The After series first started as Harry Styles fanfiction, but it is now a global sensation. The ‘good girl/bad boy’ pair in After by Anna Todd has captivated the hearts of millions of fans.
The series follows Tessa, who starts as a freshman in college, and Hardin, the cocky and rude boy she meets at a party. He is the epitome of everything she hates and he will turn her world upside down. Yet she finds herself falling for him, and this is the start of their addictive love story.
The first three books showcase their relationship and its back and forth. They get together, something bad happens and secrets are revealed, but they always find their way back.
The fourth book takes a different direction as their relationship might get to a tragic end. But the author manages to wrap it together in a real and beautiful way. The fifth book of the series, Before, dives into their relationship as seen by the people in their lives. It also gives a new perspective on Hardin and changes the way readers might perceive him.
This isn’t a series about a perfect relationship – it’s messy and at times toxic for both of them. It’s draining and it shows the ugly truth behind an emotionally abusive relationship. Both of the protagonists are too in love to call it quits, they get hurt, but in the end, things fall into their place.
The After series Books in order
The After
Most recommended books:
- After Ever Happy (After, #4) – 4.01 Goodreads score
- After We Fell (After, #3)- 3.84 Goodreads score
- Before (After, #5) – 3.77 stars on Goodreads
- After We Collided (After, #2) – 3.73 Goodreads score
- After – (After, #1) – 3.72 Goodreads score
Upcoming releases by Anna Todd
- The newest Anna Todd book, The Falling, is the first novel in the new Brightest Stars trilogy. Released on the 5th of July, the book follows the love story between Karina, a dutiful officer’s daughter, and Kael, a closed-off soldier.
- The series has 2 more books planned, with no release date in sight yet: The Burning and The Infinite Light of Dust.
Books made into movies
The series was adapted into movies starting in 2019. The first film, an adaptation of the first book in the series, grossed $70 million at the global box office. After We Collided, the second film was released in theaters and on-demand in the United States on October 2, 2020. The third movie came out in 2021. The trailer for the fourth sequel, After Ever Happy, appeared in 2021. The release date set is for later this year, on September 7.
Similar authors
- Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. The standalone follows Tate Collins and pilot Miles Archer, as the pair attempt to define rules that will prevent them from falling in love.
- Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus series follows Hannah Wells as she makes a deal with Garrett Graham, a star Adonis of his hockey team. The series spans 5 books.
- Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas follows Ryen and Misha, two friends who got joined as pen-pals when they were children and reunited in high school.
See also: L.J. Shen Books in Order.
Book summaries
After (2014)
There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there’s everything AFTER… Life will never be the same. #HessaTessa 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, and tattoos, 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 disappears 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?
After We Collided (2014)
Tessa has everything to lose. Hardin has nothing to lose…except her. AFTER WE COLLIDED…Life will never be the same. After a tumultuous beginning to their relationship, Tessa and Hardin were on the path to making things work. She knew he could be cruel, but when a bombshell revelation is dropped about the origins of their relationship—and Hardin’s mysterious past—Tessa is beside herself. Hardin will always be…Hardin. But is he really the deep, thoughtful guy Tessa fell madly in love with despite his angry exterior, or has he been a stranger all along? She wishes she could walk away. It’s just not that easy. Not with the memory of passionate nights spent in his arms. His electric touch. His hungry kisses. Still, Tessa’s not sure she can endure one more broken promise. She put so much on hold for Hardin—school, friends, her mom, a relationship with a guy who really loved her, and now possibly even a promising new career. She needs to move forward with her life. Hardin knows he made a mistake, possibly the biggest one of his life. He’s not going down without a fight. But can he change? Will he change…for love?
After We Fell (2014)
Tessa and Hardin’s love was complicated before. Now it’s more confusing than ever. AFTER WE FELL…Life will never be the same. #HESSAJust as Tessa makes the biggest decision of her life, everything changes. Revelations about first her family, and then Hardin’s, throw everything they knew before in doubt and make their hard-won future together more difficult to claim. Tessa’s life begins to come unglued. Nothing is what she thought it was. Not her friends. Not her family. The one person she should be able to rely on, Hardin, is furious when he discovers the massive secret she’s been keeping. And rather than being understanding, he turns to sabotage. Tessa knows Hardin loves her and will do anything to protect her, but there’s a difference between loving someone and being able to have them in your life. This cycle of jealousy, unpredictable anger, and forgiveness is exhausting. She’s never felt so intensely for anyone, so exhilarated by someone’s kiss—but is the irrepressible heat between her and Hardin worth all the drama? Love used to be enough to hold them together. But if Tessa follows her heart now, will it be…the end?
After Ever Happy (2015)
Tessa and Hardin have defied all the odds, but will their fairy tale ending be turned on its head? AFTER EVER HAPPY…Life will never be the same. #HESSAIt’s never been all rainbows and sunshine for Tessa and Hardin, but each new challenge they’ve faced has only made their passionate bond stronger and stronger. But when a revelation about the past shakes Hardin’s impenetrable façade to the core—and then Tessa suffers a tragedy—will they stick together again, or be torn apart? As the shocking truth about each of their families emerges, it’s clear the two lovers are not so different from each other. Tessa is no longer the sweet, simple, good girl she was when she met Hardin—any more than he is the cruel, moody boy she fell so hard for. Tessa understands all the troubling emotions brewing beneath Hardin’s exterior, and she knows she’s the only one who can calm him when he erupts. He needs her. But the more layers of his past come to light, the darker he grows, and the harder he pushes Tessa—and everyone else in his life—away. Tessa’s not sure if she really can save him—not without sacrificing herself. She refuses to go down without a fight. But who is she fighting for—Hardin or herself?
Before (2015)
Before Hardin met Tessa he was a raging storm. DURING those first moments they met, he realized he needed to keep her for himself—his life depended on it. AFTER they got together, the world would never be the same. Hardin and Tessa’s dramatic love affair became a vortex pulling in everyone around them. For the first time, these others are given voice as they appear before, during, and after the events in the original After novels. Alongside them, is Hardin’s account of his first encounters with Tessa—which will change what you thought you knew about the brooding boy and the angel who loved him.
