Warnings: I will be discussing spoilers, and this book is definitely R-rated.

Okay, I have been way too positive for the last few posts, so now we’re going to discuss one of the worst books I have ever read. This one has a big reputation, but it’s also known for the equally bad movie franchise.

After by Anna Todd!!!

If you don’t know this story, you’re very lucky. If you like these books/movies I apologize in advance because I really really hate them, and I have nothing nice to say about them.

After is a wildly popular Wattpad fanfiction that was originally about Harry Styles and One Direction. However, once it started gaining so much success, Anna Todd switched up the names and published it as an original story. Now there are two movies with more coming in the future. I won’t get into how I feel about the movies because I’ve watched them way too many times and have even more opinions about them. I love annotating awful books, and I knew that After was going to be funny to read. What I didn’t realize was I would soon be putting myself through hell reading this book.

After is about an innocent college freshman, Tessa, who has an on and off-again relationship with British bad boy Hardin Scott (aka Harry Styles). While this book tries to sell you Tessa and Hardin’s undeniable chemistry and relationship, it’s 500+ pages of garbage.

Let me sum this book up:

1. Tessa and Hardin meet!
2. “OMG I hate Hardin he’s such a jerk!” – Tessa
3. “Hardin is so mean but he’s kind of cute. I have a boyfriend though…” – Tessa
4. “NVM Hardin is so hot and I now like his tattoos and I’m gonna cheat on my boyfriend with him” – Tessa
5. They have sex
6. They fight
7. They have sex again…
8. Another fight? Are we surprised at this point?
9. Wow, they haven’t fought for two days, it’s a new record!
10. Sex again
11. Wait they’re moving into an apartment?
12. More fighting and sex
13. They finally break up!!

Now that you understand the basic plot, here is my unofficial and abbreviated list of the things wrong with After:

1. The plot
   1. As I highlighted with the summary, there is no plot. Absolutely no plot at all. It was a cycle of them fighting, yelling, having sex, and complaining. If you dislike Tessa and Hardin, then you basically dislike the entire book.
2. Tessa
   1. In the movies, she’s mostly just boring. However, in the book, she is almost as bad as Hardin. She knowingly cheats on her boyfriend but then projects her own insecurities onto him. She also is the most judgmental person, and she slut shames basically every girl in the book. She is exceptionally clingy and hypocritical. After Hardin and Tessa break it off (for what feels like the millionth time) Tessa decides to go on a date with Hardin’s friend, Zed (AKA Zayn), and openly flaunts it in Hardin’s face. She does all of that despite constantly getting mad at Hardin for hanging out with other girls and having previous relationships.
3. Hardin. Scott.
   1. I am sorry but I do not understand how people like him. He does such creepy and weird stuff. I just don’t understand how he thought dating Tessa and taking her virginity as a bet, keeping the sheets to show all of their friends, and lying about it the whole time could be forgiven because he eventually fell in love with her. Not to mention how he manipulated Tessa emotionally the entire time. He would take her out and they’d spend the night together, but then the next day he would ridicule her for thinking he liked her.
4. Their relationship
   1. It is exhausting reading about their “relationship.” It moves entirely too fast. The whole book takes place over three months. Three. Months. They move into an apartment together after two months of knowing each other. The only thing they have in common is reading and finding the other person attractive. There is no substance to their relationship, and the two of them mistake infatuation and sexual desire for love. Also, the fact that this is supposed to be a Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet comparison is just insulting.
5. The Wattpad factor
   1. If you know the names of the One Direction members, then you’ll be able to figure out who is who in less than ten seconds. If I was Harry Styles, I would be personally offended that the author considers Hardin Scott to be an alternate reality, Harry Styles. Also, just because this was published does not make the writing any better than how it was on Wattpad. It is still just as bad.

To finish this review off I have curated a collection of Tumblr/Pinterest fan edits that really encapsulate the aesthetic of After!

Works Cited: https://www.pinterest.com/everythingannatodd/after-quotes/