I honestly didn’t think I was going to love this book as much as I did. I picked the book up not really knowing what to expect but it was wonderful. You follow four friends and the lives that they have built for themselves. It was moving, it was tough, and as a wife myself, certain parts were still a bit relatable.

NetGalley also gave me a chance to listen to the audiobook, so following along with the ebook made the experience more vibrant. I really liked the narrator, she did a good job of bringing each character more animated. The audiobook was good, the narrator was perfect and clear to understand.

Pub date: April 22, 2025

A group of 4 housewives start a book club in their cookie-cutter DC suburb neighborhood in the 1960’s. They form a deep friendship and bond and each grow in their way after their first read - The Feminine Mystique. I was interested in each of the main women, there was a SATC vibe to the variety of the characters. The historical notes were interesting, this book captured a very particular time in American history. Fans of Kristin Hannah & Kate Quinn might enjoy this book, although I didn’t shed any tears like I might in any KH book.

The audio narrator did well balancing the characters and the pace was good. Overall I enjoyed this book and think it would make a good book club pick.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for early access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I've been fascinated by The Feminine Mystique both in its own right and as a cultural artifact since college. I love a book club, and I love troublesome women. I found this group (who call themselves The Bettys) to be totally endearing. I received a copy of this audiobook from Netgalley for review, and I'm so glad. I will be recommending this to many of my reading friends, especially my book club!

⭐️⭐️ 2/5 Stars (Meh)
Setting: The early 1960s in Concordia, a planned community in Northern Virginia
Genre: Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction

The Book Club for Troublesome Women offers a touching glimpse into the lives of suburban housewives in the 1960s, grappling with societal expectations and the stirrings of second-wave feminism. The novel beautifully captures the power of female friendship, with Margaret Ryan’s accidental book club serving as a safe haven for self-discovery and quiet rebellion. The themes of marriage, identity, and personal freedom resonate, making for a heartfelt and nostalgic read.

However, despite its promising premise, the novel struggles with execution. The pacing is uneven, often dragging in moments that should feel more impactful. While the themes are important, they become repetitive, and the characters—though engaging—sometimes feel like archetypes rather than fully realized individuals. The conflicts unfold predictably, and by the end, there’s a lingering sense that the story could have gone deeper, delivering more emotional weight.

While The Book Club for Troublesome Women has moments of warmth and insight, it ultimately falls short of its full potential. Readers who enjoy stories of female camaraderie and historical reflection may still find value here, but those seeking a more nuanced or dynamic narrative might be left wanting more. #NetGalley #thebookclubfortroublesomewomen

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an audio advanced copy of this book!

4.5⭐️
As an avid romance reader, historical fiction is usually a bit of a struggle for me. Yet, The Book Club for Troublesome Women pulled me in relatively quickly and kept my attention! It took me maybe 20% of the book to get the characters down and remember who was who but after that I was free sailing and fully engrossed.

I particularly liked the ties to real life events that were happening at the time. I felt like it really grounded the story in reality for me. Even though the characters and their stories were made up, they COULD’VE been real.

The audiobook was an excellent experience in particular and I highly recommend consuming the book that way!

I loved this audiobook! Lisa Flanagan delivered a brilliant narration, but the true star was Marie Bostwick’s story—a powerful, heartfelt tribute to friendship, feminism, and the courage to challenge the status quo.

Set in 1960s Virginia, The Book Club for Troublesome Women follows Margaret Ryan, who never intended to start a book club… or spark a feminist revolution. When a new neighbour, Charlotte Gustafson, arrives in Concordia, Margaret seizes the chance to bring women together, hosting a book club that tackles The Feminine Mystique. Alongside Bitsy and Viv, these four women—the Bettys—find themselves questioning the roles they’ve been assigned and discovering the strength to want more.

Bostwick captures the era’s microaggressions and societal limitations with nuance and honesty, making me cheer for Margaret, Charlotte, Viv, and Bitsy as they push against expectations and claim their space. The themes of self-discovery, sisterhood, and resilience are woven beautifully throughout, making this both an empowering and emotional read.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is humorous, thought-provoking, and utterly absorbing. If you love books about strong women finding their voice, the power of friendship, and the courage to challenge the status quo, this is a must-read. Highly recommended!

This was my first Marie Bostwick novel and it was a good one. I enjoyed how she wove different viewpoints on woman hood into different "classes" of women in the time period.

By early 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan, Viv Buschetti, and Bitsy Cobb, suburban housewives in a brand-new "planned community" in Northern Virginia, appear to have it all. The fact that "all" doesn't feel like enough leaves them feeling confused and guilty, certain the fault must lie with them. Things begin to change when they form a book club with Charlotte Gustafson--the eccentric and artsy "new neighbor" from Manhattan--and read Betty Friedan's just-released book, The Feminine Mystique.

Controversial and groundbreaking, the book struck a chord with an entire generation of women, helping them realize that they weren't alone in their dissatisfactions, or their longings, lifting their eyes to new horizons of possibility and achievement. Margaret, Charlotte, Bitsy, and Viv are among them. But is it really the book that alters the lives of these four very different women? Or is it the bond of sisterhood that helps them find courage to confront the past, navigate turmoil in a rapidly changing world, and see themselves in a new and limitless light?

Great historical fiction that develops themes of friendship and feminism. Touches on problems that women faced back in the day over all very interesting read.

