Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Between Perfect and Real

very sweet trans theatre kid story, felt very reminiscent of like, the show trinkets, but more trans. & it’s nice that there are many queer storylines in television to refer back to, and even more possibilities in literature. though i do agree with reviews that with as many issues that are parsed through in the book via dialogue with other characters or dean’s stream of consciousness, the author could’ve and should’ve found a way to more explicitly present zoe’s experience sensitively.

we were given a window into the perspectives of other primary characters like ronnie’s and jade’s, which was done to fully form the characters And be realistic depictions for people of their identities. yet despite zoe’s conflicting feelings being a *hugely* essential part of the plot, her grappling with her love for dean and her sexuality didn't feel like it was handled in a way that felt like zoe was being written well as her own character (instead of just the romantic lead opposite our MC that disappoints him), let alone as a lesbian. frankly, the lesbian and trans communities (which aren’t two separate things) have gone through this exact scenario too many times (plus this author said they had sensitivity betas, so what gives) for us to have to write about the experience poorly

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yelloweyedbeta's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

to sum it up by the author’s words:
“Queer and trans people everywhere: You are an endless source of wisdom, motivation, inspiration, imagination, innovation, beau-ty, joy, and resilience for me. Were here, and were not going any-where.”

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bruhbruh's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Made me cry

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khakipantsofsex's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

4.0

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kait_sixcrowsbooks's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ALRIGHT a week after the fact, but here we are, lol. And even then…I don’t really know what to say? I just really, really enjoyed this book.

Between Perfect and Real is a book I wish I could’ve had when I was in high school. Granted, I didn’t know I was genderqueer until I was 21 and starting grad school, but I think it may have helped me to at least explore that part of myself a little earlier. The way Dean relates to his transness isn’t the same as mine, but we have some similarities, and frankly it felt a bit validating to see a character in high school share that bit of myself.

And on top of that, I like how Dean was never framed as a perfect character. He’s a high schooler realizing he’s trans and wanting to transition, but not knowing how. He has a girlfriend, he’s trying to get into college, and he’s living with a parent who is trying to shove him into a pre-approved box regardless if that’s what he wants to do. He makes mistakes, but he tries to make the best out of everything. I dunno if I’m framing this well, I just think he’s a well-written character.

But…yeah, this was a wonderful book. I loved the characters, the plot, the themes. It was all great, and I can see a lot of trans kids relating to Dean.

~~More thoughts once I can actually formulate them, but oh my GOD that was a good book.~~

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matheo's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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hildayay's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is one of the best depictions of trans(masc mostly) youth you can find in a book according to me, the trans and queerness in it doesn’t feel forced and I can relate to it a lot. It’s also not based on a bunch of stereotypes (like a lot of other trans books I’ve read), most likely because it’s actually written by a trans writer. However, sometimes I feel like the plot was a bit rushed (might’ve just read it too fast though lol) and the sentences were a bit hard to read now and then. Overall: lovely book!!

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charlotteiisobel's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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