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areadinggem's reviews
167 reviews
After by Anna Todd
2.0
Hello lovely people! This is honestly my first review ever and I wanted to start with "After" by Anna Todd since I recently just finished reading it. I hope you enjoy and I'll make sure to leave this review spoiler-free. It might turn out short and not quite detailed but hopefully I'll get better at this soon.
I honestly have no idea where to start. I've never been into fan fiction but I figured why not give this highly rated series a go. I do regret it though. I really don't want to come out too harsh but some things have to be said. Now about the book, it was a quick read. It started off okay I suppose but I kind of saw most, if not all the events coming. So in summary, it was predictable, like your typical bad boy good girl stories with some added drama here and sexual scenes there.
Moving on to the characters, Tessa is surely not the kind of girl I would have in my story. I understand she was supposed to portray a good innocent girl who's all about school and grades and establishing her future but that has gone too far. She shows signs of weakness more than strength. She seemed quite naive especially after meeting Hardin. She gave him several chances and forgave him for things I would consider as unforgivable crimes. She let go of Noah so easily and kind of treated him like trash in my opinion, though he was so loving, caring and forgiving. I mostly hated how Hardin easily got to her. He hurt her effortlessly and made her cry instantly yet had her forgive him so quickly. I would have literally had his head after the first few encounters, just saying. I do like the very very few scenes where Tessa stood up for herself and spoke what's on her mind. That is the kind of girl I would like to read stories about. I just hate how she allowed him to use her like that!
Hardin is honestly the most confusing and complicated character I've ever seen. He has way too many sides that I stopped counting. I definitely prefer the sweet and playful Hardin though, at least here he's trying. But honestly, I hated every other side he showed. He was such a jerk throughout most of the story. He seemed abusive, especially when he drank. He broke things and verbally hurt people, some even physically. I understand that he has a rough past but dwelling on it only makes him relive it over and over again, resulting in him hurting himself and the people around him, which was the case. I honestly saw that ghastly ending coming from when he started acting suspicious around Tessa. I honestly hate him so much for that. He deceived her way too easily with all the "I love you"s and the sweet talk and would snap at her when she wanted answers she clearly deserved. I heard that in book two she would quickly forgive him (shocker) and that made me even less interested in continuing the series. I honestly think that the other four books contain the same unnecessary drama, even though it could have all ended in one book, with her leaving him in the end, because let's face it, he deserved that at least.
Landon was probably my favorite character. He's such a great and supportive friend which I truly appreciate. The rest of Hardin's group turned out to be worse than I thought, even Steph and Tristan, though they were probably the only okay people. Zed still seemed better than Hardin. At least he was actually considerate of Tessa's feelings. I hated Tessa's mom. I know she was trying to look out for her child but come on, there are better ways to do that. She never tried to ask Tessa what she wanted or how she felt. She just forced things upon her. Noah was a sweet guy and I wish he didn't have to go through all this heartbreak. Ken and Karen were a sweet couple, regardless of Ken's past self. All in all, there was a variety of characters and personalities in this book which was actually nice until half of them ended up being jerks, but I guess that just kept the story going.
In summary, I don't HATE the book, but it's simply not my cup of tea. I think all the hype it received was because of the sexual scenes. But I don't see myself proceeding with the series anytime soon. I do want to watch the movie though so I can compare it with the book but I can already tell what content it will contain and I don't think it's any better than what was portrayed in the book.
I also really hope I did not offend any Afternators, that was truly not my intention. I just felt like I had to put my honest opinion out there for those who need it. Once again, I apologize if my review was not your favorite, but I do not regret a single word I wrote or critique I made.
Anyways, I really enjoyed writing my first review and it was actually easier than I expected. The second I started, everything just flowed easily. I hope this was helpful and I will try to write more reviews of maybe old books I read as practice.
Enjoy!
I honestly have no idea where to start. I've never been into fan fiction but I figured why not give this highly rated series a go. I do regret it though. I really don't want to come out too harsh but some things have to be said. Now about the book, it was a quick read. It started off okay I suppose but I kind of saw most, if not all the events coming. So in summary, it was predictable, like your typical bad boy good girl stories with some added drama here and sexual scenes there.
