After Books in Order by Anna Todd: Book List & Movie Watch Order

This guide to the After books in order covers Anna Todd’s romance series about Tessa Young and Hardin Scott, along with the spin-off books, graphic novels, special edition, and movie adaptations.

Tessa arrives at college with a dependable boyfriend, a careful plan, and no intention of turning her life upside down. Then she meets Hardin. He’s guarded, angry, and difficult to ignore, and their attraction pulls them into a relationship filled with secrets, breakups, and second chances.

Anna Todd first shared the story on Wattpad before it became a published series and film franchise. What began with Tessa and Hardin later expanded to include Landon Gibson’s own books and illustrated adaptations of the original story.

Jump to:

After Books in Publication Order
When Should You Read Before?
After Spin-Off Books
After Special Editions
After Movie Adaptations
What is After About?

After Books in Publication Order

I recommend reading the five main books in publication order. That’s how the twists and reveals were originally presented, and it lets Tessa and Hardin’s relationship unfold without Hardin’s later perspective giving too much away.

That means saving Before for the end. The title makes it sound like a straightforward prequel, but the book moves through several parts of the timeline and revisits events from the main series.

After (2014)
After We Collided (2014)
After We Fell (2014)
After Ever Happy (2015)
Before (2015)

When Should You Read Before?

Before is a little unusual because it isn’t set entirely before the first book. It begins with Hardin’s life before he meets Tessa, then returns to familiar scenes from his point of view and includes material from later in the story. Calling it a simple prequel doesn’t quite cover everything it does.

I’d read it after After Ever Happy. By then, you’ll already understand Hardin, Tessa, and the people around them, so the added perspectives have more impact. You also won’t have to worry about learning important details before the original books reveal them.

After Spin-Off Books

Landon Gibson Series

If you liked Landon in the main series, his two books give him room to step out of Tessa and Hardin’s shadow. They follow him after his move to New York City, where he’s trying to build a life of his own while sorting through friendships, family, and two very different romantic possibilities.

I’d save this duology until after the five main books. It assumes you already know the characters and fills in a part of Landon’s story that the original series only briefly shows.

Nothing More (2016)
Nothing Less (2016)

Graphic Novels

The graphic novels retell the beginning of Tessa and Hardin’s relationship in illustrated form. They don’t continue the story beyond the novels, but they give familiar scenes a different feel and let you see how the characters and settings were reimagined on the page.

You can read them after the original novel or save them until you’ve finished the series. I see them as an alternate way to revisit After, rather than required parts of the main reading order.

AFTER: The Graphic Novel (Volume One) (2022)
AFTER: The Graphic Novel (Volume Two) (2023)

After Special Editions

The anniversary edition is a refreshed version of the first novel with exclusive new material and updated packaging. It isn’t another installment, so you don’t need to buy it to continue the story.

If you already own After, I’d treat this as an optional collector’s edition. If you’re buying the first book for the first time, you can choose whichever edition you prefer.

After 10th Anniversary Edition (2024)

After Movie Adaptations

The movie series stars Josephine Langford as Tessa Young and Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Hardin Scott. The first four films follow the four main Tessa and Hardin novels, while After Everything tells an original story using Anna Todd’s characters.

These aren’t scene-for-scene adaptations. The movies keep the central romance and many of the biggest turning points, but they shorten side plots, combine or change supporting characters, and move parts of the timeline around. If you’ve read the books first, you’ll notice quite a few differences.

After Everything spends much of its time with Hardin as he travels to Portugal and tries to make amends with Natalie, a woman from his past. Castille Landon wrote and directed the film.

More After Movies?

A younger-Hardin prequel inspired by Before and a next-generation sequel about Tessa and Hardin’s children have both been announced. Neither one is part of the five-film watch order above.

Until either project is released, I’d treat them as possible future additions rather than movies you need to track down now. After Everything is the fifth released film and gives Hardin an original story outside the novels before returning to the relationship at the center of the series.

What is After About?

After follows Tessa Young, a careful college freshman who arrives on campus with a dependable boyfriend and a clear plan for her future. Then she meets Hardin Scott. He’s rude, guarded, and determined to push her away, but their attraction quickly pulls them into an intense relationship.

The series follows Tessa and Hardin through secrets, jealousy, family problems, breakups, and repeated attempts to build something healthier. Their romance is messy and often painful. The books include anger, alcohol, trauma, sexual content, and unhealthy relationship dynamics, so this isn’t a light college romantic comedy.

If you enjoy high-drama romance, flawed characters, and a relationship that changes over several books, there’s plenty here to keep you turning pages. If you prefer calm, supportive couples from the start, Tessa and Hardin may test your patience.

Looking for similar books in order?

If you want more romance authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Romance Books in Order index.