After (The After Series)

Where to begin with this one, I'm not sure. I've had this book for sometime and just let it sit there among my TBR shelf.... well I finally took the plunge and OMG!! Yeah this is one that will keep you on the emotional roller coaster the whole time, yep these characters become real and you really have to keep reading in angst to find out what's next! Then when you find out what's next your saying, wait did that really happen and oh no that didn't happen!!! When I finally got to the last few pages I really didn't want to keep reading but then I was like I have to see what happens and well I don't want to spoil anything but all I can say is I'm grabbing the next book NOW!!!!!

This book is garbage. I'm all for people reading, evern if the books can be of questionable quality but holy hell this is just embarrassing. It reads as if it were written by a 14 year old who was held back in the 8th grade, twice. It's also incredibly repetitive. I mean, it literally repeats the same story beats for the first 3/4 of the book. And it reads like domestic abuse how-to, which is bad (if you weren't sure). This is not a romance novel, it's testimony given at a murder trial as evidence of guilt.

I received for an honest review and loved it I could not put it down I just truly loved every page to this story it keeps you hooked and never lets go I devoured it in one setting with out doing anything else. I know I will be going and one clicking every book in this series this is how much I truly enjoyed this story when you are still thinking of it long after you finish it you know its an epic story that leaves with an epic feeling of joy. I so very truly highly recommend it!! Grab It today!!

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the ending.

I wasn’t fond of the book at the beginning. (Hardin took time to grow on me... I’m still debating if I like the guy. ) I stuck it out mostly cuz of Tessa, I love, love her character. As naïve as she comes across, her innocence is what make the story beautiful.

I’m excited to see the movie adaptation next year. I’m not in a rushing on reading book 2... I might wait till the hype of the movie to read it.

really don’t know how to put my review into words. This book was like an accident, you shouldn’t look but you just cant help but stare. After is like a guilty pleasure tv show that your embarrassed you like but you secretly devour each episode. I could not put this book down. I don’t know why because in all honesty the characters pissed me the h-e-double hockey stick off, but I was completely and utterly sucked in. AND this book is LONG. Could it of been cut down to half it’s size….yes. Did I still enjoy every minute of it…yes. I cant wait to see what happens to Tessa and Hardin and NEED to continue with their story.

3.5 Stars

♥ Sophie

I read the first book on Wattpad and forced myself to get through the entire book. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I believe she got so many readers because she used the names of the guys in One Direction. Harry and Tessa would fight and then make up. And this kept happening throughout the entire book! I started reading the second book and it was more of the same. I read about two chapters and quit.
I read that the author wrote the book on her cellphone while she listened to music through headphones. This may have been the reason for her terrible writing because there were grammatical and/or spelling errors on almost every page! This made the book much more difficult to read. It was obvious that no one bothered to proofread the book. After the book was published, all of these errors were corrected on Wattpad.
I'm concerned about the age of the female fans of this book. I hope that they wouldn't be influenced into believing that they have to put up with the actions of a jerk in order to have a boyfriend or to be loved.

I read this book originally on wattpad before it was a published book and I feel inlove with it. Sometimes after reading endless amounts of fantasy books with complicated plot lines I long for something full of lust and emotion. Yes the relationship between the main characters isn't what I would call healthy but that's what drew me in so much was the endless amount of drama. Two characters who are literally polar opposites of each other yet they have this incredible chemistry which as the reader drives you crazy and I found myself almost unable to put it down I just kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. Can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series! Anna Todd is defiantly one one my favourite authors, her writing is so easy to read.

AudioBook Review:
Stars: Overall: 4 Narration 5 Story 3

I had heard some buzz around this title, and the premise looked interesting despite the ‘fan fiction’ inspiration. After is the story of a young girl, leaving home for University and real freedom for the first time in her life, and just how she deals with the new experiences. While dancing that line between teen-appropriate and new adult, I’m putting this one firmly in the teen read category: our heroine is a teen, although a very sheltered one, and she does encounter many issues that will face new college students no matter their backgrounds.

Tessa is experiencing many firsts: her first extended time away from home, her first opportunity to socialize with the kids she wasn’t allowed to in high school, even her first crush. As one would expect, a new place equals a new approach to life, and she is determined to revamp her own image.

Tessa’s roommate Steph is just that sort of person Tessa wants to be friends with: a bit brash and wholly open, Steph is living life with all of the associated opportunities including partying. When Tessa encounters Hardin, the game changes. Hardin is stereotypical bad boy: tattoos, a touch of a selfish approach to life and a no-relationship policy. The girls he chases are worldly, or pretending to be, they don’t challenge his behavior or his emotions, and he just slides through taking what he wants.

But Tessa was raised to believe more in her own worth, even as she doesn’t always hold to those lessons. A bit tentative at first as she is gaining comfort with her new more open and daring personality, there is a core of sweetness and ‘who could hurt this innocent kitten’ air around her. Even Hardin sees it, despite his initial inability to deal with the emotions that Tessa unearths.

And they bicker, and fight, Tessa isn’t always treated well or even remotely honestly by Hardin. Believe me, there were times I wanted to shake her, or hope that Steph would step up and smack her. Hardin runs so hot and cold throughout the story, with him opening up a little bit then slamming the door shut and becoming the worst example of boy or friend possible. Yet, Tessa is tenacious: perhaps too much so, as she offers him chance after chance right to the end.

Elizabeth Louise narrated this story, and I’ve had several encounters with her work. With a performing voice that becomes Tessa, and some tone and delivery changes for other characters, you start to build a visual picture of Tessa, and you cannot help but feel her confusion, fear and even heartache. Clear and concise, the text as written does start readers on an emotional roller coaster, the performance adds the shake and sudden stomach in your throat drops that simply enforce the emotion.

Short chapters and an easy to read text allow the emotions and characters to come forward and take over the story, and while the overwhelming Romeo and Juliet feel is screaming that no good can come of the relationship, the book is entertaining and engaging with a twist at the end that demands more of the story.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Simon and Schuster Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Love the chemistry between the characters. The relationship is so completely dysfunctional that you eagerly read on to see how this mismatched couple will overcome all the flaws that litter all of their encounters. The relationship presents as incredibly immature and there are many instances that you question if you even want to root for the pair to end up with one another. It is an addictive read. Anna Todd entices the reader with great hope that love will prevail, and all the fodder in the path of its success, brings on exhilarating emotional fallout. You can't help but to endure the stomach retching ups and downs of this cursed coupling.

When I first decided to start reading the After series I never expected to get wrapped up in the book so fast. I was hesitant to begin as I had heard mixed reviews, but I am so glad I started. This book was jam packed with a roller coaster of emotions. Anna did an amazing job portraying these characters emotions and how fragile they both are.

Theresa better known as “Tessa” is on her way to attend her freshman year in college. She is a kind, sweet innocent 18 year old with an overbearing mother and a boyfriend who is nothing but nice. Upon entering her dorm room for the first time Tessa is met with her very out here roommate Steph and her male friends who are nothing but unusual. Heavily tattooed and pierced, her mother is shocked that these ‘punks’ are who her daughter is going to be living with and is making it known how displeased she is. Tessa not wanting to cause any drama chooses to stay in the same dorm, after all how much time can they really spend together?

Hardin is a rough, rude and has a bad attitude to go with it. Assuming he knows Tessa from the moment he meets her, he is nothing but unpleasant, apparently he is that way with everyone or so she hears. After multiple run ins with each other and numerous arguments Tessa and Hardin find themselves spending time together alone, realizing that they have the same classes and the same love for great books; their friendship starts to become more.

The more time they spend together Tess grows to trust Hardin. But he is holding secrets in he didn't want anyone to know, especially Tessa. But like most, love is blind, it makes you believe things you never would have, trust people you never knew you would. Tessa is in too deep to realise what Hardin is doing to her. Her fiery personality and her questioning gets to Hardin and this is where their issues lay. He is unapproachable and his moods leave you with your head spinning but there is always that thing that brings you back to loving him at the same time. He has been through so much in his life and his relationships with this family are far from normal.

Hardin slowly starts to open up to Tessa and when he does, she learns why he is who he is, she chooses to approach things differently with him and slowly he starts to trust her more and shows her why she fell in love with him, but when she discovers the biggest secret that not only Hardin has hidden from her, but also her so called friends her betrayal is real and Hardin's deceit is unforgivable.

I really enjoyed this book. I found myself disliking both characters for their mistakes but at the same time reminding myself that they are both so young. Tessa has lived a sheltered life, where Hardin has seen the raw and gritty that the world really is. My heart broke numerous times for both of these characters and I wanted to wrap them both up and hold them. I am so excited to start book 2, After We Collide and see where their story is going to go from here.

After by Anna Todd is the first book in the five book series After.
This is Hardin and Tessa's story.
I literally just finished this book and now I'm sitting here and I'm speech- and breathless.
But lets start at the beginning.
Tessa is a college freshman and Hardin a sophomore. Tessa was sheltered her whole life and is a bit a prude. That will change rather quickly with her new friends. And there is Hardin. He is a mystery. He's hot and cold, fights with her and makes up. Is more than cruel and then nice enough.
Tessa falls for him hook, line and sinker. Their chemistry is through the roof, but their relationship is toxic.
And then the book ends with a firework and a major cliifhanger.
Let me tell you, this book gutted me. I started reading and after some time I awaited the other shoe to drop. And o boy, did he drop. I promise you really really want to read this book. Don't miss out on it.
This book has everything in it, a great story, wonderful writing and words I love. It has twists and turns, turns I never had expected. My jaw hit the flor and I was speechless.
I really, really wanted to like Hardin, but he made it very difficult to.I can't say how much I love this book. The writing is brilliant and the story is great !
I Highly recommend After- This Book is a Must Must Read !! I wish I could give more than 5 Stars and thank you Anna Todd !!

After by Anna Todd
Young Adult Romance -Oct. 21st, 2014
4 stars

This YA adult novel will pull you in and surprise you with its unexpected ending and dramatic romance.

Tessa is a straight arrow student headed for college and a bright future. But that all changes when she meets her tattooed rebel of a roommate Stephanie. Stephanie has a ‘bad boy’ friend named Hardin that Tessa finds equally attractive and repulsive. He seems to hate her and yet pursue her. Soon they are hanging out together and Tessa becomes unnerved by his intensity. Tessa also finds an unexpectedly soft side to him that makes her want to take care of him. But Hardin has strange bursts of anger and is continually keeping secrets from her. Hurt and humiliated, she tries to break it off with him but he begs her to take him back. But even when she relents when he says he will change his wild ways. She still feels like his dirty little secret. He doesn't want her near his friends and she always finds out from other students what new trouble he is up to. But Hardin has a terrible secret that may completely break Tessa's faith in him.

I liked that this book doesn’t hold back at all. Hardin is a rebel that seems untamable and I could see why Tessa would be excited by his company. But while he is a compelling character he is also very disturbing. He has emotional issues that make him a powder keg ready to explode in virtually every chapter. I never really warmed up to him but I felt bad for him and could understand why soft-hearted Tessa might fall for him. That being said, I never felt he was good enough for Tessa. He was that shady. But girls that love the bad boys will devour Hardin's misunderstood demeanor. He is sexy and tough and at strange times gentle to Tessa. This book have me conflicted. The author kept me turning the pages, I wanted to find out Hardin's secrets and hoped to give Tessa a happy ending.

Readers will be shocked by this emotional roller coaster of a romance.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

3-3.5 stars. This story takes place in college, where Theresa (Tessa) Young is starting her freshman year at WCU. Tessa is one of those girls who grew up on the straight and narrow. She earns good grades, follows the rules and is expected to look the part. She even has a boyfriend who fits her profile. Her mom is somewhat controlling and overbearing. So when Tessa meets her roommate Steph and Steph's friends, she's a bit thrown off. They are not the type of crowd that she would normally associate with, nor does her mother approve, but Tessa remains open minded and meets Hardin, too.

This story is filled with a lot of drama, angst, highs and lows as well as push and pull. I got a bit of whiplash from the back and forth between Tessa and Hardin. And while this may be typical of college aged characters, there were times where I felt that the dialogue, behavior and actions were even more juvenile than for college. Still, I continued reading to see where this story was going. Tessa and Hardin have this love-hate vibe between them, where Tessa is a bit on the naive side and Hardin is truly a jerk. When he's mad or hurt, he lashes out. As far as the give and take of a relationship goes, Hardin has his limits and I was truly perplexed by him. He's the typical tortured bad boy who doesn't let anyone in and he puts Tessa through the emotional wringer.

So while I wasn't particularly captivated by the characters or story, the story did start to pick up when it came to getting to know some of the secondary characters like Hardin's father and Tessa learning more about the real Hardin, as well as seeing Hardin attempting to be the kind of guy deserving of Tessa. And when Hardin finally shares the deeper bits of himself, I began to empathize with him. The ending reveals a zinger of a twist that I didn't see coming, and up until that point, I wasn't sure if I'd continue this series. But now I feel like I need to see what happens next given that it's a game changer and I love that kind of twist.

I did not expect that ending at all, even with all the foreshadowing it blindsided me. If you’re a fan of YA romance this is up your alley. I hope this does become a movie like I saw an article for because it will be fantastic!

Where to begin with my review for this book?! This is my first Anna Todd book and I heard about her via Colleen Hoover. If Colleen is recommending someone then I am instantly interested in checking out the authors work. I listened to the audio version and at first had to adjust to the narration as the lady's voice was also the narrator for other audio books I've listened too. That being said, once I got further in I was hooked.

I may have only read the first of the five books in this series but I already know that I will be reading them all. How do I know that? Because I can't stop thinking about this story and the characters!

Tessa has arrived at College, she is a very academic student and she takes her education seriously. She is a planner and does not like unexpected surprises. She has been with her boyfriend Noah since she was young and loves him very much. Her plan is to work hard, finish her degree and eventually marry Noah, achieving her happy ever after. She is really looking forward to the college life that she has had glimpses of watching movies because they are a accurate representation right?

She could not have been more wrong. It is nothing like the movies. All her plans go a bit haywire as she battles with herself, trying to make new friends and fit in. She knows she is a bit on the conservative side and it only takes a couple of college parties to completely turn her world upside down. She finds herself experiencing and doing things that she never dreamed of. Some are fun and others not so much.

