In the early 1960s, Concordia housewife Margaret Ryan knocks on the door of a newcomer to the estate, welcoming her and inviting her to the coffee klatch, but at the last minute, confronted by the bold, artistic Charlotte, Margaret quickly changes the invitation to a hastily conjured book club instead. Margaret, and her friends Bitsy and Viv take up the challenge by Charlotte to read "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan as the first book for the club, and find their lives irrevocably altered by both the new friendship and the revelations inspired by the book.

Sharing cocktails and secrets, the four women discover they can be so much more than "just" a housewife and mother - dusting off old aspirations and pushing their own personal boundaries past breaking point to fulfil their dreams. Margaret invests in a typewriter and enters essay competitions, Viv dreams of going back to nursing, Bitsy longs to attend Vet school, and Charlotte aspires to be a respected painter.

Amidst it all, the book club - known as The Bettys - support each other through devastating lows, celebrate the soaring highs, battle conflicts, witness major global events, and offer that example of golden, true friendship that lasts a lifetime.

The book pushes back against the conservative middle-class, mid-century housewife "ideal" and leans into the themes of Freidan's words: “You can have it all, just not all at the same time.”

A fabulous book of women's strength and friendship and ambition, set in mid-century suburbia. Loved it!

The audiobook, narrated by Lisa Flanagan is excellent, and Ms Flanagan brings life and warmth to these complicated, heartfelt women.

~This is a NetGalley title. All opinions are my own.~

This book struck a chord with me. The women who read The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan started a revolution that opened doors for me and several generations of women in this country. In the book, four women decided to start a book club and they chose to read The Feminine Mystique. All of the women were educated and smart. All were limited by society, and maybe by their husbands and fathers, as to what they could expect of and for themselves. They were raised to run a household, take care of their husbands and children and not to have any aspirations for themselves. But they did want more. That book opened their eyes and told them that they could be more. I have always acknowledged and have been grateful for the women who were a generation before mine, as well as women who continue to fight for the rights of women.

These fictional women started knocking down doors for women like me. They were wives, some were mothers. Each had a reason to want and need changes in her life. There were some real-life women who made brief appearances in the book. Younger women might be surprised, even shocked at how low the opportunities were for women. And how women were expected to be financially supported by their husbands as well as being supportive. And the stress that often caused for the men. Did you know that married women needed their husband's signature to open a bank account for themselves. Or to get their husband's approval to get birth control? This book is great from an historical perspective, as well as being a great story. It brought tears to my eyes at the end. Well done, Marie Bostwick!

I had both the e-book and the audio book. The narrator is great.

Thank you to Marie Bostwick and Harper Muse for the advanced listener copy of The Book Club for Troublesome Women. All opinions are my own.

Anyone who knows me or follows me at all knows that book clubs are basically my entire social life. The wonderful women I have met in book clubs throw birthday parties for members, band together to pay deductible payments for members, make meal trains for members, and frankly just show up for each other regularly and consistently. The Book Club for Troublesome Women truly has the same vibes as the book clubs that I attend now, but set in a historical setting when women were going through the Second-Wave feminist movement which was sparked by Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique which was published in early 1963. These amazing women decide to read The Feminine Mystique for their new book club and it changes each of their lives in very different but profound ways. I really encourage you to go on the journey with Charlotte, Viv, Margaret and Bitsy and discover how they found themselves and each other in this book.

I really enjoyed The Book Club for Troublesome Women! . It’s a much-needed reminder of the struggles that women before us have faced and the ground they’ve broken to get us to where we are today. In a world where we sometimes take progress for granted, this book makes it clear that it is the result of countless battles fought by brave women.

The characters are truly what made this story so captivating. Each one felt deeply human and relatable, with unique strengths, flaws, and complexities. What I loved most was how these characters’ lives intersected in unexpected ways, creating a beautiful tapestry of different perspectives on womanhood. I found myself seeing parts of myself in several of them, whether in their frustrations, their triumphs, or their quiet acts of rebellion. I truly believe that every woman will find a piece of herself reflected in at least one of these characters.

What I found especially powerful is how the book addresses the importance of community and how women often navigate both personal and systemic challenges together. This collective strength is at the heart of the book, and it serves as a poignant reminder of how vital it is to support one another.

In conclusion, The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a brilliant exploration of women’s resilience, solidarity, and empowerment. It’s a book that doesn’t just entertain but also challenges us to reflect on how far we’ve come and how much further we still have to go. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a read that will stir your emotions, ignite your passions, and make you proud of the trailblazing women who paved the way.

Thank you so much NetGalley for letting me listen to an ARC copy of this book!

