Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

26 reviews

jem_carstairs's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

Mixed feelings on this one. I thought it was mostly handled well, but

the scene at homecoming annoyed me a little. I wished Amanda had gotten the chance to tell her own story, and I don’t like that one of her main friendships was wrecked with absolutely no resolution. I hated the handling of Bea’s character. I also wish that her dad’s abuse had been properly acknowledged and dealt with.

Apart from one spoiler, I liked the way friendships were done although I feel they could have been developed a little further. And the romance was hardly more unrealistic than your typical YA romance so whilst it wasn’t anything special, I liked it. It was fine. But to be honest I could have had the book without it personally.

The ending was a bit idealistic in some areas, yet also didn’t have enough resolution for me in others

Overall, I think there are better YA romances, but think the trans rep was pretty good, I really liked Amanda as a character and I enjoyed the friendships. And, if nothing else, it was easy, engaging and fairly enjoyable 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Sexual assault, Medical content, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Rape

azaliz's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

It's a teenage story about a teenage girl coming to a new town and making friends in her new high school, with a twist: she's trans, this is the South, so she's being stealthy.

The story is lovely, she makes fast friends and has lovely relationships 🥰, but there's also really hard moments (transphobia, past suicidal attempts, bullying). It felt right for me to read the story now, but please be careful of your mindset while reading the book. I still recommend it for a realistic book about a trans girl who has a stereotypical highschool experience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, and Outing

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Deadnaming, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Dysphoria

katypotaty0908's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, and Outing

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Dysphoria

Minor: Deadnaming and Grief

bumblemee's review against another edition

emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

Zunächst einmal: Während des Lesens habe ich mitbekommen, dass Meredith Russo anscheinend emotional stark missbräuchlich ihrer Ex-Beziehungsperson gegenüber war. Daher evtl. darüber nachdenken, dieses Buch aus einer Bibliothek auszuleihen oder secondhand zu kaufen, sollte man es lesen wollen.

Das Buch selbst mochte ich gern, es ist eine größtenteils hoffnungsvolle Geschichte, allerdings sind auch einige recht heftige Szenen dabei, die von den Content Warnungen abgedeckt werden. 
Ich war irritiert davon, dass durchgehend Begrifflichkeiten verwendet werden, bei denen sich heutzutage die meisten Mühe geben, sie auszumerzen. Z.B. "transsexuell" statt "Transidentität" oder "transgender" und "Geschlechtsumwandlung" statt "Geschlechtsangleichung". Keine Ahnung, wie das auf Englisch gehandhabt wurde und ob diese Begriffe an der Übersetzung liegen. Vllt liegt es auch daran, dass das Buch von 2016/17 ist, aber ich dachte eigentlich, da wäre es auch bereits so gewesen, dass diese Begriffe als veraltet galten. Nun ja.

Mir gingen manche Sachen ein bisschen schnell, wie z.B. die Entwicklung der Liebesgeschichte zwischen Grant und Amanda, aber ich verstehe auch, dass das der Geschichte an sich zuträglich war, weil es eben um Amanda geht und nicht nur um diese Liebesgeschichte.

Ich kann außerdem nur empfehlen, das Nachwort zu lesen, da die Autorin dort ein paar Dinge aufgreift, über die ich mich gewundert habe - z.B. dass Amanda in ihrem jungen Alter bereits auf legalem Wege eine Hormontherapie begonnen und Operationen hinter sich gebracht hat. Es ist außerdem aufgeteilt in einen Part an cis Lesende und einen an trans* Lesende und ich finde, die Autorin hat mit ihren Worten in diesem Nachwort die Geschichte gut abgerundet.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Outing, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug use

Minor: Rape

d00rframe's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Outing, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Deadnaming, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

emiltoivola's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

It was so lighthearted at firts but then it took a series of dark turns but either way i liked reading this a lot.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, Outing, and Dysphoria

basicallybug's review against another edition

emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

What can I say about this novel? What words exist to encompass how I feel right now. I first bought this book a few years ago, a few weeks after I had come out to my mother as lesbian (which... is a story in and of itself.) I wanted to challenge myself to stay out of the closet, and that started with bringing queer literature home. Life happened, and I didn't get a chance to keep reading. However, as part of my new years resolutions, I elected to read more - starting by finishing books I forgot about. If I Was Your Girl is one of the best books I've ever read, hands down. The plot twist had me floored, with genuine emotions pouring out of me, and the storyline felt natural, not exceptionally rushed in some places while slow in others. As a non-binary reader, it absolutely gave me insight into what life is like for those who grapple with heavier self-hatred than I do, all while keeping me engaged with the storyline, rooting for the characters. I cannot reccomend this book enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Outing, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Biphobia, Drug use, Homophobia, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

mandala_eyes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria

kia_y_k's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Outing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

vanesst's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, and Outing

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Dysphoria

Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Abortion