Ren Taylor never thought she鈥檇 return to her old high school鈥攏ot as a teacher, not after everything. But with nowhere else to turn, she hopes that walRen Taylor never thought she鈥檇 return to her old high school鈥攏ot as a teacher, not after everything. But with nowhere else to turn, she hopes that walking the same halls might bring a sense of closure. Instead, she鈥檚 met with old wounds. Her older sister, Margot, who was murdered years ago, is still revered like a saint. Meanwhile, Ren is the girl who spiraled鈥攖he one everyone whispered about in the aftermath.
Then she meets Bryson Lewis: young, charming, and effortlessly adored by students and staff alike. Ren knows better. She once trusted a teacher like him鈥攕omeone who left her family shattered and may have played a part in her sister鈥檚 death. So when Ren sees Bryson getting a little too close with a student, alarm bells ring. She knows this story too well. And this time, she refuses to stay silent.
Whispers of Dead Girls dives deep into the murky waters of student-teacher relationships, small-town gossip, grief, rage, and the messy bonds of sisterhood. Marlee Bush crafts a haunting narrative that feels both intimate and unsettling鈥攁 dark, necessary exploration of trust, trauma, and the lingering echoes of tragedy.
This isn鈥檛 just a thriller; it鈥檚 a cautionary tale. About power dynamics. About intuition. About the lies adults tell and the ones teens believe.
While I found myself wishing a few threads were tied up more cleanly, the payoff at the end was deeply satisfying鈥攅nough to forgive the lingering questions.
Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This one lingers....more
Jennifer Welch and Angie "Pumps" Sullivan are the Oklahoma women I wish I had met while living in Oklahoma. Irreverent, hilarious"Let's Burn" indeed.
Jennifer Welch and Angie "Pumps" Sullivan are the Oklahoma women I wish I had met while living in Oklahoma. Irreverent, hilarious, politically outspoken - these are my people.
Many were introduced to these two best friends on Bravo's "Sweet Home Oklahoma," where they provided a look at people in Oklahoma who aren't idiot politicians or tornado victims. The ladies now host the extremely popular "I've Had It" podcast, where they laugh, cry, and scream about any and everything they are over.
This book looks at the start of their friendship and how they got to where they are now. Along the way, there are drug, alcohol, and sex addictions. There are thousands of cigarettes smoked on porches. There are marriage problems, growing children, unexpected deaths, and living blue in a red state. Both women expand on their upbringings, families, and marriages. As with the podcast, both are open, honest, and ready to tell it like it is.
I think podcast fans will go wild over this, but this is a fantastic look at the power of friendship and how it can survive anything.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Isabella loves to cook. She loves old cookbooks and reads them like novels. Currently a writer at a digital food magazine, she keeps a low profile, prIsabella loves to cook. She loves old cookbooks and reads them like novels. Currently a writer at a digital food magazine, she keeps a low profile, providing small articles and making baked goods for her co-workers. After being pushed into a live demo and failing spectacularly, Isabella is fired.
Through her roommate, she is hired to ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly Babcock, a celebrity known more for her antics than acting. Molly runs hot and cold. One day, she hugs Isabella; the next day, she growls about Isabella bringing fish into her apartment. It's fairly obvious how this writing project will go.
There's also a little romance, friendship crisis, and mother-daughter drama, as most books do. Where I think this book is the strongest is the descriptions of food, deep with rich details, you can almost taste the herbs on a fish filet. The weakness of Isabella's wet noodle of a backbone kind of drags this on longer than necessary.
However, this was still an enjoyable book. Adam Roberts captured a woman's voice, which is hard. I do feel like women authors are best suited to explore the inner turmoil and body issues. However, Roberts does a fine job.
The end is a bit rushed, and I do worry about Isabella's and her mother's living situations; however, it still ties most things together. I would have LOVED a recipe or two thrown in, just to add a bit more to the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey takes Southern Gothic and adds in Nazis, murder and alligators.
Loyal May is returning to her hometown of Jacknife, Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey takes Southern Gothic and adds in Nazis, murder and alligators.
Loyal May is returning to her hometown of Jacknife, Louisiana. Her mother's health has been getting worse, and she knows she's the only person to do it. Jackknife is not a nice town. It has one diner, a factory, and one family everyone avoids, the Labasques.
