April (Aprilius Maximus)'s Reviews > After

First of all I just want to say that I was 100% ready to hate this book with a passion. I’m not a fan of Harry Styles or One Direction (haha this has since changed), but I honestly just wanted to read it so that I could form my own opinion of it and let you guys know how I felt about it.

I want to start off by saying that this was a Harry Styles fanfiction on wattpad that received so many views that it got published. Anna Todd has never written anything else and it’s a fanfiction, so I had to take that on board when I started reading it, but I was genuinely surprised.

I understand where people are coming from when they say that Tessa and Hardin’s relationship is abusive. But I watched an interview with the author and I thought it was so interesting. She straight up said that he’s a bad person and that not all people are good. This story is realistic in that sense. Everyone has issues and he’s obviously trying to deal with those, but it’s obvious to anyone who reads this book that he’s trying so hard to change. When this is all he’s ever known, how can he just all of a sudden forget all of his past issues and be a good person? That’s just not realistic. That’s what I liked about After, that it depicted something that wasn’t necessarily good or healthy, but it was real.

I think I may have hated this book if Tessa just took the abuse and kept crawling back to him, but she doesn’t. She sticks up for herself and is a feisty, independent character who knows what she wants, and she will tell him if he needs to get back in line and I really, really appreciated this. I don’t think this book is glamorising abusive relationships. I think it’s teaching people empathy, that not all people are perfect and how to stick up for yourself – not only did she stick up for herself to Hardin, but also to her mother.

Going into this, I thought it would be all about the romance, but it’s not. It’s got so many other aspects in it that revolve around family, friends, university and work life. This isn’t just a love story, it’s a coming of age story. Tessa really grows as a person and realises what she wants in life and I admire that.

Obviously this wasn’t going to be the most beautifully written book out there, but it sure was addicting and I raced through the almost 600 pages in less than 3 days. I grew to really care for these characters and want the best for them.

Just know that I understand where the haters are coming from, but Hardin is changing for the better and is trying so hard to be good for Tessa and Tessa is a badass who can hold her own and is trying to help Hardin get over his past and become a better person. And that’s what matters, that he’s trying and that she has the compassion to help him.

I am so surprised that I didn’t turn out to be one of the people hating on this book, and I’m so glad I gave it a chance. Don’t be embarrassed to read this book because of all of the hate it’s receiving. I say to give it a go and form your own opinion and I ask you not to judge it based on the fact that it’s a fanfiction.

I don’t recommend this book for younger readers as there is explicit sex, swearing, drug and alcohol references and is just generally not for younger readers.