Delighted to include this novel in the monthly hotlist October roundup for Zoomer magazine's Club Zeb book club -- online at this link

Feminist reads? Check! Historical fiction? Check! Character driven novel? A big no from me, dawg. I say this all the time, but I’m just now a character driven story kind of gal, and lately my shelves have been filled with them. I find them to slow burn when I just want to turn the pages as quickly as possible. That being said, I still enjoyed The Wrong Kind of Woman for the historical and feminism components. I love stories that explore societal expectations of women and women who go against the grain to get s**t done.

The story centers around Virginia, a woman who suddenly loses her husband and goes on a self-discovery journey to find out who she is without a man, and what she believes in without having one tell her what to think. It’s set in the 70s – so right in the height of the big US feminist movement, which I loved. I found the intertwining plots to be a bit confusing to follow at times, as everything was very surface level. I understood the overarching point that the author was trying to make, and loved the representation brought in this story, but the story telling itself fell a bit flat for me.

If you want to understand life in 1970s, this is not a bad place to start. The author definitely captures the times and the issues, and the characters are engaging. The story is told in alternating chapters, with no transitions between them, but this is not a book with much of a plot, it is more of a character study. Some voices are clearly missing -- for example, it would be nice to know more about the motivations behind Elode's actions, and how she sees her behavior. The book is recommended for fans of women's fiction, and those with an interest in the time period. If you want to understand second wave feminism through fiction, you'll want to read the books from the time, especially Marilyn French's The Women's Room. #NetGalley #WrongKindofWoman

It’s 1970 and the Desmarais family is getting ready for Christmas. Oliver, a professor at Clarendon College, his wife Virginia, who at one time had her own ambitions and plans, but now just parrots her husband's thoughts, and Rebecca, just a teen with all the teen angst. But their world is about to implode with no warning.

Oliver drops dead while hanging lights and Virginia and Rebecca must find their own ways.

This was told from multiple points of view. And sometimes the narrator abruptly changed, which was confusing.

The character of Sam, who has his own issues during this turbulent time in our history. With violence across campuses and women fighting just to be heard, this could have been a good look at that time period.

It was not in my opinion. It was shallow and Virginia didn’t really step into some new version of womanhood. She only made friends with the four women that Oliver despised.

This had the makings of a good tale, it just didn’t get there.

Netgalley/ October 6th, 2020 by MIRA

In 1970's New England, a young mother has to reevaluate her role in life when she suddenly loses her husband. She has grown used to assuming traditional gender roles, but a group of feminist professors at her husband's former university have her rethinking everything. She gets involved in the feminist movement at the college, but when tension begins to heat up she questions if pushing for change is worth it. This wasn't my favorite- the writing is quiet and literary but I liked the premise and collegiate setting. This reminded me a lot of Summer Darlings and We Are All Good People Here.

Set in the late '60's or early 70's this is the incredibly moving story of a woman, Virginia, who loses her husband without warning and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

Her neighbors who believe casseroles solve all of life's problems make her feel she is the wrong kind of woman because she is interested in carving out a life for herself and finishing her Ph.D. Her professional colleagues similarly feel she is the wrong kind of woman because she has a daughter and feels conflicted about her roles.

This is far from my typical read but I loved the alternating perspectives, the self-reflection and thoughtful exploration of the struggles many women today can hardly imagine.

Thank you to RBG and all who went before us!

Thank you also to HARLEQUIN - Trade Publishing (US & Canada) MIRA for sending a widget. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book, I liked the way the author wrote it and really felt for the characters. I liked that there is alternating perspectives and it really added to the story.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A widow becomes friends with a group of supportive professionals who encourage her to complete her Ph.D. and fulfill her dreams. This is an empowering novel with several interesting side stories.

This book was super good. It was super original and I flew through it. It didn't feel like anything I've read in the past. Can't wait to read more from the author!! This book was unputdownable.

It’s the end of 1970. The Vietnam War is dragging on, women’s liberation groups are meeting across the country, and student activists are agitating for change. Virginia Desmarais isn’t quite a housewife yet she also isn’t a working woman, and when her husband dies she has to decide who she will be moving forward. The Wrong Kind of Woman follows Virginia and three others as they navigate the changes of the early 1970s on a New Hampshire men’s college campus. What will happen when they are confronted with opportunities for radical change?

This debut novel from Sarah McCraw Crow is set at Clarendon College, a men’s school that has begun to accept a small number of exchange student from women’s colleges. Professor Oliver Desmarais, a beloved faculty member and college jazz band clarinetist, dies suddenly to the shock of the community. Virginia and Rebecca, Oliver’s widow and teenage daughter, are left reeling. The women of the community help out by making casseroles and consoling the pair, but as a new year dawns, the Desmarais women must decide where they belong. Virginia, encouraged by the few women faculty members at the college, toys with the idea of completing her PhD, while Rebecca struggles to connect with friends. The book also follows Sam, a Clarendon College student questioning his sexuality, and Louise, the only tenured woman faculty member at the school.

Crow is a talented writer, and while I generally enjoyed this book it didn’t really go anywhere. The plot was flat, without a rousing conflict or climax. The book is marketed as a sort of feminist awakening for Virginia, but because the narrative is split between four perspectives, her journey is only a small part of the book. Really, it would be more accurate to describe the book as partly dealing with grief after an unexpected death, and partly touching on some of the many social changes in the 1970s. In the end I wanted more from the book than it had to give.

2.5 stars, rounded up
I was drawn to this story as I have a soft spot for the late 60s/early 70s and I was looking for a bit of a trip down memory lane. And parts did resonate, both good and bad - not just NOW and Our Bodies, Ourselves but the misogyny of professors and frat boys alike.
The book takes forever to get going. It begins when Oliver, a professor at a conservative New England college, drops dead of an aneurysm. While Oliver was alive, his wife, Virginia, seemed to live totally in her husband’s shadow, mirroring his opinions on everything and everyone. Sam, a student at the college, was a friend of Oliver’s. Both are lost souls, still looking for their own identity.
The writing was very disjointed with lots of flipping back and forth between the different characters. Virginia makes friends with the only four female professors at the college. She gets involved in the beginnings of the women’s movement on campus. Meanwhile, Sam discovers a nearby commune and is drawn to it. But both plot lines seemed shallow and I would have liked more deep thought from both of them. Virginia’s daughter, Rebecca, was the one character that resonated. Her grief over the loss of her father, coupled with her growing up in turbulent times, felt real.
And unfortunately, the writing wasn’t anything special. There was no beautiful phrasing to make up for the other shortcomings.
My thanks to netgalley and Harlequin for an advance copy of this book.

The 1970s United States is not a period I've read much about in historical fiction, so that was interesting to me, especially reading the descriptions/discussions of political protests and debates in the 1970s and seeing what still rings true in today's social climate. I typically enjoy books that provide multiple perspectives (this one has three: Virginia, her daughter, and a college student), but this time I was more interested in the secondary characters (including Louise and Elodie).

After Virginia husband dies unexpectedly she is left rethinking the choices she has made as she tries to rebuild her life. She feels that she is the 'wrong kind of woman' according to her mother and the wives in the neighborhood because she works and almost has her PhD but she also feels like the wrong kind of woman with the female professors on campus because she never finished her dissertation and has a daughter. What type of woman does Virginia want to be? And what will it take to become her?

I didn’t finish this book. I read about 60% and stopped. I would read something else from this author as I liked the writing and the character development but the story just wasn’t holding my attention and I found I wasn’t reading for days which isn’t like me. The plot seems too simplistic and predictable. Finally I decided to move on.