When Loyal takes a job at the small local paper, her first assignment is a woman's body found in the bayou. The body is of Cutter Labasque, a backwoods girl from a family of alligator hunters, and Loyal's former friend. The police are insisting it was suicide, but Loyal knows that Cutter never would do that to herself. So she's ready, with her sidekick Sasha, to risk it all to find out the truth.
This book does an excellent job at capturing small towns and the rough and tumble kind of people who sometimes live on the outskirts. The Labasque family is interesting - almost like the Curtis family from The Outsiders, except not....Ponyboy or Soda. They have raised themselves and work the only job they know how to do.
There are strong themes - parents, lost friendships, sexual assault, murder, homosexuality - but it's all woven in a tapestry that's as thick as an alligator's skin.
While the start was slow, the world of Loyal and Sasha expands into a full-fledged murder mystery thriller that's a little different from any other.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
Twenty years ago, twelve-year-old Ophelia woke up to find herself utterly alone, left behind by her entire community.
Now, she goes by Lee. She鈥檚 a newTwenty years ago, twelve-year-old Ophelia woke up to find herself utterly alone, left behind by her entire community.
Now, she goes by Lee. She鈥檚 a new mother, married to a rising Philadelphia district attorney, and trying to hold it all together in a modest row house. Her baby is colicky and demanding. Her marriage, already strained by threats from a victim in one of her husband鈥檚 cases, is teetering. And her husband has no idea about her past. As far as he knows, Lee is estranged from her mother and sister, and has a couple of cousins she rarely sees.
Then one day, a woman shows up on her doorstep, claiming to be her long-lost sister, Mona. Lee is stunned. She鈥檚 torn between fear鈥攐f her husband uncovering the truth鈥攁nd overwhelming hope that maybe, just maybe, she has a piece of her family back.
If I鈥檝e said it once, I鈥檝e said it a thousand times: I love stories about cults. The psychology of surrendering logic and identity to a so-called savior is endlessly fascinating鈥攁nd terrifying. Just look at Jonestown, the Branch Davidians, Heaven鈥檚 Gate. We know how those stories end.
But what really sets this novel apart is its focus on what comes next.
This isn鈥檛 about the cult itself鈥攊t鈥檚 about the aftermath. The survivors. The ones who didn鈥檛 ascend. It鈥檚 about trauma, identity, and how you try to build a life on a foundation of secrets. Like Jessica Knoll did in Bright Young Women, Allison Buccola digs deep into that emotional terrain鈥攁nd delivers something gripping, thoughtful, and unforgettable.
Twists? Oh, yes. Several. And the final one? Absolutely chef鈥檚 kiss.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read and review this stunner of a book....more
Kimberly (that's a name you don't hear anymore) is 25 years old and on her own. She's been on her own most of her life, moving from one foster home toKimberly (that's a name you don't hear anymore) is 25 years old and on her own. She's been on her own most of her life, moving from one foster home to the next. She shares a flat with four others while working as a Senior Housekeeper at London's top hotel. She suffers from extreme epilepsy and has her medical support dog, Muffin, with her at all times.
Jennifer Clifton is a severe woman. Her hair, nails, face, and clothing are all done up to perfection. She has a list of demands for her hotel room, and Kimberly manages every single one. Jennifer offers Kimberly a new job, on the spot, at her exclusive hotel in the Scottish Highlands.
The new hotel is immaculate and free of guests. As Kimberly settles in, she learns that invited and exclusive guests only come once a year, for a massive party....with little to no more details. The ONLY rule, do not go to Room 21. --- Wow, wow, wee, wow. This book is a ride. Kimberly is an odd character, a bit naive but very likable. It's hard not to root for her throughout the book. Jennifer is demanding, but does show glimpses of a heart.
The concept of this story is brilliant. We all want a place where we can be free, but I don't think many of us would go to these extremes. There is a lot of violence and gore, so heads up.
Jessica Huntley does an excellent job of walking that fine line between suspense and horror, because there is horror in these pages. Is Room 21 an apt title? I wouldn't necessarily think so, as it's a minor part of the story, but is it a focal point of terror? Yes. 100%
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
My HS English teacher had my class write letters to ourselves to be sent to us a year later. It was startling to see how different my mindset was fromMy HS English teacher had my class write letters to ourselves to be sent to us a year later. It was startling to see how different my mindset was from one September to the next.
