In post-WWII New York we meet Fanny Fabricant, one of the lucky wives whose husband comes back from Europe and starts his career as a surgeon. Their daughter Chloe is a great character who get to see grow up through the years.

But Fanny isn't lucky for long when her husband dies suddenly after returning from a family wedding. Fanny has to move out of their home and into the job market. After a rough start she lands a job as a secretary for a producer of radio serials (not soaps!). She flourishes there and also makes friends with writers and actors, two in particular.

But in 1950's media, beware of Joe McCarthy and the "Red Scare". Fanny's friends are blacklisted and she is caught between doing nothing and trying to help without putting herself and daughter in danger. Fanny has also started dating and it is apparent that Ezra doesn't want a wife of his to work and yet Fanny has found much to enjoy in working.

It is a sign of the times the struggles that women had in the 1950's but so much of what occurred politically seems to be returning here, you must kiss the ring and tow the company line or you're a dissident and run out of town. I enjoyed the refences to HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) and how that affected people's lives than the romance in the novel. It was apparent early on how that would be resolved.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

During WWII, women had to find a new role in our world. Afterwards, many were caught between what they had created, and returning to the life they had prior to the war. Many were changed from having left the home and working. Fanny feels caught between two worlds, as many women did.

The author did a good job of allowing the reader to feel the pull to both sides, the life expected to a life of unknown adventures. I enjoyed the writing, but felt the book moved along slower than I prefer. I think for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, this is a great book that showcases the period of time immediately following WWII.

From the blurb:
Set in New York City in the heady aftermath of World War II, when the men were coming home, the women were exhaling in relief, and everyone was having babies, The Trouble with You is the story of Fanny Fabricant, whose rosy future is upended in a single instant. Educated for a career as a wife and mother, she is torn between her cousin Mimi, who is determined to keep her a “nice girl,” and her aunt Rose, who has a rebellious past of her own.

Forging a new life, she gets a job in radio serials. Then through her friendship with an actress who stars in and a man who writes the series, she comes face-to-face with the blacklist, which is wrecking lives.

Ultimately, Fanny must decide between playing it safe or doing what is right in this vivid evocation of a world that seems at once light-years away and strangely immediate.

It was interesting to me to read about this time period after WWII, the blacklist in the media, and the HUAC or House Un-American Activities Committee. Fanny was just like any other American housewife of the time until she's forced to go out and find a job during a time when women are expected to step aside and let the returning men fill the available jobs. She's looked down on by other women in her community, but with the support of an actress friend she becomes string and confident. The ending was a bit predictable but overall I really enjoyed this book.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. The opinions in this review are my own and given voluntarily.

Ellen Feldman’s The Trouble with You brings post-WWII women’s roles and McCarthy Era blacklists to life. Educated in one of the famed Seven Sisters colleges, Florence “Fanny” Fabricant has been taught that a good education prepares young women to marry a successful man and raise intelligent children. Fanny has a good start in that direction when tragedy strikes, and she must support herself and her bright young daughter Chloe. With no job skills other than the ability to type, Fanny lands a secretarial job working for an editor overseeing radio series, THE popular entertainment of the day. Quickly learning that the series are never to be called “soaps,” Fanny meets others in the business, most notably a script writer and a voice actress. Through these two people, and her rebellious Aunt Rose, Fanny is introduced to McCarthyism and the blacklists that destroyed so many writers’ and performers’ careers.

Add to the House on Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) two attractive, but opposite men attracted to Fanny, who has been taught to follow the rules and make the safe choices. Ellen Feldman has devised a plot guaranteed to hold many a reader’s attention.

As a child in the 1950s and early 1960s, I was blissfully ignorant of McCarthyism until later history classes, but I well knew the expectations placed on young women. For example, I recall being told that one can attract more young men with cookies than with education. Fortunately, I didn’t listen, but I certainly understood the pressure on somewhat older young women to find a good husband and raise children as one’s life’s goal. Although I found The Trouble with You a bit slow at the start, it picked up, and I enjoyed Feldman’s chosen setting and the research that made it come alive. Equipped with an elite education, Fanny finds herself grappling with life experiences—with conflicting ideas and moral and personal choices.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital advance reader copy of Ellen Feldman’s latest historical novel.

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Fanny's husband passes away after coming home from the War. In her grief she is left to take care of her daughter, Chloe, and needs a job. Even though a college graduate she really only knows how to be a housewife. She has an amazing Aunt Rose who has lived a rather unconventional life and everyone needs an Aunt Rose to dole out the tough love. She finds Fanny a job working for a writer of radio serials typing up scripts. Parts of this were predictable but the characters at the studio were so lovely it just worked. In my mind I kept picturing the movie The Way We Were, the actors and all the hustle and bustle to produce a daily show. I felt the ending was interesting.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

The Trouble With You by Ellen Feldman is a fascinating novel about a young widow facing life alone in the early 1950’s. Fanny Fabricant is a senior at Barnard College when she meets her future husband, Max, a medical student at Columbia University. They marry in 1941 and about two years later he leaves Fanny and their eight-month-old daughter Chloe to join the military. Max survives the war but tragically dies at home in 1947. Fanny is left with a six-year-old daughter and a house she can’t afford. She turns to her stalworth Aunt Rose for guidance. Rose is a successful single woman with her own thriving alterations/design business. Although Rose has never been married, she enjoys life fully. She gives Fanny sound advice and models how to live a self-sufficient life. Fanny sells her house in the suburbs and moves to a small apartment in New York City. Rose helps Fanny get a job as the assistant to a woman who writes three successful daytime radio serials. Fanny’s new life begins to take shape. She enjoys her work and befriends the actors and writers. Unfortunately, some of her cronies are under attack by Senator McCarthy and the HUAC. Fanny witnesses McCarthy’s persecution destroying the lives of colleagues she cares about. How can she help them without putting herself and her daughter at risk? Fanny has other concerns about her future. She enjoys dating a man that would be a great provider and stepfather for Chloe. However, she is also attracted to the “bad boy” writer she knows through her job. Fanny is constantly confronted with troubling choices that she faces with aplomb. Feldman has written an entertaining and thought-provoking novel. The Trouble With You has only one problem- it is difficult to put down.

Excellent story about remarkable people in a difficult time period in history (as if any period is easy). I want to highlight the incredible women of the story, but I cannot not also mention the wise-cracking male lead. He is a huge part of the story also.

I was immediately drawn into this book and read at very opportunity. It was informative and enjoyable. I have read two other books by this author and am in awe of her talent to bring characters to life and make me care so much about them.

This is definitely a book that I will be recommending to others.

A huge thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for giving me the immense pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

The story of Fanny Fabricant, a woman ahead of her times navigating her way through New York City of the post war 1940s. Fanny is widowed and raising her daughter Chloe with the support of her single and independent minded aunt Rosie. 1940's America is not single woman friendly and Fanny faces a lot of challenges as a widowed single woman. She manages to get a job as secretary in a radio station broadcasting soap serials. Her life changes when she meet Charlie a maverick script writer and a secret supporter of the Left. We get glimpses of early days of women's lib and single life in the 1940/50s. There is also the issue of blacklisting by the HUAC and ACE. Be warned however that the plot takes off well after you are midway into the book.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC

As WWII ends, Fanny thinks all of her troubles are behind her as her husband, Max, returns from the war. He made it through and now they are settling in as a family with their young daughter, buying a home, Max, as a doctor, finding a practice. Little does she know that her life is about to be upended, leaving her struggling to start a new life. Finding a job as a secretary for radio serials, Fanny finds herself in a whole new world. In the era where those in the entertainment field were blacklisted, Fanny straddles a thin line. Does she dare cross it or does she play it safe? Ultimately Fanny must choose, but will she make the right choice? While a bit predictable, this book was an enjoyable read, with a unique storyline. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for and ARC of this book.

The Trouble With You by Ellen Feldman

It’s the 1940s in New York City and now Fanny needs to earn a living. Charlie keeps interrupting her at work. His nose is in everyone’s business. Charlie Berlin is a problem. Everyone says so.

