Finding the perfect combination of good-hearted ease, innocence, and high spirits, narrator David Aaron Baker has a wonderful time giving voice to Ward—a down-on-his-luck, Ivy-League-educated cowpoke who finds himself in Reno, Nevada, in Depression-era 1938. He is working at the Flying Leap Dude Ranch, which caters exclusively to well-heeled women waiting for their speedy divorces to finalize. It’s a tough job, but a sweet, good-looking guy like Ward should be able to handle the tears, heartache, and hijinks. Baker is especially adept at finding just the right feminine tones and accents for the St. Louis heiress, the haughty matron, and the girl with a heart of gold—all of whom are hoping the American Dream won’t pass them by. Sweet and heartfelt comic gold. B.P. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

"Doesn’t a romantic comedy set on a 1930s Nevada dude ranch teeming with about-to-be-divorced women owe a certain debt to the era’s big-screen classics? Then again, it’s hard to believe a cinematic version could be any more fun." — New York Times Book Review

"Johnson’s rollicking comedy sizzles, thanks to the immensely appealing voice of its aging narrator...brims with the clever banter and farcical situations of a classic Capra film." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Do you want to read something funny?  Let’s say, a novel set at a divorce ranch in Reno in the 1930s?  A book with memorably eccentric characters, sparkling dialogue, a satisfying plot twist, and some romance and sex?  A feel-good literary comedy/western?  Here it is, then, the book you've been looking for: Julia Claiborne Johnson’s Better Luck Next Time." — Julie Schumacher, author of  Dear Committee Members and The Shakespeare Requirement

"Rollicking, nostalgic, wistful and wise, Better Luck Next Time is another gem from Julia Claiborne Johnson. Like a modern-day Anita Loos (but with more heart), Johnson spins an irresistible yarn that captures Depression-era disappointments, hopes, and determination, and paints a touching story of how even a life gone wrong can be a life well lived." — Karen Dukess, author of The Last Book Party

“Hilarious and clever.”  — New York Post

 "Julia Claiborne Johnson's real skill is a literary sleight of hand: creating humorous characters with big hearts, then using them to deliver a story with a surprising emotional wallop. There were tears from heartbreak and joy! My face still hurts from smiling."   — Steven Rowley, author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor

"Invites comparisons to Shakespeare’s madcap comedies...Like Shakespeare with his fairies, Johnson uses her own brand of magic to bring these characters to life and to remind us that love often requires a second chance." — Chattanooga Free Press

"Channels Frank Capra’s screwball comedies...There is a delightful sense of closure in the way Johnson wraps up this shiny package, which arrives just after New Year’s like a late holiday gift." — Christian Science Monitor

"An engrossing portrait of 1930s Reno...witty and charming." — Booklist

"Do you want to read something funny?  Let’s say, a novel set at a divorce ranch in Reno in the 1930s?  A book with memorably eccentric characters, sparkling dialogue, a satisfying plot twist, and some romance and sex?  A feel-good literary comedy/western?  Here it is, then, the book you've been looking for: Julia Claiborne Johnson’s Better Luck Next Time."

"Julia Claiborne Johnson's real skill is a literary sleight of hand: creating humorous characters with big hearts, then using them to deliver a story with a surprising emotional wallop. There were tears from heartbreak and joy! My face still hurts from smiling."

"Channels Frank Capra’s screwball comedies...There is a delightful sense of closure in the way Johnson wraps up this shiny package, which arrives just after New Year’s like a late holiday gift."

"Rollicking, nostalgic, wistful and wise, Better Luck Next Time is another gem from Julia Claiborne Johnson. Like a modern-day Anita Loos (but with more heart), Johnson spins an irresistible yarn that captures Depression-era disappointments, hopes, and determination, and paints a touching story of how even a life gone wrong can be a life well lived."

"An engrossing portrait of 1930s Reno...witty and charming."

"Invites comparisons to Shakespeare’s madcap comedies...Like Shakespeare with his fairies, Johnson uses her own brand of magic to bring these characters to life and to remind us that love often requires a second chance."

"Doesn’t a romantic comedy set on a 1930s Nevada dude ranch teeming with about-to-be-divorced women owe a certain debt to the era’s big-screen classics? Then again, it’s hard to believe a cinematic version could be any more fun."

Hilarious and clever.” 

"An engrossing portrait of 1930s Reno...witty and charming."

Witty and charming . . . . a story that will stay with you for a long time."

Julia Claiborne Johnson captures the ambivalence and uncertainty of wealthy women on a dusty Nevadan 'divorce ranch' during the Depression, poised between husbands and between worlds, ripe for sisterhood and frightening yet exhilarating opportunities for adventure. This lively and surprisingly tender tale captures the wit of the South and the grit of the West, while asking age-old questions about the drawbacks and benefits of freedom and independence. Better Luck Next Time is a page-turner, and a treasure.

“Better Luck Next Time crackles with wit and wisdom. This delightful novel of love and loss on a divorce ranch in Nevada during the Great Depression is poignant, hilarious, and, at times, achingly sad. I love this glorious book!

Charming, captivating and big-hearted, Better Luck Next Time pulls you into a fascinating and hilarious world—a Depression-era divorce ranch outside of Reno—where love in all its complexities will have you laughing and crying until the last page.

Finding the perfect combination of good-hearted ease, innocence, and high spirits, narrator David Aaron Baker has a wonderful time giving voice to Ward—a down-on-his-luck, Ivy-League-educated cowpoke who finds himself in Reno, Nevada, in Depression-era 1938. He is working at the Flying Leap Dude Ranch, which caters exclusively to well-heeled women waiting for their speedy divorces to finalize. It’s a tough job, but a sweet, good-looking guy like Ward should be able to handle the tears, heartache, and hijinks. Baker is especially adept at finding just the right feminine tones and accents for the St. Louis heiress, the haughty matron, and the girl with a heart of gold—all of whom are hoping the American Dream won’t pass them by. Sweet and heartfelt comic gold. B.P. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine