What an intriguing read. Gifted to me by a friend who devoured the trilogy, I sincerely wanted to dislike this book. I received the synopsis of Ana and Christian's relationship from a few other women who indulged in the books, and there were a few aspects of the read I thought to be a bit...much, i.e. Christian's hyper-sexualization and the context for which Ana and Christian use sex. Despite my negativity, I enjoyed the book. Although I was not impressed with the author's writing style and her excessive use of certain words (whisper, flush, blush, murmur) and phrases (what does it mean to look at someone from under your eyelashes?), I give the book kudos for being an engrossing summer read.