Between Perfect and Real

Dean Foster is a trans guy, but everyone, including his girlfriend Zoe, thinks he's a lesbian. Then he's cast as an 'untraditional' Romeo in the school play, and he can't keep things to himself any longer.

TW for dysphoria, misgendering, forced outing, transphobia, physical bullying.

I really, really loved this book! I was excited to read a book by a nonbinary author, as a trans person myself, and this book did not disappoint. Between Perfect and Real is a story about coming of age, self realisation, and gender exploration. It captures the emotional rollercoaster of coming out during high school perfectly. It's really emotional. Dean goes through so much in this book, my heart hurts for him. But also, it's so wonderfully positive and show more hopeful. This book brought tears to my eyes. It's the coming out story that I needed as a teen but didn't have, and it makes me so happy that teenagers now have a story like this to read. Dean's journey to his identity feels similar in some ways to mine, and I love that. There are so many different ways to be trans, and I found Dean's story particularly relatable for me. I hope that young people reading this will feel the same as I did.

I think my favourite scene in the book is where Dean and Ronnie try out pronouns in the cafe. It was such a wonderful, lighthearted moment, so realistic to the trans experience, and so sweet and nice to read.

This book tells a really lovely, really important story and I'm so glad that I got to read it. show less

Satisfying story with a balance of bittersweet and feel-good. It it were a song, you'd hear the Stones singing 'Can't Always Get What You Want.' Definitely worth a place in any library caring about providing good fiction and support to LBGTQ teens.

A powerful novel that really shows the journey to self-discovery told from the POV of a trans boy.

*3.5 stars