Women Who Love Too Much: When You Keep Wishing and Hoping He'll Change

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of addiction and mental illness.



Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How does Norwood’s approach to relationship dysfunction compare to other self-help books you’ve encountered (for example, Amir Levine and Rachel Heller’s Attached)?

2. Norwood wrote this book in 1985, drawing heavily from 12-step recovery models and codependency theory. How does her therapeutic approach feel to you as a modern reader?

3. What was your reaction to the author’s assertion that “loving too much” constitutes a genuine addiction requiring structured treatment?

Encourage readers to reflect on how the book relates to their own life or work and how its lessons could help them.

1. Norwood argues that family dysfunction creates unconscious relationship templates. When you examine your own family of origin, what spoken or unspoken rules about love, conflict, and emotional expression might have shaped your adult relationships?

2. The author distinguishes between genuine helping and controlling behavior disguised as care. Reflect on your own tendencies in close relationships: When have you crossed the line from supporting someone to managing their life, and what drives those impulses?