At first, I wasn't sure I would like this book. Perhaps because I was only 5 years old in 1963, I didn't feel a connection to the issues the book's characters were going through. However, as I delved into the story, I found it to be an interesting and enjoyable book about four women who not only start a book club but also form a strong friendship that lasts a lifetime. Thanks to the author Marie Bostwick, Harper Muse, and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Greatly enjoyed this look into four women during 1963 and their book club reading Feminine Mystique.

Maybe it's the silo I live in but while I appreciated this story, I did not think it was very fresh. I think every archetype of woman in the 60s I've heard about or seen in media was represented in the story. Good thing? yes! Unoriginal? Also yes. Overall, the book was a pleasant way to pass time but I don't think it will stay with me. I think feminist stories are needed, don't get me wrong, but I don't know if this is punchy. Is it meant to be a warning for the gen Z trad wife movement? Is it meant to remind us how good we have it? Any woman who says they don't belong in this era is not a friend of mine and this book reminds us of the difficulties and oppression women face that we take for granted now. Writing was alright but sometimes hard to follow who was the focus.

How Books Can Change Your Life and THE BOOK CLUB FOR TROUBLESOME WOMEN by Marie Bostwick

Margaret never imagined she would become her mother. She’d envisioned an independent and fulfilling life. Yet, at thirty-three, it seemed inevitable for women like her to follow in their mothers' footsteps: caring for husbands and children, sacrificing careers and passions, and placing their desires last.

Everything shifted when Margaret read The Feminine Mystique. The book—an expression of the frustration of a generation of women—lit a fire in her. It was more than a reflection of her struggles; it was a call to action.

Inspired, Margaret began chasing her dream of becoming a writer. She also worked with her husband, a flawed yet loving man, to build a partnership of equals. The book mirrored Margaret’s feelings and ignited the courage for her to say, "I’m a person. I deserve a life."

Books can change our lives.

Bibliotherapy is the practice of reading to support mental health. Fiction helps readers step outside their perspective, experiencing the world as someone else. As readers connect with characters, they recognize themselves in the story. Through empathizing with characters and wanting them to succeed, readers extend that same compassion and hope to themselves.

This process is cathartic. Witnessing a character’s growth boosts a reader’s sense of self-efficacy. Bibliotherapy transforms reading from an escape into a tool for healing.

Here are tools for using books to change your life:

Identify: Find a character you can relate to—someone who shares your struggles, mindset, or aspirations. This connection bridges your experiences and the story.

Experience: While reading, allow yourself to experience the character's emotions, challenges, hopes, growth, and catharsis from a place of safety as an outside reader.

Insight: Seek parallels between the character’s journey and situation and your own. Notice the lessons and strategies they employ, and consider how you can apply these insights to your own life.

Universalize: You’re not alone. There’s a book about someone like you navigating similar struggles. Others have walked this path too. Like the character and countless others, you will find a way to thrive.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women
by Marie Bostwick
Pub Date: Apr 22 2025
This one reminded me of Lessons In Chemistry crossed with Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books. If you like books about books and historical fiction, give this one a try (I swear I wrote down at least 6 others books to read while reading this one....my TBR list is about to explode!)
Set in the 1960s Margaret lives in the perfect neighborhood with the perfect family and perfect neighbors...or at least that how we all think when we look at those blossoming suburbs that we see on TV. But take a look deeper and you'll see a woman who wants more. She's not ungrateful, but she knows she has more to offer this world than to just be the housewife that everyone thinks you must be in that day and age. To connect with other housewives, she decides to form a book club. Sure, they probably won't really read the books, and instead sit around drinking wine and gossiping, but it would be a way to connect with others. And she hungers for more adult connections. When the newest neighbor (a glamorous yet rebellious artist) says she'll join if she gets to pick the first book, Margaret agrees along with the other only two who said they would give it a go.
The first book, the controversial The Feminine Mystique, opens their eyes to what women are capable of and they take its information to heart (at varying degrees). The four become close friends who see each other through heartache, divorce, new jobs, new loves, and most importantly how to do this all while being a woman in a world where women are often second class citizens.
This one, like others historical fiction, sheds a light on how women were (and sometimes still are) seen and treated in our society. Thankful for how far we've come, but we still have a long way to go.
#netgalley
#TheBookClubforTroublesomeWomen
#MarieBostwick

I really enjoy a book where I feel like I’m a minor character in the plot, watching the drama unfold. The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick provided that experience for me, and I’m so grateful. I listened to the audiobook, perfectly narrated by Lisa Flanagan, which increased my connection to this story and its characters.

