i bought this book from the queer section of a bookstore in Reno, NV, after reading the synopsis; poetic, i know. a long unconventionally written character-driven inner monologue about heteronormativity and gender roles from a trans anarcha-queer is right up my alley. one of the first things you notice once beginning to read this book is that Imogen Binnie (the author) uses no quotation marks. all of the dialogue is basically told through Maria Griffith's own words (e.g. "You're so fuckin' hot, Steph says" from page 3) and it's an interesting but overall impactful choice. it makes it extremely easy to form a bond with Maria right off the bat. the majority of this book takes place through Maria's eyes. i say the majority because 1. we get a chapter from Steph in chapter 27, and 2. in the second half of the book, we meet a new character named James. He's basically a spitting image of Maria pre-transition, and after meeting unexpectedly at a Walmart she makes it her mission to get him to realise he is trans. for a solid few days, because after getting him to come with her to some casino she... abandons him there. and the last line of the book is with James, wondering if theres enough room for him to get head in the back of his girlfriends car. even though this book isn't some Fast and Furious-esque spy thriller, plot points come out of nowhere to the point of whiplash. Maria unexpectedly breaks up with her girlfriend, decides to go on this impromptu roadtrip, and abandons James all out of nowhere.

Binnie has stated that this book is essentially a book about someone who always makes the wrong choice, and is a kind of anti-narrative to the common "trans story" that's prelevant in a lot of media. the stories that are clearly meant for cis people. this book, in that regard, is perfect. i think one of the only things that i didn't like were Maria's antagonistic views on trans masculine people, who she views as having it "better." i dont think it should be taken out of the book or anything, as i think it adds depth to her character and gives us more insight on her relationship to the trans community. it's just kind of sucks having to read that as a masculine presenting trans person. other than that, this book was fantastic and absolutely a staple of my bookshelf.

i'm a sucker for autobigraphies and non-fiction, so this was right up my alley. as someone born in 2003 iCarly was a big part of my childhood, and Sam was always my favorite character. which, is kind of bittersweet considering the amount of abuse she endured in and out of the film industry. i found myself relating to Jennette McCurdy a lot, as someone who grew up really poor and has a strained relationship with my mom. anytime i heard her talk about something her family did to save money, 9 times out of 10 i understood.

Almost Perfect was the 39^th most banned book in 2022, and one of 52 books that was banned (and later unbanned) by the Alpine School District in Utah following the implimentation of H.B. 374 because it contained "pornography." and as someone who has completely read through the book... that's complete bullshit. the main characters have sex near the end of the book, but its not even described beyond their first kisses and general vague descriptions. sex is discussed because, spoilers, teenagers have sex sometimes. this book was not banned because of pornography, but because it's about a straight cis boy falling in love with a trans girl.

having to watch Logan, the protagonist, consistently hurt the girl he supposedly loves is definitely frustrating to say the least. his ignorance around trans people leads him to make so many mistakes it's a wonder Sage (the love interest) even stayed around long enough to become close to him.

If you're going into A Time to Kill because you saw that infamous scene from the movie (like I did), I just want to say one thing: That's not how it goes in the book.