Interesting and thought provoking, a must for all females over 25.
Read and make up your own mind.

Maxine Mei-Fung Chung's "What Women Want" is a bold and thought-provoking exploration of desire, identity, and societal expectations. Through a series of interconnected stories, Chung delves into the lives of women grappling with their deepest desires and the complex forces that shape their relationships and sense of self.

Chung's narrative is raw and unflinching, tackling themes of love, power, and autonomy with sensitivity and depth. The characters are compelling and multidimensional, their journeys revealing the often hidden aspects of feminine desire and fulfillment.

"What Women Want" is a powerful testament to the diversity of women's experiences and desires, challenging traditional narratives and celebrating individual agency. Chung's prose is evocative and empathetic, making this novel a poignant and enlightening read for anyone interested in exploring the complexities of female desire and empowerment.

What a truly fascinating and gorgeous read.
I couldn’t put it down!
This is a wonderful easy to read book with a plot unlike any other
If your looking for a book with a plot that will keep you completely captivated from first page till last then this is the one for you!

I am fascinated by therapy and have had cognitive therapy myself. I really enjoyed this very insightful book where even the author shared her own personal memories and thoughts, This resulted in a very rich and compelling read.

Thank you to the publisher & netgally for this copy.

Enjoyable read….Through the profound and moving stories of seven very different women, Maxine Mei-Fung Chung sheds light on our most fundamental needs and desires. From a young bride-to-be struggling to accept her sexuality, to a mother grappling with questions of identity and belonging, and a woman learning to heal after years of trauma, What Women Want is an electrifying and deeply intimate exploration into the inner lives of women.

Based on hours of conversations between Maxine and her patients, this book lays bare our fears, hopes, secrets and capacity for healing. With great empathy and precision, What Women Want presents a fearless look into the depths of who we are, so that we can better understand each other and ourselves.

To desire is an action. This extraordinary book liberates and empowers us to claim what we truly want.

Underwhelming.

The author set such a high bar for herself in the introduction and then failed to deliver. What follows is a rather boring narrative, with not much in term of contributions from the author that would help one have a deeper understanding of human nature, of the psych and ultimately women. This format of exploring a case that ultimately would teach us something about a subject as a whole is an overused one, particularly for this type of books. Therefore it needs something to make it stand out from the million of similar books, and in my view, there's absolutely nothing in What Women Want to deliver that. I would go as far as to say it is a mediocre example from this genre!

As for what women want...what can I say? According to this book women want to be understood, accepted for who they are, loved and supported. What;s new? I wish the complexity of human desires had been explored, or the complex reality of innate desires vs societal expectations. But I guess for that one needs another book,lol!

A very comprehensive analysis of women in different positions, both economically and emotionally, and how their pasts have affected the way they love. I generally enjoy psychoanalytic views on the most human tendencies like love and parenthood, so this was right up my alley. I wouldn’t say I learned much new but it did remind me that every decision we make in our everyday relationships are influenced by our histories of loving and being loved.

An incredible insight into the lives of seven women via their psychotherapist. A heartbreaking and moving account of the difficulties these women have faced along with their road to recovery and finding happiness again. Beautifully written

I don't really know what I thought this book was, but it wasn't what I was expecting: Maxine is a psychotherapist and What Women Want is an account of seven women she has worked with and their journeys to understanding and reclaiming their lives. It has a really good range of women coping with various issues – from a mother dealing with her son's suicide, to a lawyer scarred by institutional racism, to an elderly woman wondering if she can love again – and it was definitely interesting reading about therapy and how Maxine deals with each of these women's healing processes. (Incidentally: I've never been to therapy and probs never will but WOW these therapists are amazing.) I have nothing bad to say about this book except I never really gelled with it – but that's very much a me problem (who doesn't look a blurb before reading a book?) and I would recommend it to anyone who's intrigued.

I learnt so much by reading What Women Want by Maxine Mei-Fing Chung. This book is a collection of essays about 7 women and their therapy with Maxine - all of them very different. The author has changed various details to preserve the privacy of her clients.
I was absolutely hypnotised by this book, at times angry, other times sad, overall convinced of the need to have open and honest conversations with women around us, of all ages and orientations. I genuinely don't understand some of the Goodreads reviews saying that they are none the wiser about what Women Want and that the writing style was confusing. I think this book will be in my 2023 non-fiction favourites. I found it deeply moving, and useful. Whilst I have very limited experienced of therapy myself, I know many people in my family and beyond who benefitted greatly from it.

I also think it is important to have the perspective of a female therapist who is from a mixed background (half white working-class, half-Chinese, born and raised in the UK) as often I picture therapists as older white men.

The stories are all impactful and I will recommend specific ones to my mum and other loved ones.

Thank you so much to @NetGalley @author_maxinemeifungchung @hutchheinemann @penguinrandomhouse for providing me with an ARC for my Kindle in exchange for an honest review.

Rating - 4.5 stars rounded off to 5

Thanks Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann
for this non-fiction ARC!

In What Women Want, the author – Maxine, a well-known psychoanalytic psychotherapist shares her journey of therapy with several women, enlightening us with her findings, experience and anecdotes based on their true life events. Her objective is to explore and understand their deepest desires, while she helps them to heal and find their identities.

Maxine not only introduces us to seven women from various walks of life – each with their own emotional battles, past wounds and life challenges, but also offers insights to her own involvement in their therapeutic interactions.

She explains how as a therapist, she deeply get affected by the feelings of her patients, how she works on slowly building trust, confidence and how with time, this connection and collaboration between them blossoms, kindling compassion, acceptance, growth and consideration that they are only human.

The story of every woman we meet here is extraordinary and really shook me to the core. I was in awe of Maxine’s systematic yet realistic approach. Together, they dissect their pasts, examine the current, process grief, trauma and ruminate about the future.

Providing the most delicate of hand-holding that prioritizes their desires, Maxine nudges them gently to process emotions, encourages them to conquer their fears and embrace change, that finally promotes their individual growth and improves relationships .

I realized what it takes for a therapist to be successful – an abundance of patience, unimaginable adaptability and humongous amounts of empathy. While tending to a patient’s emotional well-being, I also discovered that a therapist undergoes a transformation of his/her own!

The author’s writing is incredibly powerful and resonating. I loved how she ended the book with a personal touch - as recollects her own desires as a little girl, as she stood up to the challenge herself as an immigrant, an outsider - achieving her ambitions & pursuing her passion.

She invites us women to embrace our desires, invokes kindness and sympathy towards ourselves, questions what we truly want from life, how we can claim it, while also inspiring us to uplift ourselves by overcoming any societal/familial barriers.

A poignant & thought-provoking read that I urge everyone to read!

I absolutely loved this empowering and fascinating insight into the work of a psychotherapist and her patients.

Seven case studies are presented, each being a woman struggling with issues that some, if not all, will resonate with every woman, Grief, desire, unresolved trauma, love. All part of every human journey. Presented with real care, these stories are life-affirming and definitely food for thought for me as I recognised some of my own thoughts and behaviours.

It's also lovely to get an insight into the therapist's own psyche, their emotions and reactions to working with patients in such emotional pain. It normalises the process of therapy to remember, it's just one human sitting across from another human, working together to soften and understand the pain. To find ways to live through the challenges and to soften the hard edges of unhealed wounds.

I was completely absorbed in this wonderful book and is definitely one I'll read over again.

