Not wanting her first sexual experience to be a BDSM experience, he has conventional sex with her and sleeps in her bed. Several critics and scientists have expressed concern that the nature of the main couple's relationship is not BDSM at all, but rather is characteristic of an abusive relationship. The book's erotic nature and perceived demographic of its fan base as being composed largely of married women over thirty led to the book being dubbed "Mommy Porn" by some news agencies. By the release of the final volume in January 2012, news networks in the United States had begun to report on the Fifty Shades trilogy as an example of viral marketing and of the rise in popularity of female erotica, attributing its success to the discreet nature of e-reading devices. The second volume, Fifty Shades Darker, was released in September 2011; and the third, Fifty Shades Freed, followed in January 2012. The Writers' Coffee Shop had a restricted marketing budget and relied largely on book blogs for early publicity, but sales of the novel were boosted by word-of-mouth recommendation. The first, titled Fifty Shades of Grey, was released as an e-book and a print on demand paperback in May 2011 by The Writers' Coffee Shop, a virtual publisher based in Australia.

United Kingdom as the fastest-selling paperback of all time. At his penthouse, Christian makes Ana sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) regarding their time together. During this time, Ana agrees to sign the contract. After landing a job with Seattle Independent Publishing (SIP), Ana further bristles under the NDA's restrictions and her complex relationship with Christian. Christian and Ana plan to meet again, and he takes Ana home, where she discovers several job offers. In March 2012, branches of the public library in Brevard County, Florida, removed copies of Fifty Shades of Grey from their shelves, with an official statement that it did not meet the selection criteria for the library and that reviews for the book had been poor. Brevard County public libraries later made their copies available to their patrons due to public demand. Then, without shedding any public tears, he withdrew into himself and spoke very little about the subject. What are the implications for public health practice? A second study in 2014 was conducted to examine the health of women who had read the series, compared with a control group that had never read any part of the novels.

The study group also observed pervasive sexual violence within the CDC's definition, including Christian's use of alcohol to circumvent Ana's ability to consent, and that Ana exhibits classic signs of an abused woman, including constant perceived threat, stressful managing, and altered identity. Ana leaves with Christian, but not before she discovers that Kate has been flirting with Christian's brother, Elliot. Realizing they are incompatible, a devastated Ana breaks up with Christian and returns to the apartment she shares with Kate. Christian spanks Ana for the first time, and the experience leaves her both enticed and slightly confused. He also mentions other paperwork, but first takes her to his playroom filled with BDSM objects and gear. Ana becomes overwhelmed by the potential BDSM arrangement and having a non-romantic sexual relationship. Ana awakens to find herself in Christian's hotel room. This confusion is exacerbated by Christian's lavish gifts, and the fact that he brings her to meet his family. The following morning, Christian's adoptive mother Grace arrives and is surprised to meet Ana, having never seen her son with a woman. When Ana goes outside for some fresh air, José attempts to kiss her but is stopped by Christian's arrival. Ana leaves and does not see Christian again until her college graduation, where he is the keynote speaker.

The book has also reportedly been popular among teenage girls and college women. The results showed a correlation between having read at least the first book and exhibiting signs of an eating disorder, having romantic partners that were emotionally abusive and/or engaged in stalking behavior, engaging in binge drinking in the last month, and having 5 or more sexual partners before age 24. The authors could not conclude whether women already experiencing these "problems" were drawn to the series, or if the series influenced these behaviors to occur after reading by creating underlying context. The study was limited in that only women up to age 24 were studied, and no distinction was made among the reader sample between women who enjoyed the series and those that had a strong negative opinion of it, having only read it out of curiosity due to the media hype or other obligation. The two continue with the arrangement without Ana having yet signed the contract. Still however, some guys, especially straight men, may feel a bit intimidated at the thought of having their prostate stimulated - be it with a partner or solo, despite the known benefits of massaging the prostate.