I decided to read this book because of the hype, too. (I read Hunger Games this month for the same reason!) With all I'd heard, I expected a redo of 'Last Tango in Paris'.
I, also, see it as a coming of age story or the loss of innocence.
I mean, what girl hasn't met the 'perfect' guy...., except for that one, little flaw. And what girl didn't convince herself she could change him, and he would do it 'for her'.
Of course, although he hides it or disguises it during the 'courtship', it comes back eventually and that little flaw becomes the elephant in the room of the relationship. The main difference with this book is the guy's 'perfection' and 'flaw' are both blown out of proportion.
I was actually surprised the BDSM was milder than I thought it would be, considering the hype. And, sure, there was plenty of sex, but lots of romance novels have much more. There was some witty dialog and the story kept a good pace with no long, drawn out deliberations that drive me crazy.
I'll probably read the next two Fifty Shades, since the story is obviously not over. The 2nd book in the Hunger Games was good, but the third was a little weird. I'll have to see how this one goes.
And I will have to laugh the first time I hear someone use "fifty shades" of anything in a conversation!