Dear Future Me by Deborah O'Connor takes this idea and adds in death, missed potential, suicide, and blackmail. Audrey, who lost both her parents before her last year of high school, runs her own cleaning service. It's not what she dreamed she would do, but she's done her best, given her circumstances. She's still best friends with Miranda, her teenage best friend.
One morning, letters start arriving in mailboxes. The letters were written leading into their last year of school, and their former teacher took the time to search everyone's current locations and mail them 20 years later. Audrey opens her letter and finds a note she had never seen from Ben, a classmate and Miranda's boyfriend. Ben, who later that year died while on a school trip. She texts the note to Miranda, but doesn't hear back. She doesn't hear from her because Miranda opened her letter that morning, got in her car, drove to a cliff overlooking the sea, and jumped. --- This book does a great job of building the mystery surrounding Miranda's and Ben's deaths. The flashback chapters help develop everyone's history, and the present-day chapters, with Audrey seeking out and questioning her former classmates, build the world of Saltburn. I think both mysteries were compelling, and several red herrings were tossed in.
What I didn't particularly care for was the time it took to reach the twists. It was not necessarily a slow burn, but more just... to make side characters. I didn't really need to know about their former classmate who was involved in local politics or the guy working for BP. Their "information" could have been added to anyone else.
Still, this was a fun read and the twists were excellent as they unfolded.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.
Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau took me right back to that sweet spot in my reading life鈥攚hen I was transitioning from YA to more 鈥済rown-up鈥� novels. I鈥�Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau took me right back to that sweet spot in my reading life鈥攚hen I was transitioning from YA to more 鈥済rown-up鈥� novels. I鈥檝e always been a voracious reader, and I owe a lot to the lovely librarian from the county bookmobile who helped guide me with her thoughtful recommendations. Those early adult reads still carried a sense of innocence, but with just enough real-world complexity to feel mature鈥攁nd Shopgirls fits that vibe perfectly.
The story follows 19-year-old Zippy, who鈥檚 just landed a job at a high-end department store in 1980s San Francisco. She鈥檚 the youngest in her department, navigating new friendships and living away from home for her first time. After answering a roommate ad, she moves in with Raquel, who quickly becomes her best friend and biggest support.
Zippy is refreshingly sincere鈥攏aive, yes, but kind and earnest. She works hard, wants to do well, and approaches the world with wide-eyed curiosity. In a literary world full of morally gray antiheroes, it鈥檚 fresh air to follow someone simply trying to figure things out without hurting anyone. The backdrop of the early AIDS crisis adds emotional depth and a sense of urgency to Zippy鈥檚 coming-of-age.
There鈥檚 something so endearing about her journey that I genuinely hope this becomes a series鈥擨鈥檇 love to grow up alongside her.
Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this gem.
The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus is a haunting and layered exploration of family, legacy, and emotional dFamily trauma begets family trauma.
The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus is a haunting and layered exploration of family, legacy, and emotional debris passed from generation to generation. It follows the story of two sisters, Jayne and Bunny Linden, and the children entangled in their wake.
Jayne is in college when her younger sister, Bunny, vanishes from their troubled childhood home. Years pass in near silence, until Bunny reappears unannounced, with three children in tow, each with a different father from her drifting life across the U.S. and Mexico. Recognizing that she can鈥檛 be the mother her kids need, Bunny abandons them, leaving Jayne and her husband Rodger to step in.
Jayne and Rodger built the kind of home Bunny never could, one filled with warmth, stability, and care. When they have their own daughter, Linden, life feels nearly idyllic. But just as suddenly as she left, Bunny returns a decade later, and her reappearance is the beginning of the end. What follows is a cascade of unraveling: a painful divorce, fractured relationships, and a family splintered beyond repair.
As the children grow into adulthood, the ghosts of their upbringing begin to surface in unexpected ways. What happened in their childhood? What parts were shaped by pain, and what by perception?
Kraus, best known for The Nanny Diaries, delivers something entirely different here鈥攁 dark, immersive narrative about generational trauma and the emotional sleight-of-hand families can play. While stories of inherited pain are nothing new, what sets this novel apart is its masterful pacing and its refusal to offer simple answers. The truth is always out of reach, distorted by time, memory, and denial.
