4.5 I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It takes place in 1962, in a suburb in Concordia, where 4 women form a book club to discuss The Feminine Mystic. While these women live in nice houses and have husbands with good jobs, their lives are not much different than women's lives have been for centuries. These women are educated, some served the war effort, and yet society's only acceptable expectation for them is to become a wife and mother and be an appendage to a man. They aren't allowed to get birth control without their husband's signature. Nor are they allowed to get a back account in their own name without a man's signature. They are denied career opportunities bc they "might get married". One woman manages to get a job writing a column for a magazine. While she tries to write about societal issues of women, the editor will only allow fluff pieces and recipes for jello salads. Her husband, like all the husbands in the book, is not supportive of her, feeling jealous that time might be taken away from him.

This book is a celebration of women's friendship. Each of the women was feeling isolated, unheard, and unsupported until they met each other. The bond the women forge is a basis to give them courage to ask for what they want from their lives.

While we think of the 60s as the Civil Rights Era, there were few civil rights for women. We think women have come a long way in society, but it was only 50 years ago women were still being treated like simple minded children who couldn't possibly have a mind of their own. Given the current political climate, and the efforts of a certain party to take women back to the 50s, I fear this is a cautionary tale about what is to come if women let their rights be taken away.

Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC opportunity.

Giving this a weak four stars. I read this over an extended period, and sometimes lost track of the characters. I appreciate how the author depicted the habits and attitudes of the era, however, it felt like the true attempt in this story was to make readers realize what women went through in the 50s in particular, and relate it to what women are facing now.

This approach made the book timely, but also a bit frustrating. I feel certain it wasn’t the author’s intention, but I frequently felt I was being subtly lectured. The ending was satisfying, but overall I felt it was written simply.

I really enjoyed this book! Each of the main characters were well developed and showed growth. I felt transported back to the 60s.

Sometimes there are stories that come to you when you need it the most, this was one of those. The premise is about a group of housewives in the 1960s who come together to read ‘The Feminine Mystique’ by Betty Friedman. They live in a suburban neighborhood with all the HOA rules & regulations that haven’t previously been imposed on this generation. They are not typical beatniks or radicals and represent about 80 percent of the white female population.

At a point in each of these women’s lives, they desire something that they can’t name. They are bored, restless and are missing…something. Throughout the book Ms. Bostwick sets the tone with the major historical events outside the insular community of Concordia. I caught myself researching events and policies for accuracy, because as a society we couldn’t have really been that ass backwards in the 1960s, right? I’ve never been so grateful for pregnancy tests that didn’t involve poisoning a rat with pee.

I’m now realizing that I owe my mother a bit more grace than I previously held. As a contemporary of the women of this story, she grew up with the limitations her gender provided and how she was ‘supposed to find true happiness’ in this role, or she was damaged. There is more to the story that my therapist will be so happy to go over with me in detail.

With the world seemingly against their gender, an unpopular war and a nation involved in a race war, these women find that they can conquer it all with the support of each other, just as a good book club should do.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this ARC and for me to start the weekend on a positive note.

Loved it from the opening paragraph to the final period. If you think the good old days were good this book will educate you- if you don’t, this book will give you more reasons why, An absolute gem.

I absolutely loved my time with the "troublesome women," and their book club! I was immersed into the life of each character, and often felt like a fly on the wall during their meetings. The story is an important reminder of the struggles the women of the 60s faced when trying to find their individual voices and purpose. I may have finished the story several days ago, but these women and what they went through will be with me for a long time. Highly recommend, and look forward to hand selling this story upon its publication.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Suzanne O’Sullivan is a witty and heartwarming novel that explores the power of friendship, resilience, and personal growth. The story follows a group of women who, despite their varied backgrounds and struggles, find solidarity and strength through their shared love of books. As they navigate their individual challenges—ranging from relationship woes to career setbacks—they discover how reading can offer both solace and inspiration. O’Sullivan’s writing is sharp and humorous, yet deeply compassionate, capturing the complexities of womanhood with authenticity. The characters are vibrant and relatable, making this an enjoyable read for anyone looking for an uplifting, thought-provoking story about community and self-discovery.

The start was slow, but once the Bettys met for the first book club meeting, it took off running! What a glorious story of sisterhood, fighting for what’s right for others, finding the right path for you, accepting ourselves and each other for who we truly are, and demanding honest effort and care from those we love. This book lived up to its title and I miss the characters already!

This book provided an interesting blend of unique characters, and the development of these characters was really fun to read through.

I love books about books and this one was great. I enjoyed the character development and the relationships that were built between the characters. I would recommend this book!

The title of Marie Bostwick's upcoming release (4/22/25) was what attracted me to her novel, and I'm sure many book club members will jump at this one. It is a historical fiction, set over 8 months in 1963, beginning with the March release of The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, and ending with the November assassination of JFK.

The book uses the Feminine Mystique and the book club that forms in suburban Virginia to read it as their inaugural book as a vehicle to showcase what being a woman in 1960's America was like. Definitely pre-women's lib. Can't open a bank account without your husband's signature and approval. Expected to have dinner on the table, clean up and put the kids to bed while your husband drinks a 6-pack on the couch. Have men generally put down any educational or career interests from their wives. The book is very white-suburban-fairly upper middle class focused, so we do have a limited viewpoint from the book, save for one Black nurse that has a small but positive mention and an urban health clinic helping the underserved.

So this novel is a chronologically organized narrative, where we follow the lives of 4 women, read about their troubles, and see them develop identities thanks to Betty Friedan and their collective friendship. Some men step up, and some men get left behind. Most of the women get smarter and figure out how to achieve their goals. The group calls themselves The Betty's in honor of Friedan. Their is not a singular 'transformation' point, but many smaller ones throughout the book. The book tells its stories with a lighter hand, so we are spared any violence or extreme situations.

The storyline felt a little too obvious to me, and I wasn't excited at the beginning. But the women grew on me and I became invested in their outcomes. I like how Bostwick weaves in famous real life characters like Katherine Graham of the Washington Post and Jackie Kennedy, among others. I like that the book is very accessible for a wide range of readers, but did feel the story was pretty expected. It was uplifting, and while that was good I would also love to read a bit more drama or something unexpected. I was thankful the author didn't use any timeframe jumps, but kept it linear. 3.5 stars rounded up. I do think it would make a great book club read. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing an ARC to review.

I did really enjoy the plotline of this book and how thought provoking it was to see women back in age that equality was just getting started however I do feel the book could have been structured better as it did feel like it dragged and my interest peaked and drove off sometimes

The Bookclub for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick is a historical fiction set in the 1960’s about four women, living in the same community, who start a book club reading the controversial “The Feminine Mystique.” The four women grow close and develop long-lasting friendships as they navigate their lives within a rapidly changing world.

I really enjoyed this one! It had a bit of a Lessons on Chemistry vibe to me. It’s basically a slice-of-life character-driven story with themes of women’s rights and empowerment. It was a good reminder about the social expectations of women were like in the 60s. I typically enjoy historical fiction and this was no exception and also a bit refreshing and easier to read because it wasn’t focused on wartime.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me a complimentary advanced reader copy of the ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and based off of this draft; the final publication may be different. Expected publication date is April 22, 2025.

This novel is fun, thought provoking, and a great look back at the 60’s when women were struggling to find their way in a male dominant world.

Margaret Ryan was bored and wanted more in life, so she started a four woman book club in her elite neighborhood. Each woman is going through her own life troubles, but through friendship and a book called “The Feminine Mystique”, they learn to be more assertive and outspoken. They all had dreams and convictions, and each woman had a voice in the story.

This book is extremely well written, humorous at times, and quite illuminating. Bostwick has always been on my list of must reads and this books cements it. Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Collins Focus for the advanced reader copy of this 5-star book.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this e-arc! I’m excited to look into more work from this author in the future.

I knew I'd like this book, and I'm glad I read it. It's a story about women who realize they want to be more than just housewives, and them realizing what they can/cannot do to make that happen. I love coming-of-age stories, and it's rare that you get them for characters in their 20s and 30s. The writing was fine but nothing special, and everything worked out a little too neat at the end, which are the reasons this isn't a five-star review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I have written this unbiased review after receiving a free copy from netgalley.

I would probably have not normally bought this book myself due to the old fashioned cover, however, I am very glad I did. I really enjoyed it. If you loved Lessons in Chemistry and The Help then you will probably enjoy this book.

The book centres around 4 women living in a Stepford Wives type community who form a book club following reading a feminist book. This shapes their knowledge of feminist ideas and allows them to consider their own ambitions, opportunities and happiness. All 4 women are very different and within the book , you were transported to America in 1963, learning about how all women, including black women were treated and how this point in history was pivotal to the black liberation movement and women's liberation. It was emotional, thought provoking, humorous and entertaining and I would definitely recommend.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It put me in the mind of The Supremes At Earl's All-You-Can-Eat. I love a good women in friendship and this one made me feel inspired and warm and fuzzy inside.

This was a delightful read about suburban wives in the up and coming 1960's - four neighbors from seemly different walks of life and lifestyles begin a bookclub. We follow their lives, highs and lows for a period of time. The author touches on the challenges women faced in the 1960's as women became more outspoken and demanding of equal rights.

This was a really well done piece of historical fiction. The author not only recreated the 60s accurately but created characters that were distinct and interesting. Watching the friendships blossom and going through the ups and downs of lives and relationships with these women was such a pleasure. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and in particular women's fiction. My only slight criticism is that the ending was a bit rushed. We get a recap of everyone's recent lives all at once, and that wasn't as satisfying as it might have been. But all in all this was a really góod book.