Fifty Shades of Grey vs The Adult: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fiction
Fifty Shades of Grey
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When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she…
The Adult
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It's her first year of college - her first real time away from home - and Natalie isn't quite sure what to do. She's learning how to be an adult, without anyone to really show her the way. Nora is an older woman - a…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Adult is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 10 for Fifty Shades of Grey.
- Fifty Shades of Grey has the widest readership — 1109 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| Fifty Shades of Grey | The Adult | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 2.7 (966) | 3.0 (9) |
| Google Books | 4.5 (10) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (1109) | 4.0 (19) |
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Reception
| Fifty Shades of Grey | The Adult | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1109 | 19 |
| Editions | 141 | 4 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 30897 | 37 |
| Pages | 544 | 311 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Fifty Shades of Grey or The Adult?
The Adult has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Adult 3.8/5, Fifty Shades of Grey 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: Fifty Shades of Grey or The Adult?
The Adult is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Adult (311 pages, ≈ 5 h 46 m); Fifty Shades of Grey (544 pages, ≈ 10 h 04 m).
Which is harder to read: Fifty Shades of Grey or The Adult?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Fifty Shades of Grey: Moderate; The Adult: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Fifty Shades of Grey: 4 film adaptations; The Adult: no film adaptation on record.