The circle of friends she is in are not so friendly and one guy in particular really rubs her the wrong way, his name is Hardin. He is arrogant, rude and at times very cruel. These two form a love/hate relationship of sorts. There are little glimpses of nice but a whole lot more of not so nice. This completely messes with Tessa's head and heart. Things were so much simple back home at high school.

Tessa does not have a lot of experience with boys, she has only ever kissed two in her whole life and had one boyfriend. How she thinks it should be between a guy and her is based on what she had with Noah. She is trusting, naive and likes to think the best of people. This turns out to be her downfall.

Yes, this story is long and there is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing but they are young 18-19 year old teenagers so this behaviour is understandable. Tessa shows glimpses of strength at times but also has so many moments of weakness, especially when she is around Hardin. To be honest, I felt helpless reading this too because I simply could not stop. I love it when a book affects me like that. So if you don't mind angst then dive into this series!

I had read this online the unrevised version years and years ago. I read 1 2 and 3. When I say it is a good book I mean it is a GOOD BOOK. It's definitely not for a younger audience. It keeps you on edge and it's an emotional rollercoaster. It's been described as the pg version of 50 shades of gray buts definitely not pg. It's more like 50 shades of gray minus 10. I was never one for reading but this book has made me fall in love with reading.

After by Anna Todd

All her life Tessa has lived by her mother's standards and has the perfect boyfriend, at least on paper.

However, as soon as she arrives at college she gets a bit of a culture shock. The people dress and act differently.

She is introduced to her new roommate Steph and her two friends Nate and Hardin.

Of the three, Hardin is the least friendly and down right rude, but she is determined to make friends not enemies. Steph invites her to a frat party and against her better judgment she agrees to go.

At the party she is quick to realize she does not fit in with her new acquaintances or anyone else at the party. She walks on people having sex and sees her new roommate dancing on the table.

Trying to escape the chaos she goes into a room filled with books that she herself loves to read.

Imagine her shock when she learns that the room belongs to Hardin.

Hardin Scott is a broody, sexy, tattooed guy with a British accent.

Too bad his personality is not as welcoming as his body. He has so many mood swings it is like playing a game of Hot & Cold.

No matter how hard she tries to stay clear of the angsty man, he seems to be popping up everywhere she is.

One night, despite their internal struggles within themselves, opposites attract and they end up igniting the undeniable chemistry between them.

Where does that leave Tessa and her reliable boyfriend?

Hardin makes her feel alive in ways no one else has

BUT

Hardin has inner walls built up and secrets within those walls.

If Tessa breaks down the walls can she handle what she discovers?

I will admit this book took me a while to get into. I found Tessa to be overly naive and it became a bit annoying. However, the story kept me intrigued enough to keep reading. I am certainly glad I continued reading! The ending was certainly a shocker! I immediately had to pick up the next book, After We Collided and keep reading!

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This book is, more or less, the trend setting of romance books on Wattpad. The characters are bland, there is hardly a plot, and it romanticizes ABUSE. Yes. Abuse. Emotional abuse to be exact. It also promotes unfaithfulness, such as when Tessa has sex with Hardin without breaking up with her boyfriend first.

It's not a good read. I've seen more poorly written fan fics on Wattpad that have more character, romance, and development than this book.

There was an article where Anna Todd claimed that she was trying to portray a "real relationship." This isn't how it is and it shouldn't be romanticized as a good thing either.

And others have noted that this book is sometimes borderline plagiarizing.

TL;DR: After is basically Fifty Shades of Grey minus the BDSM.

OMG....I can't even with this book!
I loved every minute of it. Hardin and Tessa...I mean...no words.
This story is amazing and it broke my heart like a million times while reading it...that ending...I mean I can't even buy the next book fast enough to find out what happens.
Must read!!!!

I have seen so many negative reviews about this series, but still decided to give it a try. I actually listened to it on audiobook and read a little of the physical copy. I did not love it, but I also did not hate it. This is all about a romance. This focuses on two college age kids meeting and struggling with their feelings with each other. If you do not like “I love you, I hate you, I love you, I hate you” reads, then you will not like this at all.

Yes, there is cheating. I also know some people are opposed to reading books with cheating, but it is real life situations (especially when a HS romance faces going to college). That was not a deal breaker for me personally (not that I agree with cheating, but it is just a book).

This was way to long for what it was. I did not see the twist at the end. I did not plan on continuing on with the series, but now I have too! Overall, I enjoyed this way more than I expected.

Seeing all the huge differences in mixed reviews, I was taken aback by some. So me being a reviewer - I am giving my personal opinion on why I enjoyed this book.. We all have an opinion and enjoy stories in different ways .. I personally really loved this story .

Tessa and Hardin's relationship from day one is a love to hate relationship. Hardin seems to work in a love, hate, hurt pattern and Tess should certainly hate him for it, in which she does. But once they shared that one kiss - It changes everything ..

But within all this happening between the characters, we see depth to as they grow within the pages and storyline.

We see Tessa bloom from a girl being sheltered and told what to do , to a woman who makes her own chooses and learns to live a little. She Discovers passion she never explored or felt before, she was daring and chose to be adventurous. She was able to spread her wings, and learn to just be more then her normal self.

She learns to make her own path - whether the choices she makes aren't always the right ones they are hers to make.

Tessa meets Hardin - he sends her knickers in a knot - physically and literally... lol

The banter and the relationship seems doomed before it starts, but this is where it builds.

Hardin is a complex character - tough - difficult - damaged and yet under the ink and the facid he is a sole that finds love when he least expects it.

Finding love leaves Hardin insecure and at times he ambushes the good things that happens to him thinking the worst will happen and his fate his doomed. His past haunts them - leaving room for doubt it is a strength of both wills for the love to survive.

Hardin is damaged and torn with these new found feelings, but finds Tessa is like a drug he cant do without.

I could refer to him as Jekyll and Hyde his nature is very much sporadic at times and like he is two different people.

Here begins a whirlwind relationship, filled with deceit , love, want, growth , heartache and angst.

The author has put forth the emotions well and very solid - at times I did feel it was a tad much .. The constant stuff ups on Hardin's behalf and the unsure status of the not relationship. But this is what builds the story ...

But saying this - love is not easy .. But dam these pair make it hard lol.

MY FAVOURITE QUOTE FROM BOOK

“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” Tessa.

The chemistry between Hardin and Tessa is passionate, loving and downright hot at times. The sex scenes are tasteful and just panty smoking ! I loved Hardin's foul mouth :D and I had to laugh at Tessa after her drinking binge. ( grins )

Overall I really enjoyed the writing , characters - including the secondary ones - the plot and the pace that the author set for this story .. I read this huge novel in less then a day and eagerly jumped into book 2 ~

Big thank you to Simon and Schuster for this copy for review for my honest opinion.

The ultimate addictive bad-boy / good girl relationship. While the story is compelling, there is too much angst, drama and back and forth...guy loses girl / girl loses guy. Although the story line does run smoothly, it could have been shortened, I think, to keep some of the guy loses girl plot shorter.

Good qualities of this book: main character arch - Tessa does become a more complete person by the end of the book; she may be hurt by Harlin, but she has learned more about herself, enabling her to stand up by herself in the end. Most of the characters were developed well. Felt very understanding of Tessa and found out a lot about her mom. Knew who Steph and Zed were.

Bad qualities of this book: I was confused by Harlin's character. I think he could have been developed better. He was always yelling at Tessa, and there did seem to be a bipolar or personality issue that I don't think the author meant to develop this far. Another negative in my opinion, too much sex. Definitely a book for 18+ years old. Wouldn't recommend this for anyone in high school. Think the sex scenes are far too much for a young adult novel. And over and over again, could definitely have done without all of them. Noah should have been developed a little more.

Interesting notes: You keep hoping to find redemptive qualities in Harlin, and the moment you think they are there, he does something evil.

Will I read books two, three and four? I would like to, just to see how the author develops the two main characters, to find if there are any redemptive qualities in their relationship, and to see how the story ends.

Yes that is my rating. Instead of 5 trees, I give it an exploding tree rating. Why? You might ask. Let me just tell you that this story will make you explode from start to finish for many different reasons. Let me explain myself better, so as I sit here writing this review, my chest is still constricted from the crazy explosive emotions that I felt as I read the book and after I finished it (will talking about the ending later). It has stuck with me to the point that I can't think of anything else at the moment. The next book I begin to read after this one, should be afraid of my rejection. This book will give you all the feels but you won't require tissues, no, not even close, more like a Xanax and a support group.

Like all my reviews I am super honest. So when I say that I almost quit this book about 20+ chapters in, I'm not exaggerating. I was struggling somewhat with the beginning and the fact that I was burnt out on contemporaries and Hardin was just UGH, annoying that I just wasn't connecting with him. I felt like OK, nerdy girl meets tattooed rebel, I've read this many many times before, so what is going to stand out. Then I did give the book a rest for 2 days, I didn't read anything at all for 2 days (I know, how did I survive that) to just clear out my mind of all 200+ books Ive read this year alone, I needed a clean slate. So when I pick After back up on Sunday night, I was already thinking this will probably be my last chance that I'll give it. Cue 6 hours later, its now 4am and I had to force myself to put the book down. I had to be up in 2 hours and knew I would be exhausted at wake up time. Then I did something I haven't done in a long long time, I had the book at my desk and kept sneaking a chapter here and there every moment I could. I was almost at the point like when Twilight, that I just stop everything and my sole focus was reading the book. I was almost there but being a Monday, my workload was crazy and I just couldn't check out. So throughout the day I read and read until finally I was down to the last chapter, then panic set in. I realized, crap, I am going to NEED book 2 like I need oxygen when I done.

Little did I know, that that last chapter was going to wreck me completely, it wasn't that I just needed book 2 now, it was like I couldn't breathe from the shock of that ending and then knowing I was left with that ending till god knows when because I did not have book 2. Seriously if Anna Todd would have been standing in front of me when I finished After, I can't say if I would have kissed her or punched her. It could have been both, Todd girl, you are a genius!!!

Now I can imagine the majority have heard of this story and its beginnings now. I for one did not have a clue that this story existed until Gallery Books sent the press release that they would be printing this Wattpad sensation. I am very familiar with fanfic, since I was a loyal follower of many now published books that began as Twilight fanfics such as Fifty Shades of Grey, Beautiful Bastard, Sempre, Wallbanger, ext... So I know how loyal the original followers can be when it comes to getting the word out about this story and its characters. I'll also admit, I really don't follow 1 Direction like most do. My heart still lies with the original boy band New Kids on the Block (someone write me a fanfic abut them please). So when I read this book, I wasn't picturing the band members of 1D, I didn't even look them up to put names with faces since in the published edited book, the names have been changed. I'm sure those billions of reads probably had a 90% 1D fan-base but I'm happy to tell you, I didn't pick this book up because of 1D, so to have fallen as hard for it as I did and not having to do at all because of 1D, ya know this book is Epic!

Yes I know I'm rambling, that just shows you how effected I am by After. Seriously this will be the 2nd reviewed posted on OUaT for After, and if your not convinced after reading both of reviews, then I have no other idea how to convince you to read After. Maybe posting a 1D picture or even a NKOTB picture will do it, lol. Bribery is a good thing.

Did that work? LOL! Well in case you still need a little more of a push, After is definitely not your typical contemporary as far as the romance and relationships involved. Even when it comes to Tessa and Hardin, you would never put those two together in any scenario but when they come together in After, explosions of a high degree happen that can range from toxic to out of this world. You will have a love-hate relationship with Hardin and at times want to slap Tessa so she can wake up. Then when they are on the same level, you will forget to breathe with their passion and words. I prefer Out-of-the-box then cookie cutter romances, and Todd delivers what I love flawlessly. That's it folks that is all your getting from me on After, I will not spill any more beans, you'll just have to read it for yourself (ASAP).

Oh wait one last thing, remember I mentioned the ending. Yea, let's just say YOU WONT KNOW WHAT HIT YA!! Hardin is lucky he is a fictional character because if not, humph. Yea, can't say anymore but Hardin, you are a bad bad bad boy! - Yara

'All that I'm certain of is that my life and my heart will never be the same, not after Hardin crashed into them.'

The cover of After proclaims that its had one billion reads online. Wow, I thought!! That's a whole lot of interest. I've personally gone a little bit cold on New Adult lately. The stories all tend to be the same and there are very few authors who I find can consistently produce something new. But when this came up for review I couldn't resist. Now, I've never really listened to One Direction before, so the fact that this was originally written as a 1D fanfiction wasn't what enticed me. I just purely liked the sound of it. And something that had so many reads had to have something going for it, right?

I have to admit to being hooked pretty quickly. Despite a few issues that I had with the grammar, I was loving the story. I was breezing through it. Smiling and swooning and happy as happy can be. I was slowly falling for Hardin, and I really liked Tessa. The whole dynamic drew me in and I couldn't put this book down. But then slowly things started to worry me. I began to have some real issues with the way that the characters, especially Hardin, treated each other.

Now I'm all for tattooed, pierced bad boys. I love them. I adore them. I could eat them for breakfast. And Hardin was tattooed and he was bad. But there's a difference between bad and cruel. And Hardin went from bad to sometimes being downright horrid. We eventually find out that he has had a really crappy childhood, and I found that my heart just about broke for him. What he went through as a child would affect anyone greatly. But it also doesn't excuse his behaviour and treatment of Tessa. He went from hot to cold, up to down, fighting and loving, happy and sad, and all in the blink of an eye and for the most insignificant of reasons. When it comes to his friends, he treats her like his dirty little secret. He doesn't want to commit, but then gets all he man and jealous when she so much as blinks in front of another male. But still I loved him. He had my head in a spin but there was just something about him. But then there is one big fat betrayal that we learn about at the end of the book. It was a doozy!! I really have no idea how the author is going to get me back onside after that one. My love for him was so big, but now I'm not sure I even like him very much.

'Every second I spend with Hardin increases my feelings for him, and I know it's dangerous for me to allow these small, seemingly meaningless moments to occur, but I don't have control of myself when Hardin is involved. I become merely a passerby in this storm.'

And then there is Tessa. Sweet and inexperienced, she is the complete opposite to Hardin. She's lived a fairly sheltered life, and she's also experienced her own share of childhood heartbreak. She frustrated me on so many occasions. I think that sometimes she forgave Hardin so quickly for the way that he treated her. To a point I could understand it, because she's lived a big chunk of her life trying to please her Mum and avoid confrontation. Then there were the times when Hardin asked her, at times even begged her to listen to him about different situations and she would completely disregard him and end up getting herself in some avoidable predicaments.

