The Book Club for Troublesome Women was a relatable and heartfelt read that captured the frustrations and quiet yearnings of sixties-era housewives in a way that still resonates today. I appreciated how the story showed the power of books and friendship to spark change and courage, and the struggles of Margaret, Viv, Bitsy, and Charlotte felt authentic and moving. That said, while the premise was strong and the themes important, I found myself wishing the narrative spent more time exploring each woman in depth beyond their surface roles. Their inner worlds and personal transformations sometimes felt rushed, leaving me wanting more nuance and individuality in their journeys. Overall, a thoughtful and timely novel, but one that could have dug deeper into its characters to fully deliver on its promise.

I found the way the author managed to construct an interesting critique interesting. It didn't feel forced at any point, and the characters were captivating, and I loved every moment. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the eARC.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of the Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick. I enjoyed this story of a group of suburban women in the 1960’s who found their lives boring and unfulfilling. They meet and start their book club reading the “radical” Betty Friedan book The Feminine Mystique, and start to challenge some of the constraints that they are facing in life, from society and their husbands. This was not all that long ago, and hopefully women have come a long way since then.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I put it down and was going to finish it with the audio, but even the audio wasn't keeping my attention. I didn't care about the characters and couldn't connect to them.

First things first is this cover!!! I am obsessed. I knew I wanted to read it as soon as I saw that, but then also because I love Marie Bostwick’s writing. The Restoration of Celia Fairchild is still one of my all time favs!

The Book Club for Troubelsome Women is about four dissatisfied sixties-era housewives who form a book club turned sisterhood that will hold fast amid the turmoil of a rapidly changing world and alter the course of each of their lives.

Loved the premise, loved the characters (can’t even choose a favorite!), loved the writing! This was another win for me!

I enjoyed this ARC by NetGalley. Thank you for this nostalgic read. I learned. Lot about the decade in which it was set. The writing was excellent and the story memorable. Will definitely reconsider...

I loved this book because it happened in a pivotal time for women in America. And Ms. Bostwick never missed an opportunity to point that out. But the book was much more than a feminist story--it was the story of four women and changing lives, their marriages, and yes, even their children. I loved this book because the women were soooo human, they had abandoned their hopes and dreams for marriage and a house in the suburbs, and each one of them dealt with that in her own way. Ms. Bostwick was so particular with tying all the pieces of the story together--Viv meeting a black army nurse; I couldn't figure out the purpose of devoting so much time to that conversation, but shortly that black nurse was an important part in Viv's storyline. I also loved that fact that each woman fixed her own problems--just as Katherine Graham told Margaret she would have to make her own connections (this is historical fiction). By reading this book, I think I understand my mother and her life in the 60s a little better.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Muse, and Marie Bostwick for sharing an earc with me.

Marie Bostwick’s The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a warm, witty, and quietly radical tale of four suburban housewives in 1963 Northern Virginia who form a book club—and find themselves reading The Feminine Mystique. What begins as literary escape becomes a slow-burn revolution, stitched together by friendship, courage, and the written word.

Margaret Ryan, a mother of three and aspiring columnist, recruits Viv, Bitsy, and Charlotte into “The Bettys,” a sisterhood that challenges the roles they’ve been handed. Bostwick’s prose is sentimental with bite—she sugarcoats just enough to make the resistance feel earned. The novel blends midcentury aesthetics with feminist friction, offering readers a love letter to every woman who’s ever asked, “Is this all?”

Perfect for fans of Hidden Figures, Pleasantville, and stories of quiet rebellion. This is historical fiction with heart, humor, and a dash of domestic revolution.

Recommended For: Readers who love feminist fiction, midcentury settings, and emotionally intelligent storytelling. Ideal for book clubs and fans of character-driven narratives.

Shelf Tags: #BettysAndBooks #MidcenturyMotifs #FeministFiction #RedReviews4You #SueShelfReads SueShelfReadsWomensLit

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

While I was enjoying this novel, I ultimately DNF'ed it at about 34%. I would like to pick this back up at some point in the future. I was enjoying the story, but I felt the pacing was lacking a little bit. The time spent with each character was helpful, but it felt like there were too many characters to follow and not enough time spent with each.

We read this book with my (mostly female participating/female author focused) book club and it was an absolute delight.
The book follows four housewives, who live in what they call a “planned community”. They may be unlikely friends but bond over books, family issues, their shared life struggles and desire for female friendship and understanding.
While fun and relatable, it also hit on a lot of heavy topics and was set in one of my favorite time periods - the 1960s. Each character begins and ends at a different point in their lives but each journey feels real and genuine.
This book had more depth than I’d expected, but still remained quick paced and easy to read through. I grew emotionally attached to all four of the housewives and loved each of them in their own way. A real gem of a book!
Thank you NetGalley, Marie Bostwick and Harper Muse for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Examining thoughts and ideas that can impact your life is the whole point of reading, especially a book like this."

"Having faith in yourself, believing you have as much right to be in the room as anybody else is half the battle."

"Betty Friedan once said 'You can have it all, just not at the same time.' People often cited that quote in reference to women."

This the first book that Ihave read by Marie Bostwick. A riveting story about four women in the early 1960s who on the surface have very little in common. They form a book club and name themselves "The Bettys" after Betty Friedan. Thier first book is "The Feminine Mystique". This book is insightful and eye-opening about beginning of women's equality. The characters are multi dimensional and the story is compelling.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC!

