I hung on to every word as Marie easily transported me to book club with these strong, bright, “troublesome” women. I could feel the era deeply, and the hardships these women endured, through her vivid details and supportive history of the 60’s. It was very easy to see that Marie is very knowledgeable of the time period. I admired these women the more and more the story grew— by forming a book club, they formed a bond that was everlasting and strengthening their views on equality and respect as women in the 60’s. I needed this book in my life, and I’ve already been recommending it to everyone!

I could not stop listening to this I was carrying around my phone and my iPad all day listening.
To start the narrator was fantastic. I was able to speed this audiobook up to 1.5 and it wasn’t distorted. It still sounded like I was being read to.
The book itself was so good, there was a lot of insight into your typical 1960s housewife, where they don’t have a lot of freedom husbands control everything women are expected to run the house and take care of the kids. Women are expected to do as they told not argue be very submissive.
The main characters in this book break that mold by getting jobs by getting a divorce by doing things that at the time were frowned upon, but are now not thought of twice.
Absolutely fantastic book and I can’t wait till I can pick up a physical copy at the bookstore!

This was a great historical fiction novel about book club members who become life-long friends during the second wave of the feminist movement in the early 1960s.

It was a really interesting look at what life could have been like at the time for women with many different backgrounds, all of whom were fighting personal battles with the patriarchal ideals of the times, but together they made each other's lives a little easier.

I listened to the audiobook of this novel, and it was very well done and a pleasant listen. I could see this book being enjoyed by many women's book clubs.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women was my first read by Marie Bostwick, and I absolutely loved it! This novel gave me Stepford Wives meets “Lessons in Chemistry” vibes, with its themes of
friendship & feminism.
Set in the early 1960s, the story follows a group of women who move into a planned community, expected to live the so-called "American Dream." But as we know, not everyone’s dream looks the same. As they bond over the book The Feminine Mystique, their friendships deepen, becoming a source of strength and solidarity throughout their lives.
I loved the different POVs from Viv, Bitsy, Margaret, and Charlotte—each woman navigating her own struggles while finding common ground in their growing friendship. Watching their relationships grow was one of my favorite parts of the book.
If you enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry, I think you’ll love this one too!
The audible version brought these characters to life, and the narrators did a great job!

4.5 stars
Marie Bostwick said, in the concluding author’s note, that this book was a labor of love for her. It definitely came through while listening to the audiobook. I loved these four different women who came from different circumstances and came together as found family. And they were joined together through their inquisitive natures and love of reading. Talk about a win-win!
1963 was a time of tumult and change for American housewives. Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique is a catalyst for each of our four main characters to examine themselves, their circumstances, and their relationships. I felt fully invested in each of them over the course of this story and was rooting them all on!
*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance audiobook copy

The Book Club for Troublesome Women was my first book by Marie Bostwick, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t typically read historical fiction, but I am glad I took a chance on this. Lisa Flanagan did a great job narrating this novel.

The description is spot on. It was a very “thought provoking, and nostalgic romp through one pivotal and tumultuous American year--as well as an ode to self-discovery, persistence, and the power of sisterhood.” The Bettys made me realize how valuable it is to have a supportive social group especially when the world feels like it’s against you (women). I really enjoyed this book and will be sharing it with all my family and friends.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much, @NetGalley, for providing me with this ALC in exchange for an honest review! #TheBookClubforTroublesomeWomen #NetGalley.

God reading about how horrendous women’s rights were not even 50 years ago honestly made me feel so deeply angry. Women couldn’t open banks accounts without their husbands permission or have access to birth control without their husbands permission. Husbands permission. Permission. Good god it makes me want to punch someone. I cannot even comprehend how women after the war felt, they were just expected to be shoved back into the gender social norm boxes, go back to being homemakers and mothers with no other prospects. Honestly in 50 years society has taken leaps and bounds into women’s equality, it just makes me sad things are STILL not equal even in 2025.

Let’s get into the characters, we got a range of cast in this book. Margret the stereotypical housewife, Viv the retired war nurse and housewife, Bitsy the youngest housewife struggling to conceive and Charlotte, rich and eccentric. To be honest she seemed to be the only one of the group that was actually ‘troublesome’ and the only character that had a decent backbone and stood up for herself.

I did really enjoy this book, it has strong themes of feminism, friendships and family. All four women come together to overcome their problems, personal and marital. I do wish a little more had happened in the book, some parts were very slow and repetitive but the overall story was really enjoyable.

I also enjoyed the mention of Betty Frieden’s ‘The feminine Mystique’. At the time of publication this book was highly controversial and challenged gender norms in the 60’s. I love that this piece of literature was the spark that made these characters question themselves and the society around them. I also really enjoyed the author mentioned and acknowledged the outdated nature of Friedman’s book. For the time it was as controversial as you could get, but only really targeted (and talked about) the middle class citizens who could afford to be housewives,
and basically ignored the working class.

Over all I think anyone who’s a fan of women’s fiction will like this book! Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️
Set in a small American town 60 years ago—but just as relevant today—this book follows a group of women who call themselves a book club, even though the only book they all read and loved was The Feminine Mystique. But that one book sparks a chain of events that will have you laughing, crying, and absolutely furious.

This book mostly focuses on the experiences of white women during a time when they were expected to be nothing more than wives and mothers. While it dives into their struggles for independence and identity, it also hints at the broader inequalities of the era, making you think about the voices that were left out of the conversation. In the background of the main story, you can hear the echoes of MLK, JFK, and the events of a country on the brink of change.

The writing was beautiful and I love books based around female friendships. My only 2 critiques are that it could have been a little shorter, I prefer a faster pace and there were some slow bits. And second, I was waiting for more troublesome-ness. The only somewhat troublesome woman was Charlotte - my favorite! And although the others may have been characterized as troublesome because of their dissatisfaction with their lives, I would have liked to see them do something about it.

