It is 1963 in a new and exclusive town called Concordia. Margaret initiates a bookclub. Charlotte, Bitsy and Viv join. All four have different personalities and their own struggles in a time when housewives are expected to care for their households whilst having little freedom outside of their marriages. Including and not limited too, the ladies cannot open their own bank account without their husbands signature nor obtain a script for birth control pill from their gynaecologist without their husband present. The first book they read is a recent release, The Feminine Mystique by feminist Betty Freidan. Exploring the ideologies of the book they've read and sipping Charlotte's cocktails close friendships are formed. The four ladies each begin a journey to self-love and self-empowerment as their collective name becomes The Betty's.

The Bookclub for Troublesome Women is an uplifting historical and at times humourous novel. The characters are on a wild ride transforming their lives and they took me with them. All four Betty's are relatable, likeable and increasingly inspiring.

Thankyou to #Netgalley and #HarperCollinsFocus / #HarperMuse for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What it’s about:
In a shiny new 1960s suburb, Margaret, Viv, Bitsy, and newcomer Charlotte come together for a book club—and unexpectedly, for something much more. As they read The Feminine Mystique, they start questioning the lives they’ve been told they should want. Through books and budding friendship, they begin to wake up to the idea that maybe there’s more out there—for all of them.

3.5-star review of The Book Club for Troublesome Women
I loved the concept and the era—it had so much potential. The book really captured the frustration so many women must’ve felt back then, boxed into roles that didn’t reflect their full selves. But I wish the characters had been more distinct and fully developed. Even by the end, I was still mixing a few of them up. The pacing felt uneven, and while there were definitely entertaining moments, I just wanted a little more—more growth, more connection, more impact.

The narration was good!

I loved it! The novel immerses the reader in the lives of four suburban housewives in Virginia in the 1960s. It's infuriating to remember how limited women's rights were only 60 years ago (and still are in many areas), especially when you know how these rights are threatened today. But my favorite thing about this book is that it shows the impact reading can have on your life, and even more important, the power of sisterhood, the things we can achieve against all odds when women help each other. Truly inspiring. I highly recommend it.

Set in the 1960s, four suburban women start a book club, read The Feminine Mystique, and begin to question everything. Friendship, feminism, and finding your voice—it’s heartwarming, relatable, and still so relevant. I adored The Bettys!

I did not get to listen to this book. Something happened it got archived and I downloaded it but some how could not access this book. It happened with at 3 audiobooks.

As a host of a book club that focuses on women writers, I knew I had to choose this book as soon as it came out. The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick is the story of a group of women in the 1960s, apparently they "have it all" but in reality they are not happy with their lives, for different reasons. Brought together by a simple book club, they start opening up and talking about their problems, finding friendship, support, their own voice and finally following their own path.

This is not what I would normally read, but I really loved this book. Here's its strengths:
- the four main characters are so well written, easily distinguishable, with different problems and situations to face but sooo relatable;
- they have flaws and make mistakes and proactively work on both;
- even though sexism and misogyny are a big topic in this book, the main theme is female friendship;
- the story is well written and, despite the heavy topics, I found it really enjoyable, made me laugh a few times, it has a positive light and it's relatable in so many ways;
- the book they chose for their book club, the book that makes them question their condition, really exists: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, published in 1963;
- the audiobook narrated by Lisa Flanagan is truly a pleasure to listen to;
- the ending is so heartwarming <3

Honestly I could keep talking about this book forever, but I'll keep the rest of my opinions for my book club eheh. Really loved this book, 5 stars.

* I'd like to thank Marie Bostwick, HarperCollins Focus and NetGalley for providing this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced version of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What an exceptional novel! I listened to this on audio and truly couldn't get enough. A blend of humor, seriousness, trials and tribulations, plus historical struggles of women breaking the molds others created for them.

Each character had such a strong story and the way Marie Bostwick weaved everything together was masterful. It was a pleasure to listen to, definitely leaves you wanting more of these amazing ladies.

I had to stop listening to this audiobook because I just couldn’t get into the narration. The story still has me hooked so I’ll finish by reading and rate based on my current enjoyment, but will deduct for the audio.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an audioARC.

I really enjoyed this book and getting to know the group of women who made up the Book Club. The characters are well developed and you will find yourself getting lost in the story of their lives and the difficult times they each experience. While a book club is involved, the story really revolves around these women and the support they provide each other. I love how the theme of books and how books can start a conversation with a complete stranger. I have had that happen so many times as I am eating in a restaurant and a waiter/waitress asks me what I’m reading. It leads to some amazing conversations with people.

And it’s obvious that a book club can be such a wonderful support network. The fact that these women were strong enough to open up to each other and share their struggles, their disappointments, their desires was admirable. For women in the 60s, that was a major accomplishment.

I strongly encourage you to put this one on your to-be-read list. It is an interesting dive into a community of mothers, wives, and friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muise for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Book Club
Feminism

In 1963 suburban Virginia, four women—Margaret, Viv, Bitsy, and newcomer Charlotte—form a book club that begins with *The Feminine Mystique* and sparks a journey of self-discovery and transformation. As they share their frustrations, dreams, and ambitions, the “Bettys” build deep friendships and begin to reimagine their roles beyond the confines of traditional domestic life. Each character is distinct and faces a unique challenge, yet their bonds of friendship endure throughout. Perfect for fans of historical fiction that features strong female characters succeeding in a world where the odds are stacked against them.

The Bookclub for Troublesome Women is an interesting and informative work of historical fiction set in the 1960s about a group of women grappling with the rapid and volatile societal changes that are occurring during this pivotal period in time.

Margaret, Bitsy, and Viv are friends and neighbors in the same affluent suburb of Northern Virginia. They start a bookclub and invite a new neighbor, Charlotte, to join. Charlotte is an artist who marches to the beat of her own drum and eschews being the typical housewife, so she encourages the group to read The Feminine Mystique together. The club decides to call themselves "The Bettys" after the book's author, Betty Friedan, and they begin to realize how misogyny and living within a patriarchal society has impacted each of their lives.

I appreciated the novel's nuanced and realistic portrayal of the constraints of women during that period of history, and many of the themes are still relevant today. Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone who appreciates historical fiction based on true events and enjoys ensemble casts featuring strong female protagonists. I found myself highlighting several quotes and passages, and included one of my favorites below.

"But as I discovered while reading Mrs. Friedan's book, there are countless good and right ways to be a woman and only two wrong. The first is to insist that your way is 'the' way, the only way. The second is to buy into that nonsense and spend your life limping along an aimless path in shoes that will never fit."

Thank you NetGalley & Harper Collins Focus for an audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

When a small group of women start a book club in the sixties, they form bonds that will not be broken despite changes in their lives as well as the larger society. Deaths, Divorces and reading "The Feminine Mystique" they support each other through pregnancies, getting jobs and chafing against defined roles. Well written with characters that are smart and likable this is a great read that will have readers reflecting on their own lives and those of their mothers and grandmothers.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a poignant novel about friendship and personal growth. The "troublesome women" are introduced to one another (and themselves) as they explore what Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique means to them both individually and collectively as women on the brink...

Protagonist Margaret's evolution as a wife, mother, woman, and writer is both impressive and inspiring, and the development of Bitsy, Viv, and Charlotte's characters as they face personal and professional challenges is as remarkable as the bond that forms and solidifies between these women whose suburban lives while similar on the surface are unique at a subterranean level.

Finally, the books --beyond Friedan's revolutionary catalyst to second-wave feminism--that the ladies select and discuss within their burgeoning book group are an intriguing entrée into this historical period and prove the transformative power of literature.

This was a fun one! Set the reader in the era and the women characters were engaging and overall this was the perfect bookclub/summer read. Clever way to deliver the story and good solid writing.

An insight into the lives of 4 women in the 1960s, who get together to form a book club where they read 'The Feminine Mystique', this was a great read (audiobook in my case). Each one has issues with family, with work, with the restrictions faced by women in that era, and the book follows their struggles. Well written with relatable characters, and I would gladly read more from this author.
Thanks to the publisher for a review copy.

This story will stay with me for a long time. When 1960s suburban housewives start a book club to read "the Feminine Mystique", their lives will be changed in so many ways, Kept down by societal norms and a masculine hierarchy, these ladies will open up to a changing world, possibly for the better. a very real look at a time when a woman couldn't open her own checking account without her husband's permission....Thank you Lisa Flanagan for a narration that kept me glued to this audio.

I really enjoy a book where I feel like I’m a minor character in the plot, watching the drama unfold. The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick provided that experience for me, and I’m so grateful. I listened to the audiobook, perfectly narrated by Lisa Flanagan, which increased my connection to this story and its characters.

Any novel with “book club” in the title is an instant win for me, and I loved how four very different women formed lifelong friendships sparked by discussing “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan. Set in the 1960s, Ms. Bostwick wove events and cultural opinions of the decade into the plot and actions of her heroines. Each main character could be viewed as a caricature representing four scenarios for women of the time, but detailed descriptions of their personalities, choices, and obstacles made them feel like fully-formed people. The novel also had me reflecting on my mother’s experience since she got married and had her children during the 1960s.

With apologies to Marie Bostwick and Kim Michele Richardson, I connected this novel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and its sequel in my mind for quite some time. To clarify, they have no connection except the word Troublesome in their titles. LOL

Thank you to Harper Muse for the review copies of this immersive novel.

I think I'm in the minority with my review on this book, but while the premise was interesting, the end result was disappointing. I loved the concept of a book group formed by women the 1960s to discuss Betty Friedan's influential book (The Feminine Mystique) and was curious about what they might do (or think!) that might be "troublesome". While we heard about some of the challenges women in that era faced (no birth control without a husband's permission, same for a bank account, minimal working outside the home, etc.), they weren't shared in a compelling way, and indeed, that was how I felt about the entire book. It was just boring. Not a lot happened. There was some good writing in there, but it was intermingled with a lot of unnecessary detail and internal dialogue. It felt like a lot of "tell" versus "show". The most troublesome woman in this book was actually Charlotte's daughter! That is what and who pushed her to change her life for the better. I wanted to see more of that.

Please note: I received an advanced listening copy from NetGalley & HarperCollins Focus in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.

WOW! This book was incredible! This is one of those stories that will move you to inspiration and ignite that fire in you! I loved all the characters and the depth they all had- they truly felt like real life people that I was shocked this story wasn’t based on true events. The relationship and connections these women have are the sisterhood we yearn for. I loved getting real feminist book recs and seeing how these books moved women in the 1960’s. This is a MUST read for all women! I will definitely be purchasing this for myself and friends.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins Focus for this advanced audiobook in exchange for a review.

4.5
This book was an absolute ride to read! I loved all these women in this book and hey grew as people. They were so raw and real which is everything that I wanted from this book. I also enjoyed how deeply intertwined they were with each other. Many times with books that have multiple povs it can get muddled and feel disjointed. However, this book handled it well and I loved everything about it!