Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky illustrates the trials and tribulations of being young and in love.

The book’s overwhelmingly pink cover may give readers the impression of a shallow and uninteresting story, but as the plot progresses, the book reveals itself to be much more intellectual than it looks.

The first-person narrative follows a rising sophomore at Tulane University bearing the burden of a recent breakup with her first love from high school.

Cliche, I know.

But when Dominique Baylor meets a new boy, the plot of the story quickly changes from overdone to quite unique. After this devastating breakup, Dom is very reluctant to jump into the dating game.

Baylor’s emotions may be very familiar to girls who are developing confusing feelings for boys, or who feel this unwillingness to fall in love.

Although she claims to be disinclined to fall in love, she seems to fall quickly for a guy named Guy. This “Guy” guy shares many of her interests, such as science, and they engage in intellectual conversations. Their chemistry (no pun intended) reveals the most important part of any relationship: a powerful connection.

The book also explores the sexual relationship between Dom and Guy. This aspect of their connection is enjoyable, but it was one of the factors that led to turbulence in their relationship.

Additionally, Dom analyses the concepts of love and sex scientifically. Her endeavors teach important lessons about romance and its spontaneity that can’t be measured with science. It can almost be read as a “what not to do when you go to college” guide for seniors.

This book was not exactly PG. In fact, I probably wouldn’t even be comfortable rating it PG-13.

“If it were a movie, it’d definitely be NC-17, and I wouldn’t recommend the book to anyone younger than high school-aged due to the mature themes,” wrote author Daria Snadowsky in an email.

The sexual scenes and references in the book appear to be placed strategically to compare and contrast the physical aspect of a relationship with the romantic and intellectual connection between the two partners. The book isn’t written to condone reckless sexual behavior, rather the goal seems to be to steer the reader away from these temptations.

“I do hope the book empowers readers—especially high school girls—to think seriously about what they want out of a romantic relationship, and not to compromise on their needs,” Snadowsky wrote. “It’s insidiously easy to ‘lose yourself’ in love or even lust, or to settle for something you’d never want your own best friend to tolerate.”

The author definitely achieved this goal with the book, as it is influential in a very positive way. The way Dominique often settles for less than she deserves teaches the negative effects of doing so.

“Even if the reader doesn’t agree with Dom’s actions, I try to reveal all the thoughts going into her decision-making so the reader can at least understand her point of view. Sometimes Dom’s thoughts aren’t very logical or nice, but that humanness makes her easier to identify with,” she continued.

Baylor makes a lot of mistakes in the book, mistakes that many young women make in their lives. This makes her a very realistic character, a quality that plays a major part in expressing the themes that Snadowsky is trying to convey.

Dominique Baylor’s accessible story of love and loss, both romantic and platonic, demonstrates valuable themes for young adults entering the world of dating and the pressures of sex. This book is an easy read, as long as the reader can handle material geared toward a more mature audience.

Anatomy of a Single Girl is available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover and for the Kindle. The first book in this series, Anatomy of a Boyfriend, is also available, but the sequel can be read as a stand-alone story.

(If you want to read the book it can be found at amazon.com)