June 25, 2013

Dual Review: Anatomy of a Boyfriend + Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky
Release Date: January 9, 2007
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 272
Series: Anatomy
#1
Review Source: eBook from author

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Before this all happened, the closest I'd ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body.

Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing—and touching—parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love.

And then came the fall.
My Thoughts:
‘Anatomy of a Boyfriend’ felt like a real and honest portrayal of first teen love, showing how often people can become obsessed with that person, having everything revolve around them. Interestingly enough this wasn't a book where I really felt emotionally in tune with the main character or particularly close to her or her situation, which would normally put me off the book. Yet somehow I was intrigued by the story and seeing how Dom went from having this crush to being together and in love. It was also interesting to see how she felt as she and Wes progressed in their relationship physically.

This book is known for having a lot of sexual content, and I know as a (very sheltered) teen I would have been shocked to read it... and yet it didn't feel gratuitous. I liked how honest and real it felt, not like perfect romance novel sex at all. While I wouldn’t label this as a “favourite” I liked how the author took a fairly taboo topic within YA and made it something interesting and constructive.

The Cover:
Fun(ny)!

Rating:
[Strong 3/5]

Find Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.


Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky
Release Date: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 227
Series: Anatomy
#2
Review Source: eBook from author

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
With Judy Blume-like honesty and insight, this sequel to
Anatomy of a Boyfriend is about life after first love--romance, sex, friendship, family, and the ups and downs of life as a single girl.

After everything that happened—my first boyfriend, my first time, my first breakup—jumping back into the dating game seemed like the least healthy thing I could do. It’s not that I didn’t want to fall in love again, since that’s about the best feeling ever. But as a busy college premed still raw from heartbreak, which is the worst feeling ever, I figured I’d lie low for a while. Of course, as soon as I stopped looking for someone, an impossibly amazing—and devastatingly cute—guy came along, and I learned that having a new boyfriend is the quickest way to recover from losing your old one.

The moment we got together, all my preconceptions about romance and sex were turned upside down. I discovered physical and emotional firsts I never knew existed. I learned to let go of my past by living in the present. It was thrilling. It was hot. It was just what the doctor ordered.

But I couldn’t avoid my future forever.

In Daria Snadowsky’s daring follow-up to
Anatomy of a Boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Dominique explores the relationship between love and lust, and the friendships that see us through
My Thoughts:
Usually I'm all about the romance/true love scenario, but there was something refreshing about this book. It’s real in the fact that unrequited love exists, relationships are messy, and things aren't always perfect. ‘Anatomy of a Single Girl’ explores the fact that it can take work to find that person you can't imagine being without.

In this second book, which can also be read as a standalone, it’s the summer after Dom’s first year of college. It’s been months since the breakup with Wes and she's mostly gotten over it, but obviously some of the pain is still there. I feel like this book was really an examination of who Dom is, and what she's looking for in a relationship, and how those two combine.

Again, what’s interesting about Daria Snadowsky’s writing is that it looks at sex not quite clinically, but also so different from all these other New Adult books which act like every person is either an inexperienced virgin or a sex god, nothing in between. I liked how this book broke the stereotype and talked about the good, but also the incredibly awkward. If you’re looking for a New Adult title that’s honest and realistic about sex, then you’ll definitely want to check out ‘Anatomy of a Single Girl’.

The Cover:
Like. =)

Rating:
[Strong 3/5]

Find Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.

2 comments:

  1. Sounds pretty interesting, especially with the way it looks at sex. I'm not sure if it's my thing though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're definitely very interesting reads, and I'm glad I read them... though not ones I would call favourites. Still, I could see myself reading more from this author in the future.

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