The narrative leaps across time and space precisely, each moment rich with sensory and emotional detail, particularly for those familiar with New York. The opening chapter, with Lin in a Brooklyn shop, is so vivid I could swear I鈥檝e been there, overpaying for sage to cleanse a room that held too much.
This isn鈥檛 a light, wine-and-book-club kind of read. It鈥檚 a spiderweb of hurt and history, showing how every thread connects and entangles each family member.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this poignant novel. ...more
Well, call me a snob, but I hate The Great Gatsby. It's all terrible people doing terrible things.
So, because I wasn't paying attention, it took me aWell, call me a snob, but I hate The Great Gatsby. It's all terrible people doing terrible things.
So, because I wasn't paying attention, it took me a little while to realize this was a 'modern' retelling of the classic story about economics and bad people.
That's about it. Yes, genders are reversed and blah blah. It's still the story of people with too much money looking to prove they have changed.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
Steph Nelson has written a tight thriller that was hard to put down. Last One Out deals with some very hard-to-stomach issues, but Nelson does this wiSteph Nelson has written a tight thriller that was hard to put down. Last One Out deals with some very hard-to-stomach issues, but Nelson does this with a delicate hand and reaches the story's real heart.
Everyone assumed Chloe Webster was dead. 25 years ago, she disappeared one night after a secret adventure to a hot spring. Her two friends were found days later, dead. There were no signs that Chloe made it out alive.
So when she shows up at an annual fundraiser in her honor, her beloved cousin, Frankie, is overjoyed. She looks past some of Chloe's questionable comments and is overjoyed to have her cousin again.
Soon, Frankie starts receiving messages, stating that Chloe isn't telling her the truth, and she will go to any length to find out why.
I would suggest avoiding if you are triggered by anything with children, but if you can handle it, I suggest picking this one up.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
Brother Richard and over 100 members of the Collective all disappear in an instant. It's the Homegoing that he's been talking about for years. Alice GBrother Richard and over 100 members of the Collective all disappear in an instant. It's the Homegoing that he's been talking about for years. Alice Greene watches as her mother, father and husband vanish in a beam of light.
Alice, who is pregnant with a baby she wasn't supposed to have, quickly learns she's not the only one left behind. Among the remaining is Edwin, Alice's best friend. When Edwin leads the remaining members as instructed by a letter and video left behind from Brother Richard, Alice's plans to escape the Collective are squashed. When she discovers a journal left behind by her mother, Alice learns that everything is not as she was told, and she must escape before it's too late. --- Another cult book...my favorite. Brother Richard is exactly who you think a cult leader would be: Charles Manson minus the murders. Alice, as a character, was smart and someone it was easy to root for.
I DO wish there was some explanation about the disappearance, but also, it's nice not knowing. Sometimes the mystery is better left unsolved.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
If Two Are Dead by Rick Mofina is a Texas-based thriller that pulls the reader into the severe weather and anxiety of unsolved crimes.
Luke and CarrieIf Two Are Dead by Rick Mofina is a Texas-based thriller that pulls the reader into the severe weather and anxiety of unsolved crimes.
Luke and Carrie Conway have returned to Texas after years in LA. Carrie's father, a retired Sheriff, is dying, and Carrie wants to spend as much time with him before it's too late. Luke, also in the police force, is eager to escape after a tragedy when he was on duty.
Carrie is famous in her small town. Famous because she survived an assault and two other girls didn't. Famous because the mystery remains unsolved. Famous because she doesn't remember anything.
Luke is trying to restart his career; however, one stormy night, as he drives down a dark country road, he hits something... or someone. He has to find this person before someone else does.
Carrie's memory slowly returns as she visits her old haunts, but something still doesn't feel right. A man on death row confesses to the murders, but that doesn't feel right either.
As Carrie's memory returns and the local newspaper updates the story, new information and details start to leak out, and Luke, Carrie, and her father are in a race for the truth. ---- If you read the summary of this book, it reads like Luke is the main character. Nope. Carrie is the main character and the most compelling. Her trauma and memory loss are the central plot, and I would have LOVED more flashbacks to the days leading up to the crime. Luke was obsessed with hiding his accident and trying to remain unseen by his new co-workers.
I enjoyed Carrie and Denise's chapters the most. They moved the plot more. The story is fascinating; I love the idea of a local girl coming back and having to reconcile with the truth, no matter how terrible. Carrie's love for her dad is clear, as is his love and need to protect her and her family.
