If you loved
After
Jenny Gage · Film · 2019
If After hooked you with its messy, high-stakes exploration of self-discovery through a transformative and volatile romance, these stories will captivate you.
Books on the same thread
Twisted Love
Ana Huang · Book · 2022
Shares a thread with After: Forbidden Love.
Like the intense dynamic in After, this book features a brooding, guarded hero with a dark past whose emotional walls are tested by a complicated and consuming new relationship.
Ugly Love
Colleen Hoover · Book · 2014
Shares a thread with After: New Adult Romance.
This story mirrors the emotional turbulence found in After, focusing on two people whose complicated baggage and initial friction evolve into a raw, intense connection that challenges their guarded hearts.
Divergent
Veronica Roth · Book · 2013
Shares a thread with After: Self-Discovery.
Fans of After will recognize the core theme of a young protagonist stepping out of their comfort zone to redefine their identity and personal boundaries amidst a high-pressure environment.
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas · Book · 2020
Explores: Beauty and the Beast retelling, Faerie courts, Enemies to lovers.
If you enjoyed the way After centers on a transformative romance that completely changes a woman's worldview, you will be drawn to this story of dangerous attraction and self-discovery.
Series on the same thread
Off Campus
Gina Fattore · Series · 2026
Shares a thread with After: New Adult Romance.
This series captures the same college-age romantic tension present in After, focusing on how personal growth and past trauma shape the way two people navigate their evolving, intimate connection.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Jenny Han · Series · 2022
Shares 2 threads with After: First Love, Self-Discovery.
This show echoes the coming-of-age journey in After, specifically the way young love acts as a catalyst for painful truths, family secrets, and the inevitable shift toward adulthood.
Heartstopper
Alice Oseman · Series · 2022
Shares 2 threads with After: First Love, Self-Discovery.
Similar to the formative first love experience depicted in After, this series explores the vulnerability and self-discovery that occur when an unexpected connection changes how you view yourself.
Teen Wolf
Jeff Davis · Series · 2011
Shares a thread with After: first love.
Much like Tessa in After, the protagonist here must navigate the balance between his ordinary life and a life-altering identity shift, all while balancing the complexities of young love.
Podcasts on the same thread
Call Her Daddy
Alex Cooper · Podcast · 2026
Explores: female empowerment, sexual autonomy, brutal honesty.
If the raw, unfiltered conversations about modern relationships in After kept you engaged, this podcast offers the same brutal honesty and bold perspective on the realities of dating today.
Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project · Podcast · 2026
Explores: Well-being, Behavioral Change, Mindful Living.
For those captivated by the internal growth Tessa undergoes in After, this podcast provides practical, actionable advice on habit formation and self-reflection to help you improve your own life.
Keep exploring
Common questions
What is the premise of After?
After follows Tessa Young, a dedicated student and dutiful daughter, as she begins her first semester of college. Her life changes when she meets Hardin Scott, a mysterious and brooding rebel who challenges her perceptions of herself and her future goals.
Is Hardin Scott a main character in After?
Yes, Hardin Scott is a central figure in After. He is described as a mysterious and brooding rebel whose presence in Tessa Young's life causes her to question her existing relationships and what she truly wants out of her own life.
Does Tessa Young change during After?
Yes, Tessa Young experiences significant personal growth in After. Entering college as a dedicated student and loyal girlfriend, she finds her guarded world opened up by Hardin Scott, which leads her to question her identity and her desires for her future.
Who is the protagonist of After?
The protagonist of After is Tessa Young. She starts the film as a dedicated student and dutiful daughter, but her perspective shifts after she meets Hardin Scott during her first semester of college, forcing her to reevaluate her life and relationships.