It’s the 1960’s and four unhappy housewives decide to form a book club. Their first book discussion is The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Although they were hesitant to read it, they do, and each wife is very much affected by this book.

Margaret, Viv, Bitsy and Charlotte all embark on their own journey to happiness. It’s not easy and it takes more than reading a book to do it. Fortunately, they have each other to lean on during the tough times.

The 1960’s were a turbulent time, and women didn’t get many opportunities to succeed, but these four women are determined. They each hit many bumps along the way, but they have every intention of reaching their goals.

I have always enjoyed books set in this timeframe and this book is no exception. I loved every minute of it. I felt as if I was right by their side, cheering them along. It, also, reminded me that women have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.

The author did an excellent job of bringing each character to life. They are realistic people placed in real life situations. It’s both a heartbreaking and inspirational read. Sometimes a book just resonates with you and this one did for me. My eyes filled with tears at the end. I’m already missing these characters. It truly touched my heart.

This is my first Marie Bostwick book but definitely won’t be my last.







FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Set against the tumultuous social and political landscape of 1960s America, The Book Club for Troublesome Women tells the story of an unlikely friendship formed between four suburban housewives, united by their complex and often contradictory desire for ‘more’.
They form a book club of sorts, choosing as their first read Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique - a work that compels them to confront the cultural norms they had previously accepted without question. Friedan’s novel acts as the catalyst for these women to begin questioning the domestic ideals and limitations imposed on women, and begin to embark on their own quiet revolutions.

Bostwick effectively captures what Betty Friedan coined ‘The Problem That Has No Name’ - the unhappiness and dissatisfaction experienced by women in the 1950s and 60s, rooted in society’s insistence that fulfilment could only be found through domesticity, motherhood, and being a good wife. The guilt and confusion that arises from this internal conflict between societal expectations and personal desire is what brings the “Bettys” together, as they navigate personal troughs and triumphs, and dare to want more for themselves.

While the novel offers a thoughtful discussion of women’s roles in the face of second-wave feminism, the novel doesn’t do anything groundbreaking. Much of it can be described as “feel-good fluff’, and although each character faces personal hardships, their arcs resolve a bit too neatly, with endings that feel unrealistically optimistic and overly tidy. The focus on the cushy lives of four middle class white women does little to reflect the struggles of most women during this time, glossing over the broader and more complex realities faced by women of colour and working-class women, many of whom lacked the privilege to defy societal norms in the same way. Additionally, ‘troublesome’ as a label for these women seems a stretch - aside from Charlotte, the archetypal eccentric, ‘unruly’ woman, the women are far from ‘troublesome’. Their rebellions are mild, the character growth modest, and their interpersonal conflicts often resolved with quick forgiveness or polite silence. While the premise is good, the novel is twice the length it needed to be, and a lot of the dialogue made me physically cringe.

That said, the novel is still an enjoyable, thought-provoking read, an easy foray into feminist history with the empowering sisterhood of Sex and the City, which most readers will enjoy and relate to.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC.

Unexpectedly engrossing, but once the story got its hooks into me I couldn't put this down until I reached the end. Really made me wish my late grandmother (who would have been a contemporary of these characters) were still alive so we could talk about her experiences during this time. Also made me want to pick up The Feminine Mystique. Can't wait to start my own Betty group, with this as our first read.

Feature four housewives each in unique circumstances and drop them in 1960's Washington, DC suburbia. Add a big dash of book club bonding, and then you have the recipe for lives transforming during an era in which the country is on the brink of civil rights activism.

The book club starts with reading The Feminine Mystique. This books awakens a dormant spot within each woman that will spark self-awareness and change.

I appreciated the authenticity of the 1960's setting and the growth of the characters.

I received this book for free from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The 1960s weren't exactly kind to women, and "The Book Club for Troublesome Women" doesn't shy away from showing us how claustrophobic life in a "perfect" planned community could be. Margaret, Viv, and Bitsy are suburban wives with well-manicured lawns and deep-rooted dissatisfaction, but no one dares say the quiet part out loud - until Charlotte moves in.

Charlotte is the kind of character who might feel a little too on the nose at first: artsy, bold, single, and straight out of Manhattan. But she serves her purpose well—she's the catalyst. When the women crack open "The Feminine Mystique" in their newly formed book club, they question everything. And I mean everything.

Yes, the story can feel a little too neatly packaged at times. And yes, you might see the emotional beats coming a mile away. But there's something compelling about watching these women push back against the roles they were handed. Their frustrations feel real. Their growth, while occasionally heavy-handed, is still satisfying.

Marie Bostwick does what she does best: creates characters who are imperfect, earnest, and trying their best. This isn't a story of instant transformation - it's about inching forward, even when the world is dragging you back. It's also a reminder that change, especially in an environment built to prevent it, is never just personal - it's political.

