Laura’s Review of Grey (Fifty Shades, #4) by E.L. James

Synopsis

See the world of Fifty Shades of Grey anew through the eyes of Christian Grey.

In Christian's own words, and through his thoughts, reflections, and dreams, E L James offers a fresh perspective on the love story that has enthralled millions of readers around the world.

Christian Grey exercises control in all things; his world is neat, disciplined, and utterly empty—until the day that Anastasia Steele falls into his office, in a tangle of shapely limbs and tumbling brown hair. He tries to forget her, but instead is swept up in a storm of emotion he cannot comprehend and cannot resist. Unlike any woman he has known before, shy, unworldly Ana seems to see right through him—past the business prodigy and the penthouse lifestyle to Christian’s cold, wounded heart.

Will being with Ana dispel the horrors of his childhood that haunt Christian every night? Or will his dark sexual desires, his compulsion to control, and the self-loathing that fills his soul drive this girl away and destroy the fragile hope she offers him?

This book is intended for mature audiences. 

What I Loved

         

For me this was the series that started it all, before this I had read some romance novels but never erotica.  After I was done with Fifty Shades Freed I needed to find more books like this and the rest as they say is history.  I was so excited to jump back into Christian and Ana’s world and revisit the very beginning of their relationship. 

          After I had finished Fifty Shades of Grey of course I had questions about what was happening behind the scenes especially when it came to Christian.  Also, I was always curious to know what he was thinking during certain parts of the story and I couldn’t wait for Grey to fill in all those little holes.  It was very insightful to see Christian’s side of things and what was going through his head.  There were definitely times that Christian was able to put a smile on my face, to see that he wasn’t all confident and calm when I thought he was.  I love how much he wanted to have Ana near him all day every day and counted the seconds if and when Ana would call or email him back.

          I realized how much I missed all those cute emails between these two and as I kept on reading it brought back all those feelings I had when I first began this series.  Lots of questions were answered, I love that at the end we get to see what was going on with Christian for that week Ana had left him.  I was anxious to find out what were his actions during this period and this book gave me exactly what I was looking for.

Not So Much

         

I was hoping that since time has passed and writing has progressed that the sentence structures would be a little bit better than the first book that was written such a long time ago.  But, I still felt like a lot of the sentences were fragmented at times and didn’t flow as naturally as I would’ve liked. 

          Also, I get that Christian is very wealthy and he grew up for the most part very wealthy but he is American.  Saying this, a lot of Christian’s colloquialisms were way too British to come off as a man growing up in Seattle.  I get that E.L. James is British but these characters grew up in America and the language and word usage definitely doesn’t come off that way.  It’s a huge pet peeve of mine when authors write books that take place in another country and the characters don’t reflect that. 

To Sum It All Up!

         

I was so excited and happy to step back into the fifty shades world, not only that but to experience the very beginning of their relationship all over again.  Of course as a reader who has read the rest of the series you already know what happens to these characters, but Grey was able to fill in the holes that Fifty Shades had left open.  Not that Fifty Shades was horrible but when a story is told from only one person’s point of view you only get one part of the story.  We get more Elena in this story and just how Christian feels about their relationship.  We also learn more about Christian’s childhood and nightmares and his past relationships with his subs.  Also, there was definite foreshadowing towards of the end of the story when it came to the Leila storyline which I really enjoyed as well.  Christian for me came off more endearing after I was finished with this story, he was so cute waiting for Ana to call him or email him.  I definitely feel like if you have enjoyed the three books in this series prior to this one, then you will definitely LOVE this book.  Grey has made me realize how much I miss Christian and Ana and their crazy love story.

Laura and Lauren's Review of Fifty Shades of Grey (The Movie)!

What I Loved

      

            This review is going to be a little different because it’s a movie and we all obviously know the synopsis of Fifty Shades of Grey so why bother putting that in.  First off, I know this may sound stupid or snobby but I went into this movie with low expectations.  I had probably the same amount of excitement I had when I saw a Twilight movie, but knew I wasn’t going for the acting.  I love you Robert Pattinson, but there is so only so much magic you can spin with a story line like that. 

          I must say though I was pleasantly surprised, and I walked out with a smile on my face.  I’ve been a fan of Dakota Johnson’s since Ben & Kate (I’m still pissed they cancelled that show) so it was great to see her again and the same goes for Jamie Dornan (I’m still mad they killed him off Once Upon a Time).  I felt like Dakota Johnson was the better actor in the movie though.  I remember reading the book and understanding Ana’s frustration with Christian when it came to his unwillingness to compromise in their relationship.  But after watching the movie I actually felt her frustration for wanting a normal relationship with the man she fell in love with.  Dakota portrayed that part of Ana really well, and at the end my heart broke for her all over again.

