Thank you to Harper Muse for the free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This one is out now!

Historical Fiction. Four 1960s housewives have just moved into a brand new “planned community” in Virginia. After the four friends join a book club and read The Feminine Mystique, they can’t help but feel like their lives are missing something. Margaret’s marriage is feeling stale and with her kids in school she feels bored. On a lark she writes a story for a women’s magazine and receives an offer to write a column. She’s thrilled, but can’t help feel her husband isn’t very supportive. Viv finally has her 7 kids and school and is looking forward to going back to Nursing, but a surprise pregnancy throws a bit of a wrench into her plans. Bitsy is a new wife of a much older vet, and the pressure to have a child is straining her new marriage. And Charlotte is an artist who is trying to be taken seriously in the art world and is in a loveless marriage. Together - they find out what’s most important to them, and how to achieve it.

This was okay for me. I liked the characters but thought everyone’s problems got resolved a little too easily. I do know I would not be cut out or be a 1960’s housewife and it also freaks me out that some people believe we should go back to how life was then (not being able to open a bank account or get birth control without your husband’s sign off? Hard pass). Overall enjoyable, just felt a little long for me.

In the 1960s, a group of suburban housewives formed a book club. When a newcomer arrives in their neighbourhood, she suggests they read Betty Friedan's book The Feminine Mystique. What ensues is an awakening to the possibilities for these women that lie beyond their small cookie-cutter lives.

I enjoyed this book as this was the time frame my mother was living in, and it demonstrated all the challenges she and other women overcame. I loved these women and their strong bond and how they challenged and supported one another to seek out their dreams.

This story is a fabulous glimpse back in time. It recognizes the obstacles women overcame to break down barriers and create better opportunities for their daughters. I was engrossed in the characters and their stories. Each one had a unique life situation.

This was such an inspiring read! Historical fiction isn't typically my favorite genre, but this sounded exactly like something I would love and I'm so glad I took a chance on it.

In the early 1960s, three seemingly content suburban housewives—Margaret, Viv, and Bitsy—quietly struggle with feelings of emptiness and guilt. Their lives begin to shift when they form a book club with Charlotte, an outspoken newcomer from Manhattan. Together, they read The Feminine Mystique, sparking a journey of self-discovery and awakening. As the women confront societal expectations, personal regrets, and the upheaval of a changing world, their bond deepens into a powerful sisterhood. Ultimately, it is not just the book, but their connection that empowers them to redefine their identities and embrace a future filled with choice, purpose, and possibility.

4 stars!

This book is so well done! The mistreatment of women is an absolute outrage and reading stories from this era is both enlightening and infuriating. Imagine earning a paycheck and wanting to open your own bank account, only to have the bank tell you your husband needs to be the one to sign off on it all??

The sisterhood these women form, built around time they set aside from their families and schedules for Book Club, is a testament to the powerful force of friendship when women support one another in their endeavors, their dreams, their personal lives and their struggles. Having people who cheer you on, who build you up and care for your well being, is such an important part of success.

There is so much growth, change and introspection amongst the characters - a tremendous representation of how we should all assess and reassess our hopes, goals and desires for the life we are living.

As someone with a degree in Gender and Women’s Studies I love stories like this. Women finding each other and their way throughout all of history is something that has been often overlooked. So stories like this that are beautiful and about “real” people are what we need more of. Loved it!

The Bookclub for Troublesome Woman is such a great look at what it’s like to be a woman in America. Though things have certainly changed, we have a long way to go. I found myself in love with every character and wanted to see them all get what they wanted out of life. I just ordered The Feminine Mystique and can’t wait to dive in.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the opportunity to read this ARC. *I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

I loved this book about friendship, marriage and women's rights in the 1960s. The characters were memorable and so realistic. I wanted to be a part of their book club. I highly recommend this one!

In this mildly enjoyable novel, four women read Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique and their lives change.

Set in 1963, in Concordia, a “planned community”, Margaret Ryan forms a book club with Charlotte, Bitsy, and Viv and their first book is The Feminine Mystique. While they don’t all like it (or even finish it), they all find parts of it that they can relate to their experience and it pushes them all to try something new and different in both their professional and personal lives.

