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A review by maivkaus
After Ever Happy by Anna Todd
2.0
This book series was both captivating and frustrating to read. While the first three books kept me engaged, the fourth installment, "After Ever Happy," felt rushed and lacked the depth and substance of its predecessors. and the ending was too cliché and tidy for my taste. In my opinion, the series could have been wrapped up in three books if all the irrelevant content, were removed.
While I know that some readers may not agree with me, I found myself rooting for Hardin, despite his abusive and destructive behavior. He displayed the most growth throughout the series, and I was invested in his journey to overcome his demons. In contrast, Tessa's character development felt stunted early on, and her decisions often contributed to the toxicity of their relationship. We were constantly reminded about how she was raised to be an independent of a woman and yet we see her consistently running to others to rescue her; there were few instances that demonstrated her being a strong and independent person. The way the series handled topics such as abusive relationships, alcoholism, depression, and infertility was disappointing, as they were romanticized and not adequately addressed.
One of the many maddening issues I had about the book wasThe plotline seemed pointless.
The first book started out strong and hooked me quickly; would I recommend this book series? No -- but since I've already invested all this time to this series, I'll continue to torture myself and watch the movies so you don't have to.
Spoiler
The cop-out of time jumping at the end was disappointing,Spoiler
such as the repetitive fight scenes, the over abundance of sex (we get it already!), the introduction of irrelevant characters (Soto? Robert?), and unresolved plotlines (Landon's bride?)While I know that some readers may not agree with me, I found myself rooting for Hardin, despite his abusive and destructive behavior. He displayed the most growth throughout the series, and I was invested in his journey to overcome his demons. In contrast, Tessa's character development felt stunted early on, and her decisions often contributed to the toxicity of their relationship. We were constantly reminded about how she was raised to be an independent of a woman and yet we see her consistently running to others to rescue her; there were few instances that demonstrated her being a strong and independent person. The way the series handled topics such as abusive relationships, alcoholism, depression, and infertility was disappointing, as they were romanticized and not adequately addressed.
One of the many maddening issues I had about the book was
Spoiler
Hardin's bio dad storyline. The issue drove Hardin to spiral out of control to the point that even Tessa couldn't bring him back from his deep hurt; however, how Hardin overcomes this betrayal is barely discussed in book 4. He doesn't even seem bothered by it at all the next time we see him and Vance interact with one another.The first book started out strong and hooked me quickly; would I recommend this book series? No -- but since I've already invested all this time to this series, I'll continue to torture myself and watch the movies so you don't have to.