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

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is an incredibly beautiful story about independence, change, understanding, and so much more. Following four women in the 1960's, readers watch as they form a book club that ends up changing their lives.

Margaret, Bitsy, Charlotte, and Viv are such interesting main characters to follow. Each one has such a distinct personality that you can't help but want to read more about. The way their lives come together as the story goes on was one of the best elements of this book. Marie Bostwick knows how to write a great cast of characters.

Every relationship in this story has so much depth. Whether it's between partners, friends, or parents and children, they all play a vital role in how these events play out. But one of the most loveable parts of the relationships for me was how reading affected them. As readers, we all understand the impact books can have on our lives. The way the relationships in this story either built up or fell apart because of what books they were reading was a stunning representation of what reading and community can do for people.

The ending of this book was complex, but gorgeous. With everything that had led up to it, nothing could have felt more perfect. That last chapter really showed just how much these characters, their relationships, and their lives had developed over the course of the book.

There were only a couple small reasons I didn't rate this five stars. One was that the different POVs didn't really feel that different. While each main character has their own unique personality, their voices almost blend together between their POVs. Sometimes it was easy to forget the POV had changed until something specific to that character happened. The other reason was that the pacing felt strange around the 50-70% mark. It was slower than the rest of the book for me and harder to enjoy.

This truly is a story filled with emotion and complexities. I went into this book loving it and left feeling great about it. This book has some of the best explorations of relationships, individuality, and desire I've ever read. I know I'll miss these characters and their stories for the near future. If you want a fiction book about feminism, the impact of reading, and understanding what your future is meant to be, this would be one of the first books I recommend to you.

Review on Goodreads (sophreadingbooks https://www.goodreads.com/sophreadingbooks) as of 4/18/2025
Review on Instagram (sophiesreading https://www.instagram.com/sophiesreading/) expected 4/25/2025

I thought this was really well done. I loved the history surrounding the feminine mystique - how it changed life for women at the time. I thought that the main characters were incredibly well done. Well developed, realistic, unique and wonderful. I thought their relationships and how they all changed and grew was incredibly well done. I both listened and read this book and truly enjoyed both. A very well done historical fiction book highlighting strong women.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick--Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel that releases on 4/22. Set in the early 60s, this story follows a tumultuous time for 4 suburban housewives. Margaret has what is considered at the time the "dream" of husband, kids, and lovely home. Feeling dissatisfied anyway, she decides to start a book club with 3 neighborhood women and their first book is The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Christening themselves "The Bettys," the 4 women support each other as they try to reach for more in their lives and marriages while being frustrated by patriarchy. I feel like part of the message the Bettys tell is similar to America Ferrera's iconic monologue in Barbie about being a woman. I liked this a lot and was pleased when several unsavory characters got their comeuppance.

I had high hopes for this book however they were quickly diminished. Sanctimonious was the word that came to mind when I finished.

So many young women don’t know the difficulties women faced in the 50s with the “perfect” life and the lack of personal freedoms and while the author touched on these in sometimes oblique ways the overall story was trite and in fact dehumanizing of women and their struggles. Tying up everything in a nice bow at the end was unrealistic. I suspect the author thought that she would give women inspiration . That “I can do it!”Rather the book was poorly written and lacked inspiration.

Thank you Net galley and HarperCollins Focus/ Harper Muse for this delightful e-arc.
I was transported to my childhood in the 1960's! How I wish my mother was still living so I could chat about this book and get her thoughts. She was a mom of 5, an Army wife and a substitute teacher.

Loved the 4 women : Charlotte, the eccentric artist, new to the neighborhood. Margaret, dependable, steady, mom with the desire to write more than " fluff" in a women's magazine. Bitsy, the young horse rider, groomer uncertain in her marriage. Viv, mom to 6, Navy wife,who wants more than motherhood.
These book club ladies ladies, the Bettys who take their name from Betty Friedan's revolutionary book The Feminine Mystique, find a sisterhood while sharing books, thoughts, and life while navigating the rules, attitudes, and indignities that restrain them.

This books was perfect to display how it was to live as a housewife in the 1960's. Each character was interesting and we saw them in the lenses of the time period. We saw how it was to live then and how completely different it was to be a woman then. The heart of this story was friendship, as unlikely women came together and learned about being women.

This was a beautiful book about friendship and feminism. This follows four women in the early 1960s as they navigate complicated lives with husbands, kids, and society. This book made me laugh, cry and rage.

Interesting book but it was a little slow for me and hard to get in to at some points. It started off strong at one point and had me really thinking about the rights I have as a woman now compared to back then. It was aggravating for a minute with needing to have her husband be with her to get her prescription or even a savings account. The storyline was hard for me to get in to personally.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women
By Marie Bostwick
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

“If women stuck up for one another the way men do, this would be a very different world.”

•Strong female friendships
•Book club
•Second-wave feminism in the 1960’s
•Family drama

I was immediately drawn to this book based on the title alone, and I’m happy to report the novel exceeded my expectations.

