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After (The After Series Book 1)
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- After (The After Series Book 1)
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- Customer reviews
Top positive review
DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA
August 26, 2018
This series as a whole completely wrecked me. I couldn't put it down and may have neglected my kids just to finish it (but shh don't tell no one ;)) I do have to say though, that if you're a reader that doesn't like to read a lot of stress and drama then this series isn't for you because it is filled with non-stop fighting, yelling, betrayal, and so many more issues. For me though I loved reading it, was laughing at some of the lighter moments and yelling at these characters when they were both being ridiculous. There is a lot of push and pull and angst in this book and Anna Todd certainly did a great job in telling such an intense story that deals with addiction and anger issues and it was more true to its form when there are individuals in those relationships that you do have to fight for and that are not easy. So I would definitely give this a read and will just warn you to get prepared for it.
42 people found this helpful
Top critical review
Draining
December 1, 2018
I just couldn't get through this book. Quite frankly, I'm baffled at all the high reviews. This book literally drained me to read.
First let's start with the fact that the characters read far younger than they are. Tessa reads more 16 than a college student and Hardin doesn't read close to 20 which he would be as a second year student. Tessa's internal monologue was grating and the constant screaming and use of exclamation marks was just—well let's just say I would rather stick bamboo in my fingernails then continue reading.
On to the next point which may contain spoilers so skip this if you don't want anything spoiled. Neither character had any redeemable qualities. I read a lot about it being a toxic relationship and people putting the blame on Hardin, but let's be honest, Tess is just as bad. What this book boils down to is sex and not love. After Hardin constantly treating her like crap she always runs back and guess what they do? Yup, fool around. So I repeat, that's not love, that's lust. For instance: After getting in a big fight with Hardin (and after cheating on her boyfriend for weeks) Tessa calls her BF and begs him to skip out on school and drive 3 hours to see her just to piss Hardin off. Once he gets there, she ditches him the second Hardin "needs her" then proceeds to take her boyfriend's car and stay the night with Hardin without telling her BF. Then proceeds to screw around with Hardin. Things obviously blow up the next day but then she gets back with her boyfriend to once again cheat on him and then dump him. These are HER actions, nothing Hardin pushes, in fact he tells her she's pathetic and stupid for breaking it off with him.
Then there is a crap ton of back and forth. Seriously, they fight every chapter and considering most chapters are below 1,500 words that's draining.
The final blow is the fact that the writing is crap. Very choppy and the lack of contraction makes the writing seem odd. Most people won't say "I will take you. they'll say "I'll take you." I don't mind it in the narration, but when people are talking it should sound like people are talking.
In the end, I made it to 65% which is pretty good considering I had to stop frequently. I'm really not sure how this is so popular and why just like 50 shades, they are making a movie which will obviously be terrible because the source material is terrible. (Speaking of 50 shades, there are so many plot points taken from there it literally made me roll my eyes.) I did skip to the end and the way it ends is so contrived I just can't. At almost 600 pages you would think more would actually happen.
So, if you like characters with actual substance, then skip this book. If you want to read constant yelling then screwing around with no underlying ANYTHING—then this is your book.
First let's start with the fact that the characters read far younger than they are. Tessa reads more 16 than a college student and Hardin doesn't read close to 20 which he would be as a second year student. Tessa's internal monologue was grating and the constant screaming and use of exclamation marks was just—well let's just say I would rather stick bamboo in my fingernails then continue reading.
On to the next point which may contain spoilers so skip this if you don't want anything spoiled. Neither character had any redeemable qualities. I read a lot about it being a toxic relationship and people putting the blame on Hardin, but let's be honest, Tess is just as bad. What this book boils down to is sex and not love. After Hardin constantly treating her like crap she always runs back and guess what they do? Yup, fool around. So I repeat, that's not love, that's lust. For instance: After getting in a big fight with Hardin (and after cheating on her boyfriend for weeks) Tessa calls her BF and begs him to skip out on school and drive 3 hours to see her just to piss Hardin off. Once he gets there, she ditches him the second Hardin "needs her" then proceeds to take her boyfriend's car and stay the night with Hardin without telling her BF. Then proceeds to screw around with Hardin. Things obviously blow up the next day but then she gets back with her boyfriend to once again cheat on him and then dump him. These are HER actions, nothing Hardin pushes, in fact he tells her she's pathetic and stupid for breaking it off with him.
Then there is a crap ton of back and forth. Seriously, they fight every chapter and considering most chapters are below 1,500 words that's draining.
