Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - The Passing Playbook

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The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

15 reviews

markwillnevercry's review against another edition

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

After rereading my review I think it is important that I say that I am a transman, who has autism. Trans rights are important, black lives matter, my review and anger at this book has nothing to do with my opinion on any type of people. This book was bad for me, this book had harmful representation for me, that is all I am trying to say, have a good day.

Actual review:

I didn’t really enjoy this book. I picked it up, because I needed a short book to read during my walks and the audiobook was available from my library. The description says that this book can be seen as a combination of “Love, Simon” (which I watched when it came out, because I was queer, lonely and sad and I never intend on reading it, because the vibes are BAD) and “Bend It Like Beckham” (which I watched during a class) and that is certainly true. In fact, there were a couple of plot points that were almost a perfect mirror of “Bend It Like Beckham”, like

hiding playing soccer from parents and having to risk it for a game

. This was only at the beginning of the story, but it left a sour taste in my mouth, as it felt more than just a reference to a story and more like “borrowing” a plot point. I had some other issues with the story too, some of them felt more important than others, but I decided to just put them in points.

The constant use of the word transgender. At some point I actually had to look at whether or not the author is trans themselves, because it felt like such a weird usage of sanitised language.

Two really big issues:

Trans representation. This book was published in 2021 and it feels like it was written for cis audience. The main premise is that Spencer wants to pass and keep passing. There are reasons that are given for this type of behaviour, like previous trauma, but when you write something it is important to ask yourself what you are trying to bring to the table and how you are trying to bring it.
At the end of the story, Spencer comes out in order to “stand up for those who cannot”, without any conversation about how previously that caused his trauma. For the book that kept focusing on the “ugly” sides of being trans, his coming out goes great and there are no issues, which feels like this part was written for some other book.
I did not grow up trans, I came out when I felt like it would make sense and I never even tried to pass, so I guess it makes sense that this book made me feel extremely uncomfortable, but I am not reviewing this while thinking what would a passing person review it as. Our literature should stop portraying either dystopia or utopia, there should be more focus on what is real and how there is no single experience of being trans.
The romance? It was not good. I am a proud hater of romance books, but I will be honest, I was basically against the main couple actually being a couple. I saw them as friends, as buddies, as literally anything but a couple due to the lack of chemistry between them.

OH MY GOD, ONE MORE

The autistic representation??????? What even was that????? Theo is constantly seen as an issue because of his autism, Spencer constantly talks about it is his responsibility to not cause issues in the family, because his brother is autistic. Theo barely has any say over his actions, as he is just moved from one point in the story to the other and is used as a plot device. This felt terrible to read.

One more, less important thing.

why was there romance between Aiden and Riley??????? I know that there is only 2 year difference, but Riley is a fan of his band, while he plays gig at adult venues and drives a car, why the hell was this a thing

Overall, not a great experience. I was close to giving this a star, but I somewhat enjoyed my time with it, so 2 it is.

Book notes:

“None of them had to worry about getting changed in the locker room or where to hide their tampons in case they started their period.” Ah yes, sorry, I forgot that boys never get uncomfortable about changing with an entire team.

“Spencer stabbed a bean with his fork. His parents might support his transition, but they would never truly see him as a boy.” Why are we presenting such a big issue as teenage angst with just stabbing the bean? Also, why is that the first reason that he settles on with his parents not allowing him into the soccer team? Why not like: “oh, they just do not want me to be in an extremely weird cult like gendered experience as a 15 year old, makes sense”

Bro went to a trans camp and trans support group, this is starting to sound like he will go anywhere as long as they put trans in front of it no matter his interests.

The entire “I cannot stress parents, because Theo is a lot to deal with” situation. Now that we have transphobia, might as well bring ableism in too.

Ooooh, did Justice and Nate have a thing?

The gay and straight (or whatever it is called) club being headed by a cis gay guy is giving terrible vibes. Actually horrendous. I fully expect bro to grow up to be one of those gays that will say “pride is a party, no need to have trans people there, they only bring the mood down”. Also, his name is Grayson, red flag.

Ah yes, the team bonding exercise (there is no reason for it except for romance).

Um, why not just tell the team that you have a medical check up? I am pretty sure that they would not ask about it, if he said that it was important and then the entire conflict would not exist.

Why is he so upset about Justice being there, if he is perfectly aware of how active his family is in the church?

