“The girls have distinct, believable voices [in After the Kiss]. A poignant tale of two girls on the brink of adulthood faced with real decisions about their future, who they want to be, and what role boys will play in their decisions.”

“* The poetry is richly allusive, with particular entries smartly and self-consciously modeled on poems by Pablo Neruda, Gertrude Stein, William Carlos Williams, and Wallace Stevens among others, and the imagery is often startling with an originality that exhales into a perfect aptness for the experience. This is more than simply a language-lover’s edition of traditional chick-lit fare, however; the back-and-forth interplay of perspectives calibrates the delicate edge between the poignant yearning for intimacy and the psychic need for separation, as Becca grows beyond a need to hold on to a love truly lost, and Camille lets go of the fear that’s driving her away from a love that might have a chance. ”

“Vivid.”

“A love of language, literature, and the city of Atlanta, where [McVoy] lives, pervades her sophomore novel, a thoughtfully wrought coming-of-age story....McVoy's prose is confident and adventurous....A fresh, observant story. ”