The teen romance “After” was supposed to bring the YA novel of the same name to life.

The complicated character dynamics and complex love life between Hardin Scott and Tessa Young were meant to be showcased in this two-hour long film.

Instead of the raw, intricate emotion from the book, the movie gave us a lackluster romance between the two protagonists.

Tessa Young arrives at college with a step-by-step plan for success. Her plan is thrown out the window when she meets her punk-rock roommate Steph and her friends Tristan, Molly, and Hardin.

Hardin is a “bad boy” stereotype with a rough past and inclination to cause chaos wherever he goes.

The book originally started as a Harry Styles fan-fiction online. It eventually became so popular that it started to gather its own fan base, which led to the movie’s production.

In the book, written by Anna Todd, Hardin and Tessa slowly begin to develop a romantic relationship despite their very different lives. The couple overcomes many obstacles that only a fan-fiction writer could come up with.

While the book’s plot of star-crossed lovers wasn’t the most original, the novel’s twists and turns added up to a book that was almost impossible to put down.

The movie, on the other hand, told a story that was hard to watch.

Hardin’s physical appearance didn’t measure up to the book’s description. Instead of a character covered in tattoos head-to-toe, the actor had a few mismatched tattoos and wore band T-shirts in a hope to look tough.

Vital characters in the book were given barely any screen time and the film progressed too fast to get the full effect of the couple’s triumphs and downfalls.

The movie also didn’t follow the book’s layout. Big events from the story were either scaled down or skipped over, and the plot twist at the end was anything but satisfying.

Senior Allison DePottey, who is a fan of the book series, was livid after watching the film.

“It was the worst book-to-movie adaptation I’ve ever seen,” DePottey said. “I’m highly upset that they changed the most important part of the book that even brought Hardin and Tessa together.”

The movie was entertaining when not compared to the book, but it was hard not to be disheartened after months of hype from the film’s crew on social media.

Too much of the movie was changed in order to get it on the big screen. By the time it premiered, the film was only the framework of a great novel with a similar plot and recognizable title.

DePottey doesn’t recommend the movie for lovers of the series.

“If you never read the book, you should watch it. If you did, you will be very mad,” DePottey said.