This solid story tells of working women after WWII trying to get a leg up. It also has a long lean on the House Un-American Activities Committee’s role in post war America. Actors, radio personalities,musicians and anyone in the arts were targeted. The Red Scare was in full force.

Feldman’s characters are delightful-fun even, and so perfect for their roles here. The dialog is smooth and spot on. It’s just like talking with friends.

My only disappointment would be that I could see what was coming long before it happened, though it still somewhat surprised me. Thank you St Martin’s Press via NetGalley for providing this book for review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed The Trouble With You. I thought story was compelling and the pace was great. If you love historical fiction pick this one up!

When Fanny's husband arrives home after WWII, Fanny is relieved that he is home safe. Two years later, he dies unexpectedly. Now grieving, Fanny has to set a new path with her daughter. Fanny gets a job working on radio serials (soap operas). Her cousin Mimi wants Fanny to get married so she will have security, but Fanny enjoys the work that she is doing. Through the people that she meets at work, Fanny sees the harm that the blacklist does to people's lives. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. This is an unexpected treasure because I like seeing the evolution of Fanny through her experiences of life. The 50's were a different time for women. Even though she had a liberal education degree, it was expected that education was to help her husband's career and her children rather than herself. The expectations for women at that time as well as the blacklist's effects were eye opening. I love how her Aunt Rose helped her find the right path in life.

I don’t think this book was quite what I was expecting.
It is accurate for its time period. I liked Fanny and Charlie. They seem to buck the system. I did think the story was a bit wordy at times and drawn out.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

THE TROUBLE WITH YOU by Ellen Feldman is an intriguing historical novel set in New York City just after World War II has ended. The men who have survived the war have come home and the women who held everything together in their absence are expected to go back to being housewives and mothers. Main character, Fanny Fabricant, is forced to reinvent her life when a sudden tragedy takes the life of her newly-returned husband, Max. She knows she has no choice but to work to support her daughter, Chloe. Fanny gets a job as a typist for a producer of radio serials and find she actually enjoys working despite being gossiped about by other women. She makes friends with the writer of the serials and an actress, but soon the wave of anti-Communist hysteria perpetrated by McCarthy and the HUAC is ruining lives and careers all around her due to blacklisting. It isn’t long before Fanny has to choose between playing it safe or doing the right thing, which comes with significant risks to her herself and her family. I enjoyed learning more about this time period. Fanny, her Aunt Rose, Ava and Charlie are great characters that came to life in this engaging story. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Pub Date February 20, 2024.

NYC after WWII. For many, life is finding a new normal. Fanny is a lucky one, her husband returns and life is wonderful! Until it isn’t. She has to face her new life and make a living for herself and her young daughter.

I was anxious to read more about the McCarthy and HUAC era, since I’ve never really read anything on it. This book does touch on the effects and the unfairness of it, but I was hoping for more. I found the book mostly about the coming of age of women in this time frame and the choices they were faced with. Think of it as the early awakening of the women's lib movement. I never really connected with Fannie, but I loved how she didn’t conform to others ideas and needed to search for what was right for her. I did enjoy some of the secondary characters much more. The story was slower moving for me, I found it easy to put down. The ending was predictable. While this book wasn’t what I hoped for, those readers that enjoy a romance with historical fiction thrown in, will definitely enjoy this read. This is a new author to me and I would definitely give her another try.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

The premise of this book (for a historical fiction lover) felt pretty unique! I haven’t often read a book set after the war that shows the impact of the political climate
In a woman. The exploration of HUAC and McCarthy politics was intriguing as were the motivations of the individual characters and what drove their behaviors.

Regardless of the time difference between the main character and contemporary life I found it easy, as a single mother, to identify with Fanny and her work ethic and her motivation to give her child a full and safe life.

I did think the book was a little slow however that seems to be a standard of historical fiction so I don’t let it deter my enjoyment.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this arc.

