Review: After (After #1) by Anna Todd

Genre: New Adult (One Direction fan fiction)
Publication date: October 21st, 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 582
Rating: 3.5/5

Summary:
Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She’s got direction, ambition, and a mother who’s intent on keeping her that way. 

But she’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, and lip ring, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to. 

But he’s also rude—to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessashould hate Hardin. And she does—until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she’s never known before. 

He’ll call her beautiful, then insist he isn't the one for her and disappear again and again. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper. 

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin’s prejudice about nice girls like her? 

Unless…could this be love?

Now newly revised and expanded, Anna Todd’s After fanfiction racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the Internet’s most talked-about book for yourself!

There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there’s everything AFTER ... Life will never be the same.

Review:

I first heard about this book when it first came out last year, but when I found out that it was a one direction fanfiction from wattpad, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. So, even though a lot of people loved it, I still didn't want to spend my money on it. 

Now, a year later, I found it at the library and I thought I'd just give it a chance. Before reading, I had no high expectations and I told myself, I'll just read it for fun and distraction. 

Now, my thoughts...

Tessa is an innocent girl who just moved to her college dorm. She's eighteen, she's on her freshman year of college as an English major, she has a nice, gentlemanlike boyfriend at home and she's smart. 

I really connected with her character because I am on my freshman year in college as a literature student too and I don't like being around people like Hardin, Steph, Nate, etc. Tessa makes a ton of bad decisions, but I can't blame her. She's innocent, naive and she tries to fit in.

There are other characters I really loved reading about and those are Nate (Niall), Landon (Liam), Zed (Zayn), Tristan, Steph and Jace. Tristan and Steph are such a cute couple and I would like to read their story. I don't know if Anna Todd wrote a book about them, but if not, I hope she will one day. I liked Nate since the very first time I read him, but sometimes he acts like a jerk. Zed, I don't know if he's just acting friendly or if he really is nice. Landon is like the BEST guy friend ever and I'm glad he has a girlfriend and is not even thinking about dating Tessa because I do NOT ship them. Landon is too good for her. Lastly, Jace. He's such a mysterious guy for some reason and I really felt like he's a dangerous guy and I want to know more about him. 

Now, let's move on to the love interest. Hardin. OMG. In the beginning, he was actually quite fine and I was intrigued by him. However, when he and Tessa starts to 'date' and fight and makeup and then fight over and over and OVER again, he is just an asshole. He doesn't treat women right and I hate him for it. 

I do not ship 'Hessa', but if you do ship them, that's fine. I'm not hating on this book or any o the characters because I still did enjoy the story. It was a nice escape and was very entertaining. 

I do think that this fanfiction is a little bit like Fifty Shades Of Grey (a twilight fanfiction) because:

1. Anastasia Steele and Tessa are both innocent and are both virgins.
2. Even though they know how Christian and Hardin are (meaning they do not date), they still go for it.
3. Christian and Hardin don't do relationship, they are control freaks, they get jealous easily and so on.
4. Anastasia Steele and Tessa forgive Christian and Hardin even after all the BS they did.
5. Anastasia Steele and Tessa choose the 'bad guy' instead of the 'good guy'. 

And the list can go on... BUT Anna Todd's writing is way better than E.L. James, I got to say.... xD

I do not have a problem with the similarities because I knew from the beginning that I am not expecting anything mind blowing by reading this book. I was only reading it for distraction, to escape and it did a pretty good job on doing that. 

Am I going to read the rest of the books?

Well, I already started the second book, but if it's the same problems happening again and again and again just like in the first one, I'm going to give it up. 

One more thing, I know this is a ONE DIRECTION fanfiction, but while I was reading, I couldn't imagine Harry as Hardin and the other characters as Zayn, Louis, Niall and Liam. I don't know why.

About the author:

ANNA TODD is a first-time writer spending her days in the Austin area with her husband, with whom she beat half the statistics by getting married one month after graduating high school. Between her husband's three deployments to Iraq, she worked odd jobs from a makeup counter to the IRS processing counter. Anna was always an avid reader and boy band and romance lover, so now that she’s found a way to combine the three she’s enjoying living a real-life dream come true.