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After the Kiss
This moment changes everything.
Becca has been head-over-heels for Alec from the instant they met. He's a brainy jock with a poet's heart; in other words, perfect for her.
Camille is careful with her words and protective of her heart, especially since Chicago. Then a new boy in her new town catches her off guard with a surprise kiss.
Too bad that new boy is Becca's boyfriend, Alec.
Camille and Becca have never met, but their lives will unravel and intertwine in surprising ways as they deal with what happens after the kiss.
Becca has been head-over-heels for Alec from the instant they met. He's a brainy jock with a poet's heart; in other words, perfect for her.
Camille is careful with her words and protective of her heart, especially since Chicago. Then a new boy in her new town catches her off guard with a surprise kiss.
Too bad that new boy is Becca's boyfriend, Alec.
Camille and Becca have never met, but their lives will unravel and intertwine in surprising ways as they deal with what happens after the kiss.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 2010
45 people are currently reading
2933 people want to read
About the author
Terra Elan McVoy
10 books278 followersI have been reading and writing, basically, ever since I learned how to, and everything I've done has pretty much been connected to those two things. I went to college at a small, fantastic school (with a super writing program) called St. Andrews Presbyterian College. I got my Master's degree in Creative Writing from Florida State. I have worked as an event coordinator at a major chain bookstore; as a freelance writer; a composition instructor; an editorial assistant at an NYC publisher; as manager of an independent children's bookstore, in Decatur, GA, Little Shop of Stories (where I still work as a bookseller); and as Program Director of the AJC Decatur Book Festival.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
July 24, 2012
I loved the little blip on the dust jacket. I did. I really did. I absolutely love romantic YA stories so I figured this would be exactly what I was looking for. And I continued loving it as I flipped through the copyright information, the acknowledgement, and the dedication. Then I found the first page of the book and it all fell out the window from there.
The first thing that annoyed me was the grammar on Camille's part. I'm usually NOT a Grammar Nazi (or not one of the annoying ones that comment on EVERY little mistake) but it felt more like I was reading a blog or some silly comment on Yahoo News rather than an actual book. It just didn't feel professional to me and I sat there attempting to dissect the first page, trying to ignore the lack of capitalization and commas and whatnot.
Flipping to the second page, I realized that feeling it was like a blog was right. Each little rant or cryptic story Camille writes about has a new heading and just randomly jumps around. One moment she's telling us about her new house in Chicago and next we're talking about some mysterious boy or her friend in San Francisco. And whenever Camille meets a new person, she connects them back to her old friends from a past city until it feels like they're the same person. Maybe that's just me, but I found that beyond annoying.
I somehow managed to make it through Camille's blobs before realizing half of the page is a blob and the other half is free verse. I may have groaned at this part since most every time I read books that are split into sections (like the silliness Cassandra Clare is starting to do) I end up not liking the book. And to make matters worse, it's written in different styles.
Okay onto Becca. Becca's part is written in free verse and has much better grammar than Camille's ginormous paragraph so the Grammar Nazi in me could take a break. What ticked me off about Becca is her obsession with Alec. Alec this, Alec that. Alec might as well be her life support as she's lying in a white hospital room in coma from the way she worships the guy. She's incapable of doing anything sane without Alec and sacrifices her own happiness for his. Which is so NOT okay. I thought I left poor dependent girlfriends in Twilight but sadly, I was mistaken.
And then when Alec goes off and kisses Camille (before you spaz at me for ruining the book, it's in the dust jacket so take a breather), making Becca this little gray cloud of depression, it ruined all hope of me ever liking Becca.
Maybe Becca changes and then again, maybe she doesn't. This is about the time I put the book down before saying, "You know what? Forget it." It was torture enough reading this book and I almost felt bad after seeing all these wonderful reviews of it. Almost, of course, being the keyword. And I do feel bad about hating on this book so hard when I didn't even finish it.
The first thing that annoyed me was the grammar on Camille's part. I'm usually NOT a Grammar Nazi (or not one of the annoying ones that comment on EVERY little mistake) but it felt more like I was reading a blog or some silly comment on Yahoo News rather than an actual book. It just didn't feel professional to me and I sat there attempting to dissect the first page, trying to ignore the lack of capitalization and commas and whatnot.
Flipping to the second page, I realized that feeling it was like a blog was right. Each little rant or cryptic story Camille writes about has a new heading and just randomly jumps around. One moment she's telling us about her new house in Chicago and next we're talking about some mysterious boy or her friend in San Francisco. And whenever Camille meets a new person, she connects them back to her old friends from a past city until it feels like they're the same person. Maybe that's just me, but I found that beyond annoying.
