I Read Anna Todd's After So You Don't Have to
Start writing a post
Arts Entertainment

I Read Anna Todd's "After" So You Don't Have To

Anna Todd's "After" just isn't worth your time.

781
I Read Anna Todd's "After" So You Don't Have To

I'll admit it. I love trashy romance novels.

There's something elusive to a well-done romance novel, an amalgamation of different elements coming together in order to achieve a satisfying story. Anna Todd's "After", a fan fiction turned novel, however, misses the mark completely.

To be quite honest, I missed the entire phenomena of Anna Todd's "After" series. "After" was a popular Wattpad fanfiction featuring One Direction's Harry Styles as the main bad boy with tattoos and piercings. It eventually got picked up and published with all the names changed (think 50 Shades of Grey style). Currently, the original unedited story on Wattpad has over 532 million reads. The novel follows Tessa's first year of college as her life is forever changed when she meets Hardin (changed from Harry). He introduces her to partying, sex, and his reckless but troubled lifestyle.

I never had much interest in these novels but as soon as the trailer for the upcoming film adaptation dropped I knew I had to read it. As a pre-teen that spent a lot of time reading horrible Wattpad novels, this exuded every single trope I loved to hate. I went in knowing very minimal what the story was even about as some of my friends used to be obsessed with it at the time.



There are a lot of problems with the published novel. It went through very minimal editing from its original life as fanfiction, and it's very easy to tell just from the first page. The scenes are short and the worldbuilding is nonexistent. There are so many cringy lines and scenarios that make it so hard to read (like Tessa going to a frat party in a church dress). And the book is long, drawn out, and unnecessary at most parts.

Not to mention that Tessa and Hardin's relationship is downright toxic. There are so many instances where Hardin treats her like garbage, pushes her away, minimizes her feelings, gaslights her, puts her in danger, and yet she still keeps coming back to him. Tessa is continually putting up with his ridiculous antics because she sees that there might be a good guy inside of him after all. Personally, I'm kind of sick of this Beauty and The Beast syndrome, you shouldn't have to take all this emotional abuse in order for your boyfriend to change into a perfect prince. And reading the synopses of the rest of the books, it doesn't look like he changes at all.

To be quite honest, I don't understand the hype of the novel. Perhaps if I had read it when I was younger I would've been captured by Hardin's mysterious bad boy aura. But, now that I'm older and can recognize toxic relationships when I see them, this novel didn't really appeal to me.

Will I watch the film when it comes out? Of course. I personally enjoy watching horrifically cringy teen films. If it's anything like the novel, it'll be as entertaining as watching two trains collide head-on.

"After" premieres in theaters on April 12th.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

The Best Capital Cities in the World To Visit

It's easy to overlook some of these, even just one - don't.

73
The Best Capital Cities in the World To Visit

Why think locally? Think big and consider traveling to the best capitals in the world.

What makes a capital "the best" – culture, sights, history & things to do, to say the least.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

How To Play 'New Girl's' True American Drinking Game

"It's 75% drinking, 20% Candy Land, and the floor is molten lava."

1581543
How To Play 'New Girl's' True American Drinking Game
i.amz.mshcdn.com

I think it's fair to say that anyone who watches "New Girl" knows about True American. This crazy, nonsense drinking game which pops up every so often throughout the seasons and first introduced in season one, episode 20.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

The Life Story of my Dreams

How I figured out what I want to do with my life.

834
The Life Story of my Dreams

Yes, that's me in the photo above. I was around 10 years old in that photo and was obsessed with that pink and purple sweater. I wore it on a daily basis.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Theories Of Motivation

Some things other than coffee to motivate you

3093
Theories Of Motivation
Motivation refers to the psychological processes that drive and direct behavior towards achieving goals. Several theories of motivation have been proposed by psychologists and researchers over the years. These theories attempt to explain why individuals are motivated to act in certain ways and what factors influence their behavior. Here is an overview of some prominent theories of motivation:
Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Writer of the Month: Emily Templeton

Get to know Miami University alumni and top creator Emily Templeton!

4427
Writer of the Month: Emily Templeton

The talented team of response writers make our world at Odyssey go round! Using our response button feature, they carry out our mission of sparking positive, productive conversations in a polarized world.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments