Rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
People who should read this: If you like bad boy turned good, unstable relationships, and lots of back and forth.
I finally finished this series….
It only felt like 50 years. If you’ve ever seen these books in the store, you know they’re clunkers. I think the largest ones maxes out at 873 pages. And I listened to each and every word. Yes, one of the audio books was over 24hrs. Worst part, I didn’t really speed them up?
Why did I do this to myself you ask?
Because there was something that had me coming back for all four.
Let me get this out of the way first.
…. Hello. My name is Kait and I’m Hardin trash.
This poor boy. This horrible boy. The boy that put Tessa through so much, stole my heart and never gave it back. It’s the old adage that women like to fix things. They want to think they’re that one person to break through a man’s walls and be the change inside of him. In the case of After, Tessa was exactly that. So in essence, this is the fairytale of that and you know I needed to see how it was going to end.
Thank the millions of people who read the series on Wattpad, because they’re the reason the books even made it to print.
Any whose….
Here’s the thing, those thick books are not big for a reason, unless that reason is to read about Hardin as much as you can. Am I complaining? Only for the times that the two of them were apart and I was Hardinless. Are you getting the idea that I only read these for Hardin? Okay good. Really though, these books could have been a lot shorter. There could have easily been only three of them. The back and forth between Hardin and Tessa was a little over the top. Except for the beginning and the end, every plot point felt like another piece used to add more drama or to extend the story. It’s like those shows that just need to end but are forced to push the plot past what was intended.
Which makes the middle my least favorite part of the series.
But did I mention how much sex is in these books? There was never wanting any more. Take the romance title to heart friends… But again. *Points to self* I’m Hardin trash so everything is okay with me.
There are about a million triggers in the book as well. Nothing about their relationship is healthy. I don’t condone one lick of it, but that’s not going to stop me from giving them a read. Any abuse is bad abuse and that’s why I do appreciate the ending. All of that abuse is addressed and finally put into its place. Plus, Tessa is given the strength in the end. She takes charge of her own life and becomes a strong woman as well.
Which leads me to the ending in general. Here was an epic love story and from the beginning alone, readers can see how hot the fire between them was. These two souls were never meant to be apart. But the ending of their love story was the least exciting thing in the whole series. Really, it was a let down. A poor reward for sticking with the series. Plus, Todd kept jumping ahead without explaining what was happening. Readers are not given a clear picture of how their relationship ultimately turned out. Did they even get married?
There was too little pay off for how hot the story was.
However… I really loved seeing the man that Hardin turned into.
Honestly, the fourth book gave me the most feels in the whole series. Todd split my heart in two and I cried for the poor boy. The wounded boy. That bad boy you could care less for was gone.
So if you’re ready to give this series a try, don’t watch the movie. Nothing about the movie was a good representation, especially when it comes to the cast. Sorry. And be prepared. I know readers who have gotten sucked down the rabbit whole. I never said you’ll want to admit how much you like the series. I don’t think my Goodreads ratings accurately reflect my true feelings.
Now I need something that will get me out of this book hangover.
Did I mention that I own all the books….
Happy Reading
Love Kait
Reading Challenge: 55/175
P.S. - I’d like to thank my husband for holding these books up while I tried to get the best picture.