after book review essay

Kitty Marie's Reading Corner

book blogger & reviewer

Book Review : After by Anna Todd

Author  : Anna Todd Published By  : Gallery Books Year Published  : 2014 Genre / Tags  : Romance, Contemporary, New Adult Formats  : Paperback, eBook, Audiobook # of Pages  : 582 pages (Paperback)

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, Tessa  should  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.

Warning, rant review ahead!

I want to start this review out by stating that despite my literary faves, I am in no way above reading utter nonsense if it sounds entertaining. I’m even going to proceed to make a dark and embarrassing confession right now- I have Naruto fanfics in my favorites on fanfiction.net that I read on occasion when I’m bored.

That’s not the confession. The confession is that one of them made me cry and would probably still make me cry.

This might be embarrassing, but still not as embarrassing as some of the goings-on in After.

Speaking of that favorites list, at least a few of the fics were written by pre-teens. All of whom created stories with better writing, plotting, and dialogue than is contained in After.

Going back to the fanfic thing and how I am totally open to what would be considered “low fiction”, there was a fan fiction based off of an old Playstation game called Legend Of Mana. I read it obsessively. The author made some original characters that I still remember vividly and adore. There was a character in it named Snow I think? He didn’t exist in the game but the author was talented enough to make me love him.

The site went offline a bunch of years ago. The author disappeared into internet oblivion, and I had emailed some random person involved with them if they happened to have a backup of that fic but alas, no reply. The fic is nowhere online and I never downloaded it, so it may be gone forever. My heart is still broken over that.

Oh yeah, back to After. It’s terrible in every sense. Even in the in-the-mood-for-stupidest-guilty-pleasure sense, it doesn’t deliver anything worthwhile. Even by fanfic standards, I think it’s a bad fanfic.

Lets start with the heroine, Tessa. She is the worst.

I fear that After’s success will lead to a million copycats with a million heroines whose favorite band on the entire face of the earth is The Fray for some reason ( The Fray??!? no offense to fans though, but I’m pretty sure even The Fray themselves would be confused) who beg their boyfriends to mistreat them , and have a noticeable disdain for all other girls in the narrative who do literally N O T H I N G to deserve mistreatment. Moreover, Tessa is bankrupt of morals enough to think about cheating on a boyfriend without feeling guilty, yet still feels the need to criticize girls for how they dress. What?

Tessa just hates girls , I’m saying that now. It’s like she gains some special energy from hating them, energy that she can put toward mindlessly fawning over a guy who detests her and treating a few other special guys with some level of decency. I looked up the names of all the guys Tessa seems to be OK with by the way….. and they were all based off of members of One Direction.

So there was another fanfic author that was gifted and I was very much adoring their work. They posted an ominous message and disappeared from the internet, never to return. This was ten years ago or so.

I really don’t understand how the universe works in that all the fanfics I like get swallowed into the internet maw while some of the not-so-great ones become mega-successful sensations. I’m pretty sure the land of fanfic authoring is accursed, probably by a spirit that seeks to troll the reading world.

So another problem with After-

It comes off so forced, as if written under duress. Like it doesn’t want to be written and is the product of some kind of scenario similar to Stephen King’s book, Misery. Many chapters are retreads of previous chapters, with only a few details changed. Maybe there was a bomb that would go off if the chapter had not been finished that day? So it had to be written despite containing no ideas! Pondering this possibility was more exciting than reading After. There are entire chapters where nothing remotely noteworthy or new happens. Or chapters where a thing happens that already happened three chapters ago. Why is it happening again?? I have a memory like a goldfish and could still tell that this was a constant issue.

So your question at this point may be “Why did you keep reading?”

Two reasons. Reason number one, a close friend of mine was reading so we were pseudo-buddyreading it and I was desperate at the time to buddy read with someone IRL. Reason two, I have been led to books with bad reputations before via rant reviews not unlike this one. I didn’t hate all of them. Or maybe I disliked them in part but liked them overall.

One that stands out in particular is November 9 by Colleen Hoover. There are a lot of worthy criticisms that can be foisted upon that book (and I agree with pretty much all of them) but I enjoyed reading it.

There’s something about the flow of the first 50-100 pages or so of After that kept me wondering, optimistically, if it would go somewhere good. The heroine is a fish out of water, a tremendously prissy prep school cliche of a girl who is suddenly faced with people very different from her.