'"I just want to be the only person you ever love; that way you are mine." '

There was just so much drama between these two and at times it felt like that was all that their time together consisted of. But when they were good, they were so good. Hardin could be so caring and loving. He was sweet and protective. Their chemistry was undeniable.

Even though I mentioned all of these issues that I had, I will definitely pick up the next book. I was addicted from start to finish. I really want to see where the author is going with things. I want to see where she takes Tessa and Hardin. I want Hardin to man up and learn that woman should be treated with respect, and I want Tessa to mature a little bit. Love is about respect and care and concern, and I'm not fully convinced that Tessa and Hardin are there yet.

For me, the first two thirds of After would be a solid four and a half, possibly five star read. But then the last third would be a three star read. And that is solely because of Hardin. But, there is no denying that I read to feel, and After made me feel so many things, and that can only be a good thing.

'My feelings for Hardin are so confusing. I hate him one minute and want to kiss him the next... He makes me laugh and cry, yell and scream, but most of all he makes me feel alive.'

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster Australia for the review copy.

While I understand some of the reviews I have read where the reader hates the book and the message they think it sends to young girls, I actually really enjoyed reading this. I don't go into any fiction book thinking that it is going to tell me how to live my life or how a relationship should be. I go in looking for entertainment. And boy did I get entertained.

I was engrossed as soon as began reading it. It was much better than I thought it would be. I felt so many emotions while reading that I was almost exhausted when I closed the book. Of course that could be because I read this book constantly over a couple of days and hardly did anything else.

Does this book portray a healthy relationship? No. Does it make the main character look like a strong, intelligent woman? No. Does this book keep you reading and wanting to know what will happen next? Well, at least for me, the answer is Yes.

I don't think young people should be reading it. It contains many mature themes including alcohol/drug use, emotional trauma, physical violence, and it contains many detailed sex scenes.

If you are a mature reader that can enjoy a book without having to agree with everything that is happening or how the characters are portrayed, then you just might really enjoy it as I did.

I am not judging the people that left the bad reviews. Not everyone is going to like the same things, nor will everyone feel the same way about a book. I, too, felt like the relationship was abusive and that Hardin was a little sh*thead, but I enjoy a book that makes me feel. This book definitely made me feel many emotions.

Yes, the relationship might have been considered by some people abusive and by others toxic. Honestly, this is how some relationships really are, some people actually go through this, no it's not something you can just let go of, it's not that simple, for those who've been in it would understand. The book opens you up into another dimension, a different kind of relationship some people aren't used to, you meet Hardin and Tessa, and there love and there problems sink into your skin, This book isn't made for people who are very sensitive, who haven't lived, who aren't open like others are. i fell in love with this book when I first read it on Wattpad although it was a Fan-Fiction, But I love this version of it also. 5 stars!!

I have very mixed feelings about this book right now. I admit, I read it mostly because it was billed as One Direction/Harry Styles fan fiction. And when a book gets a lot of hype, I want to read it to find out why.

I loved it, I hated it, I was bored at times, but I couldn't stop reading. The story felt so repetitive - Hardin and Tessa fall for each other, Hardin is cruel, they fight, then they make up. Over and over and over again.

I rarely hate characters, and I really, really wanted Hardin to redeem himself after all of his cruelty. But I really, really dislike him - possibly more than any other book character in recent memory. He is so unbelievably and intentionally cruel. Just when I thought I could start liking him, he would say or do something that would make me want to grab him by the collar and shake him and scream at him.

And Tessa... she is young and naïve and sweet. And she falls hard for bad boy Hardin. I can't blame her for that, but she just keeps going back to him after every time he acted so horribly.

I guess that's the sign of a good book - when you feel so passionately about the characters - even if you despise them.

I am definitely looking forward to reading the next books in the series. I need answers - especially after that ending! I am still hoping that Hardin will redeem himself, but right now I really and truly hate him.

3.5 - 4 stars.

What can I say? I read all the hype about this book and began reading it with some skepticism because I wasn’t sure I would like it from what I’d heard about it being fanfic. I was expecting something completely different. But what I got was WOW.

I really liked this story. It’s explosive, full of angst and drama with the chemistry between the main characters Tessa and Hardin being hands down completely full on.

I loved how all the secondary characters played major roles in this story. They were extremely individual and interesting from beginning to end.

This story is a constant tug of war between Hardin and Tessa at all times. Love, Hate, Love Hate. I felt Tessa should have been a little stronger in herself to make the right choices. But Hardin had her feeling all sorts of things she’d never felt before. It sort of clouded her judgment at times. It was always a complete struggle between them.

A lot of the time Hardin is mean and nasty to Tessa and she doesn’t understand why – but the next minute he wants her so much. She is confused a lot of the time, but her feelings override what is right and wrong. There were a lot of times I just wanted to punch Hardin in the side of the head because of how mean he was.

Tessa is a good girl, and I mean – virginal, straight, not into anything unusual type of good girl. She even has a beautiful, good boy next door boyfriend.

I felt that Tessa was always putting herself in vulnerable positions and then getting hurt – the whole book is like that, making it full of drama – she really wants to believe that Hardin can be the love of her life.

Hardin is really a bad, bad guy. I was hoping so much that he would be good. But in the end, the cliffhanger left me gasping. I really didn’t see it coming. I love books that can do that.

Hardin really has you fooled by hoping you can love him, that he has changed - you want to like him – makes you want to think he can be good – he can change – but can he really change? Who is he? Hardin when he is with Tessa or Hardin when he is with his friends?

Do they truly fall in love? Despite everything?

Will all the secrets and lies be revealed? Will Tessa forgive him?

The tug of war between Tessa and Hardin as well as the suspense, mystery and secrets throughout this story truly kept me hanging on. If you love and explosive, fiery, angsty back and forth tug of war type of read – then get yourself a copy.

I would not recommend this book to ANYONE. One big rubbish, really, I haven't ever read such a bad-written book. The plot is repeated over and over again, through hundreds of pages,depicting a complete disillusion of a relationship - I just cannot understand, how is it even possible to fill almost SIX HUNDRED pages with this.

I read this book first while it was being released on Wattpad chapter by chapter, and as soon as it was published I knew I had to check it out again. The story follows Tessa and her new love interest Harden, and the ups and many downs of their relationship. Tessa met harden during her first week at university and has had trouble shaking him ever since. Harden and his friends a different from the type of person Tessa would usually hand out with, being that they are all tattooed and love to party. She even goes so far as to dump her current boyfriend, who she had been seeing for a couple of years, for Harden.

This book even though the book is almost 500 pages, it was a fast and enjoyable read. There are three more books in the series, and I look forward to reading those as well.

This book covered the constant push and pull between Tessa and Hardin, and it was not in a good way. Hardin is just an impossible person who irritated the hell out of me. He’s nice and then suddenly a switch is flipped and he flips out for no good reason, time after time after time, it was so repetitive. Tessa just takes it all and they make up every single time. Apart from the emotional outbursts and the several sex scenes there is not much plot. I read until the end without much gusto, hoping for something that did not really come. There is a little surprise in the end but I’m not even interested to know what is to come in the sequel.

I loved reading this series. The characters were well developed. Easy to read and very entertaining. Would revisit and definitely recommend. Let's be honest it's not a literary classic or award worthy but it's sexy, thoughtful, and fun.

At first I wanted to read this book because of all the buzz about how good it was and then when I read some bad reviews about how this book is pure rubbish and promotes abuse, I decided I had to read this book. I must say that when I read the first few chapters, I was thinking that this was another version of Beautiful Disaster. Of course Beautiful Disaster was better than this one in my opinion because Tessa and Hardin are definitely not Anna and Travis. However as I got into this book I began to see why everyone loves this book. Once Tessa and Hardin start hanging around each other, it is like having a bowl of popcorn and watching a boxing match. Who will win?

I will say that I do not like the fact that the main male character of this book if full of tattoos and piercing. That is just something that I do not find appealing no matter how cute the man is. However, this being fiction, I could overlook that and like Hardin. I also like Tessa. The people that gave this book a bad review, did so because they see Hardin as an abuser and Tessa as a weak and insecure girl. WRONG.

Here are some of my thoughts on this book even though I have not finished it yet:

1. Women are drawn to what is classically termed as the "bad boy" not because they want to be bad or abused but because some of these bad boys are not really bad and they have a way of making you feel something. This is not always the case though with bad boys, some really are bad to the bone.

2. I don't think that the author set out to make Noah the "perfect boyfriend" aka boring but some men are too good that they make me want to shave my head just to get some kind of reaction out of them. That is how Noah made me feel. Again, this is not always the case. But c'mon ladies, you know that I am right.

3. Many criticize that Tessa is a pathetic role model but is she really? Let's not forget that both Tessa and Hardin come from broken homes and as such, they have their own way of dealing with issues or how they turn out. Tessa is a control freak because that is what is keeping her from falling apart and Hardin is a jerk because he has so much emotion (mostly bad and destructive) inside of him that he needs to act it out. Be it by being mean or sleeping around.

4. The biggest complaint of this book however is that it promotes abuse. Hardin is mean to Tessa and makes fun of her. He makes out with her and then goes as far as to call her pathetic. But how many of you, who are in a relationship and in a fight or going through something, don't hurl those same words or expressions to your significant other.

This book is really about two people who are polar opposites attracted to each other. Tessa is overwhelmed by her feelings and is so drawn to Hardin because he makes her feel alive that she keeps going back to him even she knows that he will hurt her (with words). Hardin loves Tessa but can't or won't admit it so he does what he knows best, he pushes her away and is cruel to her thinking that his feelings will go away. They try to stay away from each other in hopes that their feelings will disappear but that is not how love works.

I do agree that this book is not appropriate unless you are of a certain age and mature enough to decipher fact from fiction (over 18). There is foul language and rampant sex but again, this is a book about teens in college and so the author is not too far off in her descriptions and scenes.

I am going back to finish the book and if I feel differently then I will update my review. However, I grew up with an alcoholic father and so to a certain extent, I can identify with Tessa. Again, everyone must remember that these are teenagers who are bound to make mistakes. They have a lot of growing up to do and will mess up now and then. How different is that from real life?

UPDATE AS OF 2/23/15
So I have not changed my opinion much after reading this book. My biggest problem was the vulgar language and the constant making out. Again, I guess this is how teenagers act nowadays (I will admit proudly that I was even more of an innocent than Tessa was at that age). I can understand how some people got sick of the the fights between Tessa and Hardin and I will admit I did get kind of tired of it but it does have a ring of truth and certainly makes this fictional story more authentic. Also for those who said that this book promotes abuse then I would say that you did not read the whole book. I am not one to give spoilers away but by the end of the book, you will understand Hardin and why he acted the way he did.

I read some teenage books because I think it is one of the ways to get to know how kids act and think nowadays especially when their parents are not around. I am not promoting what this book stands for, this is just a review of the book. If I knew that my daughter is doing the things that these kids are doing, I would drag her out of college and lock her up and throw away the key. I know, I know, there are things that a parent will never know because their kids are not going to own up to it but at least I like to think that I know what is going on and try to encourage my daughter (when she goes to college) and remind her that college is not for partying, alcohol, drugs and sex. College is the gateway towards a brighter future. You can earn your education and still have fun in a safe way without all the garbage that kids use nowadays. For any college kid that is reading this review, wake up and don't throw your parent's money away and waste your future. That is just plain stupid!!!

Again I would stress that unless your kid is of a certain age and mature, you should not let them read this. It always amazes me when I read reviews about parents who allow their kids to read books that are considered adult-themed books.

I wanted to like this book. A lot of people told me it was a good read. I tried to like this book. I really did. But from the very first chapter I couldn't stand the main female character at all. She was the most judgemental, whiny, wishy washy, boring and a bunch of other similar describing words girl. I felt like she must have been living under a rock her whole life until college. She saw her tattooed and pierced roommate and was shocked. She saw her roommate dancing with a guy and was shocked. She found out her college dorm had coed showers and was shocked. She goes to a party and hates it, says she'll never go back, but the very next week she goes again, hates it again and says she'll never go back. She cheats on her boyfriend, says she won't do it again, then cheats on him again, and says she won't do it ever again, but you guessed it, she does. She likes "Hardin", the main male character, yet he treats her like absolute crap. 30 chapters in (out of 98!)and it just keeps repeating the same things over and over. I honestly can't believe that there is an entire series based on these two characters.

Ok this book has been on a major craze so I gave in and decided let's conquer this beast of a book. Yikes, so much repetition I found myself skimming!! I hate skimming. Loathe it actually. The whole insta love I can get behind but the emotional whiplash of Hardin was seriously emotionally abusive to Tessa and there is no way I'd want my daughter to ever engage with a guy who wouldn't claim her as his amongst his friends. This is a classic case of he's not ready to really be in a relationship because he hasn't dealt with his own crap yet he wants the virgin. I powered through the because I won't write a review without reading the whole book. OMG I threw a party when I was done. Now why two stars, because Tessa found her voice to stand up for herself. Because there were intrguing parts laced among the pages. I can't believe 1 billion people have read this. If this was released chapter by chapter then I can see the need to repeat details but if not, or when it was being edited for print, so details should have been cut. I really felt like I expereinced damn near every day of Tessa's first few months at college. Done, check off my life, not continuing the series.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Tessa a “good girl” (aka uptight) who moves off to college without her steady long-term boyfriend. Tessa meets Hardin, a “bad boy” through her new roommate.

I’m not going to lie, there are a lot of ‘wtf’ moments.. but I think people are reading too much into it. Tessa puts up with way too much from Hardin, yes. The problem is that this book is very repetitive, with a lot of unnecessary sex scenes, and difficult to relate to because it’s not realistic.. but it’s still a good read (or listen.)

The growth of Hardin and Tessa as individuals and as a couple has kept me interested. I enjoyed this giveaway and purchased 'After We Collided’ to continue the series.

