bookswithbront's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Homophobia
Moderate: Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Outing, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Bullying
victinerary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
My first finish for the #TransRightsReadathon 2023: what a beautiful start!
This book addresses so much. First and foremost we get a look inside the mind of Spencer, a trans high school soccer star, as he navigates a new school, complicated family life, and his first crush. Those would be a lot of things to deal with for any kid... but Spencer also has to deal with the daily challenges of existing in a society that can be everything from dismissive to downright dangerous for a boy like him.
We get to see daily choices and actions made by Spencer, his family, and his friends and how differently the reality of those choices and actions effect Spencer. Everything from being able to pass as a boy at school to the challenges of navigating gendered bathrooms and locker rooms, it was definitely eye opening to see the thought behind so many situations most people would just take for granted as being easy.
While this could have just been a book about a trans kid navigating "normal" high school challenges (which would be difficult enough!), the author did a beautiful job of adding so many layers to Spencer's story to help illustrate the additional multi-faceted challenges that so many trans kids face. From growing up in a multi-racial household to having a sibling on the autistic spectrum, we learn how difficult and sometimes invalidating it can feel to interact with loved ones, even in an "accepting" family.
Then we meet Justice, Spencer's crush and fellow soccer teammate. They bond over a shared love of the beautiful game, but Justice comes from a very conservative, religious family who see the LGBT community as sinful. Through Justice and interactions with his family and church, we see how difficult it is for Spencer to separate Justice and his (more open-minded) beliefs from the hateful rhetoric most of his family believes in. Justice is on his own journey of self discovery and acceptance, and the connection between these two is beautiful, and also important to their individual and collective growth.
But don't worry, this isn't all intense emotional journey stuff. Shout out to great side characters like the soccer coach, the school GSA (gay-straight alliance) club, Spencer's rocker best friend, and of course, the boys on the soccer team. They all provide some endearing scenes, and the comic relief.
I hope this book can find it's way into the hands of trans and other lgbt youth across the country because it gives a voice, and a validation, to so many diverse aspects of the queer experience and how challenging it can be, especially in your teenage years. This is a beautiful story about community, love, and acceptance overcoming bigotry. I can't recommend it enough.
Some notes & TWs:
❤️ 🏳️⚧️ Trans MC
🧡 Gay MC
💛 Multi-racial family
💚 Autism rep (family member)
💙 Non-binary side character
💜 Little bit of side character bisexual rep
- TW: un-accepting church culture
- TW: drug use & death (discussion of past event / not current characters)
My first finish for the #TransRightsReadathon 2023: what a beautiful start!
This book addresses so much. First and foremost we get a look inside the mind of Spencer, a trans high school soccer star, as he navigates a new school, complicated family life, and his first crush. Those would be a lot of things to deal with for any kid... but Spencer also has to deal with the daily challenges of existing in a society that can be everything from dismissive to downright dangerous for a boy like him.
We get to see daily choices and actions made by Spencer, his family, and his friends and how differently the reality of those choices and actions effect Spencer. Everything from being able to pass as a boy at school to the challenges of navigating gendered bathrooms and locker rooms, it was definitely eye opening to see the thought behind so many situations most people would just take for granted as being easy.
While this could have just been a book about a trans kid navigating "normal" high school challenges (which would be difficult enough!), the author did a beautiful job of adding so many layers to Spencer's story to help illustrate the additional multi-faceted challenges that so many trans kids face. From growing up in a multi-racial household to having a sibling on the autistic spectrum, we learn how difficult and sometimes invalidating it can feel to interact with loved ones, even in an "accepting" family.
Then we meet Justice, Spencer's crush and fellow soccer teammate. They bond over a shared love of the beautiful game, but Justice comes from a very conservative, religious family who see the LGBT community as sinful. Through Justice and interactions with his family and church, we see how difficult it is for Spencer to separate Justice and his (more open-minded) beliefs from the hateful rhetoric most of his family believes in. Justice is on his own journey of self discovery and acceptance, and the connection between these two is beautiful, and also important to their individual and collective growth.
But don't worry, this isn't all intense emotional journey stuff. Shout out to great side characters like the soccer coach, the school GSA (gay-straight alliance) club, Spencer's rocker best friend, and of course, the boys on the soccer team. They all provide some endearing scenes, and the comic relief.
I hope this book can find it's way into the hands of trans and other lgbt youth across the country because it gives a voice, and a validation, to so many diverse aspects of the queer experience and how challenging it can be, especially in your teenage years. This is a beautiful story about community, love, and acceptance overcoming bigotry. I can't recommend it enough.
Some notes & TWs:
❤️ 🏳️⚧️ Trans MC
🧡 Gay MC
💛 Multi-racial family
💚 Autism rep (family member)
💙 Non-binary side character
💜 Little bit of side character bisexual rep
- TW: un-accepting church culture
- TW: drug use & death (discussion of past event / not current characters)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Minor: Death, Deadnaming, and Drug use
Deadnaming - only past descriptions of it happening, not current Drug use / death - character related to a side character, story told about them but the events do not happen in the book.mxbluet18's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
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? No
5.0
Trigger warnings for The Passing Playbook include: transphobia, bullying, religious propaganda, homophobia and misgendering.
☆
☆
This book has so many important elements to it. It had both open and stealth trans characters, as well as a non-binary character, and gay and bisexual characters.
~
It also showed the importanance of acceptance from a community, as well as how shit passive acceptance actually is for a community. The QSA as well as the principal of the school were accepting until it was inconvenient for them, and it would take more work to make a change. Acceptance shouldn't be conditional, or until it makes problems or makes it challenging.