This is not only the BEST book I've read so far this year, but it's the best I've read in a long time! A book that women of all generations would enjoy if they'd give it a chance. The crazy part is though I do like historical fiction, I'm mostly a WWII lover, not a 1960's lover. That said, this is also my FIRST Marie Bostwick book. I am utterly blown away by the premise, the facts that were intricately sewn in, and the lives of each of these characters.

While I loved each of the four main characters, Margaret Ryan, Viv Buschetti, Bitsy Cobb, and Charlotte Gustafson, I definitely related to Margaret the most, as I am an amateur writer myself. I also have the most amazing husband like Margaret. I'd dare even say a better one :) I couldn't imagine having a husband that was described in this book that was unsupportive of my education, or my desire to work. Most days I can't stand my desk job, but at least I have the opportunity to have this job.

I've never read Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mestique because though I believe myself to be a feminist, I was always worried it would be more of a radical feminist story. The way Bostwick's characters interpret this story has changed my perspective and I'm finally ready to give it a shot! Not to mention Bostwick is an auto buy author for me now. That said, will it be possible for her to write another one that's better than this one? I'm not sure. The author even stated in her letter to the readers that this was the book of her life, I believe, and well, I can't imagine a better one. I can't imagine I'll read a more impactful book this year. I'm only 39 years old, but this book changed me. Thank you, Marie Bostwick.

This book made me angry in the best way. It made me glad that America has come so far and I don’t have to live in the 60’s. I love a book that educates but still keeps your interest.

Really enjoyed this! I love a gaggle of strong-willed women and books that take place in the 60s. Will be recommending this one to my friends and will probably choose it for the historical fiction book club I host before the end of the year!

I’m a sucker for a book about a book club. This one is set in the 60s. Its members’ lives are changed by their initial selection (Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique) but mostly by their community with one another. They all have distinct personalities, representing a variety of family, career, and relationship aspirations. I really enjoyed this glimpse into their lives!

Thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for the ARC (audio)!

3.5 stars

I was drawn to this book for 3 reasons. First, it's set in the American 1960s which is my favorite historical time period to read about. Second, it takes place in a planned community in Northern Virginia and I happen to live in a planned community in Northern Virginia so I expected to relate to it pretty hard (and I did!). And third, I will read about women causing trouble all day every day.

There were a lot of things to like about this book, especially the friendships between the women. I liked getting to know each of them and learning their stories, and seeing how they lifted each other up. Narrator Lisa Flanagan did a great job of voicing each woman in a unique way, and I loved how much sass she gave to Charlotte! It was also very interesting to experience their reactions to the historical events of that time period.

This book fell short for me though. I found parts of it too lengthy without much to advance the plot, and I found my attention drifting. What was really the most disappointing was the "trouble" that the women caused seemed to be entirely in relation to their husbands in some way. Although historically accurate, I would have really liked to see the women overcome challenges that were more empowering and less privileged.

This was a very interesting read. It follows the lives of a few housewives from the 1960s. It starts with them meeting to discuss The Feminine Mystique, and builds the character and backstory of each woman afterwards to show how they navigated, discussed, and challenged women's place in home, neighborhood, workplace, and world. The narrator did a great job with this book.

The book was slow, so I had trouble getting into it. But I really did like the character development and thought-provoking messages, so it was worth sticking with it in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advanced listener copy!

I really wanted to like this book (look at that cover!), but I don't think this genre or content was for me. The idea of these women trying to shed their 60s housewife image was great in theory, but it didn't really deliver in my opinion. I was bored most of the book due to the pacing, and it seemed like the author was promising something deeper, but it only scratched the surface for me.

This was a fun 1960’s “coming of middle age” story about unlikely friendship initiated by curiosity (nosiness) and a book club. The storyline branches to follow each woman, all with different strife and slightly different age groups or life stages. What started as a book club turns into a support group as they each navigate through difficult times. 5⭐️! Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for this ALC!

The Book Club for Troublesome Women isn't a groundbreaking new story, but it is the book that I needed right now. This one follows the Bettys, a group of women who decide to start a book club following WWII. The Bettys give us an interesting peek into this window of time, when men and women were renegotiating their roles in the household.

Throughout the story, we see these women manage their husbands--who range from rancid to actually decent--and balance their careers with their motherhood. One of the Bettys is a nurse who goes back to work, only to discover she's pregnant. Another is an aspiring veterinarian whose dropped out of school to become a mother, only to discover her husband has cheated on her and impregnated someone else.

This book brought these women to life, and gave a sort of "slice of life" feeling of seeing into this time period. I particularly enjoyed getting to see Margaret at the end of this book, having fought for the life she wanted.

The narration for this was just fine. I listened on 2x speed.

I gave this book a four-star rating because I enjoyed it and would recommend it to a friend, but I wouldn't read it again.

