Really interesting and very lively look into the female of the species from the very beginning onwards. Lots of comparisons to other species and using very accessible language, this is a book I will dip in and out of. Seems a lot of footnotes for such a layperson-friendly text.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Eve has been an eye-opener, and feels really accessible in how it has been written (in that you don't need to have much background knowledge to appreciate what the book is about), I feel like I have learnt quite a bit and also have plenty of food for thought on evolution in females. I was particularly intrigued by the depiction of the uterus - despite having had abdominal surgery as a teen (it turned out to be a hidden appendicitis, at the initial intake in A&E they weren't sure if it was my bowels or my uterus so the surgery was initially to have a look) so the actual depiction suddenly made a lot of sense in why the drs were not totally sure given the fact actual depictions would show it much closer proximity than a traditional diagram one is used to. If one holds an interest in biology - particularly the history of female biology then this book is probably for you.

This book is everything I didn’t knew I need it!!!
This is a Very detailed book about female body evolution and how this affected the humanity. I am amazed how the author can made the book simple so reader doesn't need a biological or medical knowledge to fully understand. This is a book I will revisit after time. Is a book I will save as one of my favorites this 2023. Thank you very much to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the access to this arc definitely 5/5 read for me.

An interesting and detailed book on the female body and one I will be dipping back into in the future. Every woman should read this.

Wow, this book is chockful of information! All of it fascinating and written in a style a layperson can understand, but certainly overwhelming at times - thank goodness for discrete chapters which can be picked up at different times.
The author definitely provides food for thought on the power and evolution of the female body, and its uses, and I will be thinking about it for some time to come.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

Very detailed and interesting book looking at female body evolution has effected human evolution and has opened my eyes on certain subjects, the author tries to make the book simple in parts so the reader doesn't need a biological or medical knowledge to fully understand.

The book we knew we needed...is here.

This book is an edifying journey into the evolution of our species through the female body. Or, rather, how it was the females of our species that mainly drove our evolution, and here, the author goes through some key adaptations and entertaining stories through "our Eve's".

I really enjoyed the "Eve's timeline". Throughout its pages, we encounter many of our "Eve's"...The author created this type of timeline going through stories of different mammalian fossils: the first rodent-like mammal to produce something like "the first type of breast milk" before breasts were a thing; the eve's of the 'single-vagina'; the eves of bipedalism; and the hypotheses for the origin of our different senses as we know them (and their sex-differences).

And beyond physical adaptations, social adaptations, too, have shaped who we are. This might not seem so surprising, but for me it was jaw-dropping to learn that the origin of "gynecology" predates "males hunting with tools" and that this is a hypothesis of how we became such a "successful" species for spreading so far and wide and surviving despite unbearable and almost impossible pregnancies...

I must admit I did find myself crossing my legs in imaginary pain often in the chapter that compares primate birth.

The author has such wit and humour for telling such complex stories in a very accessible way. And it's not a "women are better than men" or any other gender kind of book; it is simply that other part of the story we rarely find - partly also because researching with female bodies is just statistically more complex and it was until 2004 that, in the US at least, scientists had to start justifying why their study samples did not include women...but you can read more about that in the book. And well, many other reasons why we don't hear that part of the story, and here it is now in "Eve", by Dr. Cat Bohannon.

Plagued with science and a lot of wit, it is a dense but very enjoyable must-read. You'll never see your own body the same again. And that's a good thing.

_

Thanks to @netgalley for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A very interesting read, going in-depth about the female body, quite fascinating.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

This is an amazing read I would recommend this to every single person, an amazingly interesting story of woman and the woman’s body

Really interesting start, going over the evolutionary history of female bodies. I found some of the anecdotes and very casual footnotes probably could have been left out, and this seemed to increase as the book went on. The last section felt a bit all over the place, it seems because there isn't really research to back up any of the theories presented in that final section it is filled in with postulating - very interesting theories, but wasn't the ending I was anticipating for such a well-researched start to the book.

I thought the book was separated into beautifully thought about chapters- making each one distinct like MILK and TOOLS and LOVE was a lovely concept. I did feel this was somewhat whitewashed and some of the theories felt like a reach, but overall it was clearly a labour of love and well researched

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is so well written, with lots of scientific and historical facts yet written in such a relatable way that you wouldn’t get bored. Great read.

Eve by Cat Bohannon is an interesting, very readable and accessible, comprehensively in-depth history of the evolution of the female body

A really interesting and thought-provoking book taking us through the evolution of women. I loved the history and international examples. I also learnt a lot about my body such as internal systems and the menopause. I thought the discussions on systemic issues were interesting, I wasn’t convinced by every theory the author offered but I definitely understood where it was coming from. Would definitely recommend this to younger readers with a mature reading level as well as anyone wanting to learn more about women!

Wow, so much research has gone into this book. The author looks into the difference between male and female. We may be all humans but the difference between the two sexes has gone greatly investigated. This book looks at the differences between the two genders and the reason that they have come about. It is a good insight into the history and the evolution of the sexes.

At times, this book is not an easy read. however, there is so much information and detail that it will leave you thinking long after you put the book down. Perhaps more men ought to read this book to have a full insight into the makings of the woman.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to see an ARC

An interesting read combining anecdotal evidence with scientific data. I did find the amount of footnotes distracting.

An absolutely brilliant book. There is so much knowledge in this book, the bulk of which I had no idea. At first I could only read in on the Netgalley app but have now downloaded to kindle. In fact, it was easy to read on the app. if I was waiting for something and only had my phone. As the book covers so much, I could only absorb so much information at a time. Reading one section eg the brain was enough in one go as my brain needed a rest. It is not a feminist book but explores the physical differences in the female and male bodies often overlooked by scientists. It rather reinforced my opinion the men and women are equal but not the same and the feminist movement should realise this.

Cat Bohannon counters the male norm in science with this in-depth exploration of the evolution of the female body. From breasts and ovaries to perception and the brain, the difference between the sexes is profuse. And as much as is known about why these differences occur, there is more still to be learnt.

Highly accessible and witty.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

If you love science, learning more about evolution and especially if you’re female, this book is a gem! It is just the sort of book I have dreamed of reading, since my science A-level days when about to embark on a Biology degree to have the opportunity taken away. It’s piecing together the parts I thought I knew and adding much more, from the female point of view at last and explaining it all in plain speak. It’s amazing what we achieve!

Absolutely fantastic book that reframes human evolution from the perspective of the female body. All the data is presented with hundreds of references, and the author has managed the difficult task of being funny, engaging and scientific. An absolute must read.