After - Anna Todd

New York Time's bestselling author Anna Todd, a 29 -year-old woman from Fort Hood, Texas started writing the After series with the free online book app Wattpad. After reading many reviews with mixed emotions of love and heartbreak, I am ready to do my part and tell you my thoughts. 

18-year-old Tessa Young who has a boyfriend back home with matching qualities, straight a's, sweet and reliable. Her mother Carol Young pushes her into one direction - success. But doesn't the good girl always fall for the men with a dark aroma? 

Tessa Young barely moves into her freshman dorm at Washington Central University before she meets Hardin Scott. Something about his curly hair, cocky British accent, tattoos and piercings has Tessa captivated by the difference of his appearance.

She knows he is rude to the point of cruelty. The uptight girl should be disgusted with Hardin, and she is, until she finds herself alone with him. It wasn't only his dark mood that grabbed her and kissed her, it was passion. A flame that ignited, a flame that she didn't have with long term boyfriend Noah Porter. 

Hardin will shower her with compliments but throw hate her way at any given time. He isn't one for dating and surely wasn't the man if you're trying to settle down. He didn't believe in labels and surely you wouldn't hear him saying the word love. Yet, wasn't that what Tessa was doing? Making him fall in love?

So here are my thoughts : at first I wasn't hooked. In 2014 was when I first started reading the books on Wattpad. However, after seeing how many people were intrigued with it, I decided to give it another try. Something was different the second time I started reading it, I fell in love. Believe it or not, I finished the book they day I got it.  

I wasn't really sure why someone would fall in love with a person who has done nothing but act rudely towards the other. However, Tessa was different. Not only was she drive to find life in Seattle, Washington  and succeed she was driven towards Hardin. (For anyone isn't aware, on the Wattpad app Hardin Scott was originally Harry Styles.) 

Yes, I have been in relationships that made my chest ache, but reading this book made me wish I could rip my heart out to stop feeling that way. At first I was upset with the way that Hardin treated Tessa, then I was able to understand why he said and did those things. He didn't want to risk being hurt again and with a past like his there wasn't a way that I could blame him.

Hardin had Tessa doing things that she didn't want to do, because she had never done it before. Only around Hardin Tessa felt alive. Her attraction towards him grew more, making her forget about her boyfriend back home. 

In my opinion, for it being her first book Anna Todd had written this book beautifully. Each time I was left wanting more. There wasn't a time during my read that I wished something differently would have happened or that something had been written differently. So when the book were published, I did whatever I could to get my hands on them. 

So what are my opinions on the characters?

Tessa Young is one of my favorite literary characters created, she is driven to succeed and to be the best. Her and I share the same love for Seattle, Washington and the dream of pursuing a career in editing. Although I wasn't a straight A student she is who I want to be, she has things planned out for her and never gives up. I was never a straight A student, I plan on changing that during College. She is an inspiration to me. I fell in love with how she wasn't going to let anything stop her from getting what she wanted, not even her true love. Something about that made her my favorite.

Hardin Scott on the other hand was another character that I'll hold onto for the rest of my life, he was able to find peace with a dark past. We are one of the same. With a past that we refuse to speak about, we chose to stay secretive. It would never be easy as he had shown to trust someone, yet he found a way in his heart to do so. So because of him, I believe that all things are possible even if you have done bad things and even though bad things have happened to you.

So what do I rate this story? 7/10. Although it was beautifully written and one of my favorite books, I rate it at a 7/10.