Yep, I read After. Was it good? No. Was it the worst thing I've ever read? Also no. But, I mean. You have to take it for what it is, which is fanfiction. I did read the Wattpad version because I'm a broke college girl and I assume the actual published book is cleaner, so I'm absolutely willing to excuse the grammar issues.

Overall, though, it was just too long. Harry/Hardin went from a potentially redeemable bad boy to just incredibly annoying and toxic because he never grows or changes; his flaws/red flags (controlling, clingy, verbally abusive, drunk) just bothered me more and more the longer they went on, and the bulk of the story is just Harry/Hardin and Tessa playing out the same arguments over and over again. It gets old. Harry/Hardin became extremely unlikable, and the story acts like the pair having sex just makes everything okay. By about 60% of the way though I was done with the characters and over the story. I agree with the criticisms that it romanticizes an extremely toxic relationship, which I am not about.

Really really solid debut -- I thought the island world was really cool and I enjoyed the characters even if the plot was a little bit predictable.

I guess I was just...underwhelmed?

There's nothing wrong with this book. I have no complaints. But I guess I just...didn't love it. People have been hyping this book forever (I mean, damn, the awards fill most of the cover) so I think I'd built up this completely inaccurate idea of what Aristotle and Dante was about. But that idea is better than what it was.

we stan art