The final blow is the fact that the writing is crap. Very choppy and the lack of contraction makes the writing seem odd. Most people won't say "I will take you. they'll say "I'll take you." I don't mind it in the narration, but when people are talking it should sound like people are talking.
In the end, I made it to 65% which is pretty good considering I had to stop frequently. I'm really not sure how this is so popular and why just like 50 shades, they are making a movie which will obviously be terrible because the source material is terrible. (Speaking of 50 shades, there are so many plot points taken from there it literally made me roll my eyes.) I did skip to the end and the way it ends is so contrived I just can't. At almost 600 pages you would think more would actually happen.
So, if you like characters with actual substance, then skip this book. If you want to read constant yelling then screwing around with no underlying ANYTHING—then this is your book.
451 people found this helpful
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December 1, 2018
I just couldn't get through this book. Quite frankly, I'm baffled at all the high reviews. This book literally drained me to read.
First let's start with the fact that the characters read far younger than they are. Tessa reads more 16 than a college student and Hardin doesn't read close to 20 which he would be as a second year student. Tessa's internal monologue was grating and the constant screaming and use of exclamation marks was just—well let's just say I would rather stick bamboo in my fingernails then continue reading.
On to the next point which may contain spoilers so skip this if you don't want anything spoiled. Neither character had any redeemable qualities. I read a lot about it being a toxic relationship and people putting the blame on Hardin, but let's be honest, Tess is just as bad. What this book boils down to is sex and not love. After Hardin constantly treating her like crap she always runs back and guess what they do? Yup, fool around. So I repeat, that's not love, that's lust. For instance: After getting in a big fight with Hardin (and after cheating on her boyfriend for weeks) Tessa calls her BF and begs him to skip out on school and drive 3 hours to see her just to piss Hardin off. Once he gets there, she ditches him the second Hardin "needs her" then proceeds to take her boyfriend's car and stay the night with Hardin without telling her BF. Then proceeds to screw around with Hardin. Things obviously blow up the next day but then she gets back with her boyfriend to once again cheat on him and then dump him. These are HER actions, nothing Hardin pushes, in fact he tells her she's pathetic and stupid for breaking it off with him.
Then there is a crap ton of back and forth. Seriously, they fight every chapter and considering most chapters are below 1,500 words that's draining.
The final blow is the fact that the writing is crap. Very choppy and the lack of contraction makes the writing seem odd. Most people won't say "I will take you. they'll say "I'll take you." I don't mind it in the narration, but when people are talking it should sound like people are talking.
In the end, I made it to 65% which is pretty good considering I had to stop frequently. I'm really not sure how this is so popular and why just like 50 shades, they are making a movie which will obviously be terrible because the source material is terrible. (Speaking of 50 shades, there are so many plot points taken from there it literally made me roll my eyes.) I did skip to the end and the way it ends is so contrived I just can't. At almost 600 pages you would think more would actually happen.
So, if you like characters with actual substance, then skip this book. If you want to read constant yelling then screwing around with no underlying ANYTHING—then this is your book.
First let's start with the fact that the characters read far younger than they are. Tessa reads more 16 than a college student and Hardin doesn't read close to 20 which he would be as a second year student. Tessa's internal monologue was grating and the constant screaming and use of exclamation marks was just—well let's just say I would rather stick bamboo in my fingernails then continue reading.
On to the next point which may contain spoilers so skip this if you don't want anything spoiled. Neither character had any redeemable qualities. I read a lot about it being a toxic relationship and people putting the blame on Hardin, but let's be honest, Tess is just as bad. What this book boils down to is sex and not love. After Hardin constantly treating her like crap she always runs back and guess what they do? Yup, fool around. So I repeat, that's not love, that's lust. For instance: After getting in a big fight with Hardin (and after cheating on her boyfriend for weeks) Tessa calls her BF and begs him to skip out on school and drive 3 hours to see her just to piss Hardin off. Once he gets there, she ditches him the second Hardin "needs her" then proceeds to take her boyfriend's car and stay the night with Hardin without telling her BF. Then proceeds to screw around with Hardin. Things obviously blow up the next day but then she gets back with her boyfriend to once again cheat on him and then dump him. These are HER actions, nothing Hardin pushes, in fact he tells her she's pathetic and stupid for breaking it off with him.
Then there is a crap ton of back and forth. Seriously, they fight every chapter and considering most chapters are below 1,500 words that's draining.
