Muse: The Magnetism of Women Who Stop Abandoning Themselves

by Amanda Hanson

Women, there is a more beautiful way to live. That begins when you meet your inner Muse.



For too long, womanhood has been defined by patriarchal structures that keep us women small, quiet, and at war with our bodies. It’s time for a radical return to true, self-led womanhood.



In The Magnetism of Women Who Stop Abandoning Themselves, Dr. Amanda Hanson examines the history and current systems that put women in the position of living their lives based on their worth to men. She then guides us through exquisite rituals and practices to reclaim our womanhood and build our most beautiful lives.



Weaving together research, personal stories, and insights from Dr. Hanson’s decades of helping women through her unique method that combines clinical psychology and ancient holistic practices, Muse gives us the power, built on matriarchal consciousness, to reconstruct our lives.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction

232 pages, Hardcover

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Jordan Duran · Rating 1 out of 5]

This books aims to inspire women to reclaim their power and challenge patriarchal norms but often feels more like a soap box than a guide. While it offers some helpful exercises, it's weighed down by tangents on Western medicine and personal anecdotes that lack balance. Hanson's rigid perspective and selective use of science make it polarizing. For those new to questioning patriarchal beliefs, it may be a start, but there are better, less preachy options available.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

DNFed at 25%. I don’t usually review books I DNF but this one rubbed me so wrong I wanted it documented. The first 10% of the book came across as arrogant and self-aggrandizing, with the author consistently telling you how much this book would change your life, including a “warning” that once you heard what she had to say you’d never be the same. Immediate ick. Then I almost DNFed when the author ranted about how nauseously angry she got 10 minutes into an action movie. It felt overly aggressive and excessively anti-patriarchy (I get that the patriarchy is pervasive and destructive but can’t a girl like action movies too? The author seems to indicate no, they’re just brainwashed if they do). I finally DNFed at 25% when the author began speaking of how no woman gets Botox or goes on a diet for her own good, it’s really just the patriarchy, which I find narrow minded and one sided and eliminates a lot of real experience that real women may have. The authors reference to Botox in the forehead as apparently numbing the third eye chakra and then saying that wearing shapewear “not only harm[s] their internal organs and digestion, but they disconnect from and torture their womb space, the most powerful portal where endless inner wisdom reside.” Sorry ma’am, the instant you mention my “womb space” as being a requirement to any sort of feminine identification I’m OUT.

[Sherry Steveson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives some very valuable information that I think would be invaluable to woman of any age but specifically those reaching perimenopause and beyond. We are a society that bases so much of a woman’s value in her looks and youthful appearance and isn’t it time that we start to find beauty that is soul deep. This book deepens our understanding of breaking free of those societal norms.

This is a review of the audiobook.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. Well my honest review is that there are some points that are valid and true. I just don't think this book was for me or that I'll recommend this to my close friends.

[Lindsey Barger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

As a standard at Read With Lindsey, we do not give full reviews to books with ratings under 3 stars, so this will be short. Muse by Amanda Hanson sports the tag line “The magnetism of women who stop abandoning themselves”. Having been in a dark spot recently, I was immediately drawn to this book both by this tag line and by the publisher’s blurb that discussed “rituals and practices to reclaim our womanhood”. I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting, but this was definitely not it.

I give Muse 1 out of 5 stars. This audiobook is approximately 8.5 hours long and for the first 3 hours, Dr. Hanson discusses what this book will do for you, leading this to feel more like a speaker at self-help conference that is only interested in signing you up for some program to get your money. It isn’t until you’re nearly halfway through that Hanson delivers her first exercise to help you connect to your womanhood. Additionally, at around the 6-hour mark, Hanson touts the need for natural childbirth…and only natural childbirth. In one sentence, she laments the statistic that the US has the highest maternal-fetal mortality rate, and yet immediately afterwards turns to telling women not to allow medical intervention in childbirth. While I agree that medical intervention should be much less than what we see today, I am a mother who is only here because I received medical intervention during both my pregnancies. To hear her state that most women would feel like I was raped because I did so? Offensive. That medical treatment saved both my life and that of both of my children. I also found it down right abhorrent and irresponsible to make women feel like seeking medical help made them “less than” – this is right up there with making moms who choose formula or anyone who seeks medical treatment for depression feel less than. Additionally, if you’re going to attack a religion by quoting its scripture, it would be best to learn how to pronounce the name Leviticus properly.

I cannot in good faith recommend this book to my readers. I was impressed with Dr Hanson’s therapeutic record and license, and also with the publisher’s blurb stating research would be including along side clinical and holistic practices. However, I call into question Dr Hanson’s qualifications after reading this book. There also was minimal clinical research to support her claims. Please save yourself the time and frustration with this one.

[Gumiho Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muse by Dr. Amanda Hanson, a clinical psychologist, is empowering from the start! With a focus on women who struggle with knowing, loving, and accepting themselves, it opens hearts and minds to self worth.