I somehow managed to make it through Camille's blobs before realizing half of the page is a blob and the other half is free verse. I may have groaned at this part since most every time I read books that are split into sections (like the silliness Cassandra Clare is starting to do) I end up not liking the book. And to make matters worse, it's written in different styles.
Okay onto Becca. Becca's part is written in free verse and has much better grammar than Camille's ginormous paragraph so the Grammar Nazi in me could take a break. What ticked me off about Becca is her obsession with Alec. Alec this, Alec that. Alec might as well be her life support as she's lying in a white hospital room in coma from the way she worships the guy. She's incapable of doing anything sane without Alec and sacrifices her own happiness for his. Which is so NOT okay. I thought I left poor dependent girlfriends in Twilight but sadly, I was mistaken.
And then when Alec goes off and kisses Camille (before you spaz at me for ruining the book, it's in the dust jacket so take a breather), making Becca this little gray cloud of depression, it ruined all hope of me ever liking Becca.
Maybe Becca changes and then again, maybe she doesn't. This is about the time I put the book down before saying, "You know what? Forget it." It was torture enough reading this book and I almost felt bad after seeing all these wonderful reviews of it. Almost, of course, being the keyword. And I do feel bad about hating on this book so hard when I didn't even finish it.
September 22, 2017
“the goal is to keep yourself moving, remember? don't linger. don't hover. you are not going to stay.”
April 25, 2011
I liked this book more than I expected to--I think mostly because I admired what the author was trying to do stylistically. I picked it up expecting it to be your standard YA chick lit (judging solely by the title and the cover), and then found that the story is told from the point of view of two girls, Becca and Camille, whose lives intersect around a boy, Alec. What was unusual here was *how* the points of view were related: Camille tells her story in a kind of stream-of-conscious journal form (with little punctuation); Becca tells hers almost entirely through poetry. At first I wasn't sure what to think about the alternating styles--I wasn't sure that I'd be able to get enough of the story to understand what was going on and how the characters interrelated. I was pleasantly surprised at how much McVoy was able to convey about *both* characters, and I admired Becca's voice, in particular, because the poetry was able to perfectly capture her character (deep, profound, skeptical, creative) without over-doing it.
June 5, 2025
I liked this book
Pros
It was an easy read and had a decent plot line
Cons
2nd person 🤮
And the description of this book is not at all what it was
Pros
It was an easy read and had a decent plot line
Cons
2nd person 🤮
And the description of this book is not at all what it was
June 13, 2010
This is a beautifully weaved take on a love triangle type situation, pitched through alternating points of view that are connected in an invisible way. Though it took me a little to really get into the novel, it was well worth it. Camille and Becca have separate lyrical styles, one more prose than the other but it certainly helps paint their overall unique perspectives.
The pacing, first and foremost, is unique and endearing. Some events that are classically elaborated on in most books are instead surpassed here, letting the reader know what happened without going into detail. Things rush unexpectedly before slowing again, helping to create the overall feeling of being overwhelemed with events and unsure how to respond. This particular facet did not come across as choppy, instead drawing the reader in more and forcing attention to keep up with the sometimes rapidly occuring events.
Despite the two points of view, there is little retelling and choppy overlap and changes. These are two separate stories, twined together because of Alec without either girl knowing the other before his actions. Even after said kiss, the two girls remain strangers, showing the mayhem on each side and pitching each in a vulnerable, victim type light without one girl being particularly in the wrong over the other, at least within each perspective.
Though this book is in lyrical form, each girls' personality comes out strongly, creating the overall picture of who they've become over the years, their home life, and their habits and drives. McVoy does a phenomenal job keeping them separate yet together, allowing the kiss to take place early in the book and showing in sometimes great and other times vague detail the aftermath.
The most notable aspect of this book is the manner in which McVoy chose to bring these two girls together, putting them face to face despite what happened and continuing to play the events out. Her final outcome was surprising and beautifully played, as was Alec's ultimate ending of the story. Despite the dual perspectives, McVoy brought forth each girl's mentality and pulled the reader in to them through her strong writing even in a lyrical setting. With the many unique elements added in, even with a commonly used love triangle type premise, McVoy has created something that will stand out and engage the reader.
July 9, 2015
This was one of the most unique books that I've read in a long time, beyond a doubt. I'll confess that I've never read anything written in verse before; I always assumed it would be distancing and gimmicky.