I seem to have recently acquired a liking for 1950s era books in which women find their ovaries and stand up to discrimination. Yay, it is. It is also a take-down of the HUAC that upended the lives of people across the US and not just in the entertainment industry. Fanny never sets out to “stick it to the Man” yet ends up doing just that.

The first part of the novel swept me along. I inhaled 130 pages and kept reading until I could barely hold my head up. The book was practically reading itself and I was along for the ride. Fanny’s life wasn’t all charming as she had to raise Chloe without a husband during the war, and all too soon she was a widow in a world that pities widows and doesn’t expect women to work. Somehow the work she eventually finds is something she comes to enjoy. Cousin Mimi wants another man to take care of her and chides Fanny for not latching onto a way back into being a woman who lunches but Fanny enjoys using her mind and, before long, her talent and what she learned in Barnard.

But the vague whispers of people being called before committees to account for their real or supposed communist beliefs becomes real as Fanny sees actors written out of soaps and writers kicked out of jobs. When Charlie comes to her with a proposal, Fanny has to decide what is more important – helping someone who has selflessly helped others or staying on her high horse of morals. That decision in turn makes her rethink what kind of relationship she’ll choose. She loved and lost once then crawled out of the heartbreak to make a life for herself and her daughter. Fanny knows it isn’t just herself who will be affected by the life choice she makes but Chloe, too.

I had a pretty good idea which way Fanny would go. I like that both men were actually good people but just with different views of life and that did make me a little annoyed at how wishy-washy Fanny got as she tried to choose. I could see her being torn for a while but after that, go or get off the pot Fanny. The historical details and setting are well done. The relationship between Fanny and Chloe is realistic but sweet, too. Aunt Rose is a pistol. It didn’t quite live up to what I hoped for but it came pretty darn close.

The Trouble with You by Ellen Feldman is a phenomenal historical fiction novel that weaved a story that kept me fascinated from beginning to end.
The story and the characters drew me in to this moving emotional book. I was drawn in to their lives.
Full of engaging characters, and wonderful descriptions this is a compelling story of resilience, determination, and hope.
The descriptions are so real that I felt transported to post WWII in New York City.
It’s gripping from page one. It will make you think and feel what these characters are feeling.
This story will stay with me for a long time. I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I really enjoyed this historical fiction book set mainly in 1950s New York City that sees a widowed single mother trying to make a career as a writer in the radio play industry. Great characters, a moving story and highly relatable focus on trying to balance motherhood, marriage/dating and a career as well as the terrible censorship of McCarthy era America.

Great on audio too and definitely recommended for historical fiction fans looking for a great non-WWII era read. Fans of the movies, Mona Lisa Smile and Good night and good luck are sure to enjoy this novel. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Trouble With You by Ellen Feldman is a story that takes place in New York City right after World War II. The main character, Fanny Fabricant, was an inspiration to read about. In the beginning she’s married to a doctor, Max, who soon after coming home from the war, dies from a brain aneurysm. Being a young widow with a small child, Fanny has to find work to support her and her daughter. After giving it a try selling cosmetics behind a store counter, she takes on the position as secretary to a woman named Alice who works in the daytime serial business. What’s now known as Daytime Soap Operas. She befriends a couple of people, Ava, an actress and Charlie, a screen writer, who both end up being blacklisted. From there she takes on the role of writing scripts under her name when it’s really Charlie that’s doing all the writing. After a while that all changes. Throughout the story she becomes engaged to Ezra, another doctor but soon realizes it’s really Charlie Berlin that she has romantic feelings for. It’s a slow yet romantic love story that captured my full attention. I couldn’t wait to see where the storyline was going to go and if they’d ever get together and have their happily ever after. I thought this was a great read, one I really enjoyed and I’d like to thank Austin Adams, Marketing Assistant at St. Martin’s Publishing Group for the invite to read and NetGalley for the arc. At first I wasn’t sure if this was a book I would enjoy but I’m so glad I took a chance and read it. I loved all the characters and the storyline and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes reading historical fiction with romance thrown in. I’m going to give this book a 4.5 star rating!