After by Anna Todd

This is such a great book. 

Despite the fact that it's a published One Direction fanfiction with names changed. But let's ignore that for now.

After is well written and engaging. Anna Todd did so well with character development and plotline. I didn't want to put this book down! I can see why it got published. Todd is living proof that young authors shouldn't be judged by their age but by their talent. It's sometimes a leap to write a long book [500+ pages!] because a writer can get carried away in the story and end up having to scavenge for plot, but Todd did so well with putting just as much story into After as needed. 

And jeez, she had to end on a cliffhanger? Of course. 

Now to the mildly controversial side of it.

There are people saying that the relationship between Hardin and Tessa is a [verbally] abusive one. I won't lie, I can definitely see where people get that from. The yelling, the insulting, the withholding of information, et cetera. I will always hold that idea to heart in these books, and I'm not saying it's okay, but since I personally have never been in or known someone in an abusive dating relationship, I continue to read the After books. The relationship on the abusive turn is not anywhere near as bad at Fifty Shades or Twilight. There is no attempting to brainwash Tessa into staying in the relationship, Hardin never hits her, and always makes sure Tessa is okay with something sexual before doing it.

Lastly, the fanfiction aspect of this. I was looking online for fanworks, maybe fanart, of After when I came across the fact that these books are literally just Anna Todd's One Direction boy band fanfiction with the names changed [for legal reasons, I'm sure]. Now, I cringed at finding this fact out; I am not a fan of the band, nor am I a fan of fanfictions that are of real people. But, I loved the book so I continued to read it because it was so well written. I'm okay with looking over this little fact. It's not like it's the first fanfiction-gone-published book series. 

All in all I really loved this book and am ready to go on to book two [I convinced my dad to purchase it, along with two other books, for me since I'm virtually broke]. 

There is a lot of mature material in this book, so I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under the age of 17, but if you are 16 1/2 and think you're ready, then go for it. 

Now, I'm off to attempt to murder a fly that has been annoying me for the past few hours.