From the Bookshelf of Turning Pages At Midnight…

Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)

E.L. James

Start date: December 15, 2016

Finish date: December 23, 2016

Discussion: Buddy Reads

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Buddy Reads

* September 2025 Buddy Reads
By Diana · 13 posts · 19 views

last updated Sep 04, 2025 07:25AM

* Want to Read With Me?
By Diana · 126 posts · 63 views

last updated Jun 01, 2025 09:53AM

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What Members Thought

Jul 06, 2012 Lisa Jones rated it it was amazing

I listened to the audio and quite like the reader. She became Anna to me and she did the male voices well too. I didn't think the appeal to this story was the sex. It was the damaged hero who needed to be rescued but managed to still be a Prince Charming himself. It's a dark story of healing so I liked it so much more than a normal erotic story.

I have heard the critique about writing and while the author does choose some strange words, I thought her character development and the way she paints ...more

65 likes · Like · see review

Apr 18, 2012 Selena Kitt rated it it was ok

Everything you heard about this series is true. Yes, it was originally Twilight fanfic - and it still reads like Twilight fanfic with the names changed. The sex, for a BDSM novel, is actually quite vanilla. The prose is lavender at best. (The protagonist can't even say "vagina" let alone "pussy" - she refers to her genitals as "down there.") Like Twilight, it could have used some good editing. You can get rid of every instance of "oh my" in this tome, for instance, and it would have saved me a l ...more

29 likes · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2012 Anne OK rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2012-reads

And now I've read "Fifty" and another self-imposed challenge completed. I simply don't understand what all the hullabaloo is about as far as this one goes. But that's just my opinion. I'll admit it had some high points but it had more low ones as far as I'm concerned. This is the year I am stepping out of my comfort zone to try different authors and different genres. Some are going to work and some are not. Enough said. ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Aug 23, 2012 Colleen Scidmore rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, part-of-a-series, contemporary-romance, erotica, not-a-happy-ending-kind-of-book, books-read-in-2015, now-a-movie

Update 9/30/22
Ok peeps, I forgot all about this book until I got a new like on my very old review. First of all I sucked at reviews..still learning tbh. So I reworded it a bit without changing it around for the most part. Also…did I fall on my head?! I truly must have gotten swept up in the hype. It was not a horrible book but not something I would continue to read at this chapter of my life.
But…and don’t hate me, my inner teenager will always have love for Twilight. That is the only part that Update 9/30/22
Ok peeps, I forgot all about this book until I got a new like on my very old review. First of all I sucked at reviews..still learning tbh. So I reworded it a bit without changing it around for the most part. Also…did I fall on my head?! I truly must have gotten swept up in the hype. It was not a horrible book but not something I would continue to read at this chapter of my life.
But…and don’t hate me, my inner teenager will always have love for Twilight. That is the only part that I still feel the same about..lamo. Also it’s not a master piece by any means…but that sparkly vampire and nerdy insecure Bella made my heart go pitter patter at their innocent yet stalker like love. 🤣🤣

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This is not normally a book I would read, I read romance, but from what I’ve heard about Fifty Shades is that Christian, a very messed up individual has a thing for S&M bondage and that is the main aspect of the story. My brain was like “No thanks I will pass.” I’m really not interested in reading about some freak who is into beating his lover (and I use lover very loosely). But after seeing the movie clip I thought I would give it a try, because it seems romantic. Also I found out E.L. James originally started it as Fan-Fiction to Twilight…and I love me some Twilight!! :)

I surprisingly really enjoyed this book! Yes Christian is a freak, but you realize there is a reason behind the whole big old freak persona, and you want to get to the bottom of it. Which I have not fully…yet. He also has a very romantic side, which he swears he does not, but I got glimpses of it every once in awhile in the tender moments he has with Anastasia. It is also heart wrenching the way Anastasia is so conflicted, because she comes to love this man but doesn’t know if she can give into his needs.

And the book is not all about Christian's extracurricular activities as I thought either. Yes there are a lot of sex scenes but it is not at all what I anticipated. I will not give away the ending but small clue..it is very emotional, I had tears streaming down my face the last 10 pages. I was surprised and not expecting how the ELJ left me hanging. My main complaint is that there are A LOT of similarities to Twilight, a bit much, but that is how the story came life.🤷‍♀️

I will definitely be reading the other 2 books in the Trilogy! ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2012 Tracy rated it liked it

I didn't want to give this 4 stars but 3.5 wasn't an option. Yes, the writing and editing (at least my copy) could have been better...much...but I'm not one who pays too much attention to the technicalities of writing I look more for the soul of the story. I generally judge books by how they make me feel...or more-so, if they make me feel. This book did that. Some of those feeling were good and some not, but I did enjoy it more than I thought I would. ...more

Like · see review