I’m not a huge self help reader, but this one stood out and really allowed me to connect in ways that were unexpected. The fact that it was not solely “do this” or “do that”, but sharing her own experiences, journey, and things that can help shift mindsets made it relatable.
Now, the only thing that stuck out was that there was a lot of focus on the self-worth and value from the physical perspective and inward. This is a great topic for many women to explore, but I wasn’t expecting this. I thought it was going to be more about self muses from a different perspective. But it all culminates to the same thing so it makes sense. While this may not be for me, it is definitely worth it and helpful for those who may be suffering with this particular problem.

If you’re looking for a self help book to remove the negative perspective of aging and replace it with loving your aging journey, then this is for you! Enjoy the process!

Audiobook review section:
Dr. Amanda Hanson’s audiobook version brings the book to life on a whole other level. The book alone was very empowering and pulled at the heartstrings, but adding in her emotion, perspective, and her essence takes things to a whole other level. It didn’t feel too preachy. But instead supportive and compassionate. Thank you! I will continue to work on my journey.

*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of Muse from Dr. Amanda Hanson via NetGalley

[Anne Jisca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the premise of the book. I'm glad to see a shift in challenging our patriarchal society to allow women to be themselves, for themselves. Well done to the author in addressing that.

The downside of the book, for me personally, is the inclusion of some eastern religious beliefs. An early example is her going to a healer, where she is told she "must believe" for her son to be healed. At the end of the book she shares her story about breast augmentation, and the process to get them removed so it would no longer block her chakra to her heart. She talks of apologizing to her body for toxins from breast implants. As a previvor myself, who has had a double mastectomy, and now I am reconstructed with breast implants, it seems rather insensitive and "higher than though".

As women, yes, let's encourage ourselves to stop abandoning ourselves. To age as we wish. To get cosmetic surgery *if you want*. What is right for the author is not necessarily right for others. Let's aim to keep the balance between letting go of "musts" of the patriarchy, without jumping to "musts" of the all-natural group-think (which is cultish).

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

[Kari Pennise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me deeply uncomfortable at times, and that’s exactly why I needed it.
Dr. Amanda Hanson has a way of holding up a mirror to all the ways women have been conditioned to abandon themselves. We are taught from such a young age to please, to over-give, to earn love by disappearing. And when a woman like Amanda models what it looks like to fully love herself, it can feel confronting, even threatening, if you haven’t done that work yet.

But that discomfort is sacred. Every place in me that resisted this book showed me exactly where I still needed to heal. And as I stayed with it, something inside me softened and expanded. Small shifts began changing everything ….the way I speak to myself, the way I move through a room, the way I trust my own worth. I now expand where I used to shrink.

Most of us have never seen a woman love herself this completely. This book gives us permission to do the same , to remember that you cannot bring your magic or your healing into the world without first loving yourself deeply.

If parts of it make you uncomfortable, look closer. That’s probably where your freedom lives.

[Christine Laufer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know what you're getting into - that is a book written by a woman fully in her power with all the language and stuff in there, then its a good book. Yea its got preachy stuff but I really wanted "real", "personal" and "opinions" mixed in with my books, especially when its perspectives different than the ones pre-ordained by the patriarchy and as I recognize so many female characters growing up were written by men and its no wonder sometimes I don't feel like I ever was able to live up to any of them... they weren't true to femininity and so if you want a book that is really she-rah, this book fits that bill. I see why the other reviews are lower, but like there are so many books this is one that is preachy and very female over the top which is a mindset that so many still find dangerous for women to have!

[Stasia Rispoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Muse" by Dr. Amanda Hanson is a transformative read that invites you to explore the depths of your inner self. With its insightful guidance, the book encourages an expansion in how you perceive both yourself and the world around you. If you allow it, "Muse" can be the soul food you've been craving on your journey back to authenticity, offering nourishment and inspiration for personal growth and self-discovery. A truly enriching experience!

[cMa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really gives you plenty to ponder, especially about how our perceptions began and how they’ve evolved throughout the years. So much food for thought!
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Greenleaf Audiobooks | Greenleaf Book Group Press for this ARC.

#Muse #NetGalley

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced audiobook.

Muse is a feminist cry for women to embrace their gender and aging. Unfortunately, there is a lot of repetition and stories that go nowhere without much point and without much self-help advice. I DNFed at 51%.

[Tatiana Lascu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book felt like being reminded of a truth I already knew but had somehow forgotten: that all that I’m searching for has always lived inside me. The author writes in a way that feels like both a friend and a guide, calling you back to yourself with honesty and grace. This isn’t about becoming someone new; it’s about shedding what was never yours and stepping fully into the woman you already are. This book is an invitation to remember, to rise, and to live unapologetically in your own truth…

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so helpful. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I have always loved who I am but struggled with other people’s perceptions of me and this book really helped, my husband listens to me read out lines and enjoys it too.

[Erelah · Rating 5 out of 5]

EVERYONE SHOULD READ THISSSSSSSS PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[Diana Demenina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive guide for modern women. Highly recommend.