Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - The Passing Playbook

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The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

30 reviews

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

4.0

Quick, entertaining read! I loved the characters and the rep. Spencer has an autistic younger brother and seeing the support and love, to making accommodations for him healed a part of me 😭 I enjoyed the balance of showcasing the struggles and anxiety around being trans and coming out, while also sharing the joys of having support/a queer community around you!

This is such a sweet sports romance and the first sports romance I’ve ever read! I loved Justice and Spencer’s chemistry as well as the found family aspect they had within the soccer team 🩷

The main conflict mentioned in the synopsis didn’t happen for a long time so my expectations were different going into the book. We don’t see the main issue arise (and ultimately resolved) until the last 100 pages so it led to feeling a bit rushed! I think it’s more accurate to say that the book is about the anxieties around coming out and adjusting to a new school in general, and not just Spencer being benched from playing.

I didn’t love how much telling over showing there was at times especially when discussing the details of the games. I’m not a sports fan and don’t understand the rules/plays so I skimmed those sections 😂 Another thing I didn’t like was it had one of my biggest pet peeves: when a book is set in one country, in this case the US, but the author and therefore characters use the UK terms-stop calling it a pitch (it’s a field) and boots (they’re cleats)?! 😐

Overall it was an enjoyable read with moments that made me smile and cry! I’d highly recommend if you’re looking for a queer sports romance or want to read more books with trans and autistic rep 🩷

TW/CW: bullying (brief references), religious bigotry, forced outing (brief mention), transphobia, homophobia, misgendering (brief mention), child death (brief), drug abuse (brief)

Rep: trans and gay MC and author, non binary side character, Biracial (black/white) MC, Black side characters, autistic side character, bi side character, gay love interest

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honeycupreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Holy shit… this book is so good. I will come back with a better review once my thoughts are in order but GOD this book is so good! #SPENCERFANSTEXAS #JUSTICEFANSTEXAS

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ravenk28's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-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

5.0

This is such a beautiful read about a much needed story that follows a trans boy finding his way in a world that doesn’t accept him.

This book was so sweet in ways that as a trans man moved me to tears. The progression of Spencer as a character was beautiful but also Justice’s growth in an extremely religious family was inspiring.

This book tells the story that so many of use experience.

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shorelinepages's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.25

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

4.25

When I picked this book up I was looking for a tropey high school romance with a bit of cheese, and this book delivered on all fronts. The American high school setting satisfied my nostalgic cravings (think cafeterias, sports games, and biking to school). The chemistry between Spencer and Justice was great; I particularly liked how they started off on the wrong foot, but that they were also clearly into each other. My critique here is that I wanted to know more about WHY they were into each other. I also wanted the tension between them to have been better resolved. But overall their romance was sweet and ultimately happy.

I loved Spencer as the MC! I was fully invested in his story. His bravery in coming out and standing up for himself considering the transphobia in his history (and present), was incredible. Like, I was a mess as a teen, how are these kids doing it? Through Spencer’s character, Fitzsimons demonstrates how being both Black and trans impacts playing soccer. I loved seeing Spencer’s development in realising he wanted to come out again, that the cons of being in the closet outweighed the pros for him personally.

Something I haven’t read a lot about in fiction is religious bigotry, which is a major theme of this book. Justice, the LI, comes from a bigoted religious family so we really get to see “behind closed doors” with this. We also gain insight into the complex situation this leaves Justice in, as he must ensure his personal safety as a gay teen dependent on and at the mercy of the very people who seek to oppress him. Another topic Fitzsimons approached that I was gripped by was the lack of solidarity within the queer community when it comes to marginalised identities. This manifests in Spencer’s QSA not caring to fight for trans rights at their school. It was a great example of how queer people can still have privilege and work consciously or unconsciously to oppress other queer people on the basis of that privilege.

By the way, if you, as an autistic reader, are worried about the autism rep in Spencer brother, don’t be. It was characterised with care. Spencer being a glass child might be a little triggering if you are disabled with siblings, but this is a very small part of the book and I believe it was handled with care and without ableism. On a lighter note, don’t let the soccer focus put you off. I was also worried by this but Fitzsimons included this content in a very engaging way!

So this was a solid read. The reason why I docked 0.75 stars was because of my early critique of the romance, and also because the pacing did get away from Fitzsimons in the last third. It was too rushed and it felt like we needed more time fleshing out the resolution of each plot point. But overall this was a heartwarming and hopeful queer story and I look forward to see what Fitzsimons writes next.

Rep: queer trans Black MC, gay LI, Black autistic SC, Black SCs, East Asian SC

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dogoodwithbooks's review

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4.5

The Passing Playbook is definitely a great book to be reading. Fitzsimmons eases readers into the plot and is able to keep me engage. I really liked Spencer's character development throughout the book. Even though he does have several supportive friends and family, it's interesting to read about how Spencer ultimately finds himself and to stand up for his right to exist. I definitely think that helps add a crucial element to the plot, especially when it comes to the relationship between Spencer and Justice.

If you like sport romances featuring a trans MC or are looking for a book about being able to advocate for yourself, you will enjoy reading The Passing Playbook.

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emca13's review

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hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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freewings21's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.0

This book made me feel several things at once. Some of the writing wasn't really my style but otherwise I really enjoyed this book. I grew up Christian and Justice's experience hit so close to home. I also liked how not everything was wrapped up neatly, contemporary is much closer to real life and I appreciate it when it actually reflects real experiences.

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literarylocd's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-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

3.5

this was cute for the most part. there were some very VERY uncomfortable bits (re: religious bigotry) but yeah easy-ish read and i enjoyed it

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ana_the_frog's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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