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.
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