Any novel with “book club” in the title is an instant win for me, and I loved how four very different women formed lifelong friendships sparked by discussing “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan. Set in the 1960s, Ms. Bostwick wove events and cultural opinions of the decade into the plot and actions of her heroines. Each main character could be viewed as a caricature representing four scenarios for women of the time, but detailed descriptions of their personalities, choices, and obstacles made them feel like fully-formed people. The novel also had me reflecting on my mother’s experience since she got married and had her children during the 1960s.

With apologies to Marie Bostwick and Kim Michele Richardson, I connected this novel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and its sequel in my mind for quite some time. To clarify, they have no connection except the word Troublesome in their titles. LOL

Thank you to Harper Muse for the review copies of this immersive novel.

Bostwick weaves an inspiring and heartfelt story with The Book Club for Troublesome Women. I didn’t expect this book to resonate with me the way that it did, Mary’s story in particular. The women endure discrimination, condescension, and pushback from every corner. But they form a true sisterhood where they confide with each other and lift each other up. And the way that some of these women finally stick up for themselves and claim back their own life? I couldn’t help but feel emotional as I turned the last page.

'The Book Club for Troublesome Women' by Marie Bostwick follows four women with various wants, needs, and goals, all hampered in one way or another by being a women in the 1960's. Together, they embark on a book club experience which leads them to challenging norms and growing despite societal norms.

I found this book to be very informative, I liked how it incorporated the major events of the time. I did struggle some with pacing, and through no fault of Bostwick's, it was hard for me to read about the rights women lacked in the 1960's, given the current political landscape.

Thank you to Marie Bostwick and Harper Collins Focus for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of 'The Book Club for Troublesome Women.'

This novel about 4 women starting their book club by reading Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystic was an interesting read. I was able to read it thru NetGalley and enjoyed the premise and the writing. I like that it followed the women as they encountered issues trying to make independent decisions and we also got to see the results when they were older.

I really wish I could say I liked this book more than I did. The premise is great-- a perfect antidote to tradwife nonsense --but the story itself is inconsistent, both in terms of pacing and characterization.

The new housing development of Concordia attracted a group of young families to the area. The young housewives are all different but searching for themselves in their own way whilst dealing with motherhood. Set against the backdrop of 60's America the book follows the journey of the women from their first meeting of the Betty's book group where they start by reading The Feminine Mystique.
The novel builds the strive fir equality from a time when women could not open bank accounts or receive contraceptives without the permission of their husbands to the present day. The novel is poignant in a time when Supreme Courts are being used to give a definition of what the definition of a woman is.
I received a free copy of the ebook in return for an honest review.

This is an excellent book to pick up as we head into beach read season!

I loved the way that this unlikely group of neighborhood friends came together through a book club.

The book is set in the 60's, and the first selection for the book club is The Feminine Mystique, which was quite controversial in those days.

After reading and discussing the book, the women start to realize that perhaps it's okay to want more out of life than simply being a housewife, slaving away in silence to meet the family's needs.

What follows is an extraordinary tale of female friendship and solidarity, marked by both humor and profound emotion.

A wonderful read that also applies to modern-day women and their friendships and struggles.

Thank you #netgalley for this ARC of #thebookclubfortroublesomewomen

“Novels force you to think—to make your own conclusions about characters and themes, and decide if they’re valid or relevant or true or good, or the opposite or maybe somewhere in between. My personal preference is for in between. I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody who was all one thing or the other, have you? Most people are a bundle of walking contradictions.”

In 1963 Virginia, four housewives create a book club. After reading a book that changes their perspective on life—The Feminine Mystique—Margaret, Charlotte, Bitsy and Viv slowly take turns rebelling against gender roles in a post-war climate where Americans are starting to fight more and more for civil rights and racial equality. Through hard times, the four women will find friendship and support in this book club which will help them blossom in the long run.

This book was beautifully written, and the story was well-balanced between the four main characters. Each of them had a unique background and significant growth. There were also some interesting historical facts, and being able to picture the characters experiencing them was even more impactful. However, I was a bit let down by the ending. I thought it was a bit unrealistic that almost everyone ended up with success in their respective fields. Also, the title is a bit misleading as the women didn’t really feel “troublesome”. Overall, I still think it is a good book.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Marie Bostwick’s ‘The Book Club for Troublesome Women’ is a beautifully crafted novel that captures the frustrations and transformations of post-war women. Set in the 1960s, four housewives, disillusioned with their constrained roles, form a book club just as Betty Friedan’s ‘The Feminine Mystique’ ignites a national conversation. What starts as casual reading evolves into a powerful journey of self-discovery that reshapes their views on marriage, independence, and identity.

Bostwick’s writing is immersive and emotionally resonant. Her richly developed characters made me feel deeply connected to their struggles and triumphs, a rarity in recent reads. Against the backdrop of political upheaval and Civil Rights movements, these women find their voices, mirroring the real-life fight for autonomy and equality, a struggle that, disturbingly, remains relevant today.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone eager for an engaging, insightful, and deeply inspiring read. It’s a celebration of women’s resilience, the power of shared stories, and the importance of understanding the past to appreciate the present. Five stars, without hesitation

This book definitely started out a little slow for me; I found it hard at first to connect with all the characters and care about their journeys. However, I feel like at some point around halfway through, something clicked and I was hooked. I found myself feeling like I was a part of the book club and going through all of their problems together.

I found the characters to all be so real and raw - one thing I liked about them is that I wasn't always agreeing with them, but I was always rooting for them; for them to succeed and for them to grow and learn. I thought it was interesting that I tend to pick one character that I like the most, but I was equally fond of all four of these women.

The only thing I wanted to complain about, other than the somewhat slow start, was the ending - it all just felt a little bit too idealistic.

4.5 Stars for me and one of my favorite reads this year so far!
I loved this story so much: the different characters, the bookclub, the topics they talked about, how every one of those four women stood up for themselves and their believes in a time where it was so hard for women. Learning more about this time and the hardships a lot of people had to face was so special. As was the writing of this book.
Huge recommendation!

Having grown up during the 60’s, I enjoyed the setting and the content of the story. The trials of these women who live in a male dominated world where others would ask women if they had their husband’s permission before opening a bank account or making a simple purchase was astonishing. Yet while “we’ve come a long way baby”, even in our society today there exists still the inequalities these women suffered. Luckily, I was fortunate where in our household, there seemed to be more of an equal partnership between my parents which seems rare for those days. Women , if they chose to work, really only had opportunities as a secretary, teacher, or nurse. As a result, children of this generation were encouraged to be anything they wanted to be and to get a college education, although it was still stifled for girls. It was suggested that I choose a career that would be flexible for when I became a mom and could not work full time. I love that these women bonded over a book about being strong women and finding themselves, which in turn gave them inner strength and respect for themselves and each other. This would lend itself to a great discussion, and especially how book clubs may be about talking about books but more so about supporting each other. Many thanks to #netgalley #mariebostwick #the book clubfortroublesomewomen for the opportunity to read and review this book. Loved it! 4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for the free advance copy of The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick in exchange for an honest review. It's out now so you can - and should! right now! - go get it.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women takes place in 1963 and follows a group of four women - Margaret, Bitsy, Vivian and Charlotte - who all live in a planned community near Washington, DC. All are considering what it means to be a wife, mother and woman at a time of significant change. After Charlotte hands Margaret a copy of Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique," the four form a book club in which they read works that explore the role of women in the home, the workplace (should they be so lucky), and in society, and all are changed in the process. The final chapters of the book are particularly delicious.

I absolutely loved this book and am sorry I can no longer talk to my mom about it. Five stars, easy, and I'll be reading this author's back catalog, too.

I imagine <i>The Book Club for Troublesome Women</i> will become the new women's book club darling this year. I was drawn in by the premise of four women navigating the changing times of 1960s Suburban America. I think it will become a book club favorite because it is appealing to a widespread audience. This is the problem with this book. The characters are so watered down that they become disingenuous in characterization. The acrimonious marriage between some of the wives and husbands seems saccharine creating unrealistic relationships. None of these women are troublesome as most of their decisions/ fates are a result of a man's actions. Storylines are polished to palatability and the ending wraps up like a Hallmark movie. Ironically, the characters and plot are quite prim and prudish for being set during a women's revolutionary time. This is the novel that the uptight Coffee Klatch of the 1960s would pick for their own women's book club.

4.5 🌟

In "The Book Club for Troublesome Women," we follow a group of women in the 1960s who are unhappy with how their lives are panning out. After starting a book club and reading "The Feminine Mystique" they believe they can have more in life and not just be complacent house wives in unhappy marriages. This book follows their friendship and growth as women in a very difficult time for. It showcases some of the social injustices women face in a patriarchal world and the importance of women helping women.

I really enjoyed this book! It is about women finding who they are outside of their roles as mothers/wives and how friendships can help in more ways than one.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.