Between Perfect and Real

February 15, 2021
Being cast as Romeo in the school play helps Dean realize he's transgender. Now he needs to decide what to do about it. Dean lives in Seattle and has a loving girlfriend, Zoe, and a vivacious best friend, Ronnie. The three have big plans for college in New York City, but first they have one more year of high school. As a senior, Dean finally has a chance at a lead role, and, to his delight and astonishment, he'll get to play Romeo. As far as everyone knows, Dean is a tomboy lesbian, but he comes to realize that he's actually a transgender boy. The plot is arranged into five roughly Shakespearean acts, following Dean's process of self-realization, coming out, facing transphobic bullying, and redefining his relationship with Zoe. The characters ponder a variety of queer-related topics, such as the intersection of race and sexuality (Ronnie is Black and gay; Dean and Zoe are White), toxic masculinity, and the transition of a romantic partner. In a rare and refreshing move, the author altogether avoids revealing Dean's given name--Dean is a shortened version Ronnie came up with years earlier--and does not narratively humiliate or exploit him. Not settling for pat, one-dimensional explanations, the story is honest about the uncertainty, self-consciousness, confusion, and fear that can accompany transition while being validating and supportive of its trans protagonist. An authentic and optimistic trans coming-out story. (Fiction. 14-18)

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March 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Dean has known for a while that he's a trans guy, but he's not out--not to his friends; his girlfriend, Zoe; or his parents, and certainly not to his castmates in the school production of Romeo and Juliet, in which he was recently cast as Romeo. Everyone thinks Dean's a lesbian, and he's intent on keeping it that way until he can get into NYU and escape with Zoe to New York City. But as he gets deeper into his role of Romeo, he realizes that finally being able to perform on stage as a guy might be just what he needs to gain the courage to come out. In this dazzling debut, Stoeve paints an empathetic picture of a coming-out experience populated with lovable, flawed supporting characters. Difficult, raw moments between Dean and his parents--who didn't react well when he told them he was a lesbian--and between Dean and Zoe are offset by his relationships with a diverse found family of compassionate LGBTQ+ friends who support and accept him, a rare gem in young adult literature. Dean's story is tender, emotional, honest, and unafraid to face both the pain and joy of coming out. Through Dean's authentic and hopeful voice, Stoeve expertly crafts a powerful exploration of who we can become when we have the courage to choose our own paths.

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