Novels In Heels: BOOK PROMO & REVIEWS & GIVEAWAY - After, After We Collided and After We Fell by Anna Todd

Title: After (After #1)

Author: Anna Todd

Genre: Fanfic / YA / NA

Publication date: 21 October 2014

Buy Link - Amazon US

Paperback

(by Trish)

4 TURBULENT FIERY STARS

What can I say? I read all the hype about this book and began reading it with some skepticism because I wasn’t sure I would like it from what I’d heard about it being fanfic. I was expecting something completely different. But what I got was WOW.

I really liked this story. It’s explosive, full of angst and drama with the chemistry between the main characters Tessa and Hardin being hands down completely full on.

I loved how all the secondary characters played major roles in this story. They were extremely individual and interesting from beginning to end.

This story is a constant tug of war between Hardin and Tessa at all times. Love, Hate, Love Hate. I felt Tessa should have been a little stronger in herself to make the right choices. But Hardin had her feeling all sorts of things she’d never felt before. It sort of clouded her judgment at times. It was always a complete struggle between them.

A lot of the time Hardin is mean and nasty to Tessa and she doesn’t understand why – but the next minute he wants her so much. She is confused a lot of the time, but her feelings override what is right and wrong. There were a lot of times I just wanted to punch Hardin in the side of the head because of how mean he was.

Tessa is a good girl, and I mean – virginal, straight, not into anything unusual type of good girl. She even has a beautiful, good boy next door boyfriend.

I felt that Tessa was always putting herself in vulnerable positions and then getting hurt – the whole book is like that, making it full of drama – she really wants to believe that Hardin can be the love of her life.

Hardin is really a bad, bad guy. I was hoping so much that he would be good. But in the end, the cliffhanger left me gasping. I really didn’t see it coming. I love books that can do that.

Hardin really has you fooled by hoping you can love him, that he has changed - you want to like him – makes you want to think he can be good – he can change – but can he really change? Who is he? Hardin when he is with Tessa or Hardin when he is with his friends?

Do they truly fall in love? Despite everything?

Will all the secrets and lies be revealed? Will Tessa forgive him?

The tug of war between Tessa and Hardin as well as the suspense, mystery and secrets throughout this story truly kept me hanging on. If you love and explosive, fiery, angsty back and forth tug of war type of read – then get yourself a copy.

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Title: After We Collided (After #2)

Author: Anna Todd

Genre: Fanfic / YA / NA

Publication date: 25 November 2014

Buy Link - Amazon US

Paperback

(by Trish)

4 COLLISION INFUELED STARS

What a rollercoaster ride this was. If you have read After you will understand the angst throughout the story. Well, Anna Todd brought it to the top ten fold with After We Collided.

You really need to hold on tight to your hearts with this story. It will completely consume you. It surely consumed me.

Anna Todd brings you a story full of emotions, drama, secrets, suspense and more.

Two young lovers, so different from one another, yet so drawn to each other that you just want them to win the battle of love.

It’s explosive, captivating, gripping, mesmerizing and completely addictive all at once. The chemistry between Tessa and Hardin has you feeling it in your soul. Their ups and downs are filled with so much drama – good and bad. Not to mention the sex, it surely does sizzle.

I was ready to hate Hardin even more in this story, but what I found was that he grew on me and Tessa become a little frustrating. They both endured so much. Tessa more than Hardin, but we learn Hardin’s past demons which is critical in getting to know what makes him.

And for Tessa, most of the time it was a case of – can’t live with him, can’t live without him. There were still many times where I wanted to slap Hardin up the side of the head, because you really want him to be good. The pull Tessa has towards Hardin is still strong and she is lost for why it is that way.

I loved that we start right from where it ended in After. I was so involved with the story, that I wanted to see how of if Tessa would forgive Hardin. What would it take to earn Tessa’s forgiveness?

I loved the fact that Hardin had to grovel. I loved the fact that we got to see Hardin’s point of view as well. This gave the story a whole new perspective on Hardin’s actions. Almost an understanding to what Hardin was thinking, which I thought was fascinating. It gave us an insight to Hardin’s difficulty from his past and showed us his vulnerability. His past is heartbreaking. It will help you understand who he is. I loved this about the story.

They both have their WTF moments. Tessa really puts herself into the most vulnerable positions – only to come out hurt. I felt like yelling at her on more than one occasion to give Hardin some slack. But she was an emotional wreck throughout this story. She encompasses so much drama for a young adult that you wonder how she even coped.

