This was an entertaining read and will appeal to readers who enjoy reading about the post WW2 period in New York City. I thought the characters weren't quite fully developed and the storyline was pretty predictable, so I'd characterize this as light reading material. It's the kind of novel that would make for a good television movie. That said, I'd read another book by this author because the flow of the story was quite good and kept my attention.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It was quite enjoyable.

This was my first book to read by Ellen Feldman and it won’t be my last. The beginning gripped me and I had to know where this was going and then how it was going to end. I felt connected to the main character and was torn over what decision she should make. This was a solid 4.5-star book for me, and I would recommend it to readers who love historical fiction and/or books with a resilient and relatable female lead in the WWII era.

Be on the lookout for this book in Feb 2024. Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Ellen Feldman for sending this book for my review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This wonderful story is about Fanny (Frances), Max and Charlie. Max came home from the War but her sister’s husband did not. Fanny and Max found a house with the GI Bill and started making plans. Everything seemed to be going smoothly but the night of Mimi’s wedding changed it all. It was a hazardous trip home with the falling snow. With Max undressing in the closet she heard a thud and her life changed in minutes. Max was gone. Fanny could not stay in the house since she could not afford it for her and Chloe, their 5 year old daughter. She moved in with her Aunt Rose until she found an apartment and started looking for a job which was not an easy feat with all the GI’s returning and taking over all available jobs – but she did find a job with the “queen” of soap serials not ever called soaps. She found she loved working but it was frowned upon because women at that time were supposed to be “housewives” and not secretaries. And then her life changed, after meeting Charlie. The story gets better and better from there. You will not be disappointed for this is a great story.
I want to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for allowing me the opportunity to read this story. I have read two other of Ms Feldman’s books and was equally happy that I did so. All of the comments are mine only.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Franny Fabricant was the product of her time as well as her position in life. Although she graduated from one of the Seven Sisters colleges, she was mostly educated in order to be a successful wife and mother as well as to support her husband’s career by being a good conversationalist and able to hold her own at dinner and cocktail parties.

Her mother passed away while she was still young and thus her aunt, Rose, had a strong effect on her along with the culture in which she was raised. Sometimes the two forces were diametrically opposed. And that is the crux of the story. How Fanny navigates not only young widowhood, being a single mother, and learning how to support herself and her daughter makes for a very interesting story. Throw in the McCarthyism and two men who are polar opposites and therein lies the inner conflict of the main character.

I enjoyed reading Franny’s journey and rooting for her to make the right decisions. Her aunt Rose was a great character and her story was intriguing as well. We got it in little dribbles, but she was a strong character who lived a full life herself even though many people in the book felt sorry for her for never marrying. I liked this character a lot.

This book moves at a nice pace. No explosions, car chases or other crazy drama, just a lovely read with a likeable cast of characters—although one of the men set my teeth on edge—in a good way as far as bringing conflict to the plot.

The setting, era and morals of the day are well set out by the author and this is just very much an enjoyable read. Five Stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this E-arc for my honest review.
An excellent historical perspective of strong female characters based in the 1940s-1950s. These women were an inspiration for the women of today. Great story and loved the characters especially Fanny and Rose! Highly recommend.

I would like to thank St Martins Press, Net Galley and Austin Adams for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. I like Historical Fiction, and was intrigued to see that this book was set in the late 40's, early 50's post war New York. I was also intrigued that one of the characters was described as the Queen of Radio Serials. I never heard the serials ( or soaps as they were commonly known) on the radio, but I did watch them on TV for years, including several that had started on radio. As luck would have it, this was only a very small part of the overstuffed storyline in this book. I liked the book, but I didn't love it.And part of the problem was the large number of plots, and cast members who were interesting, but often left with little to do. Fanny is married to Max. He is in the army and she is home with a child. He survives the war, but dies not long after his return home.So we have Fanny and her daughter Chloe. One storyline has her as a single mother, who has no work skills. Then she gets a job as a secretary to the aforementioned Serial Queen. That is another storyline. There are a number of interesting characters in this plot, Charlie , a writer and Ava , an actress, as well as Alice, the head writer. We see a lot of Charlie, but to my liking, could have seen more of the other two, as well as the world of Daytime Radio. Fanny also meets a doctor, one who knew her late husband, and their relationship is another plotline. Women had gone into the workforce during the war, and did not all want to go back to staying at home- the beginnings of the women's movement. Fanny's friend Savannah ,represents this plot line, but she is used sparingly and almost forgotten at times. Fanny has an Aunt Rose, a proud single woman and self employed as a seamstress. Fanny's sister Mimi , is the other side of the plot- once married , now a widow, and wanting only to be again a wife and mother. Besides the characters swirling through the story, there are a number of real life events. In addition to the war, there is the ascent of daytime drama, and the ascent of television, the polio epidemic, and the Communist Blacklist/ McCarthy /Army trials. There are also several major snowstorms as well. I truely was waiting for a hurricane or two. I liked this book. I think I would have liked it more if it told Fanny's story without a cast of thousands.

Reading this novel was my first time reading a novel of Ms Friedman's - that will definitely be changing.

The writing is terrific and the author poured so much life into the characters - strong female characters, post war McCarthy blacklisting era, radio serials (the original soap operas). It kept my attention throughout, kept me turning the pages and I thought it a wonderful story in spite of some predictability; I enjoyed The Trouble with You quite a bit.

Book clubs will likely love this title.

Recommended.



Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the DRC!

What a good book! It is about Fanny Fabricant. Fanny is at the prime of her life- she is married to the love of her life and has a young daughter. Then the war hits. The war is difficult but her husband makes it home and she suffers a tragic loss. Her world is turned upside down. The characters are believable and the storyline is very interesting. I would love to be one of Fannies’ friends. I will definitely be looking for other books from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

“The Trouble With You” is Ellen Feldman’s latest effort and lovers of both her work and historical fiction in general will not be disappointed.