I heard about this book through some people I followed on Twitter. Their claims of it "being so romantic, and cute" persuaded me to make the purchase.
If anybody doesn't know, this book was originally written on Wattpad, an Internet site where most teenage girls post fanfiction about band members. And originally the characters in the After series were based off of 1D members. Harry Styles being the main character of said series.
Picked up this book for pretty cheap because I bought it used. At first, the story and plot seem interesting. A girl "good grades, clean cut, higher class" girl, being tempted by a "bad boy."
Shortly after about 100 pages of the FIRST BOOK, the main characters Hardin and Tess fall into a very abusive cycle of fighting, secretly liking eachother, sometimes having sex, making up, fighting again, secretly liking eachother, having sex. . . It's a continuous cycle that continues all the way over to the 2nd book (YES, I some how got that far, but stopped reading After We Collided about 200 pages in.)
All in all, this is a poorly written, unrealistic and abusive relationship. It is targeting young teenage girls who will look at this relation between #Hessa, and want the same thing.
I honestly don't even know how this made it into print form.

I really thought this would be a much, much better book since the overall rating is really good...but I'm surprised. How can this even be more than a 2 star. Here, ignore the back blurb and just listen to the ACTUAL summary. A girl named Theresa and a guy named Hardin meet during the first year of college at WCU. They fight for the smallest things like whether to go to a dinner or not. Theresa says she can't "live" without her. They get back together(which basically means having sex all day). After, the cycle begins all over again throughout the book for about 100 times then the book is finished. TADA.

I just don't get what the author was thinking. She says Theresa is "properly" raised by her strict mother and has a perfect boyfiend called Noah. She's dated fim for a long time and is still a virgin. She's all professional and doesn't act like "typical wild teenagers". Hmmm... after 18 years of all that, how did she go to a party immediately when she arrived in college? Not to mention and started drinking for the FIRST time when she knows her mother doesn't want her to? An actually get drunk? And end up sleeping in someone else's bed...kissing? Then for the second time having sex when she knows what she's suppose to do during college. Not mentioning having sex with another person...that means she cheated on Noah!

How does she do all of this stuff during the first month of school when she says she has been raised "properly"? Not to mention she's also blind because she likes an emotionally unstable guy. She thinks he's only treating her poorly because he has family problems..well, no matter what, you don't just start talking rudely to a girl repeatedly just because of "family problems"(which is just him acting like a jerk about the whole situation).He constantly has random mood swings for no reason at all. He really is just doing all of this to seduce her and get her pants. Let me tell you if this were reality, and they got married they would get divorced in less than a minute. Not kidding.

Plus, the characters in this whole novel just seems unrealistic. They don't react to things the way real people would and they would either be too dramatic about a thing or be too subtle about it. There actually was no plot if you count want to count them fighting for one second and then having sex a "plot" then ok, in my opinion, it has no climax, which does not appeal to me so I definitely would not recommend this book.

This book is okay. I really don't like how ress is portrayed as this crazy in love college girl that has no backbone and how she lets Hardin control everything about her. I don't like how verbally abusive he is to her but this has become the norm for her.

Being a person who really doesn’t enjoy reading too much I can honestly say that AFTER by Anna Todd was one of my favorite books of all time. This romantic watt-pad novel based on the boy band, One Direction is about a boy named Hardin who is extremely stubborn and complicated and a girl named Tessa who would bend over backwards for anyone and has a heart big enough to love anyone. With that being said these two people face extreme difficulties because of they’re opposite personalities but fall in love in the most interrogating way. This isn’t your typical romance book; it’s filled with drama, suspense, drama and frustration and is one of the most beautiful twisted love stories especially if you’re a sucker for them.

AFTER isn’t your typical romance book. Once you pick it up you are completely hooked. Almost in the sense as if you have entered the characters and are living their life. This book has a way of twisting your brain and leaving you with questions and predictions. Some of my favorite things I pondered upon while reading was how their love wasn’t like the movies. It wasn’t the love that was over rated and un-realistic, they were real. They had fights, ups and downs and didn’t always end happily ever after like fairytales. That was just it though, while reading you will notice how they never gave up on each other and never came to an end. With that being said I don’t want to give too much away or release any spoilers so therefore you will have to read to find out!

Although this book is phenomenal there is no such thing as absolute perfection. In my opinion I do think that Anna Todd could have written this book a bit better with stronger detail and a better choice of vocabulary. I say this because I felt that this book had so much meaning and the characters love was so deep that I think the writing should have been a bit more detailed. Although that flaw doesn’t take away the love I have for this book. I recommend AFTER to anyone from the ages between 14-18 or anyone who thinks they are comfortable enough to read a romantic novel with sexual content. I greatly enjoyed reading AFTER and I am thoroughly impressed with Anna Todd and her first hit book. I would highly recommend experiencing this beautiful love story for your selves. It is most definitely worth the read!

I fell in love with the prospect of a turmoil romance. We see these 2 college kids interact and behave like idiots. I want to saw that Hardin improves but he doesn't I fact as the story unfolds he gets extremely worse. Tessa is naive and very sheltered. She has all of these expectations that don't happen which disappoints her greatly. I would like to say that she grows into her own person but really she just regresses into childlike behavior.

Overall this is a very long story filled with issues and complications.

Loveeeeee this book and series! What an amazing series! The characters are so developed and complex. However, I do think this book series is more for ages 16 and up. I loved this book, I couldn't put it down once I started it. It kept you interested with the perfect amount of drama! It's a must read! This book is one that I will go back and re-read!

This book was recommended to me, but I found it very frustrating! These characters are horrible! The way Tessa treated Noah, the way Hardin treated Tessa and she put up with it! WHAT?! Oh and of course the cliff hanger ending! I am curious on what happens next, even if I don't want to be, but I am not continuing the series! Their relationship is toxic and ABUSIVE! I should have stopped at the beginning. It's a VERY long book.

The only reason I don't give 1 star is because I was able to sit through the book from beginning to end. I don't want to say the book is bad. It's just not for me. I guess it comes down to how much you like the hero. There wasn't a single redeeming quality about him. Of course for the target audience who is already in love with Harry Styles, the hero might be the reason they read the book.

I don't want to be mean to a new author. I guess Anna tood pour all her talent and heart inot this book and she deserves all the success she has. It's just that I prefer books where the romantic heroine has some backbone and is complex. There's no way that Tessa will enter my list of heroines: Jane Eyre, Katniss, Tris, Lila Velez, Lisbeth Salander, Lexi Hamilton, Tessa Grey, Izzy Lightwood. But I don't expect most NA titles have compelling heroines. They're all about the sex and if that's what you're looking for After might deliver because there's a lot of sexual chemistrya and plenty of sex scenes.

Feels like a twist of the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. While the quality isn't as impressive, and like other reviewers I've found errors in this first book and others in the series, it's still an entertaining story and sure to be a good read if you enjoy romance novels. The level of depth of characters isn't there but they're still relatable and make for an easy read. I read it while on the beach and was pleased enough!

I just finished this book and I'm having a hard time rating it, however I'll do my best to give this book to you in an unbiased perspective. (With a little of my opinion tossed in here)

Abuse?
Many people are saying it's an abusive relationship. Well, no it's not. Not at all. The main guy Hardin is extremely difficult to deal with, has too many issues with his past, and too stubborn to let it go. He says things very bluntly and coldly such as, "I am the one paying the bills here, so if anyone is going to leave, it will be you." Right after Tess told him to leave the house due to his sour behavior. In all honesty? This reflects a normal relationship. Has your boyfriend or husband ALWAYS treated you like some fairytale princess? "Oh honey, I'm so so sorry. Let me hug away your troubles". No, let's be real here people. That doesn't always happen. Couples fight all the time. They bicker and they argue. Do I think he goes over the line? Oh yes many many times, however Tess does stand her own and fights back to which he backs down and apologizes. I personally would not have liked this book at all if she didn't stand her own. Bottom line is, he's difficult to deal with and she puts him in his place many times. Keep in mind, he was written to be a troubled man, with an abusive history....also a womanizer. He shouldn't be a perfect gentleman. I personally wouldn't want to date someone like him because I am way too feisty to deal with that. I wouldn't want to date someone with loads of baggage.

Romance? Sex?
There's sex. A lot of instances with sexual encounters. That shouldn't be shocking with this book being labeled a romance. I was afraid the romantic aspects would compete with 50 shades by making it cringe worthy, and borderline disgusting. However the sex scenes are very intimate, very patient, very REAL, and loving. Did I say real? I don't want to make spoilers, but just keep that thought. I am and was bothered that most fights between characters ended in sex. Although that happens in every day life, it became ritualistic and expected. *rolls eyes* Here we go again.

This book isn't intelligent.
It's not deeply written. Probably has the equivalence of a teenagers reading level. I will say there is something addicting about it. The way the story moves in such a realistic timeline is captivating. Anna Todd did a beautiful job bringing her characters to life and making them relatable. I couldn't put this book down and devoured it quickly. It took me away into another life and I really enjoyed that. There are moments I felt my blood pressure rise due to the roller coaster scenes written out. This is a perfect "getaway" sort of book.

The mother, the boyfriend...? (Spoilers here)
I have to say the mother is one irritating, controlling bitch. Excuse the language. But!! she makes some valid points in regards to some of Tess's choices. For example when Tessa chooses to leave her dorm at the college and shacks up with Hardin. She's 18 and living with a guy she doesn't know that well, especially when he shows explosive behavior...not smart. And as a mom? I'd flip out too. Just not in the way Tessa's mother does. Tessa's boyfriend? Quiet, perfect, sweet natured...a reflection of characters written in other romances. I was pretty angry that Todd made Tessa into a cheater. Attracted to Hardin or not, Tessa DOES cheat on her bf all too easily and that reflected poorly on her. And her ex, Noah, takes it too well. NOT RIGHT ANNA TODD.

Is it worth it?
Sure. If you're in between books or can't decide on something to read to kill time, I recommend this book series. Especially if you're into romantic every day life and JUST getting back into reading. It's a good dramatic, romantic read that takes you away into the lives of some troubled people. Reminds me of a soap opera to be honest (not that I ever watched soap operas).

Hope this review helped....I'll have to go back and edit this since I wrote it on my iPad.

3.75 rating. You could just tell this was a Wattpad book from the start. Wasn't aweful but wasn't the greatest. I really hate when people say that they didn't like Tessa's character. When you read it on paper yeah you are pissed that she keeps running back to Hardin but at the same time there are millions of couples who do this same s***....well not the betting part but the emotional entanglement. So with that aside and as someone who has been in that situation, this book is actually decently done and it's great that this author got published.

This was an book that I don't know how I feel about this book. This relationship between Hardin and Tessa gave whiplash while on a rollercoaster. It was fine one page and then crazy the next which really irriatated me, but nonetheless I kept reading, but I wamted to know what secret Hardin was keeping. I knew something was big and I predicted the twist at the end. But I did like the side characters they they were seen as much as I wanted them as they too were sweeped in the storm that was Hessa.

After by Anna Todd is a great book for people that love books, romance and boy bands. This books characters are centered around a band named One Direction and people they meet along the way while they are in college. The boys are in a fraternity and love to party every weekend. It is almost the beginning of the new school year and they are about to be sophomores in college, on the other hand, another important character comes in and her name is Tessa. Tessa is going to be a freshmen and she is excited yet nervous for what is yet to come. She gets excellent grades and does all of her work ahead of time. Tessa also had a boyfriend named Noah back home and he is a year younger than her so they won't be starting school together and that makes her sad. Tessa and her mother arrive at the dorms with Noah to get her settled in and as soon as they walk in Tessa's mom wanted her to switch dorms. The reason being that she doesn't like her roommate, a red haired, tattooed and pierced girl named Steph who also has guys like her in the room. Tessa doesn't listen and introduces herself to them, they seem nice except for one. This is where Harry comes in, he is rude and mean. Doesn't acknowledge her and is plain rude. She doesn't like him right away, they seem to always yell at each other and can't stand each other. That weekend there is a party at the frat house and Steph invites Tessa to come, and she does, but ends up regretting it because she isn't having any fun. At the party they make fun of her because she is different and dresses conservatively and isn't into the same things as them. But however Harry starts to grow on Tessa and the same with Harry, she thinks that he is pretty cute without any of the metal on his face and tatoos but they can't seem to get along well and Harry admits that Tessa makes him feel different then anyone else because of her innocence and the way the talk and fight. The book goes through their relationship's ups and downs and testing friendships that they may have thought were real. Tessa finds out things from harry's past that relate with her and they bond over that making them realize that there are things between them that can be real and in common despite their differences. Tessa starts to have feelings for Harry and they fall in love but Tessa is still with Noah and hasn't told him anything yet, afraid of what he and her mother will say or do. They do really well and then suddenly towards the end Harry's biggest secret about begins to surface and everyone who Tessa thought were her friends already knew. The book ends on a cliffhanger with Harry walking in on Tessa talking to "his" friends. I personally love this book, it is much different then what you would expect, the love story is so well written and the timing is perfect. I think the author did a good job with keeping it interesting and adding plot twists to change your opinions on he characters and their lives that gets you hooked and you can't stop reading it. I would recommend this book to people in upper high school and young adults too. People that enjoy reading romance or just about One Direction if they are a fan would love how it was done too.

I personally think this a great book. I read it on wattpad and now personally own the entire series. This is of course a fictional story with fictional characters. People seem to judge this book based on the abusive relationship and the sex and fights instead of looking at the mostly good stuff. This is idea is something I haven't personally read before which makes it a unique book and the characters do go through rough times and Hardin didn't have the best childhood and neither did Tessa. They butt heads and kind of ruin each other but that's what makes it interesting! There's so much drama and they're also in love! It's fictional and people are making it seem like such a big deal when it's not. People also seem to think Tessa is a very "wishy washy" , "judgy" , "annoying" character but that's because she never met people like them. She doesn't necessarily know better at the beginning and she even says that she tried to not judge Hardin and the group but they also judge her. Haven't you seen that's what everyone does in our society anyways? I don't see why people are getting so worked up over a fictional book. I personally think it's a very good and well planned out book and I'd recommend it to my peers.

