Thursday, June 27, 2013

Review: Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky

Anatomy of a Single Girl (Anatomy #2)
by Daria Snadowsky
Published January 2013 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Received for review from the author (Thank you!)
Rating: 4 out of 5 
Anatomy of a Single Girl (Anatomy, #2)

Summary from Goodreads: 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.

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Anatomy of a Single Girl is the follow up to Anatomy of a Boyfriend. Though they don't necessarily have to be read chronologically, I would definitely recommend reading Anatomy of a Boyfriend first so the character development is more apparent.

Dom is still trying to get over her ex months after their breakup. She's making progress, but it's the "two steps forward, one step back" kind. When she has the chance for a summer fling, she let's go of her initial misgivings and jumps into it, leading to a very interesting summer for Dom.

Just to be clear: Anatomy of a Single Girl is definitely a New Adult book. The characters are all adults and there is a lot of sex. Just as it was in Boyfriend, it's the honest kind of sex, not the glorified kind. I really love how Snadowsky isn't afraid to write the completely realistic kind of sex, nor is she afraid to write a female character who actually likes sex. I think it's really important to have female characters who are sexually empowered, and even more important for those characters to not be perfect. Dom definitely isn't perfect. The way she handles her summer relationship is completely realistic because she isn't always sure of herself, or her decisions, or especially her feelings.

I loved how Anatomy of a Single Girl has a really huge friendship storyline in addition to the romance one. Dom is trying to juggle her fling and not abandoning her best friend while also trying to figure out how to be friends with someone she's hooking up with. I liked how Dom and her best friend weren't frenemies and actually cared about each other. They both made some mistakes, but in the end forgave each other for them. It was a great portrayal of a healthy friendship.

Dom really let's her wild side out in Single Girl. In Boyfriend she's more uptight, and more concerned with breaking the rules. In Single Girl she doesn't seem to care about most of the rules. I don't think I could do some of the things Dom did, especially in the romance area, but it wasn't completely out of left field for Dom to do them. I was a little bit miffed at her a few times for being disrespectful to her parents, but I was also reminded of a few times that I've done or said similar things.

My issue with Single Girl is the same as it was with Boyfriend: the tendency for Snadowsky to tell instead of show in her writing. It's not a deal breaker for me, but I know a lot of readers get frustrated with that writing style quickly. I was pleasantly surprised to find updated technology in Single Girl, because the outdated kind in Boyfriend was distracting.

Anatomy of a Single Girl is a natural feeling follow up to Anatomy of a Boyfriend. I enjoyed watching Dom grow as a person and experience new things. I think Dom is one of the most realistic characters I've ever read, and I can only hope for more in this series.

6 comments:

  1. I remember reading your review of the Boyfriend one..
    Still not a huge fan of the covers, but these sound interesting -- thanks for giving me a better idea of what they are about!!
    Thanks so much for stopping by! Jen @ YA Romantics

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    1. I don't think the covers do the best job of depicting what's inside, but I do think they're worth a shot!

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  2. If there is going to be sex, I like for it to be written exactly how you describe it. Realistic and honest. I haven't read the first book or this one but I may have to check them out! :)

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  3. I think you should! I thought they were a fresh take on the YA/NA contemp scene.

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  4. I just got this and the boyfriend one from the author for review last week. Now I am looking forward to reading it. Great review!

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    1. Great! I really enjoyed them both. I hope you do too!

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