There were a lot of car references, which all made sense later, but it was a bit too "product placement-y." Of course, I loved the Whataburger inclusion (honey butter chicken biscuit forever!).
This was my first Rick Mofina book (I think), and will not be the last. There's ways to write a domestic thriller and this is it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
Everyone has those childhood friends who knew your parents' first names, passed notes with you in Algebra I, and maybe even slow-danced with you at prEveryone has those childhood friends who knew your parents' first names, passed notes with you in Algebra I, and maybe even slow-danced with you at prom. They were there for the awkward years, the messy years, the formative ones. These friendships are stitched with shared memories that become landmarks in your personal history. I have a group like this. Maybe you do, too.
But we also know something else: not all friendships survive the long haul. The promise of being 鈥淏FFs鈥� can fade, worn down by time, distance, and the lives we build apart.
鈥淭he heart is where the home is.鈥�
Owen, Nick, Hamish, Lore, and Matty were an unlikely crew. Nick and Hamish had the edge of burnouts. Owen and Lore were the overachievers, nerdy in the best way. And Matty? Matty was the glue. The golden boy. He bridged the divides between them鈥攚inning awards, playing sports, smoothing over the group鈥檚 rough edges. He was the best of them.
One night, they head into the woods for a classic childhood rite: camping. Along the way, they pass something bizarre鈥攁 lone staircase, standing impossibly on its own, leading nowhere. They keep moving. But later that night, drawn back to it, only Matty climbs the stairs.
He never comes down.
Decades later, Nick calls the group back together. Something鈥檚 waiting for them. Another staircase. But this time, it鈥檚 not Matty who has to climb.
What鈥檚 scarier than a staircase in the middle of the woods? Really鈥攚hat is?
Chuck Wendig鈥檚 novel reads like a cinematic fever dream, equal parts horror and elegy. This isn鈥檛 just a ghost story. It鈥檚 about the divide between childhood and adulthood, the secrets we bury and the truths we carry鈥攐ften alone. It鈥檚 about the damage done in homes that looked perfect from the outside and the roles we adopt to survive what鈥檚 happening inside.
Wendig鈥檚 storytelling is immersive and visceral. You can almost smell the rot, taste the copper of blood in the air, feel the coarse grain of splintered wood under your fingertips. The scenes are so vividly rendered that reading feels more like watching a beautifully shot, profoundly unsettling film.
I had only a few quibbles. The themes around identity and politics, particularly Lore鈥檚 sexuality, occasionally felt overemphasized鈥攍ess integrated, more performative. But the emotional beats still land. Hamish鈥檚 evolution is compelling, and Owen鈥檚 constant internal war is heartbreakingly real. Even the heavy dose of video game references鈥攚hich typically isn鈥檛 my thing鈥攄idn鈥檛 detract from the story鈥檚 core tension.
Because at the end of the day, this is a story about truth. The ones we hide from others and the ones we hide from ourselves. As kids, we take on roles鈥攁thlete, brain, comedian鈥攖o protect ourselves. But eventually, if we want to live freely, we have to strip away those masks and face what鈥檚 really there. In the dark. At the foot of the stairs.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and reflect on this haunting and unforgettable story. ...more
An Australian family relocates to LA and quickly starts to fall apart.
Sort of. Janus is a horror writer, and his book is optioned for film. Taking a An Australian family relocates to LA and quickly starts to fall apart.
Sort of. Janus is a horror writer, and his book is optioned for film. Taking a leap of faith, he moves his family to Los Angeles as he works on the screenplay. His wife, Kay, is a former professional ballerina and Pilates instructor. Casper is a young teen struggling to find his place in LA and not be bored by all the sunshine. Olivia is in her early 20s and...a mess. She flunked out of university after too much partying. She's currently trying to find her way into the fashion world, but after a night out, she wakes up with bruises and no memory...and for some reason, her room - the former garage - is padlocked.
The One We Love is a domestic thriller, but it leaves much desired... and frankly talks about coffee WAY too much. The premise is great, but the story moves too slowly, dragging out the reveal and speeding through the book's last third. I felt there wasn't a clear focus - is this a thriller? Is this a coming-of-age story? Is this a medical mystery? Is this a marriage story? Is this a love letter to coffee?