Ooooh! I love some snarky sassy women! “The Betty’s”, as the call themselves, are more than meets the eye. They look like regular boring housewives, but their lives are far from mundane. They find eachother when each woman is going through their own matters and help eachother find purpose. It’s a beautiful story of friendship, feminism (not in the typical sense) and the power of having amazing women around you throughout all life’s seasons.

I was immediately sucked into the world that Marie Bostwick created by the narrator Lisa Flanagan. Her talent shone through as she brought to life not only each of the character's personalities and fun little quirks, but she did an impeccable job at captivating me as the story came to life. Not only was the narration perfection, but the story itself was one I truly adored.

Author Marie Bostwick did a phenomenal job at carefully crafting a beautiful story about a group of women (the Bettys) who read a certain book that opened their eyes to new possibilities that changed the course of their lives and, along the way, formed an unbreakable sisterhood. The bond the women had was truly touching, making me smile, laugh, and at times brought tears to my eyes.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is an amazing, thought-provoking book about a sisterhood of friends navigating life together while rooting each other on in the early 60s and briefly touches on many different subjects that were problematic during that time and is a book I highly recommend.

My first Marie Bostwick novel and I was very impressed! This is a gentle sort of "feminist" historical fiction story.

It's 1963 in suburban America. Margaret, Viv, Bitsy, and Charlotte are all neighbours in Concordia. They form a book club and their first book is a new controversial one called,"The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Frieden. The book makes them question their lives, hopes and dreams at a time when women were very much at the mercy of their husbands. They soon start to refer to themselves as, "The Bettys" in honour of the author. The women all form a close bond and we follow all their lives for many months.

I listened to this on audio and it only elevated my experience. It was very interesting to enter the world of 1963 where women were expected to keep the house clean, take care of the children and cook homemade meals every night. On the other hand many women were hooked on tranquilizers, stuck in loveless marriages, and could not even open a bank account without their husband's permission. Also weaved into the story were some real life events like the Martin Luther King March, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Even the First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy made an appearance (loved that!)

I could very much see this book being made into a limited series. It sure would be fun to watch!

Publishes on April 22, 2025

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Focus for granting me access to this Advanced Listening Copy.

‘The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick is a heartwarming and insightful exploration of female empowerment and the impact of literature on the lives of suburban housewives in 1963. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing society, the novel follows four women who come together through their reading of Betty Friedan's ‘The Feminine Mystique’ - a book that challenges the traditional roles of women in post-war America.

Bostwick masterfully brings to life the era's societal pressures, capturing the constraints of gender roles and the unspoken labor that defined many women's lives at the time. The historical details, from fashion to cocktails, add a rich texture to the setting. The novel's emotional core lies in the bond these women form, creating a supportive sisterhood that empowers them to question their roles and discover new parts of themselves.

The premise is compelling and the narrative is uplifting and the novel is a valuable and thoughtful read, particularly for those interested in historical fiction centred around female friendship. The feminist undertones, combined with well-developed characters and a poignant look at the lives of women in the early '60s, make ‘The Book Club for Troublesome Women’ a delightful and rewarding read, and the audiobook narration is engaging and clear, with each character easy to differentiate.

The novel offers a deeply engaging narrative that shines in its portrayal of female solidarity, making it a worthwhile choice for fans of character-driven historical fiction.

Four housewives come together to start a book club and it ends up changing their lives during the 1960's. This book shows how a simple book club can evolve into a movement of personal empowerment. Highly recommend reading! Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF - I had high expectations for this book, but after starting it, my attention was not grabbed in the way I prefer. This is not necessarily a bad book, but I'm not interested in finishing it at this time.

4.25 stars.

Set in the 60s, about a book club, female friendships, and revolves around women finding their place in the world. Check, check, check, and check. Marie Bostwick's formula for The Book Club for Troublesome Women first called to me when I saw the cover but the description only furthered my desire to read it. I am such a sucker for a story like this and I'm elated to say that I wasn't disappointed.

Margaret Ryan is our main protagonist but each character had enough presence and development to make it feel like they were all front and center. Although Viv Buschetti and Bitsy Cobb were wonderful characters in their own right, Charlotte Gustafson (and her Samantha Jones demeanor) was my personal favorite.

It was a joy to observe such a deep bond blossom between these four women who couldn't have been more different from each other. Female friendships are always important but especially so during a time when women weren't allowed to do much of anything without permission from a man. Although The Book Club for Troublesome Women is rooted in the past, it is very relevant to our current climate and I believe that made it all the more important.

I was also delighted to be able to be able to listen to the audiobook version as well as read a digital copy. The audiobook brought even more life to the story through Lisa Flanagan's incredible narration.

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 an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.