Four dissatisfied 1960’s era housewives form a book club that develops into lifelong friendships. Through their book club meet-ups, the women realize they all yearn for more despite seemingly having it all. They band together to support each other when it feels like the world, and even their husband’s, don’t value them as individuals.

This is uplifting historical fiction. It’s such an interesting portrait of being a suburban middle-class woman in the 60’s and it’s striking to see how much has changed, how much has stayed the same, and how relevant these topics are nonetheless. I found each character relatable and heartfelt and loved their hilarious banter. I was rooting for these women, angry for them, and overjoyed for them. This is a fantastic read that left me with a smile on my face.

Do bear in mind the very particular focus of this book– a group of white housewives living in a “planned community” in Virginia. Troublesome may bring up a different image today, but for these women, they were troublesome indeed.

Thank you Harper Collins Focus and Harper Muse for this advanced copy e-book!

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I grew up in the 70's but I could relate to some of this book. I grew up in a time when moms stayed home and it was rare to know of a divorce. I'm not sure how much in this book is true or exaggerated some. I especially was shocked at the woman not being able to get a savings account without her husband's signature. This book was just a little too much for me about women's rights and it got a little montonous reading constantly about Charlotte lighting or smoking a cigarette. I did find myself skimming the last few chapters.

I did think there would be more "book clubbing" in this book than there actually was, but I do realize that there weren't a ton of options for literature back then. I liked how each woman's story played out, and I think that each was given equal "page" time. I knew each character equally throughout the novel, which kept me invested in their lives.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women follows Margaret Ryan, a 1960s housewife living the stereotypical American Dream- she's got a husband, three beautiful children, and a suburban home in an idyllic neighborhood. When Charlotte and her family move into town, Margaret's interest is piqued as Charlotte is unlike anyone Margaret has ever met before and in order to develop a friendship with her, Margaret starts a book club. Charlotte agrees to join if they read the controversial book The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Margaret recruits her best friend, Viv, and another woman she knows from town, Betsy to join her book club.

After discussing Betty Freidan's book and realizing that they all want more, they deem themselves "the Bettys". The Bettys develop a deep friendship that challenges and pushes each of them to figure out what they want out of life when society has told them a husband, kids, and a house should fulfill them. Bitsy wants to finish college, Viv wants to go back to work as a nurse, Charlotte wants to be an artist, and Margaret wants to write. In a patriarchal world, they must navigate their way through societal obstacles in order to get the happiness and contentedness they crave.

In our current troubling times, this book gave me so many mixed emotions. I loved seeing these women find ways to fight for what they want when others tried to keep them down. However, it was exhausting to see that despite all the progress made in the 50+ years after, women are in such a similar place where the patriarchy keeps women (and men) tied down to push the patriarchal agenda. I loved reading the journey the Bettys all took in their lives and friendship. I've also added quite a few books mentioned in this book to my TBR and I'm excited to join the Bettys in being a troublesome woman.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for an advanced copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review!

WASN'T REALLY WHAT I EXPECTED

If your give me book with the title "The Book Club for Troublesome Women" I am going to be expecting two things - a book club and some troublesome women. I didn't really feel like this book delivered fully on either one of those, which was a disappointment.

What I liked

👍Feminism: I adore stories of women discovering their feminism and starting to demand what's theirs.

👍1960's: I liked the 1960's setting and vibe, it was a good background for this story in particular.

What I didn't like

👎Pace: The pacing was just too slow for me, not a lot happened to grab my attention.

👎Book club: I so wanted the book club - and especially "The Feminine Mystique" - to take center stage of this book. Sadly, I didn't really feel like the book(s) got the attention, they deserved. I wanted more debate about the books, their effects on the women and their thoughts. You know, like a book club.

👎Troublesome women: Aside from Charlotte, I didn't really feel like any of the women were particularly troublesome.

4 stars for this Mid Century, burgeoning feminism in the burbs story. Answering the question, what happens when you give four white suburban idyllic women Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique? You get a nice read about how Second-wave feminism influenced middle class women.

I am sure this book will take hold on BookTok and that will be awesome for all the 20 something readers to learn about some of the classic archetypes of 1960’s women who were looking for feminism to come into their lives but didn’t know how to name or capture it: the housewife who wants more and something for herself, the house wife who is content with her 6 kids and husband and deserves affirmation for that, the mentally ill wife because she must mentally ill otherwise she would be happy with what she has, and the woman who almost missed her dream career because boys clubs barred her entrance. That’s all good to learn about, but in addition to the angst that mid-century women & housewives felt, readers will learn about how their grandmothers and great grandmothers felt - called upon in WW2 as essential to the war effort through their work, but then left abandoned and forced back into the home after experiencing a whole different way of life.

Note that the book feels really white, and it is about white women. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it reflects the setting and the suburban movement of Second-wave feminism. It’s worth mentioning because it will stick out in the reading of the book, but that also reflects the time and how often Black and women of color were left out of this movement. It becomes something to be thoughtful about.