There was ample opportunity for a worthwhile story to unfurl from that, but it never does. I would even go so far as to say that the ending of this novel (no spoilers intended) only seeks to confirm and somehow justify Tessa’s snobbery toward the undesirables of society.

Added note, Tessa’s mother is a really bad person and is at least 50% responsible for Tessa’s bad traits and closemindedness. She is also not properly dealt with or called out. I’m almost curious to see if she is ever meaningfully criticized for her behavior in future books- but I cannot read any more of this series without dying inside. So, if a person who has read these books happens upon this post, feel free to let me know in the comments.

As for the guy, Hardin, I can understand the appeal. He acts incorrigible and impossible to deal with and this can create a great sort of “Challenge Accepted!” scenario of trying to work out how the couple can possibly end up together. I’ve been there before with digging this type of thing. Romances that are a maze of improbability can just be so much more entertaining than insta-love and/or unchallenging and paint-by-number romance scenarios. But all other aspects of this book work against whatever intrigue could have emerged. His eventual sob story to explain his behavior is very ineffective. And he does something particularly foul toward the end that makes him irredeemably trashy and gross, so there’s that.

Overall Rating – 1/10

Why You Should Try It – If you happen to connect with the characters, this could be enjoyable as a very character-driven story. Hardin can be worthwhile if he’s to your niche tastes. The writing (and perhaps editing?) is high in clarity and fast-moving, and could have worked out if everything else were different.

Why You Might Not Like It – The plot is distressingly same-y or just doesn’t exist. Lots of repetitive, stubbornly repeated scenarios. Or just nothing happening. The heroine is just awful. Hardin’s actions are pretty much unforgivable.

To anyone who likes After and somehow stumbled upon this review, I hope to not offend anyone with my thoughts. There are books and media that I like that are heavily criticized, high levels of problematic, and/or or not critically acclaimed. There’s a book that I love that someone literally stomped on in a fit of rage due to some awful events within (if you’re reading this, I still lol at that memory and totally understand.)

Basically my motto is to like whatever you like, regardless of people’s opinions. Don’t feel too guilty about your guilty pleasures. At least have fun with it.

Many thanks to Kumamon for being adorable, pictured in all the gifs above. He is the hero we deserve. And many thanks to you for putting up with this chaotic review. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I would love to hear your thoughts, as always!

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7 thoughts on “ Book Review : After by Anna Todd ”

This review gives me life!!!! I watched the film a few weeks ago and laughed my butt off at it. It is honestly so terrible that it is genius and I kinda want to read the book lol!!! Fabulous review <333

Like Liked by 1 person

Thanks so much!! I was trying to make it entertaining yet express my true feelings about the book. I am very interested in watching the movie for the comedic value, I love so-bad-its-good movies and this scenario would work better as a movie honestly.

Oh it’s definitely a so bad it’s good movie. I was texting my friend my reactions the whole time and it was such fun lol!!!

Tessa’s mom does get called out pretty good a few times in the subsequent books! She’s terrible.

I’m thrilled to hear that Tessa’s mom gets called out, it really stuck out to me how toxic she is and a bad influence on her daughter. Thanks for your comment! 🙂

You are a perfect example of “Everyone has a different opinion because no two people are just alike” Having said that, i think your opinion sucks. But you are certaonly entitled to it. I loved the series. At a time when I wasn’t sure that tomorrow would even come for me, these stories gave me encouragement + happiness.

This is a late reply but just letting you know- I’m glad you liked this series Teri! And that it helped you during a difficult time, that’s a wonderful thing that can’t be traded for the world. I can see how reading my scathing review could be unpleasant, you are correct in how we’re all entitled to very different opinions. I wish I was able to enjoy After but alas, it wasn’t for me.

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Themes and Analysis

By anna todd.

The main ideology and message behind 'After' is one filled with love, hate, romance, the terrors of the past, and betrayal. 'After' shows it all, how we feel when we do not want to let go because of love.

Article written by Joshua Ehiosun

C2 certified writer.

‘ After’  is a romance novel that shows the duality in hate romance and the terrible choices one makes when clouded by emotions.