This novel is set in the 1960s, and follows four traditional housewives. They formed a book club together, and the books they read challenged their perspectives of the world, their roles as women, and what they can be. The book follows these women's stories as they change, grow, and take steps towards their own autonomy. It was a good glimpse into the struggles of that day. A good reminder of how much we have to be thankful for the work feminists have done to bring us to where we are today.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Marie Bostwick's *The Book Club for Troublesome Women* is a humorous and thought-provoking novel set in the 1960s. The story follows four suburban housewives who form a book club and discover the transformative power of Betty Friedan's *The Feminine Mystique*. As the women grapple with their personal struggles and societal expectations, their bond and the book spark significant growth and change in their lives. Bostwick's engaging writing style and well-developed characters make this a compelling read that explores themes of self-discovery, friendship, and the complexities of postwar American womanhood.

I listened to the audiobook, the performer bought the variety of characters to life.

I recommend this to fans of historical fiction and stories about female empowerment will find much to appreciate in this wonderful story.

This book is exactly what you think it should be, and it’s absolutely perfect! The wit of the women coming together is genuine, sassy and definitely bad-assy.
It’s sad to think, that the ideas in this book still have a role in our world 60 years later. Women must always stand together and come together for a greater cause.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity with this ALC!

Four women read The Feminine Mystique and take action in their lives as they think on and process what the book means to them and how it can effect or change their lives.

This is an excellent beach read! It was light, a good story (love these “book club” books), and included some WW2 history. However, it did feel a bit corny, wrapping up feeling a little too perfect and there is a tiny blurb to acknowledge intersectional feminism but thought they could have added a little more to that sorry line.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. This was a fun read! I was honestly worried it would be very very liberal feminist book, but at times it was but I was happy with how the author incorporated how men were expected to have a good job and all the weight on their shoulders to support a family etc. I did like the female friendships and how they all came together and bonded and became such good friends and how encouraging they were to one another. I read this book in a day as I could not put it down. I was also talking to my mom not to long ago who was a late teenager at the time this book takes place. And she remembers how hard it was for a woman in some areas even though she is pro housewife stay at home and always took care of us kids while my dad went to work and provided for the family. I highly recommend this novel! It was a fantastic read! The narrator did a great job!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to this audiobook.
The book was ok, I don't think anything extreme happened so it just didn't do it for me.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a thought-provoking and still highly relevant exploration of women's rights, set against the backdrop of the 1960s. The story follows four dissatisfied housewives who are grappling with the struggles of not being able to access birth control without their husband's permission, needing their husband's signature to open a bank account, and generally feeling undervalued for the constant work they do.

I absolutely loved this book! While it shines a light on the challenges these women face, it also beautifully highlights the power of communication, friendship, and love. It's a powerful reminder of how far we've come and how much further we still have to go.

An excellent read that blends history with emotion and reflection—highly recommend!

The narrator, Lisa Flanagan, performs perfectly and adds much to the story!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Three women, Margaret, Viv, and Bitsy are living in a "planned community" in Northern Virginia and seem to have it all. It's the early 1960's and they are all homemakers taking care of their children and hard-working husbands. When a new artsy neighbor from Manhattan, Charlotte, moves in, the 3 women invite her to join their new book club. She agrees but only if she can pick the book they read, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. While all the women had privately wanted more from life, the book opened the door for them to realize that they weren't alone in those feelings. The new bond of sisterhood helps them to support each other and navigate a rapidly changing world.

This was a great historical fiction that gives a look at the standard woman's world in the 1960s. The four women create a beautiful community with each other coming closer through motherhood and feminism in a time when the expectations of a women's role were being challenged. While WWII had given them a small look at a bigger picture since women were helping support war efforts, afterwards, they were expected to go back to being wives and homemakers. I really enjoyed this story, and it was very well written. Listening on audiobook, I was kind of losing track of what character was who at first since it is written from a 3rd POV and there are quite a few names to keep track of. A great read for historical fiction lovers!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for the audiobook for review! Expected publication is April 22, 2025.

Historical fiction isn’t typically one of my interests, and while this book may be classified as such, its theme of women’s empowerment, female friendships and relationships is relevant and relatable today. I literally gasped out loud when basic choices related to contraception, working outside the home and opening a bank account without your husband’s permission were called into question. I often wonder about ‘simpler times’ and think back to the 50s and 60s but this book made me realize that while they may not have had the same challenges of today, they had their own and it was in no way easier. I loved this book and could not help but feel pride for the women that helped to make the choices and rights I have today possible.

*As a side note I’d like to include that I listened to the audio book and Lisa Flanagan was perfection!

Thank you to #netgalley #harpermuse #mariebostwick for an ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! It activated my feminine rage without a doubt. This is such an important read because we need to remember how much women before us have fought for us to be where we are today.

I fell in love with the characters and they were so relatable in so many ways. I think every woman will be able to identify one way or the other with one or several of these characters.

Marie is an incredible writer and I was completely enthralled from start to finish! This was such a wonderful read!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, HarperCollins Focus, Harper Muse and Marie Bostwick for giving me an ALC of this incredible book!

I enjoyed the portrayal of the everyday ways that sexism and misogyny permeated society in the 60s. I chose this book because Arlington is my hometown. I think there is ample opportunity for promotion in the DMV. If I had to guess, Concordia would be McLean…but can’t say for sure! Loved the characters, loved the story, loved the redemption of the characters and realistic portrayal of relationships both romantic and friendly.

Omg! I can't begin to express how much I loved this book. I'm part of 2 book clubs and the book club from this book is all I've ever dreamt of. Female friendships between the lost improbable of characters, deep connection and personal growth. Also, the historical setting that makes us realise how far the feminist cause has come as well as is still lagging behind... I'll gather my thoughts in the next few days and try to do this book justice. For now, just know you should run to buy it as soon as it comes out.