Anatomy of a Boyfriend (Anatomy #1) by Daria Snadowsky

Hardcover, 272 pages Published January 9th 2007 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

                                                                          *** 3 Stars  ***

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 seeing—and touching—parts 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.

Remember your first love and that feeling of over analyzing every word you said and move you made? That is this story. I'm not talking about when your in kindergarten and you and your friends tease each other with "you show me yours I'll show you mine" This story is about the real First Time. Going All The Way. Home Run. 

Told from Dominique's perspective, we see through the eyes of a girl experiencing her last year of High School and falling hard for a boy. He's distracting, he smells good and she wants to do nothing but touch him all day long, every chance she gets. The awakening of emotions that we all experience at different points in our life. But the first time is always the one you remember, and most often so awkward you probably wish you could forget. 

If you can't tell already there is a focus on sex in this novel. Our main character is obsessive about safe sex, protection and even bodily functions. Which she is always able to remind us of at some of the most random moments. 

What I enjoyed about the story is (for the most part) the writing and how the author is able to really pull the reader in to the emotions of what the main character is thinking, feeling and aiming for with her actions through her thought process. But perhaps it's also the writing of the sex scenes that made me blush, and feel very uncomfortable with it's very direct and descriptive way of handling the sex scenes.

I admit I am a bit of a prude, especially when it comes to such intimate details, but I also think that if I am uncomfortable, others will be too. I have always preferred the "less is more" when it comes to details of sex in teen books, but this story takes it to the maximum level and doesn't let anything go unimagined. 

The characters are very likeable, relateable and real. There is never a moment that you don't understand exactly what she is going through and why. Even those details that your afraid to talk to your relatives about are explained pretty intimately in this story.

First Loves are always a roller coaster emotionally and so is your first time. This book approaches both subjects with honesty.