I have been the beneficiary recently of some really great historical fiction not focused on World War II. The latest one, The Trouble with You, also gets major props for not being a dual timeline. It does go back and forth some between Fanny and her daughter Chloe, and I don’t really think Chloe’s perspective adds a whole lot, but that’s my biggest downside to this book. The book starts, essentially, with Fanny’s husband Max shipping out during the war. But the majority of the book takes place after Max dies unexpectedly not long after returning from war. Suddenly Fanny is in the position of trying to financially support herself and Chloe after being raised in a society that primarily values women for their role as wife and mother. Forced to find a job, Fanny actually ends up enjoying what she does and the people she meets along the way. This includes sensationalist Charlie Berlin, whose bark is way more scandalous than his bite. But she also meets Ezra Rapaport, a doctor who knew her husband and has many similarities to him, on the surface at least. The story does technically have that love triangle, but it really isn’t a love story. It’s really about Fanny trying to sort out if and which man is the right fit for her, or is who she thinks is the right choice according to societal expectations. This exploration (and her very forward thinking Aunt Rose) leads her to question if she really wants to give up what she’s gained to go back to just being a wife and mother. On a historical perspective, the story explores the Red Scare and how many people in the entertainment industry where Fanny works were blacklisted because someone deemed their actions subversive. It adds weight to the story and provides context to the time when the book takes place while allowing Fanny and her choices to be the primary focus of the story. I didn’t know where this one was going to go when I started, found my allegiances shifting some during the story, and was really happy with the direction it took. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so excited to when I heard that Feldman had a new book. I have always been a fan of her work.

This is a story set in NYC post WW2. Fanny is living the dream life. Her physician husband has safely returned from serving in the military during the war. They have a young daughter and life seems to be perfect until it isn't.

Fanny is forced to reinvent her life. Will she choose the easy life that doesn't push against social norms or will she follow her heart?

Possible triggers: Spousal loss and sudden death

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I loved the premise of The Trouble With You - a sort of pre-women’s lib exploration of a young woman having to break out of the expected role of wife and mother. As WWII ended, even women that wanted to continue working were expected to give up their jobs and return to the hearth. Not that Fannie wanted to be different. But sudden widowhood upended her expected life. But then, she discovers she likes working. The story also deals with McCarthy and the HUAC.
The story was slow to start and I really struggled to engage with the main character. The book was almost half over before it started drawing me in. I never got over my feeling that the writing was a bit too simple and the main character a bit too bland. But at least the plot improved, mainly down to the secondary characters like Ava, Charlie and Rose, and the impact the HUAC had on people’s lives. I would have liked more of that and less on the oh so predictable romantic life of Fannie. This was an easy read. But i felt it needed more depth.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this.

Feldman selected a very interesting subject matter of Hollywood “blacklisting” along with loss and grief. I found a well-researched and well-written story. Characters were eclectic grabbing your attention along with a creative narrative thus making a great read. Looking forward to more Ellen Feldman

I'm a sucker for historical fiction about a plucky working woman. Especially one during WWII or post US WWII. Fanny’s evolution from her role as a traditional married housewife and mother in the 1940s to widowed, single mother and working woman in the 1950s wasn't unusual, but her enjoyment of her work was. She loved working and loved being in the world. She embraced her independence and freedom.

This is a story of evolution and American history with the inclusion of McCarthyism and Polio, as well as the struggle of working women in a post war society. Ellen Feldman did a fantastic job at capturing the heart of Fanny and her family.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Set in New York City as the men return home from WW2, this is the story of Fanny Fabricant, a young mother who must forge a life for herself and her young daughter during a time when the acceptable role for a woman was wife, mother and homemaker. With a college degree in hand and dreams of being a writer, Fanny takes a secretarial position for a female boss who has several successful radio serial programs “soaps” on air. Fanny loves her job and is quickly learning facets of the industry, especially what is transpiring for creative types that get blacklisted due to their socialist beliefs.

With themes of working women and single parenthood in the 1950’s, the blacklist era of the McCarthy years and the discovery of finding one’s passion and being true to oneself, Ms Feldman has delivered a riveting story with multi generational characters navigating through the expectations for women prior to the changing societal times.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin and Ellen Feldman for providing me the opportunity to read this wonderful story in exchange for my honest opinion. Publication date: February 20, 2024

What a wonderful book and so relevant to the issues women are facing today. It’s the story of a young woman who loses her husband suddenly after he returned home safely from World War ll. She is left with a small child to raise and forced to find work in a time when women working was frowned upon. Fanny was a woman ahead of her time and her story was inspiring. Chloe, Charlie, and all the characters were believable and were so well written. I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Although she attended one of the “sister” schools, Fanny was raised in a time when education for a woman was to prepare her for being a wife and mother. Faced with the financial strain of raising a child on her own, she takes a job as a secretary for a very popular radio serial (never a “soap”!) and is soon faced with a situation in which she must choose between what is safe and what her conscience and her heart tell her to do. Fortunately, she has the influence of her Aunt Rose, a woman before her time, who provides sage advice and encourages her in all her pursuits.

