“If I Was Your Girl” by Meredith Russo is a remarkable and powerful novel that tackles the sensitive and important topic of transgender identity and acceptance; however, the novel is admittingly unrealistic for trans youth. This is especially disappointing considering Russo herself is trans and knows the unrealistic expectations she was setting with the book.
The novel was written from the perspective of Amanda Hardy, a transgender teenage girl, as she navigates the challenges of high school and small-town life while embracing her true self. While the narrative of the book is meant to tell a story to cisgender individuals and help guide the transgender youth, the book sets unrealistic expectations by creating an ideal situation that most transgender youth do not have access to.
The cost of gender-affirming surgery and the time it takes for someone to qualify for said surgery was widely marginalized as Amanda received her surgery without complications right at the age of 18. Russo does make it a point to address the ideals she has set up within the book in her notes. She also alludes to making the novel for cisgender readers and not so much for trans youth.
The plot was great—there were some things that I had learned from the novel and really liked about it. The characters were defined, and the round theme of the novel had good intentions; however, the execution and the misinformation made the process of reading a bit disheartening. Rating: 6/10.