‘ After ‘ Themes

Love is the primary theme of  ‘After .’ Though  ‘After’  features other major themes, love stands out as the leading theme.  ‘After’  equitably describes how one feels and the choices one makes when in love, be it good or bad. Throughout the novel, love stands out as one of the most important emotions, from the characters Hardin and Tessa’s intense love to the love between Landon and Dakota, the love and friendship between Landon and Tessa, the love between Ken and Karen, and even the love between Tessa and Noah. The birth of some of the primary themes in  ‘After’  came from the feeling of love.

Betrayal is one of the primary themes in  ‘After.’ Because Tessa falls so deeply in love with Hardin, she surrenders her all to him and blocks out everyone and anyone who tries to hinder her feelings for him. Tessa loved Hardin with all she had, but in the end, all that crashed when she found out about the bet that had been made on her. Hardin betrayed Tessa in every single way she could have imagined and left her broken, torn, and in shambles.

Though Tessa had hints along the line due to Hardin’s weird behavior around his friends, she still chose to ignore it all, and in the end, it only added to her pain. Hardin betraying Tessa left her with almost nothing to look back to because her mother cut her off, and the people she thought should have been her friends were the opposite. The feeling of betrayal is strongly emphasized by the ending of the  ‘After.’

Hate and Burning Desire

Hate and burning desire is also a primary theme of  ‘After.’  In the book, Tessa finds herself having an intense attraction to the one person she dislikes, Hardin. Though he is rude, arrogant, and insensitive, she could not help but fall for him. The chemistry that existed between them made her want to explore her desires with him. Though she hated him, she could not ignore the fact that she had an intense desire for him. This feeling leads Tessa to explore the world of romance as she had never done in her entire life.

Throughout the book, Tessa struggles for one thing; her freedom. Having felt like she had been caged for her entire life, Tessa decided to let it all go and strive for her release. Tessa struggled for her freedom from a mother who wanted her life to go according to a plan and not what Tessa herself wanted. Though her decision to be free led to her mother cutting her off. Tessa found the freedom she had always wanted with Hardin, even though it lasted for a short time.

The Influence of Friends

‘After’  projects just to what extent friends influence each other.  ‘After’  is filled with many scenes where the influence of friends led the way, from Tessa getting drunk for the first time to her making Hardin meet his estranged father. The book portrays just how negatively or positively the influence of friends affects us. Also, Tessa was so much influenced by Hardin that everything in her life began to center around what he thought, desired, and felt about her.

Holding On To The Past

‘After’  showed just how much holding on to the past affects one so much. In  ‘After,’  Hardin hated his father for what happened to his mother. He allowed that hatred to fuel the negative attitude he began to accumulate. Hardin was tormented and haunted by his past, the night his entire world came crashing down. Hardin could never forgive his father, and he could never also never forgive himself. Holding on to his hatred changed him in many ways and affected his sleep because he always had nightmares.

Analysis of Key Moments in  ‘After’

• Tessa gains admission into the same school her mother dropped out from when she was younger.
• Tessa reaches her college, Washington Central University, with her mom, Carol, and high school boyfriend, Noah.
• Tessa, Noah, and her mom meet Tessa’s roommate, Steph Jones. Carol immediately tells her daughter she will get her a new room due to the alternative and weird lifestyle her roommate led. Tessa disagrees with her mother’s demands.
• Tessa meets Hardin alone in her room. She immediately dislikes him because of the rude comments he makes about her.
• Tessa meets Landon Gibson on her first day of class, and they become friends.
• Landon tells Tessa he and Hardin are soon-to-be stepbrothers.
• Tessa is invited to a party by Steph, and she agrees.
• Tessa plays a game of truth or dares at the party, where she reveals she is a virgin. She refuses to kiss Hardin when dared to do so. She leaves, but Hardin goes after her. They share an intense moment which Hardin shrugs off as nothing.
• Hardin and Tessa go to a stream alone. There Hardin makes Tessa have her first orgasm. He makes it clear to Tessa that they were not dating, leaving her heartbroken.
• Tessa invites Noah to spend the night. They are interrupted by Landon, who calls asking for help with Hardin. Tessa abandons Noah for Hardin.
• Hardin and Tessa fight over her, not revealing to Noah the relationship they had together.
• Tessa meets Hardin’s father, Ken Scott, who, to her surprise, is the chancellor of WCU. Ken invites Tessa to his house for the evening.
• Hardin and Ken fight, making Hardin storm out of the house with Tessa following him. Tessa consoles Hardin and decides to stay with him for the night.
• Tessa experiences the intense nightmare Hardin has.
• The next morning, Hardin takes Tessa back to her dorm, where they find Noah waiting. After a ruckus, Tessa tells Noah to leave; they finally break up.
• Tessa gets an internship at Vance publishing with the help of Ken, who, in exchange, request she convince Hardin to come with her.
• Though Hardin is happy for her, he abandons Tessa for his friends. Tessa finds Molly sitting on Hardin’s lap when she looks for him. She gets angry and kisses Zed. Hardin pays the favor and dares Molly to do the same to him, making Tessa leave.
• Hardin chases after Tessa and publicly declares his love for her. Tessa rejects him making Hardin recount his statement and leaving Tessa heartbroken.
• Tessa decides to go out with Zed, though kissing him made her realize she truly loved Hardin.
• Tessa runs back to Hardin and confesses her love for him. They go back to her dorm to find her mother, Carol, waiting. She gives Tessa an option to go back to Noah or be cut off; Tessa chooses the latter.
• Tessa loses her virginity to Hardin.
• Tessa agrees to move into an apartment with Hardin.
• On the way to Ken’s wedding, Tessa notices how battered Zed was. On asking, she finds out it was Hardin’s doing. She confronts Hardin only to find out the truth about a bet placed on her.
• Tessa leaves heartbroken, with Hardin running after her and drove off with Zed. She then asks Zed for the bet details.

Style, Tone, and Figurative Language in  ‘After’

Throughout the entire book, Anna Todd writes about Tessa’s travails in a detached tone. With the use of short conversations and the entirety of the characters’ actions and dialogues referencing Tessa, the view used is the singular person’s. All the action, drama, and emotionality are directly observed by Tessa alone, though some chapters also employed Hardin’s view.

There is minute complexity in dialogue throughout the book. All sentences were simple and straight to the point.

For the tone, there were many attributions to anger, love, and pain. ‘ After’ was a rollercoaster of emotions , from the feeling of a burning desire to cold indifference, the nasty feeling of hate, and the tormentable feeling of guilt and sadness.

Analysis of Symbols in ‘ After’

After is one of the predominant and spot-on symbols of the book ‘ After.’  Just as its name implies, the book does not just converge on an ending as most romance novels do; instead, it just shows how Tessa was after it all happened. There was no way Tessa could escape the inevitable. The book showed Tessa’s after, ending rational enough for the relationship she and Hardin had.

Choice is what defines ‘After.’ Though ‘After’ seemed to follow a predetermined order, each step leading to the ending was all based on the choice each character made. Though the element of free will for the characters in ‘ After’ seemed restricted due to clouded judgment and the feeling of love, the choices both Tessa and Hardin made sealed their fate.

What is the main theme in ‘ After ‘?

The main theme in After is love, as it was experienced by the vast majority of the characters. From Landon and his girlfriend Dakota to Ken and Karen, Noah and Tessa, and finally Tessa and Hardin, love plays a large part throughout the book.

Is betrayal a main theme in ‘ After ‘?

Yes, in fact, most people will agree betrayal is the major theme of ‘ After ‘ as the book shows we can’t always trust people just by the way they behave toward us. Tessa experienced the harsh reality of betrayal from people she thought were supposed to be her friends.

Does Tessa get pregnant in ‘ After ‘?

No, she doesn’t. In the first part of the ‘After’ series, Tessa does not get pregnant for Hardin.

What is the setting of ‘ After ‘?

Washington Central University, WCU. This is the main setting for the ‘ After ‘ book, as everything between Tessa and Hardin happens in school.

Why is Tessa’s mother uncaring?

Tessa’s mother, Carol, seems uncaring because she believes in creating a great life for her daughter. Due to her husband abandoning her and her daughter, she made up her mind for her daughter to have the life she never had, even if that life will cost her daughter her happiness.

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Book Review

After — “after” series.

• Contemporary , Romance

• Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster

Year Published

After by Anna Todd has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine . It is the first book in the “After” series.

Plot Summary

Tessa’s mother’s greatest wish in life is for her daughter to go to college at Washington Central University, so when Tessa is accepted to WCU she is excited about making her mother proud. However, she is also anxious about whether she’ll make friends in a strange new place. She is surprised that her roommate, Steph, is a hardcore party girl who loves bright makeup and revealing clothing. Tessa also finds herself deeply attracted to Hardin, one of Steph’s guy friends. A young Englishman with tattoos and a rude attitude, Hardin’s rough personality conflicts with Tessa’s niceness and inexperience.

Tessa reluctantly accepts Steph’s invitation to join her at a frat party. She doesn’t fit in well with the crowd at the party. As she wanders around the frat house, she stumbles into a bedroom where Hardin is kissing a pink-haired girl named Molly. The scene makes Tessa uncomfortable, and her night grows even worse when she has to help a drunken Steph, who vomits and then passes out.

Steph’s friend Nate shepherds Steph and Tessa into one of the frat house bedrooms and tells Tessa she can stay there with Steph while she sleeps. Tessa is shocked when Hardin comes into the room, which turns out to be his bedroom because he’s a member of the fraternity throwing the party. Hardin and Tessa get into an argument because he doesn’t allow people in his room.

Tessa leaves and cries in a bathroom because the party is terrible, and she doesn’t know how to get home. When she emerges from the bathroom, Hardin tells her she can sleep in an empty room where he has also placed Steph. Tessa is shocked that Hardin is being nice to her.

On Monday, Tessa excitedly attends her first day of classes and is shocked to see Hardin in her British literature class. He sits by her and they continue their verbal sparring as the days pass. She also meets Landon in British literature class, a normal guy who Hardin irrationally dislikes.

The next weekend, Tessa agrees to go to another party at the same frat house with Steph. Tessa wonders if Molly is dating Hardin, but Steph insists that while Hardin might play around with a lot of girls, he never dates anyone or has one girl who is special to him.

At the party, during a game of truth or dare, people keep daring Tessa to drink shots of vodka. While drunk, she wanders into Hardin’s room and starts reading from his classical book collection. He yells at her for entering his room again. They get into another verbal fight and she leaves.

A guy who is drunk tries to grope Tessa, but when he chases her down the hall, she runs back to Hardin’s room for safety. Hardin comforts her after her scary moment, and she kisses him. They make out on Hardin’s bed while he’s only partially dressed, but Tessa stops suddenly, recalling her boyfriend, Noah. They both feel awkward about the encounter, and Tessa runs away from Hardin’s room yet again, angry with him for being cold toward her when she stopped kissing him and angry with herself for cheating on her boyfriend.

Tessa walks for over an hour until she arrives back at her own dorm, only to discover Hardin waiting for her. Hardin was worried after she left, so he drove around trying to find her. Tessa’s mother and her boyfriend, Noah, suddenly arrive at her dorm to express their concern over her recent increase in party attendance. Tessa feels like she’s being treated like a child but reconciles with her mom and boyfriend, promising them that she’ll stop going to parties.

The next day, Hardin comes to Tessa’s room, supposedly to see Steph, and they end up kissing again. When Steph catches them, she warns Tessa not to develop feelings for Hardin because he doesn’t date. She says that girls often fall in love with Hardin, only to have their hearts broken when he doesn’t return their feelings.

In British literature class, Tessa and Hardin begin yelling at each other, supposedly arguing about the characters of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, when they’re actually discussing the details of their own strained relationship. After class, he grabs her arm, and she screams at him to let go. She feels like he’s playing emotional games with her.

Hardin asks her to admit that she’s bored with her boyfriend and excited by him. After more conversation, they agree to be friends. He takes her on an outing that she calls a friendly meeting, and he calls a date. They go swimming in a secluded stream, which he says is his favorite place. As they swim and kiss, Hardin asks her to admit that they can never just be friends. The mood remains passionate when they emerge from the water, and Hardin gives Tessa an orgasm using his fingers. Afterward, Hardin takes Tessa out to eat.

When Noah calls her, she ignores the call and tells Hardin that she intends to break up with Noah. Hardin tells her not to break up with her boyfriend on his account, since he doesn’t date. This infuriates Tessa, who warns Hardin never to speak to her again. Tessa calls Noah to come visit her for the weekend, but when he arrives, she is disappointed by their lack of passion. She can’t help comparing Noah’s bland niceness to Hardin’s intensity.

She gets a phone call from Landon, asking her to come to his mother’s house and help Hardin, who is also there. Tessa borrows Noah’s car and goes to Landon’s house. Hardin has been having a drunken fit.

