Fifty Shades of Grey

[ccardoza2013]

Yes there was NO chemistry with the characters in the movie. Not only that but I think because of all the hype the book originally received when it first debuted, everyone already had in their mind what the lead characters would look like. I wish they would have stayed more true to the resemblance of the book description of the characters. I mean, I didn't feel the chosen actors were an appropriate fit in any way for their selected roles.

I'd be interested in a second movie but with different characters, maybe a different director as well?

I definitely think there are WAY better romance/erotic novels on the market and perhaps thanks to some well thought out marketing strategies this book did better than it was due.

[crazyrussianmaria]

I totally agree. I mean, even if they would have gotten Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart from Twilight (post breakup), they would have done a better job. I even read that they didn't even like each other, seemed to me that Dakota Johnson was kind of a package deal as Anastasia Steele because they kept changing the guys for a while and then got Jamie Dornan. I actually don't mind Jamie Dornan, it's Dakota that I can't stand.

Different everything, yeah. But I'm sure they have to stay with the same actors now, that sucks. Don't think I'll be watching the next one.

Honestly though, the books were leaps and bounds better then the movie and I didn't even like the books.

[H0LD0Nthere]

I have never read the book, but Dave Barry wrote an awesome, hilarious review of it. That was enough for me.

[crazyrussianmaria]

You're not missing out on much. Seriously.

I want to read this review now. Thanks.

[charysma_lilly]

Hi,

Since you were talking about the movie, I think she looked more scarred than attractive. In the book, she's also confident. I did not like it either anyway. I'm not sure they'll release the other parts.

[crazyrussianmaria]

I certainly hope not but I'm sure they signed some kind of contract that said they have to stick and make the other ones too. I don't know, I guess we'll see.

[cjedlebeck824]

I love the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy! Yes, it is about sex and has quite a bit of erotic scenes and such but to me it is so much more about the sex. Out of all three of the books, the first one is my least favorite, but obviously has a lot of important information to get the full story. It books discuss a lot about the reasons why Christian is the way he is and his need for control in all aspects of his life, including sex and how that all changes when he meets Ana. There are also elements of suspense and danger thrown into the plot that I think adds a dynamic of the story as a whole. There is a ton of negativity and backlash with this story because people view it as abusive and controlling relationship which I suppose on the surface can be seen as that. To me, this series is about more than that and really digs into the heart of why the characters have certain traits and how they deal with them as the relationship changes. I have read this series about 4 times and love to come back to it when I'm in a book lull where I can't find a new book that catches my attention.

[charysma_lilly]

@ cjedlebeck824 i agree, the books are more than just sex. In book 2 and 3 there's more tension and one can better understand the depths of christian' emotional trauma.

[mleaasmith]

I really love this book

[crazyrussianmaria]

I just finished the second one and I liked it better than the first. Is it just me or is the second book just a bit more interesting and has more action. Anyways, here's my review that's also on my site:

Not bad but not great either. The second book in the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a slight improvement from the first one but it still fails to deliver anything more than a slightly cheesy rendition of two people addicted to each other in rather odd circumstances.

The second book, while a tad better than the first one, lacked any real conflicts and events. It actually took a while for me to even get through it because I did not feel like I had to keep reading to find out what happens next. And on top of that, nothing of great importance happened until about half-way through the book. The first half consisted of the two main characters, Anna and Christian, trying to figure out their rather obsessive relationship with each other. It rarely happens that I don’t feel jealous of the main heroine’s romantic relationship with her significant other in the book and that’s what happened here. Christian actually rubbed me the wrong way, his possessiveness and rather overly emotional nature repelled me.

On that note, the book became a little bit better once we started finding out why Christian is the way that he is. However, in my opinion, I found that this took a little too long to happen and everything before that wasn’t that exciting. And I am the epitome of hopeless romantic, but all the relationship stuff was too much, even for me. I would have liked to see a better balance of both romance and action because the romance was trying a bit too hard for me and it completely overwhelmed any of the action that occurred.

Moving on, the dialogue was also on the cheesy side and for this reason hard to read at times. I mean, who talks like that? I get that these two people are madly in love with each other but in reality, people who are romantically involved don’t talk like that to each other. However, at least the writing style was okay because it made for a smooth and quick read.

In addition, the smut was mediocre at best. The variety of the sexual scenes was good but that didn’t make up for the lack of variety in the word usage. It would have been nice to see a broader range of appropriate vocabulary, which would have made for a more exciting read.

One thing that saved this book for me, was the character development. While the characters might not have talked realistically to one another, they were three dimensional and I could picture them being a real person as I was reading. Even though Anastasia Steele really didn’t capture my interest as a person and I couldn’t relate to her whatsoever, I can’t deny that there were many layers to her and we got to see more and more as the book progressed. There wasn’t just one side to her. Christian as well, we were able to see the depths of him and get a glimpse into his soul.

All in all, Fifty Shades Darker delivers a rather mediocre portrayal of two people obsessively in love with each other. And although the plot drags and disappoints, the characters manage to stand out as individual personas. With all the media attention this book has gotten over the last few years, it still leaves a lot to be desired. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read and doesn’t care about a lack of a real plot or the amount of cheesiness that can be packed into 500 pages.

[readingmommy2016]

When the first Fifty Shades of Grey was released there was so much controversy over it that I found myself curious also and decided to read it. I read the first book only and stopped there which is extremely rare for me. I had never before started a series and not completed it. But Fifty Shades is just not for me. Too much sex and too raunchy with too little..... I don't know. Just wasn't for me. I guess I'm just more of a "young adult" reader.

[crazyrussianmaria]

When the first Fifty Shades of Grey was released there was so much controversy over it that I found myself curious also and decided to read it. I read the first book only and stopped there which is extremely rare for me. I had never before started a series and not completed it. But Fifty Shades is just not for me. Too much sex and too raunchy with too little..... I don't know. Just wasn't for me. I guess I'm just more of a "young adult" reader.

I totally understand what you mean. It did seem like it was way too much smut without anything else in it really. And I agree. It was also rare for me because it took me like forever to finish the second book. Of course, I did just have a child and was pregnant when I started it but still, when you are into a book you won't stop, regardless. I could have found time to read it but I just didn't care enough about what happened next. I also like YA, even though I'm definitely not a young adult anymore.

[readingmommy2016]

So glad I wasn't alone here! I was definitely expecting more of a story line. There just didn't seem to be enough going on to keep me interested. I felt the very same way. I just honestly didn't care what happened. How these books took off and have huge movie deals beats me.

[charysma_lilly]

I agree, there was too much publicity around this series. I enjoied it better starting with book 2 where you can actually read something more than just hot scenes...

[mbieber13]

I attempted to read this book because of the all the hype and great reviews it was receiving only to be disappointed. I was unable to find a real story line other than 'sex'. I am not a prude as many may instantly suggest, but I simply found this book boring.