First things first, any opinion I might have on this book, is from an outsider's perspective. If you think something about this or the book itself is wrong, please point it out.
I loved this book, because it talks about transsexuality but at the same time handles it like your typical contemporary YA. Normalizing it. That's what we need. We need more representation in the media. We need more representation beside gay and lesbian sidekicks. There's a whole spectrum of sexuality between straight and gay that is being ignored and books like this one help putting out there. And I love If I Was Your Girl for it.
I also know that this is the utopian version of what being transgender truly entails. Accepting family and friends. Able to afford the surgery and other treatments. Feminine.
On the one hand, this helps Amanda to be the classic Contemporary YA Protagonist™, she just happens to have been born in the wrong body. But it still brothers me a little. (No that mind happy endings, I rarely read anything without them) I believe a little more struggle would have made it more real. that's why I couldn't give 5 stars.
it's worth mentioning that I love how the characters were accepting (maybe unrealistically so, but that's not the point), but also honest about how they didn't completely understand. The line that truly fot me was "And if I ever do or say anything homophobic or transphobic, y'all just let me know, okay?". That. Is. So. Important. Just because you're okay with it or you're a supporter or even a part of the community doesn't mean that you can't (knowingly or not) do or say something offensive. Please be open to constructive criticism.
Okay, okay. This turned into some rant for the lgbtqia+ community so is time for me to stop.