          The sex scenes were a lot more sensual then I thought they would be and actually more graphic.  I guess since there was so much talk about them taming down the movie compared to the book I felt like their sex scenes were be more typical rated R, meaning not sexual at all just kind of naked from the waste up but not see anything really and them just kind of staring into each other’s why while clearly faking it.  I was totally wrong because Dakota Johnson is naked in this movie so much that at a certain point I was over seeing her boobs.  I definitely felt like when it came to their sex scenes there was tons of chemistry between the two and was more sexually and sensually charged then I expected.  If I had to pick my favorite sex scene in the movie it would be the first one it was very sensual and was probably the longest one in the movie.

Not So Much

          Like I said before I felt like Dakota Johnson was the better actor, and it took me a while to warm up to Jamie Dornan.  Now a part of me feels that because Christian by nature is more stoic, whereas Ana had more range, that Jamie Dornan came off as lesser of the actors because that’s the character he’s portraying.  But at the very beginning of the movie when they first meet, I did kind of feel like  Jamie Dornan was just saying his lines, that there wasn’t any acting between behind them, but as the movie moved on I warmed up to him more and more. 

          I love Christian and Ana a lot and I get that this a movie so you can’t go into detail like you can in the book, but I felt like the background characters weren’t really part of the movie they were just passing through.  Especially when it came to Christian’s family and Jose.  I felt like Jose was put into the movie just because he’s in the books and fans would be pissed he wasn’t included, his character just didn’t really lend anything to the overall plot because of the things they cut from the book.  I felt the same about Christian’s family as well, Christian’s sister Mia is in about two minutes and she’s never even mentioned again.  I get that even in the first book these people didn’t have big roles in the story, but I did feel like they had purpose.  While watching the movie I felt like none of these secondary characters had any purpose. 

To Sum It All Up!

          Overall, the movie was better than I expected, but like I said I went into this with low expectations.  I have always loved Christian and Ana and they will hold a special place in my heart much like this movie will and I can’t wait to see if they make the Fifty Shades Darker movie and how that will play out on screen.  I did feel like this movie pandered way too much towards people who have read the book. Obviously this movie would not have been made if they books weren’t so darn popular but that doesn’t mean you should skimp out on character development and details that were missing in the movie. I completely understand you can’t fit everything in a movie from the books and I’m not expecting that, but I feel like if I went to watch this movie with someone who has never read the books I would have to explain things to them because they would be lost otherwise.  Jamie Dornan isn’t who I pictured as Christian Grey, and although that’s a little annoying, there is no human on earth that would fulfill every single reader’s requirements of who they pictured as Christian.  I do wish his character was a little bit more imposing and scary though, Christian was more emotional and angry at times in the book that just didn’t come across in the movie.  Yes, there isn’t as much BDSM in the movie as there is in the book, but let’s remember these books barely skim the surface in the first one of what BDSM entails.  Christian and Ana get more into it as their relationship develops and after everything is said and done this series a romance and to me it’s more important to show the romance than the spanking (don’t worry there is spanking in the movie!).  Book two was always my favorite book in this series so I’m excited to see what happens next in this franchise and pray they get to making that movie sooner rather than later.
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Lauren's  Review

Saturday morning I got in my car and drove to meet my fellow blogger, Laura, for the first viewing of Fifty Shades of Grey.  It was finally here. The day I have been waiting for.  I tried to go into the theater with zero expectations.  With an “R” rating, I questioned just how good this interpretation was going to be.  Plus, my feelings for this movie have been all over the place ever since Charlie Hunnam decided to let go of the role.  To me, he was my ideal actor to play Christian Grey so it was hard for me to accept Jamie Dornan.  So Laura and I got comfy in our recliner movie seats and tried our best to remain open-minded about this movie.

What I Loved

Dakota Johnson. She blew me away and I think she nailed Anastasia Steel.  From her awkwardness with her interview with Christian to her drunken phone call to him at the bar, Dakota portrayed Ana perfectly. Even her little giggles and laughs had me believing her character.  Everything about this movie, I felt that she was the most impressive. I have never seen her act in anything before this movie but major kudos to her for becoming Miss Anastasia Steel. Even my husband, who never read the book, enjoyed her performance.

The Sex. Holy hotness! I was not expecting all of that. I was wondering just how far they could go with the sex and I was not disappointed. One of my favorite scenes was when Christian comes to Ana’s apartment after she sends him an email saying it was nice to know you. There is a moment when he flips her over and I got goose bumps all over. I thought the scenes were tasteful and well done. The scenes were steamy and even the music choice helped add to it.  And yes, I’d like to bite that lip too!

The Elevators.  I loved their first interaction in the elevator. You can feel that uncontrollable desire where Christian growls, “Fuck the paperwork…” and grabs Ana in the elevator.  I thought it was clever how the movie begins with Ana in the elevator after her interview with Christian and it ends the same way. I couldn’t help but notice the moans of frustration from non-readers when the movie ended that way.

Not So Much

Jamie Dornan.  This is hard for me because I don’t like to be negative so I am going to start off by saying I give him a lot of credit for taking the role of Christian Grey. When the book was just a rumor about becoming a movie, women everywhere were suggesting who they felt should play Christian Grey.  With that being said, he was not my favorite. I think he had good chemistry with Dakota but I feel like he fell short. To play Christian Grey, I was expecting someone more demanding and commanding and Jamie did portray that for me. In my head, Christian was a tougher guy, maybe bigger in shape. Don’t get me wrong, Jamie looks delicious in those suits he wore and he killed it in those low jeans with his “V” looking scrumptious.  Some of his facial expressions were off for me though. Instead of looking intimating, he looked more psychotic. Also, there were times where he looked funny when he was talking. I don’t know if it was because of his accent, but that bothered me a little.

The Little Stuff. There were some little things that got on my nerves and here we go…  

When do you ever get a parking spot right in front of a building in the city?

Why did Ana wear the same flats with every outfit?  

Why did Dakota arch her back and stick out her ribs for every sex scene?

Why did she ask for a pencil when she never used it to write but only to bring attention to her mouth?

Why was Ana’s cell phone a flip phone?

Why didn’t Dakota shave her legs for the first sex scene?

Secondary Characters. Was anyone else in this movie besides Ana and Christian?? I think the writers were so wrapped up with them, they forgot to develop the other characters. The only character that was somewhat involved was Kate and I feel like that got her all wrong. She came across as self absorbed and obnoxious. Everyone else just seemed to be there because they were in the book.  It would have been nice to see more with Jose and the other characters.

Overall, I highly recommend that you see the movie, especially if you read the books.  They keep to the book for the most part.  I really enjoyed the movie and thought they did a great job interpreting the book to the film. I am excited to see the next installment.  

If you haven't read the Fifty Shades of Grey- Here is the link to purchase all three on Amazon!

Check out the Fifty Shades of Grey Trailer!

It is out and it is freaking HOT!! I guess I will be spending my Valentine's Day with my ladies!! Ahhh! The elevator scene gets me every time!!!

Click here to watch the trailer

 

50 Shades of Grey Movie News!!

       Producer Dana Brunetti has tweeted that this is the last week of filming for Fifty Shades of Grey :(   So sad, I guess that means we won't be getting tons of news from the set any more!  Oh well!!  They have been filming since December, but I'm still surprised everything has wrapped up, it feels like just yesterday they started.  I do hope we hear some more casting news until then (We still don't know who is playing Christian's father).  Or hear any juicy tidbits about what the movie will be like.  Can't wait till next year!!!!!  Click here to see Dana Brunetti's tweet!


      Now all we have to do is wait around for some sort of teaser trailer to come out!!! I hope it's soon!!! I cannot freaking wait! Click here for more details about waiting for a 50 Shades teaser trailer!
   

Happy Valentine's Day! (50 Shades Edition)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

         I know this is super late but I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day I hope everyone enjoyed it whether they have a sweetie or not it's a great day to just show love!!!!!! 

           Also it's so exciting that the Fifty Shades of Grey FB page released a great new tease all reminding us this time next year we all have something to look forward to!!! The picture totally capture a very nervous Ana and she see Christian Grey for the very first time! So exciting!!!!!! Here is this picture below!  Click here to read the E!Online article for more details!!!

Fifty Shades Update!!!

Dakota Johnson looking sexy on the cover of Elle Magazine!!!!

   

            Dakota Johnson is gracing the cover of the March issue of Elle Magazine talking about why she took the role of Anastasia Steele.  Pictures of the cover and other shots are featured on E!online right now!! In the E! article it quotes some parts of Dakota's interview with her saying "I don't have a problem doing anything.  The secret is she has no shame."  Now that's what I like to hear!!! Click here to read the E!Online article and read more about her interview!  If you want to see the pictures now go to the article, but the magazine hits stands Feb. 18th.  

