I thought this was going to be more of a memoir where we learnt about Eve’s experience as sex worker from the beginning but it was quite disjointed and all over the place, I could never quite get into a anecdote before it ended and was on to the next one.

The premise was interesting and it had a lot of potential but the writing style just didn’t work for me.

Unflinching, indeed. This is the type of book where you get a glimpse into lives, industries, insights that you may otherwise not get.
I found the author’s writing engaging and the funny, bizarre or dark anecdotes she shares as well as her own honest opinions and perspectives are valuable.

It’s important to note that of course, I’m reviewing the book, and not the author’s life experience that she has shared with us.

I had thought this book would be various stories/experiences of the author’s time as a sex worker, and in some ways, we do have that. There is also a lot more of about the author’s background and her other jobs, which was really interesting.

I think I was expecting, based on the description, a more chronological time line of stories and snippets, up to the author meeting her partner, ‘Adam’. I think the actual book is a little bit more illogical and all over the place, which I found difficult to follow. Some sections are stories, and some are more general musings, which again I found difficult to follow and felt like I was skimming at times.

I will also add that I felt a bit of internalised misogyny coming through at times too, as well as some thoughts that seemed to be quite contradictory throughout.

A very interesting insight into the sex worker industry in the UK.

I had a bit of a problem with some, what felt like, internalised misogyny against females who work in standard/minimum wage jobs & the idea that people cannot gain enjoyment out of these jobs.

However, overall I did enjoy reading this book. It was super quick paced with each section/chapter being concise but informative, it was interesting to hear the other side of what we always see on the media, news, TV & movies and some myths debunked. It spoke about typically taboo subjects very matter of fact and brought in a great mix of humour, sarcasm, descriptions and facts.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me the opportunity to read this!

An unflinchingly honest account of a woman’s experience as a sex worker.
What I really appreciated about this was its nuance. The author shows many different sides of sex work and its varied impact on the workers and clients. It also explores society’s attitudes and the treatment of those in the industry. It even touches upon society’s treatment of women and working class people in general.

The structure of this might not suit everyone. It’s split into very small sections, that sometimes jump about different times and experiences in the authors life. But, I thought it worked very well and was very impactful.

I will say I found a lot of this quite depressing. Interestingly, not the sex work part itself, but actually how so many of the author’s experiences highlight the misogyny prevalent in our society and indeed the appalling way upper and middle class people often make judgements about working class people in general, let alone sex workers. That being said, the author does make some of her own judgements about other sex workers and how they conduct their business.

On the whole found this incredibly thought provoking and was also pretty informative in terms of the laws and debates surrounding sex work. An interesting read that brings humanity to sex workers, it shows their layers and that they are complex human beings, just like anybody else.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read a digital arc of this.

An interesting look at an industry that is never spoken about but is worth around 5 billion a year in the UK.. sex work.

This book really gave some insightful stories and did well to dispell some myths we get often from the media surrounding prostitution. The narrator is quite strong and forceful in their opinion about sex work which makes for a good read.

My lower rating is because this book was quite challenging to read and really could have been a lot shorter. She doesn't quite have enough content and it really isn't delivered in a logical way.

I wanted to like this, I liked the idea of seeing the sex industry from the eyes of a working woman/prostitute/call girl/escort (and any other names that have been used). I expected stories about the different clients that she had been with or different places she had worked. However, it all felt like it dragged a bit and there weren't many of these kinds of stories. There seemed to be a lot of contradictions throughout the book and the author seemed to look down on other prostitutes. Some parts of the book were interesting, but on the whole I struggled to connect with the author and her story.

I laughed. I cried. I swore.
This is a book that made me FEEL. ups, downs, highs and lows. It was REAL. no sugarcoating, no skipping the ugly parts. It was such a refreshing book to read!
I’d like to say I’m a “you do you” feminist, and this book made me so angry on behalf of those trying to make a living. Angry at the government. Angry T those whose job it is to “serve and protect”. Angry at johns. Angry at abusers. But I also felt love. For Eve. For others in her situation. For those dealt a bad hand, who still strive to kick ass and take names!
Eve is a strong character. A lovable character. And, more importantly, a RELATABLE character. There will be parts of her story that anyone can relate to! A fantastic read!

This is a memoir written by a sex worker about the industry in the UK. It's fairly recent as discusses the effect of the pandemic. It's an interesting read from an interesting perspective, it's not overly sensational and looks at the impact current policing has on the industry. It's worth a read.

A human perspective on the realities of sex work from the inside that we rarely see. I’m grateful to “Eve” for opening her life to us - past and present - with a series of funny, infuriating and tender stories. Also very interesting to see how some feminist, conservative and/or legal views practiced by people who have never done sex work can truly harm the people they purport to protect.

How Was It For You by Eve Smith

An interesting read to an part of life that very few of us know about .
Honest , brutal , and at times very funny Eve gives an good insight to a business that has been going on for a very long time , I'm glad I read it.

This is a good book to read if you want a very honest insight into a sex workers life. Lots of funny anecdotes. Would recommend. I'm not sure I like the front cover.