But not a thing about this book was gimmicky. No, everything about the dual narration was intentional and controlled. Camille's second-person narration, for example. There are a lot of ways that you could read it, but I chose to see it as a demonstration of Camille's disconnect from her life. She's so distant that she's not even writing about herself - she's writing about you. Or Becca's free-verse poetry, which comes from the knowledge that her boyfriend, Alec, writes haikus. The narration in general was peppered with honest moments, things that made me acutely aware that Becca and Camille were teenagers, and that they were these particular teenagers. The book was very successfully voicey and stylistically complex, as shown through the narration and McVoy's fantastically crafted characters.
The plot, unfortunately, was weaker. Things moved along pretty slowly - there were a good number of poems that were, while interesting, not particularly relevant to anything, or just repeating a point that McVoy had already made. Nevertheless, this was an exceptionally strong book that I'd recommend to any fans of YA looking for something different, something they haven't seen before. I'm not writing a full review, since the author is visiting my school and I'm thoroughly sick of discussing this book, but this is an underrated gem in the mostly monotonous world of YA.
EDIT: I have now given this book a fuller review, and you can find it on my blog.
But not a thing about this book was gimmicky. No, everything about the dual narration was intentional and controlled. Camille's second-person narration, for example. There are a lot of ways that you could read it, but I chose to see it as a demonstration of Camille's disconnect from her life. She's so distant that she's not even writing about herself - she's writing about you. Or Becca's free-verse poetry, which comes from the knowledge that her boyfriend, Alec, writes haikus. The narration in general was peppered with honest moments, things that made me acutely aware that Becca and Camille were teenagers, and that they were these particular teenagers. The book was very successfully voicey and stylistically complex, as shown through the narration and McVoy's fantastically crafted characters.
The plot, unfortunately, was weaker. Things moved along pretty slowly - there were a good number of poems that were, while interesting, not particularly relevant to anything, or just repeating a point that McVoy had already made. Nevertheless, this was an exceptionally strong book that I'd recommend to any fans of YA looking for something different, something they haven't seen before. I'm not writing a full review, since the author is visiting my school and I'm thoroughly sick of discussing this book, but this is an underrated gem in the mostly monotonous world of YA.
EDIT: I have now given this book a fuller review, and you can find it on my blog.
April 13, 2023
tbh took me a while to get into, but the ending made it better. i was a lil confused, but when am i not. i expected a bit more from this book but it was a cute sweet little book.
June 17, 2010
Becca is a sweet girl who is in love with her long time boyfriend Alec. Alec writes haikus to her all of the time. He is a jock, but the time that they spend together is magical. She honestly can't picture her life without him. Becca is also part of the literary magazine, and when she narrates her part of the story, you can tell the structure of her poems and the word choices that she really cares about structure in her life. She enjoys tasks and goals. After an unfortunate car accident, she is forced to work in a coffee shop to pay off the damage. This pulls her away from Alec, but she figures that things will be alright.
Camille is very guarded. She has moved several times and doesn't allow herself to feel for people because her ultimate goal is to escape to Europe and leave her hectic moving life behind. Her love was in Chicago, and her heart is still badly bruised from having to leave him. Her narration is done in free form verse. There is little punctuation or capital letters. She write more as a stream of consciousness. She ends up making a few friends easily at her new school, and doesn't really think much of the catcher that ends up seeking her out at a party. It isn't until after he kisses her that she begins to think about him more. This kiss leads both girls down a dangerous path. Becca is heartbroken, especially when Camille seems to frequent the coffee shop and not know who she is. Camille withdrawals more from those around her. When she finds out that the savings that she had is just not going to be good enough to go to Europe, her world feels like it is over. Then she finds out that the catcher had a long-term girlfriend when he kissed her and she feels even worse. How can these two young ladies find peace?
This was probably the best book that I have read this year. It's hard to compare it to the Book Thief, but I have a tendency to like novels that are written in verse. I was wrapped up in the novel from the very beginning. I felt like I learned so much about the characters and their heartaches resonated within me. I don't often read a book in a day, and this one I just could not put down. I really couldn't explain how much I enjoyed it. I want everyone that I know to read it. I actually bought 3 copies after I sent it out to the next person so that I would have more copies to let my students read. The mixture of structured poetry to free verse helped me get an immediate sense of the characters, but really the language chosen for each poem was awe-inspiring. I think McVoy might be crazy because this seems like it would take so long to put together, but I will buy all of her books from this point on.