This is one of those "I wish I could give zero stars" type reviews. This is a terrible book. It romanticizes abuse and not in any sort of fetish type way. There is really no excuse for it at all. This is straight up abuse and the target audience is impressionable teens and young adults. This author is disgusting. The entire book is back and forth. Sex, abuse, sex, abuse. Oh except it's not actual sex. Oral and handys. I recently read that that's apparently gateway sex... Why? It's all the same, except one can get your pregnant. I don't even understand why teens think this is somehow different then actual sex. It's all the same intact hymen or not guys! Virginity is a load there are no loopholes! Do it or don't.
Tessa keeps going back to him after he publicly shamed her telling her she can't take a hint, he calls her pathetic, he is horrible. Probably undiagnosed bipolar with a narcissistic personality disorder. And she just takes it! At one point she even tells him that he makes her cry more than anyone has ever made her cry. THEN WHY DO YOU STAY!? This is not okay! This is not healthy! I am so close to the end of this book and am stopping. I came to see what the reviews were like on this book and discovered it's a whole freaking series!!! And the other books look to be more of the same! The second book lets you read the first chapter and what I read just baffles me. They took what I already thought was the worst thing ever and then added another terrible She's All That,10 Things I Hate About You, twist! I don't even understand how the author thinks this makes a good series unless she ends up killing Tessa off and it ends up being a life lesson. Don't make bad decisions kids, like reading this book. That would be a bad decision.

I am addicted to this series LIKE ADDICTED! I have read them all and continue to re-read them. The story of Tessa and Hardin is one that is both tragic and envied all at once...I read through the whole series with a week. I had a hard time putting them down. At the end of each book in the series it leaves you wanting to pick up the next book right away and continue reading. Lot's of unexpected twists. If you want to find a new series to fall in love with and become obsessed with I highly suggest this one.. CAN'T wait for the movie!

Awful. Why glorify an abusive guy. Like most said: it's fighting over the stupidest things, hatefulness and then sex and submission. I hope young girls don't leave this "book" with the notion that this type of relationship is okay. Awful, awful, awful.

So apparently a lot of people hated this book. Guess I am in the minority because frankly, I loved it. Yup, don’t care! Fair warning to potential readers though: there is cheating, there is “emotional abuse”, there is a lot of back and forth between the characters in terms of having a relationship, there is a dreaded cliffhanger, there is some shallowness to the characters, and the heroine can pretty much get on your nerves at any given time. She appears weak, stupid, and totally naive. BUT, this for me adds to the realness of the story. Because who can say that they were perfect at these characters’ age and didn’t go through some messed up drama? Seriously. Yes, there were points I wanted to give up on the story- the naiveté of Tessa is crazy, but I have to admit that I grew to love her as I got to know her. This is true especially considering how she grew up and what not. Did I love the “hero” Hardin? Definitely not in the beginning but again, I grew to accept him for who he is and how he became that way. So yea, I can see why this book was a wattpad sensation and I can also see why some people may not have liked it. Either way, I certainly did and I intend to finish out the series.

So this book is about the soap opera- I mean tumultuous relationship- between Tessa and Hardin. Tessa and Hardin meet through mutual friends during Tessa’s freshman year at college. The two instantly take a dislike for another, basically because Tessa comes off as prissy and stuck-up, and Hardin comes off as the tattoo bad boy with no morals. But once being around one another at parties and running into each other here and there, they suddenly develop an undeniable chemistry (although in truth, both do deny their feelings at first). But being in a relationship for these two is really tricky. This is for many reasons including Hardin’s inability to settle down with one girl, Tessa’s current boyfriend, and their total opposite appearances. But after one night at the lake things suddenly begin to change for them and their relationship takes off faster than a shooting star. Of course their relationship isn’t easy- Hardin has a hard time giving up his freedom, he is mouthy, insensitive, and very possessive- and Tessa is stubborn, naïve, and stuck between her mother’s rules and her own feelings. But the two do have deep feelings for one another and will try and do anything to keep their relationship going. Unfortunately, at the end of the story, secrets and lies (I swear, this twist I NEVER saw coming) threaten to break them apart… And you won’t know what becomes of it until you read book 2… WAH!

Despite what my review looks like, I honestly fell for this book as hard as Tessa and Hardin did for each other. Now I have to wait for my paperbacks of book 2 and 3 to come in the mail because I read this one as a paperback and like to keep my books “all in the same family”. I can’t wait to see what happens between Tessa and Hardin in the coming books. But I do hope that both of them grow from snotty college kids to adults. Oh, and I definitely recommend this book. It is quite long (almost 600 pages) but makes for an easy read as the chapters are small.

I started to read "After" cause the plot sounded interesting, even if I initially thought it was a fantasy: instead is one of that classic young/adult that are cool now and often the better to read.
But this seems a teenager version of "50 shades of grey" (even if I didn't read the book nor seen the movie): this 2 guys go to live together after only 3 months they met, and ok. Then, to tell the plot, if you can call it so, it's fast: they talk, quarrel, then she does something that make him angry and broke things or knock someone, then they make piece doing sex.
Then he make her angry, she cryes for most of the books (I'm at the 2nd), but she forgives him cause she loves him, and idem as before.
And so on for 400 pages per book, without it really something happens.
Don't know if I'll reach to read until the 5th (and I think the prequel is going to be released)

I give this book 5 starss, and that's probably overly generous, but I have my reasons.

I struggled with the book in the beginning. I liken it to a bad train wreck. I wasn't sure I could keep reading, but I wasn't able to look away, either. It kept me up late into the night voraciously flipping through page after page. I wanted to run over Harden with the darn train before it was all said and done. But you know what? As soon as I finished the book, I started having Harden and Tessa withdrawals. So I found myself over at Wattpad downloading the raw, unedited version of book two to read. Because I have to see what happens next. Fair warning...if you decide to do this, the Wattpad versions are unedited, and the names are different from the published, cleaned up version.

Yes. I know there are people who absolutely hated these books. Admittedly, the writing is not all that great, but the storyline is like crack. Some argue that it's an abusive relationship. He never physically abused her, but he put her through hell in other ways. A real mind player he is. She was a good girl. She was completely naive and in retrospect, I know she wishes she would have followed her mother's advice that very first day.

No, the relationship isn't technically abusive (not physically, anyway) ... but it reeks to the high heaven of co-dependency at it's ever-loving worst. I've got other obligations at the moment, but I can't wait to get back to the saga and continue with book two!!!

…if you’re interested in reading about a self-absorbed, infantile female who falls for THE bad boy in college - although the author could have fooled me and just as easily set this up at a high school. Tessa Young, this books heroine, is a whiny 18 year old, who has no sexual experience and makes everything, and I mean absolutely everything, about herself. She was so obnoxious that I wanted to slap some sense into her since chapter 3 - and there are 97 of them. Tessa falls for the campus bad boy, Hardin Scott, who doesn't date. Despite that not much is known about him until the end of the book. For a good portion of the story Hardin is hot and cold towards Tessa, while she almost always screams at him. That her behavior doesn't put him off is the biggest surprise to me.

If you’re able to overlook the flawed characters and putting your money one the plot, you’ll still be disappointed. The storyline is slim at best.

All in all I can’t understand the hype about this book.

This book has abuse apologist themes and the target audience are young girls, who will more than likely be swayed by this and come to believe that this behavior is acceptable. The victim ends up with her abuser, with all sins forgiven with no character development on the male’s part. The fact that an abuser is seen as the hero, and knight and shiny armor after Hardin stalks Tessa, mentally abuses her, and pushes her into sex, and more, is not something I can support. Not to mention, the writing is complete rubbish and this girl literally plagiarized Bronte and Hemingway quotes, word for word. This girl forgives her abuser time and time again despite his flaw, and some naive teenage girl is gonna read this and think it's okay, because that is what this shoddy series promotes at the end of the day. Don't waste your time. Just another trashy book in which abuse and is glorified and given the veil of, "no relationship is perfect!!!!" Gross. Massively disappointed.

I devoured all 4 books in this series! I would catch myself thinking about Tessa & Hardin when I wasn't reading. Will they last? What obstacle will show up next? What bombshell will Anna drop on me next as I read more? I literally could not read them fast enough & now I'm suffering with a huge book hangover. I read several reviews with one stars saying the relationship was bad. It definitely wasn't sunshine & roses but it felt so much more real to me than the usual "gorgeous model like guy somehow falls for awkward normal girl and the have the perfect relationship". Book 2-4 are in both Tessa & Hardin's pov so I really enjoyed getting a glimpse inside his head. I never leave reviews but I was so consumed with this series & these characters I felt like I had to. I'm not sure how anyone could only read this first one & stop but if you have I really hope you finish the series! It's 100% worth every page! :)

So I decided to crossover the young adult section with this book and found myself thinking WTF ?
I have read good and interesting young adult books before, but this one was far from that category.
I am aware it began as fan fiction and my daughter informed me that the Hardin character is model after one of the boys in One Direction, but geezuss it felt to me like this book was the result of a cross between Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey with a bad case of relationship abuse.
Hardin our main male character comes out like a spoil rotten kid more than a troubled one, the kind that needs a good smacking in the head so he gets his story straight instead of trying to save him. Tessa our female main character comes out so naive and weak it was kind of pathetic.

This is the first series that made me so emotionally attached. Despite the graphic make out, I just love this book. It left me speechless. I'm already done with all the books. I don't regret reading this. I recommend it to everyone

A couple of my friends had read this book and said they loved to hate it and that they couldn't put it down.
I was insanely curious about this book and I got an e-copy of it and started it right away. First, I'm so glad I don't have a print copy of this book because if I had to look at it on my shelf, I would poke my eyes out.

This book is extremely poorly written to the point that I couldn't even take it seriously. I was laughing so hard at how amazingly crappy the writing. At some point, it stopped being funny and I wanted to throw my phone down a well so I wouldn't have any evidence that I had ever read this book.

The characters are without a doubt, the worst fictional characters that I've read about in years. The only book that I can compare After to is Modelland by Tyra Banks.

The cover of this book is pretty awesome but what's inside is incredibly horrible and I hope I never have to read anything like this again. When I was about %4 into this book, I learned that After is a fanfiction of
Harry Styles. I'm not really a fan of One Direction's music so I don't know a lot about harry Styles but I once I knew After was fanfic, I could tell it was about Styles. I personally don't think fanfic should ever be published because it's not original material so that was a big deal breaker for me.

Overall, I hated this book and I hope I never have to read anything like this ever again. I'm sad that I wasted my time on this book but I'm also glad I read it because I've wanted to read this book for awhile now.
I wish I had something positive to say about this book besides the cool cover but I can't think of one good thing. It was so poorly written that I was almost in tears because it's just so bad. I don't want to say I'd burn this book but I also wouldn't save it if it spontaneously combusted.

Great book! A little on the "Twilight" side but I still couldn't put it down. Full of sex and drama, that's what makes for good entertainment!

I wouldn't recommend it for teens under 18. As a 31 year old, I wouldn't ever let a man treat me the way Hardin does Tessa, but I've learned a lot the hard way. Young girls shouldn't think this is okay. But it's great for adults who can appreciate the dark sexual passion this book entails. Happy reading!

I've read the whole series and it is actually a very good story that contains a lot of ups and downs. Although some of the reviews are completely negative, this is one of the books in which actually got me to read in the first place. All I would say is to just give After a chance because, in the end, it was such an amazing series.

I read this on wattpad and at first I loved it but then after I reread it I didn't get the big deal. It reminds me on 50 shades so much. But I will say the first one aka this one is well better than the other one's.

When reading all of these bad comments, I for one, get very offended. I was one of the readers of this book on Wattpad and have been with this book/writer even before the real book came out. Sure, I understand where these people are coming from, they believe it encourages bad relationships, but it really doesn't- it encourages real, strong, and true love in its finest. I can also bet you half of these bad comments are 40 year old women trying to discourage their teen children not to read this, but I as a teen myself, find this book a fantastic and dramatic book. Also, just on a sidenote, if you think this is bad, check your child's Wattpad account, you'll be frightened.

So, this might not be a full review. More of a statement for those who say they could not finish it, blah blah blah.
Honestly, in my opinion you have to, at least, finish the first book to really understand the series. There are some serious plot twists you wouldn't expect coming. There is so much emotion and feeling into what was being said between the two main characters. I'm not going to spoil it for those who didn't read it. But behind Hardin's rudeness there are reasons and feelings. There are many fights and it does seem like they are going back and forth. But it is a great book, to me, and to fully understand you would have to finish the whole first book. You cannot write a review saying 'I hate this, I hate that about this book,' when you haven't even finished it. Okay, that's about it.

This book is SUCH GARBAGE. HOW did this even get published? You are a joke, your writing is the worst thing that I've ever read, and you and the 12 year olds reading this book are ruining literature. Seriously. I could feel my brain dying reading this.

I began reading these at the suggestion of a co-worker during a large snowstorm and I was not disappointed!
Everyone gushed about 50 Shades, but I find the character development SO much better in this series. While dark at times, the plot is hopeful and reminds us that we all have flaws. I could see myself in both characters. The relationship, while not ideal, is more realistic than 50 Shades. Also the idea that love isn't always enough rings so very true. While Christian Grey is a classy stalker, Hardin is a broken soul that is lost and finds his redemption in Tessa. I strongly encourage any reader to complete all 4 books before jumping to conclusions. This series is about addiction, co-dependency, redemption, emotional abuse,and serves as a reminder to the reader that those who are broken need unconditional love the most.

An absolutely amazing book! Full of everything that you want, there is not going to be a dry eye in the house and action on every page. There is something for everyone in After! Very well written, and it will become your favorite book!

I honestly don't understand how people like this book? It's nothing but a romanticized emotinally abusive relationship. So much of it was pointless back and forth fighting and then sex between Hardin and Tessa. There are people out there thinking this is normal, that couples fight like this all time. I mean no relationship is all sun and rainbows, but if the guy yells at you constantly, controls who you speak to, and basically has you depending on him for everything, then you need to get away from that. This is not the kind of relationship anyone should want. When someone says that hessa is goals, I honestly want to just sit them down and show them that it's not. I mean there are so many other books out there that depict a healthy relationship and I recommend those. This story actually inspired me to start writing my own story about an abusive relationship where the girl at first thinks it's normal but then finally realizes it's not and gets help. I want more books that show how real relationships work and not romaticize serious stuff like this.

