finished reading

I'm going to start with the author's afterward: she deliberately wrote Amanda to be fully physically and hormonally transitioned, very feminine, extremely pretty, and always attracted to men. She also writes that whatever the reader's gender identity is, that it's ok. Amanda's story is just a story, not a handbook for transition. The author created a character with universal appeal.

I really liked Amanda's voice. I liked Amanda's friends. And her parents. I will recommend it to my students.

From the publisher:

Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school in Lambertville, Tennessee. Like any other girl, all she wants is to make friends and fit in. But Amanda is keeping a secret. There’s a reason why she transferred schools for her senior year, and why she’s determined not to get too close to anyone.

And then she meets Grant Everett. Grant is unlike anyone she’s ever met—open, honest, kind—and Amanda can’t help but start to let him into her life. As they spend more time together, she finds herself yearning to share with Grant everything about herself…including her past. But she’s terrified that once she tells Grant the truth, he won't be able to see past it.

Because the secret that Amanda’s been keeping? It’s that she used to be Andrew.