I really liked this book and could not put it down. It deals with very important historical issues: the role and treatment of women in the 1950s and McCarthyism and blacklisting. I liked the characters and their evolvement over time. Well written, with touches of suspense, I don’t want to say much more about the story in order to avoid spoilers. What really struck and frightened me in reading this was what happened in politics in the 1950s with McCarthyism and the fact that we are seeing some of the same behaviors and activities occurring today in our society.

The timeframe of this book is the late 1940s through 1968, although most of the plot takes place in the 50s. There are some thought provoking topics here for book club discussions.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for my advance copy♥️


I just finished reading an incredible book that left a lasting impression on me. The protagonist, Fanny Fabricant, is a young widow who faces unimaginable challenges in the aftermath of WWII. With her husband gone and a young daughter to care for, Fanny must navigate a world that's hostile towards single mothers. Amidst the Red Scare and a polio outbreak, she finds solace in her aunt Rose and a job in radio broadcasting. As she grows into her new role, Fanny discovers her own strength and independence. I was thrilled to see her make choices that empowered her and was thoroughly inspired by her journey. This book is a must-read - it's a testament to the resilience of women in the face of adversity!

When Fanny Fabricant's husband, Max, passes away quite suddenly on Christmas night 1947, Fanny must reinvent herself. She moves back to an apartment in the city with her young daughter, and her strong single aunt finds her a job typing edited scripts for daytime radio serials - never to be called "soaps." As Fanny develops from secretary into writer, she engages with the writers and actors affected by the House Un-American Activies Committee blacklist. What follows is an interesting view into the life of a working single mother during the post-war McCarthy years.

Loved this historical fiction gem set in New York City right after World War II. The protagonist, Fanny Fabricant, goes from having it all—a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, and the perfect house—to being faced with an uncertain future, one that she’ll have to forge on her own. Though Fanny was raised to be a wife and mother, circumstances force her to work outside the home. A secretarial job for the “queen” of radio serials leads to new relationships that challenge her and offer the possibilities of a very different kind of life. Which will she choose—the safe or the uncertain? The predictable or the unexplored?

With themes revolving around family, friendship, expectations, security, loss, and love--the influences of any woman’s life--The Trouble with You examines questions about how we, as women, are molded by the life we’re born into. The story asks, If we don’t decide what our lives are going to look like and take responsibility for ourselves, can we ever truly be satisfied?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.

This is an interesting novel depicting the era in our country just after the war. The fifties was a time period for women to stay home and raise a family as their husbands returned to the workforce. Fanny who is left a widow and single mother must deal with the political climate of the country, blacklisting and McCarthyism as she struggles to make the correct choices. Good characterizations throughout this novel that is both historic yet timely. #TheTroubleWithYou #EllenFeldman #NetGalley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From the publisher St. Martin's Press: Set in New York City in the heady aftermath of World War II when the men were coming home, the women were exhaling in relief, and everyone was having babies, The Trouble With You is the story of a young woman whose rosy future is upended in a single instant. Raised never to step out of bounds, educated in one of the Sister Seven Colleges for a career as a wife and mother, torn between her cousin Mimi who is determined to keep her a “nice girl”—the kind that marries a doctor—and her aunt Rose who has a rebellious past of her own, Fanny struggles to raise her young daughter and forge a new life by sheer will and pluck.
When she gets a job as a secretary to the “queen” of radio serials—never to be referred to as soaps—she discovers she likes working, and through her friendship with an actress who stars in the series and a man who writes them, comes face to face with the blacklist which is destroying careers and wrecking lives. Ultimately, Fanny must decide between playing it safe or doing what she knows is right in this vivid evocation of a world that seems at once light years away and strangely immediate.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: This was a great look at life during the blacklist era. The witch hunt of it all and the consequences of long ago choices made by characters incensed me. I moved between outrage, concern, and support for Ava, Charlie and Fanny.
Fanny's independence and loyalty to her rebel Aunt Rose made her a woman who stood out in this time period, even when she didn't want to. I learned a lot about the blacklist and the ways that investigations were carried out, and how lives were ruined. It certainly seems like something that could happen again given the current political climate in our country. Fanny's evolution and revolution was amazing. I loved it!
It was also nice to read a book about this time period that wasn't about the war. So much historical fiction is WWII based and focuses on the war, resistance, lost love etc. I found this novel well written and well paced. I was not always sure what would happen, what Fanny would choose to do, and what the fall out would be. And the modern day soap opera fan in me enjoyed the glimpse into radio serials of the 40's.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

