Anna Todd is a successful bestselling author whose romance novels are dark, yet sweet and exciting at the same time. If you’re interested in reading more by her and don’t know where to start, we’ve ranked all of her novels so that you can get some inspiration on what to read next.
Anna Todd is an American author who specializes in contemporary romance and fiction novels. She is an International and New York Times bestselling author who is best known for writing the After series, which was a huge success and eventually got turned into multiple movies as well.
Anna Todd is from Ohio but now lives in Los Angeles. She got married when she was 18 and was in the army with her husband, where they went through 3 deployments to Iraq and moved around quite frequently. They are now divorced, but they share a son named Asher.
Anna Todd continues to work on her novels, and she’s sold more than 12 million copies of her stories worldwide in 35 different languages. She’s now a #1 bestselling author in multiple countries and is about to come out with a new book that is sure to be another hit.
About Anna Todd’s Works
When Todd first started writing, she was doing it on Wattpad. She, like most other Wattpad authors, would post her story chapter by chapter as she was working on it. After was originally written on Wattpad, and by the time she professionally published it as her first book in 2014, it had already been read over 1 billion times on Wattpad.
Throughout the course of the next year, Todd published 4 more After novels that were big hits. The last novel in the series was published in December 2015, and Todd promptly began working on the spinoff series about Landon.
Todd was also a screenwriter and producer for the After films that first started in 2019 and are still going strong to this day.
Anna Todd now has 9 books published, including 3 series and 1 standalone novel, and has written another book that is set to come out this year in June (2023). It’s safe to say she is pretty successful, and she doesn’t plan to stop writing anytime soon.
Anna Todd’s Genre and Writing Style
Anna Todd writes contemporary romance and chick-lit novels. Some of her books are more dark and angsty, like the After series, and they can get pretty intense. But other novels by Anna Todd are sweet and emotional, like The Spring Girls, and though there is some turmoil, they leave you feeling pretty content. Since Anna Todd is an army veteran herself, she does a good job writing military romances as well, like the Brightest Stars series.
Anna Todd’s novels don’t just focus on the good sides of a relationship, and they can often get messy and dramatic. She dives into the current lives and pasts of the characters, making you root for them despite their imperfections.
Ranking Anna Todd’s Novels
It’s difficult to rank Anna Todd’s novels because they all offer different things, so rankings could be completely opposite from one person to the next.
In the case of this list, we will rank them by series so that it doesn’t get too confusing if you aren’t familiar with many of her books. The ranking system will be made primarily based on reviews and popularity, but we will also take into account the quality of the story.
Now that you have a background on Anna Todd and what kind of novels she writes, let’s get into the ranking!
Best Anna Todd Books – All Her Novels Ranked
The After Series
This is unarguably the most popular of Anna Todd’s series, clocking in at over 2 billion reads on Wattpad alone. It also has the highest rating on Goodreads out of any of her other series, and fans seem to really enjoy the relationship dynamic between Tessa and Hardin.
This series can be sweet and romantic, but that’s not all there is to it. There is a lot of emotional depth in these books, showing the good and bad parts of both the characters and their relationships. We are given a glimpse of the flaws that Tessa and Hardin both possess, making the stories even more compelling to read.
After (After Series #1)
Tessa has just moved into her freshman dorm, and she knows exactly what path she’s taking. She is a good student who has a boyfriend back home, and she’s not super interested in much else.
When Tessa meets Hardin, she admits to herself that he IS cute, but he’s also completely rude. Tessa knows she should hate Hardin, but one kiss changes everything.
After the kiss, Hardin keeps pulling away from Tessa, disappearing and telling her she shouldn’t be with him. But Tessa is determined to overcome her hurt pride and find out what’s hiding underneath his facade.
After was originally started on Wattpad in 2013, where Todd wrote it chapter by chapter. By the time it was done in 2014, the book had already been read 1 billion times on the app. It was then published in October 2014, and a movie about the book followed in 2019.
Furthermore, in May of 2022, a graphic novel version of After came out. Pablo Andres is the illustrator, with Anna Todd authoring the story.
Tessa and Hardin had a rough start to their relationship, but they want to make things work. Everything is going okay until a mindblowing secret is revealed to Tessa about how their relationship started. That coupled with hearing about Hardin’s past is enough to send Tessa’s mind into turmoil.
Tessa finds herself suddenly questioning who Hardin really is. Although he seems angry on the outside, Tessa has figured out that Hardin is actually a very thoughtful and caring person. But now she wonders if he has just been a stranger to her the whole time.
Tessa decides that she’s put so much on the line for Hardin, and it’s time to move forward and away from him. But Hardin doesn’t want to lose Tessa, and he won’t let her get away without a fight.
After We Collided was published in November 2014, just one month after the first book. The movie based on it came out in September 2020, a year after the previous movie.
Tessa and Hardin thought their relationship was hard already, but now secrets are being unearthed about both of their pasts. Tessa has just made a life-altering decision, and now she is discovering things about her and Hardin’s families that will change everything.
When Hardin finds out Tessa’s secret, he isn’t understanding like she thought he would be. He is furious, and he falls into a pit of jealousy. Tessa is getting tired of his hot and cold attitude, and even though she loves him so intensely, she doesn’t know if it’s worth being around all of the drama.
After We Fell was published in December 2014, and the third movie in the series based on the books came out in 2021.
Tessa and Hardin know they have faced many challenges, but it’s only made their relationship stronger in the end. But then Hardin hears something about the past that leaves him shaken, and at the same time, something tragic happens to Tessa.
Tessa isn’t the sweet person she was when she first met Hardin, and she knows that he needs her when things go south. But as more and more comes up from Hardin’s past, he continues to push her away…Soon, Tessa doesn’t know if she can help him anymore without dragging herself under as well.
After Ever Happy came out in February 2015, and the movie based on it came out in September 2022.
Hardin was constantly angry before he met Tessa, and he realized that after he met her, things had changed forever. This book chronicles incidents from Hardin’s perspective, letting us hear another side to the long story of their relationship together.
Hardin and Tessa may not have realized it, but their relationship was also affecting many people that were around them. In this novel, we get to hear the other characters’ perspectives as the major events of all of the After novels occur.
Before was published in December 2015. No movie has been made about it yet, but there is talk of one that is in the works.
You can find Before by Anna Todd, the last book in the After series, here.
The Brightest Stars series
The Brightest Stars series only has 1 novel published so far, but novel number 2 is on track to be published later this year. These books are about a girl who has grown up on a military base who ends up dating a soldier with a wounded past.
This series is emotional and romantic, and it will be sure to tug at your heartstrings. Since Anna Todd has experience in the army herself, she was able to create a book about the army that is realistic but also still carries the commonalities of your typical romance novel.
The Falling (Brightest Stars Series #1)
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Karina is proud of her life in Georgia as an independent 20-year-old. She grew up in an army base, so she is familiar with soldiers and war. When Karina meets a soldier named Kael, she’s immediately intrigued by him and his mysteriousness.
Kael has had two deployments in Afghanistan, so it’s understandable that he is quiet and reserved. When he and Karina become friends and eventually something more, Karina finds herself trying to piece together the story of Kael’s past. She wants to help him, but helping means trusting him, and Karina has to deal with anxieties of her own if she wants to succeed.
This book is newer; it was published in July 2022 and immediately captured fans’ hearts.
This book starts with the shocking discovery that occurred at the end of The Falling. Though Karina and Kael are still extremely attracted to each other, the wall of trust that they’ve worked so hard to build between them has come shattering down.
Kael and Karina don’t realize that their paths have intersected in complicated ways in the past, and they are solely focused on trying to repair the damage that has been done to their relationship. Karina knows she loves Kael and doesn’t want to live without him, but she isn’t sure if it’s worth risking the pain that comes with it.
The Burning hasn’t been released yet, but it is expected to come out this year in June 2023. If you’re interested, you can pre-order it on your favorite book-selling website.
Coming in at #3 on our ranking list, the Landon series is an exciting spinoff of the After series to keep the story going. Fans loved Landon from After but were sad that they didn’t get to see more of him. Luckily Anna Todd heard their frustration and decided to write a series based solely on Landon and his journey (with some special cameos from other characters in After).
This series features romance, and Landon even finds himself in a love triangle (or love knot, as he likes to call it). But it’s also about finding his identity and sense of belonging in a new city so far from home. You don’t have to be a fan of After to enjoy this series, and it can be read without reading After at all.
