Anatomy of a Boyfriend (Anatomy #1)

Some books do a fabulous job of showing what goes on inside of a hormonal teenager’s head. Anatomy of a Boyfriend is very honest and pretty accurate with its portrayal.



Dom is a hormonal mess. She’s been able to resist the lure of boys for most of her time in high school, but then she meets “the one”. Enter Wes. He’s everything that a young Cassanova isn’t. And he’s perfect for Dom.



There is instant chemistry… and a lot of sexual exploration. I mean a lot. They are both horrible niave, so some of the situations they find themselves in are entertaining. Classic teen stupidity.



I have to be pretty honest, however, I was really surprised by the amount of sex in this book. At times, it felt more like a teen Harlequin novel instead of a YA contemporary read. That did not keep me from reading it, however.



Dom is all over the place with her emotions, and I could not help but recognize my younger self in her character. The highs and lows of young (and most) relationships were realistic. The anger and ache that comes from having your heart broken, also believable. Dom is every teenage girl.



After reading the book, I thought about the dedication page. Anatomy of a Boyfriend is devoted to Judy Blume and Dorothy Teenov. That may not seem important at first, but when I started to think about things I realized something. Judy Blume received a lot of crap for some of her stories that discussed sexuality among teens and masturbation. Well, Anatomy of a Boyfriend is part of the new age of teen literature that explores these topics.



I will admit that I did not know who Dorothy Tennov was. So, I looked her up. She was a psychologist that—in simple terms—studied the compulsions behind ‘being in love’. She coined the term “limerence” to describe these feelings of needing to have your romantic feelings reciprocated. This feels pretty accurate for Dom, because a large part of the book deals with her efforts in her first relationship, and whether or not they were returned.



I will also go ahead and mention that I never cared for Wes. I think he had a lot of potential, but he always felt selfish to me. I kept waiting for some plot twist to show that he was taking advantage of Dom, or some other explanation to explain his behavior. When that didn’t occur, it left me a little baffled. I never fully bought the relationship and “love” aspect of Wes and Dom. It felt very rushed.



I would probably not be able to keep these on my classroom shelf due to explicit sex scenes that are on just about every page. I would also have a hard time keeping these out of my students’ hands if they knew I had them. They are so interested in this topic, and many don’t feel comfortable asking about it. They would, however, read a book. This series would definitely be the most requested book from my “secret box” in the closet.

Reader reviewed by Yan

Summary: 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 seeingand touchingparts 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.

Review: I loved how the relationship developed from the small crush to the almost obsession. It definitely was not a small glimpse as to what some other authors offer but the entire novel devoted to just the relationship. It showcased all the needed aspects of the sacrifices that love needs but also the joys that it can give.

This book shows you how it not only affects you but the others around you as wellyour parents, your best friend, and others that are close to you. The devoted parents, how they ask and respond to the questions that Dominique has. The best friend, a very strong minded character indeed!, who shares her wisdom, though limited, to help Dominique and how she comforts her in the end. And dont forget the bitter grandmother who belittles Dominique constantly who had lost her joy when her husband past away, a wonderful side character that gave a lasting impression to me.

I also quite enjoy the ending to it as well. It gives off a realistic outcomethat first love doesnt always have to work. The separation through college was a nice way to do so, again realistic, as well as the break up, through IM no less!

Heres my issue with the book though. I thought the love for Wes grew a little bit to the obsessive side but now that it has time to sink in, I think that it seems perfectly reasonable as it was her first crush/love/boyfriend. As in many cases first love is an unknown battleground that youre not sure youll survive, giving yourself up to one person can cause a real scare to some especially to young teenagers. But, my main issue has to be the sex in this book. At first I thought okay, thats a relatively used topic in most teen books but then it got a little graphic and I got concerned. About a small portion of the book talked and described about sex so I guess the reader can easily skip this section. Remember though, it can be a bit too graphic for the younger audiences.

Overall: I thought this was a very nice book about first love. At first when I just finished reading it, I wanted to give it away as soon as possible but after the initial shock value, it sinks in. Ill contemplate about this book for a bit longer but for now, its going to stay on my bookshelf.

Reader reviewed by Bookluver-Carol

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 seeingand touchingparts 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.

Anatomy of a Boyfriend was more like a textbook version of how your first love can be. It didn't really explore the emotions of a first love but it did explore of what can happen.

The characters were pretty good but you don't really feel for them. Dominique was a decent character and easy to relate to, but I didn't really care about her. Her emotions didn't jump from the page and touch you. And she was too obsessive over Wes.

It didn't really feel like a first love book, probably since it didn't focus on the character's emotions. It was more like a book on how to have sex than a romance book, or a book about first love (at least that's how it felt to me).

The plot was really good and it was well-paced. The ending was predictable and you know how it's going to end when you are 1/4 into the book. Some parts of the book were boring and I had to put the book down several times.

I had mixed reactions over this book. Some of the book was really good and there were a few funny moments, but then the book was boring at times and read like a textbook. I would recommend it, but know that it doesn't explore the emotions of a first love just the physical stuff,and there are a LOT of mature scenes.

Reader reviewed by Lilli Partyka

Does sex equal love?

Meet Dom. She's you're typical 17 year old high school senior who is experiencing the joy of a boyfriend (and everything that comes with) for the first time. As a shy, scholarly girl, Dom is attracted to the equally shy Wes, as school track star and seemingly sweet guy.

Eventually, the two coax each other out of their shell and begin to experience the passion, connection, devotion, and emotion that come with first love. Things get heavy rather quickly, and sooner than the couple knows, college has approached and they are apart for the first time.

Immediately after the separation, things take a drastic toll on the relationship. Dom and Wes find things strained and unusual, which leads them to question everything they knew - or felt they knew - about each other.

This novel is a candid, somewhat brutal depiction of a girls first sexual discovery, and the heartache that can be associated with the experience. Though it discusses rather touchy topics, the novel is honest, serious, humorous, and perfect for curious teens all over.