ok here are my thoughts. this book is basically your typical NYT bestseller, and honestly after a rocky start I started to kind of enjoy it. it was pretty fast paced, the writing was relatively good quality, and overall it was fun and easy to read.
my main criticism is actually of the material. the story is marketed as a kind of 2nd wave feminism female triumph, which it pretty much is. my issue is more that this isn't a text that has anything useful to offer or sparks any productive critical engagement.
it reads sort of like a parody of reality. every character is really caricature-esque. Elizabeth Zott is, and I quote, "the most intelligent, insightful, intriguing - and yes - the most alarmingly attractive woman" which, combined with some pretty unrealistic dialogue, makes her precisely the unattainable ideal for a woman that this book is meant to be against.
in the end, it's really just your typical heteronormative and relatively gender and social norm conforming story. I suppose it would have been outrageous in the time period in which it's set, but certainly not now. (probably why it's been a hit with 60+ y/o women).
anyway, like I said. it was a fun read if you get over all the cringey bits in the beginning. just not a very serious one.
(oh also. haven't read any trigger warnings for this book, but there should be one for rape).