After Ever Happy by Anna Todd

As ya'll know I've been marathoning The After Series. Well today I finished.
First off, you might be wondering why I posted a review for book one: After and book two: After We Collided but didn't post a review for book three: After We Fell; well that because I still don't know how I fell about book three. So instead of just trying to throw something together that will surely sound much like my first two reviews I just decided to let Todd's words do my work for me.

"You're always fucking sorry! It's always the same shit: you do something, hide something, say something, I cry, you say you're sorry, and bam! All is forgiven."-Tessa

"I stomp down the stairs and throw myself on the couch like a temperamental child. That's what I am really, a fucking child. She knows it, I know it- hell everyone fucking knows it. I should just print that shit on a goddamn tshirt."-Hardin

That's book three in a nutshell... So, now that that's out of the way I can turn my full attention back too After Ever Happy. I never in a million years thought I would be saying this... I actually really enjoyed this book. I know I know, after how much crap I gave the first three how could this happen. I can't even full comprehend it myself. As much as I hated this series, this last book won me over. At first I thought that this series was ridiculous but after powering through it I actually completely understand it's madness. For example: I didn't understand why each book need to be 600+ pages, but now I do. This series is only written to be over a span of months, but instead of trying to cram all this into 200 pages she decided to just go balls to the wall and make the books as long as they needed to be. You (at least I ended up) feeling like I was going through everything with these characters. Characters that, and I quote, "I would never end up rooting for". Well guess what, I ended up doing just that. I was praying that Tessa and Hardin would end up together. I was hoping that even though everything they went through was so exaggerated, so overdone, far fetched, so pointless that it wouldn't end up being pointless. 


Hardin and Tessa both turned out to be characters I ended up liking. I have NO CLUE when my opinion of Tessa changed, but I know that  it was the middle of the third when Hardin finally made sense. It came out of nowhere too. I was just reading along minding my own business and WHAM, all of a sudden I found myself thinking "Huh, wow I finally get Hardin... I get all his rash decisions, his outburst, and how is attitude zero dark crazy." Then I found myself saying "What the HELL did I just say?!?"

Both the writing style and character development in this final book is both leaps and bounds above the other three. Both Hardin and Tessa reached me on a level they never had in the previous books. After Ever Happy, like the others in this series, still had a crazy cluster of a storyline, was still covered in flaws, and still had no real structure to it. I can without a doubt say that the After Series is one of the most pointless things I've ever read, yet I have no regrets about how addicted I was too it. AEH had me laughing, had me on the edge of my seat, and even had me shedding a few tears... Yeah I might have cringed a little too hearing myself saying that, but hell I just read close to 3000 pages of one direction based fanfiction, what do I really have left to be embarrassed about... So I'll say it again; a few tears were shed while reading this! Get off my case! Jeez. 

I think the thing that AEH had going for it was that of all four it was the "most realistic". With more touching and real topics happening through out, and more human reactions were given in response to each issue. The After Series turned out to be one of the biggest surprised I've had in my reading history. I completely agree with both negative and positive comment, statement, and review ever written about it, because it is everything everyone has ever said about it. It's annoying, unhealthy, romantic, comical, addictive, and so much more... But damn it if I didn't fall for it even though for some reason I still can't stand it. I still can't manage to figure out what happened to me or when my opinion changed... But Anna Todd I'm pretty sure you've won me over... Maybe, I truly don't full know.

If it wasn't for the last half of the epilogue I might have given this book a higher rating, but sadly something about the last few pages rubbed me the wrong way. But, I guess all terribly good guilty pleasure reads must come to some kind of end, and I was overall happy with this one. 

Turn on the TV for background noise, grab a jar of peanut butter, and make yourself comfortable, because once you grab a hold of this series you'll be in for the long haul.  

8/10 Stars 
-Angela  

After We Collided by Anna Todd

Tessa’s not sure she can endure any more heartache than she already has. She put everything on hold for Hardin school, friends, mother, and now possibly even a new career. She needs to move forward with her life. After We Collided is the second book in the After series.

I don't think I can reiterate enough how much I hate this series... "But Angela why the high rating?"... Well let me tell  you, this is the best worst thing I've ever read. It's so addictive it's insane. It's like the potato chip bag of books. You don't want to eat more than a handful but somehow wind up eating the whole bag.

After We Collided is seriously just the book After again. It's the same shit different day. Tessa and Hardin continue their on again off again, I hate you but can't live without you bull that they did in the first. Tessa is still the same up tight-jump to conclusion- why is she dating this guy- train wreck that she was in the first. Hardin is the same glass smashing-must fight anything with a pulse-emotional flip flopping dbag he was in the first as well. Tessa continues to say one thing then do another. Hardin continues to come up with white pointless lies for again, no reason. To give Todd some credit she did give her characters a little more development and personality in this one than the first. Tessa managed to have a little more spine than a jellyfish and Hardin was a lot more comical than in the first.   

"Just because he can't love you the way you want him to doesn't mean he doesn't love you with everything he has."

As far as the plot line goes AWC is like I said, just After only written in dual Pov between Hardin and Tessa. A lot of people are saying how important this was because we get to see what's going on in both our leads heads... Hate to be the bearer of bad news but there is nothing of substance going on in either of their brains. 95% of  the time you'll be screaming "wow if these two just actually chilled the F out and had a real conversation this book would be 200 pages shorter and sweeter." This book is a cluster of what the heck am I reading moments. That being said I did enjoy the dual views. The plot is as delicious as soggy bread an at this point in time you're probably still wondering why I've given it such high marks... Well because again Todd has managed to hook me in. Every time I set this book down within minutes I had to pick it back up. The combination of perfectly placed twist, smutty goodness, my hatred of characters, and stupid plot must have fried all my braincells and in return made me love this story. The After Series brings nothing new or original to the ya/na genre. The moment it pulled the 50 shades of gross it took everything in me not to set this book on fire (if you've read it you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about). Though the characters are awful and the plot is weak all the twist made up for it. Because when those twist happen... Well lets just say the situation looked a little like this:

Both took me completely by surprise. Oh and the smut in this book is so on point! Haters go ahead and hate, don't care, I ate it up!