Set, in post WWII, this is an "against all odds" journey of a young widow raising a daughter. She becomes an independent woman, finding work and then coming face to face with the Blacklist and having to make life-changing ethical decisions.

I love the setting of the book. New York in the early 1950s was the epitome of the American Dream at the time. Radio, Broadway, the first days of television are all exciting industries and the happening places to work. Fanny is a newly widowed mother who must go to work to support herself and her daughter. She takes a job as secretary to a female radio producer and is exposed to the world of entertainment and the Red Scare rolling through the industry at the time. The story also follows Fanny's journey to falling in love again. I felt like I was being drawn right into mid-century Manhattan. The characters are likeable and believable and I constantly wanted to know what would happen next.

The Trouble With You by Ellen Feldman is centered around post World War 2 and the life of a widowed mother. When Fanny's husband made it home safely from the war, she really thought life was going to get back to normal. But when her husband dies suddenly she is faced with how to survive in a society where a woman's only role is housewife and mother. Or at least a respectable woman. It struck me as ironic how this book took place over 80 years ago but so much of Fannie's struggles still happen today. Trying to find the right job and juggle child care is a battle that many women still face today. Not much has really changed. The book is reminiscent of an old fashioned soap opera. It pulls you in but continues to add to the storyline so that you really can't see what's going to happen next. Even though the book at times was frustrating and depressing, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. From the descriptions of fashion to job expectations to family involvement, it was a wonderful story.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from netgalley

At first glance, I thought this book would be a straightforward WWII novel or America in post WWII years. It is that but it's also a deeper dive into social mores of the time, how marginalized women were (are) and how questioning people's values has been happening for decades.

After successfully returning from his service in the war, Fanny's husband dies unexpectedly leaving her without a means of income until her aunt connects her with a secretarial job to a woman who oversees a number of successful radio serials. Eventually Fanny tries writing and discovers she's good at it but that may be a conflict with the man she hopes to marry who doesn't want to have a wife who works outside the home! At the same time the Hollywood Black List has reached into the radio serials as well derailing careers for writers and actors.

This was a very unexpectedly thought-provoking and I can picture using it for future library book discussions!

One of my favorite books is “Paris Never Leaves You” by Ellen Feldman. I have read other books by this creative author, but to me, nothing can top the Paris book.

“The Trouble with You”, Author Feldman’s latest book, is a good read. Main character Fanny Fabricant is similar to the heroine “Charlotte” in the Paris book. And they each have likable daughters. The book is mainly set in the happy post WWII era, in New York City. Fanny is an educated young woman, positive and passionate until a tragic death changes her life.

Fanny has a solid family, with female relatives who love her and guide her. She gets a job, a very interesting one.
While the post-war years and the 1950’s were a time of great national optimism, marred by the unforgiving shadow of the anti-communist “Red Scare” of the 1950s. Thousands of Americans, especially writers and performers, lost their jobs and even families and friends. Fanny really gets to know herself during this tumultuous time.

The Author is at her best whenever Fanny or her Aunt Rose are in the spotlight. The rest of the scenes are pleasant but not entrancing. This is a good read, but it probably will “leave me”.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.

I enjoyed this book but the beginning was slow moving so it took me a while to get into the story. The Trouble With You begins in the 1940s and ends in the 1960s, telling the story of Fanny, her husband Max, and their daughter Chloe, with some very likable friends and family thrown in. Fanny, who takes a job after her husband dies, deals with the prejudice against working married women in the 1950s and saw the damage the HUAC did to the people who were blacklisted during that time period. Fanny has to make a lot of difficult decisions for herself and her daughter. I liked seeing her grow throughout the novel and I really enjoyed the story, especially since it had the happy ending that I love so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

My love of the Historic Fiction Genre and this beautiful cover drew me in instantly. Having fought for so many women’s rights in the 60’s, this book hit home. For all of the younger girls that are reaping the rewards, this book is a must read. Things have not always been as easy. I could not put this book down! I have recommended it to a few of my friends who added it to their wish lists. Thank you for he advanced ebook of this book.