Moving on to the characters, Tessa is surely not the kind of girl I would have in my story. I understand she was supposed to portray a good innocent girl who's all about school and grades and establishing her future but that has gone too far. She shows signs of weakness more than strength. She seemed quite naive especially after meeting Hardin. She gave him several chances and forgave him for things I would consider as unforgivable crimes. She let go of Noah so easily and kind of treated him like trash in my opinion, though he was so loving, caring and forgiving. I mostly hated how Hardin easily got to her. He hurt her effortlessly and made her cry instantly yet had her forgive him so quickly. I would have literally had his head after the first few encounters, just saying. I do like the very very few scenes where Tessa stood up for herself and spoke what's on her mind. That is the kind of girl I would like to read stories about. I just hate how she allowed him to use her like that!
Hardin is honestly the most confusing and complicated character I've ever seen. He has way too many sides that I stopped counting. I definitely prefer the sweet and playful Hardin though, at least here he's trying. But honestly, I hated every other side he showed. He was such a jerk throughout most of the story. He seemed abusive, especially when he drank. He broke things and verbally hurt people, some even physically. I understand that he has a rough past but dwelling on it only makes him relive it over and over again, resulting in him hurting himself and the people around him, which was the case. I honestly saw that ghastly ending coming from when he started acting suspicious around Tessa. I honestly hate him so much for that. He deceived her way too easily with all the "I love you"s and the sweet talk and would snap at her when she wanted answers she clearly deserved. I heard that in book two she would quickly forgive him (shocker) and that made me even less interested in continuing the series. I honestly think that the other four books contain the same unnecessary drama, even though it could have all ended in one book, with her leaving him in the end, because let's face it, he deserved that at least.
Landon was probably my favorite character. He's such a great and supportive friend which I truly appreciate. The rest of Hardin's group turned out to be worse than I thought, even Steph and Tristan, though they were probably the only okay people. Zed still seemed better than Hardin. At least he was actually considerate of Tessa's feelings. I hated Tessa's mom. I know she was trying to look out for her child but come on, there are better ways to do that. She never tried to ask Tessa what she wanted or how she felt. She just forced things upon her. Noah was a sweet guy and I wish he didn't have to go through all this heartbreak. Ken and Karen were a sweet couple, regardless of Ken's past self. All in all, there was a variety of characters and personalities in this book which was actually nice until half of them ended up being jerks, but I guess that just kept the story going.
In summary, I don't HATE the book, but it's simply not my cup of tea. I think all the hype it received was because of the sexual scenes. But I don't see myself proceeding with the series anytime soon. I do want to watch the movie though so I can compare it with the book but I can already tell what content it will contain and I don't think it's any better than what was portrayed in the book.
I also really hope I did not offend any Afternators, that was truly not my intention. I just felt like I had to put my honest opinion out there for those who need it. Once again, I apologize if my review was not your favorite, but I do not regret a single word I wrote or critique I made.
Anyways, I really enjoyed writing my first review and it was actually easier than I expected. The second I started, everything just flowed easily. I hope this was helpful and I will try to write more reviews of maybe old books I read as practice.
Enjoy!
All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover
5.0
“If you only shine light on your flaws, all your perfects will dim.”
Okay so this was much more emotional than I expected. It's the first book I read for Colleen Hoover and I surely do not regret it.
"All Your Perfects" was a profound novel that depicted the imperfections in marriages due to a particular promise made in the past between the couple and was bound to be fulfilled in the future. It shows the struggles that a couple goes through to save their marriage from crumbling and ending in divorce, especially when they're not the same people they used to be. I mean, love is something but marriage is something else. Marriage is the blending of two lives on every level, whether physically, emotionally or sexually. Marriage is when love isn't always the ultimate priority because now there are much more important responsibilities that must not be overlooked and that is why the connection between the couple changes; it's still there, but it has taken another path which shows that no marriage is ever perfect.
“What's the secret to a perfect marriage?' The old man leaned forward and looked at me very seriously. 'Our marriage hasn't been perfect. No marriage is perfect. There were times when she gave up on us. There were even more times when I gave up on us. The secret to our longevity is that we never gave up at the same time.”
I honestly loved how Colleen divided the story. One part contained Quinn and Graham's lives during their best and most memorable times then another where they confronted difficulties and heart-wrenching issues. It was a sort of comparison that honestly speaks everything for itself and clearly shows the immense change in behavior between the two. We were given glimpses into their happy and loving past which only made their present grief and sadness much more intense.
