20 July 2016

If I Was Your Girl


Russo, Meredith. If I Was Your Girl. Flatiron Books, 2016.

Amanda is the new girl in school. She is trying to keep her head down and just survive without drawing any attention or making waves, until she meets Grant. She likes Grant a lot, and finds herself making friends and spending more time with them than she originally intended. But she isn't sure if she can reveal her biggest secret - that she is transgender - to her friends or especially to Grant.

This was an unusual take on a YA story about a trans* teen in that Amanda has already begun HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and had SRS (sex reassignment surgery) before she begins attending this school. Physically she now matches her gender identity, instead of having to go stealth and hope that no one finds out. This is extremely unusual, especially since most doctors will recommend that trans* teens wait until they are adults before having any surgical procedures performed. Other than that, this story didn't stand out from any of the other "trans* teens starting at a new school and hope that no one finds out but of course they do" kinds of stories out there.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: Amanda is outed and nearly raped; teen alcohol use; Amanda attempts suicide
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Almost Perfect, Beast, Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity, Run, Clarissa, Run

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