The novel does a pretty good job of showing the stiflingly restricted and dull life for a middle class white heterosexual woman in the early 1960's. The post-war reversion to enforced housewifery, after the independence and freedom of the war period, isn’t new territory but the author gives some very specific examples of this straitjacketed life when, for example, Margaret can’t open a bank account without her husband’s signature even though it’s her money and when Viv has to have her husband present before she can get a prescription for the Pill.

Through their own efforts and supported by this group, each woman finds a more fulfilling professional path. Similarly in their personal lives, the friends, in the spirit of "Aunt Betty", help each other through thick and thin, providing assistance and comfort.

At one point in the book, Charlotte complains that all the women in Mary McCarthy’s The Group end up suffering and unfulfilled. My problem with this book is the opposite: everything turns out brilliantly for all four women and, in the epilogue set in 2006, we find that they all have found deep satisfaction both personally and professionally. Personally I like a bit of grit in my reads and while each of these women has a dip, it’s nothing that a good cry, a group hug, and a straight talk with the others can’t resolve.

The author’s bio states that she writes “uplifting” historical fiction. If that appeals and if you liked Lessons in Chemistry but found it too quirky, then I think you’ll enjoy this a bit more than I did.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I love a book about the empowerment of women, and this historical fiction novel about suburban housewives in the early 60s who change their lives for the better after reading The Feminine Mystique feels pretty apropos to right now.

It all starts with Margaret, who, wanting to impress her new sophisticated neighbour, impulsively starts a book club. Struggling to pick their first book, the neighbour- the eccentric and enigmatic Charlotte- recommends the book that would soon spark the second wave of feminism. Joined by Vivi and Bitsy, the book club names itself after inspirationational author and activist Betty Freidan. The Bettys lean on each other as they confront the things in their lived that are holding them back- not surprisingly, often the men in it- and chase their dreams.

While not necessarily unique or groundbreaking, I really enjoyed this feel good book and the wonderful women that graced its pages. Margaret, Charlotte, Vivi and Bitsy are told in distinctive voices and each character has her own set of challenges, whether it be succeeding with the support of their husband or in spite of it. The 1960s was another turning point in history for women, who at that time couldn't open a bank account or be prescribed the pill without their husband's permission. (Sound infuriating? Not so different than recent stories about doctor's asking for men's agreement when their wives request for their tubed to be tied...)

There are some real-life trailblazers that make an appearance in this book- Katherine Graham, who famously assumed the reigns of publisher of The Washington Post, was a cool featured character. There is also acknowledgement that while Freidan's work was important, it was also directed as middle class women who had more choices and therfore not generalizable to all women.

Overall I think historical fictional readers will enjoy this uplifting, easy read about self-discovery, female friendships, breaking the (gelatin) mold and strong women.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Focus/ Harper Muse for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the opportunity to read the ARC for “The Book Club for Troublesome Women” by Marie Bostwick.

I discovered Marie Bostwick’s “Cobbled Court Quilts” series at a used book store. I read that first one, and bought some more, and now I have two left to read. I save them for when I need a book break - because I know I’ll feel good after reading them. So I was super excited to receive this new one.

This new book had similar themes, of women friends who get together and share their lives, in this case in a book club. They are unlikely friends at first, but come together after reading Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique.” This book takes place in the early 60’s, a time when my own mother was dealing with the problems women faced at the time. This book really helped me understand and sympathize with my mother’s unhappiness at the time. For that reason it unsettled me a bit - which takes Marie Bostwick’s writing to a new level for me. The Quilt series I love always has a woman who has a huge problem to solve, and her friends help her solve it. This book’s problem - the way women were 2nd class citizens - was and in many ways still is universal. Which means I still go over and over it in my mind - and that is the sign of a really great book.

Even though it wouldn’t be as much of a cleansing feel good book for me, it was so well written and thought provoking. 5 Stars!!!!

The Book Club for Troublesome Women was a really good book! I’d consider it to be both women’s fiction and historical fiction. I’ve always found Marie Bostwick's books to be enjoyable and this story was as well. I believe the author did a lot of research because she mentioned things throughout the story that I had forgot about but upon reading it, it was like, oh yeah I remember that now. It’s a story that takes place in the early 60’s about 4 women who all live in a new and upcoming community called Concordia and all come from different walks of life. They form a bookclub, not that all of them are actually avid readers, but from this connection they become the best of friends. The story portrays what life was like for women back then, how they were treated differently and the struggles they went through to be seen and heard and to fulfill their dreams. There were parts that I found funny at times and the story brought back so many memories for me. It’s a true depiction of the importance of friendship, and never giving up and striving to be all you can be. I found it very enlightening and it’s a book I would recommend to all women who like to read. I’d like to thank Harper Muse for accepting my request and NetGalley for the arc. I really enjoyed this story, the characters were all inspiring and they had so much gumption! I look forward to reading more of Marie Bostwick’s books in the very near future. I’m rating this book with 5 stars because of the way it left me feeling when I was finished reading it.

Thank you HarperCollins Muse and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

In this marvellous book, Marie Bostwick transports us to the 1960’s and into the lives of four neighbourhood friends who create a book club.

This depictions of this time period are so lifelike and absorbing. My mother could have been one of these women so I became so drawn into the experiences and limitations faced in this period. It was not so long ago but we are now afforded so many opportunities that were not possible only 50 years ago. Simple things like opening a bank account that today most of us luckily can take for granted.

I loved reading the lives of these ladies, who, despite being busy, and facing their own challenges always came together through their love of reading.
This is a fabulous book that drew me in and completely absorbed me.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I highly recommend this historical fiction.

“The Book Club for Troublesome Women” is about a group of four women living in Northern Georgia who form a book club and start by reading Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique”. Each woman has her own distinct struggles that she is dealing with and that the group helps her get through.

While this book is sort of similar to other historical fiction that I’ve read set in this era (the most recent book I’m thinking of that I’ve read similar to it is “All You Have to Do Is Call” by Kerri Maher), the characters in this book felt more three dimensional to me than their counterparts in other similar books in this genre. Yes, there were lessons and takeaways, but it didn’t feel like I was being hit over the head with them. I also really loved the ending and the growth you could see in all the characters.

This is a great time to be reading this book. I’ve been reminded by so many older friends recently that while it may feel like we are currently living through the most turbulent time in history, that the vibe in the 60s was very similar to present day. It was comforting to me to read this book and see parallels and to be reminded that we as a country survived that era (and every one before and since) and that somehow, even though it doesn’t feel like it, we’ll survive this one, too.

I really wanted to love The Book Club for Troublesome Women more than I did. The premise is fantastic—a group of suburban housewives in 1963 discovering The Feminine Mystique and challenging societal norms. Bostwick does a great job highlighting the struggles women faced, from invisible labor to financial restrictions, and even touches on the limitations of Friedan’s work.
But while the themes were fascinating, the story itself felt slow at times, and the “troublesome women” weren’t quite as rebellious as I expected. Charlotte stood out as the strongest character, while others had their lives shaped more by their husbands' decisions than their own agency.
That said, I appreciated the historical perspective and the social commentary, even if the execution didn’t fully work for me. Charlotte’s arc was the most compelling, and I’m glad I stuck with it!

This book has stirred me up, feelings and thoughts. I didn't expect to love it so much, but this just grasped me immediately! The story sets in the early 1960s. We're following 4 housewives united as The Bettys, which is a bookclub where it started with a discussion of a book titled The Feminine Mystic which lead them to think about their circumstances.
The way the book club is written here it's like a media to support each other through every turbulence either in fighting against the rotting social system or the relationships between characters.
I absolutely love every developments that had been made in characters or plot. It is so beautiful, I almost cry. I love how every each characters are just different and yet I can see every part of myself in them, and through it I can learn some life values and really made me think about the things that I've chosen in life. The writing itself is so so beautiful, I actually highlighted lot of amazing words! It is brilliant and I highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for this e-ARC! I'm leaving my review voluntarily

Thanks to NetGalley & Harper Muse for a digital advanced readers copy. All comments and opinions are my own unless otherwise noted.