"The Book Club for Troublesome Women" hits all the right notes. If you're in the mood for historical fiction that explores female friendship and simmering rage with a side of mid-century malaise, give it a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for an advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved how it looked at the lives of women in the 60s and how unfair things were. Each woman in this book had a different story to tell and have their own struggles. Margaret helped bring them all together by forming The Book Club (The Betty’s) and The Feminine Mystique started it all.

The character development in this book was great. It really helped me relate to the characters and it made them seem real. While this book did focus mainly on the women characters, I love how it brought Walt into it and showed that he grew as well. At the beginning of the book, I wasn’t sure about him but as time went on, he saw how talented Margaret really was and that helped encourage him I think.

This book is very relevant to some things that are going on in our world today and it is definitely worth the read!

I was not grabbed in by this. The first part of the book especially I had a hard time keeping the characters straight. I didn’t find the plot especially gripping.

I absolutely loved this one. The 1960s time period is one of my favorites and Marie Bostwick totally transported to that era. I loved the message of female power and am in awe of strong female friendships in this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

(I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and the author and publisher for my copy of this book!

I like consuming media about the early 1960s, and I especially like consuming media about strong women. This book had both, so the description caught my eye from the beginning! This book makes me wish my grandma was still alive so we could have read it and talked about it together. This is the kind of book we could have talked a lot about, especially given that she would have been around the same age as Margaret during the same era.

Ultimately, while I enjoyed this book and liked getting to know the characters and the era, this book landed a little flat for me. I felt like I was waiting for more, even amongst the few dramatic moments for each of the characters. It felt like the story was written to be turned into a movie or TV series — and it would work well as such. I appreciated the strength, resilience, and tenacity of each of the Betty’s, and the flash forward in time at the end was a great way to wrap things up. Overall, I enjoyed it, it just wasn’t as groundbreaking as I was hoping it would be.

Another reviewer described this book as "the perfect antidote to tradwife nonsense" and I think it perfectly sums it up as a retort to recent noise about returning to "traditional" gender roles, and a reminder of how far women have come and how far we have yet to go.

It's a little... I don't know, emotionally simplistic or lightly emotionally manipulative, because it's obvious Bostwick had an agenda here and I think she successfully fulfilled it. The lives of these women, their trials, their relationships to the men in their lives feel stifling and frustrating, and they're supposed to. It's not so much "don't we have it so much better now" but more "this is what we don't want to go back to".

I suppose that, by the narrow definition of their time, the Bettys were "troublesome" but I wanted them to be more disruptive. I wanted Margaret to shuck her housewife mantle and really stand up to Walt when he was being particularly dismissive. I wanted Viv to take her fertility into her own hands. I wanted Bitsy to make a choice rather than have the choice made for her. Perhaps it could be argued that the women did what they could within the parameters of their lives and what was available to them, but I wanted more good trouble!

Charlotte was the most troublesome character, but I actually liked Margaret the most. She seemed most realistic in her struggle to balance her family, whom she loved and cherished, and her need for something more in her life.

The pacing was great and Bostwick's voice is clear, casual, and forthright. I could see the crisp lawns of Concordia and feel the frustrations of the Bettys. Most of the book feels like a 'slice of life' glimpse into the worlds of these women, as they read feminist authors, watched historic events on television, and baked cakes for book club meetings. The one thing I didn't really love was the ending - it felt a little too neatly wrapped up with a tidy bow - somehow too satisfying in its eagerness to wish everyone a happily ever after. The Bettys deserved it, but it would have been perhaps just as satisfying, if not more, to leave something to the imagination.

Marie Bostwick did a phenomenal job of hooking the reader instantly. By giving us multiple perspectives of unhappy housewives in the 60s, we were able to gain insight into the feminist struggles that plague us to this day. As too many women romanticize the era before women could open bank accounts or have a say over their bodies, this book felt timely and impactful. I was enthralled and found each of the women’s stories to be poignant and detailed.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for an advanced copy of this book. I consumed this as both an audio and ebook. Either way, the story is engaging and emotional. The reader truly connects with these four women: Margaret, Bitsy, Viv, and Charlotte as they discover who they are as individuals in 1960s America. After forming a book club and reading a book on female empowerment, these ladies each decided they owed themselves to discover who they are beyond the typical housewife. I found myself wanting the best for all of these characters and rooting them on in each endeavor.

My biggest gripes with the book are as follows:
1. It dragged at times! The story could have been shorter and removed the monotony, namely in the middle. I also did not see a need for the final chapter. If you are one who likes your stories wrapped up in a nice bow, the final chapter is for you! Personally, I didn’t find it necessary.
2. I needed to know more about Walt, Margaret’s husband, before his transformation for it to be more believable for me. I didn’t know enough about him as an individual prior to his “change” for it to really make that big of a difference to me.

