I could not get into this book. I didn't like it at all. Thank you for the opportunity to review though.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. This book has kept me engaged from start to end, exploring thoughts and feelings about a difficult and taboo topic. The author often cites that she is not a victim and I respect that but at the same time there are so many elements to her story that make me angry at all she has been exposed to and experienced. A strong female voice which has been through some very tough and difficult times. I hope that in writing her book she finds peace and happiness.

I was really hoping to enjoy this book. As the blurb drew me in. Unfortunately while the real life stories were good the book didn't flow as well as I thought it would.

I really wanted to like this book, from it's clever book cover and interesting description but something just wasn't quite right.

The stories were disjointed and fragmented. It was confusing and didn't flow.

Thank you for the ARC, it was so nearly there.....but just lacking

As someone who is completely for the decriminalisation of prostitution, I was excited to read Eve’s story. I love the clever book cover and it definitely drew me in.

The book has a non linear timeline, which was a bit confusing at first, but the short and engaging chapters were easy to get through.

Eve talks honestly and openly about her experiences with different types of work; brothels, being a dominatrix and also “normal” jobs. She shares some insight on her bosses, customers, working environments and her colleagues/other working girls.

I really wanted to like Eve, but unfortunately, she came across as quite bitter, jealous, greedy and judgemental. She seemed to look down on those working minimum wage jobs and even other sex workers and came across as quite hypocritical in places. Her bitterness towards those with money and anyone in a position of authority took away from the story I think she wanted to tell.

The turning point for me was when she spoke of the 14 year old girl answering the phones. She just “walked away”, why didn’t she call the police? Why didn’t she get that girl some help?

Eve comes across as someone who is bright and hard working but seemingly chose to surround herself with untrustworthy people and an awful lot of drugs. Whilst she claims to not have a problem with them, she sure seems to do a lot of cocaine, and if £300 a day isn’t enough to live on, I’m really not sure we’ve heard the full story here.

She discloses trauma from her past and her difficult relationship with her parents, which unfortunately, plays in to the narrative she’s trying to deny; that girls often end up in the sex industry due to poor life experiences.

Alongside her sex stories, we hear of her pregnancy and follow her experiences into motherhood. It was interesting to read how she navigated working and pregnancy.

Thank you Eve for sharing your story, I wish you all the best with your daughter and the future.

"How Was It for You? Stories from a Sex Worker" by Eve Smith is a compelling and eye-opening collection that provides an authentic glimpse into the world of sex work. Smith's candid and heartfelt writing draws readers in, offering an intimate perspective on the experiences, challenges, and triumphs faced by those in the industry. Each story is told with honesty and empathy, shedding light on the humanity behind a profession often misunderstood and stigmatized. Smith's narrative voice is both engaging and thought-provoking, making this book a crucial read for anyone seeking to broaden their understanding of sex work and the lives of those who navigate it. "How Was It for You?" is an invaluable contribution to contemporary literature, fostering empathy and awareness through its powerful storytelling.

As others have said, I found this book to be very disjointed and as such it did not grip me the way I thought it might. This is going to be a DNF for me

Eve Smith (shockingly not her real name) has been a hooker, a dominatrix, an escort, a hostess in a strip club and has worked on sex phone lines and in "How was it for you?" she writes candidly about her experiences. She says at one point that it was her looks that first got her sex work but it was her personality that kept her clients coming back, and that personality shines through in her writing and kept me reading. This book could have so easily been salacious gossip about an industry that most people know nothing about and judge far too quickly, but instead it focused on Eve's experiences and the growing legal and financial issues for sex workers. How decriminalisation would be the solution to so many of the problems faced by sex workers and the dangers of working in an unregulated, illegal job market in which the police don't care if you live or die (but still turn up at brothels for the services of the women they persecute).
Written in an explosive manner with rage bubbling under the surface, Eve doesn't make claims about anyone else's experience but her own and discusses these (unnecessarily) taboo subjects with tact and rightful rage.
Although there's humour in some of the discussion about her clients, the women she works alongside and brothel managers, Eve also describes the terrible mistreatment that is so pervasive for sex workers, including raids from police and the seizing of assets through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) that was originally meant to stop drug dealers but is used regularly to the detriment of sex workers - many of whom pay tax on their earnings. She also points out that in every country that has criminalised the purchase of sex, violence against sex workers has risen - the solution to this can only be decriminalisation.
This book is a fantastically written insight into the world of sex work through Eve's perspective, I learnt a lot and couldn't help but be angry on her behalf. A fantastic read which should be essential reading for all the judgemental idiots out there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan McMillan for the eARC.

My thanks to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for a copy of “ How Was It For You ?” For an honest review.

A very interesting , truthful , and eye opening, book written by a sex worker “Eve”
It dispels the myths and preconceived reasons behind someone who works in the profession .There can be many reasons behind their decisions
It was amusing at times , but also heartbreaking , and it definitely makes you think.
The only niggle I have is that the time scale between chapters is a little disjointed , but I soon got used to this

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.