“I miss you, Quinn. So much. You're right here, but you aren't. I don't know where you went or when you left, but I have no idea how to bring you back. I am so alone. We live together. We eat together. We sleep together. But I have never felt more alone in my entire life.”
The whole story was told in Quinn's perspective which only intensified the strong emotions that were unfolded in the novel. We readers walked with her every step of the way in the touching journey she and Graham faced. We saw a woman engulfed in shame and anguish after realizing that her greatest wish in life might never be granted. Her body was there but her mind and soul were somewhere else whenever she was around her husband. She pushed him away and cried herself to sleep every night. She hoped for joy but was constantly faced with pain; a pain that felt so real from time to time, it left me dumbfounded and breathless.
“I probably didn't notice because sadness is like a spiderweb. You don't see it until you're caught up in it, and then you have to claw at yourself to try to break free.”
All that I just mentioned was moving, but what truly stood out the most was the ending. The way that Graham was so ready to let her go only to be able to see that glow in her eyes and smile on her face again was so sentimental. He loved her so much and kept reminding her of that over and over again, but the final method he used was the most effective. So, in summary, when you close the last page of this soul-stirring novel, the ending will leave you smiling as ugly tears run down your cheeks.
“And I promise . . . I swear . . . that if you choose to end things between us, I will love you more as you’re walking out the door than on the day you walked down the aisle. I hope you choose the road that will make you the happiest. Even if it’s not a choice I’ll love, I will still always love you. Whether I’m a part of your life or not. You deserve happiness more than anyone I know. I love you.”
Okay so this was much more emotional than I expected. It's the first book I read for Colleen Hoover and I surely do not regret it.
"All Your Perfects" was a profound novel that depicted the imperfections in marriages due to a particular promise made in the past between the couple and was bound to be fulfilled in the future. It shows the struggles that a couple goes through to save their marriage from crumbling and ending in divorce, especially when they're not the same people they used to be. I mean, love is something but marriage is something else. Marriage is the blending of two lives on every level, whether physically, emotionally or sexually. Marriage is when love isn't always the ultimate priority because now there are much more important responsibilities that must not be overlooked and that is why the connection between the couple changes; it's still there, but it has taken another path which shows that no marriage is ever perfect.
“What's the secret to a perfect marriage?' The old man leaned forward and looked at me very seriously. 'Our marriage hasn't been perfect. No marriage is perfect. There were times when she gave up on us. There were even more times when I gave up on us. The secret to our longevity is that we never gave up at the same time.”
I honestly loved how Colleen divided the story. One part contained Quinn and Graham's lives during their best and most memorable times then another where they confronted difficulties and heart-wrenching issues. It was a sort of comparison that honestly speaks everything for itself and clearly shows the immense change in behavior between the two. We were given glimpses into their happy and loving past which only made their present grief and sadness much more intense.
“I miss you, Quinn. So much. You're right here, but you aren't. I don't know where you went or when you left, but I have no idea how to bring you back. I am so alone. We live together. We eat together. We sleep together. But I have never felt more alone in my entire life.”
The whole story was told in Quinn's perspective which only intensified the strong emotions that were unfolded in the novel. We readers walked with her every step of the way in the touching journey she and Graham faced. We saw a woman engulfed in shame and anguish after realizing that her greatest wish in life might never be granted. Her body was there but her mind and soul were somewhere else whenever she was around her husband. She pushed him away and cried herself to sleep every night. She hoped for joy but was constantly faced with pain; a pain that felt so real from time to time, it left me dumbfounded and breathless.
“I probably didn't notice because sadness is like a spiderweb. You don't see it until you're caught up in it, and then you have to claw at yourself to try to break free.”
All that I just mentioned was moving, but what truly stood out the most was the ending. The way that Graham was so ready to let her go only to be able to see that glow in her eyes and smile on her face again was so sentimental. He loved her so much and kept reminding her of that over and over again, but the final method he used was the most effective. So, in summary, when you close the last page of this soul-stirring novel, the ending will leave you smiling as ugly tears run down your cheeks.
“And I promise . . . I swear . . . that if you choose to end things between us, I will love you more as you’re walking out the door than on the day you walked down the aisle. I hope you choose the road that will make you the happiest. Even if it’s not a choice I’ll love, I will still always love you. Whether I’m a part of your life or not. You deserve happiness more than anyone I know. I love you.”