A friendship develops between women who are struggling with various issues back in the 50’s. Housewives, who aren't just satisfied with being homemakers and mothers. They are ok with that but want more out of their lives. When they first start the book club they are strangers but through the books, bonding and growing together they find a special friendship that helps them all. Each woman has a different struggle and each one wants to encourage and help the other. They are no longer just a book club they are stronger and going after their own goals and aspirations while maintaining their self, families and what is right for them. Well written by Marie Bostwick
I read the book and listened to the audio.
The story is heartfelt and gives you a look into what women had to go through back in the 50s if they wanted more than a husband and children. Many wanted that and a career which was not the norm in those days. It was slowly evolving. Truly a good book to show awareness on how life for women evolved to choices opening slowly for them in work and career opportunities.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse for the eARC of The Book Club for Troublesome Women. I do recommend this book as a good read it's informative accurate and heartfelt. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Muse, for the early read in exchange for my honest review.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick is set in 1963 against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and the shifting landscape of women's rights. The story follows four suburban housewives—Margaret, Viv, Bitsy, and Charlotte—who form a book club to explore literature challenging societal norms. Beginning with Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, they examine women's societal roles and the cultural expectations of the 1960s, inspiring them to imagine new life paths.

As they engage in discussions, the women confront personal challenges: Charlotte navigates a toxic marriage, while Bitsy seeks self-worth amidst societal pressures. The book club becomes a supportive space where they form strong bonds and empower each other to pursue their desires and aspirations.

I loved how the author gave each woman their own story and voice. Although the story started a bit slow, I couldn't put it down once their lives began to intertwine! I have been on a historical fiction kick lately, and this one didn't disappoint!

Quotes I loved:
"You know what Eleanor Roosevelt used to say: "A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong it is until it's in hot water."
"You can have it all, just not all at the same time."
"Things have a way of working out when and how they're meant to. Youll see."
"Acquaintances abound, but true friendships are rare and worth waiting for."
"It is a man's world. And there's not a thing we can do about it"

This was a lovely historical fiction about a group of strong women growing together through a book club in the 60s. I loved all the characters and everyone's arc. The book dragged at points though and I was bored quite often, but it was heartwarming how everyone's story wrapped up.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the arc :)

This was a phenomenal read! Margaret, Bitsy, Charlotte and Viv were the epitome of what a book club in the 1960s would look like. Faced with real life issues, in and out of the household, these four women find friendship, support, and a place to share their personal thoughts and feelings that society had led them to have long kept to themselves.
This book was the whole package. It's very rare that I finish a book and don't have a single thought of what I wish was done a bit differently, but this book was absolutely an exception. Very well-written, moderately paced, and full of juicy gossip that kept me wanting 'just one more chapter'

What a moving story!! Margaret, Viv, Bitsy, and Charlotte - all suburban housewives in the 1960's seem to have perfect lives but feel something is missing. When they start a book club and read The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, it opens their eyes to new possibilities and helps them question the roles they've been given.

I loved the strong bond between these women. Their friendship gives them the courage to face their struggles, challenge society's expectations, pursue careers, and create fulfilling lives. The writing is heartfelt and easy to connect with. Overall, a touching story about friendship, self-discovery, and finding the strength in each other. I loved it and found it powerful and inspiring.

Thank You, NetGalley and the publishers for an opportunity to read The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick.

The title of the book attracted me right away and I was not wrong to want to read it.

I think even though it is set in the 1960s, a lot of the feelings of the four women feel so relevant even now.

To stir up trouble when the world wants you to be a silent spectator and not make them uncomfortable. That sums up what I feel about this book.

And absolute must read!

A fabulous read of 4 fierce females set in post war America, create a book club. Each from different walks of the 4 females are each fighting for gender equality, through their own way, a writer, a nurse, a “privileged” artist and an animal healer. I loved this one, great character arcs, social conversations and thought provoking. I think if you liked Lessons in Chemistry or The Giver Of Stars you’ll enjoy this one.

Marie Bostwick delivers a heartfelt and thought-provoking novel in The Book Club for Troublesome Women, a story of female friendship, personal growth, and the quiet but powerful resilience of four suburban women in the 1960s. Set in Virginia in 1963, the novel follows Margaret, Charlotte, Viv, and Bitsy-each unique in her own right-navigating the complexities of marriage, motherhood, career ambitions, and societal expectations. Their book club, sparked by The Feminine Mystique, becomes more than a gathering: it is a catalyst for self-discovery and change.