After We Collided had me so mad, so angry, so annoyed, and so so entertained. It's a story about a toxic relationship between an idiot, drunk, controlling, cocky dick weed and a naive, pathetic, stupid, co-dependent moody girl, and yet I can't seem to get enough. 

7.5/10 why can't I put this down stars 
-Angela

After by Anna Todd

Tessa is a good girl with the reliable boyfriend. She’s got direction, ambition, and has her life planned out to the minute. She’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin.

You can go ahead and judge me for reading thing, it’s okay really, I’m already judging myself for it. When I first heard of/picked up After and saw that it was originally 1direction fan-fiction I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life. Then I kept seeing people post pictures and reviews on it all talking about how they are now hooked on this series. It physically hurts me to say thing, but I’m hooked too.
After is the epitome of what most would call “a guilty pleasure read”. I have never, ever hated two characters more than I hate Tessa and Hardin.

Tessa is: Whiny, stuck up, annoying, childish, pathetic, a H2ho, immature, irresponsible, vapid, shallow, and an overall turd. Tessa spends 90% of this book crying and the other 10% of the time coming up with reasons to cry again.

Hardin is: cocky, annoying, bizarre, stage five clinger, gross, immature, actually a woman, hot tempered, mental, and zero dark crazy. I have no doubt in my mind that Hardin is the girl in this relationship. Trust me when I say he is more pathetic than Tessa is.

That is just the tip of the iceberg on the things I loathe about these two. The relationship between the two is not only unhealthy but just downright awful. It’s unbalanced and almost always one sided. Their relationship is the further thing from romantic. Not only did I hate them when they were separate but I hated them more when they were together. Their relationship is way out in the deep end of the crazy pool and it was so bad I wanted to drown just trying to endure it.

As far as the plot goes, there’s not much of one. It’s just 600 pages of a rinse and repeat story line. Hardin acts like a dick, ask Tessa for one more chance, Tessa says okay, they make up for a day, and then the cycle starts all over again. No seriously, that’s the whole story, nothing else to it. Personally, I will say that I think people are a little harsh on Todd’s writing. Yes, it’s not the best, but I’ve definitely seen worse. It’s just light writing. You’re never going to have to Google something that is said, or have to set the book aside because it gets to deep, but it’s not the worst of the worst.

After lacks any and all originality, depth, and personality. But, you want to know what the worst part is? The downright dirty worst part?!.. Is that I couldn’t put this book down. It was like watching a car crash in slow motion. I wanted to look away but just couldn’t! And just when I think I’ll finally be able to shake the madness of this book off Anna Todd hit me hard with a WTF ending, that I didn’t see coming.

I hate admitting that even though I hated everything about this book, there was just something about it that kept me coming back for more.

7.5/10 Stars 
-Angela 

Black Iris Cover Reveal!!!!!

We here at Southern Read are so excited and honored to be apart of the cover reveal for Leah Raeder's new novel Black Iris. If you don't know who Leah Raeder is she is the author of Unteachable. Which is the novel we choose as our biggest surprise read of 2014. We both read and reviewed that novel for our blog and have reviews posted (Links at the bottom of the page). We absolutely adore her! So again we are so thankful too be a part of this.  

Seriously people look at that cover!!! IT'S STUNNING and it's only making the wait for it harder!

Leah Raeder is a writer and unabashed nerd. Aside from reading her brains out, she enjoys graphic design, video games, fine whiskey, and the art of self-deprecation. She lives with her very own manic pixie dream boy in Chicago. You can learn more about her and see more of her work by visiting her at LeahRaeder.com. 

Wondering what Black Iris is about?? Well we've posted the description below... So after reading it be sure to go and add it to your TBR on goodreads.

"It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn't worth sticking around for.

If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.
She's not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.
But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it's time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.
Which was the plan all along.
Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.
She's going to show them all."

Black Iris will be available in both Ecopy (5.99) and Print at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Booksamillion, and Indiebound (15.00). It's also available on all those sites for per-order.

WE CAN NOT WAIT TO GET OUR HANDS ON THIS BOOK!!! 

BUT WAIT! That's not it... We were also provided with an excerpt from chapter one to give yall!

  BLACK IRIS by Leah Raeder  

April is the cruelest month, T.S. Eliot said, and that’s because it kills. It’s the month with the highest suicide rate. You’d think December, or even January—the holidays and all that forced cheer and agonized smiling pushing fragile people to the edge—but actually it’s spring, when the world wakes from frostbound sleep and something cruel and final stirs inside those of us who are broken. Like Eliot said: mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain. In the deepest throes of depression, when sunlight is anguish and the sky throbs like one big raw migraine and you just want to sleep until you or everything else dies, you’re less likely to commit suicide than someone coming out of a depressive episode. Drug companies know this. That’s why antidepressants have to be marked with the warning MAY CAUSE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.
Because what brings you back to life also gives you the means to destroy yourself.

 LEAH RAEDER YOU'RE GIVING US GOOSEBUMPS!!! 

You can also follow Leah on her many social media pages listed below:

http://www.leahraeder.com/

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

and check out both of our reviews for Unteachable here: 

Angela's Review

Leah's Review 

 Thanks again Leah Raeder and the people at Simon and Schuster the people at ATRIA BOOKS ( a division of Simon and Schuster, Inc.)