Anatomy of a Boyfriend

November 27, 2006
This frank depiction of a teen's first sexual relationship will cause some eyebrows to rise and some faces to blush, but that won't keep most readers from eagerly turning pages to find out if heroine Dominique Baylor will lose her virginity to her boyfriend. Boldly tackling such topics as masturbation, orgasm and oral sex, first-time novelist Snadowsky confidently marches where few YA writers have dared to tread, but her effort to break new ground at times appears too conspicuous, overshadowing other aspects of the story. On the other hand, her witty, first-person narrative and humorous accounts of all-too-familiar situations come off as genuine. Dom, a klutzy, lovable high-school senior, meets her first love at a football game at the most unromantic of moments, when she slips on the wet grass on her way to the Porta-Potty. A "blue-eyed boy," whom she discovers is named Wesley Gershwin, helps her up. After e-mailing each other a few times, the two begin to date. Their passion grows steamier and increasingly physical (at times the book reads like a sex manual). Dom considers changing her college plans in order to stay close to Wes, but after the climax of their relationship (and the book) occurs on prom night, the novel's energy fizzles in a prolonged, awkward wrap-up. Ultimately, this romance offers some insight into a girl's new-found sexuality, but it sends a mixed message to teens, leaving them to wonder if Dom's exploits were really worth the trouble. Ages 14-up.