5/5 stars (as if that could possibly be high enough)
Camille is very guarded. She has moved several times and doesn't allow herself to feel for people because her ultimate goal is to escape to Europe and leave her hectic moving life behind. Her love was in Chicago, and her heart is still badly bruised from having to leave him. Her narration is done in free form verse. There is little punctuation or capital letters. She write more as a stream of consciousness. She ends up making a few friends easily at her new school, and doesn't really think much of the catcher that ends up seeking her out at a party. It isn't until after he kisses her that she begins to think about him more. This kiss leads both girls down a dangerous path. Becca is heartbroken, especially when Camille seems to frequent the coffee shop and not know who she is. Camille withdrawals more from those around her. When she finds out that the savings that she had is just not going to be good enough to go to Europe, her world feels like it is over. Then she finds out that the catcher had a long-term girlfriend when he kissed her and she feels even worse. How can these two young ladies find peace?
This was probably the best book that I have read this year. It's hard to compare it to the Book Thief, but I have a tendency to like novels that are written in verse. I was wrapped up in the novel from the very beginning. I felt like I learned so much about the characters and their heartaches resonated within me. I don't often read a book in a day, and this one I just could not put down. I really couldn't explain how much I enjoyed it. I want everyone that I know to read it. I actually bought 3 copies after I sent it out to the next person so that I would have more copies to let my students read. The mixture of structured poetry to free verse helped me get an immediate sense of the characters, but really the language chosen for each poem was awe-inspiring. I think McVoy might be crazy because this seems like it would take so long to put together, but I will buy all of her books from this point on.
5/5 stars (as if that could possibly be high enough)
March 18, 2016
THIS BOOK GAVE ME ALL THE FEELS! It was so nostalgic, tragic, and beautiful!! I give props to this author because 1. it's literally impossible to write an entire novel in just POEMS 2. it's legit impossible to tell a GOOD and ENTERTAINING story in poems. The author accomplished both of these with easee. I read this in one sitting. It was fantastic! I've never read a book written in such an unique manner and I'm so happy I read it! It was hard at first, because I don't like poetry, but I soon got hooked and fell in love with the creative ways the words flowed. The sad parts were even sadder due to the poems and all the emotions were amplified due to the poetry. It really really complimented this writing. I thought it was so sad how Becca and Alec fell apart. I guess they weren't meant to be but I really wanted them to be. Alec just didn't understand Becca I guess. They were meant to be just memories. And Camille was so cute! Especially when she explained how happy she felt helping the animal shelter, you couldn't despise her. She was so innocent and perfect. I loved how their story's intertwined. I just didn't like the ending that much. I can't put my finger on it.. I felt like the ending was really slow but also rushed. It didn't feel like a perfect ending. I wish it were better.
March 17, 2014
It's like watching a train crash. It was a watered down YA version of stream of consciousness that was that bad, you just feel compelled to finish it.
Becca's pov was written in verse style
that i still could handle,
but she was so besotted
and whiny
and clingy.
camilles pov is just lack of punctuation and all the uppercase and lowercase like a whole paragraph of words said in a single breath albeit without really thinking if they are constructive or they just seek to occupy space to make the novel a whole 382 pages which seems much more substantial than having nothing to publish why yes
Becca's pov was written in verse style
that i still could handle,
but she was so besotted
and whiny
and clingy.
camilles pov is just lack of punctuation and all the uppercase and lowercase like a whole paragraph of words said in a single breath albeit without really thinking if they are constructive or they just seek to occupy space to make the novel a whole 382 pages which seems much more substantial than having nothing to publish why yes
June 21, 2011
This is one of the reasons why I read novels in verse. They're all about character and emotion. You get right to the heart of what the main characters are thinking and feeling. The book is written in two voices. Becca is the girlfriend, and she writes in verse. I greatly preferred reading her sections. Camille is the (unwitting) other woman, and she writes in stream-of-consciousness journal entries. Which would be exactly why I didn't like her parts as much. I dislike stream-of-consciousness style writing intensely. But that's the only thing I didn't like about the book.
February 21, 2019
Language - PG-13 (56 swears, 0 "f"), Sexual Content - PG; Violence - G
Camille won't love again after he-who-must-not-be-named. But that was a promise made before she moved to Atlanta and met Alec. Now she regrets not keeping the promise and letting her heart go unprotected, again.
I love that the story is written in poems, but it was hard to read because it was so slow and didn't capture my attention through most of the book. Besides the fact that it was so slow, it was alright and I enjoyed the storyline.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
Camille won't love again after he-who-must-not-be-named. But that was a promise made before she moved to Atlanta and met Alec. Now she regrets not keeping the promise and letting her heart go unprotected, again.
I love that the story is written in poems, but it was hard to read because it was so slow and didn't capture my attention through most of the book. Besides the fact that it was so slow, it was alright and I enjoyed the storyline.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
December 6, 2014
My real rating for, 'After the Kiss,' is 4 1/2 stars. This was the first story I ever read in alternating verse and prose format, but I have to say that I fell in love with it. You could really see the characters (Camille & Becca) progress throughout the plot, emotionally and mentally. I read in a total of four hours. A great quick read!!! And I honestly can relate!!! <3 <3 <3
March 7, 2011
This is
a clever novel
in verse
that captures
deep emotions
using free verse,
wonderful prose
and delicious poetry
A great
character-led
novel.
a clever novel
in verse
that captures
deep emotions
using free verse,
wonderful prose
and delicious poetry
A great
character-led
novel.
Read
December 9, 2016“After the Kiss, This book was a book that any teenage girl would like. Well from my point of view, it was a pretty good book. Filled with drama at points, poetry, and my favorite of all, romance. Looking at this book, made me figure out the reason i bought it in the first place. The cover is so fancy and cute. Its the "in" kind fo style. If you know what i mean. Well about this book. Becca the usual school girl, perfect life, in my opinion the "Movie" life, with a smart good looking jock, with her life, yes that is her boyfriend. His name is Alec. Then theres the girl who moves from place to place, to state to state. Her name would be Camille. Is this story sounded predictable to you already? Because it surely was to me after this point.
Camille is a pretty girl. And as we ALL know, every new girl, thats pretty is the one everyone not only wants to be friends with, but is very attracted too. But Camille being Camille, with all the many moves she has had, shes smart. She knows she cant get attached to things, places, and most of all people. Not just friends, but lets get real, "Boyfriends." And as she is still trying to get over the last, most recient boy she left not to long ago in chicago. So not only is she heart broken from that, but she also hates the place she lives in now. All her want is just to go back to Chicago, and had the life she had there. It seems to me that this book's situation is one that happens in alot of books. And it gets pretty easy to tell what is going to happen from here.
Well the first complication that occurs is just the fact that Becca's boyfriend Alec goes to a private school while Becca goes to a regular public school. They are both seniors, excited to leave the highschool life behind. And no worries about anything that could happen along the way. But of course, Camille goes to the private school where Alec goes. And heres where the twisted, drama, mixed feelings come into play. Camille and Becca dont know each other from Adam, but the apple doesnt fall far away from the tree. The title of this book is After the Kiss, and thats where they got it is from this part right here. Alec surpisingly kissed Camille. Shortly after,Becca gets a message from her best friend saying the news. Becca's everything was Alec. Now her everything is started to be crushed.
While i was reading this book, i found two things interesting. First: It was full of poetry and deep, deep thoughts that were sometimes really hard to understand and get. Second: It was told in two different stories, and two different teenage girls points of view. that was also very hard to get used to. To me it was almost wrote as if it was something that would go in a girls diary. Not just how it was wrote, but the words, and feelings that were in it. So deep and well thought. The way that Camille wrote was more like a regular book setting. Becca's was the opposite and really hard to grasp. But after re-reading the miss concepts a few times, i caught on.
But all and all, i would defiantly recommand this to any girls who are in need of a book to read. This book was really realistic in a way. To me it hit the meaning "everything happens for a reason" it brought to girls who didnt know eachother at all, to meeting, and not having the best first impressions on each other. But they end up as good friends. I rated this book with four stars. it would have almost made five stars, but one thing that kind of bugged me, was how predictable it was. It was kind of the usual movie thing of two girls, one boy. Its either a happy ending, the one who deserves him most gets him, and the other one doesnt. Or they both go their seperate ways. As long as it ends in a happy note, im as happy as a lark! To the point, i do recommand this book. it was very well done.”
I chose those 2 sections because they seemed to be written weird. It might have just been the way she worded it but the grammar was incorrect, from my point of view. The second one that i found was when she used “this book” at the beginning of her sentence. I only found 2 things that i thought was weird because other then the grammar her review was quite good.
