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!

By 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan is living the American woman's dream. She has a husband, three children, a station wagon, and a home in Concordia--one of Northern Virginia's most exclusive and picturesque suburbs. She has a standing invitation to the neighborhood coffee klatch, and now, thanks to her husband, a new subscription to A Woman's Place--a magazine that tells housewives like Margaret exactly who to be and what to buy. On paper, she has it all. So why doesn't that feel like enough?

Margaret is thrown for a loop when she first meets Charlotte Gustafson, Concordia's newest and most intriguing resident. As an excuse to be in the mysterious Charlotte's orbit, Margaret concocts a book club get-together and invites two other neighborhood women--Bitsy and Viv--to the inaugural meeting. As the women share secrets, cocktails, and their honest reactions to the controversial bestseller The Feminine Mystique, they begin to discover that the American dream they'd been sold isn't all roses and sunshine--and that their secret longing for more is something they share.

This is the story of a group of women finding them wives assist the turmoil of the 1969s. I think that it an important read for those of us who didn’t live during this time period to see some of the oppression that women encountered at that time. Some of it hits pretty hard during our current political climate.
I received a ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

Five women living in a cookie-cutter suburb in the early 60s, bond over reading The Feminine Mystique.
A buoyant book about friendship and finding your personal power and truth, set in troubling times and filled with relatable, flawed and loveable characters.

I loved this book! Marie Bostwick has brilliantly written of the experiences of women in the 1960's. (I was one of those women!) Betty Frieden did much to liberate the women of my generation and expose the discrimination of those times. The characters of The Book Club for Troublesome Women, Maggie, Bitsy, Viv and Charlotte are brought together by forming The Betty's, a book club to read and explore what Betty had to say. At that time, college for women wasn't encouraged, except as a way to find a husband. Working outside the home after marriage was frowned upon. Buying a car needed the signature of a father or husband. Birth control also needed a written approval by a husband. As the women meet to discuss the book, they form a bond and a lasting friendship with the others. They soon realize that, by supporting each other, they may be able to slowly change the world in which they live in. The author has created a cast of memorable and realistic characters (both the women, the men and children their lives) that expose that time in history as pivotal for women's freedoms! The book delves into the growth of the characters, as it follows their lives through their early married years and beyond. Some of it may seem a bit farfetched, but that was the reality of that time. The book with its amazing characters and plot, is quite a trip down memory lane and made me realize just how far we have all come! Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of my review are my own!

4.5⭐ rounded up
An eye-opening read for those who didn't live through the 60s, but a calibrated fusion of the daily insidious and demeaning frustrations of women in that era combined with learning to believe in yourselves and relying on one another, commonly called sisterhood. The four women in an affluent suburb in Northern Virginia formed a bookclub and chose Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique as it's first book. Each woman's story propels the narrative in specific manner that ensures its depth and breadth.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is Marie Bostwick’s Historical Fiction novel set in northern Virginia in the 1960s. It’s vastly different from her romances and will appeal to a wider range of female readers, especially those who want to learn more about how the roles of women have changed in modern America. Readers who enjoyed Bonnie Garmus's Lessons in Chemistry, Kristin Hannah's The Women, or Kate Quinn's The Briar Club, Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures, and Kathryn Stockett’s The Help will be entranced with this tale.

Margaret Ryan has an idyllic life in 1960s suburban Virginia: she has a husband, three children, a station wagon, and a beautiful home. She’s a typical housewife, socializing with the neighbors and submitting to her husband’s guidance, yet feeling strangely unfulfilled. Margaret is fascinated when she meets a new neighbor, Charlotte Gustafson. She invents a book club and invites Bitsy and Viv, also neighbors, to legitimize the meeting with Charlotte. The four women soon bond over cocktails and their honest reactions to The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan’s controversial bestseller. Over a year’s time, the ladies share secrets and heartbreak, strengthening their friendship while breaking out of the feminine roles that they were boxed into by societal standards.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a character-development story which explains a point in American history which hasn’t been introduced in textbooks yet. The characters are very realistic, and readers will certainly identify them as resembling themselves or older female relatives. Younger readers will be able to understand the struggles of older females and appreciate the opportunities and freedoms that they now have. I loved this story so much that I ordered the hardback edition as a Mother’s Day gift for my mom. I really hope that a studio makes this into a movie.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really liked this book! What a great story of women, friendships, where we’ve been and where we’re going. Such an empowering look back. I loved all of the women and found myself identifying with each of them at some point. Bravo!

It’s 1963 in the Washington DC suburbs, and four housewives form a book club and more importantly build strong, supportive friendships. They help each other navigate the ups and downs of life and the changes in their lives.

3.5 rounded down. I really enjoyed this book but found it was a bit too long. I liked the perspective the story was told from, the main characters themselves and the message of women lifting up other women. I think it is definitely worth the read and that it’s an important read for women who are in their 40s or younger that don’t remember how oppressive it was to be a woman before the 90s and how much we stand to lose in the current political climate.

I loved the look into this group of women's lives - how we saw them as mothers, friends, professionals, etc. and how we got to watch them all grow with each other's support. I feel like, though the 60's does make a great backdrop for women's independence, this story could take place in any time period and have the same lessons and the same general plot points - which is great! Reading about these friendships were heartwarming and inspiring - a great reminder that no matter what, having a group of girl friends that are behind you 100% will change (and improve) your life. I felt it was a little bit long for my attention however it was great overall!

This is probably my favorite book I've read this year so far.

I received an ARC and was so excited to read this book.

This book is based in the 60's and follows a group of women, the Bettys, through life and all their differences and similarities. They start a book club and read the book "The Feminine Mystique" hence the name the Bettys.

You follow Margaret, Charlotte, Bitsy, and Viv as they build friendships, go through heartbreak, realize the dreams they've been putting off, and learn to use their voice. This book is a good representation for what life was like in the 1960s for women and the gender bias that existed. It also covered the experience women in the suburbs experience based off of the expectations of a housewife.

I read both the ebook and listened to the audio book. The narrator of the audio book did an amazing job of bringing the piece life. A good narrator is a big deal, especially in a story like this where there are multiple main characters.

The book was beautifully written and I will be looking into more of Marie Bostwick's writing.