← Fiction

After

by Anna Todd

"After" is a new-adult romance by Anna Todd that follows Tessa Young, a studious incoming freshman at Washington State University who arrives on campus with her mother and her dependable high-school boyfriend, Noah. Her… more

First published 2014 · 592 pages · English

20 quotes ★ 3.72 (379,858) Fiction

Quotes from the Book

Just because he can't love you the way you want him to doesn't mean he does't love you with everything he has.' Liam says.
I can't help but think of the phrase '' sometimes it is better to be kept in the dark than be blinded by the light.
I feel as though I am ice and he is fire. We are so completely different, yet the same.
My life before him was so simple and decided, now after him...It's just...After.
I am a moth to his flame, and he never hesitates to burn me.
Hardin is like a drug; each time I take the tiniest bit of him, I crave more and more. He consumes my thoughts and invades my dreams.
I know this happiness that I feel isn’t going to last, and I feel like Cinderella, waiting for the clock to strike and end my blissful night.
I think back to what Landon said about heartbreak, that if you don’t love the person, they can’t break your heart. Hardin repeatedly breaks my heart, even when I don’t think there are any more pieces to break. And I love him. I love Hardin.
You aren’t my type, just the way that I am not yours. But that’s why we are good for each other—we are so different, yet we’re the same. You told me once that I bring out the worst in you. Well, you bring out the best in me. I know you feel it, too, Tessa. And yes, I didn’t date, until you. You make me want to date, you make me want to be better. I want you to think I am worthy of you; I want you to want me the way I do you. I want to fight with you, even scream at each other until one of us admits we are wrong. I want to make you laugh, and listen to you ramble about classic novels. I just . . . I need you. I know I am cruel at times . . . well, all the time, but that’s only because I don’t know how else to be.” His voice becomes a half whisper, his eyes wild. “This has been me for so long, I have never wanted to be any other way. Until now, until you.” - Hardin
My thoughts are all over the place as I fall asleep, and images of clouded roses and angry green eyes flow through my dreams.
You took something from me that wasn't yours, Hardin. That was meant for someone who loved me, loved me truthfully. It was his, whoever he is, and you took that...
Well, we’ll only sacrifice a few cats, burn down only a few buildings . . .
I bring out the worst in you and you bring out the best in me.
I’m getting sleepy,” I say with a yawn. “They both die; you’re not missing much.” I nudge him with my elbow. “You have issues.” “And you’re adorable when you’re sleepy.” He closes my laptop and pulls me up to the top of the bed with him. “And you’re uncharacteristically nice when I’m sleepy,” I say. “No, I’m nice because I love you,” he whispers and I swoon. “Sleep, beautiful.
Well, you have the luxury of looking beautiful regardless of what you wear.” “That is not true; you definitely pull off that ‘I don’t give a crap how I look but I look flawless’ look.” He gives me a cocky smirk and leans back in his chair. “I do, don’t I?
I know you are new at this dating thing, but people don’t usually insult their girlfriend and ask them to move in with them in the same sentence,” I inform him, chewing my bottom lip to suppress my smile. “Well, sometimes the said girlfriend needs to lighten up.” He grins. Even drunk, he’s charming as hell. “Well, then said boyfriend needs to stop being a jerk,” I say to retaliate. He laughs and moves from the chair over to my bed. “I am trying not to be a jerk, I really am. Sometimes I can’t help it.” He sits on the edge of the bed. “I’m really, really good at it!
- Are you mine? - Yes, always. I don't have a choice. I haven't since the day I met you.
Il me fait passé du rire aux larmes, hurler de rire et de colère mais, plus que tout, il me fait me sentir vivante.
I love you too.” “Don’t say too, it sounds like you’re just agreeing with me.
A veces uno cree que conoce a las personas, pero no es así

Did you know?

  • "After" originated as One Direction fan fiction that Anna Todd posted on Wattpad under the name Imaginator1D.
  • The character Hardin Scott was modeled on singer Harry Styles.
  • The story was read more than a billion times on Wattpad before print publication.
  • Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, acquired the series and released "After" in October 2014.
  • The novel was adapted into a 2019 feature film starring Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin.

About Anna Todd

Anna Todd (born March 29, 1989, in Dayton, Ohio) is an American novelist and screenwriter who rose to prominence on the Wattpad platform, where she first serialized "After" as fan fiction. She later adapted the series for film as a producer and screenwriter.

More about the author →

About the book

"After" is a new-adult romance by Anna Todd that follows Tessa Young, a studious incoming freshman at Washington State University who arrives on campus with her mother and her dependable high-school boyfriend, Noah. Her carefully ordered life is upended when she meets Hardin Scott, a rebellious, tattooed British student whose volatile charm pulls her into an intense and turbulent relationship. What begins for Hardin as a callous bet among friends gradually complicates into something he claims is genuine, and Tessa is drawn deeper into a push-and-pull romance that tests her sense of self.

The novel explores obsession, first love, class and family friction, and the difficulty of separating desire from harm. Told from Tessa's perspective, it centers on the magnetic but destructive dynamic between the two leads, and much of the commentary around the book has focused on its portrayal of a possessive, frequently toxic relationship. Its emotional intensity and cliffhanger-driven chapters, a legacy of its origins as serialized online fiction, are core to its appeal.

"After" is a landmark of the Wattpad-to-publishing pipeline: it began as One Direction fan fiction inspired by Harry Styles, was read billions of times online, and was acquired by Gallery Books, launching a bestselling series and a film franchise. It became a cultural touchstone for fan-fiction's crossover into mainstream publishing, even as critics compared its prose unfavorably to "Fifty Shades of Grey" and debated its glamorization of an abusive relationship.

Key characters

  • Tessa YoungStudious college freshman and narrator whose life is upended by Hardin
  • Hardin ScottRebellious British student whose relationship with Tessa drives the plot
  • Noah PorterTessa's dependable high-school boyfriend
  • Landon GibsonTessa's steadfast friend at college
  • Carol YoungTessa's protective mother
  • Ken ScottCollege chancellor and Hardin's father

Book details

First published
2014
Length
592 pages
Reading time
36 hours
Author
Anna Todd
Genre
Fiction
Goodreads rating
3.72 (380k ratings)

Series & reading order

  1. 1 After
  2. 2 After We Collided
  3. 3 After We Fell
  4. 4 After Ever Happy
  5. 5 Before

Movie & TV adaptations

  • IMDb
    After 2019

    Feature film starring Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin

If you liked this, read…

  1. 1
    Fifty Shades of GreyAnother fan-fiction-origin, obsession-driven romance frequently compared to it
  2. 2
    Beautiful DisasterNew-adult college romance centered on a volatile bad-boy relationship
  3. 3
    It Ends with UsEmotionally intense romance grappling with a troubled, sometimes toxic relationship

Keep reading