I absolutely loved The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick—this one gets a full five stars from me!

From the first chapter, I was hooked! The characters felt like people I’d want to know in real life—messy, funny, brave, and incredibly relatable. There’s a warmth to the way their stories unfold, and even though each of them is dealing with something heavy or complicated, the tone never gets too dark. It strikes a perfect balance between heartfelt and hopeful.

What really stood out to me was the way the friendships developed. The book club itself becomes this safe space where these women can be their real selves, and watching that bond grow was both moving and empowering. It reminded me how powerful connection can be, especially when life feels overwhelming.

The writing is smart, funny, and full of heart. I didn’t want it to end—and honestly, I’m already missing the characters. If you're looking for a feel-good read with depth, heart, and a lot of soul, this one is a must. Thank you, NetGalley!

I was so excited to read this ARC, and it lived up to my expectations. I was invested in all of ladies in the book club, and loved watching their friendships develop. It was a book I couldn’t wait to finish so I knew what happened but also didn’t want it to end. A very relevant and timely read, given the state of our world right now. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. A book for empowerment. Although I did not live in this era, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and the women I met while reading it. Give it a go.

Thanks net galley for the arc!

In 1960s American, four women form a book club that ultimately becomes a sisterhood. Their first read, The Feminine Mystique, sparks honest conversations among the group about the dissatisfactions and longing feelings in their lives. As the world is changing around them, we follow the women- inspired by their readings, and more importantly, support from one another- as they begin on their unique personal journeys to become more than a housewife and push societal boundaries placed on women.

First of all, I loved that this book was inspired by the author’s mom. I don’t usually read historical fiction, so this was a nice change of pace! I really enjoyed reading about historical events that felt sort of "current", and seeing how these women struggled for things I now realize I’ve taken for granted. The friendship among the women was definitely the strongest part of the book. I loved reading about the genuine support they had for one another.
It made me think of the current trend of the tradwife aesthetic. It is disappointing to read about the real struggles women faced in the 1960s and that some people today want to return to that dynamic (or romanticize it?). That said, I did wish the book had gone a bit deeper. I kept waiting for something more profound, but it never quite happened, which was a little disappointing. I also felt that the book primarily focused on the perspective of white women's feminism- although the author does acknowledge the need for a more inclusive movement, it just felt like it was limited in that regard. Still, I found many parts enjoyable! It was a good read, just not a new favourite.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick is a heartwarming and uplifting novel that celebrates female friendship, resilience, and the power of books to bring people together. Known for her cozy, character-driven storytelling, Bostwick delivers another charming tale perfect for fans of small-town fiction and book club dramas.

Overview:
When a group of women in a quiet New England town forms an unconventional book club, they don’t just discuss literature—they challenge norms, confront personal struggles, and redefine what it means to be a "troublesome" woman in a world that often expects them to stay quiet. Each member brings her own battles—whether it’s a stifling marriage, career setbacks, family secrets, or societal expectations—but through their shared love of books, they find courage, solidarity, and unexpected second chances.

Key Themes:
Female Friendship & Empowerment – The bonds formed in the book club help the women push back against limitations placed on them.

Literary as Liberation – The books they read (likely classics or feminist works) spark personal awakenings.

Small-Town Dynamics – Gossip, judgment, and community expectations play a role, but so do kindness and redemption.

Starting Over – Many characters face midlife reinvention, echoing Bostwick’s recurring theme of resilience.

Style & Tone:
Warm & Conversational – Bostwick’s prose is inviting, with a focus on emotional authenticity.

Uplifting but Not Sugarcoated – While the story leans feel-good, it doesn’t shy away from real struggles.

Multiple Perspectives – Each club member gets her own arc, weaving together into a satisfying whole.

Comparisons:
If Jenny Colgan’s bookish charm met Fannie Flagg’s small-town heart.

Similar to The Jane Austen Book Club (Karen Joy Fowler) but with a more contemporary, activist edge.

Fans of The Reading List (Sara Nisha Adams) or The Lost and Found Bookshop (Susan Wiggs) will adore this.

I loved this story set in the 1960s and the four women the story centers. The 1960s treatment of women is centered and we see how these 4 women come to terms with their role and find ways to rebel against that role. I loved the story. I loved the writing and the characters. It was interesting to see ways in which society has both changed and stayed the same since this historical perspective!

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is for women who use books as a tool to build community and relationship with other women! I had the pleasure of starting a book club in a former community we lived in and grew to love. A friend and I decided to start a book club and it grew to far more than we could ever imagine. Our book club included a variety of women, of ages, demographics, professions, and aspirations. We read books but we shared in life together. We walked alongside each other, celebrated each other highs, and held each other in our lows.

Join us in Virginia, as we watch Charlotte Gustafson moves into a new neighborhood, an eclectic and artsy neighbor, in contrary to those around her. Charlotte forms a book club and picks a very progressive book to kick off the meeting. As the book club unpacks the story, they begin to unravel to complexities of life and the roles of a woman in the 1960s. Step into literary sisterhood as the four women step outside the outdated expectations of women and into the Feminine Mystique.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women puts you into the lives of a group of 1960s era housewives who start a book club after reading The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan and how that book changed the course of their lives to gain confidence as women living in a society that ultimately did not afford them the same opportunities as men. I learned a lot about how far women’s rights have come in the past 60 years, but in many ways we have not come far enough. I liked the nods to the key events of the 60s and mentions of real people. I definitely want to read The Feminine Mystique after reading this. I thought the story was interesting and the main characters were likable. It’s quick moving and their storylines intertwine well as they navigate their own dreams and how that fits into “having it all.”

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A huge thank you to Harper Collins/Harper Muse for this ARC!

Published April 2025.

Give me a dynamic book about housewife living in the 1960s ANY DAY. I loved how real each of these women are and I think all of us can find something we can relate to. The story follows a group of women who decide to form a book club around The Femine Mystique- a novel that proposes that there is nothing wrong with women but that women have been barred from so many opportunities that are afforded to men. Each of these women have hopes and dreams and different relationships- some with children, some hoping for some. Some with great husbands, some whom they could do without etc. They bond over authors like Woolf and Betty Smith which really resonated with me as I have read some of the same books they read.

It talks about the civil rights movement, women have autonomy (or the lack thereof) over finances and bank accounts, how women's work goes unseen, and work outside of the home is frowned upon.

VERY similar vibes to The Eights, The Giver of Stars, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Lessons in Chemistry.

DEFINITELY add this to your TBR and make this your next book club pick!

Friendship and feminism in the early 1960s! Loved the whole atmosphere of this really fun and moving story of a group of housewives with hopes and dreams who form a book club to read Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique. Bostwick does a great job of differentiating these characters. And who doesn't adore a female friend group, from The Golden Girls to Sex and the City!

Really enjoyed this and highly recommend it! Thanks so much to the publisher for the advance copy!

Set in the early '60s, it follows four women who start a book club and read The Feminine Mystique, and from there, everything starts to shift. What I loved most was how real the characters felt—Margaret, Bitsy, Viv, and Charlotte each bring something different to the table, and their friendship is the heart of the story.

The book dives into what it meant to be a woman back then—like not being able to open a bank account without your husband’s permission. But it also shows how hard it can be to break out of those roles, even when you want to.

It’s not just about feminism—it’s about friendship, courage, and figuring out who you are when the world expects you to be someone else. There’s humor, heartbreak, and a really moving scene involving Jackie Kennedy.

If you’re into historical fiction with strong characters and a lot of heart, this one’s worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Focus and Harper Muse for the advanced copy.

This interesting story is about a book club made up of four women in the early nineteen sixties, who learn things about themselves after reading Betty Friedan’s book, The Feminine Mystique. I enjoyed the characters and their conversations with each other so much! The “Bettys” (as they call themselves) are entertaining while embracing new challenges. The marriages of the women go through dramatic changes as well. One of the members, Charlotte, was my favorite character because she starts out as a mystery to the other women and we gradually learn about her compelling story.
While this book could have gone in many directions, it stays on a lighter, uplifting note overall even with lots of emotional drama packed in. I highly recommend it, unless one is looking for a messy, more raw type of story.
Thanks to NetGalley for my advanced readers copy in exchange for this review.

A great story about female friendship and women, encouraging each other to pursue their dreams. I enjoyed the historical references, even if not all of them were accurate. In some ways, the storyline was a little predictable with happy endings, but I overall enjoyed the characters and the story.

I really enjoyed this book! Especially the female characters. Each so different, but the same, and navigating the story so differently. I found myself relating to each of them over different things throughout the book. One of the best I've read in a while!!

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. I have read several books by Marie Bostwick and have enjoyed all of them. The title of this book definitely caught my eye and made me want to read it. I really enjoyed, well, maybe enjoyed is the wrong word because a lot of the scenarios in this book based in the 1960s where women were basically told to get married and have kids, make me angry because there seems to be yet another push in current days that that is all women should want to do. I liked that the author included that no one, woman or man, should be limited by gender roles. Definitely a good read although it makes me wonder how much progress we have actually made in the last 60 years.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is set in the 1960s and will likely appeal to the same audience that embraced The Women. The good news is that the storyline will expose an entirely new generation to what life looked like for women not so very long ago, and it is brought to life in a very readable way. My issue is that it was all too neat, and how the author has Jackie Kennedy and Katherine Graham conveniently showing up in the storyline. There is a more realistic and compelling story to be told about this time, and maybe this will introduce people to it, and of course, to the Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars

Marie Bostwick knocked it out of the park with this charming, poignant novel about a group of unlikely friends who are dissatisfied, either knowingly or not, with life in 1960s suburbia.

The Bettys are a group of women who make up a book club, brought together and named for the author of the controversial bestseller The Feminine Mystique. Through this book club, we meet Margaret Ryan, who would appear to be living a contented life, wife to a husband who works to provide for the family, and mother to three wonderful children, Charlotte Gustafson, the newest resident in the neighborhood, but also the most intriguing and mysterious, as she clearly stands out from the rest of the "typical" 1960s housewife, and encourages the other ladies to challenge the norms, buck the system, and start using their voices to be heard. Along the way, we also meet Viv, the gorgeous, confident, perfectly happy, perfectly skilled, homemaker who has big dreams outside of her domestic life, and Bitsy, who is more withdrawn, shy, complacent, and somewhat of a mystery herself as the other ladies attempt to break through her quiet shell. Each uniquely different and strong in her own way, the Bettys will begin a journey to find who they really are and to embrace their own strengths and independence in a world and society not kind or welcoming to women who hunger for more. Inspired by Betty Freidan and Charlotte Gustafson, they will embark on a course which will change their lives in glorious ways as they search deep within themselves for the way forward in a world exploding with possibilities for the women willing to ride the waves of change.

This book was utterly delightful, full of raw emotion, thought-provoking dialogue and storylines, and stark reminders that we really aren't so far off from that time period. For many of us, our mothers were a part of this group of women and we take for granted the road they paved for us. For others reading the book, they may have BEEN those women. Connecting with the characters is easy to do and mourning with them, celebrating with them, and empathizing with them is equally easy to do. Incidentally, this book was chosen for my book club to read for the month of June and I am so excited to discuss it with the other women then.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and the incredibly talented Marie Bostwick for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A heartwarming and empowering, historical fiction that will have you thanking the troublesome women of the past for making a better tomorrow for those in the future.

Margaret, Bitsy, Viv and Charlotte are living what seems to be the ideal life. Living in the Virginia suburbs in the 1960’s they are living the American Dream. But after a book club invite to read The Feminine Mystique they find themselves wondering what more life has to offer.

I really loved this book and felt like it was written in a way that most women will be able to resonate with. Going in I was afraid it would be a biased piece that demonized men with unrealistic scenarios as a way to get the reader riled up. Instead I got a heartwarming story that left me feeling grateful for the women of the 60’s that wanted to be known as more than just a wife and mother. I loved that the four main characters in the story are diverse and offer different circumstances and POVs. The friendship that they develop is so heartwarming. I loved how they were all there for each other and were each other’s biggest supporters.

Thank you @uplitreads @mariebostwick and @harpermusebooks for my gifted book. Troublesome Women is out now!

Margaret starts a book club to meet her newest neighbor. Charlotte is sophisticated and Margaret was afraid she would join the usual coffee klatch. The first book is the one on every woman’s mind, the Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. At the first meeting, they share secrets and cocktails, and they decide to nickname themselves the Betties and continue to read other books and share their lives. All of the women have different struggles, one has a cheating husband, one is pregnant again for the 7th time, and they bond together to help each other. This book definitely felt like you were in the book club right along with the women.

The Sixties were such a wild time for women. One of the characters tries to open a bank account for just herself and the bank manager won’t do it without her husband‘s approval. Another woman tries to get birth control from her doctor and it’s the same thing. Her husband has to approve even though it’s her body. It’s incredible how few rights women had even though it was just a 60 years ago.

This was such a great book! I loved so many things about it~ the characters, their book club, the local bookstore! I didn't want to put it down!