freewings21's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Addiction, and Death
smasson13's review against another edition
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
avokaitotoast's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
reads like a drarry fan fiction but hear me out i mean that as the best compliment ever — gay sports, enemies to lovers, evangelist parents force son to act like them — very very good read !!!
Content Warnings
Minor: Hate crime and Transphobia
crufts's review against another edition
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
When I started reading this book about a trans teenager, I expected the worst. Years of exposure to derogatory, misinformed and damaging trans representation has left me extremely suspicious of any media that supposedly includes a trans character. But The Passing Playbook left me pleasantly surprised!
Our protagonist Spencer Harris is a teenage boy who recently moved schools after being physically threatened for being trans. Concerned for his safety, his parents have gone to the trouble of moving house in order to qualify for Oakley, the most progressive school in rural Wayne County, Ohio. The school even has a "QSA" (Queer-Straight Alliance) club, which would be unimaginable at other schools in the county.
The school may be a progressive dream, but before long Spencer finds himself with two challenges. Firstly, he secretly joins the Oakley boys' soccer team - something his parents would vehemently disapprove of if they knew, due to their fears for his safety. Secondly, he develops a massive crush on soccer teammate Justice Cortes. Oh boy - and moving schools was meant to make everything simpler!
Overall I enjoyed The Passing Playbook (and enjoyed the title pun). It wasn't perfect, but there were no dealbreaking flaws. Actually, the novel got a lot of things right:
- Accurate medical details regarding Spencer's transition. The descriptions of puberty blockers and testosterone HRT were all spot-on. I also liked that.
- Probably the best depiction of an autistic child I've ever seen in a book. Spencer's 8-year-old brother Theo Harris is autistic - a fact I discovered with some trepidation, considering how badly other media handles this. But Theo ended up as one of the best characters in the book. He actually reminded me of IRL autistic friends of mine, although of course like an 8-year-old version of them. This gave me the impression that the author either has first-hand experience or was very thorough with his research.
- Also a superb portrayal of a non-binary person. Riley, a non-binary student at the school, is introduced in such a way that their assigned sex is never mentioned or even hinted at. This contrasts with portrayals of non-binary people in other media which miss the point with "Oh, but are you a male non-binary or a female non-binary?". With the focus firmly placed on who they really are, not what they were born as, Riley's portrayal was a breath of fresh air.
(That's not to say that a non-binary character's assigned sex should never be mentioned in a novel, I just found this really refreshing.)
- And there's a similar nice Bi The Way moment with a minor character.
- Gripping plot with interesting challenges and dilemmas. Spencer's situation has serious stakes behind it (i.e., his physical safety and risk of being ostracized), so I was compelled to see how his story would turn out. The story also hits a number of interesting beats and tense scenes with plenty of conflict.
Now, were there any flaws? Sure - but I'm happy to say that these were (a) relatively minor, and (b) nothing to do with the book's representation of minorities.
- The pacing was fast, as driven by the author's clean, concise writing style. And that's meant to be a good thing, right? Well, sure - but the pacing was also fast during climactic scenes that could have been dramatically slowed to increase tension.
- This felt like a waste, as it seemed that the novel's scenes weren't pushed to their full potential. Spencer would take some risk, and then would receive the reward so soon afterwards that it minimized how much of a risk he'd taken. The lack of negative results to some of these risks also diminished how serious the risks were, e.g.. Another example is .
- There was one instance where the novel does it well, though, which was. I felt this scene drew out the tension nicely. And it had an outcome that was positive, but with realistic imperfections and flaws.
- Relatedly, the ending rushed in very abruptly, leaving a number of plot threads untied.
- Spencer and Justice had particular character flaws that pushed them to the edge of likeability. Justice ran so hot-and-cold that I was constantly getting whiplash, and found it hard to believe that Spencer was still holding a flame for this guy. Meanwhile, Spencer just couldn't understand that Justice, a teenage boy with no financial or social resources, couldn't possibly be expected to.
