A review by gardenstparker
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

I thought this book was cute but a bit fluffy ("fluff" in the sense of filler, not in the fanfic sense). The conflict presented in the synopsis, Spencer not being allowed to play because of his birth certificate, is first mentioned about 63% of the way in so the pacing is kind of weird. I liked Spencer and Justice a lot, they weren't perfect and they got to have their flaws but they never really did things out of outright malice (which is a difference some people can't seem to grasp). I wish we got to know them a bit better, it's good that being trans wasn't Spencer's whole personality but he didn't seem to have a lot of specific traits other than what was necessary to keep the story going (ex. "private," "brave"). The same can be said for Justice. One thing I didn't really get was when
SpoilerSpencer shows up to an event at Justice's homophobic church, which he knows is homophobic, and that Justice's homophobic parents force Justice to attend, and then is shocked at the church being homophobic and gets angry at Justice about it
. There's a minor plot point about Spencer having another trans friend with a moderately large internet following that feels taken straight from Symptoms of Being Human and I Wish You All the Best. On the other hand, maybe it's a good sign for representation that trans YA books are developing their own tropes and cliches that aren't directly related to trauma. This is a nitpick but in some of the soccer scenes a lot of British terms are used (boots and pitch instead of cleats and field). It doesn't really take away from the story, it's just a thing I noticed. Spencer's younger brother is autistic and I loved how he was a full character with an arc instead of just something to complicate Spencer's home life (the bar is kind of on the ground for this one). Speaking of bars being on the ground, Spencer doesn't get sexually assaulted! Lastly, having finished the book I can appreciate how it wasn't super didactic (Spencer verbally explains his identity and experiences to other characters a couple of times but there aren't any page-long breaks in narration to explain things to the audience as though they've never heard of trans people before). Overall, it's cute, it's pretty light, I think it's a good read for early-high school age kids who want books with trans characters that aren't treated like aliens. 
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