Bostwick's writing is immersive and captivating, introducing readers to the daily lives of these women while weaving in a historical context that highlights both the progress and persistent struggles of the feminist movement. The friendships at the heart of the story are superbly developed, showing the strength to be found in shared experiences and support, even as the women come from different backgrounds.

Although the novel is character-driven and slow-paced, the emotional depth and nuances of the narrative make it a rewarding read. At times, the challenges faced by the women are resolved too neatly, and the lack of diverse perspectives is noticeable, but overall, this is a compelling and inspiring book that reminds us how far we have come...and how far we have yet to go.

A must-read for lovers of historical fiction, feminist literature, and stories that celebrate the power of female friendships.

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

Set in the 60s, this is a story of four women - Margaret, Charlotte, Viv and Bitsy, who create a book club called The Betty's, after the first author they read. The book which kicks it all off is the real life book The Feminine Mystique by Betty Freidan.

The book sparks debate about the lives that the four women live. Raised to believe that their only goal should be wives and mothers and seek no other purpose, each character yearns for more from life, which creates tension within their lives and with their husbands. I never knew for instance that pregnancy tests back then were done through injecting rabbits with a woman's urine and the rabbits were killed afterwards to examine how the rabbit's ovaries responded, so a doctor could confirm whether a woman was pregnant or not (is this why when a product says its vegan friendly and not tested on animals they use a rabbit?) and it was interesting to see how limited women's lives were expected to be in that time period.

The story is very character-led and I did often feel like not much was actually happening and the pacing, for me, sometimes dragged. But it was still a lovely story and if you like women's fiction and historical fiction and a gentle, easy read, then this book is for you.

3.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for access to an early copy of this novel.

This was such a lovely story, each of our four main characters felt so real. I love that the characters had faults and flaws, but that’s what made them feel like real people that would be in your neighbourhood.

I love women’s fiction novels as they always make me feel seen and understood, i especially loved the time period this novel was set in as the conversations around women’s rights are always a topic i enjoy reading.

Although this book wasn’t anything new or groundbreaking for me personally, I really enjoyed my reading experience and would definitely recommend it!


I received a complementary copy of this book, all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 stars rounded up

As a woman in a book club of fellow women that meets regularly, the title and premise of this book pulled me in instantly. I enjoyed the message and how it was conveyed throughout the four women's stories, but unfortunately, the pacing and the story itself missed the mark.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a historical fiction that follows the lives of four housewives over several months in 1963. Margaret, Viv, Bitsy, and Charlotte start a book club and the first book they choose is The Feminine Mystique by Betty Frieden, the inspiration for their book club's name, The Betty's. The book exhibits the realities and expectations for women in post-war society; staying home with the children, cleaning and cooking, always being available and happy to fulfill your husband's needs, lack of financial freedom, and millions of other nuances and invisible labor expectations that women of this time were expected to know and obey.

I appreciated seeing how each woman was "troublesome" throughout the story, from the quips back to a husband to altering life courses to follow lifelong dreams. After consuming so much media throughout my life that uses brutal violence against women to "prove a point", it was refreshing to have a book deal with hard situations but approach them with gentleness. In this same vein, however, I feel like there was not much to the story itself. Not much happened, and I was left wishing for more to happen at several points throughout my time reading. In my opinion, this book was heavily character-driven, which I can enjoy, but most of the time, these books do not keep me engaged (which is why I think it took me 2 weeks to finish). Another point that is important to make is this book approaches issues with a limited viewpoint, with all main characters being white middle-class suburban housewives. However, this book never came across to me as trying to describe the experience of all women during this time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As four women form a book club, they also find themselves. The 60’s, a turbulent time and women are wanting “something” more. I liked that all four women were different and at different times in their lives. Each woman finds friendship and the book club helps them find their standing in their life. I liked following each woman and seeing how each one tackles their challenges. I did find this a little long at times making some parts boring. Overall an interesting read.