@mariebostwick #thebookclubfortroublesomewomen #bookclubfortroublesomewomen #tbftw #mariebostwick #mbostwick

When four women decide to read a controversial book detailing what a good housewife “should” be and not be for their inaugural book club, they realize they aren’t alone in their thoughts or commonalities of womanhood. This book chronicles women’s roles during the 1960s- what they could, but mostly could not do without the approval from their spouse. It takes us through the struggles women faced, but also the strength they found within their selves and their community.

1960's housewives Margaret, Viv, and Bitsy are introduced to Charlotte, a wild card. To break the ice, they start a book club, but Charlotte insists on reading "The Feminine Mystique" which sets off feelings and events that will impact them for the rest of their lives.

This was an absolutely fantastic book. These 4 women have grit and determination, and watching them take their own lives in their hands was beautiful. Womens rights, civil rights, JFK...it was all at the forefront in their lives. The ambitions and lives of these women is inspiring. A solid five-star read.

There was nothing wrong with this book. I personally struggle reading that time period and got a little bored in parts, but this is going to be an amazing book for a lot of people.

Top notch book. I would give it more stars if I could. Almost all of the novel takes place in 1963 and Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique is the catalyst for a book club in suburban Washington. Four women are inspired by this book and subsequently come to understand themselves and strive for fulfillment. Each person was well-developed and completely real. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did an excellent job. Marie Bostwick’s note at the end of the book states she feels this was the book she was always meant to write. I’m so glad she did.

In the early 1960s, Margaret, Viv, and Bitsy discover a sense of dissatisfaction with their mundane housewife lives. Their formation of a book club with their new unconventional friend, Charlotte, and their subsequent reading of "The Feminine Mystique" sparks a realization that their discontent is shared by many women.

I love badass women, and the 4 main characters in this book are definitely badass women. in some capacity, yes, this was about a book club, but in actuality this was not really about a book club at all. It was more about the bond that these women form together as they discover their own courage and purpose. Post World War II, the American Dream was at the forefront of the social discourse. Women were sold the lie that their sole purpose was to be a wife and mother, and that ambitions outside of those roles were frivolous. Marie Bostwick is a new-to-me author, so I didn't really know what to expect with this one, but I feel like she knocked it out of the park with this one. I learned a lot while reading this book, and I fell in love with the characters!

Thank you the the publisher and author for an ARC of this book. I listened to it in audible format.

This was a great feminist, historical fiction read. I could really imagine this becoming a series or film.

The different stories of all of the women and how they came together to support and challenge each other was the highlight

✨Review - The Book Club For Troublesome Women by @

Set in early 1960s American suburbia, this book chronicles 4 wives and the way that reading Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” together transformed their lives and friendships in ways they could never have imagined.

This is a beautiful and nuanced study of middle-class domesticity post WWII, exploring the birth of feminism and the awakening of women to the ways society shapes gender roles. I appreciated that it addressed not only women’s rights and roles, but also touched on the intersectionality of racial minority rights as well as the ways men can be as equally trapped by gender norms as women.

Each of the 4 ‘leading ladies’ are unique in personality and lived experience, so I felt like there was a good chance readers would resonate with at least one of them. That said, even though race is addressed as a secondary concern, the main characters are still all white.

I buddy-read this with my cousin, and toggled back and forth between print and audio. The audiobook narrator was excellent!! (And now we want to read “The Feminine Mystique” too!)

This book releases April 22, and would be an excellent book club read.

I want to join the Bettys! That’s what the Troublesome ladies of the book club call themselves. This story is a funny, heartwarming, thought provoking tale of neighbors who decide to form a book club. The first book: Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. From that point on strong friendships are formed. This book was such a great lens into being a woman in the 60’s, we couldn’t open bank accounts on our own, needed our husband’s permission at the doctor’s office, and were expected to not want more than being a homemaker! Each woman has a different version of empowerment as the story grows, and I loved every bit of this!

I highly recommend this read, especially if we women are to keep pushing forward, rather than going backwards!

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins Focus, and Marie Bostwick for the ARC (I listened to my advanced copy and loved

What a fun listen. I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't just an entertainig story but also thought-provoking -- a reminder of how recent women's rights were given, but also a reflection on living authentically and finding your happiness and purpose. The narrator was excellent and able to voice the four women differently enough that they were distinctive. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen and offer my honest review.

What can I say~ I did enjoy this audiobook very much. One can say that the story itself wasn't much but I think that while the plot wasn't that complicated the characters and their development throughout the story was very interesting. The way the main characters were treated by the society and their families shows how women overall were treated in 60., how their opinions were omitted, how they were squished and forced to go with the current – marry, have children, sacrifice yourself to others well-being.

Just reading it you can see how far we've progressed since those times, how much has changed. And, in a way, it makes me hopeful for the future. Because, if we could do this in this fairly short amount of time, we can do even more going into the future.

I'd like to send my thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free audiobook of this publication in exchange for an honest review.

I can't believe I got an ARC copy of this audiobook. I loved it! Set in the early 1960s, it follows four housewives who form a book club to discuss The Feminine Mystique, only to find themselves gaining much more than they expected through their shared journey. Each woman struggles with societal expectations while navigating personal fulfillment, and their stories are deeply relatable, even today. Who doesn't love a book about string female characters. I thought this was great. A great book for those who enjoy Kristin Hannah.

This book has two of my favorite things…book clubs and strong women supporting each other. This book takes place in the 1960’s and the writing truly made me think what it was like during this time for women. This book was a wonderful story and I highly recommend it.