Quote #1~ “Maybe she’s pretty in a different way,like a waterhouse painting or a modigliani.”(McVoy)
Quote #2~
“This is the time
--Freya knows--
Someone can come by
And i can do more
Than wave at her like a drowned girl.”(McVoy)
Camille is a pretty girl. And as we ALL know, every new girl, thats pretty is the one everyone not only wants to be friends with, but is very attracted too. But Camille being Camille, with all the many moves she has had, shes smart. She knows she cant get attached to things, places, and most of all people. Not just friends, but lets get real, "Boyfriends." And as she is still trying to get over the last, most recient boy she left not to long ago in chicago. So not only is she heart broken from that, but she also hates the place she lives in now. All her want is just to go back to Chicago, and had the life she had there. It seems to me that this book's situation is one that happens in alot of books. And it gets pretty easy to tell what is going to happen from here.
Well the first complication that occurs is just the fact that Becca's boyfriend Alec goes to a private school while Becca goes to a regular public school. They are both seniors, excited to leave the highschool life behind. And no worries about anything that could happen along the way. But of course, Camille goes to the private school where Alec goes. And heres where the twisted, drama, mixed feelings come into play. Camille and Becca dont know each other from Adam, but the apple doesnt fall far away from the tree. The title of this book is After the Kiss, and thats where they got it is from this part right here. Alec surpisingly kissed Camille. Shortly after,Becca gets a message from her best friend saying the news. Becca's everything was Alec. Now her everything is started to be crushed.
While i was reading this book, i found two things interesting. First: It was full of poetry and deep, deep thoughts that were sometimes really hard to understand and get. Second: It was told in two different stories, and two different teenage girls points of view. that was also very hard to get used to. To me it was almost wrote as if it was something that would go in a girls diary. Not just how it was wrote, but the words, and feelings that were in it. So deep and well thought. The way that Camille wrote was more like a regular book setting. Becca's was the opposite and really hard to grasp. But after re-reading the miss concepts a few times, i caught on.
But all and all, i would defiantly recommand this to any girls who are in need of a book to read. This book was really realistic in a way. To me it hit the meaning "everything happens for a reason" it brought to girls who didnt know eachother at all, to meeting, and not having the best first impressions on each other. But they end up as good friends. I rated this book with four stars. it would have almost made five stars, but one thing that kind of bugged me, was how predictable it was. It was kind of the usual movie thing of two girls, one boy. Its either a happy ending, the one who deserves him most gets him, and the other one doesnt. Or they both go their seperate ways. As long as it ends in a happy note, im as happy as a lark! To the point, i do recommand this book. it was very well done.”
I chose those 2 sections because they seemed to be written weird. It might have just been the way she worded it but the grammar was incorrect, from my point of view. The second one that i found was when she used “this book” at the beginning of her sentence. I only found 2 things that i thought was weird because other then the grammar her review was quite good.
Quote #1~ “Maybe she’s pretty in a different way,like a waterhouse painting or a modigliani.”(McVoy)
Quote #2~
“This is the time
--Freya knows--
Someone can come by
And i can do more
Than wave at her like a drowned girl.”(McVoy)
May 11, 2018
After the kiss is a Romance book. It includes in the title a little romance feeling. Not only that, throughout the book you get two different stories of two different girls and their perspective on life. Camille and Becca are living two different lives without even knowing each other. Eventually, all because of one boy everything will change. Will they battle for the boy? Or will they go separate ways and find someone else?
This book had tons of good strengths. It fully gave you details about the characters, like what they looked like, and how they acted. I like that they always explain to you what’s going on throughout the book. This book has problems that everybody has probably run into once in their life. Not only did they experience it themselves but they probably had a friend go through it too.
What I most disliked about this book was that it switched from two different characters throughout the book. I found it to be very confusing while reading. I didn't like how it jumped a few times from scenes. Like for example being at a party then they switch to the other girl's point of view and then go back and be completely somewhere else. They definitely could’ve explained Alec more. He was like a mysterious character you had to kinda figure out yourself.
The sentence structure of the book was a little crazy. She started her sentences with lower case letters. She used vocabulary words that sometimes I didn’t even know. I could definitely imagine this book. She used scenes from everyday life.
I would recommend this book the teenagers around 14-17 years old. Mostly females because it's a romance book. If your a girl and has had a boyfriend. Or had a friend that has had a boyfriend then this book is for you. There really isn’t any gruesome scenes in this book. Therefore, this book won't trigger any tragic breakdowns. This is a great book I would recommend you to read it!
This book had tons of good strengths. It fully gave you details about the characters, like what they looked like, and how they acted. I like that they always explain to you what’s going on throughout the book. This book has problems that everybody has probably run into once in their life. Not only did they experience it themselves but they probably had a friend go through it too.
