Author: Meredith Russo
Rating: 5/5
Summary:
Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school in Lambertville, Tennessee. Like any other girl, all she wants is to make friends and fit in. But Amanda is keeping a secret. There’s a reason why she transferred schools for her senior year, and why she’s determined not to get too close to anyone.
And then she meets Grant Everett. Grant is unlike anyone she’s ever met—open, honest, kind—and Amanda can’t help but start to let him into her life. As they spend more time together, she finds herself yearning to share with Grant everything about herself…including her past. But she’s terrified that once she tells Grant the truth, he won't be able to see past it.
Because the secret that Amanda’s been keeping? It’s that she used to be Andrew.
Review:
I waited two weeks for this to come to me from my library after I saw the day it was released. I read it in two days I think. No, it wasn't the most in depth work of transgender young adult fiction I've ever read, but there was a depth that made it enjoyable.
Amanda is your average girl, described physically as someone many of us females wanted to be when we were growing up. Her secret, is that she wasn't born in the body she craved and she went to drastic measures when she couldn't take being Andrew anymore.
Out of all the characters in this book, aside from Amanda, my favorites are the three girls that embrace her immediately in her new school and prove to be true friends even if they don't completely understand.
I give huge kudos to the author who admitted to being a transgender woman herself and undertaking a writing project like this. It was an amazing read and I highly recommend.
Also, the woman on the cover is transgender and I think she is beautiful.
