'After' By Anna Todd Is Overrated, Don't @ Me | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Anna Todd's 'After' Is Overrated And Does Not Live Up To The Hype, Don't @ Me

I wouldn't waste my time if I were you, but sometimes hate-watching is fun.

583
After Movie Trailer

"After" is the best-selling kickstarting book to the seven-part series by Anna Todd. Before being sold in print, on tangible pages, Todd's book was found in the not-so-deep depths of Wattpad's fanfiction listings.

Originally, "After" was a series of Harry Styles fanfictions, also featuring his former One Direction bandmates Niall, Zayn, Louis, and Liam. As a well seasoned Harry fanfic reader myself, I had heard of it before it made its way into print and now onto the semi-big screen (it's a movie, now, too, but only in a few theaters). My friends raved about it, claiming it was the best fanfiction they'd ever read. My cousin even posted about it on Facebook a few weeks ago, saying it was the best book she had read in a while.

But, I read the description when it was on Wattpad (a popular online medium for writers of novels, poetry, short stories, etc. to post their content into the world) and was less than impressed. It sounded just like all the other cliché fanfictions about a bad boy, so I never read it ... until last week.

To my surprise, it was awful.

I don't mean cringe-every-page-but-still-keep-reading sucked. I mean I-got-about-a-hundred-pages-in-and-couldn't-bare-to-keep-reading sucked.

How did it suck, exactly?

For starters, I'll cut the book some slack on its inaccuracies of college dorms. You don't share a closet with your roommate. Freshmen don't live with sophomores. Frat houses are not miles and miles away from campus. These inaccuracies are not the main faults of the book, though I definitely noticed them.

Tessa and "Hardin," who we all know is really Harry Styles (movie Hardin even has the same tattoos as Harry, just in different places), are unrealistically hot and cold. No one says or does these things that they're doing. Let's be real if someone actually did any of the crappy things Hardin does to Tessa in real life, they wouldn't keep going back to them.

There are also a lot of plot holes, that may seem minor to others but stuck out to me like sore thumbs as just poor writing technique. One example is when a character has to fly home for the weekend for his girlfriend's birthday, then a few pages later that same character says his family lives close to campus. Which one is it, exactly?

While I understand that this series originally was only meant to be a hobby and a little project Anna Todd did in her free time, one that just happened to become a worldwide phenomenon, there seems to be little care editorially in between publishing her books for fangirls online versus printing it for Simon & Schuster as an actual book.

Maybe I would feel differently about this had I read it while it was still available for free on Wattpad, and I knew that it hadn't gone through the hands of an editing team.

The fact is, it did go through an editing team and presumably several rereads by the author herself, and it still sucked.

It's just not worth anyone's time, and if I were you, I'd save myself the time and I wouldn't go anywhere near this.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

190037
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

14793
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

457774
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

26586
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments