I liked the take on substance abuse that Valentish had but it did not connect with me. The writing was fine but I thought that it was quite dry in certain chapters meaning that I did not want to continue reading them even though the premise was interesting.

An interesting, thought-provoking book which sees journalist Jenny Valentish investigate the female experience of drugs and alcohol, using her own story to give the book personal insight. I enjoyed the honesty of the writing and found myself resonating a lot with the text, as a woman who's been sober for almost two years.

Fans of Caitlin Moran will likely enjoy Jenny Valentish's cheeky, realistic voice throughout as she recounts her turbulent relationship (past and present) with alcohol and other substances. I am a fan of Moran and could better appreciate the blunt anecdotes once I made the connection, but for the first half I struggled trying to decide which was Valentish's ultimate goal, to tell her story or to use her story to support the statistics and studies (and the indecent lack of female inclusion in the vast majority of drug research) she'd also include in each chapter. Eventually I felt more connected to her and understood her support of women seeking treatment that currently doesn't exist or help them long term, the way the same services are available to men (for whom addiction and drugs & alcohol affect them differently). By the end my heart was pouring out empathy for how far she'd come in getting herself into a more healthy routine after spending her entire adolescence and adulthood in such an addled state. Much helpful information can be gleamed from its page, information other women who are struggling may not otherwise find easily.

I wasn't a fan of the writing in this book. If felt very forced. I did feel for the author and think its amazing how far she has come on her journey, but it was hard for me to follow at some points.

This is an incredibly well researched book about women and substance abuse, whether that come in the form of drugs, alcohol, EDs or nicotine. Weaved throughout is Valentish's own issues with substance abuse and her journey trying to cut herself off from these addictive behaviours. It's a really insightful book about an area of scientific study that really hasn't been touched upon by academics, and presents a number of really good arguments about how women should be included in the study of substances. It's short enough that you don't get bogged down by the facts and figures, but intelligently written and endearing throughout.

I am very disappointed in this book. The writing style just does not work for me. It feels disjointed and to be honest, it bored me.

I absolutely loved this book. As a graduate student in psychology, I can say it was very well written and researched. I would recommend this.

I received a copy of the ebook for "Woman of Substances" from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley!!!
I love books about alcoholism, addiction, and mental illness. I am a recovering alcoholic myself so I especially gravitate towards books on that subject written by women. This book is a little different than the typical memoir that a recovering alcoholic writes. This book DOES tell Jenny's story (her life, her addiction, her recovery, etc.) but that isn't what the meat of this book is in my opinion. This book goes into a lot of detail on issues that particularly women struggle with during the process of recovery and alcoholism. - issues that a lot of books like this don't go into such as hormonal issues that women addicts might go through. There are a lot of facts, statistics, etc. that are very interesting.
My favorite part was when she talked about her sobriety because she is very real about it. Sobriety isn't sunshine and rainbows and she was very honest in her portrayal. I especially loved how she went through every week her first year of sobriety and how she was feeling. I also had to laugh during the "a word from my sponsor" part because I could relate to that.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a lot of other books to look into, it gave me a lot of issues to look more into. I would recommend this to any woman who is struggling with addiction or has gone through it.

Woman of Substances by Jenny Valentish offers insight into substance abuse through a gendered lens. It is a memoir because Jenny’s story is the main story guiding you through the book, but it is well researched which makes it more universal.

This book was the most fascinating piece of non-fiction that I have read in a long time. The issues addressed in Woman of Substances are contemporary, relevant, and incredibly important. Valentish manages to address them in a moving yet empowering way.

To me, the best part of this book is that Jenny Valentish tells her story in such an honest and bold way. Speaking up about such a difficult subject is admirable. Speaking up about it with so much respect and a strong voice like hers is simply admirable.

The amount of research in this book contributed to strengthening the message that all individuals have their own unique way of dealing with substance abuse, but that there are indicators throughout (early) life that can indicate addictive behavior. The fact that Valentish took a gendered stance in her research is the perfect example to demonstrate that the personal differences mentioned above are more often than not accounted for in the ways we deal/treat cases of substance abuse.

The only drawback for me was that most of the research used came from Australian, American or UK research, which made me want to yell that a global approach would be even more insightful. I guess Valentish would probably agree with me on that, so this really would only make the book even more interesting.

My rating for this book is 5 out of 5 stars. This is because this book was a real eye-opener for me (as someone with no previous knowledge about substance abuse), and I think it can be for many. Also, this book is a prime example of research conducted in a highly progressive manner. Way to go!

I received a digital review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. My review is susceptible to changes in the final copy of this work.

Wasn’t what I was expecting. Somewhat boring in parts. Struggled to finish it. Wouldn’t recommend nor read again.