Category: Biography

Categories
Biography Non Fiction

She Wanted More, Poorna Bell

Poorna was in her mid-thirties when she found herself unexpectedly at the height of grief. As she moved out of survival mode and emerged as her new self, she realised that much of her life had been shaped by  playing the rules set out for women.

In She Wanted More, Poorna asks the questions many of us are afraid to voice: Who set these rules? Why do we follow them? And what might happen if we chose differently?  She dares readers to reimagine their future, to find the confidence to live exactly as they want to, to reclaim their joy, and reminds us that wanting more is not selfish.  

Throughout the book, Poorna weaves her own reflections and personal stories alongside anecdotes from other writers and influencers, as well as responses from her survey, giving us a wide and varied range of experiences.

Each chapter explores a different theme including: marriage, singledom, parenting, living a life without children, ageing and menopause. Every topic is handled with care, compassion and honesty.

This book found me just days before my 30th birthday. Although Poorna says it is primarily aimed at women in their 40s, 50s and 60s, I found it validating at this stage of my life. I am already getting heavily targeted by Botox ads online, and feeling the pressure to have a child even though I’m not sure it is the right path for me. From a young age, we are socialised to believe there is a certain path to follow, and that women are meant to minimise themselves in the process, resulting in us placing limits on ourselves.

She Wanted More gently challenges that narrative and encourages us to question those limits. It asks us to consider what we truly want, separate from expectation, and reminds us that it isn’t too late to rewrite the script.

She Wanted More is a gift to women – a reminder that our lives are ours to shape.  

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for the ARC. She Wanted More will be published on 26th February 2026.

Categories
Biography Non Fiction Self help

Now is Not the Time for Flowers, Stacey Heale

When Stacey’s husband, Greg, is diagnosed with incurable cancer, Stacey’s life as she knew it comes to a halt. Confronted with this devastating reality, Stacey explores the profound differences between our expectations and reality in this part self-help, part memoir book.

Stacey takes readers on a journey through the complexities of grief in modern life, revealing the messy and unexpected realities of love, desire, motherhood, death, grief, identity, personal growth, and the challenges and questions that arise from our nuanced lives.

‘Now is Not the Time for Flowers’ is a truly honest reflection of grief and all its complexities. I found Stacey’s writing refreshing; her honesty resonated, and she articulates so well what many of us fail to put into words. Her words are comforting, and her perspectives on life are encouraging – I don’t think I have highlighted so many things in one book before.

I loved how the book had short chapters and jumped between topics. Many books on grief reflect on a few topics in great detail, but in doing so, they leave out so much and become repetitive. Grief is messy; it impacts many parts of our lives and can leave our minds jumping ferociously between different thoughts and emotions, and I felt this reflected in this book. No stone is left unturned, and Stacey doesn’t shy away from any thought, making it more authentic and relatable than most books on grief.

Other themes which come to light in the book, and which I found incredibly enlightening, include the power of social media networks, the relationship between grief and capitalism, the experiences of women and how we find ourselves playing roles throughout our lives, and the concept of a teenage bedroom as a site for identity construction.

This book is not only for those who have dealt with grief or know someone who is terminally ill but for everyone, as it serves as a poignant reminder of why we should find joy in every day. Thank you, Stacey, for sharing your and Greg’s story.

Categories
Biography Non Fiction Self help

Mad Woman, Bryony Gordon

Ten years after the release of her debut book, mental health advocate Bryony Gordon’s continues to offer us a raw and unfiltered glimpse into her ongoing battles with mental illness, in her latest book ‘Mad Woman’.

In this unique blend of autobiography and self-help, Bryony delves into her recent experiences of menopause, binge eating and the continuous battle she faces with OCD, personified as the notorious Jareth the Goblin King. Through her candid storytelling, she invites us as readers to emphasise with the challenges she faces each day as someone living with mental health illnesses including her recovery from alcoholism – has she broken her sobriety by taking cough medicine?

In addition to sharing the experiences she faced throughout the years of the pandemic, Bryony also reflects on many broader societal issues, including the dismissal of women’s health concerns, and damaging assumptions about body weight and fitness. Most groundbreakingly she reflects on what she has learnt about mental health illnesses throughout her journey – perhaps we aren’t the problem but existing in a world where we are constantly in a state of perma-crisis is, offering a poignant realisation that perhaps our brains are simply trying to keep us safe (the unveil of which is emotional).

What sets Bryony apart from other mental health advocates is that she tackles difficult subjects and infuses her narrative with a touch of humility and wit. Through moments of raw honesty and humour, she takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster, offering hope and most importantly making them feel less alone and united in mental illness struggles.

Raw, honest and hilarious, Bryony is the mental health bestie we all need. 5 stars.