Hardin’s father, Ken, has been dating Landon’s mother, Karen, for a long time, and Hardin is angry that the two have decided to marry. Hardin resents his father for being wealthy, while his divorced mother has to live in near-poverty in England. Drunk and lonely, Hardin begs Tessa to stay the night with him. She does, and they fool around sexually before falling asleep.

The next morning, Tessa goes back to her dorm to find Noah furious with her for taking his car and staying out all night. Hardin follows Tessa to the dorm and tells her to explain their situation to Noah. Noah guesses that Tessa has been cheating on him with Hardin and walks away crying. Tessa is upset with Hardin for making her tell Noah the truth.

Before long, Noah forgives Tessa and agrees to put the past behind them, if she agrees to stay away from Hardin. However, even when Tessa stays home from the weekend party at Hardin’s fraternity, Hardin shows up at her dorm room to watch movies with her. He says he sleeps better when she’s by his side, so she agrees to cuddle with him in the same bed.

The next day, Hardin wants to go with Tessa on her car-shopping trip, and the two of them run into Hardin’s father off campus. His dad invites them to dinner at his house with himself, his soon-to-be-wife, Karen, and Landon. Tessa accepts the invitation, and Hardin screams at her for trying to help him connect with his father.

Despite his earlier fury, Hardin later accompanies Tessa to the dinner. Karen mentions that Ken is actually the chancellor of WSU, a fact that Hardin neglected to mention. When Ken is surprised that Hardin hides his father’s chancellorship from his friends, Hardin yells that he doesn’t need to use his father’s name or position, then storms out of the room. When Tessa follows him, he insults her. She yells at him for ruining the evening, and then they kiss. Hardin’s mood improves. When he and Tessa return to finish dinner, he apologizes to everyone for his behavior.

After dinner, Hardin admits to Tessa that he wants her more than he has ever wanted another person or thing in his whole life. Tessa realizes this is an admission of his genuine feelings for her, and she kisses him. Hardin performs oral sex on Tessa, and then they return to the dining room. Karen and Ken offer to let Tessa stay the night, since it’s late, and they give her a room across from Hardin’s. In the night, Tessa hears Hardin screaming in his sleep. She wakes him from a nightmare and comforts him, holding him throughout the rest of the night.

When they return to Tessa’s dorm room, Noah is waiting because he was worried when Tessa didn’t answer her phone. In front of Noah, Hardin tells Tessa that he wants to be more than friends with her and that he wants to become a better man for her. Tessa tells Noah he should leave, officially breaking up with him and choosing a relationship with Hardin. Now that they’re together, Tessa is plagued by worries that Hardin will cheat on her with Molly, since he and Molly have had a physical relationship in the past.

Hardin’s father sets Tessa up with an internship at a publishing company. She’s thrilled to accept the part-time job, and Ken has only one request for her: try to persuade Hardin to attend Ken and Karen’s upcoming wedding. When she mentions the wedding to Hardin, he gets angry and ends the conversation. They make up and spend the night together in Hardin’s room, with Tessa comforting him when he has nightmares.

Tessa goes to a party at Hardin’s frat house without telling him, because she suspects he’s spending time with Molly. Her suspicions are confirmed when she finds Molly sitting on Hardin’s lap. Tessa begins drinking and joins a game of truth or dare. When she accepts a dare to kiss Hardin’s friend Zed, it makes Hardin angry. Zed accepts a dare to take Tessa upstairs alone for 10 minutes, but since she’s drunk, he doesn’t take advantage. Instead he asks her on a date, and she agrees. The next day, Hardin and Tessa get into a fight in front of Steph and Molly, and Hardin yells that he loves Tessa, which she refuses to believe.

Tessa realizes that she loves Hardin, but goes on a date with Zed. In British literature class, Hardin and Tessa get into a fight about the characters in Wuthering Heights, who reflect their own tempestuous relationship. Tessa goes to a bonfire party with Zed and kisses him again but can’t stop thinking of Hardin.

When she goes to Hardin and admits to him that she loves him, he tells her that he loves her more than anyone in the world. They spend a day with Karen and Ken, which passes without any major arguments. Tessa is hopeful that Hardin will attend the wedding.

Tessa’s mother visits her at her dorm room, furious that Tessa has broken up with Noah. Tessa’s mother doesn’t approve of Hardin and insists that she will cut off financial support from Tessa if she stays with him. To ease Tessa’s concerns about losing her dorm room if her mother withdraws support, Hardin suggests that they find an apartment and move in together. As their relationship deepens, Tessa decides she’s ready for an even closer physical connection, so she and Hardin have sex. Afterward, Hardin takes the bloody sheets off her bed and says he’ll throw them away for Tessa.

At the mall, they run into an unpleasant acquaintance of Hardin’s named Jace. Hardin warns Tessa to stay away from him because he’s a bad person. Hardin works harder to persuade Tessa to buy an apartment with him and she finally acquiesces. Tessa and Hardin are excited about their decision, but the happy mood is ruined when they go to Hardin’s frat house and run into Jace, who seems threatening.

Jace wants to play a party game. When Tessa joins in the game, she ends up kissing a stranger named Dan. Hardin witnesses the kiss and fights Dan. When the fight is broken up and Hardin calms down, he and Tessa argue, and then have sex.

Tessa and Hardin go to look at apartments and accept one that suits Tessa’s taste exactly. They sign the contract, and Hardin agrees to pay for the rent while Tessa pays for the utilities. They settle into life in their new apartment, enjoying the privacy until Hardin ruins the mood by not coming home one night.

Tessa is so worried about what kind of trouble he might have gotten into, she gives him an ultimatum: He has to improve his behavior or she will leave him. Since she also requests to know the cause of his screaming nightmares, he tells her that when he was a child, he witnessed several men raping his mother and that the event still gives him nightmares. Tessa comforts him, and their relationship returns to normal.

Ken and Karen’s wedding day arrives, and Hardin and Tessa enjoy the festivities. As they make plans to go to England together for winter vacation, and it occurs to Tessa that Hardin is acting strangely and avoiding his old friend group. She realizes that Steph, Zed, Molly and the others probably don’t even know that she and Hardin are living together. Tessa goes to a biker bar that Steph likes and stops in to visit her old roommate. Hardin arrives at the same bar and is angry with Tessa for coming.

Molly hints that there’s a big secret that the whole group is aware of and informs Tessa that Hardin made a bet with all the other guys that he would be Tessa’s first sexual encounter. In order to win the money they promised him, he showed the other guys the bloody sheets from Tessa’s dorm room and the used condom from their first night together. The money he won from the bet enabled him to make the down payment on the apartment he and Tessa share. Tessa slaps him and berates him for taking advantage of her. Hardin insists that he made the bet before he fell in love with Tessa and that he’s genuinely sorry. Tessa refuses to listen to his apologies and allows Zed to drive her home, asking him to tell her all the details of the bet.

Christian Beliefs

When Tessa wears a conservative outfit, Hardin teases her about being dressed for church, not for a party.

Other Belief Systems

Authority roles.

Tessa’s mother displays impatience and a short temper by yelling at Tessa. She repeatedly criticizes Tessa’s appearance, neatness and attitude. She raises her voice and threatens Tessa whenever she goes against her wishes, even slapping her for speaking rudely.

Landon’s mother, Karen, is so warm and kind to Tessa that Tessa frequently wishes her mother could be more supportive and inviting, like Karen. Tessa’s father left their family when she was young, forcing Tessa’s mother to work constantly to provide for herself and her daughter.

Hardin’s father drank a lot when Hardin was a child. Hardin despises his father for being absent and also for enjoying an extravagant lifestyle while Hardin’s mother lives in poverty.

Profanity & Violence

Profanity frequently used includes the f-word, h— and s— . Others used occasionally are a– , d–n , b–tard , b–ch and d–k . God’s name is used in vain several dozen times.

Tessa’s mother slaps her when she goes against her wishes. There is a lot of verbal sparring and fighting between Hardin and Tessa. A guy who is drunk tries to grope Tessa. Tessa kisses Dan at a party, so Hardin fights Dan.

After one of their classes, Hardin grabs Tessa’s arm, and she screams at him to let go. Hardin has a drunken fit. In the night, Tessa hears Hardin screaming in his sleep. He tells her that when he was a child, he witnessed several men raping his mother, and the event still gives him nightmares.

Sexual Content

Hardin and Molly kiss on a bed. Molly flashes her chest to her group of friends on a dare. Molly is said to have performed a full striptease at a party.