Last but not least, each reader gets a list of essential books leading and shaping the feminist movement.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus , a division of Harper Collins Muse for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

So many things intrigued me about this book, first and foremost a Bookclub, but in the 1960’s , talk about things coming back around. An era where women were homemakers and “the working woman” almost unheard of!

Margaret, Charlotte, Bitsy and Viv, all neighbors in an upscale new neighborhood in Virginia started the “Betty’s” (their bookclub)by reading their first book “The Feminine Mystique”. It opened their eyes to what they were all secretly feeling. Feeling dissatisfied, unfulfilled and longing for “something more” the Betty’s formed a bond like no other and encouraged each other to fulfill their own dreams and goals.

Author Marie Bostwick did such a great job with character development allowing me to completely imagine exactly what these ladies were like and how they fit together. It’s like a sisterhood we have in today’s day and age and the empowerment of women leading in areas like never before. The hope and familiar family genre let you relate back to the 60’s in a time of historical change and power.

Such a great novel, reminding us that “anything is possible”! The bonds of friendship are unequivocally so important and the lifeline that changed an era!

Highly recommend this novel! It’s an endorsement to strive for more knowing we all have our own version of what makes us happy and fulfilled!
I look forward to the book discussion with Author Brenda Novak’s book group in July.
Thank you @harpermuse and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Review will be posted on instagram @shereadswith_coffee , Goodreads , Amazon , Bookbub

I had high hopes for this book. As an American history teacher with a focus on women's studies I waited months to read this. I was sorely disappointed. The characters were stereotypes of what modern women think women were like during this age. The research was lacking. The writing was mediocre. This could have been a top historical fiction book of 2025; the concept of the book is fantastic. The carrying out of the concept fell down.

A nice story that would make a great book club read as I can see it sparking some solid conversation if read with a group. I appreciated the variety of characters and viewpoints, as well as the critique of the missing voices from Friedan’s work. The ending was satisfying as well.

For me, the connection between the historical setting and the plot lacked some depth. I wish some of the big lessons went a little deeper or greater context was given. It was hard to connect to the idea that the characters were struggling with their identities as wives and mothers. The oppressive nature of the perfect housewife illusion could have been more obvious. There was a shallow nod to the idea that patriarchy hurts men as much as it hurts women, while then making the actions of the men the catalyst for most of the big changes that happen to the characters, which felt like a disconnect. It also felt unnecessarily slow at times.

Overall, I enjoyed it, though! I would definitely recommend it as a book club read.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women takes a look at the roles of women in the 1960's in America. The book follows the story of four women who form a book club and, in the process, learn about their own abilities and roles in their marriages and families. Every woman grows in her own way. Some marriages end and some recover. I appreciate that this book does not simply vilify the marginalization of women during this era, but it also points out the way that this affected men. The book examined this issue from a lot of angles and family types, giving a well rounded view.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick
This was an inspiring journey! It often amazes me how one person’s words can inspire so many.
A small group of women gathered to discuss a profound book and it changed their lives.
All from different backgrounds and circumstances found a family of women that learned so much about themselves. Through so many significant life changes they encouraged and challenged one another and championed their causes.
I absolutely loved reading this journey of women finding their way and supporting one another in ways no one could imagine.
This is told from multiple points but only to characterize the journey.
In the 1960s, four housewives found a gold mine with the sisterhood they formed with a book club. They live in a “planned community” and appear to have it all.
Margaret Ryan, Viv Buschetti, Bitsy Cob and Charlotte Gustafson come together discussing the controversial “The Feminine Mystique”. They call themselves “The Bettys”.
The book introduced them to the possibility of what could be, and planted hope among their frustration and dissatisfaction as they navigate a world of change, their sisterhood carries them into the future.
This is historical fiction covering women’s rights, Jackie Kennedy, and more.
I loved it! Four women, four friends take on the world after reading an inspiring book! 5/5⭐
I would like to say Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the ARC of both the e-book and the audiobook. Both are phenomenal!
The narration is excellent!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Muse for the ARC.
4.25 ⭐️
A book every woman/femme should read in 2025, especially American women. This book does not sugarcoat anything and it threw subtlety out of the window, and I loved every bit of it.

It was also charming, funny and quite thoughtful. The friendships between the women was so special.
These experiences are just so special, it celebrates multiple experiences. I’m especially fond of Viv.

Chapter 9 was brilliant.

The relationship between Charlotte and her daughter, Denise was a really challenge to read.

Women thrive in community and simultaneously guide communities to thrive. I love how this was highlighted in the book.

This is was one of the most memorable quotes for me as a mother:
“At age seventeen, Margaret had promised herself that she would grow up to be nothing like her mother. After a promising start, the fruit of her early efforts had shriveled. Now, at age thirty-three, Margaret sometimes wondered if every woman was destined to become her mother eventually. Recently, however, things had started to shift.”

I would like to read Marie Bostwick‘s back list and would be interested in books she writes in the future.