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The After Series, Book 1

From the publisher:

Where to start? Okay, I’ll just say it. I hated this book. The writing is awful. The story is incredibly repetitive.  And boring. These characters are in college, and Tessa is a virgin. Not just a virgin, she’s barely been kissed by her boyfriend of many, many years. They were saving themselves for marriage. An appealing goal to some, to be sure. But in this story, it’s just a challenge. Literally. Like these short, choppy sentences? Then this may be your book.

Despite the length of this book, the main character, Tessa, is not very well developed. She is a one-dimensional caricature of a naive 18-year-old who has never had a drink or seen anyone with a tattoo. Oh, stereotypes run hard here. Tattoos and/or piercings and/or Kool-Aid colored hair equals bad. Clean cut equals good, just like in real life. Because you can always judge a person based on their haircut, and everyone knows only good people wear preppy clothes. Like Robert Chambers, for example.

Hardin, a year or so older, is the male protagonist. He is slightly more developed, although it takes an inordinate amount of time (and pages) to get his story out. We know he has wildly shifting mood swings, and Tessa constantly refers to his probably bipolarity or other mental illnesses (see sentence above about stereotypes.) The way he is portrayed, and talked about, in my humble opinion, does grave disservice to those who suffer from mental illness. On the bright side, Tessa is an English major and a huge Jane Austen fan. If this book makes young people read Austen, then it may all be worth it.

This is a couple whose time is spent veering between sexual fumbling and screaming matches. It was painful to read, over and over and over and over and over again. It doesn’t help that proper grammar was tossed out the window, and a good editor, or any kind of editor, was nowhere in sight. I understand that “new adults” like to read about characters like themselves. The “new adult” designation means these are older teens who have a lot of sex, versus “young adult” who are younger teens who also have a lot of sex.

I picked up this book because I was curious. It was made into a movie that has a really bad 17% Rotten Tomato score, while the audience rating is 72%. It has over a 1000 reviews on Amazon and tops out at four stars. A friend told me this was originally published on Wattpad, a self-publishing platform, and was fan fiction based on Harry Styles of One Direction. I’m a few generations removed from that, so it didn’t mean much to me, and I did a little digging. I found this article at The Atlantic (spoilers galore) that tells the whole story of this publishing phenom. The After series seems to be at the cusp of a major shift in publishing, and frankly, it does not bode well for the future.

9/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

AFTER by Anna Todd. Gallery Books; Media Tie-In edition (March 12, 2019). ISBN 978-1982111007. 608p.

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This is ostensibly an adult book, or the “New Adult” sub-genre that gets mashed in with the regular romances, but it really felt like a young adult book to me. The main characters are barely 21 (in fact one turns 21 half way through) and it starts when she is 15 years old.

Auburn has recently moved to Texas from Portland and is not very happy. She’s working as a hairstylist, but hates it and isn’t very good at it. She’s looking for a part time job when she sees a sign go up in an art gallery she passes on her way home from work.

Owen is the young artist in residence. People leave anonymous confessions in his mailbox, and when inspiration strikes, he creates paintings based on the confessions. He is talented enough to have a following and his own gallery, which he opens once a month.

Owen is desperate for help since his girlfriend/employee quit on him and the job right before his opening. So when Auburn inquires  he immediately hires her for the staggering sum of $100/hour. They have immediate chemistry, and book follows their budding romance, alternating their point of view each chapter so we get to hear what Autumn thinks and what Owen thinks.

It’s a great way to write a romance, if a bit repetitive at times, but Hoover really brings these characters to life. They each have secrets which slowly unfold to the reader, and eventually to each other. I can understand why this book is landing on some best romances of the year lists. It was a sweet yet compelling read. Rainbow Rowell and John Green fans will love it.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

CONFESS by Colleen Hoover. Atria Books (March 10, 2015). ISBN 978-1476791456. 320p.