The story of friends whose lives are changed by reading a book - The Feminine Mystique. Set in the 1960s, the lives of these women are brought together through community, motherhood, and their exploration of feminism. Brilliantly written with engaging character arcs! loved it

I loved this book. I'll read most books and book clubs and the fact that its set in the 1960s made it even better. The research about the diverse backgrounds that the women come from was well down. Great storytelling.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy.

It's 1963, and a newly formed bookclub, whose inaugural book is "The Feminine Mystique", begins in a middle class neighborhood. The four women of the bookclub are living (or trying to live) traditional lives as wives and mothers. Some are happy to do so and some are not. They quickly form close friendships and each decides if she is content living her life as she has been, or if she wants to shake off the expectations of her generation. I enjoyed finding out how each character decides she wants to live her life. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to give an unbiased opinion of this book.

I ate this one up. The Book Club for Troublesome Women is exactly the kind of historical fiction I love.

Set in the early 60s, the story follows Margaret, Viv, Bitsy, and Charlotte. They’re suburban housewives with picture-perfect lives on the surface, but under all that, they’re restless and stuck. Everything shifts when they form a book club and read The Feminine Mystique, and watching each of them crack open to new possibilities is so satisfying. Marie Bostwick balances the charm of neighborhood dynamics with some genuinely moving reflections on womanhood, friendship, and self-discovery.

Thank you to HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse and NetGalley for the ARC!

What an amazing book! I couldn't put it down and I will recommend it to all my friends. Set in the 1960's, when women were supposed to be happy with the goal of simply being wife and mothers, The Book Club for Troublesome women follows 4 very different women who after reading Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique form a book group to explore why they feel as they do, and what they can do to make their lives more fulfilling outside the constricting confines of days social mores. The four women couldn't be more different, but they share a frustration that is unleashed when one of them reads the Feminine Mystique and shares it with the others. There is Bitsy, a young wife who longs to be a mother, married to a veterinarian. Bitsy dropped out of college to get married when she was just one semester short of completing her undergrad, what had had plans of becoming a veterinarian herself. Margaret is married to Walt, a solid husband and good provider who's in a job he hates but its what makes him a good provider and that's all that's expected. Charlotte is the daughter of a wealthy man, married to a man she loathes because her father arranged the marriage when she unexpectedly became pregnant. And Viv is a nurse with 6 children and another on the way. As the group reads more they become more of a mutual support team, and each begins to stretch their expectations and challenge their restrictions.

The 4 women are beautifully written, with imperfections and frustrations that will resonate with every reader, even in modern America (and maybe more so!). It's one of those books that is impossible to put down, you know exactly how they feel. Definitely a 5 star read!

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5

Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 4.5

I’d like to officially join The Book Club of Troublesome Women please—and never leave. 💅📚
This was such a bold, bookish delight! I read the ebook and listened to the audiobook, and both formats brought the fierce female friendships and rebellious heart of the story to life.
4.5 stars for this witty, empowering, and totally charming read! 🌸💖

What I loved💕
💕Authentic, complex female characters
💕women finding their voice at any age
💕Female friendships endure
💕Exposes historical sexism
💕The power of reading

Not my cuppa tea ☕️
☕️Lacks racial diversity due to time period

Ideal reader ⭐️
⭐️ Reader looking for a book about female friendships
⭐️ Reader who likes Apple TVs ‘The Buccaneers’

Thanks to the author @mariebostwick , the publisher @harpercollins @harpercollinsnz
for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence

This book helped me understand this generation of women, including my mother, better.

Set in the 1960s, Margaret Ryan thought she had the perfect life. The husband, the kids, the station wagon and a house in a popular suburb. But when she forms a book club to impress her mysterious new neighbor, Charlotte, she begins to understand why she's still not satisfied. Four women, Margaret, Charlotte, Bitsy and Viv, form a sisterhood around the controversial book, The Feminine Mystic. As their eyes are opened, their lives begin to change.

this book was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me! I loved the themes of the power of books (words) and sisterhood. I loved these characters who were # all very different but worked so well together. They all had growth through the story. I could not put it down once I started reading. It would be a great book club book because there's a lot to unpack.

I had the pleasure of meeting @mariebostwick and listening to her speak in Huntsville, AL in May. She was fantastic and really funny. This was my first book I had read of hers, but it will not be my last!

I enjoyed this historical fiction novel set in the 1960s. I especially loved that the friendships formed and the paths taken in life all started with a book club and an influential book. Books are powerful and friendships are powerful!

I absolutely loved this book. The audio drew me in from the first chapter and I loved all the characters. I loved the way they came together and formed friendship regardless of their background and expectations. I made me wish I lived in a neighborhood to hopefully form a group like this.

I have been recommending this book since I finished it.

Thank you Netgalley and Uplit reads for a gifted physical and audio copy.

By early 1960s standards, Margaret, Viv, and Bitsy seem to have it all—until a book club and one groundbreaking read, The Feminine Mystique, shake up everything they thought they wanted. With help from their bold new neighbor Charlotte, the women begin to question, dream, and discover that maybe it’s not just the book—but their bond—that changes everything.

It’s always wild to remember that not even that long ago, women couldn’t open their own bank accounts without a husband's permission—and honestly, that blows my mind every time. This book is set in the 1960s, during a time of massive social shifts in the U.S., and it centers around one powerful truth: even the smallest acts of rebellion can spark real change.

What I loved about this story is how deeply it honors the women who came before us—mothers, grandmothers, and trailblazers—who weren’t just fighting for a voice, but for the right to simply exist as full human beings. It highlights what so many women went through after WWII—being pushed back into the home and made to feel like they had no purpose. And it doesn’t shy away from hard truths, like how the U.S. barred women of color from serving as nurses overseas, while also complaining about a nurse shortage. Make that make sense.

This book is heartfelt, powerful, and honestly should be required reading. It’s a reminder of how far we’ve come and why we still keep going. When the world feels discouraging, this story shows that there is still light—and that our voices, our bodies, and our rights are always worth fighting for.
Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins for the ARC!
3.5 stars!

I didn't see this one coming! Bostwick crafts an interesting, informative tale from the unlikely friendship forged among women in a new suburb in the 1960s. As the women navigate, negotiate, and renegotiate their lives and their roles within their families, the historical context rings loud and clear. Memorable female characters, tough and believable decisions, memorable historical situations make this work of fiction ring with truth. Don't miss this one!

4.75⭐️s : After what seems like months of my choices in books feeling average, if that, I’ve been on a run of above average — and this one is at the top.

Really enjoyed the time period and setting. Characters were very believable and relatable (guess I’m old enough). I’m amazed, and at times disappointed, about how far we’ve come as a society in such a short time — and how far we’ve still have to go.

The examples of women being shut down for seemingly everyday things we take for granted now. Inspiring how they each discovered their own role to play in having a life of their choosing, some more outspoken than others. All achieving their dreams in their own ways. All inspiring. At least one character many can relate to, I would imagine.

Definitely a good book for book club discussion. Going to recommend to my book clubs.

i went into this not expecting much. all i knew was that it was a historical fiction about a controversial book club, a group of women completely different from each other, yet bound together by their struggles. an amazing, genuine story.

I read, immersive read, and listened to this book in different chunks, and I think that I liked the audiobook better than reading the text. While I did really enjoy the book-- it was thought provoking, heart warming, frustrating, and, at times, funny-- it did also leave a bit to be desired. The pacing felt off: it was drawn out in the first half and then rushed in the second half, and some of the characters' actions and thought processes didn't seem plausible to me. Overall, I appreciated Bostwick's exploration of the oppression of women at the time and the ways that they made an effort to break free of it, including the real historical events and cultural references. I just wish there was more plot to go with that exploration so that, for a relatively short book, it didn't feel so long. Regardless, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to womens' book clubs open to potentially difficult discussions!
Sincere thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for the chance to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review!

Honestly, this book felt overly long and a bit slow for me. With so many characters and intertwining storylines, it was hard to keep track of who was who and what belonged where.

There were glimpses of plot and potential, but overall, nothing really stood out or kept me hooked. It didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had going in and ended up falling a bit flat.

This book was a wonderful story about a diverse group of women who find that they have more in common than they actually thought. As they each struggle to to overcome their own obstacles, they become close confidants and reliable support for each other. The story is also an important retelling of women and their struggle for equal rights and independence in the early 1960s. Thanks so much #NetGalley #HarperCollins

Despite being set 60 years ago, this book was (unfortunately) still very topical. I enjoyed it, but there was just something missing. I got bogged down in all of the different book club ladies and remembering who was who and which neuroses went with which woman and relied on a lot of stereotypical personalities and characters of the age.

That being said, It was still a solid novel that I enjoyed!

With a promising title and fascinating premise focused on women challenging norms in the vibrant 1960s, I had high expectations for this historical novel. The Book Club of Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick aimed to dive into this complex and transformative era. However, the execution ultimately fell short of its potential. The novel introduces a group of women who come together in a book club, seeking connection and solidarity within their predictable lives as suburban housewives. As they navigate changing times and personal aspirations, they grapple with the era's expectations and limitations. Despite an intriguing title and a topic of high interest to me, I was ultimately disappointed by the delivery here. The narrative felt foreseeable from start to finish. The characters largely came across as flat, playing heavily on familiar tropes and stereotypes rather than developing into nuanced individuals. What could have been a rich exploration of a transformative decade often felt simplistic, particularly as historical references felt forced rather than deftly woven in throughout the story.

Recommended for: Readers who enjoy light, feel-good stories and might be fans of a Hallmark movie aesthetic. However, for those seeking depth, complexity, or a truly subversive take on historical women's roles, this will likely be a miss.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Harper Muse for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Marie Bostwick’s The Book Club for Troublesome Women.

I receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful book. I enjoyed it from the very first page!

The 1960s were a time of reckoning and revolution in the United States. The Civil Rights Movement was heating up, the space race was getting started, and women were making their own gains toward better wage equality. In a small subdivision outside of DC, these issues felt very far away from Margaret, Viv, Bitsy and Charlotte until a book club and a controversial book changed everything. This is a story about the way women view themselves, how they dream and how they support each other. It also shows the power that literature and how the simple act of reading can spark new ideas and encourage change.


Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for giving me early access to this book (that I am of course delayed on reviewing). You put the words book club and troublesome women together and of course my interest is piqued. As a whole I enjoyed this story and the journeys of the Bettys. Their experiences likely mirror some of my mother’s as part of that generation of women and gives me even more respect for her successes than I already had. Despite enormous progress towards shattering the glass ceiling, the work is not yet done and this story helps to spark that fire anew for its readers. The reason I did not enjoy it more was twofold, the length and the pacing. The story felt very slow and drawn out. It has a slow burn plot which didn’t fully keep my interest. I’m sure others may feel differently, and perhaps if I read it at a different time I would too, but it just didn’t excite me as much as I had hoped it would. Overall though, I do recommend it for any historical fiction readers, particularly fellow strong women who believe they deserve to chase all of their aspirations.