~
I loved that it showed more than one perspective to the trans experience. How being open can be a benefit, not just for that person but for all the trans people who might come after them. And I liked that it openly said that non-binary people deserve to be able to use the bathroom, and that gender neutral bathrooms benefit lots of people, not just non-binary people.
~
The scene for Transgender Day of Remembrance was really touching for me. The idea of one person saying their names and it echoing around until everyone was saying it felt really special. And it also felt fitting that it started pouring rain as the names were being read out, and it stopping when they were done.
☆
☆
This book has so many important elements to it. It had both open and stealth trans characters, as well as a non-binary character, and gay and bisexual characters.
~
It also showed the importanance of acceptance from a community, as well as how shit passive acceptance actually is for a community. The QSA as well as the principal of the school were accepting until it was inconvenient for them, and it would take more work to make a change. Acceptance shouldn't be conditional, or until it makes problems or makes it challenging.
~
I loved that it showed more than one perspective to the trans experience. How being open can be a benefit, not just for that person but for all the trans people who might come after them. And I liked that it openly said that non-binary people deserve to be able to use the bathroom, and that gender neutral bathrooms benefit lots of people, not just non-binary people.
~
The scene for Transgender Day of Remembrance was really touching for me. The idea of one person saying their names and it echoing around until everyone was saying it felt really special. And it also felt fitting that it started pouring rain as the names were being read out, and it stopping when they were done.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Deadnaming, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use and Death
deadgirlwalking23's review
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Deadnaming and Drug use
smasson13's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I didn't hate this book. I also didn't love it.
Technically, there was nothing wrong with it. A little cliche and as though it was filling up with as many tropes and plot devices as possible. Yet, it was so boring. The characters and writing lacked so much depth and detail.
I was expecting a YA novel and instead got a middle grade or lower reading level. As a result, the pace was slow, detail non existent, and characters were empty and unrelatable.
This might be a great option for a teen who has a lower reading level, like a high interest/low level book, but that might be it's niche.
Technically, there was nothing wrong with it. A little cliche and as though it was filling up with as many tropes and plot devices as possible. Yet, it was so boring. The characters and writing lacked so much depth and detail.
I was expecting a YA novel and instead got a middle grade or lower reading level. As a result, the pace was slow, detail non existent, and characters were empty and unrelatable.
This might be a great option for a teen who has a lower reading level, like a high interest/low level book, but that might be it's niche.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Blood, Bullying, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Medical trauma, and Outing
elwirax's review against another edition
challenging
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Rep- Black queer trans MC, Gay LI, non-binary SC, Black autistic SC, bi SC.
"Whether you come out tomorrow or in five years, or thirty years, I guarantee that the fight will still be going on in some form or another. And I promise that when you join us, we’ll welcome you with open arms.”
This book dealt with many difficult issues namely transphobia, homophobia and religious bigotry but it also chose to focus on moments of queer/ trans joy and acceptance which was such a great message, LGBTQIA+ youth deserve happy stories.
However, this was very clearly a debut, the juvenile writing style often conflicted with some of the more serious themes in this book. Though, I don't think that it was necessarily poorly written as I still enjoyed how easy it was to get into and through the book.
I think that Spencer's crush on Justice was a bit insta-lovey but the romance itself was a slow burn which I was glad for. I though their love was sweet and I appreciated seeing consent especially in a book of the YA category. However, I do think that the victim blaming was an aspect where their relationship wasn't as well represented as it could've been. It was a shame to see Spencer breaking up with Justice over not standing up to his homophobic family. I feel like it could've been handled in a healthier and more sympathetic manner.
The friendship/ family dynamics in this book were good and I was glad that Spencer's teammates not only had his back in football but also outside of it (Macintosh and Coach Schilling were great). I do wish that some of the secondary characters such as Theo where a bit more developed. I though that he was used as more of a tool to make Spencer seem like a better character rather than a person in his own right. Hence, his representation as an autistic individual may not be as authentic as it should have been.
Overall, this was a good book, not particularly memorable in terms of plot but very much so in terms of transgender representation. I'm glad that trans individuals are receiving the representation they deserve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Deadnaming, and Drug abuse
sambesi's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming and Religious bigotry
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.75
- Oh, my heart. I want to hug Spencer and Justice so close.
- This book tackles so much heavy stuff: transphobia, religious bigotry, governmental bigotry, poor allyship and more. Somehow, though, it remained a gentle, caring story.
- I had a hard time buying that Spencer would be quite so oblivious as to why Justice's deep closetedness made him act the way he did, but also, sometimes teens don't see the whole picture, I guess. Definitely still a very worthwhile read even if that bit was a little forced.
- This book tackles so much heavy stuff: transphobia, religious bigotry, governmental bigotry, poor allyship and more. Somehow, though, it remained a gentle, caring story.
- I had a hard time buying that Spencer would be quite so oblivious as to why Justice's deep closetedness made him act the way he did, but also, sometimes teens don't see the whole picture, I guess. Definitely still a very worthwhile read even if that bit was a little forced.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Excrement, and Homophobia
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Racism, Addiction, and Blood
a_libra_library's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
My first book with a trans main character. I liked the story of our MC wanting to join the soccer team, finding a romance but also the laws and hurdles of being a trans student in high school and how that effects students. It made me think of how it effect students in real life and how I as an ally can actually help or advocate. It was a hopeful, inspiring story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Abandonment, Ableism, Biphobia, Cursing, Homophobia, and Transphobia
horns_and_ember's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia
Minor: Bullying, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Medical content, and Outing