But while that is usually a negative this book uses tropes and cliches for a much grander purpose.

The entire book I knew exactly what was going to happen and it fell pretty much in line the whole way. The basic plot of this young adult novel is simple and predictable. She struggles with whether or not she should ever disclose her history to her new friends and what that means for her identity as a whole, to be a secret many would consider shameful.

She wants to just live her life as the girl she’s always felt she’s been. Unfortunately, that is not the view that most people in a small town in the southern US would take if they were to discover her secret.Īmanda knows that in order to stay safe she needs to keep her secret. As the author put it in her note at the end of the book, Amanda is just an ordinary girl who happens to have a different medical history. The only difference between Amanda and any of the other girls at her new school is that Amanda was born Andrew. She needs to make new friends, figure out who she can trust, figure out who she is and wants to be, and figure out how to date a teenage boy when her dad doesn’t fully approve. If I Was Your Girl is a simple YA story about a young girl who moves to a new school and faces all the traditional perils of high school.

First is the spoiler free review, followed by the spoilers and summary. This review and summary of If I Was Your Girl by author Meredith Russo was adapted from two previous posts.

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo