Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars. I got this from a reviewer on Goodreads.
Character Breakdown:
Tessa Young: What a little Mary Sue. In the beginning I felt like I might be reading about Jamie from A Walk to Remember. Tessa definitely felt like a throwback of AWTR with her long pleated skirts and her oh-so-chaste relationship with the oh-so-perfect Noah. Her naiveté and behavior often felt more like a pre-teen girl. Miss Prissy makes references to "down there." I kid you not. And she considered Harry telling her that her butt looked good in tight jeans "dirty talk." Again, was she transplanted from a princess film? And for all her "good girl" ways: She cheats on Mr. Perfect quickly and often. Tessa is a love-struck girl who knows next to nothing about a boy, and what she does know is unfavourable. And she keeps going back for more why? She also cries and whines a lot through out the chapters which really drove me up the wall.
Harry Styles: What a reader might not ever seek out or accept in real life can still be fun to read about. In the abstract, the damaged bad boy is exciting and forbidden. The main character is the one whose love he is willing to change for. And a little jealousy/possessiveness can even be a turn-on. But... even taking the fact that this is fiction into consideration, Harry is an utter d-bag. He lies, he belittles and humiliates, he is cruel, he is jealous and possessive to a scary degree, he is violent and has an explosive temper. Quite a catch, no? There are some things (like all of the aforementioned traits) that a pretty face and a British accent just can't make up for. There were moments in the last quarter of the book where I started warming a bit to Harry; times when he was sweet and charming and considerate. But then that ending. Nope. That blew it.
Their relationship: I won't get bogged down in After portraying this relationship as a romantic ideal or setting a bad example for girls. Because, hello, it's *fiction*, people. But as I mentioned before, even though I'm willing to accept plenty of things in fiction that I would not necessarily want or accept in real life, even here it goes beyond the pale. Instead of being drawn into the relationship and pulling for these two basket cases, I found myself constantly thinking that no two people should be together less. They weren't particularly likeable separately, but together were an absolute train wreck. Why would I want to see these two come together? For what possible reason? They are positively toxic together.
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After 101
Teen FictionThe After trilogy reviewed by people who were recommended by others to read it. These are all honest reviews from people(teenagers to adults) who have read the books.