What I most disliked about this book was that it switched from two different characters throughout the book. I found it to be very confusing while reading. I didn't like how it jumped a few times from scenes. Like for example being at a party then they switch to the other girl's point of view and then go back and be completely somewhere else. They definitely could’ve explained Alec more. He was like a mysterious character you had to kinda figure out yourself.
The sentence structure of the book was a little crazy. She started her sentences with lower case letters. She used vocabulary words that sometimes I didn’t even know. I could definitely imagine this book. She used scenes from everyday life.
I would recommend this book the teenagers around 14-17 years old. Mostly females because it's a romance book. If your a girl and has had a boyfriend. Or had a friend that has had a boyfriend then this book is for you. There really isn’t any gruesome scenes in this book. Therefore, this book won't trigger any tragic breakdowns. This is a great book I would recommend you to read it!
April 6, 2019
Read for free on RivetedLit.Com April 2019.
One of the worst verse novels I've tried reading. A good message in the end, if you can get through the dull & hard to read book.
I skim read this. Camile's stream of conscience passages with no punctuation or capitals were unreadable. If any thing, I think more unnecessary punctuation & caps with elipses, front changes,l would be more authentic. See Tumblr shit posting lol.
Becca's wasn't much better, just scanned easier. Given she played guitar & sang, I'm surprised more didn't rhyme & flow. Can't say anything about the quality and the poetic emulation but I wasn't a fan overall.
About a third of the book is before the kiss. Not that interesting. Thought about quitting. Then came Becca's crash & the job & getting along w Mom which was alright.
Camile's ~mysteriousness~ about the dude in Chicago & getting away from her parents gave MAJOR SKEVVY VIBES. Thankfully, it turns out to be inoculus.
I wasn't even going to finish it, but the possible revenge plot, the missing money interested me enough. I still skimmed it but I skimmed to the end at least.
It turned out better & more boring than I thought. Impressive 👍
One of the worst verse novels I've tried reading. A good message in the end, if you can get through the dull & hard to read book.
I skim read this. Camile's stream of conscience passages with no punctuation or capitals were unreadable. If any thing, I think more unnecessary punctuation & caps with elipses, front changes,l would be more authentic. See Tumblr shit posting lol.
Becca's wasn't much better, just scanned easier. Given she played guitar & sang, I'm surprised more didn't rhyme & flow. Can't say anything about the quality and the poetic emulation but I wasn't a fan overall.
About a third of the book is before the kiss. Not that interesting. Thought about quitting. Then came Becca's crash & the job & getting along w Mom which was alright.
Camile's ~mysteriousness~ about the dude in Chicago & getting away from her parents gave MAJOR SKEVVY VIBES. Thankfully, it turns out to be inoculus.
I wasn't even going to finish it, but the possible revenge plot, the missing money interested me enough. I still skimmed it but I skimmed to the end at least.
It turned out better & more boring than I thought. Impressive 👍
July 25, 2019
Okay, to accentuate the positive--I really liked reading from multiple perspectives again. It's actually coming one of my favorite aspects of YA novels. I thought it was really interesting to see how sharing one kiss from the same boy can affect two teenage girls who are so entrenched in the situation they begin to emotionally self-destruct until they are able to move on at the end. I thought there were a lot of really random parts of the book that weren't pertinent to the novel, and were a little distracting as I read to try and keep to the main plot. It was written in prose, which was really interesting, but was still a little bit hard to get through. I felt like the story was a lot longer than it needed to be in a way, but was proud of one of the main characters, Becca, to refuse her cheating boyfriend at the end of the book when he wants to get back together with her--I wouldn't either!! Overall, it was an interesting book that combined prose and multiple perspectives to tell the story of two girls caught in a messy love situation with the same boy.
December 27, 2017
Told through alternating verse perspectives.
Becca's boyfriend, Alex, grows distant, as she spends more and more time at her after-school job. Until, he is seeing making out with new girl, Camille. As their relationship ends, Becca attempts to understand why he cheated on her and who Camille really is.
Camille is having trouble in her new town and she finally thinks she is getting friends and a new boy, when Alex kisses her. However, it turns out that he is cheating on his girlfriend, and she cannot cope.
This book wasn't my taste. I thought the plot was surface level and never really got deep enough. The verse didn't fully convey characters and it really wasn't something I responded to. I can see tweens enjoying this book, but it was not for me.
Becca's boyfriend, Alex, grows distant, as she spends more and more time at her after-school job. Until, he is seeing making out with new girl, Camille. As their relationship ends, Becca attempts to understand why he cheated on her and who Camille really is.
Camille is having trouble in her new town and she finally thinks she is getting friends and a new boy, when Alex kisses her. However, it turns out that he is cheating on his girlfriend, and she cannot cope.
This book wasn't my taste. I thought the plot was surface level and never really got deep enough. The verse didn't fully convey characters and it really wasn't something I responded to. I can see tweens enjoying this book, but it was not for me.
April 20, 2019
What a surprising book! I picked it to read for something light after a much heavier historical fiction, without knowing it was written entirely in verse, alternating between the voices of the two girls. At first, I almost dropped it because of that, but I am really glad I didn't. I found it intriguing and captivating, and a very different YA. It was driven by feelings, not action, and I thought it did a great job of getting into the girls' heads and sharing all the pressure and drama of high school relationships, young love, dating, friendships, family, academics, work, college looming, high school ending, finances, privilege, and CHOICES. Growth means choices, and that means pain and joy. Kudos to Terra McVoy for something new, and thanks to Simon and Schuster for the ebook.
August 5, 2021
This book, the story isn’t bad at all, actually turned out fairly decent! The only thing that I had trouble with was how it was written. I get the author was being creative, because it’s written in all poems, and it’s neat how she could tell a story through poetry, but it was actually really hard to read. I wasn’t sure who was saying what some times, where a sentence ended and began, just really confusing. It was interesting just enough to keep me reading to see what happened and it's really not a bad story, kind of annoying how some things, to me, didn’t get resolved, but, yeah. I’ve definitely read easier and more interesting books, but, read it, If you want, or don’t. The world will keep on turning.
April 30, 2020
So I started reading this book, and the most frustrating part is Becca and Camille having their individual parts in this book, as one having paragraph writing which feels more like reading a blog or piece of an essay. And the other character, having more poetic form which is more like a list or something. So I did not enjoy reading more than 10 pages of this book. There were so many grammatical errors in the first 10 pages itself. I am usually not the one who gives such harsh ratings to any book as every book is each author's hardwork and dedication. But this one got into my nerves and could not take it.
March 27, 2025
Not bad
Honestly there were times with the stream of consciousness and the poetry that I thought omg how pretentious but honestly like… teenagers feel so deeply and honestly and it was cool how these perspectives weaved together. I was able to grab a few favorite quotes too and there were little kernels of wisdom that only really time and age can give you, and were given to the characters by way of the author whom you know used this book to do some reminiscing of the perils of first loves and first changes and the precipice of more change and how everything feels permanent until it isn’t.
Not the best book but I’m glad I knocked it off my TBR.
Honestly there were times with the stream of consciousness and the poetry that I thought omg how pretentious but honestly like… teenagers feel so deeply and honestly and it was cool how these perspectives weaved together. I was able to grab a few favorite quotes too and there were little kernels of wisdom that only really time and age can give you, and were given to the characters by way of the author whom you know used this book to do some reminiscing of the perils of first loves and first changes and the precipice of more change and how everything feels permanent until it isn’t.
Not the best book but I’m glad I knocked it off my TBR.
December 24, 2019
This was a tough book to get into, particularly because of the writing technique. Written from two perspectives, one in prose and the other in verse, this book captured the teenage angst perfectly, particularly surrounding first loves. I almost gave up on this one, but was glad I didn’t because it got much easier to follow the longer I read. 3.5/4 stars.
June 19, 2022
The book After the Kiss was nothing like I had expected to be. The writing style is way different and hard to follow because with the poem style and switching between two characters. I wasn’t a fan of it also because it wasn’t very as love story/rom com as I thought it would be. I enjoyed McVoy book The Summer if Firsts and Lasts way more and highly recommended it!
August 12, 2019
Just not my style of book. Picked it up from one of the little libraries in my friends neighborhood. Didn’t really look through it. Could be a good book just couldn’t get through the style of writing. Not my cup of tea.
November 17, 2017
I thought it was a good book, I would recommend it to anyone.
dnf
April 9, 2020DNF @ 19%. I usually love verse, but for some reason I can’t forge any connection to these characters and I’m just not invested enough to keep reading.
May 18, 2020
I think I enjoyed it? Truth be told I have no recollection of this book at all, I only know I read it because it's in my reading notebook...
December 24, 2020
I truly feel indifferent about this book. Why did I finish it, no idea. It was an easy read and I think I would have felt lame if I DNRd. The poetry was nice.
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