After by Anna Todd
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Blurb (on back of book):
Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She’s got direction, ambition, and a mother who’s intent on keeping her that way.
But she’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, and lip ring, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to.
But he’s also rude—to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does—until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she’s never known before.
He’ll call her beautiful, then insist he isn't the one for her and disappear again and again. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper.
Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin’s prejudice about nice girls like her?
Unless…could this be love?
Now newly revised and expanded, Anna Todd’s After fanfiction racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the Internet’s most talked-about book for yourself!
There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there’s everything AFTER ... Life will never be the same.
UPDATED REVIEW
MY OPINION: *****
This was my first book of the year, and my first book of the decade. While it may not be the most symbolic or seminal novel, I truly enjoyed rereading this.
I've watched the film at least seven times and I had forgotten how different the book is from the movie.
As I said previously in my first review, this book is so bad that it's good. I don't quite know if that makes sense but I think the utter simplicity of it made it so much worse.
If you don't already know this about me, I love Wattpad. I write on there and I most especially read on there. I spend HOURS reading the teen fiction "novels" every week. After came from a Wattpad novel, and a Harry Styles-One Direction fan fiction at that. Of course, in the published version, the character's names are changed. I never read this book on Wattpad, as it was before my time, so I don't know the original text. I've heard that it's a lot different, but I don't plan on reading it on Wattpad.
Tessa Young is a good girl. She's only ever had one nice, kind, sweet, polite boyfriend (quite boring, if you ask me... or Hardin). The book starts with her arriving at her dream college, a freshman just starting her life out. We see her overprotective and quite frankly overbearing mother, who from the beginning is appalled by Tessa's new roommate, Steph. [Now, I know what happens with Steph, as I've read the rest of the series before, but she honestly seems better than the rest right now. (hide spoiler)] Tessa convinces her mother that she will be okay.
At first, she sticks to her good-girl-behavior. She wear long, conservative outfits, and doesn't party. However, when her roommate finally convinces her to go to a party, that all changes.
We meet Hardin much closer to the beginning than I remembered. Our first impression of him is that he is arrogant, cruel, and not much of anything. Of course, this all changes.
I love Hardin. I completely and one-hundred-percent do not support his actions or the way he treated Tessa. It was despicable, gross, cruel. However, I love the real Hardin, the one underneath the cold front he puts up. He's actually much sweeter and emotional than he seems to be.
Tessa and Hardin are instantly attracted to each other (or at least, Tessa is). Their romance is cliche, simple, generic. It's the common bad-boy-good-girl trope that I've read countless times. However, as this is my favorite trope, I was fine with it.
The book gets quite graphic, so don't read it if you are a younger or less mature reader.
As we learn more about Hardin and his past, we really start to see the broken, hurt boy underneath his bad-boy exterior. However, by the end, Hardin seems completely unforgivable. Of course, I knew what was going to happen but I think Anna Todd did a good job of making it a surprise. I don't recall if I knew the first time I read it but I know many readers did not expect the ending at all.
Honestly, I like Zed. Sorry not sorry. Of course, I don't like him with Tessa, because HESSA FTW but Zed is better than Hardin makes him out to be.
My only major criticism for the book is the slut-shaming, most particularly from Tessa. Hardin's "friends with benefits" girl, Molly, is often described as wearing revealing clothing. What really disgusted me was the fact that Tessa took the opportunity every time she saw her to think of her as a skank, slut, whore, hoe, you name it. Just because Molly was wearing ANIMAL PRINT does not make her a slut. I didn't like that the author never addressed this problem and instead just kept repeating it.
*there is a lot of drama in the after fandom now, but I'm going to choose to ignore it.*
I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE AFTER WE COLLIDED MOVIE.
Hero-Fiennes Tiffin (aka Hardin in the movie) is beautiful. I just thought I should mention that :)
I would recommend this book to mature readers looking for a whirlwind romance.
Main Character: Tessa
Sidekick(s): Hardin, Zed, Steph, etc
Villain(s): Parents, change, growing up, bad boys, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book is all very real to life.
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