Wow! Five stars!! I loved this book! Author Marie Bostwick credits a conversation she had with her mother about Betty Friedan’s groundbreaking book “The Feminine Mystique” for the inspiration that resulted in this page-turning historical novel.

The story begins in 1963, soon after “The Feminine Mystique” is published. Through the four female characters who form a book club and then become best friends, Bostwick portrays the middleclass lifestyle of the traditional American housewife, “with the rules, attitudes, and indignities that confined and constricted women of that time period.” The questions of the day include discussions of whether marriage and motherhood is enough to make a woman happy, or is there more to life?

While this is fiction, it includes many of the events and people of the time. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jackie and President Kennedy, and “Washington Post” publisher Katherine Graham all have cameos that fit so well with the story being told. I also loved the way many significant books were included in the novel. I read an early copy so I hope the final book includes a list of all the books and authors mentioned as I’m sure readers will want to look them up.

What makes this novel so good is how Bostwick weaves the historical events, people, and attitudes of the time into an unputdownable story about the four friends as they develop a bond of sisterhood.

This is a book that’s perfect for book clubs to read and discuss. I highly recommend it.

I loved this one! Set mostly in the 60s when women were fighting for equality, a group of women form a book club and bond over a "taboo" book that expresses the unpopular opinion that women can and should do more than be wives and mothers. The books take you through the four women's trials and tribulations, and most importantly, growth. So many points of the book resonated with me from the expectations on women as mothers and homemakers to building adult friendships to navigating marriage and relationships. This book was very well done. Highly recommend even if historical fiction isn’t really your cup of tea!

This novel brings together a group of unhappy women who live in Valley View, Washington, in the 1960s and start a book club. The story unfolds very slowly, allowing you to become invested in the struggles these women face. I loved the newcomer, Charlotte, who is having some setbacks in her life. So, she decides to join the book club. It's here where the ladies learn to find a source of strength and friendship.

The club consists of a very diverse group of women. Margaret, Viv and Bitsy are all dealing with their unique issues. The author has crafted a diverse group of women, so their first meeting doesn't go as smoothly as planned. But as they learn about themselves and each other, a bond begins to form. I love books about women helping women so much. I also loved that the story shows how books can start a conversation and help us while we are trying to get through difficult times, and these women use this book club as a support system of sorts.

This is more than the typical story of a book club. It's a book about women finding their inner strength, getting support from each other and the power of female friendships. It was heartwarming and insightful, and it proves that sharing stories can be healing. It's the perfect read for anyone who loves books about books.

Set in the 60s, this story follows a group of housewives who form a book club that ends up providing them with the courage they didn't know they had to be who they always wanted to be, far removed from the current state of frustrated, dissatisfied lives. Margaret, Charlotte, Viv and Bitsy live in a new community in Virginia and they seem to have it all; if this is the case, why are they so angry and unhappy? When they start reading books which challenge them, it strikes a chord with them all and they realize they're not alone in their feelings of unhappiness; with the support of each other they realize that life holds possibilities if only you have the courage to seek them out. A story that speaks to the frustration and difficulties faced by women at this time in history and a group of women who fought in their own way to shatter misconceptions about women's capabilities and dreams.

I wasn't sure how this book would turn out - I had a sense that I would either really love it or end up hating it (I loved it!). A powerful story about a group of women who despite the many obstacles they face, find their own way to rebel against what society expects of them. A great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I absolutely loved this book! Marie Bostwick has written a wonderful book that has fully immersed us into the trials of women in 1960s Virginia. Historical Fiction fans this one is for you. I loved the characters of Charlotte, Bitsy, Viv, and Margaret each one of them struggled in their lives alone but once they began leaning on and supporting one another they found their strength. Bostwick has written a beautiful novel of friendship and the struggle it was to be a women in the 1960s, The women are looking for more than the life of housewife and mother. They want more and the more is different for each character, these women are striving to create their own identity outside of their households. The book club Margaret forms on a whim to entice her new eccentric neighbor Charlotte starts with the controversial The Feminine Mystique By Betty Friedan, which sets in motion the foundation of friendship and a new identity for each of these women. A must read!