Anatomy of a Single Girl

Gr 9 Up—In this sequel to Anatomy of a Boyfriend (Delacorte, 2007), 18-year-old Dominique Baylor is fresh off her freshman year at Tulane and plans to spend eight weeks with her family at their Fort Myers home. She will work as a hospital volunteer and hang out with her best friend, Amy, hoping that this will help her recover from a recent breakup. She meets Guy Davies, a handsome Ford University junior, and is immediately attracted to him. While both acknowledge the chemistry between them, Dom longs for a level of commitment that Guy does not reciprocate. He makes it clear that he is interested in a summer romance. At first hesitant, Dom decides to go along with the limitations, living for the pleasures of a relationship that has no future. Not surprisingly, she eventually determines that she wants more than a strictly physical relationship, breaks off with Guy, and returns to Tulane a "sadder but wiser" girl. The necessity of having a boyfriend ("No matter what we do, it's always more special if there's a boyfriend to share it with.") is an underlying message. The book contains explicit sexual scenes, raunchy language, and a detailed graphic description of a pelvic exam.—Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY