‘After We Collided’ is a book that is better refined than its prequel, ‘After.’ With better storytelling, better character definition, and better dialogues, the novel is much smoother to read. One thing a reader would notice from the story is that the characters seem to be a little too mature for their age; this makes one forget that Tessa is an 18-year-old.
Story
I would describe the story of ‘After We Collided’ as not too good and not too terrible. What makes the story of ‘After We Collided’ seem relevant is that there is the anticipation for wanting to know what happened after Hardin broke Tessa’s heart in the prequel ‘After.’ ‘After We Collided’ provokes a feeling of pain because the book focused more on Tessa and Hardin’s pain. Though their love life was vastly explored, Anna Todd’s focus seemed to be more on the hardship which Tessa faced from Hardin’s betrayal and the pain that Hardin felt from hating his father.
Characters
One thing ‘After We Collided’ did better than its predecessor ‘After’ was its better description of characters. In Anna Todd’s first book, ‘After,’ characters seemed to be forced to bend to the rules of supporting the main characters alone. However, in ‘After We Collided,’ the characters seemed more interactive with the main characters. Also, ‘After We Collided’ saw the introduction of better characters. The versatility of characters in ‘After We Collided’ over ‘After’ makes the book better than its prequel. The better definition of characters like Trevor, Trish, Zed, Landon, Vance, and Kimberly, made the novel a better book than its prequel.
Dialogue
Something every reader of ‘After We Collide’ will find interesting is how better dialogues got in the story. From the first novel in the series, dialoguing seemed to be forced and unnatural. However, ‘After We Collided’ made dialogues smoother and much more natural. With better character definition and Anna Todd releasing the constraint of allowing Tessa alone to be the main narrator, the novel’s dialogue became more indulging.
Writing Style and Conclusion
The writing style for ‘After We Collided,’ which was the first-person point of view narration, stayed the same as ‘After.’ However, there was a huge difference in the narration as it was not only from Tessa’s point of view alone but was from both her and Hardin’s point of view; this idea made the story better to understand in terms of how Tessa and Hardin felt about each other.
The conclusion of the story ‘After We Collided,’ though the novel ends with a cliffhanger where Tessa recognizes a homeless man on the street as her father, the ending still feels forced and not natural. The novel’s ending makes a reader feel forced to read the sequel.
After We Collided Review: Love after Pain

Book Title: After We Collided
Book Description: 'After We Collided,' the second in the 'After' series, delves into Tessa's emotional turmoil and romance with Hardin, blending love, pain, and passion.
Book Author: Suzanne Collins
Book Edition: First Edition
Book Format: Paperback
Publisher - Organization: Simon & Schuster
Date published: December 5, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4767-7300-4
Number Of Pages: 352
- Story
- Characters
- Writing Style
- Dialogue
- Conclusion
- Lasting Effect on Reader
After We Collided Review
‘After We Collided’ is the second book in the ‘After’ series. The novel tells the story of Tessa and Hardin after Tessa’s heart had been shattered by the one boy she loved. Dive into a tale of pain, romance, love, and hate.
Pros
- Good characters
Cons
- Forced ending
- Book too long
- Story not too captivating