3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I am trying to catch up on my NetGalley backlist. Having known someone dealing with these issues, I was made more aware of what it felt like for Andrew growing up in this book. Being someone that really did not feel like them. What Amanda went through after was hard to read as well. Everyone tells you that you should be who you are, but when you are not the person they thought, things change. It is good to know that there are some out there that are accepting, and they can be who they feel like they are supposed to be. There are some issues that can be hard for younger readers to deal with like suicide, depression, rape.

As the first book I have read with a trans main character, this will stay in my mind for a long time. I rated it highly the first time around. I would prefer not to rate it now, as I am unable to seperate the artist from the work and the abhorrent allegations that have come out around three years ago. However, as it is required, I will give it two stars, for giving me a new perspective and forming a connection towards Amanda.

If I Was Your Girl is an interesting read into a world that many do not know about. It showcases a transgender girl who started the first decade and a half as a boy and later had full surgery to become a girl. This alone is a far reach, but the author, who is a transgender woman, does explain that she did that to move the story forward.

It's a look into the struggles that a transgender person may go through, even if they have supportive parents and move to a place that no one knows them.

However, I felt that some of the events that happen to the protagonist are a bit cliché. If the author could have avoided those, I would have given this story five stars. Even with the clichés, however, it is still a good read.It is not exactly a "thinker" but it does deliver the message well to young adults (and older adults as well) about accepting those who may not look like the person that they really are. It also delves into the struggles that transgender individuals must struggle with as they discover who they are and the transition they must make physically, emotionally, spiritually, and societally.

I received this book for free from Netgalley for an honest review.

This book has been on my TBR (to be read) pile for several months, mostly because based on the cover, I needed to be in the mood for another girl lit romance. There is something about this cover that reminds me of a Nazi/Holocaust book, but I cannot place it. So maybe it was a lack of identity that kept me unmotivated to crack it open. For whatever reason, then, despite having access to a digital advanced copy, I let it sit in my Kindle, get published, and start to disappear into the rabbit hole that is my TBR pile.

That was a mistake.

This is the first book I have read by a transgender woman creating a fictional story about a transgender teen who not only has already transitioned, but also passes. She leaves her mother in Atlanta after she gets beaten up to live with her father in a small southern town and try to finish up her senior year. She is coming off of a recent hospitalization after she tried to commit suicide.

The secret of her being trans is not a spoiler. It is in the description and it is in the author's note at the beginning. But the secret, for Amanda, is difficult to keep. She wants to live a real life and hiding her truth from others keeps her from being authentic. The secret then is if she will tell, when and to what consequence.

I like Amanda's angst. I don't know how realistic it is, but if feels authentic. What makes reading so powerful is that it allows us to travel into other worlds and other cultures. Like Atticus says in To Kill a Mockingbird, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. . .until you climb in his skin and walk around in it.

I think the end is a little saccharine. But fiction allows us to suspend the ugly in the world and hold up hope like a beacon. I wish this had a better cover. Maybe one without a girl on it so that Amanda can be exactly how each reader imagines her to be. Otherwise, this is a good start to more stories like this.

This was a wonderful book about dealing with gender identity. I haven't read a book with the main character dealing with transitioning from a boy to a girl. Amanda, formerly Andrew, has moved to a new school and now lives with her dad. I liked the part of the story with Amanda and her dad. Her dad is still coming to terms with now having a daughter. Amanda is making new friends and even has a boyfriend but is terrified her secret will get out. The author did a great job showing Amanda's fears and insecurities.

Loved the characters in the story. About halfway through I was thinking I had predicted the end, but it still surprised me!

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I did not expect I would like this book--though I did read it with an open mind. It is not the kind of book that I generally read, so obviously I did not go searching this topic. I read it for two reasons. 1. The synopsis was emailed to me and it sounded like some real life situations of which I have first hand knowledge. 2. Though I try to be open minded, I find it hard to relate to points of view that I do not thoroughly comprehend. So I thought I could benefit from attempting to understand the situations that I already mentioned. I believe reading this novel was a good first step in accomplishing that.
I think I better understand the tip of the iceberg of emotions that must be a constant rollercoaster specifically for adolescents with sensitive and serious identity concerns such as this. I believe this novel was a very positive version of one possible outcome. Young people's minds can dwell in very dark places, which was definitely addressed but not necessarily the main focus of If I Was Your Girl. In addition to providing young readers hope, I also appreciated Amanda's relationship with God. I think this is another positive perspective that could help rather than condemn adolescents in similar situations. Amanda was very fortunate to have the supports of her family and friends which is too often NOT the case.

I believe that this was a bold and brave book--a story that should be told. I know that is a work of fiction, but maybe it conveys enough truth in human nature at least that it feels real. Sadly, I do not think this novel will have as far of a reach as far as it should. The people who need to read it most will likely never see or hear about it and will certainly never pick it up. For this reason, I cannot recommend it to everyone. I however, got the message loud and clear, however and I know now how lucky most people are.
The sheer lack of empathy from the general public is very unfortunate, but a novel like this will be better accepted in this day and age that any before it.