After has been receiving very biased reviews. Majority of the reviews do not like After because it was originally based on a popular boy band, One Direction. Most of the angered people over this series do not keep in mind that it is in fact, only based off the band. Therefore, only their names were used. Because the boy band members names were used does not entitle the whole series off their personal lives. Due to only the boy’s names being used on an online place to discover and share stories should not alter their reputations. If the boy’s security thought is was such a threat they would have tried to stop it. The author of this series, Anna Todd, is a fan of One Direction. Therefore, she would not purposely try to hurt their image. Of course, now that it is published, this type of story cannot go on using the bands names, so there is no way After can damage their reputation when it is no longer about them. After is a well written book and should not be degraded because some of the content. This book does not promote rape or sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is any sort of non-consensual sexual contact. Throughout this series, the sexual relation between Tessa and Hardin never crossed the boundaries leading to sexual abuse. It was all consensual. One topic in this series, however, did involve rape. Although a part of the novels talked about it, does not mean it was promoted in any way. In fact, it negatively impacted people’s lives in the story. After does in fact deal with real world problems, given that each event in the book is realistic in every aspect. This book does not say it is okay to stay in a hurtful relationship as long as the other person tells you that they love you. Tessa leaves Hardin multiple time for being mistreated. Therefore, this book does not glorify abusive relationships nor does it say that abusive relationships are normal. If you are in an abusive relationship, there is help. Anna Todd is a talented writer. The After series is very well written. If you are interested in these genres of love stories, the After series will make you feel nearly every emotion. The After series is one of my favorites because it does deal with various realistic problems that you possibly hear about on a day to day basis, while going through these issues, the series shows how each character thinks due to the problems and how it all effects others. The series goes through self hatred, guilt, sadness, pride, jealousy, commitment, happiness, depression, and above all, unconditional love. What Tessa and Hardin have between the two is love. They make it through the hardest times and no matter what is going on, they will still feel as if a part of them is missing while the other is away. If you are interested in this type of genre, go for it. Of course I will not recommend it to younger children due to explicit content, but Anna Todd does take you through the story as the characters do, making you feel as if you are the one in the story. Highly recommended for mature audiences.

This book is just a repetitive cycle and romanticizes abusive relationships. Not to mention the immaturity of the characters that lack any sort of character development throughout the book. This book is full of abuse , and the worst part is that the main character still ends up with her abuser who is made to be seen as some kind of hero or knight and shining armor. It's full of sex, fight,sex,fight and so on. Really annoying! I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, it's simply appalling.

Terrible, horrible, unbelievably messed-up story.
It makes me sick to my stomach to believe girls would think this relationship or this behavior from guys is acceptable or romantic.
I guy who treats like that should never ever be thought as ideal or acceptable.
Ah, but deep inside he loves me, and he is just troubled and suffering for all the crap he went thru! No, sorry honey. It doesn't matter how messed up his life is, no amount of sorrow makes it acceptable. A jerk is a jerk, is a jerk, is a jerk.
The writing is terrible, the story is sick and disgusting.
Don't forget this story is written by a female with ridiculously idealized female point of view. If a guy treats you like that, don't you dare think that deep inside he is just doing that because he is suffering. No, e treats you like s*** because he really believes you should be treated like that, a door mat. There is no romanticism in that and don't you dare to compare it to Pride and Prejudice, or Wuthering Hights. Verbal or psychological abuse, disrespect should never be romanticized, please!

I've read every review about this book and all of them have said about how horrible it is because of Tessa & Harry's relationship, the plot, and the literature. Now let me tell you why it is the exact opposite.
I've read After since she put up the first chapter on Wattpad and I fell in love. Not because of the amazing sex scenes or tje "abusive relationship " but Because this book actually talks about real relationships now a days.
Every couple fights and screams and argues about the smallest things. The difference is they realized they can't live without each other. Yes the book contains a lot of fighting and arguing but it's the point that they always got past it and move forward changing to be better for each other, but not changing into someone they dislike. Yes Tessa changes her wardrobe and starts to wear make up but no where in the book does she say she dislikes it, there are actually many times where she says she feels more beautiful. Harry also says he hates dealing with his demons but she is his light. From one reader to another this is the most realistic book on relationships today that I've ever read.

I've ordered all the After series and they came in great condition. If you aren't a fan of this fanfic then do not read this and write terrible reviews on this book. If you are debating whether to purchase this novel and don't know anything about this book series, I recommend researching what this is about so you know if you are interested and don't waste your money.

Okay, I began reading this book when it was on wattpad as a fanfiction, and although there are some things I would change, I won't give Anna Todd a rough review.

Let's remember, this is all fiction. And sometimes the main characters aren't always who you want them to be. And sometimes, some books just aren't for you.

I will agree that the relationship portrayed in the book is unhealthy... Both characters know that.. But were we complaining when Christian was whipping Ana in his 'red room of pain'? No. Unless you're all stiffs, then move on. It's just a story.

Another thing, do not make this young girl feel like s*** in the midst of her unruly success. To her, the world is in the palm of her hands. She's got it all, and she's worked hard to get there, whether or not you like what she's accomplished for herself.

Lastly, if you have even one decent bone in your body, you'll be able to connect and understand Tessa's need for wanting to help Hardin. For wanting to be the one person he can love and cherish. We've all know that kind of selfishness in our lives at one point or another.

Sometimes you just can't stay away from someone, no matter how much pain it can bring you. Congratulations, Ms. Todd. You've brought your fanfiction to life and that inspires a lot of other young authors. I'm so excited for your success. Kudos!

Really loved this book!! The ending leaves you shocked. I could not put this book down. If you like this genre of book you will love the series. I was sad when I was done reading all four books that's how good they are!!

The story itself was good. It dragged and could really have way less pages and gotten the same result. It was not the type of book that made you want to read constantly. I had to force myself to finish

Hardin is an ass**** and if he were in a movie or on a television show, everyone (myself included) would want him - so it easy to understand why Todd made him such as such, but why she made the Tessa so dreadful I am not so sure. I mean, is this to show the reader how man-whore-nasty-boys make naive-plain-quiet-sexy (secretly and to everyone else but her of course) powerful and independent? Is this the `new' story telling fad- because it seems to be to me and I read a lot- I mean a lot.

Authors are continually writing these series books that show the painfully slow transformation of weak-willed young ladies who become these strong-amazing-sexually confident women because a man-boy did something so bad to them that they are `forced' to become this. As of late- it takes a man to make a woman. And while I do not preach feminism- this idea or method of having a transformation is old and annoying. Can a young lady not become who she is meant to be without the help of a man?

There have been many summaries so I will not waste my time or yours on that. There is a lot of back and forth in this one- `I love him", `I hate him', `I need you', `You're annoying', and the whole twist at the end is nothing surprising- if anything I was a little disappointed. I want mafia, secret spy, or something a little more adult- instead I got college kids playing a high school prank (that has been done so many times that I rolled my eyes). I did not feel one iota of sorrow for Tessa after this- she was stupid from the very beginning and that was the fault of Todd. I mean most of us learn at a very early age that the devil comes in the most beautiful package---

But- hey I will read book two...because like I said in the first sentence---I cannot resist a bad boy who knows he is bad and sets out to ruin everything he touches.

Those are the best heroes- the ones who know who they are and make no excuses. Everyone is collateral- even themselves. I hope there is more development with Hardin as far Tessa, I know where she is going and I am indifferent to her metamorphosis....

I started reading this book on Wattpad, and i couldn't stop reading it, it was so addicting! It was actually the first book I read full of enthusiasm, always wanting to know what would happen next! Thanks to Anna now i love reading <3 Really really amazing book!

The overall plot of the book is decent but the wording is horrible. Major editing is needed. The way the characters speak isn't natural. They rarely use contractions so while their English is grammatically correct, it sounds too formal. Some parts of the plot don't seem to be congruent but maybe I missed some things. Also, Hardin is a jerk. Not a lovably protective like Christian Gray but really inconsiderate and emotionally abusive. Read the book but don't expect another Travis Maddox.

This book is so captivating. I could not put it down. Yes, Harry is a jerk in the beggining but, its only because he is hiding his feelingz for Tessa. The way they loce each other so passionatley is something i hope to have one day. Congrats on a great book Anna Todd and keep writing!!

I read this when it was a fan fiction and it just got repetitive. They get together. They fight. They break up. The have sex. They get back together. They fight. It's never ending and it glorifies mentally controlling and abusive relationships. Definitely would NOT reccommend.

People are complaining this is abusive which is ridiculous since he never lays a violent hand on her. The plot is more dramatic than reality, but it also isn't your typical popular guy slash nerd book.

Thanks for the reviews, My 15 year old daughter wanted me to order this book for her, being cautious as a mom, I read some of the reviews, and some excerpts from the book. I don't think this is appropriate for a 15 year old.

I have to admit that Tessa suffers a metamorphosis because of Hardin which may not be the best example of what to do because of a guy but the story is absolutely amazing and Anna makes an excellent job with this book and the whole series. What people need to understand is that the book isn't made to teach girls what to do with their lives but to tell a story that is different from which we have seen and read. Also it shows the metamorphosis of Hardin, because he also changes completely and that's what a lot of people do not take to notice. Both of them change, but the change together and make each other change. but at the end of the day, the most important thing is that they care about each other and do everything out of love (even when this things are awful and hurtful).
I am extremely proud and happy for Anna and I have supported her fora very long time and I'll still do.
Hessa forever.

I first found after on wattpad and have been a fan since the first book and i was up to chapter 79, I remember this clearly waiting and waiting for an update on wattpad and to now think its a published book is incredible! Proud of you Anna! BIG FAN <3

Literary references and pop psychology targeting a market that is bit too young for Fifty Shades of Grey
The word young not in chronological age. Maybe a "Grease" for the new century but without the charm or the memorable music.

If I see one more series that promotes a terrible excuse for a relationship I'm going to explode. Is this really what passes for modern literature, and worse, for romance? What happened to having a caring, non-abusive man for a love interest? Or a woman who's not a spineless cardboard cutout for a lead?

Get this through your heads, people: no one should want a relationship like this! This isn't romantic, it's romanticized abuse. Anyone who believes otherwise is spitting in the faces of those who live in these kinds of relationships.

Tess is really annoying and naive. I don't believe anyone is that dense when it comes to sex, especially someone who loves to read as much as she does. She was sheltered but not that much.

Hardin is a jerk, plain and simple. He's also a man-whore. But, like all jerk man-whores he has a troubled past and doesn't let anyone get close to him....well, emotionally.

I started After with mixed feelings. I've heard both good and bad things about it. Honestly, I enjoyed the story. Onto the next one...

So I decided to crossover the young adult section with this book and found myself thinking WTF ?
I have read good and interesting young adult books before, but this one was far from that category.
I am aware it began as fan fiction and my daughter informed me that the Hardin character is model after one of the boys in One Direction, but geezuss it felt to me like this book was the result of a cross between Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey with a bad case of relationship abuse.
Hardin our main male character comes out like a spoil rotten kid more than a troubled one, the kind that needs a good smacking in the head so he gets his story straight instead of trying to save him. Tessa our female main character comes out so naive and weak it was kind of pathetic.

So I also read these books on Wattpad...and I have been reading all the reviews for this book because I knew that people were either going to love it or hate it and I was right. I consider myself to be a pretty serious reader and I have read a lot of "romance" novels. I have read FSOG and I am not sure why readers always feel that books are just a "copy" or a "poorly written version" of FSOG. Does any one remember that FSOG is a copy of Twilight. I don't think its fair to any author to compare everything to FSOG. FSOG is FSOG and that book had so many fans that I think readers are expecting everything they read to effect them like that series did. But honestly I have moved on. Me personally I don't want to read a book with any expectations. I think that's the point of reading different types of books. That being said some of the reviews that I have read talk about the 'abuse". I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion. When I first started reading this book I have to say that I was like "What the heck is this'. I was thinking "Harry/Hardin is a complete a&*hat and I was like Tessa run for the hills". Save yourself. LOL. That being said everyone has there own version of what abuse is. I found myself yelling at him for being a complete d#(*^bag and then yelling at her for putting up with it. It was hard to describe what I was feeling. That being said I also couldn't put it down. I mean I literally could not stop reading this book. Not because its some literary masterpiece. But because I had to know what was going to happen next. There was no part of this book that I wanted to skip ahead. I had to read every word because I have never read anything like it. Like I said earlier I read every chance I get everyday and I have read so many books of the bad boy meets the virgin and so forth and so on. Not that its a bad thing just after awhile its kinda like been there read that. I think that's why I gave this book 5 stars. Because it was different. And that's the biggest point to me is that it was different. I want t book to entrance me, make me laugh, make me cry, make me want to throw my kindle, make me shout at the characters. Isn't that the point of reading...There are books out there with far more 'abuse" than this one trust me I have read some of them. Relationships in real life are not always fluffy with rainbows and butterflies. Sometimes they are in your face like this book. And for me this was something that you don't usually see in a book and it was more of a reason to keep reading than to stop reading it. I am usually the person in my circle of readers to suggest books or if they ask me to I will give them my opinion on a book they are thinking of reading. When it came to this book I told everyone to just read it. I told them to expect Harry/Hardin to be a complete a$$ and I told them that Tessa just put up with his crap and kept coming back for more. They both knew their relationship was not a healthy one they both say it. I told them that their fights were intense and their sex was intense but I didn't tell them not to read it. I would never tell someone not to read something because every book is different to every reader. Which again to me is the point of reading in the first place. So I say if you are not sure you want to read this book based on the reviews that you have seen so far that's your decision...however if you want to read a non-typical book about a bad boy meets the virgin and you don't mind it being in your face and not rainbows and butterflies than get in your comfy spot and get a pillow and a blanket cause you wont want to put this book down. And lets try an remember that reading is a form of entertainment and what's entertaining to some may not be entertaining to others. Also for the review that said something about readers being over 40 might not like it I have to say I am well over 40. LOL. I don't think age has anything to do with it. Its just different people like different things. I hope this review helps someone. Also I have to say to
Anna Todd I am sure you knew when you wrote this that you were going to have readers that were not going to like this series but for me I have to say "go ahead girl'. I couldn't put it down and for me that says something.

I like it better with Harry on wattpad... I feel that it was a fanbook and should've stayed a fanbook. Not change the names and change it like that... I like it on wattpad better but this one is just as great!