Tessa and Hardin kiss deeply. They speak to each other in sexually charged ways, expressing their desire for each other. As their relationship progresses, there are several lengthy sex scenes that depict various sexual acts — manual sex, oral sex and vaginal sex between Tessa and Hardin, described in detail.

Tessa and Noah agreed to wait until marriage for sex, but after experiencing sexual moments with Hardin, Tessa begins pressuring Noah for deeper kisses and more intense make-out sessions, trying to recreate her passion with Hardin. Hardin questions Noah’s sexuality when he learns that Noah has never attempted to do more than kiss Tessa. Noah insists on staying in a separate hotel room from Tessa at night.

When he was a child, Hardin witnessed several men raping his mother.

Discussion Topics

Additional comments.

Drugs: Characters smoke marijuana at a party.

Alcohol: Many characters, including the main characters, get drunk, which causes them to act foolishly.

Movie Tie-In: Producers often use a book as a springboard for a movie idea or to earn a specific rating. Because of this, a movie may differ from the novel. To better understand how this book and the movie differ, compare this book review with Plugged In’s movie review for After .

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A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 12

Chapters 13-21

Chapters 22-36

Chapters 37-50

Chapters 51-68

Chapters 69-79

Chapters 80-97

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

After by Anna Todd is a fan fiction romance novel with characters loosely based on the band members from One Direction. The novel principally features the band’s lead singer, Harry Styles, as the inspiration for main character Hardin , and Anna Todd herself as the inspiration behind the protagonist , Tessa . Todd originally wrote After on Wattpad, a social storytelling platform, but it was adapted as a published novel by Simon and Schuster in 2014. After is now the first novel in a five-book series and was made into a film in 2019. This guide refers to the 2014 print edition.

Plot Summary

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Tessa meets Hardin on her first day of college. He’s rude and condescending towards her, nothing like her boyfriend Noah , yet Tessa feels drawn to him. Tessa is eager to make friends, so she starts hanging out with her roommate, Steph , and Steph’s friend group, including Hardin. Tessa goes to a few of their parties, where she drinks, plays Truth or Dare, and admits to the group that she’s a virgin. Even though Tessa’s prim and modest personality is completely opposite Steph and her friends, Tessa feels intrigued by them, especially Hardin. Tessa surprises herself by kissing Hardin one night at a party, which sets in motion a pattern between them. They argue, make amends, agree to hang out as friends, and then end up unable to resist their sexual attraction for each other.

Despite her ongoing relationship with Noah, Tessa comes to Hardin’s rescue one night when he’s angry and drunk at his father’s house. Noah finds out about her relationship with Hardin, yet he gives her a second chance. Even though Tessa resolves to stop seeing Hardin, she can’t resist him, and she eventually breaks up with Noah when Hardin tells her he “needs” her (269).

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As they grow closer, Hardin’s behavior gradually changes, and he becomes more willing to spend time at his father’s house because of Tessa, something he never did before because of a strained relationship with his father since childhood. However, Hardin and Tessa’s new dating relationship only perpetuates their up-and-down pattern of arguments and sexual activity. When Tessa sees Hardin with Molly, a girl he used to fool around with, at a party, she uses Zed, one of Hardin’s friends, to make Hardin jealous. Tessa kisses Zed in front of Hardin and agrees to go on a date with him.

The night of the campus bonfire, Hardin and Tessa confess that they love each other. Over the next few weeks, the dynamic between Tessa and Hardin seems to stabilize. They spend most nights together, and Tessa loses her virginity to Hardin. She begins working at Vance Publishing as an intern, and soon after, moves into an off-campus apartment with Hardin. Not long after they move in together, Hardin stays out all night without telling Tessa where he is. He shows up drunk later the next day having clearly been in a fight, but he refuses to tell Tessa where he’s been. The two have an intense argument, but they eventually make up when Hardin is vulnerable with Tessa, telling her about a traumatic moment from his childhood.

Tessa and Hardin attend Hardin’s father’s wedding together, where they seem happier and closer than ever before. However, Hardin still refuses to tell Tessa why he was in a fight. Tessa searches out Steph and the rest of Hardin’s friends for answers, and a shocking secret comes to light: when he first met Tessa, Hardin made a bet with Zed to see who could take Tessa’s virginity first. At the novel’s conclusion, Tessa is confused, angry, and heartbroken. As Zed drives her home amidst pleas and apologies from Hardin, Tessa asks Zed to “Tell [her] everything” (582). 

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