Why is Spencer going to make a press statement on his own? Bro is still a minor and barely knows anything, what if he doxes himself?

Ah yes, I love an adult talking about how the kids are alright and they got it all figured out by themselves, that is a good message :) (god please stop)

so… They only implemented the toilets for everyone, because someone spoke to the press… Ah yes, that is great, we are having one good message after the other here. And there is even “and then they all clapped” scene.

Why is the opposing team transphobic? Why could they not just be upset during the game, yet not transphobic? Are we trying to push that as long as you are an ally you cannot be evil? Is that why Grayson is good, because he is an “ally”?

Why the fuck is Spencer angry at Justice? The fuck did he do? Jesus fucking christ, we do love drama out of nowhere. “I was not at the play, because I was stupid, but your family might literally harm you, how could you not be there?” Jesus christ Spence, other people have issues too and their problems are way bigger than yours.

…y are we having a rights speech on graduation or whatever this is? What does this have to do with the school? I… I did not come here to have the “trans people are people” speech given to me, this feels terrible.

“We’ll do it. We’ll amplify your voice.”... God make this stop. So, Spencer is our trans jesus, because he came out of the closet very publicly and made soccer and school a safer space for him through media blackmail (which might very well not last and end up even worse) and now he is here talking about how this will help with trans rights everywhere? Maybe, just maybe, this was a completely unnecessary part for the end meant to only make it grand, but this was terrible.

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elenushka8's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.75

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its_vendetta's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

3.0

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fanboyriot's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted 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

Read For:

⚽️ Gay Sports

🫥 Hurt/Comfort

🫶 Supportive Family

👨🏽‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏾 Secret Relationship

🤝 Wholesome Friendships

Amazing. Absolutely such an amazing book, the plot, the characters, the relationship, and all the teammates made it wonderful to read.

I was fully invested in this story, it was so wholesome and heartwarming. Spencer’s parents were adorable and doing their best. The coach too was the absolute best. The found family and wholesome family vibes this book had was like a warm hug.

Spencer going for what he wanted in life, finding the right people to be on his side and help him along the way. He had trouble with his old school but his new school had his back, his teammates supporting him, it was all written so well.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5/5)

Release Date: 31, March 2022

POV: Third Person

Spice: 🌶️ (mentioned lightly)

Rep: Black Transmasc (MC), Autism (MC’s brother), Nonbinary (SC), LGBTQIA Characters

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rockythefreak's review against another edition

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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? Yes

5.0

A wonderful read! I wish I had this book when I was a kid. As an adult, there were a few parts I might have cringed or yucked at (I do NOT want to read about teens exploring sexually, no matter how brief) but I think for teen readers, these moments are important and perfectly done.

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emily_mh's review

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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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vlmollylv's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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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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megelizabeth's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

“Listen, here’s the thing: People like you and me are going to have to work a million times harder, be a million times better, and do it without upsetting anybody in order to be successful. It’s not fair, but that’s just how it is."

I thoroughly enjoyed and adored this book. The main character, Spencer, is interesting and feels very real, and I loved getting to explore his relationships and to see him grow as a person. The developments in his relationships with his parents and with new friend/maybe more, Justice, are done well, and I also really loved the friendships he forms with his team members and how wonderfully and non-stereotypically these teenage male friendships are presented.

This isn't an easy read; Spencer and other characters have to deal with a lot of difficult and just awful things, and there are a lot of conversations about such things and about the often unfortunate experiences of trans people and people of colour. I found these themes to be addressed well, though please bear in mind that I'm talking as a white, cis person - I'd definitely recommend checking out own-voices reviews. For me, I found there to be a perfect amount of angst, tension, and drama, coupled with enough hope not to finish the book feeling entirely soul-destroyed and instead to finish it with feelings of bittersweetness and subtle hope.

My only real criticism of this book is that it feels like it's set over too short a span of time. I have no concept of what constitutes a football season, but I got the sense that it's supposed to be set over the course of one, and while that makes sense, to me it meant that everything feels like it's developing a bit too quickly, and I think setting it over the course of a school year would've made things seem more natural. There's also one thing that's alluded to but is never really addressed, and it bugged me that we never get clarification.

All that being said, though, I still absolutely loved this book, and would highly, highly recommend it.

Content Warnings

a_libra_library's review

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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.

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