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A review by lennie_reads
Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
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? It's complicated
5.0
"You know what's not fair? Mom telling me I should dress differently my whole life. Me and my friends worrying about some jerk attacking us when we're just out living our lives. Me having to be a girl because no one ever told me there were other options."
This book follows Dean, who is already questioning their gender, after they are cast as Romeo in the school play.
I've read other books with trans characters but this was my first experience of meeting a character as they're still discovering their identity.
I loved being able to go along with Dean for the journey of discovery, self acceptance & coming out. I also found it very informative & helpful you are told about different types of binders, hormones & surgery options through Dean's research.
In the first chapter Dean describes themselves as white which I found refreshing. Often it is *assumed* that a character is white unless stated otherwise. And although the main character is white & it's a book about being trans, there are also multiple occasions where the author points out how different people's experience can be if they're black or POC. Dean's 2 best friends are Ronnie, a gay black guy, and Allison, a bisexual Japanese girl, they also have a skater friend called Jared who is white & straight. The fact that the world treats POC, especially Black people, differently in the US is also mentioned in reference to the Police.
At the beginning of the book Dean is in a lesbian relationship with Zoe & they have plans to go to college in NYC together.
This book deals with some heavy & sensitive issues regarding gender & sexuality within Zoe & Dean's relationship.
It also shows what it's like to not have supportive parents & what that can mean for trans people, especially trans people of colour.
We also witness how Dean is the victim of some intense bullying at school once he come out as trans.
The friendships in this book are amazing & I feel that a big focus for this book is found family & how important friendships are in the queer community.
It's a heavy book but so wonderful and I 100% recommend.
CW: Outing, deadnaming, transphobia, homophobia, violence, racism
This book follows Dean, who is already questioning their gender, after they are cast as Romeo in the school play.
I've read other books with trans characters but this was my first experience of meeting a character as they're still discovering their identity.
I loved being able to go along with Dean for the journey of discovery, self acceptance & coming out. I also found it very informative & helpful you are told about different types of binders, hormones & surgery options through Dean's research.
In the first chapter Dean describes themselves as white which I found refreshing. Often it is *assumed* that a character is white unless stated otherwise. And although the main character is white & it's a book about being trans, there are also multiple occasions where the author points out how different people's experience can be if they're black or POC. Dean's 2 best friends are Ronnie, a gay black guy, and Allison, a bisexual Japanese girl, they also have a skater friend called Jared who is white & straight. The fact that the world treats POC, especially Black people, differently in the US is also mentioned in reference to the Police.
At the beginning of the book Dean is in a lesbian relationship with Zoe & they have plans to go to college in NYC together.
This book deals with some heavy & sensitive issues regarding gender & sexuality within Zoe & Dean's relationship.
It also shows what it's like to not have supportive parents & what that can mean for trans people, especially trans people of colour.
We also witness how Dean is the victim of some intense bullying at school once he come out as trans.
The friendships in this book are amazing & I feel that a big focus for this book is found family & how important friendships are in the queer community.
It's a heavy book but so wonderful and I 100% recommend.
CW: Outing, deadnaming, transphobia, homophobia, violence, racism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Transphobia
Moderate: Body shaming and Deadnaming
Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, Outing, and Suicide
Suicide CW is in reference to a parent's friend in the past