I would say that this novel was simultaneously hopeful and sad. I am hesitant to say that I enjoyed the book, since it is on such a serious subject, but I did. I found myself empathizing with Amanda as closely as I could comprehend. It was very well written. Thank you to Meredith Russo for writing this novel.

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo was an excellent read. Gender Identity is a issue in our society. I know several children who are struggling to identify their place in our society. It is an issue that crosses so many lines of resistance that many younger transgender students are at risk from bullying, physical and mental abuse.

The main character Amanda is moving in with her father and finishing high school in a new place. The past, full of confusion, abuse and trauma is behind her and she is now ready to live a life as a female. She grew up as Andrew and constantly felt wrong, whether trying to play catch or have friends. The restrictive life left her depression, anxious and unable to face the future.

The story goes back and forth between the present and the past. It is clear that the journey Amanda had been on has been a harrowing one. In the present, she is finding friends, maybe a boyfriend and a whole new world.

I know many will find this book, not to their taste. I would suggest that the poignancy of the story with Amanda and the understanding of her path would allow understanding of the transgender world. If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo is an excellent read.

I think that my middle schoolers would enjoy this book. I found that I had trouble putting the book down. For my students with gender identity questions, this could be a compelling title. That said, I felt that the main character was a little too perfect, beautiful, smart, instantly popular. Her relationship with her father was realistically tense, although, I felt it could have been flushed out more throughout the book. I would have liked to see more character development with all of the main characters as I found them slightly shallow. It was refreshing to have a book where teenagers did not jump into sex and heavy petting at the beginning of a relationship. The plot was predictable, almost from the very beginning, however, this would not be a negative with my middle schoolers. Considering the lack of titles centered on this subject, I would purchase this for my library.

My overwhelmingly impression after finishing If I Was Your Girl is that it is full of sadness.

A coming of age story, a trans teen finds love and friendship, when she least expected it! It is a beautiful book with a beautiful cover and readers other than young readers will also benefit from reading it! I wish I could give more than 5 stars! I highly recommend If I Was Your Girl to anyone interested in YA literature—and to anyone who desires to better understand the transgender community. This well-written novel is an easy read that tackles a difficult subject.

"Anything, anyone, is better than a dead son."

This was quick, fantastic read. I think the main thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is that I wanted MORE from it--more of Amanda's past, more of her emotions, more of her relationships, just...more.

I knew from friends that much of Amanda's physical transition was left out of the book (the author's note also helps bring this into context), so I knew going in that I was simply going to read a story about a teenage girl who is finally living as she has always wanted. That's not to say there aren't problems she has to deal with (or has dealt with in the past), but I really enjoyed reading this as a "I'm a regular girl" story. Amanda deals with the same issues that cisgender teenagers face (finding a homecoming dress, making new friends, being in a new relationship), but we see them with the added challenges of being transgender.

Review also appears on my Goodreads page.

3.5/5 stars

This was such an enjoyable read that I honestly couldn’t put it down and finished the whole book in one night. While it lacked some of the description and depth I was hoping for, I still think it was an incredibly important story.

Amanda has just transferred to a new school, and is just trying to get through to graduation. Most chapters focus on the present as Amanda makes new friends, falls in love, and has the “typical” high school experience. This alone would not have drawn me in, but the fact that Amanda does all of this while struggling with her decision to hide the fact that she is transgender absolutely did. There are chapter interspersed that gave glimpses of Amanda’s past, which is in complete opposition to her seemingly idyllic present.

Although, truthfully, the “ideal high school experience” is not really what Amanda is living. She feels guilt for not being honest with her friends and boyfriend, her father lets his worries for her safety affect the way he interacts with her, and the past still haunts her. When I read reviews that Amanda had too “perfect” an experience, I totally disagreed. Yes, the issues Russo brought up in her author’s note (which factionalized a lot of the tougher aspects like affording surgery) were easy for her, Amanda still dealt with a lot.

I was so glad to see both Amanda’s mom and new friends embrace her so wholeheartedly. Even her dad eventually let his fears take a backseat to his love for his daughter. There are enough stories where trans kids are isolated and abandoned, so seeing Amanda happy gave me faith in society. There are still good, loving people out there. I also loved Russo’s author’s notes and think they added to the story and its honesty. Yes, not everyone transgender person is going to have the same experience, Amanda is just one (fictional) example.

My only complaint about the story is that it felt too short. A lot of major plot points happened in just a few sentences, and I found myself rereading to make sure I didn’t miss anything. These scenes could have been expanded on and given even more depth and emotional weight to the story.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review.

This is the perfect book for someone who wants to diversify their reading experience - a story about a girl who is trans written by an author who is trans. There are a lot of LGBTQ+ stories that are Hard Reads, but this isn’t one of them, and I find that to be one of its strengths.

Seemed overly contrived and pedantic. But it is an important topic