After has been receiving very biased reviews. Majority of the reviews do not like After because it was originally based on a popular boy band, One Direction. Most of the angered people over this series do not keep in mind that it is in fact, only based off the band. Therefore, only their names were used. Because the boy band members names were used does not entitle the whole series off their personal lives. Due to only the boy’s names being used on an online place to discover and share stories should not alter their reputations. If the boy’s security thought is was such a threat they would have tried to stop it. The author of this series, Anna Todd, is a fan of One Direction. Therefore, she would not purposely try to hurt their image. Of course, now that it is published, this type of story cannot go on using the bands names, so there is no way After can damage their reputation when it is no longer about them. After is a well written book and should not be degraded because some of the content. This book does not promote rape or sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is any sort of non-consensual sexual contact. Throughout this series, the sexual relation between Tessa and Hardin never crossed the boundaries leading to sexual abuse. It was all consensual. One topic in this series, however, did involve rape. Although a part of the novels talked about it, does not mean it was promoted in any way. In fact, it negatively impacted people’s lives in the story. After does in fact deal with real world problems, given that each event in the book is realistic in every aspect. This book does not say it is okay to stay in a hurtful relationship as long as the other person tells you that they love you. Tessa leaves Hardin multiple time for being mistreated. Therefore, this book does not glorify abusive relationships nor does it say that abusive relationships are normal. If you are in an abusive relationship, there is help. Anna Todd is a talented writer. The After series is very well written. If you are interested in these genres of love stories, the After series will make you feel nearly every emotion. The After series is one of my favorites because it does deal with various realistic problems that you possibly hear about on a day to day basis, while going through these issues, the series shows how each character thinks due to the problems and how it all effects others. The series goes through self hatred, guilt, sadness, pride, jealousy, commitment, happiness, depression, and above all, unconditional love. What Tessa and Hardin have between the two is love. They make it through the hardest times and no matter what is going on, they will still feel as if a part of them is missing while the other is away. If you are interested in this type of genre, go for it. Of course I will not recommend it to younger children due to explicit content, but Anna Todd does take you through the story as the characters do, making you feel as if you are the one in the story. Highly recommended for mature audiences.

I have to admit, I had not heard of the Wattpad sensation After by Anna Todd. I don’t think of myself as living under a rock per se, but it just hadn’t ever come across my radar. A friend at Gallery Books emailed me to see if I would be interested in reading it. I absolutely love the NA college age genre and the synopsis really piqued my interest so I immediately responded that I would love to. Little did I know that I would be sucked completely into this vortex of the world of After and fall in love with this story. Not only did I fall in love with the story of Hardin and Tessa but in Anna Todd’s writing as well.

After is the story of Tessa who is the ultimate good girl….amazing grades, amazing manners and innocent to the ways of the world and Hardin, is the ultimate bad boy….tattoos, piercings, bad attitude and enough sexual experience to rival a porn star. Tessa is small town, Hardin is British. Tessa is conservative, Hardin is anything but. Both have had some trauma in their past but have dealt with it in different ways, Tessa came out more well-rounded and Hardin is simply a rebel without a cause. You see where I am going with this? Tessa and Hardin are polar opposites but as the age old adage states “opposites do attract”.

When Tessa moves into her dorm and finds her roommate is a tatted up party girl, her life changes. Over the course of the book Tessa’s good girl mold gets broken by the skilled hands of Hardin and this is where Anna Todd totally succeeded to me as a writer. She could not have written these two characters more true to life to this genre.

To say Tessa and Hardin’s relationship is volatile is putting it lightly. I don’t mean abusive, I mean they push each other to their limits with a passion that is extremely evident. Think Noah and Allie from the Notebook. They fight, they makeup….they fight, they makeup. Hardin’s vulnerability is so well written and Tessa being an old soul usually is a pacifier to his insecurities. For those of you who like heat in their novels, Anna Todd brings it. Hardin and Tessa’s sexy times are very real to their age and their experience which only added more to the depth at which Anna Todd understands this age group.

Hardin is a jerk and I am giving him some credit when I use that term because I could use a way worse adjective but when you start to peel back his layers you know what makes him the guy he is. As you get to know him through his friends and the estranged relationship with his father, you can’t help but want to bring him home and serve him a pb&j and a glass of milk and love on this tormented guy. At the end of the book, a bomb is dropped at the hands of Hardin….I am talking about the mother of all bombs….the type that makes you go WTF, did I really just read that and literally I had NO idea that was coming. I cannot WAIT to see how Anna Todd reconciles this revelation in book two.

After made me laugh, cry, want to throw the book across the room, throttle Hardin and Tessa at times, but most of all made me see the love of these two characters…..I don’t mean instalove….I mean that all-consuming love that makes you not be able to breath when you are apart. I experienced love like that when I was in college….and 24 years later, I still love him as passionately as I did back then. So yes, when you read After you will get butterflies, you will get heartache but you will most definitely get a true love story. When all is said and done, Hardin taught Tessa to live and Tessa taught Hardin how to love. 5 amazing stars for After!

In an age where women are finally making a stand for themselves I'm truly saddened something like this book was published from a horrible fan fiction. For those who don't know After was originally penned as a Harry Styles fan fiction on Watt Pad and while there is nothing wrong with fan fiction there is so much wrong with the subject of this series. Firstly it romanticizes a highly verbally and emotionally abusive relationship where there is little context of love outside of the constant need to belittle the other. I know that this will likely go on deaf ears, but I can't stand by and watch something become popular that could potentially produce the wrong ideals of a good, healthy relationship to its readers. It may be fiction but it shouldn't be promoted as a love story.

I have read this story on Wattpad, I really liked it at first, but as the story continued I began to hate it and hate it. One idiotic dramatic thing after the other. Too much pointless drama that was very unneeded. I did like this first book and I loved how it had a plot twist at the end. Also, I liked book two for the continuation of the plot twist. Once that was over, the rest of book two and all of book three were pointless to continue. I would recommend reading this book and book 2. The one reason why I did not like this series was because, in my mind, the main character didn't have a sense of mind of her own. She let people walk all over her and let others control her. With the series all together, I questioned myself why I wasted many hours of my time reading such crap.

I have so many books that have the cliché ending and story too. It got annoying reading it over an over again. But when I found After, I knew I was hooked.

My friend said she's been reading After on this site called Wattpad and she's probably read the book 8-9 times. So when I read the back of the book, I was really impressed by the story.

I got the book on Wednesday and immediately started reading it. I really do and strongly support this for people to read. :)

Its very rare that I take time out to actually write a review, I usually a rate by stars kind of person. First let me say that yes this book has a big ass emotional roller coaster and you'll probably keep asking your self why I am i reading this but trust me you'll keep reading but you'll just have to know what is going to happen and at the end we all read a different book and that cool but you have to give Anna props for this book at the same time. Not every book is a fairy tell and If thats what your looking for you then you can keep looking.

Let me start with Tessa. She was like any female her age, maybe a little to emotional but hey we all can't be perfect, But she did stand her ground plenty of times. You could tell that she was sheltered and college gave her the time to find her self and I loved Tessa by the end. She went from being a little push over to boss bitch (sorry, not sorry)

Hardin. Oh M GEE. This guy was a hot sexy british mess. I couldn't even keep up and just like Tessa I wasn't ready to give up on him.
I ship HESSA hard.

I won't give away the big blow but all I can say is damn I didn't see that coming. My heart broke a tad bit.

Anywho just give the book a chance, It was clearly good enough to land a movie deal (just saying , so stop hating). I really loved how she based her male characters off the members of One Direction!

To everyone who is saying that this book is about an abusive relationship, it is clear that you have not read the series. In the books, it is stressed multiple times that Hardin would never intentionally harm Tessa and as for the mental abuse, Tessa and Hardin both admit that this relationship is completely wrong and unhealthy, so obviously teenage girls don't think relationships should be like this if the characters in the novel say that what is happening is unhealthy. If the two characters didn't have their own problems then the book would be boring and this book is anything but boring. This book is a blend of very strongly felt emotions and a story line that is very connected. I can say that there were no open ties left at the end of the series. Everything was perfectly planned and written in a beautiful sadness that makes the reader actually feel something for the characters, something that is hard to come by these days.

A SIDE-NOTE: Just because she changed the names will not make any difference. People are smart and will soon figure it out. And I'm pretty sure a majority of the articles published about this "book" has either Harry Styles' or One Direction's name attached to it. So in a sense, the "author" is making money off of One Direction's IMAGE and FAME, which is absolutely wrong to say the least. If she had any decency in her, she would not have published this "book" in the first place. Also this is original a fanfiction that is still on Wattpad under the same title.

This book is written terribly, in every aspect--repetitive descriptions. And it is not a story but false glorification of abuse. And it is basically the adolescent version of Fifty Shades of Grey.

There are three things people need to know before buying this book:

*1: this story does not have a plot. It's just a bunch of fragments of an angry, emotionally abusive boyfriend and an annoying, delusional girlfriend sown together. The only reason either of them "falls in love" is sexual desire, and that is hardly sufficient. There is no climax or anything along that line, so this is really just a narration of a pathetic "romance," if you can even call it that.

*2: the story is repetitive. They have a fight over the smallest thing, they break up, move away from each other, then Harry apologizes and says that he's in the wrong causing Tessa and Harry to have makeup sex. And then they live happily until the next few pages where the cycle begins all over again.

*3: the book gives off a terrible message. It is saying that a nice, college girl will not be complete until she lives with her abusive boyfriend, and that is why I really dislike this story. There is no substance whatsoever. It is just a toxic cycle that keeps on going and going. And the author tries to make the story sufficient with some elegant writing and details, but the story is still terrible. Don't waste your time trying to read it.

Plagiarism of famous quotes:
*"Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same." -Emily Brontë (Wuthering Heights)
*"I never wish to be parted from this day on." -Jane Austin (Pride and Prejudice)
*"Just because he can't love you the way you want him to doesn't mean he does't love you with everything he has" sounds exactly like "Just because somebody doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with everything they got"
*"I bring out the worst in you, but you bring out the best in me" sounds exactly like "I bring out the best in you, but you bring out the worst in me" - Pixie Lott (Love You To Death).
*"the more you love the weaker you are" taken from "the more people you love, the weaker you are" -Game of Thrones
*"I don't care how hard being together is, nothing is worse than being apart." -Josephine Angelini (Starcrossed).
*"If two people love each other there can be no happy end to it." -Ernest Hemingway (Death in the afternoon)
*"It's hard to resist a bad boy who's a good man."-Nora Roberts (Happy Ever After)
*"There is no lonelier man in death, except the suicide, than that man who has lived many years with a good wife and then outlived her. If two people love each other there can be no happy end to it." -Ernest Hemingway
*"They didn't agree on much. In fact, they didn't agree on anything. They fought all the time and challenged each other ever day. But despite their differences, they had one important thing in common. They were crazy about each other." -Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook)

Literary references and pop psychology targeting a market that is bit too young for Fifty Shades of Grey
The word young not in chronological age. Maybe a "Grease" for the new century but without the charm or the memorable music.

If I see one more series that promotes a terrible excuse for a relationship I'm going to explode. Is this really what passes for modern literature, and worse, for romance? What happened to having a caring, non-abusive man for a love interest? Or a woman who's not a spineless cardboard cutout for a lead?

Get this through your heads, people: no one should want a relationship like this! This isn't romantic, it's romanticized abuse. Anyone who believes otherwise is spitting in the faces of those who live in these kinds of relationships.

So I also read these books on Wattpad...and I have been reading all the reviews for this book because I knew that people were either going to love it or hate it and I was right. I consider myself to be a pretty serious reader and I have read a lot of "romance" novels. I have read FSOG and I am not sure why readers always feel that books are just a "copy" or a "poorly written version" of FSOG. Does any one remember that FSOG is a copy of Twilight. I don't think its fair to any author to compare everything to FSOG. FSOG is FSOG and that book had so many fans that I think readers are expecting everything they read to effect them like that series did. But honestly I have moved on. Me personally I don't want to read a book with any expectations. I think that's the point of reading different types of books. That being said some of the reviews that I have read talk about the 'abuse". I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion. When I first started reading this book I have to say that I was like "What the heck is this'. I was thinking "Harry/Hardin is a complete a&*hat and I was like Tessa run for the hills". Save yourself. LOL. That being said everyone has there own version of what abuse is. I found myself yelling at him for being a complete d#(*^bag and then yelling at her for putting up with it. It was hard to describe what I was feeling. That being said I also couldn't put it down. I mean I literally could not stop reading this book. Not because its some literary masterpiece. But because I had to know what was going to happen next. There was no part of this book that I wanted to skip ahead. I had to read every word because I have never read anything like it. Like I said earlier I read every chance I get everyday and I have read so many books of the bad boy meets the virgin and so forth and so on. Not that its a bad thing just after awhile its kinda like been there read that. I think that's why I gave this book 5 stars. Because it was different. And that's the biggest point to me is that it was different. I want t book to entrance me, make me laugh, make me cry, make me want to throw my kindle, make me shout at the characters. Isn't that the point of reading...There are books out there with far more 'abuse" than this one trust me I have read some of them. Relationships in real life are not always fluffy with rainbows and butterflies. Sometimes they are in your face like this book. And for me this was something that you don't usually see in a book and it was more of a reason to keep reading than to stop reading it. I am usually the person in my circle of readers to suggest books or if they ask me to I will give them my opinion on a book they are thinking of reading. When it came to this book I told everyone to just read it. I told them to expect Harry/Hardin to be a complete a$$ and I told them that Tessa just put up with his crap and kept coming back for more. They both knew their relationship was not a healthy one they both say it. I told them that their fights were intense and their sex was intense but I didn't tell them not to read it. I would never tell someone not to read something because every book is different to every reader. Which again to me is the point of reading in the first place. So I say if you are not sure you want to read this book based on the reviews that you have seen so far that's your decision...however if you want to read a non-typical book about a bad boy meets the virgin and you don't mind it being in your face and not rainbows and butterflies than get in your comfy spot and get a pillow and a blanket cause you wont want to put this book down. And lets try an remember that reading is a form of entertainment and what's entertaining to some may not be entertaining to others. Also for the review that said something about readers being over 40 might not like it I have to say I am well over 40. LOL. I don't think age has anything to do with it. Its just different people like different things. I hope this review helps someone. Also I have to say to
Anna Todd I am sure you knew when you wrote this that you were going to have readers that were not going to like this series but for me I have to say "go ahead girl'. I couldn't put it down and for me that says something.

I like it better with Harry on wattpad... I feel that it was a fanbook and should've stayed a fanbook. Not change the names and change it like that... I like it on wattpad better but this one is just as great!

