Before by Anna Todd Series: After #5
Published by Gallery Books on December 8th 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Format: audiobook, paperback
Source: Borrowed, Purchased
Purchase @ AMAZON or BN
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Book Five of the After series—Anna Todd’s Wattpad fanfiction that racked up one billion reads online and captivated romance readers across the globe! As told by Hardin and other characters, Before will explore the hero’s life before he met Tessa, reveal what happens after After, give you new insights on their turbulent romance—and revel in the awesome power of true love. #HESSA
Liezel’s Thoughts:
Have you ever wondered what was going on in Hardin’s head during some of those crucial moments? Or perhaps you were curious what were Zed’s real intentions? Maybe you were baffled how Molly and Stephanie became that evil… After answers all of those questions and so much more.
If you aren’t familiar with the series…. After is about Tessa – a naïve girl and what she experiences during those first few months in college. Hardin is disturbed young man who becomes intrigued by her. Initially, they had this confusing love – hate thing going on but after spending time together their relationship evolves into something more.
It was honestly difficult to get into the first book. The abuse, cheating, torment, lies of omission and conspiracies were appalling. I didn’t think I could get past it but I am glad that I did because all of those negatives turn into positives a million times over. Witnessing how someone like Hardin who had such a dark past be brought into the light by Tessa was the best thing about this series.
If you are intimidated by the size of these books… don’t be. Those hours I spent reading and listening Elizabeth Louise, Grace Grant, Shane East, Jason Carpenter narration were well worth it. And I compliment Anna Todd for such an amazing job of tying up all the loose ends in this finale.
The Verdict:
About Anna Todd
Anna Todd is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of the After series. Hailed by Cosmopolitan as “the biggest literary phenomenon of her generation,” Anna began her literary career on the social writing and reading platform Wattpad. Published on Wattpad in 2013, After has over 1.5 billion reads on the site. The print edition, published in 2014 by Gallery Books, has been published in over 30 languages and is a #1 bestseller in Italy, Germany, France and Spain. Paramount Pictures acquired film rights to the series with Offspring Entertainment (Step Up franchise, Rock of Ages) set to produce.
Anna received the award for Best New Romance Writer from the New Romance Festival in the fall of 2016. Her next book, The Spring Girls, is set for publication in January 2018 and will be a re-imagining of Louisa May Alcott’s classic, Little Women. Anna Todd was born in Dayton, Ohio. She and her husband currently live in Los Angeles with their dog Watty.