- I also thought it wasn't too smart of Spencer, whose medical transition and enrolment at a progressive school was due to massive effort from his parents, to throw a tantrum at them because they didn't manage to read his mind and know that he wanted them to tell him. But to be fair, I could also believe that this kind of detail might bother a sensitive, moody teenager.
- The narration of Spencer's reactions to Justice touching him on the arm/shoulder/hand/etc was initially intriguing since it introduced the plot point of the crush. Shivers and goosebumps, oh my! But then it kept repeating... and repeating... and repeating... until I was bored. Honestly, mentioning this two or three times is enough.
- Relatedly, I felt there was a missed opportunity of discussing Spencer's feelings about being trans and gay. Being gay is a huge issue for, yet for Spencer it doesn't even warrant a passing (ha) comment. He literally never even describes himself as "gay".
- This is subjective, but I found it weird how American the book is. I mean, I've read a lot of books by American authors. They've written some of the best English-language books in existence! (Like The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, Fahrenheit 451, Slaughterhouse-Five, Catch-22, The Color Purple, To Kill a Mockingbird, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Death of a Salesman, The Outsiders, and many more.) But this is the first time I've remarked to myself "Wow! This is just so... so... American!"
- Like the specific capitalization of "Black" but not "white" when referring to race.
- Or how Spencer was so quick assume racist intentions from his teachers (e.g.). I think this is due to the higher level of racial tension in the United States.
- Or how Spencer called his dad a "blerd" ("black nerd"), again with the odd emphasis on race.
- Or how weirdly petty Spencer was over social justice topics (e.g.).
- Or the sudden use of unexplained jargon dropped into the narration (e.g. "cisnormativity"). This came off as stilted in comparison to the simpler language in the rest of the novel.
- Or how Spencer asked Justice "You do believe in evolution, right?" It's the kind of question you wouldn't even need to ask in many countries.
- Again, this point is very subjective - it's just something that I found a bit odd while reading.
That seems like a lot of flaws, right? But even so, I still enjoyed the book. I think it laid out its main conflicts well, it had decent characters, it had excellent minority representation, and it achieved what it set out to achieve. Not too shabby.
If you enjoyed The Passing Playbook, I'd recommend the webcomic Check, Please!, which features a gay protagonist in a hockey team.
Our protagonist Spencer Harris is a teenage boy who recently moved schools after being physically threatened for being trans. Concerned for his safety, his parents have gone to the trouble of moving house in order to qualify for Oakley, the most progressive school in rural Wayne County, Ohio. The school even has a "QSA" (Queer-Straight Alliance) club, which would be unimaginable at other schools in the county.
The school may be a progressive dream, but before long Spencer finds himself with two challenges. Firstly, he secretly joins the Oakley boys' soccer team - something his parents would vehemently disapprove of if they knew, due to their fears for his safety. Secondly, he develops a massive crush on soccer teammate Justice Cortes. Oh boy - and moving schools was meant to make everything simpler!
Overall I enjoyed The Passing Playbook (and enjoyed the title pun). It wasn't perfect, but there were no dealbreaking flaws. Actually, the novel got a lot of things right:
- Accurate medical details regarding Spencer's transition. The descriptions of puberty blockers and testosterone HRT were all spot-on. I also liked that
Spoiler
Spencer didn't have (or need) top surgery due to his early medical transition. Depicting trans men with top surgery scars has become a media cliche, even though many don't have them, so this was refreshingly different- Probably the best depiction of an autistic child I've ever seen in a book. Spencer's 8-year-old brother Theo Harris is autistic - a fact I discovered with some trepidation, considering how badly other media handles this. But Theo ended up as one of the best characters in the book. He actually reminded me of IRL autistic friends of mine, although of course like an 8-year-old version of them. This gave me the impression that the author either has first-hand experience or was very thorough with his research.
- Also a superb portrayal of a non-binary person. Riley, a non-binary student at the school, is introduced in such a way that their assigned sex is never mentioned or even hinted at. This contrasts with portrayals of non-binary people in other media which miss the point with "Oh, but are you a male non-binary or a female non-binary?". With the focus firmly placed on who they really are, not what they were born as, Riley's portrayal was a breath of fresh air.
(That's not to say that a non-binary character's assigned sex should never be mentioned in a novel, I just found this really refreshing.)
- And there's a similar nice Bi The Way moment with a minor character.
- Gripping plot with interesting challenges and dilemmas. Spencer's situation has serious stakes behind it (i.e., his physical safety and risk of being ostracized), so I was compelled to see how his story would turn out. The story also hits a number of interesting beats and tense scenes with plenty of conflict.
Now, were there any flaws? Sure - but I'm happy to say that these were (a) relatively minor, and (b) nothing to do with the book's representation of minorities.
- The pacing was fast, as driven by the author's clean, concise writing style. And that's meant to be a good thing, right? Well, sure - but the pacing was also fast during climactic scenes that could have been dramatically slowed to increase tension.
- This felt like a waste, as it seemed that the novel's scenes weren't pushed to their full potential. Spencer would take some risk, and then would receive the reward so soon afterwards that it minimized how much of a risk he'd taken. The lack of negative results to some of these risks also diminished how serious the risks were, e.g.
Spoiler
when Spencer comes out to Justice and his soccer team, there's not a single twinge of doubt or hesitation in any of their responses. It was too good to believe. I think it would better show what a risk Spencer took if (for example) one of the soccer team boys is about to say something idiotic in response but a fellow teammate tells him offSpoiler
when Spencer reads the list of names for the Transgender Day of Remembrance under a rainy sky, but then suddenly: As the last name left his lips, the rain stopped, the sky cleared, and all was calm. - Way too quick to be believable- There was one instance where the novel does it well, though, which was
Spoiler
the climactic scene with Spencer's television interview- Relatedly, the ending rushed in very abruptly, leaving a number of plot threads untied.
- Spencer and Justice had particular character flaws that pushed them to the edge of likeability. Justice ran so hot-and-cold that I was constantly getting whiplash, and found it hard to believe that Spencer was still holding a flame for this guy. Meanwhile, Spencer just couldn't understand that Justice, a teenage boy with no financial or social resources, couldn't possibly be expected to
Spoiler
stand against his bigoted family- I also thought it wasn't too smart of Spencer, whose medical transition and enrolment at a progressive school was due to massive effort from his parents, to throw a tantrum at them because they didn't manage to read his mind and know that he wanted them to tell him
Spoiler
that his Ohio birth certificate couldn't be amended- The narration of Spencer's reactions to Justice touching him on the arm/shoulder/hand/etc was initially intriguing since it introduced the plot point of the crush. Shivers and goosebumps, oh my! But then it kept repeating... and repeating... and repeating... until I was bored. Honestly, mentioning this two or three times is enough.
- Relatedly, I felt there was a missed opportunity of discussing Spencer's feelings about being trans and gay. Being gay is a huge issue for
Spoiler
Justice- This is subjective, but I found it weird how American the book is. I mean, I've read a lot of books by American authors. They've written some of the best English-language books in existence! (Like The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, Fahrenheit 451, Slaughterhouse-Five, Catch-22, The Color Purple, To Kill a Mockingbird, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Death of a Salesman, The Outsiders, and many more.) But this is the first time I've remarked to myself "Wow! This is just so... so... American!"
- Like the specific capitalization of "Black" but not "white" when referring to race.
- Or how Spencer was so quick assume racist intentions from his teachers (e.g.
Spoiler
Spencer was glad that she [the teacher] didn't pick on him. Unlike his white teachers, she didn't expect him to be the Black voice in the classroom, as if he could speak for an entire race. - Uh, what? None of the teachers are ever shown asking Spencer to "speak for an entire race". What the heck?- Or how Spencer called his dad a "blerd" ("black nerd"), again with the odd emphasis on race.
- Or how weirdly petty Spencer was over social justice topics (e.g.
Spoiler
Spencer had been nodding in agreement at what Riley said, but stopped [when Grayson said the bathroom project would look good on a college application]. ... His right to pee safely should trump cis people trying to impress colleges. - I mean, why couldn't you have both? Who cares if Grayson gets a second benefit from the project? For that matter, why do you assume he's cis?- Or the sudden use of unexplained jargon dropped into the narration (e.g. "cisnormativity"). This came off as stilted in comparison to the simpler language in the rest of the novel.
- Or how Spencer asked Justice "You do believe in evolution, right?" It's the kind of question you wouldn't even need to ask in many countries.
- Again, this point is very subjective - it's just something that I found a bit odd while reading.
That seems like a lot of flaws, right? But even so, I still enjoyed the book. I think it laid out its main conflicts well, it had decent characters, it had excellent minority representation, and it achieved what it set out to achieve. Not too shabby.
If you enjoyed The Passing Playbook, I'd recommend the webcomic Check, Please!, which features a gay protagonist in a hockey team.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Minor: Transphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Outing, and Racism
Religious bigotry is perhaps the strongest content warning for this book, as Spencer meets Justice's religious family and learns about their unsavoury opinions.Transphobia, outing, and a hate crime are briefly referenced in a past event and a one-line transphobic comment is made at a distance.
Racism is briefly referenced, especially regarding black/white relations in the United States, but does not actually appear in the book.
The main romantic relationship in the book is not at all explicit and remains firmly PG-rated.
There is no discrimination against Spencer's autistic brother, Theo.
horns_and_ember's review
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
jessnreads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia
beeoe's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? No
5.0
I dont know where to start. The story is simple enough, classic YA. A romantic subplot essential to the genre that got less trope-y as the book continues. I think its my favourite YA book ive ever read. This book has completely changed my point of view on myself and how i should approach my own identity. I think Spencer is one of my favourite characters i’ve read in a books, the sheer relatability of him. Though i dont have accepting parents, this book has given me more confidence to talk about issues that face my community without the shame i previously had. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and i think its stimulated a the start of a fundamental change of my character. (i also really want to get into football now)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Hate crime
booksmoviesandstories's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, and Hate crime
Moderate: Deadnaming and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Drug abuse and Injury/Injury detail
thewordsdevourer's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
a touching, brave, and hopeful story of a trans youth who eventually finds courage to use his relative privilege to uplift and amplify the voices of others w/ the same struggles.
the passing playbook has a cast of well-rounded characters; in addition to the central love interest, i also particularly enjoyed the relationship between spencer and his teammates, coach, and family (special s/o to the autistic rep in spencer's bro), all of whose support for spencer and his identity are esp heartwarming and affecting. the book's also effortlessly diverse in many ways.
while i also appreciate the themes of support, courage, and being true to oneself, i wish the ending was less rushed and the plotline of spencer fighting for his right to play (which comprises a lot of the book's summary) was at least a lil longer. rn it feels too hastily tacked on near the end. and though this is def spencer's story, justice's issues w/ his family and their religious beliefs feel glossed over. no one made a big deal of him not showing up to a game and quitting school, and spencer didnt reach out to him once, which i found weird. nevertheless, this is a touching and immensely important story, esp for queer and trans youth.
the passing playbook has a cast of well-rounded characters; in addition to the central love interest, i also particularly enjoyed the relationship between spencer and his teammates, coach, and family (special s/o to the autistic rep in spencer's bro), all of whose support for spencer and his identity are esp heartwarming and affecting. the book's also effortlessly diverse in many ways.
while i also appreciate the themes of support, courage, and being true to oneself, i wish the ending was less rushed and the plotline of spencer fighting for his right to play (which comprises a lot of the book's summary) was at least a lil longer. rn it feels too hastily tacked on near the end. and though this is def spencer's story, justice's issues w/ his family and their religious beliefs feel glossed over. no one made a big deal of him not showing up to a game and quitting school, and spencer didnt reach out to him once, which i found weird. nevertheless, this is a touching and immensely important story, esp for queer and trans youth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Minor: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
marialenov's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Hate crime and Transphobia