I have to admit, I had not heard of the Wattpad sensation After by Anna Todd. I don’t think of myself as living under a rock per se, but it just hadn’t ever come across my radar. A friend at Gallery Books emailed me to see if I would be interested in reading it. I absolutely love the NA college age genre and the synopsis really piqued my interest so I immediately responded that I would love to. Little did I know that I would be sucked completely into this vortex of the world of After and fall in love with this story. Not only did I fall in love with the story of Hardin and Tessa but in Anna Todd’s writing as well.

After is the story of Tessa who is the ultimate good girl….amazing grades, amazing manners and innocent to the ways of the world and Hardin, is the ultimate bad boy….tattoos, piercings, bad attitude and enough sexual experience to rival a porn star. Tessa is small town, Hardin is British. Tessa is conservative, Hardin is anything but. Both have had some trauma in their past but have dealt with it in different ways, Tessa came out more well-rounded and Hardin is simply a rebel without a cause. You see where I am going with this? Tessa and Hardin are polar opposites but as the age old adage states “opposites do attract”.

When Tessa moves into her dorm and finds her roommate is a tatted up party girl, her life changes. Over the course of the book Tessa’s good girl mold gets broken by the skilled hands of Hardin and this is where Anna Todd totally succeeded to me as a writer. She could not have written these two characters more true to life to this genre.

To say Tessa and Hardin’s relationship is volatile is putting it lightly. I don’t mean abusive, I mean they push each other to their limits with a passion that is extremely evident. Think Noah and Allie from the Notebook. They fight, they makeup….they fight, they makeup. Hardin’s vulnerability is so well written and Tessa being an old soul usually is a pacifier to his insecurities. For those of you who like heat in their novels, Anna Todd brings it. Hardin and Tessa’s sexy times are very real to their age and their experience which only added more to the depth at which Anna Todd understands this age group.

Hardin is a jerk and I am giving him some credit when I use that term because I could use a way worse adjective but when you start to peel back his layers you know what makes him the guy he is. As you get to know him through his friends and the estranged relationship with his father, you can’t help but want to bring him home and serve him a pb&j and a glass of milk and love on this tormented guy. At the end of the book, a bomb is dropped at the hands of Hardin….I am talking about the mother of all bombs….the type that makes you go WTF, did I really just read that and literally I had NO idea that was coming. I cannot WAIT to see how Anna Todd reconciles this revelation in book two.

After made me laugh, cry, want to throw the book across the room, throttle Hardin and Tessa at times, but most of all made me see the love of these two characters…..I don’t mean instalove….I mean that all-consuming love that makes you not be able to breath when you are apart. I experienced love like that when I was in college….and 24 years later, I still love him as passionately as I did back then. So yes, when you read After you will get butterflies, you will get heartache but you will most definitely get a true love story. When all is said and done, Hardin taught Tessa to live and Tessa taught Hardin how to love. 5 amazing stars for After!

In an age where women are finally making a stand for themselves I'm truly saddened something like this book was published from a horrible fan fiction. For those who don't know After was originally penned as a Harry Styles fan fiction on Watt Pad and while there is nothing wrong with fan fiction there is so much wrong with the subject of this series. Firstly it romanticizes a highly verbally and emotionally abusive relationship where there is little context of love outside of the constant need to belittle the other. I know that this will likely go on deaf ears, but I can't stand by and watch something become popular that could potentially produce the wrong ideals of a good, healthy relationship to its readers. It may be fiction but it shouldn't be promoted as a love story.

I have read this story on Wattpad, I really liked it at first, but as the story continued I began to hate it and hate it. One idiotic dramatic thing after the other. Too much pointless drama that was very unneeded. I did like this first book and I loved how it had a plot twist at the end. Also, I liked book two for the continuation of the plot twist. Once that was over, the rest of book two and all of book three were pointless to continue. I would recommend reading this book and book 2. The one reason why I did not like this series was because, in my mind, the main character didn't have a sense of mind of her own. She let people walk all over her and let others control her. With the series all together, I questioned myself why I wasted many hours of my time reading such crap.

I have so many books that have the cliché ending and story too. It got annoying reading it over an over again. But when I found After, I knew I was hooked.

My friend said she's been reading After on this site called Wattpad and she's probably read the book 8-9 times. So when I read the back of the book, I was really impressed by the story.

I got the book on Wednesday and immediately started reading it. I really do and strongly support this for people to read. :)

Its very rare that I take time out to actually write a review, I usually a rate by stars kind of person. First let me say that yes this book has a big ass emotional roller coaster and you'll probably keep asking your self why I am i reading this but trust me you'll keep reading but you'll just have to know what is going to happen and at the end we all read a different book and that cool but you have to give Anna props for this book at the same time. Not every book is a fairy tell and If thats what your looking for you then you can keep looking.

Let me start with Tessa. She was like any female her age, maybe a little to emotional but hey we all can't be perfect, But she did stand her ground plenty of times. You could tell that she was sheltered and college gave her the time to find her self and I loved Tessa by the end. She went from being a little push over to boss bitch (sorry, not sorry)

Hardin. Oh M GEE. This guy was a hot sexy british mess. I couldn't even keep up and just like Tessa I wasn't ready to give up on him.
I ship HESSA hard.

I won't give away the big blow but all I can say is damn I didn't see that coming. My heart broke a tad bit.

Anywho just give the book a chance, It was clearly good enough to land a movie deal (just saying , so stop hating). I really loved how she based her male characters off the members of One Direction!

To everyone who is saying that this book is about an abusive relationship, it is clear that you have not read the series. In the books, it is stressed multiple times that Hardin would never intentionally harm Tessa and as for the mental abuse, Tessa and Hardin both admit that this relationship is completely wrong and unhealthy, so obviously teenage girls don't think relationships should be like this if the characters in the novel say that what is happening is unhealthy. If the two characters didn't have their own problems then the book would be boring and this book is anything but boring. This book is a blend of very strongly felt emotions and a story line that is very connected. I can say that there were no open ties left at the end of the series. Everything was perfectly planned and written in a beautiful sadness that makes the reader actually feel something for the characters, something that is hard to come by these days.

I'm more amazed at the book's success that at the book itself. It does differ from traditional YA literature (written by middle-aged women mostly) in that it is less moralizing and more relatable (and also quite possibly not as well-written). The story is a typical 'sheltered girl meets bad boy' tale, the bad boy in question being based on a boyband singer, who you neither have to know nor like to follow the narration. The book tends to be repetitive and is character-driven in a clumsy, plot hole-y way, but overall it's an easy escapist read for every girl who's tired of the "hollywoodesque strong woman" stereotype that was being rammed down our throats in every novel, movie or show for the past 20 years or so.
This book is also available as a shorter unedited version online for free.

I absolutely love reading YA/NA and I adore reading books that takes place in college. Something about the college genre always has me hooked.

As I started reading After, I thought at first that I was going to be irritated and annoyed with Hardin and Tessa with their whole back and forth, he loves me, he loves me not type of thing going. But as I continued reading the book, I realized how much I was hooked and couldn't find the time to take a break from reading this book.

I was intrigued with Hardin and his whole mysterious aura he had going and Tessa, even though she had the whole good girl vibes, she certainly could be a bad girl having a boyfriend and lusting over another boy.

These two individuals were the complete opposites, but somehow that seemed to work for them. They were always going back and forth but they always wound up right back where they should be, in each other's arms.

The characters felt so real to me. People change quickly and even though Tessa was a good girl when she started college, she quickly changed when she started hanging out with her roommate who was the complete opposite of her, but would always persuade her to go to parties with her. The scene was so totally not Tessa but she tried and even though she would always swear she wouldn't attend these parties anymore, there she goes again and would come back disappointed or upset. But that didn't deter her from attending these college parties.

Hardin was confusing. He would be mean to Tessa one minute and sweet the next. That certainly confused the poor girl, but she was so smitten by him that she just started accepting his weird mood swings. They were both so different, yet that seemed to work for them.

Hardin was a major and I mean major JERK! He loved teasing Tessa to the point where she would get mad and upset just so he could turn around the next minute and be the sweetest guy to her and she would fall for his charms.

The author did an amazing job with this book, she really took me to a whole new level of understanding this genre.

Hands down 5 star read!
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After was a very emotional read for me. I was hooked from page one. I was happy one minute, the cursing at my Kindle the next. I love Anna Todd's writing and was happy to revisit this book. I feel like it had been ages since I read through Tessa and Hardin's story. Then I remember how it all started when I got to their first meet. I wondered what in the h#ll did I find so enticing in Hardin. Through the heavy emotions, you come to find that Hardin has struggled with the "feels" for what seems like a life time. He just does not know how to deal with wanting to care for someone else.

Oh Tessa. She is one of my favorite people. She seems like she is small and meek. But when it is time to fight, she fights with her heart and soul! She can not help how Hardin makes her feel alive. Yes she has her relationship that her mother approves of. But it is so clinical that it is almost funny. But I could truly understand the confusion she had when she wanted to stay true to one man, but had this urge to explore with another.

The battle that Tessa and Hardin go through in book one is just the beginning. I loathed Hardin when he went into a bet with his friends that had came back and destroyed Tessa. This book truly made me understand what a love/hate relationship was about. After will suck you in and not let go. You will crave for more and only hope that these two will make it out okay before destroying each other. This book will always stay in my heart.

Ok I consider myself an avid reader, I mean come on, I blog about books, I post about new books, let's just face it. I'm a book aficionado. I love books. But seriously I'm a book person.

Now as you can see this book came out in 2014, and I want to k know where I was when this came out. Forget Fifty Shades, this book is ten times better then that trilogy.

While the writing wasn't too bad, but I did find my self thinking that there was a lot of repetition. I did enjoy the character's and yes I hate Hardin. I can't wait to dig into the next book. This is my new obssession.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the ending.

I wasn’t fond of the book at the beginning. (Hardin took time to grow on me... I’m still debating if I like the guy. ) I stuck it out mostly cuz of Tessa, I love, love her character. As naïve as she comes across, her innocence is what make the story beautiful.

I’m excited to see the movie adaptation next year. I’m not in a rushing on reading book 2... I might wait till the hype of the movie to read it.

This book is okay. I really don't like how ress is portrayed as this crazy in love college girl that has no backbone and how she lets Hardin control everything about her. I don't like how verbally abusive he is to her but this has become the norm for her.

The only reason I don't give 1 star is because I was able to sit through the book from beginning to end. I don't want to say the book is bad. It's just not for me. I guess it comes down to how much you like the hero. There wasn't a single redeeming quality about him. Of course for the target audience who is already in love with Harry Styles, the hero might be the reason they read the book.

I don't want to be mean to a new author. I guess Anna tood pour all her talent and heart inot this book and she deserves all the success she has. It's just that I prefer books where the romantic heroine has some backbone and is complex. There's no way that Tessa will enter my list of heroines: Jane Eyre, Katniss, Tris, Lila Velez, Lisbeth Salander, Lexi Hamilton, Tessa Grey, Izzy Lightwood. But I don't expect most NA titles have compelling heroines. They're all about the sex and if that's what you're looking for After might deliver because there's a lot of sexual chemistrya and plenty of sex scenes.

This is basically a good book to read if you're bored and you want to find a book to heavily critique. I wouldn't want anyone to read this, there are sooo many things wrong with this story. You can't get through some chapters without rolling your eyes. I was done by the 35th chapter.

Where do I even start with this read? I'm still shocked, jaw on the floor.

Tessa- the sweet, innocent, sheltered, virgin college freshman on her own for the first time.
Hardin- the English tattooed bad boy that she can't stand. They say opposites attract and wow did they ever in this read.

Although there were parts of the book that seemed to drag on or felt extremely repetitive and immature, there were many more redeeming qualities to the read. Tessa, while naive and clueless, really tried her hardest to be friendly and compassionate to everyone she came across, including her new roommate and roommate's friends who were nothing like her.

Tessa's comfortable in her over achieving life, with her "nice" boyfriend and uptight clothing. But Hardin has that magnetic pull that couldn't be ignored and jeopardized everything Tessa had worked so hard for. Her new found friendships bring change that she's never seen before in herself, a freedom she's never experienced. With that freedom comes clarity and realization that safe and nice is no longer good enough. Her attraction to Hardin is too overwhelming and can no longer be denied.

They fight like cats and dogs but always seem to find themselves back in each other's arms. That is, until a secret is revealed that could end their entire relationship forever.

I couldn't stand Tessa at first, but she grew on me as the story unfolded and she proved just how strong she truly was once she was allowed to spread her wings and fly. Hardin was the biggest jerk I've encountered in a romance read in a long time! You want to like him but then he goes and screws up, AGAIN and AGAIN! He was quite frankly emotionally abusive to Tessa and there were times I couldn't understand why she was so quick to forgive his behavior. I felt some of the social situations and dialog was a bit juvenile but overall loved the story and the development of the characters.

This read ends with a major cliffhanger!

I was hesitant to read this book. It took me close to a year to actually pick it up because I am kind of scared of books that get overly hyped. I didn't want to be disappointed by it, but I also didn't really want to get sucked into another fandom. But now, after finishing the book, I find myself stuck somewhere in the middle. Somewhat disappointed in the writing, but somewhat sucked into the fandom. This book isn't the most amazing thing I've ever read, but for some reason, the story has me trapped. After finishing the first book there is no way I won't continue with the second in the series.

Have you ever read a book where you kind of hated the main characters? Where they make terrible choice after terrible choice and you ask yourself why you're even reading this stupid book as you contemplate throwing your kindle or hard copy across the room? That was me the entire way through this novel. At one point I asked myself WHY I felt the need to keep going. I honestly couldn't give myself an answer. But I kept going. I couldn't stop. And just when I thought the chaos was over, and I could move on with my life and possibly skip the next books in the series...BAM. Anna Todd threw in a twist that had me crying at five in the morning while I tried to get my toddler back to sleep. Big ugly tears at 5am. So now I'm screwed. I literally CAN'T stop reading this series.

So yeah, the writing isn't amazing. The characters kind of suck. The story isn't the most original in the world. But Anna Todd knew what she was doing when she built this world full of crazy characters. She created something kind of brilliant because it's an unforgettable story. You might hate it, but I can bet you won't forget it. And in my opinion, any book that can make me angry enough to throw my kindle, or sad enough to cry at 5 in the morning deserves at least 4 stars.