson must spend Six Weeks in Reno. This book gives account of her travel to Reno, along with other women on the same journey, who cross her path. While Evelyn was the main character, I loved how the author introduced other characters and shared their stories. I also loved Reno. Reno signifies life; full of joy, peace, yet chaos and mischief. I loved how much the book made me appreciate today's society and its growth towards being accommodating of women's decisions, as previously, being a divorcee was a shameful thing. It was a good and calm read.

I like the book and felt more engaged with these characters as opposed to the other book on the subject making the rounds now . It was an incredibly time in history and felt the author tackled it well
Thanks to Netgalley and their publisher for letting me read the book

I loved the idea of this book, and actually just read another book about the divorce ranches in Reno recently. I liked the main character growing into her own, and empathized with all the women trying to get free from unhappy marriages. I felt like some of the chapters were a bit clunky and didn’t flow but overall I really enjoyed reading it!

In the 1930s women went to ranches in Reno for 6 weeks to obtain a divorce. Evelyn goes from NJ. She’s a model, has 2 young adult children, and her sister lives in family home with her. Her husband has moved out and she’s supporting him. Book goes to topics that are too current, not common in 1930s. Not really western lifestyle I expected.

It makes a pleasant change to read such a well-written novel. The author creates characters and an atmosphere that is believable for being set in 1930 and 1931. The language is refreshingly straight-forward without any unnecessary verbosity. It focuses on telling the story while still creating a sufficient sense of the period, location, its societal norms and expectations. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

The page numbering is a mess and there is an occasional sense of pages (ie. story context) missing from the narrative, but hopefully this is because it's an uncorrected proof and will be put right before publication.

Many thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for the ARC.

3.5 stars.
Six Weeks in Reno is a clever debut novel about Evelyn, who wants to get away from her dull life.
The concept and the setting are interesting and fresh. Set in the depression era of the US, Evelyn and other women try to find their places in life (or regain them) in their six-week-long residence.
The novel is written from the POV of Evelyn. The time progress is clearly indicated.
I liked Evelyn and Madeline in particular, and the characters' overall journeys.
Here is breakdown of the elements
Concept/Idea: 4/5
Characterisation: 4/5
Prose: 3
Plot: 3
Conflict and Catharsis: 3

I thought the book and its characters were great. I love the main character's growth; her struggle meant so much to her. I would not change anything about the book or its characters. The only I would change is to have a better flow from chapter to chapter. It lacks some flow, which would make the chapters connect better.

Such a fun story! I enjoyed this book so much. It also has such a gorgeous cover! All around, well done!!

WOW! This book was fantastic. I absolutely love the main character and the journey that life had her on. It was so beautifully written. I love a great book about history.