Hardin has a hard time loving her without controlling her. He doesn’t want to lose her. That’s his biggest fear. He sees her as his light to a better life. Tessa is the one to make him a better person. Hardin tries harder towards the end of the book – to be what Tessa needs. He will not give up on Tessa.

Tessa and Hardin grow so much throughout this book. It was beautiful to read and experience it.

What I want to know next is - Will they really be there for one another? Are they going to make it through all the drama? Will he ever be good enough for Tessa? Enough to make Tessa believe the past is the past and forget all the hurt?

Will they be able to communicate and trust one another and move forward?

Is their love strong enough to forgive and forget? To trust each other? To accept each other’s flaws?

The ending cliffhanger left me reeling. Anna Todd really has a way with leaving the reader hanging with your mouth open. Love it.

Looking forward to reading After We Fell and discover whether these two younger lovers make the right decisions and how they will impact their lives.

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Title: After We Fell (After #3)

Author: Anna Todd

Genre: Fanfic / YA / NA

Publication date: 30 December 2014

Buy Link - Amazon US

Paperback

(by Trish)

4 ADDICTIVE UNEXPECTED STARS

This series only gets better and better. Anna Todd has a way with words. Has a way with writing drama filled emotions which impacts on your reading experience?

If you love a roller coaster ride of a story – then you need to read the After Series. After We Fell is by far the biggest roller coaster ride from the three in the series. Mind you, I thought that at the end of each book. Each is full of so much angst and drama. Honestly I don’t think I have read a series that had this much angst and drama.

It really is such a frustrating, angsty story – constantly greeted with back and forth, love and hate, good and bad, yes and no.

Tessa and Hardin endure so, so much in their young adult lives. How can it get any worse? Or can it get any better?

Tessa has decided to put her foot down and go ahead and move to Seattle with Vance publishing. Her relationship with Hardin is rocky and unstable – but it’s not completely off.

To make matters more drama fueled, her estranged father comes back into the picture. Not to mention he mother and her antics.

We get Hardin’s POV in this book too which is crucial to the events in this story. Even though Hardin is so frustrating and overbearing, his POV helps you understand why he is the way he is.

As I said Hardin is always maddening. One minute you think he may be understanding - in that relationships take time and compromise and that it’s not all about him and what he wants, he turns into such an asshole being unreasonable and selfish about a lot of things, but especially moving to Seattle with Tessa. Things go wrong.

The drama that encompasses this story is so much more than before.

Hardin is always so overbearing and inconsiderate. Always just thinking of himself. He goes to huge lengths to get what he wants. It is amazing what he will do to get his own way.

Tessa is over the fact of him being so controlling. He just keeps screwing up over and over and expects Tessa to forgive and forget.

I did a little happy dance when Tessa stands up for herself. She puts herself and her career first. She does grow throughout the story, but she is also infuriatingly naïve at times. As I’ve said in earlier reviews – Tessa can put herself if vulnerable positions. She is so smart intellectually – but other times she is so thick – that she just doesn’t see it.

Like when she was invited to the going away party at the frat house – like seriously TESSA – why would you go and hang out there – after everything…..

The whole book had my heart beat pounding on my chest. I mean, we have seen Tessa being betrayed before, but I was not expecting what was to come. I was crying for Tessa. I was in disbelief. Why, why, why…..

And Zed – like WTF? Like Tessa and Hardin don’t have enough going on – Tessa adds Zed to the mix – I mean I know Hardin can be hard to please and he’s controlling and he’s overbearing, but why does Tessa have to push him in that way with Zed. Come on Tessa, open your eyes. This just added more than enough drama to the drama that she was already living with. Yes Tessa frustrated me at times – as did Hardin.

I felt Hardin was trying, even though it was so hard for him. He was trying to be more considerate towards Tessa. Trying to control his temper and trying not to be so impulsive. I loved how his relationship with Landon grew. Particularly, I loved watching his battle with himself. Learning and understanding that it was ok to love himself.

But they both constantly push each other’s buttons. It’s what they do. How will they ever manage to come full circle and trust and forgive one another?

OMG the cliffhanger – so unexpected, so devastating. Literally fell off my chair unexpected.

How will Hardin cope? What does his future hold?

Anna Todd – what have you done to me with this After Series. It is completely consuming my life. I am so looking forward to more of Tessa and Hardin.