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maxtiu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Transphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
bittersorbitol's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Outing, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Bullying
Minor: Toxic friendship and Violence
Deals with a lot of realities of being a trans woman, includes details abouteagleshouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The story of Amanda, a trans girl in southern USA, is incredibly important, especially coming from a trans author. The book takes on a difficult topic and faces it bluntly and head on, and goes into detail about her emotions and difficulties in being trans. These sections were brilliantly written, and made me understand and realise things that even I as a nonbinary person had not gotten beforehand.
However, I do have a few issues with the book. First and foremost, it feels very much like a Mary Sue. Amanda seems perfect. She passes perfectly, she moves and immediately everyone loves her, she is fully transitioned at the age of 18, and gets a perfect boyfriend and life. Whilst I understand that this may be the author trying to give a trans person hope that this is an option, it feels very detached from the unfortunate reality, and also creates a pretty boring main story. The story tends to ramble about how Amanda is gorgeous, how everyone is in love with her, how she's an A* student and is homecoming queen. Until the very end, where this is questioned (no spoilers from me!), it creates a bland style of writing that took me a little to power through. Had it not also been about Amanda's struggles as a trans woman, I most likely would have put the book down within the first 10 chapters (there are 33 total).
(SPOILERS AHEAD!!)
Another small issue that I had was the only openly sapphic character being the person to out Amanda purely because she wouldn't get with her. Whilst I understand that Bee was the only one Amanda felt like she could tell due to her also being lgbt+ and a "loner" of sorts, it did feel like it fell into the "bi people are slutty" and "predatory wlw" stereotype as Bee broke up with Cloe (the other sapphic character who was closeted before Bee also outed her) just for a shot at Amanda, who she had known was straight anyway, and had even said she was only dating Cloe because she felt bad for her. Bee also sexually harassed Amanda after she turns her down, kissing her without consent. I know for the storyline to progress, Bee was the only person able to out Amanda, but it still rubbed me up the wrong way.
(END OF SPOILERS)
tldr; the book is incredibly important, showing the story of a transwoman by a transfemme author. However, the story is not without its flaws, and often ends up being bland or falling into a Mary Sue style read. I still reccommend the book, as the sections regarding Amanda's relationship with her gender is poignant and informative from the perspective of an author who understands personally what she is going through.
Graphic: Violence, Outing, Transphobia, and Bullying
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
lindsayhotrod's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Dysphoria, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Violence, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Bullying, and Suicide
Moderate: Deadnaming and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual violence, Drug use, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Classism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
nicholasl_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Transphobia, Bullying, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Hate crime, Outing, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Religious bigotry
cryscries's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Overall I was glad to read this book (finally) and highly recommend if anyone wants to start off reading a book from a trans author.
Moderate: Homophobia, Outing, Transphobia, Rape, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Bullying
Minor: Drug use and Dysphoria
jesikasbookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Nope.
Nope, Nope, Nope, Nope, Nope.
For the first quarter or so I thought this book was underwhelming representation in a YA novel. God, I wish I'd quit still thinking that.
This book is nothing short of irresponsible publishing.
For a book marketed as a light and sweet YA romance, this book is nothing, and I truly mean nothing, other than protracted queer trauma. The main character is trans - not only does this book make her ONLY identifiable 'personality' the idea that she is pretty and trans, it perpetuates harmful misunderstandings of the trans community from the singular need for top and bottom surgery, through the lack of ongoing therapy to the young and apparently extremely quick uptake of accessible surgery.
So in some ways, this book manages to completely gloss over the very real fight transgender people go through to live as themselves in western society, thereby failing to reflect on the ways in which the main character has had to be traumatised at a young age.
What it does instead is focus entirely on the trauma she experiences socially. Her dad continually deadnames and misgenders her. There is a long scene depicting her suicide attempt not from an explanation of how often she has learned her trans friends have succeeded. There is depictions of religious prejudice and societal homophobia/transphobia that culminate in a girl offering to be her friend even though "I think it's a sin"...and the main character THANKS HER. A bi character is shown telling people that all homophones are secretly gay, a disturbing thing to be telling kids in a book, only to progress to publically outing everyone she can think of when turned down by the straight main character. The love interests mum calls the main character a slur, he makes horrendous comments about her gender and genitalia and then offers to stick by her anyway...for which she is endlessly grateful. Her parents allow her to return to a school that has failed to protect her in a community that has harmed her.
I'm so angry. None of this is OK, particularly when none of it is then dealt with. There's no emotional arc or growth or character development here. No one learns anything or meaningfully changes their behaviour, exception only the main characters dad. There is no reflection on the trauma being unacceptable, on the need for change or the need for support and protection of rights. The book just uses trans and queer pain as plot points and acts as though that is acceptable.
And then, in this anger, I looked up the author after finishing the book and I just cannot believe any publisher is allowing this person to speak about their community with a book that includes sexual assault. Horrendous.
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Outing, Hate crime, Suicide, and Sexual assault
lilikamasha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Outing, Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Transphobia
Moderate: Rape, Dysphoria, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Biphobia, Gun violence, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Suicide
queenfury's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Suicide attempt, and Homophobia
Moderate: Hate crime, Sexual assault, Outing, Religious bigotry, and Bullying
michelangelo1987's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Transphobia, Bullying, Dysphoria, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Deadnaming
Minor: Abortion and Adult/minor relationship