I’ve been telling everyone to read this book. It’s historical fiction set in 1963 in an early planned community not far from Washington, DC.

Four women that live in the neighborhood form a book club and the first book they read is
THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE by Betty Friedan. THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE captured the frustration (such as a married woman unable to open her own bank account without her husband’s signature) that the 4 women in this book are feeling.

I loved each of the four main characters in this book. Each woman is different. They are going through different things, but they begin to stand together to support and nurture each other’s dreams.

This is such a great book for discussion. Even if historical fiction isn’t your normal genre, I think it’s an important book for women to see exactly how life was for a woman that would be your parents or grandparents age.

I also at least want to look through THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE to see what caused such a stir 60 years ago.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC copy of this book.

This book follows a group of four women who form a book club to read the newly published The Feminine Mystique. All four narrate their journeys through life and navigating the hardships of the 1960s.

I have very mixed feelings about this novel. While it has the markings of a classic, inspiring novel, I felt that there wasn’t enough of a plot to keep me engaged. I found myself often skimming and wishing there was more.

That being said, the overall message of empowering women and the critique of The Feminine Mystique was powerful. Having read this in college, it was fascinating to explore the impact it had at the time of publication through these characters.

Overall, I believe this could be a very enjoyable read for the right person. I was disappointed that I couldn’t find the enjoyment in the story itself, but also glad to have been able to consider the themes nonetheless.

"When men find new mountains to climb, they get a pat on the back and a round of applause".

4 very different women embark on a journey of self- discovery, learning about their worth and female frienships. They are all dealing with the sexist, male centered world of the 1960's and all the injustices that came with it. After reading The Feminine Mystique, they form the Betty Friedan book club, the Bettys for short. This book and the women within it will help each other through the worst parts in their marriage and the bad men within them.
Margaret, Charlotte, Viv and Bitsy were such delightful, complex characters that even through their flaws one can see their yearning for more, even during the time where more was next to impossible.

The Bookclub For Troublesome Women revived the feminist in me and rattled me once again. A must read for everyone! 💫💫💫💫💫

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Focus / Harper Muse

The Book Club For Troublesome Women is an interesting look into how the publication of The Feminine Mystique changed the lives of suburban women in America in 1963. I appreciated that one of the characters acknowledged Friedan’s limited perspective—middle-class suburban housewives—and that limited perspective is highlighted in the book’s characters, there’s no diversity in thought or experience. There aren’t too many opportunities for true introspection for the women in the book. There were times when it was difficult to figure out how they got from thought A to thought B. The ending was a bit rushed, though I did enjoy the epilogue. I wouldn’t say this was a particularly complex or nuanced story, but it was enjoyable enough if you like women’s fiction and mid-century America.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for an advance reader’s copy.

I adored The Book Club for Troublesome Women! "The Bettys" as the group named themselves were so absolutely relatable. I loved that each of the women had such a different background, yet they all found such deep friendship with each other. I think this book is also relatable as the social & political landscape doesn't look significantly different now than it did in the 1960s when the book was set. Overall, a wonderful book that I will absolutely be recommending to my customers.

When I first saw this book on NetGalley the title reminded me of The Women of Troublesome Creek, I've not read those books but I initially thought this was part of a series and thus couldn't request the book without reading the others. That is not the case.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a portrayal of what female rage looked like in the 1960s. While it's easy to talk about the women who came before or the people that fought to make good trouble throughout history, it's easy to forget what that looked like. Progress hasn't been one step forward, one step back, but perhaps two steps forward and one step back in the long term. Like Margaret says in the book " Those who were, those who are, and those who will be in the years to come."

This book captured my attention because I love a good story abut troublesome women and female rage. In addition to the overall themes of women empowerment it was insightful to hear about the stories of Margaret, Bitsy, Viv and Charlotte and each of their experiences being women in the 1960s. Of all the characters, I particularly loved Margaret's husband Walt and his growth throughout the book.

I absolutely recommend this book for readers who love women's fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction and strong female characters who challenge the status quo. I think readers who like Kirsten Miller, Kristin Hannah, and Jodi Picoult will like this book.

My review has been posted on GoodReads, and submitted to Barnes and Noble (link will be updated once it's approved.) I will also be posting a review on Instagram on Tuesday and will update the links once posted.

The Book Club of Troublesome Women did not disappoint! It takes place in Concordia, a suburb of Washington DC in the early 1963 when women did not have much of a voice. The narrative follows four suburban housewives: Margaret, Charlotte, Bitsy and Viv. The women form a book club and call themselves “the Bettys” after reading their first selection, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Freidan. The Feminine Mystique has a profound effect on each woman over the course of the year as they try to make changes and find their voice.
It was wonderful to read a novel about female empowerment and the power of community in obtaining goals. This was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book only because I felt the ending was a bit rushed to tie up loose ends.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the Advanced Reader Copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women follows four housewives in 1960s Northern Virginia who find themselves yearning for more than the domestic lives they've been told should fulfill them. When they form a book club and choose Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” as their first read, they begin to realize they share the feelings of dissatisfaction they have been hiding.

I loved Marie Bostwick’s portrayal of the post-war American housewife expectations and the propaganda that shaped a generation of women. The bond these women formed, despite their differences, was a beautiful depiction of the importance of female friendship. Each woman learns to find strength not only in herself, but also in her friends. They all take turns leaning on each other in moments of crisis and lifting each other up when needed.

I constantly found myself reflecting on the conversations had and relationships developed in my own book club while reading this one. This book is for anyone who loves stories of female friendship, challenging societal norms, and the impact that books can have on your life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for the advanced copy of this book.

If you remember the early 1960s this book will be a real treat for you and a walk down memory lane. And if you don't, I think you'll be fascinated by this story of what Betty Friedan sparked with her book The Feminine Mystique. The book club includes both women with and without children, and a few husbands as well. It's a stand-up-and-cheer book in the way that it ends.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It is so enjoyable to read!

With my thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for an early Kindle copy of The Book Club for Troublesome Women, by Marie Bostwick.

I enjoyed this novel, I had known that women didn't have anything close to equality 1960s, but I hadn't realised just how difficult life could be for women then. The author puts this across well, bringing together an eclectic mix of women who can support one another to be the best that they can be. I loved that the husbands and children were very much secondary characters and the spotlight was on the women alone to highlight their difficulties, desires and triumphs.

A bit of a different read for me, but the overview just spoke to me. Overall, I really enjoyed it - and will seek out similar books in the future. The character development was superb throughout, the relationships felt real and meaningful. As some others have said; the ending was somewhat of a let down in comparison to the rest of the book. The calibre of the first 80% of the book just didn’t hold for the final 20%. However, I would still recommend this book, just slightly disappointed with the rushed feeling of the ending.

On paper this is my ideal book - and I actually loved all the characters and how they were never actually in a state of helplessness. I think these 60s stories about (the real life circumstances of) women's lives often fall into the blissfully unaware narrative but I'm glad this breaks that. I also liked that not all the men in this were evil; obviously some men back then realised things were not good and were simply playing into the system but I do wish Margaret wasn't such a sap sometimes. Overall, it was really good it just didn't work the whole time for me.

A thoughtful, timely read that had so much power—until the ending dropped the ball.

Set in 1963 Virginia, this follows four women who form a book club and read The Feminine Mystique. What starts as small talk over books turns into a full-blown awakening. Each woman wrestles with identity, lost dreams, and the crushing expectations of being a "good wife" and "good mother" in a world that wants them quiet.

The pacing picks up once they start reading Friedan. I devoured the second half and wanted to cheer—and scream. I adored all four women and loathed (deeply) some of their husbands.

But the ending? Way too rushed, with real-life historical figures shoehorned in and an unnecessary fast-forward that didn’t land. The story didn’t need a tidy bow—it deserved the messiness of real life.

What hit me most was how relevant this 1960s story feels in 2025. We're still fighting the same fights. Still shrinking women's dreams. And that’s the scariest part of all.

Set in the 60's - this book follows the stories of four housewives in surburban Virginia that are unhappy with their lives and form a bookclub. Starting with a feminist book, The Feminine Mystique, that would change their lives forever. Each wife has a unique story and finds solice in the books they read and in learning that they each feel unfulfilled. It's a really interesting story and the characters are well written and relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

“‘Do you know why money matters? Because it buys power. Power to influence outcomes and break people, power to bend the world to your will. And who has the money? The power? The control?’ ‘Men.’”

I was expecting this to be more of a Book Woman Of Troublesome Creek book with the focus being on the book club and the books themselves. But it ended up being more about women in the 60’s fighting for the right to work and find some balance in that regard. And marital drama. A lot of marital drama.

“If women stuck up for one another the way men do, this would be a very different world.” ‼️‼️‼️

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Focus, Harper Muse, and the author for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women shows a true side of the days when women had no rights and even to be able to open a bank account for yourself required your husband’s signature. But the world after war was changing fast and so were the women and their place in the world.

I am in no means a feminist but this book was enjoyable in a way that showed some of the struggle of those times while keeping up with a story of several woman that created a book club called The Bettys. They were all in different phases of life with kids, messy marriages and overall struggles that anyone can go through.

One of my favorite thing was how the author showed a side of women friendships that can be just as complicated as any relationship but wish some of conversations that happened mid-book were narrowed down. It almost felt as it needed to be a certain length so conversations or chapters felt like fillers without adding anything to the story.

Overall, it got me out of my comfort zone of what I typically read and was enjoyable with a side of history that was an important churn in women’s rights. I would recommend this book if I know someone’s interests are within this space but not for general read.

I LOVED THIS!!! Themes of womanhood and sisterhood among different and somewhat hidden lives…it was so refreshing to read I really enjoyed this

Title is rather deceiving. Readers looking for a book set in the 1960's may be interested in this rather slow moving novel. Not really book club going on. Where is the discussion on books? I usually enjoy books by this author but this is a pass.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review. This book is about a group of four unhappy housewives who form a book club. These women have hopes, dreams and real life struggles. I did enjoy seeing the relationships that these women made and how they became each others support systems. However, it started very slow and I struggled to finish it.

Loved this one! Female friendship/sisterhood is something I love to see in books and this one really hit the mark. Very reminiscent of Kristen Hannah and Coco Mellors with a unique feel that was entirely new to me. I will definitely be recommending this one and looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.