If I Was Your Girl

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If I Was Your Girlfriend" was covered on the TLC album, CrazySexyCool, released in 1994, and on their FanMail Tour. An illuminating debut guided by hope and overwhelming kindness.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review In 2003, the Jay-Z/ Beyoncé Knowles single, " '03 Bonnie & Clyde" (from The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse) used several lines of "If I Was Your Girlfriend", and Prince was credited as one of the writers. The only thing I disliked about this book, really, was the incredibly dark ending segment. I thought this book was trying to make itself a book for trans readers to relate to and adore, and I felt that way up until the incredibly cruel outing. I will say that it was so obviously the direction the book was going, so it wasn’t really a surprise. And I think this segment was meant as education for cis readers to really understand how awful life can be for trans women, which is really important, don’t get me wrong. But can I be totally honest? It was… really awful to read, and I think it would be even more awful to read for a young trans reader. I don’t mean this in a condescending way at all - I mean, I’m a seventeen-year-old very-out-of-the-closet cis girl, and I think the ending of this was one of the most difficult-to-read endings I have read in my whole life. I honestly cannot imagine reading this as a fifteen-year-old closeted trans girl.

But when she meets sweet, easygoing Grant, Amanda can’t help but start to let him into her life. As they spend more time together, she realizes just how much she is losing by guarding her heart. She finds herself yearning to share with Grant everything about herself, including her past. But Amanda’s terrified that once she tells him the truth, he won't be able to see past it. Okay. The main reason I liked this is because Amanda is written so well. Not to be that weird person who only cares about character development again, but she has suuuuuch a strong character voice. I finished the book kind of in love with her and also empathizing with her so much. Basically, I love Amanda so much. 10/10 would protect her with own body. Bravo to the author for writing this!!! I can't stress how timely and important this book is. We need to show love and compassion for each other. Hate is an evil thing!But here's what I think: in five, maybe ten years time, there will be many more trans books. At that time, I think most people won't feel the need to return to this one. I am glad that it's here, though, as one of the first. A rating cannot summarize how I feel about this book. I'm glad it exists. I am so thankful that we have a YA book with a transgender MC, a transgender author, and a transgender cover model. I want transgender and cisgender readers alike to read about Amanda's experiences.

If I Was Your Girl is real and raw and layered and wonderful." —Alex Gino, Stonewall Award-winning author of George Okay,” I said, nodding. Maybe he was right, but what I deserved and what I could expect from life were two different things. “Thank you.”

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On other levels it is a pretty "typical" teen novel, in the sense that Amanda discovers that she is not the only one with secrets, not the only one living with high stakes should those secrets be uncovered, and the surrounding society is brutal, unforgiving, and slow to change. These truths do not make her life any easier, but does serve to put them in context. After all, she has had to relocate to a small town near Chattanooga from a suburb of Atlanta after experiencing difficulties remaining in the same school after a suicide attempt as well as during her transition. And we all know that the south remains the one of the unfriendliest places for violence toward the transgender community. There have been many instances of violence committed just this year. This is not just general bullying, this can be life or death. Hi, Dad,” I said. The sunglasses made it easier to look him in the face. We both stood rooted in place. Afternoon, Mary Anne,” he said, grinning broadly and waving as he took a seat at the counter. That smile gave me a feeling of vertigo. He had smiled when I was seven and I told him I wanted to try out for Little League. He had smiled when I was nine and I agreed to go hunting with him. I couldn’t remember any other times. “Heard your granny had a stroke. How y’all holding up?”

The song is from a male perspective to a woman, wherein Prince explores the possibilities of a more intimate relationship if he were his lover’s platonic girlfriend and asks if she would open up to him more if he was a female friend rather than her actual boyfriend. I brought my wrist up to my chest and looked down. The identification bracelet said my name was Andrew Hardy. If I died, I realized, Andrew was the name they would put on my tombstone.on another note, i didn’t think the story had to take that turn towards the ending, since it felt more like that part was written to be important rather than anything else. the unnecessarily cruel outing was something that i honestly figured was coming (and from what i can tell, other reviewers have felt the same), but can i be real for a second? as a cis woman that part wanted to make me throw up over and over again, and i don’t think young trans people would love to read about it just because something educational was supposed to come out of it. i do understand where the author was coming from, buti gladly could have passed on that. Remember Bella Swan? Remember that iconic line from that Twilight parody movie: “Wow, you look pretty frigid and boring! Wanna go to prom?”

tw for: rape, transphobia, homophobia, sexual assault, bullying, physical assault, deadnaming and misgendering, forced outing, suicide mentions, explicit suicide attempt The story was amazing, I really like the dual-time aspect because it helped me to understand Amanda a lot more, to see where she's coming from and how much she went through. I have, in some ways, cleaved to stereotypes and even bent rules to make Amanda’s trans-ness as unchallenging to normative assumptions as possible. She knew from a very young age. She is exclusively attracted to boys. She is entirely feminine. She passes as a woman with little to no effort. She had a surgery that her family should not have been able to afford, and she started hormones through legitimate channels before she probably could have in the real world.” Special shoutout to the audiobook narrator for adding to this effect! I don’t know who the hell this narrator is, but she is a Talent. She’s also trans, which I think let her understand the experiences far better than a cis reader might have. And I have an immense crush on her southern accent; I think she might be one of the reasons I fell for this so hard. Go audiobook, y'all.That ain’t possible,” she said. “There ain’t a thing in God’s creation that could undo the love I have for my son.” If I Was Your Girlfriend” is the second single off Prince’s 1987 critically acclaimed album Sign “☮” The Times. That’s nice.” Dad had never been social, but a little voice in my head said he didn’t want to be seen with me. I took a deep breath. “Your glasses are cool.” A necessary, universal story about feeling different and enduring prejudices…full of love, hope, and truth.” — Kirkus, starred review