Maxine Mei-Chung presents us with case studies from seven different women she has worked with as a Psychotherapist. Each women is on their own unique reasons for seeking therapy and some of the stories are quiet emotional. This book had the potential be very clinical given the Authors profession yet Maxine is a wonderful writer and a great storyteller who draws you into each woman's journey. This book was not at all what I was expecting but it was a pleasant surprise,

When I read the blurb for What Women Want I had to read it. Coming from a Psychotherapist perpective of women she has treated, the issues they have come to here with and what they want to achieve, I thought this would be a highly interesting book.
The book consists of 7 case studies of clients, each centered around a different topic. In nearly every section of the book there was something that resonated deeply with me. The saddest and also the most helpful thing I took from the book, is we are not alone.
I, personally, would have maybe liked more of a deep dive into theories and the psychoanalytic perspectives of each case study, but also understand it being kept as it was too hopefully have the topics opening up conversations.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK/Cornerstone for sending me this advanced copy for review.

Maxine Mei-Fung Chung has used her experience as a psychotherapist for the past 15 years to bring together the stories, fears and desires of seven different women. What Women Want: Conversations on Desire, Power, Love and Growth feels like the perfect combination of fiction and non-fiction, although the stories told are very real.

I really loved how easily Maxine explains some of the psychological theories she leans on to explain why some of the women may have felt certain things, or why she had come to certain conclusions from a therapist’s point of view. This was paired with her ability to weave storytelling and recall the tone and body language of her clients during therapy sessions.

Some of the stories were more interesting than others but all in all I really admired the storytelling and will definitely be picking up a copy on it's publication day!

What Women Want
by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung

This was a complete surprise, and in a very good way. So what exactly do women want?. If you are looking for the manual on that, this is not it.

This author is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and this is a set of case studies of seven women who she has worked with in therapeutic relationship. There are various reasons, some common, some unique, all complex, that these women sought therapy, from a girl with abandonment issues, a woman desperately longing for a baby, a lesbian who needed help reclaiming her sexuality, a mother who couldn't find a way through the suicide of her only son.

Having sought the approval of each of her disguised clients, she wrote a chapter on each, written in intimate, compassionate narrative non-fiction. There is nothing clinical in the writing style, yet Chung weaves her professional opinions and considerations through the narrative, allowing us a glimpse into the tenets of psychotherapy and the pathways to healing.

I found this fascinating. I really appreciated that the finished articles were approved by the women themselves, and that felt genuine and authentic to me. I couldn't help but become deeply invested in each woman and her circumstances because of the empathy that Chung fosters. She also brings her own want to the table. and the reader can't help but relate, because in lots of ways these are shared experiences.

I highly recommend this to anyone who wishes to deepen their understanding of the ways that loss, repression, parental issues, sexuality, identity can cause pain and dysfunction and how the answers and the key to healing are already within us.

Publication date: 9th February 2023
Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouseuk for the egalley

This is a fantastic read. Enlightening and inspiring. I loved the balance of non-fiction and fiction. The anecdotal style the author uses in the stories of her clients really pulled me in, making it a smooth and enjoyable read, whilst also filling my heart with hope and understanding. There is so much to be gained from spending a few hours with this book - highly recommend!

This is such a beautiful read! It is wonderful to read about these women’s journeys, although heartbreaking at times. I loved to hear how Maxine’s therapy and support helped all of these women.

New year, new you? I took my time reading this book and did not regret it. It’s definitely a book filled with knowledge and purpose. The book and content are bite-sized but this is a book that you can re-read and come back to over and over again depending on the situation you are facing in life. The front cover could be more appealing. as it stands it would not grab my attention if in a bookshop.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

"What Women Want" was a positive disappointment. I'm a sucker for stories from therapy room and Maxine Mei-Fung Chung offers just that. Her clients' stories, told with their consent, which was a valuable disclosure and done very ethically, allow for exploration of women's wants, desires and needs. Each case is deeply unique and touches on issues of sexual identity, race, familial relationships, childhood abuse and trauma.

The author is not only a therapist, but also a writer and storyteller. She utilised her talents to draw complex landscapes of her clients' lives.

Why was it a positive disappointment? I expected this book to be a write-up of stories that will focus mainly on relationships and sexuality. Luckily, I got much, much more.