Overall, if you are a historical fiction fan, I do believe you will enjoy both the audio and print of this book.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc of “The bookclub for troublesome women” in exchange for my honest review. Unfortunately I did not get to read this book prior to the release date but luckily it was available on hoopla and I was able to listen to it for free. The audio is very well done and if you enjoy listening to books then I would suggest picking up that version of this story. This book is about four women in the 1960s who are all going through very different situations but are all in a way looking for more. They gather together and read the feminine mystique which encourages them to change their lives. Recommending this one for those who like period books about womens lives. Well written and enjoyable.

I found The Book Club for Troublesome Women to be a fun, easy read overall—enjoyable in parts but not particularly memorable for me personally. The premise is charming, and the themes of friendship, resilience, and reinvention are well-intentioned and heartwarming. Bostwick does a solid job of developing the characters, and readers who enjoy stories about strong women coming together to support each other will likely find it uplifting. I think what was hard for me was the length of the book, mixed with it being slow at some parts.

3.5 -4.0 Stars
The Book Club for Troublesome Women
Marie Bostwick

I enjoyed this historical fiction novel that focused on "The Betty's" remarkable decades-long friendship. I felt that these empowering and supportive relationships were the strongest part of this novel. I found the pacing to be uneven at times and I did not care for the title. I believe "The Betty's" were pioneers, but not troubesome. . The progression of the women from timid housewifes to independent women who decided to question the status quo and find a balance between the families that lthey loved and a purpose for their own lives was a hopeful, humorous and a revolutionary story.

I would like to Thank NetGalley and Harper Muse for the eARC of The Book of Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick. My opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Marie Botswick for the opportunity to read The Book Club for Troubelsome Women.

Set in 1960s subruban Virginia, our "troublesome women" are a group of housewives struggling to find purpose and fulfillment in their lives. Coming together as a book club and dabbling in feminist books opens them up to new possibilities and futures.

This book felt a little flat to me - there wasn't a lot of new territory mined here, and the women's arcs were a little too tidy.

Thank you to Harper Muse for the free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This one is out now!

Historical Fiction. Four 1960s housewives have just moved into a brand new “planned community” in Virginia. After the four friends join a book club and read The Feminine Mystique, they can’t help but feel like their lives are missing something. Margaret’s marriage is feeling stale and with her kids in school she feels bored. On a lark she writes a story for a women’s magazine and receives an offer to write a column. She’s thrilled, but can’t help feel her husband isn’t very supportive. Viv finally has her 7 kids and school and is looking forward to going back to Nursing, but a surprise pregnancy throws a bit of a wrench into her plans. Bitsy is a new wife of a much older vet, and the pressure to have a child is straining her new marriage. And Charlotte is an artist who is trying to be taken seriously in the art world and is in a loveless marriage. Together - they find out what’s most important to them, and how to achieve it.

This was okay for me. I liked the characters but thought everyone’s problems got resolved a little too easily. I do know I would not be cut out or be a 1960’s housewife and it also freaks me out that some people believe we should go back to how life was then (not being able to open a bank account or get birth control without your husband’s sign off? Hard pass). Overall enjoyable, just felt a little long for me.

In the 1960s, a group of suburban housewives formed a book club. When a newcomer arrives in their neighbourhood, she suggests they read Betty Friedan's book The Feminine Mystique. What ensues is an awakening to the possibilities for these women that lie beyond their small cookie-cutter lives.

I enjoyed this book as this was the time frame my mother was living in, and it demonstrated all the challenges she and other women overcame. I loved these women and their strong bond and how they challenged and supported one another to seek out their dreams.

This story is a fabulous glimpse back in time. It recognizes the obstacles women overcame to break down barriers and create better opportunities for their daughters. I was engrossed in the characters and their stories. Each one had a unique life situation.

This was such an inspiring read! Historical fiction isn't typically my favorite genre, but this sounded exactly like something I would love and I'm so glad I took a chance on it.

In the early 1960s, three seemingly content suburban housewives—Margaret, Viv, and Bitsy—quietly struggle with feelings of emptiness and guilt. Their lives begin to shift when they form a book club with Charlotte, an outspoken newcomer from Manhattan. Together, they read The Feminine Mystique, sparking a journey of self-discovery and awakening. As the women confront societal expectations, personal regrets, and the upheaval of a changing world, their bond deepens into a powerful sisterhood. Ultimately, it is not just the book, but their connection that empowers them to redefine their identities and embrace a future filled with choice, purpose, and possibility.

4 stars!

This book is so well done! The mistreatment of women is an absolute outrage and reading stories from this era is both enlightening and infuriating. Imagine earning a paycheck and wanting to open your own bank account, only to have the bank tell you your husband needs to be the one to sign off on it all??

The sisterhood these women form, built around time they set aside from their families and schedules for Book Club, is a testament to the powerful force of friendship when women support one another in their endeavors, their dreams, their personal lives and their struggles. Having people who cheer you on, who build you up and care for your well being, is such an important part of success.

There is so much growth, change and introspection amongst the characters - a tremendous representation of how we should all assess and reassess our hopes, goals and desires for the life we are living.