17 Dramatic Netflix Romances to Watch Once You Finish the After Series
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The romantic drama "After" quickly became a fan favorite thanks to its combination of sweeping romance and a good-girl-bad-boy dynamic. Fans of the book series it's based on fell in love with Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) and Tessa Young (Josephine Langford) when the first novel was released in 2014, and then they got to see the characters come to life in the first film in 2019. There have since been four more movies in the series, including 2022's "After Ever Happy" and "After Everything," released this September.
But if you've already enjoyed all the movies in the After series, don't worry. We've rounded up a list of Netflix movies like "After" to keep the romance flowing. Some of them feature handsome bad boys, while others focus on women who are just starting to come out of their shells. There are film series like To All The Boys I Loved Before and the Kissing Booth, plus newer Netflix hits like "Purple Hearts" and "Along For the Ride." If you're looking to lose yourself for a couple hours in a scorching romance, we have some ideas about which movies are worth your time.
Read on for 17 movies like "After" streaming on Netflix now.
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"After We Collided," "After We Fell," and "After Ever Happy"
This is an obvious one, but lucky for you, the first three "After" sequels are streaming on Netflix. "After We Collided" picks up right where the cliffhanger in the first movie leaves Tessa and Hardin. However, the two reach a dilemma after confronting possible temptations that may cause them to betray one another and question each other's trust.
Watch "After We Collided" on Netflix now.
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"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"
Yes, the title is ridiculously unwieldy, but don't judge a book by its cover (or a movie by its title): it's a charming, low-key romantic drama with just the right touch of melodrama as a writer journeys to a small town and discovers some long-kept secrets.
Watch "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" on Netflix.
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"The Perfect Date"
A college-bound teenager launches a dating-for-hire service to help pay for college, but his real feelings soon cause him to try to hide his business from the girl he's falling for.
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To All the Boys I've Loved Before Series
This teen rom-com about a fake-dating setup between a popular jock and a quiet, romantic girl has all the social-hierarchy drama you crave but without nearly as many stereotypes. It's a sweet, funny story of what happens when a lie turns real. Plus, there are two swoon-worthy sequels.
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"Alex Strangelove"
It's a coming-of-age rom-com with an LGBTQ+ twist: a teenage boy plans to lose his virginity to his girlfriend but finds himself in an identity crisis after meeting a charismatic boy.
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The Kissing Booth Series
For a fix of teen drama and emotional turmoil — but set in high school instead of college — look no further than The Kissing Booth series, in which a teenage girl falls in love with her best friend's older brother, leading to a series of secrets that threaten to unravel all the relationships she cares about. The series has three films streaming on Netflix.
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"Call Me by Your Name"
When it comes to moody romance, there's nothing that hits the spot like "Call Me by Your Name." The 2017 film was one of Timothée Chalamet's breakout roles, and this queer love story might be set in the '80s, but the angst, drama and romance is timeless.
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"Phantom Thread"
Let's be real — the relationship dynamics in the After series are often a little messed up. And if you're longing for a romance with another very, very complicated dynamic between the lovers, look no further than "Phantom Thread." The 2017 film, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, follows a very successful — and extremely meticulous — fashion designer who falls in love with a waitress he meets, but their relationship is anything but typical. The movie is romantic and strange in equal measure.
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"Love at First Sight"
"Love at First Sight" is one of Netflix's newest rom-coms. It stars "The White Lotus" star Haley Lu Richardson as Hadley, who has a meet-cute with Ben Hardy's Oliver. Circumstances keep pulling them apart, but they find a way to come back together again and again. It's a sweet romance that viewers will love.
"6 Years"
Take Tessa and Noah's relationship but make the dividing factor career paths instead of a rebellious boy. It may not seem as intense, but this young couple face a hard decision about their six years of dating when a job offer threatens to tear them apart.
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"The Last Summer"
The last summer is about a sprawling group of high school friends spending their last summer before college together. They fall in love, make mistakes, have sex, and forge enough memories to last the rest of their lives.
Watch "The Last Summer" on Netflix now.
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"All the Bright Places"
Two teens, Theodore and Violet, live a boring life troubled by their past in Indiana. Violet helps Theodore through his family's abuse, and he helps her cope with the death of her sister. The two fall in love after spending most of their time together and find happiness within each other.
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"You Get Me"
If "After" had to have a dark, twisted turn, "You Get Me" would be the result. After Holly hooks up with a boy who just broke up with his girlfriend, she obsesses over the idea of being happy and in love with him.
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"Purple Hearts"
"Purple Hearts" is about a songwriter who agrees to marry a Marine for his health insurance. The pair slowly fall for each other, but things are very complicated.
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"Along For the Ride"
Based on the Sarah Dessen novel of the same name, "Along For the Ride" is about a studious teen girl who spends one magical summer with a mysterious boy she meets before heading to college.
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"Through My Window"
"Through My Window" is a Spanish-language romance about a teen girl whose crush, her next-door neighbor, starts to return her feelings. But his high-powered family is opposed to their romance.
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"Love at First Sight"
"Love at First Sight" is a sweet romantic comedy about two strangers who fall for each other when they meet at the airport while waiting for a flight to London. When they eventually land, they both have to decide if their instant bond is strong enough to fight for.