Four, female friends face challenges from society and their own families in their quests to find out if there's more to life than raising husbands and children. I found the female characters to be well written, with diverse personalities and different upbringings, but somehow, they found each other. I would love to join The Book Club for Troublesome Women and drink "truth serum" while discussing life and books.

One sign of a good book is that it makes you think. I went down so many rabbit holes with this one and learned quite a bit about the 60's and how far women have come (and how far we still have to go).

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own. I reviewed this for my book club and can almost guarantee they will be purchasing their own copies when the book is released.

Loved this book! Such a unique, sympathetic and empowering view into the lives of four very different women from the 1960s. The struggles and lessons learned apply to any decade as the challenges come in many different forms with diverse outcomes.

Didn’t love the title though - Troublesome Women sounds apologetic when these fictional, but could be very real, ladies have every reason to be proud of their multitude of accomplishments.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I love when women ✨

The Bookclub for Troublesome Women is an engaging, raw look into the lives of women who want… more. More meaning, joy, freedom, responsibility, and purpose. The writing was easy to follow, serious themes balanced with humour and fluff. Personally, I think the story would have benefited from more insight and perspectives from women of colour and different socioeconomic backgrounds to provide a full picture, but this was still a really good read.

Rated 3.75 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the e-ARC.

What an incredible read this book was. The memories of the time came flooding back while at the same time I had my eyes open as to how limiting a woman’s life was in the sixties. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. The main characters were amazing and I found myself cheering for them. If you are looking for a thoughtful yet nostalgic read hurry out and pick this book up. You will not be disappointed!

4.5⭐️
Publication Date April 22,2025

I loved this read! A historical fiction novel set in the 60's, this book follows 4 housewives as they start a book club. Over the course of the novel, they affectionately refer to each other as "The Betty's" and develop a sisterhood that  spans decades. They  are there to push each other,fight for feminist rights and equality, and support each other through the highs and lows of those experiences. This book is a fantastic  reminder  of just how far women have come and how hard previous generations have had to fight to get us where  we are today. We can all use our own group of Betty's to lift us up and push us to our full potential.

Thank you to  Netgalley for this ARC

I really enjoyed The Book Club for Troublesome Women. It’s a heartfelt story about female friendship, self discovery and pushing back against societal expectations. Set in the early 1960s, it blends historical fiction with real life struggles in a way that feels believable and immersive.

The characters felt real and multifaceted, each dealing with their own sense of being ‘stuck’ which I’m sure we can all relate to at times.
Some parts were predictable, and the pacing dragged a bit in places, but I still found their journeys compelling and thought provoking. It reminded me a little of Lessons in Chemistry and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the way it explores women’s lives and ambitions.

Bostwick does a great job capturing the complexities of friendship and the slow realisation that life doesn’t have to be what others expect of you. It’s not a particularly shocking or dramatic read, but it’s nostalgic, empowering and leaves you thinking.

3.5 rounded up to 4

What I most liked about this tale is that it exemplifies how reading can influence our lives, our opinions and give us food for thought about interacting with our peers and/or families, whether they agree with us or not, all the while entertaining us in the process. We all come from various walks of life. Our personal situations may be common, but our reactions to them may not be.

This is the story of 4 women in the era of the 60s, who come together to join a book club in their neighborhood. Their first pick is a current one by Betty Friedan called “The Feminine Mystique” (a revolutionary classic published in 1963). From their discussions these “Betty’s” as they have chosen to be called, entertain new thoughts and opinions of growth as women with rights and opinions of their own, irregardless of their husbands or families expectations of them.

You may have to utilize some patience as this goes along, as it can lose momentum from time to time, but personally, I enjoyed getting acquainted with each of these characters and was invested in how their particular circumstances would play out.

As a longtime fan of this authors, from her very first release many years ago, I admire Ms Bostwick for a variety of reasons, not just as an author but as a woman. She is an example of what women can strive to be, and how to accomplish it successfully. This author knits, quilts, cooks and blogs, always with gusto, and I am constantly inspired by her words.

Timed perfectly for International Women’s Day, this is the perfect read for any woman, young or old. Pick up your copy on release day April 22, 2025

#NetGalley #harpercollinsFocus #mariebostwick.com

I was looking forward to this book and overall it was an enjoyable book. I liked each woman’s storyline however I wish there was more diversity in the book. I was expecting more.