Disclaimer: This book was reviewed at the request of author Daria Snadowsky.

I’ve never read 50 Shades of Gray (nor do I plan to), but “Anatomy of a Single Girl” by Daria Snadowsky might as well be the fourth book of the series. Following college sophomore Dominique “Dom” Baylor through her summer fling, “Anatomy of a Single Girl” explores the typical topics of love and sexuality in an honest yet unoriginal way.

Dom heads home to visit her family and best friend over the summer, but she ends up spending most of her time with Guy Davies, a frat boy she recently met. As the book progresses, so does their romance, but the storyline soon falls flat. Quite frankly, a large portion of the story (perhaps too much) focuses on their sex life. So while Snadowsky’s blunt and honest presentation added an entertainment and humor factor, any attempt at an actual plot was poorly developed.

Despite the generally amusing plot, Snadowsky’s mediocre delivery makes the book less enjoyable. Her style turns the book into an easy read, but at the expense of more vibrant and varied sentences and word choice. The dialogue between characters is awkward; it doesn’t truly reflect the way people interact, and lines often seem cliche and sugar-coated. Additionally, none of the characters have an unique voice, including the main character, transforming their monologues into monotones.

Although Dom is bold as the leading female character, the other characters serve merely to revolve around her. They hold no real depth. The boyfriend is cheesy, the parents are gushy and the best friend is annoying at best. For several of the characters, more emphasis is placed on sexual development than emotional growth.

Due to some explicit material, this book would be most suitable for teens and adults. All in all, Anatomy of a Single Girl was not particularly satisfying, but Snadowsky provided a quick read with a decent storyline.