Before Audiobook By Anna Todd, Grace Grant, Jason Carpenter cover art

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Before

By: Anna Todd, Grace Grant, Jason Carpenter
Narrated by: Shane East
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Buy for $19.49

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Book 5 of the After series—Anna Todd’s Wattpad fanfiction that racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated romance readers across the globe! Before explores Hardin Scott’s life before Tessa, reveals what happens after After, and gives new insights on their turbulent #Hessa romance.

Cosmopolitan called Anna Todd “the biggest literary phenom of her generation.” That’s Normal declared Hardin and Tessa “The Mr. Darcy and Lizzy Bennet of our time.” Revel in the awesome, messy power of true love.

BEFORE Hardin met Tessa he was a raging storm. DURING those first moments they met, he realized he needed to keep her for himself—his life depended on it. AFTER they got together, the world would never be the same.

Hardin and Tessa’s dramatic love affair became a vortex pulling in everyone around them. For the first time these others are given voice as they appear before, during, and after the events in original After novels. Alongside them, Hardin’s account of his first encounters with Tessa—which will change what you thought you knew about the brooding boy and the angel who loved him. Contemporary Romance Romance Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction Women's Fiction Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins

Featured Article: Listen Before You Watch—The Biggest Page-to-Screen Adaptations in Fall/Winter 2022


It’s not just crunchy leaves and cozy vibes that autumn brings. This fall and winter, television and movie fans also have a lot to look forward to, with major page-to-screen adaptations slated from streaming and theatrical releases. So, as your next listen, consider tuning in to the original works that have inspired what are sure to be our new book-to-movie and book-to-television obsessions.

Featured Article Listen Before You Watch The Biggest Page to Screen Adaptations in Fall and Winter 2022
Satisfying Closure • Character Perspectives • Compelling Love Story • Detailed Backstories • Realistic Ending

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I have read the entire After series, & always felt it needed more... for the story must go on! as they say lol. this gave it that much needed closure from Hardin's perspective....
thank you ❤️

loved it..

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A great book to close out the series and all the other character's stories! A must read!

Love! Love! Love!

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It really gave you a whole new perspective of hardins life before and after Tessa.

Best book of the series.

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Loved ! Enjoyed getting to know the individual characters stories a little better and see things from Hardin's point of view

Awesome

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With the previous 4 books we’ve all fallen in love with #HESSA’s unlikely love story. But the good girl falling for the bad boy is so hackneyed and cliché that the reader is left wondering, ‘How many times can I read this same trope?’. And again, the only reason it works is that our star-crossed lovers both are especially good looking and have exceptional and sustained passion and prowess in bed.
H revels in T’s virginal purity in the most nauseating and hypocritical way, being the scumbag that he’s always been; taciturn, sarcastic and degrading everyone in his path of emotional destruction. It’s pretty hard to have any sympathy for him until we hear his back story in his own words.
And that’s what redeems the whole novel.
For the most part, their story has been largely told from either Tessa’s or a neutral POV. Now it’s time for Hardin to explain himself. His sadistic and cold indifference. His violent outbursts. His choice of company or lack thereof.
We want to believe he and his band of brooding, menacing companions are the way they are because of some terrifyingly bad breaks in life. And although this is to a good extent explored, lots of people have had it pretty damn tough and don’t resort to bullying and raging against everybody and everything all the time. But, there is still a lot to like in this author’s tale. The dialogue is realistic and the narrative flows so well that one can almost forgive all the recycled themes.
Particularly rewarding is hearing first person from many of the auxiliary characters as well: Christian Vance, Landon and Smith. Even Zed has his say. (Wishing Zed could have had a larger part!)
My greatest disappointments were the double standard perpetuated for males vs. females (eye roll); The repetition of the ludicrous fallacy of simultaneous organisms (pull-ease! just stop already with this unreasonable expectation! Men feel like failures if this doesn’t occur and women feel obligated to fake-fake-fake! How many times do the sex therapists have to explain this? Can’t believe this gaping flaw is penned by a female. Sheesh.); The idea that college is one big party with so little studying and cramming and late nights involved. If it was such a cinch everyone would do it; Later one has to suspend disbelief when H and T are living in separate cities for what 2 years(?) and maintaining exclusivity. (Serious side-eye here.)
Other cringe worthy details are fairly minor, such as the propensity for Tessa to overdecorate and the oversized neon painting of their children In Their Bedroom (Hell No!)
And OMG, Hardin allowing Disney sheets on his child’s bed or anything Disney in his house at all?! (Unlikely and not at all in keeping with his distain for anything pop-culture. BTW, I happen to agree with him 1,000% on this).
Lastly, I’m not seeing Hardin as the ‘Man-Bun’ type. Long hair, OK……but an updo? I say Nope! Updon’t.

New POV’s

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