The 'twists' are good, but they could have been explored deeper and focused on just one, rather than the four or five that were crammed in the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more
Julie Chan works as a supermarket cashier and can barely afford food. She is miserable. Her bright spots of excitement involve stealing gum or sandwicJulie Chan works as a supermarket cashier and can barely afford food. She is miserable. Her bright spots of excitement involve stealing gum or sandwiches from her store.
Julie Chan is also a twin. Her sister, Chloe VanHuusen, is a popular influencer. They were separated at age 4 when their parents tragically died and Chloe was adopted into a wealthy white family, and Julie was sent to live with an aunt.
Julie resents Chloe and her shiny, beautiful life so much that she blocks her on social media until one day after work, when Chloe calls. She's hard to hear, and it sounds like she's struggling. Julie frantically calls her back repeatedly, and when she doesn't get a response, she books a bus ticket to New York.
Arriving at Chloe's apartment, Julie is horrified to see Chloe dead on the kitchen floor. Very quickly, she changes her life and starts living as Chloe. They are twins, after all. When she is invited on an exclusive trip by a leading influencer, Julie is excited to see if she can get to know these women better, but what she finds is much darker than the shiny veneer they all portray online. ----- This book is WILD. Many books have been written about the world of influencers, but none have captured the absolute insanity quite like this story.
This is a deeply funny and dark book, and I loved every word.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Most of my favorite books in the last few years have been family epics鈥攕tories covering generations and years inside one family as they fall in love, Most of my favorite books in the last few years have been family epics鈥攕tories covering generations and years inside one family as they fall in love, fall out of love, live, die, laugh, and cry. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane and Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano are perfect examples. Well, Sarah Damoff's "The Bright Years" is also on that shelf.
Lillian and Ryan meet in a library, where Ryan recognizes Lillian from her job at the bank. Their first date is that same day at a Greek restaurant, lasting for hours. Soon, they fall deeper and deeper in love and marry. Next, Georgette "Jet" Bright is born, and the world changes.
Told by Lillian, Jet, and Ryan, the Bright family's story follows them from the 1970s to the present day. Despite its short length, this isn't an easy read. Damoff doesn't waste space with useless words, but parts of the Bright family story are hard to read. There is deep anger and resentment, as well as deep love and hope.
The Bright family story is modern, not looking back with rose-colored glasses. It deals with heavy topics (adoption, alcoholism, death), but these are topics that families have to deal with and should be talked about more.
This is a debut novel, and it reads like it's from an old master at fiction. I highly recommend this book and can not wait to see what Sarah Damoff does next.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Margaret, Viv, Bitsy and Charlotte are all married women in 1963 in an upscale neighborhood outside of Washington D.C. They (well, Margaret) start a bMargaret, Viv, Bitsy and Charlotte are all married women in 1963 in an upscale neighborhood outside of Washington D.C. They (well, Margaret) start a book club, beginning with The Feminine Mystique, and this selection will 'change their lives'.
In theory, The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick should be something that I would love. In reality, it was okay, if not a little obvious.
The perspectives switch between the women as the months of the year go by, and we see their growth from suppressed housewives to something a little bolder.
I'm not ignorant of the limited outlook that Betty Friedan discussed in her pivotal work. And, as it's 2025 and our country is falling apart, I can't help but feel like this is a rather simplified and... white view of 2nd wave feminism.
This was a story about middle-class women. Yes, they had goals...sort of. They each wanted independence, and yes, they found it, but there were still concessions that had to be made to their husbands. The husbands were all caricatures - the older man, the cheating businessman, the handsome Italian, the resistant and eventual supportive husband (insert eye-roll). There were various plot points that were dropped and some real opportunities to insert depth (i.e., abortion, the beginning of the Vietnam War, The Beatles). The mentions of civil rights were comical... Margaret sitting at a drugstore counter and 'thinking about the young woman who sat at that deli counter' was almost offensive to me. BUT, that's neither here nor there.
Troublesome is a difficult word. "Causing difficulty or annoyance" - but none of these women REALLY did this - aside from Charlotte. They were all still mild-mannered, middle-class suburban women.
This isn't going to be on the shelf with The Group, The Feminine Mystique, and The Haidmaid's Tale. It's going to be popular with book clubs but not the kind that would read The Feminine Mystique.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. ...more