The final blow is the fact that the writing is crap. Very choppy and the lack of contraction makes the writing seem odd. Most people won't say "I will take you. they'll say "I'll take you." I don't mind it in the narration, but when people are talking it should sound like people are talking.
In the end, I made it to 65% which is pretty good considering I had to stop frequently. I'm really not sure how this is so popular and why just like 50 shades, they are making a movie which will obviously be terrible because the source material is terrible. (Speaking of 50 shades, there are so many plot points taken from there it literally made me roll my eyes.) I did skip to the end and the way it ends is so contrived I just can't. At almost 600 pages you would think more would actually happen.
So, if you like characters with actual substance, then skip this book. If you want to read constant yelling then screwing around with no underlying ANYTHING—then this is your book.
December 4, 2018
I don't usually write reviews, but I couldn't help it this time. I am not exaggerating when I say it is one of the most poorly written books I've ever read. The dialogue is stale and repetitive. The descriptors are pretty much non-existent (the author doesn't SHOW us anything, she always TELLS us). The main characters aren't developed well at all. The few times that the author sets up a perfect scenario for us to find out more about our characters, she just glosses over any details that could make us actually like them. As a result, all that we see is that Hardin is abusive and Tessa is childish.
Tessa is supposed to be this innocent person, but she purposefully pushes Hardin's buttons and throws herself at him around every corner. Hardin physically grabs Tessa throughout the whole book when she's trying to remove herself from the situation, therefore removing her option of escape, and then proceeds to tell her emotionally and mentally abusive things. I'm in my twenties, not much older than these characters are supposed to be, but every single time I read their conversations, I thought I was reading the words of elementary school children. I couldn't even make it all the way through the unnecessarily lengthy novel because I was so tired of reading the same argument after the 100th time after their breakup/makeup.
I sincerely hope that whoever reads this book does not view this relationship as something to strive towards. Please, for the sake of every other good novel out there, do not waste your money on this one.
Tessa is supposed to be this innocent person, but she purposefully pushes Hardin's buttons and throws herself at him around every corner. Hardin physically grabs Tessa throughout the whole book when she's trying to remove herself from the situation, therefore removing her option of escape, and then proceeds to tell her emotionally and mentally abusive things. I'm in my twenties, not much older than these characters are supposed to be, but every single time I read their conversations, I thought I was reading the words of elementary school children. I couldn't even make it all the way through the unnecessarily lengthy novel because I was so tired of reading the same argument after the 100th time after their breakup/makeup.
I sincerely hope that whoever reads this book does not view this relationship as something to strive towards. Please, for the sake of every other good novel out there, do not waste your money on this one.
February 21, 2019
I was angry at this book from the start. After reading other reviews I realized that this started as a one direction fanfic??? ONE DIRECTION?! Those boys would NEVER do anything so horrible.
Anyway, this book truly destroyed a piece of my soul. I’ve never hated both main characters of a story like I do this one. I truly have no clue how they’re going to turn whatever this book was into a movie. There is no plot, there is no climax, it’s a constant moving train that’s on fire with no way out. And I know that sounds appealing but it’s not. Hardin is truly the worst male character I have ever read about. This is the most emotionally and mentally abusive relationship I’ve ever read about in YA and I am so incredibly disappointed in everyone in this story!
I’ve never wanted to throw a book away as much as I have this one. I just can’t even.
Also, it’s 2019. Can we PLEASE stop writing female characters who slut-shame another girl for being more sexually active and wearing more revealing clothes??? We are all way too old for this and it made me hate Tessa even more.
This was a dumpster fire. Almost like a car crash; so bad and horrific you just can’t look away.
Anyway, this book truly destroyed a piece of my soul. I’ve never hated both main characters of a story like I do this one. I truly have no clue how they’re going to turn whatever this book was into a movie. There is no plot, there is no climax, it’s a constant moving train that’s on fire with no way out. And I know that sounds appealing but it’s not. Hardin is truly the worst male character I have ever read about. This is the most emotionally and mentally abusive relationship I’ve ever read about in YA and I am so incredibly disappointed in everyone in this story!
I’ve never wanted to throw a book away as much as I have this one. I just can’t even.
Also, it’s 2019. Can we PLEASE stop writing female characters who slut-shame another girl for being more sexually active and wearing more revealing clothes??? We are all way too old for this and it made me hate Tessa even more.
This was a dumpster fire. Almost like a car crash; so bad and horrific you just can’t look away.
