As a perimenopausal woman, I had been looking forward to reading this, so it pains me that this book wasn’t for me. I could not get past the language used, which unfortunately started out in the authors note. After that, I was disinterested but kept reading hoping for some guidance on how my body is working now.. The book reads as the authors personal story and experience with menopause, including how it affected her work, appearance, thoughts, etc. Add in chapters of medical information that seemed like they were copied from Google. I was hoping for a guide to help get through this stage of life but I could not connect with the authors writing and story telling.

I just finished this and I have to say this has been the most memorable book on menopause that I have read so far. I felt like I was having a discussion with a friend who understood what I was going through the whole time I was reading. I highly recommend this book to anyone going through peri or menopause and who just want to be heard. 5 stars ⭐️

This 3.5 star book starts off with a great quote: “There is no greater power in the world than a menopausal woman with zest.” Margaret Mead. I don’t know if I actually have what you would call zest, but I’m still upright, and some days that seems like a miracle.

This former newscaster (who got her start in Oak Hill, West Virginia, shout out, lady!) tries to cover EVERYTHING about menopause and she succeeds reasonably well, quoting lots of experts, studies and the like. As she points out, “you don’t pass through menopause. You enter it and live there for the rest of your life” (may the good Lord help us.).

First she identifies the 34(!) symptoms of menopause. I have self-diagnosed with 17 of them. Then she mentions there are 103(!!!) symptoms if you include the rare ones. I’m not sure I’m so upright anymore. Definitely listing.

She discusses the link between menopause symptoms and heart disease, the now mostly discredited idea that hormone therapy increases risk of breast cancer and includes chapters on big symptoms: sleep disorders (me), memory problems (who, me?), sex, weight gain (me….it’s the feel good book of the year!)

She goes into a lots of subjects including wardrobe edits and makeup. Here I think she tries to do a bit too much and the book suffers overall. Plus, it definitely doesn’t help that this woman worked in an appearance based industry so she is clearly beautiful, she tells you she LOVES working out (shut up) and her daily diet sounds like absolute misery. I skimmed through a lot of this. I REALLY don’t want to hear this information from a model, thanks. Give me a normal woman who might eat a sleeve of Girl Scout cookies for dinner.

So, with that in mind I’m rounding down to a 3. Oh, and she mentions menopause.org a number of times, plus you’ll be furious about how little med school teaches doctors, even OB/GYNs about menopause.

How to Menopause is a very relatable and timely book. Tamsen Fadal is a journalist with a strong social media following. She has been sharing personal, practical and useful information about menopause. This book is a compilation of research and personal experiences delivered with honesty and humor. Very informative read for anyone approaching or going through either perimenopause or menopause.

Everyone should read this book! Very informative. Since reading All Fours by Miranda July, I have been reading many books about menopause. This book was really clear, intuitively organized, and something that I could refer back to in my life. It's very instructive, with clear solutions/suggestions. It's also very aware of diversity and different experiences among women. This book is big on advocacy and how to advocate for yourself. I appreciate the discussion happening around menopause right now and there being more information out there, like in the form of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Books for this ARC for an honest review.

This book is different from the menopause books already on the market—it gives tips that actually work! From sleep to work to anxiety and everything in between, the author takes you step by step on a journey through living well during menopause.

This book was chock full of information and a great reference that I wish I had had 20 years ago. Tamsen has done extensive research and is correct in calling this a health emergency which clearly. needs more attention from doctors. Menopause has become a hot topic in the media because more people are talking about it and more people are coming up with products to market to women. This is just straight up research and news you can use.

As a native NYer, I have followed Tamsen on the news for many years. I have also followed her emergence into this topic on social media. The book was throroughly researched and covers alot of topcs which I have read about. As someone who has long past perimenopause and really suffered, I do wish this topic was more in the forefront when I experienced some of these horrible symptons. It is correctly deemed a national health crisis and glad to see the topic is getting some attention.