This had a slow predictable start, and it read a little more YA than I was hoping for. But it got going when the characters became more real. I would use this for my students in my women’s history class

This is historical fiction set in the 1960s about a group of housewives, who feel a certain type of way about it, and the book club that cements them as lifelong friends. After reading The Feminine Mystique, it sets off a chain of events that bring them closer together as they help each other navigate the autonomy that alluded them before. I recommend this as the perfect choice for a book club book.

An incredible, sweeping historical fiction that addresses women's issues in the 1960's into modern times.

- In a brand new planned community in the 1960's four women who are in various stages of achieving the "American Dream" of the housewife. After reading Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" a series of events and revelations changes the lives of each of the women, in a groundbreaking way.

- Back when this book begins, it is immensely hard for women to exist without a man's approval. This was very sobering for me as a career-driven woman.

- Each woman has her own journey into being an autonomous and strong character, and I love that Bostwick made success different for each woman.

An incredible novel, and a must read.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and Marie Bostwick for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

For my friends who love stories about women rising above their circumstances.

THE BOOK CLUB FOR TROUBLESOME WOMEN by Marie Bostwick

Thanks, @harpermusebooks, for the review copy via #NetGalley. (Available now)

Nicknamed “The Bettys,” a book club of four women support each other through their controversial want for "something more.” Margaret wants to write, Viv wants to go back to nursing, Charlotte wants to paint, and Bitsy wants to return to veterinary school. But it’s the 60s, and everything they read in women’s magazines, or hear from peers and spouses, is that they should be quiet and put dinner on the table. I agree with the publisher that it’s “a humorous, thought-provoking, and nostalgic romp through one pivotal and tumultuous American year--as well as an ode to self-discovery, persistence, and the power of sisterhood.”

I read this to decide if it would be a good pick for my neighborhood book club. It checks all the boxes: Historical Fiction featuring strong-willed women reaching for something other than being wives and mothers. I think it would resonate for many of them. Fair warning: Despite plenty of comeuppance at the end, I had to wade through a lot of misogyny to get there. While I get the point, it was more frustrating than fun. Do I think we will have a good discussion? Yes. And that’s the reason we join book clubs, right? It’s one thing to read a book. It’s another thing to gather with friends who also read it and talk about it. You get so much more from the experience that way.

Before Fair Play by Eve Rodsky, there was The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Quietly starting a female revolution in the early 60's, Friedan was one of the first to question a woman's role in marriages and society as a whole. She challenged women to think beyond the confines of a traditional marriage.

In that vein, Marie Bostwick's latest novel, The Book Club for Troublesome Women, is a historical fiction piece that takes a look at the suburban wife's life and purpose in 1963. Following four women who come from different backgrounds but now live in the posh suburbs of Virginia with small children and husbands to care for. As the women come together and form an informal book club, friendships are forged and strengthen in an ever changing social climate.

I found Bostwick's novel to be enlightening and introspective in parts. As a stay at home parent, I am the definition of a modern day housewife and while much has changed for women in the workplace, the home, and their financial standings within a marriage; many would argue there is much more progress that is still needed to be done.

The Book Club For Troublesome Women
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“I just want things to be nice. For the kids. And Walt.”
“No, I get it. I feel the same way. But sometimes I wonder…do you think anybody really notices?”
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What an amazing book, I loved it! I think that every person who decides to pick it up will relate to at least one, if not more, of these women. It’s the 60s and we’re following along a group of women who come together for a book club, but it ends up being so much more than that. To an art museum, saving a horse, marriage, pregnancy, careers, these women are there for every single moment. They bring hard truths, eventually get comfortable asking tough questions, there’s a sly humor that I loved too. From feeling invisible at home, not feeling fulfilled or satisfied in marriage or career, feeling like you can do so much more, but constantly being told either from your family or society where you belong. I think anyone who is a parent can relate to that time period where you felt lost, you didn’t recognize yourself, this book is filled with woman who, with the help of their friends, pull themselves back up, find their pink if you will (IYKYK 🦩). They fight along each other, speak up, and push each other to be the best version of themselves. It’s a book that reminds us that we certainly can do it all and the world best remember that ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
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I was given this e-arc way back when, but when I tried to read it unfortunately it just wasn’t the right time for me so I decided to try it on audio and enjoyed it! I think if I would have picked up the e-arc again (physical tbr keeping me busy lol) I think it could have been a five star. The audio was good, but we do shift some POVs and sometimes it took me a second to keep everyone straight and I think it may have flowed a bit better with the physical book! Regardless I definitely recommend picking this one up! Thank you NetGalley, Marie Bostwick, and Harper Muse for this e-arc, it’s out now!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

In the early sixties, women were expected to marry, raise children, and do housework. Careers were discouraged and the purpose of jobs or college was to find a husband.

In upper-class suburban Concordia, a group of women form a book club. Their first book, "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan, is an eye-opener for them into what their lives could be. They call themselves "The Bettys." They support each other, both emotionally and financially, as they try to navigate new paths in their lives.

Marie Bostwick does an excellent job of transporting the reader to life and times of 1963 culture.

A wonderful book about four women that form a bookclub and change their lives for the better. I really loved this book it takes a real look at marriage and friendships. This story is also very inspiring for mothers that want to continue pursuing their own dreams.

I wanted to like this book, but it never fully grabbed me. This is a case where this was the wrong book for me, but is the right book for many others.