February 6, 2019
This book was truly horrible but I decided to give it a go since it’s coming out as a movie soon and people were giving it such great reviews. Maybe my tastes just run a bit differently but I honestly thought this books seemed like it was written by a 5th grader, that’s the level of writing that was put out. The story plot was crappy as well. Tons of reviews said it’s nothing like 50 shades of grey but I mean you have boy that likes to do some crazy stuff that is miraculously rich and gets with some girl that knows nothing but small town life. Boy has daddy issues and has terrible nightmares just like in 50 shades of grey. The entire book started off okay but then went full force into the same plot as 50 shades of grey then towards the end kinda seemed like the author didn’t know how to lead up to the cliffhanger she was trying to do so she just plopped all the clues and information right in the last few chapters. Hated this book. I wouldn’t even waste my time with the movie coming out either.
February 26, 2019
This book was absolutely horrendous. At 35% I almost quit, I couldn’t stand the way Tessa treated Noah, the poor kid literally did nothing wrong. Tessa was a whiny obnoxious brat. Hardin was an emotionally abusive controlling psychopath. I skimmed the remaining 50% just to see how it ended and I was so mad. That I wasted hours of my time and 500+ pages for Hardin to be an even bigger jerk than I thought him to be. Will absolutely not be buying the next book because I’m sorry but there is no way to talk yourself out of that mess. I don’t even care how much he thinks he loves her.
I’m very open minded with my books. This was childish and neither Tess or Hardin had any redeeming qualities.
I’m very open minded with my books. This was childish and neither Tess or Hardin had any redeeming qualities.
December 5, 2018
I couldn't finish it. They had the same fight 15 times . It was hard to read because of the same thing over and over. I wanted to like it so bad
August 26, 2018
This series as a whole completely wrecked me. I couldn't put it down and may have neglected my kids just to finish it (but shh don't tell no one ;)) I do have to say though, that if you're a reader that doesn't like to read a lot of stress and drama then this series isn't for you because it is filled with non-stop fighting, yelling, betrayal, and so many more issues. For me though I loved reading it, was laughing at some of the lighter moments and yelling at these characters when they were both being ridiculous. There is a lot of push and pull and angst in this book and Anna Todd certainly did a great job in telling such an intense story that deals with addiction and anger issues and it was more true to its form when there are individuals in those relationships that you do have to fight for and that are not easy. So I would definitely give this a read and will just warn you to get prepared for it.
May 28, 2017
Looove this! This book is more for New Adults rather than 13-17 year olds like most of the negative reviews come from. While their relationship isn't an ideal relationship that is the whole point of the book and before you rate this negatively, you should really read the entire series to know how it wraps up and to know that the point of the story is different than just this one book! I've been a fan of Anna Todd ever since 2012/13 when she first posted the book on Wattpad! I just read the published version and it is so much better! I love it!!
March 16, 2019
If you liked the Twilight series or 50 Shades of Gray, you may find this series delectable. Tessa is more likeable than Bella, and the sex is straight-forward as opposed to S&M, although its sheer quantity and priority might make it better fodder for pornhub than kindles. Of course, the writing is poor and the plot shaky and prodding. I was struck by how poorly every female character was portrayed. Back-stabbing friendships, catty co-workers, poor maternal instincts, inability to find work without male favors, abusive relationships, make-up and wine focus -- need I go on? By the end of the story, I was embarrassed for my own gender. Very poor role-modeling for any female -- let alone a YA or NA. I wish Hollywood would buy the rights to higher quality books. This trend towards poor fanfiction = huge movie deal is truly disturbing.
March 15, 2019
The bad reviews on this is quite ridiculous lol if people would read all the books they would see that Hardin changes for Tessa because he loves her, he realizes what he does is wrong and changes throughout the books to be a better person. And Tessa also changes and grows too. I also think that people forget that these are 18 year old kids. We have all made stupid mistakes when we were younger and all of these judgmental people act like they’ve never made a mistake in their relationship, they’ve never let their anger get the best of them and said something they shouldn’t have, never have raised their voice, that they are perfect and don’t make mistakes. I’m not condoning his behavior, some of the things he does is messed up but when you’re raised a certain way and don’t know any better you don’t know how to behave and he realizes throughout the book that he’s wrong. From my experience having lived with an alcoholic father is rough and you do get pent up anger and deal with some things in unhealthy ways,especially at 18. But as I grew older I found better ways to cope, like Hardin. I just hate the way people are so judgmental nowadays and again these books have a beautiful message when you read all of them. How someone makes you want to be better. Yes he makes mistakes they both do but again they are young kids and they become better people and realize their mistakes.
