My Thoughts about AFTER by Anna Todd

AFTER

by Anna Todd

Publication Date: October 21, 2014

Published by Gallery Books

Pages: 582

Source: Purchased

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

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.

My Thoughts

Choosing to read AFTER was one of those FOMO situations - as they do happen. But that's not the only reason I decided to read it. I knew that I would watch the movie and when I found out that it was written as Harry Styles fan fiction, I thought, well now I have to read it. Silly, I know.

From the beginning, I felt a Cruel Intentions vibe will reading it. I couldn't help but think - how was this story going to play out? How are these people who aren't really nice to each other going to become a couple? I was caught off guard with the ending and I really didn't see what was coming. But then I ask myself with the Cruel Intentions comparison, how could I miss it?!

This book drove me crazy, and yet I kept reading it. The relationship between Tessa and Hardin was TOXIC. Where did the love that Tessa declared she had for Hardin come from? Until they were "together" neither of them treated the other as though they even liked the other person. She had something for him, but it wasn't love. It makes me wonder what her relationship with Noah was like. And it makes me question Tessa's idea of love and does she even know what it is.

I am curious about how the story continues, but it'll be a while before I pick up the next book to find out. Reading this series is a commitment and these books are huge. I am interested in reading more books by Anna Todd and find out what she's given readers beyond the Hardin and Tessa saga. And I'm still looking forward to watching the movie - and it comes out this week!

Disclaimer: I purchased a copy of this title for my personal library. Thoughts and opinions are my own.