So whether you’re a lover of After or you’ve never heard of it, the Landon series is a great option for people who want a romance with a little more depth.
Nothing More (Landon Series #1)
Landon Gibson has been slowly adjusting to the change of moving to New York and attending NYU, and he’s getting more used to being there every day. He’s found a job that provides an okay income, and he’s starting to enjoy school and the people around him more…except for Dakota.
Landon chose to go to NYU to be with his girlfriend Dakota, but then she dumped him. So it’s safe to say that seeing her around isn’t exactly something that he lives for, but he navigates it pretty well.
Landon lives with his best friend, Tessa, in a small apartment in Brooklyn. Tessa has her own ups and downs with her ex, so she is helpful for Landon to confide in. When Landon finds himself in a bit of a love triangle, Tessa is great to talk to. Landon is trying to stay positive in a city far away from home, and through all of the twists and turns life throws at him, he knows he will be okay in the end.
Nothing More was published in September 2016, about a year after the last After book came out.
This book continues to follow Landon through his life at NYU. He is stuck between two girls: His ex, Dakota, and a new girl named Nora. Landon sees the beauty in both of them, and he is having trouble figuring out what to do.
This is the story of his experiences with the two girls and why he ultimately chooses who he does.
Nothing Less was published in December 2016, just a few months after the first book in the spinoff series about Landon.
Last but not least, The Spring Girls is the only standalone that Anna Todd has written so far, and it’s sure to sweep you off your feet. This story is a modern retelling of Little Women, featuring all of the sisters that many know and love.
The Spring Girls follows the lives of the four sisters, and it brings plenty of drama into their story. This book has romance as well as platonic love, and it also talks about things like war, class, and growing up. It’s a great choice for people who love romance but also like their book to have more than just a romantic storyline.
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are four sisters living in a New Orleans military base. They live with their mother, who seems to be hiding something, while their father is away on tour in Iraq. Though the girls are all very different from one another, they share similar fears about their lives.
Meg is the oldest, working to keep her reputation up so that she can become an officer’s wife and be part of a military society.
Beth is afraid to move away, and she spends her days constantly working. But on the inside, Beth fears that she might not ever figure out her full identity.
Jo is the opposite of Beth, wishing that she could move away right now and go to New York City. When Jo graduates, she plans to leave immediately and pursue a journalism career, hoping to change the world.
Amy is the youngest, and she doesn’t have much on her plate at the moment. She is content to just watch her sisters and how they live their lives, making notes for herself along the way.
This is the story of the four sisters, trying to change their futures and build things that they can all be proud of.
The Spring Girls was published in November 2017, shortly after Todd finished the Landon series.
Anna Todd currently has 9 novels published and is about to have 10 when The Burning comes out in June.
In what order should I read Anna Todd’s books?
There is no specific order to read Anna Todd’s books unless you are reading a series of hers. It is fun to read the After series before reading the Landon series since Landon’s story is a spinoff from After, but you could start any series by Anna Todd that catches your attention first.
Is After by Anna Todd worth reading?
It depends on what you are into, but if you read the description for After and think it sounds interesting, then go for it! It’s wildly successful, and many people around the world love the story. The worst that could happen is you don’t like it, and there’s not much harm in that.
What age is After by Anna Todd good for?
The whole After series is considered New Adult, and it has some mature themes. The books feature sex and drugs, so it’s mainly written for older teens and adults and wouldn’t be considered appropriate for young adults.
Should I read Before in the After series?
If you liked the After series, you should definitely check out Before. It tells the events of what happened in the series but from other characters’ perspectives, and it’s really eye-opening to hear about things from a different point of view. But be warned, you should read the first 4 books in the series before reading Before so that you don’t get any spoilers!
Is Anna Todd writing more After books?
Anna Todd’s last book in the After series was published in 2015, and there are no signs of her writing any more of the series in the future. If you want more of the After characters, you can read the Landon series that follows Tessa’s friend Landon and his life in New York, or check out the movies that have been made about the books.
Freya grew up in Portland Oregon and still resides there now. She has been reading for as long as she can remember, and loves that books allow you to escape into someone else’s reality for a little while. When she is not writing or reading she enjoys playing piano, baking, and going outside.
