*Received from the author for review! Thanks!*
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.
- Description from Goodreads.com
Anatomy of a Single Girl continues the story of Dominique, except this time she's single and ready to mingle. She's back at home for summer break and as fate would have it, she meets another boy. Ooooh. And yes, of course things happen.
After reading Anatomy of a Boyfriend which is so incredibly explicit, Anatomy of a Girlfriend feels like a mouthwash. It's much less graphic (though I wouldn't necessarily say they have less sex) and I like that. I think it's also very representative of how Dominique has grown sexually. In the first book, she described play by play what went on in her, er, sexual life. However, in this book, there was less of "and then he started kissing blah blah blah" and more of "it felt exhilirating" and so on. I take this to mean that she's obviously much more experienced now and she's doing it really for her own enjoyment. She's not thinking about, you know, making sure her boyfriend is please, she's more focused on herself which I think is amazing. It shows that even though the breakup was bad and had a negative affect on her, Dominique has actually benefited from it in the way she's carrying herself. She's so much more independent and strong. You go, girl!
Dominique has never been an outstanding character but now, real people aren't ever outstanding, are they? So you know, while I don't particularly like Dominique, I can admire her for being an authentic teen voice. I know that must have been said like ten thousand times by my fellow reviewers but it's worth reiterating. Daria understands teenagers and she knows how to write them. At times, Dominique is so real that she seems to be so much more than just a character in a book.
I think that's what this book has going for it. It's not the storyline (which in all honesty, I found a bit dull), it's not the barrier-breaking sex talk, it's the fact that teens can relate to this book. It's the fact that it's authentic. Every single page in this book hits being a teenager spot on. I loved how Dominique had her flaws and the author wasn't afraid to show that. But she also displayed the good of Dominique which made her a very well-rounded character.
There are also some great issues discussed in this book and some great lessons to learn from Dominique. This book is perfect for all teenage girls. You'll get so much out of this book from reading about Dominique's adventure with boys. And trust me, if you're not into all that graphic sex but still want to give Dom a shot, go ahead and skip right to this book.