       

         Also as we all know since thousands of us follow E.L. James on Instagram, she recently posted this picture of Kate Cassidy who is showing off her flexibility which admittedly I'm pretty jealous of, with the caption "Katie Cassidy....is she flexible?"  Now since then rumors have been swirling that she maybe cast a Leila Williams, one of Christian's ex-subs that kind of loses her mind in Book 2 of the trilogy.  I completely understand where people would get that idea, she's beautiful and right now very brunette.  But she currently is working on the hit series Arrow and guess where they mainly film?  Vancouver of course!  So it could just be a coincidence they ran into each other, or she really will be in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie. We all know that as far as the trilogy goes you don't meet Leila until the second book, but the books are strictly from Ana's point of view, and the movie will probably feature both Ana and Christian's point of view.  Therefore we might see Leila a little early since she does break into Christian's apartment while he is away in Savannah, Georgia with Ana.  We will all just have to wait and see!!!!

Click here to read Entertainmentwise.com article talking more about Katie Cassidy and showing behind the scenes footage!

Fifty Shades of Grey Movie News!!!!

The Marketing campaign for the Fifty Shades of Grey movie has begun!!!! 

         In the next couple days this wonderful billboard will be up in cities across America!!! According to Entertainment Weekly the billboards will go up Jan. 25th just in time for Valentine's Day to remind us what all our Valentine's presents will be next year!!! I love the poster, I think it exudes the power and dominance that Christian Grey so beautifully holds throughout the books.  And who wouldn't love a shot of Jamie Dornan's butt??  What do you think of the billboards???  They are going to displayed in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and of course Seattle!!!! Click here to read the Entertainment Weekly article with the street locations for the billboards in each city!!!!!! 

Fifty Shades of Grey Casting News!!!!!

Meet Paul Clayton!!!!!

       

             Anthony Konechny has been cast as Paul Clayton, the sibling of the owner of Clayton's Hardware Store, the place where Ana works throughout college.  If you remember Paul had a little crush on Ana and asked her out any time he was in town from Princeton University.  Anthony Konechny is on the Fox TV series Almost Human right now and has been on a bunch of TV shows in the past like Supernatural and Smallville.  He recently instagrammed this picture of a Clayton's name tag with Paul written on it saying he was on the set of Fifty Shades of Grey!!




        With this news came word that the Fifty Shades of Grey movie is now obviously filming scenes in Clayton's Hardware store yesterday in Vancouver.  Dakota Johnson was spotted wearing a more casual dress down look suggesting that Dakota and Jamie were filming the scene where Christian "bumps" into Ana at the Hardware store asking for her help to find some items for a DIY project.  Of course we all know now what exactly that project was!!!  Later on there were shots of Dakota Johnson dressed up a little more suggesting this was probably the scene where Ana was picked up from work to go out on a date with Christian and we can all remember what happened on that wonderful date! Author E.L. James also posted this picture on her instagram account, of cable ties!! She also posted a pic of her and director Sam Taylor-Johnson making fists and "mean faces" at the camera, I'm sure this is dispell the rumors that the two have not been getting along on set.    Click here to read the Daily Mail article to see all the Hardware store pics!!!!

Fifty Shades of Grey cutting out sex scenes???

              So rumors are swirling once again about the Fifty Shades of Grey movie adaption, and the latest news deals with the raunchy sex scenes that we all know and love in the Fifty Shades books.  I've read several articles some saying they are cutting out a lot of the sex scenes, while others are saying the movie is going to be tamer.  My response is WELL DUH!!!! If the movie was exactly like the books we would be watching hard core porn, and we all know the the most daring it will get will MAYBE NC-17 although I can't see them going passed an R rating.  I read in an article over a year ago I guess now where E.L. James I think said; women read books for the sex and go to the movies for the love and that's true.  The general audience that will draw the crowds for this movie are women, and generally women don't go to the movies excited about the hard core sex, we go for the love and the actions and the feelings.  I'm sure there will TONS of that in this movie and that's what I'm looking forward to the most.   It's easy to tell from the behind the scenes shots we seen so far Jamie and Dakota have great on screen chemistry and I can't wait to see how that translates onto the big screen.  

Click here to read the Latin Post article with more sex scene details!!!!

Rita Ora gearing up to play Mia Grey!

                   Rita Ora recently touched down in Vancouver to start her role as Mia Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie adaption.  She snapped this picture of herself looking very glamorous with the caption "Hey Vancouver..." Definitely looking good!  Can't wait to see her fully as Mia Grey!!! No one is saying how long she will be in Vancouver filming and everything is being kept very secret on set. Click here to read the Sugar Scape article for more Rita details!!!  Still haven't gotten any word as to who is going to play Carrick Grey, Christian handsome charismatic father, I have been patiently waiting for that news (so naturally I want it now!).