Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James

Most of you are probably saying, “Finally.” I refused week after week to read this book, but I finally caved to the peer pressure. How can I be taken seriously as a book blogger if I don’t review what will probably turn out to be this year’s most popular book? I had to read it even though I went in fairly sure I would dislike it.

The story is about Ana, a college virgin, and her relationship with Christian Grey, a twenty-seven year old CEO / billionaire who’s apparently very good looking and single. They meet when she interviews him for her college newspaper (his alma-mater). Right away they both fall head over heels for each other. Nothing really happens until she signs a non-disclosure agreement and somewhat agrees to a contract detailing the rules of their relationship. It turns out Grey is a BDSM person who wants to dominate his submissive. Use Google if you need further explanation.

FYI, I hate when people fall head over heels in romance books. It’s not real life. And before I sign my life away to be punished and abused, I’d want to know a bit more about the person. What if the guy is crazy? It's ridiculous to think Ana has never had a relationship in her life, yet is willing to run off with Grey.

I had to skim over the detailed sex scenes. I tried to read through it, but after a few pages of it, I got it. I didn’t want to read a whole book describing how sexual encounters feel. It adds nothing to the book. It’s fluff to me. I also had to look up a bunch of things that were referenced. Fairly sure everybody has to look up some of this stuff unless you’re a dominant or submissive. I’ve said this multiple times to people, but sometimes I think it’s better when you know less. This book will certainly expand your horizons, and once you have been exposed there is no going back.

I can see why women would like this kind of book…it’s got all the recipes to rope female readers in. First, there’s the obvious love story. One can always remember the days of innocence, like Ana was at the beginning of the book. Women always want Mr.Charming-Billionarie-Hotguy to fall out of the sky and carry them away into the sunset. And probably the biggest hook for women is all the dirty sex talk.

I really enjoyed the banter between Ana and Grey. Some of it stands out; sometimes you need to read a bit closer to catch it all. I found it amusing and it makes for good reading – maybe I need more banter in my life. Overall, I thought the book moved too slow. The sex stuff consumes too much of the readers time. The substance is lacking, a la the actual story could be written in 100 pages. I found the book better than I expected, but not good enough to want to read two more books of this stuff. Sparknotes will suffice.

My rating for Fifty Shades of Grey: 3 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. I read the entire book at Barnes and Noble over four nights. No way was I spending my money to support this book.