I read a lot of WWII fiction, so I enjoyed the chance to focus on the period after the war when men returned to the Homefront and women had to step down from the jobs they’d grown to love. Here, we meet Fanny who is bucking tradition with the support of her plucky Aunt Rose. She gets a job in the entertainment industry and soon meets people who have blacklisted. Will she continue to go after what she believes in or yield to expectations?

While plenty of this novel was predictable (especially the two love interests for Fanny), I still found it enjoyable and was interested in this slice of history.

Three and a half out of five stars.

Thank you the Ellen Feldman, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

A woman is torn between marrying a doctor and giving up her career, or following her dream of writing and the man whose front she is.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

Oh my goodness! I absolutely adored this awesome book. I loved the characters, loved the scenes, and loved the overall feel of the piece. Read it practically in one sitting and definitely one day. Thanks.

I loved this book, it was a terrific read and i keep want to read another chapter even when I finshed it. I recommend it.

Very much enjoyed this book! It kept me wanting to read more and I could not put it down. I would recommend this book to my friends!

A welcome addition to public libraries' historical fiction collection. The Trouble with You tells the story of Fanny as she struggles to find her self and voice in the period after the second World War. She is left a widow to raise her young daughter. Given that she is a graduate of a prestigious college, educated to be a wife and mother, she finds a job in serialized radio (the soaps!) and finds she likes it. As it's the time of the Cold War she finds herself confronting the black list and how to deal with it. The author deftly weaves the backdrop of this fraught period of history with a compelling story. I enjoyed.

Although the story was predictable, I enjoyed the strong female characters (especially Rose). The book is set in the period immediately following WWII and I thought it was effective in conveying the societal changes of the period. Men were returning from service and women were expected to leave jobs they held during the war and become housewives and mothers. The McCarthy era and blacklisting of artists also plays a significant role. Those elements were enough to overcome my impatience with Fanny being unable to see which of two men was the better choice for her.

Actual rating 3.5 stars

I was invited to review this new-to-me author’s book and because I love history, I took a chance! Am I ever glad I did because this is a refreshingly, albeit predictable, unique story. The author brought something new to the table and I was eager and able to dive right in.

Swimming against the tide of traditionalism, Fanny Fabricant courageously carves out a life for herself and her daughter Chloe when life throws her a curveball.

One-word summary: reinvention

What I loved:
✔️strong female; secretary in radio serials (modern-day soap opera)
✔️woman willing to burst through societal constraints of the time
✔️resourceful woman whose plans for the future fell apart and she needed to pick up the pieces and move on
✔️spotlight on politics; McCarthyism, HUAC blacklisting authors, actors, etc.
✔️expertly written setting/atmosphere/social climate in post-war era
✔️personal growth
✔️spotlight on dating during 1950s

What I struggled with:
✔️pacing
✔️predictabiltiy

This was a fantastic historical fiction novel featuring a likable and courageous female and spotlighting a unique slice of our history. Bingeable historical fiction. Great cover.

I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The Trouble with You explores the endearing character of Fanny Fabricant and the years following the death of her husband after the Second World War. It was a touching and fascinating story, and I loved how the feminist themes were articulated. Fanny gets her own job and grows as an individual through that environment, becoming a successful writer. I enjoyed seeing Fanny navigate the world as a working woman, defying the standard that postwar America had put on women. Another exciting element was the presence of McCarthyism, adding to the drama as many of her colleagues and friends were blacklisted.
The story was very slow, and I don't usually mind slow pacing when a story is so character-driven, but I found myself bored sometimes. Additionally, I think Feldman's writing style just didn't work with my brain and I often felt disconnected. It took me a long time to finish because I was not really thinking: "omg what's gonna happen next!?"
Overall, it was a beautiful and satisfying story with vivid characters. Thanks to NetGalley for providing the ARC.

The Trouble With You is an enjoyable, easy read. Author Ellen Feldman does an enticing job of luring the reader into Fanny's world; her struggles and successes. Fanny is an easy-to-love character and perhaps even more importantly, an easy-to-relate to character; with the interesting spin on her encounters being that they are set in post-WWII New York City. Women are encouraged to be wives and mothers, and any work they embark upon is regarded as being out of necessity, rather than talent, drive and curiosity. Enter Fanny Fabricant who challenges her "Poor Fanny" stereotype as a working class girl and even surprises herself on various occasions when it comes to choosing between the safe or the more adventurous lover.

This book was very slow in the middle despite great dialogue and intriguing character relationships. I loved the dynamic between Fanny and her aunt Rose - her aunt being a bit of a rebel-of-the-times herself with all the exciting secrets that flow from a creative woman's heart. The banter and escapades between Fanny and Charlie - both personal and professional - were slow to escalate, resulting in me not feeling in any sort of rush or drive to see what happens next. The pace of the story sort of just plods along. Perhaps that is what Feldman hoped to achieve in this novel of worthwhile character exploration, but given the inviting setting and themes, the thrill factor could have been taken up a notch.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Trouble With You" and all opinions expressed are my own. This was an interesting book. I liked reading about Fanny and her decisions. Good characters in the story and I liked Aunt Rose. I enjoyed reading about this time period and all that went on in our country.

I so enjoyed this story of a very interesting time in history. The subjects of blacklisting and women's rights are covered as well as the main character's emotional recovery from a loss. I liked the independent thinking of many of the characters and how they broke from traditional roles in spite of opposition. The writing flowed nicely and kept my interest to the end. I was very involved in the story. This is a new to me author but I will be reading more of her books.