A super sweet coming of age YA book with a Black Transgender athlete main character. I didn’t know that was what I needed, but it was!

This really was a classic YA book. Short and sweet but also dealt with plenty of heavy subject matter. It’s a really quick read. You will get so invested in the characters and their stories that the book will be over before you know it.

I loved that Spencer had such a loving support system between his family, friends, and his team and coach. I also enjoyed the scenes that took place during the QSA meetings that showcased some of the phobia LGBTQ+ members can have against each other.

The rep in this book was great and all of the characters were so lovable. This is a wonderful debut novel.

CW: transphobia, homophobia, off-page drug use and overdose

I absolutely adored this book and flew through it--reading it within two days and tearing through the first third in one sitting. Spencer was a deeply relatable main character while maintaining a personality and life struggles unique to him, making him an incredibly enjoyable and interesting narrator. I loved his chemistry with Justice, from their initial abrasiveness to developing romance, and how realistically those feelings unfolded for both of them. The book also engaged beautifully with queer discourse and contemporary issues within and outside of the LGBTQIAP+ community, showing touching moments of solidarity between Spencer and his nonbinary classmate, Spencer and his cishet teammates, as well as lack of empathy from cis queer members of his school's GSA and bigotry from Justice's family and church community. Additionally, as someone who loves soccer and is a loud advocate for more sports books, especially following queer and trans characters, I loved how the games and training were integrated into the book with a balance of technical and casual terms. The physical aspects of the games were always transparent and easy to comprehend, creating dynamic action sequences without losing emotional connection with the characters in the scenes. Overall, I adored this book and cannot wait to recommend it to anyone looking for a heartwarming and dimensional YA contemporary. Really looking forward to supporting more books by this author in the future.

This story is a YA romance, but it's also the story of a trans teen who just wants to play soccer and be a normal teenager. While occasionally the book feels like it's trying a little too hard to teach the reader a lesson and some characters seem like caricatures (e.g., Justice's family), overall this was an excellent story.

Trans teen, Spencer, starts at a new private school after bullying post-transition forced him to leave his public school behind. But in rural Ohio, even the most liberal private school in the county is still a place where Spencer strives to pass, rather than be out. But when Spencer joins the boys' soccer team and starts crushing on his teammate, Justice--from an uber-religious, conservative family--he'll have to decide whether he wants to tell people he's trans or continue to fly under the radar.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book and their backstories. Spencer had a loving, supportive family, even if they did struggle with transition at times; it seemed realistic. I like that we got to see Justice, who managed to be his own person in an extremely conservative household. All of Spencer and Justice's friend and teammates (and Coach) added to the plot and provided color. The book read a little young for someone reading this as an adult, but considering the main characters are only sophomores, I think it was definitely age-appropriate. Would definitely recommend for those looking for a light YA romance, a queer romance, or a book with trans rep.

CW/TW: homophobia, transphobia

Thanks to Penguin Teen for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 8/10

In The Passing Playbook, debut author Isaac Fitzsimmons introduces readers to a shy transgender teen who just wants to be a normal teenager. For fans of Love, Simon, this book, which comes out on June 1st, will have you immersed deep in what it feels like to have a secret and feel like you’re always on the outside.

This book was such a great read! Even though I found it to be on the quicker side, this book was still packed with messages about inclusivity, acceptance, and what it’s like being transgender. I think I would’ve liked more details about what happened to Spencer before the events of the book, but I still liked the way the story flowed. Fitzsimmons also did a great job of showcasing examples of both good and bad coming out experiences seen through different characters.

This novel’s themes, which included being the new kid, first relationships, figuring out who you are, and transgender rights, were all relevant to today’s world and will allow people to either feel seen or feel compassion and understanding for those who deal with these kinds of things in real life. Plus, this book basically takes place on a soccer field! So if you’re looking for a modern sports story, then you’ll love reading about Spencer and the whole Cowboys soccer team!

Overall, this YA debut is fun, reflective, and is a great quick read to add to your TBR this summer (just in time for Pride Month)! Young adult readers will really enjoy this book.

*I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is eye-opening, emotional, and an all-around phenomenal read.
I honestly have nothing in common with Spencer besides the memories of teenage awkwardness and trying to fit in, yet I felt a connection to the character almost immediately. Therein lies the brilliance of Fitzsimons' writing. He creates fully fleshed-out characters that pull you in and take you along for an emotional ride. Not just Spencer, side characters also get a chance to show that they're 3 dimensional, and poor Justice just breaks my heart.
Also of note, this book works as a perfect primer for the sometimes confusing new normal of gender and pronouns and trying to be inclusive but failing to use the right language. It gives voice to the feelings of LGBTQ teens who aren't usually given top billing in stories. I'd recommend it just for that, but props for the story being solid and engaging as well.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Dial Books for the early read!

4.5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for an arc of this book.

After complications at his old school, Spencer transfers to a progressive private school in his conservative town. After making friends and joining the soccer team, Spencer is faced with the decision of staying stealth or coming out as trans.

This book was so cute!!! I just love that we have this amazing queer contemporary with a trans MC who is so confident in himself and his body and has an amazing supportive group of people around him! We need more stories with trans joy like this! I love it so much.

The characters are so great! When the rivalry started between Spencer and Justice, I told myself I wasn't going to like Justice because of the way he was at the beginning of the book...I did not stick to that. His character arc and development were so real and genuine, I couldn't help but love him!

Also, Riley is such an amazing and strong side character! And Spencer's brother is so cute, and his coach is wonderful, and his soccer team is so supportive! I love it so much!

If you're in need of a quick and joyous contemporary, this is the next book for you!

Pub Date: June 1, 2021
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry

Moderate: Transphobia and Homophobia

Minor: Deadnaming

You know how sometimes you just need a sweet YA story to make you feel things? Yeah, this one will do it. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about the characters and hoping they were doing OK (they were — they’re literally static book characters). I got all the teen angst with the romantic elements of this story, but with an added layer of fear at how wrong things could potentially go for Spencer. But I thought the author did a beautiful job illustrating how both he and his love interest, Justice, were “passing” in their own ways. It’s a book with a big heart that does a fantastic job (from what I can tell) with trans representation and I highly recommend picking it up! Thanks to @penguinteen for the eARC!

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons is a story that is both uplifting and hard-hitting at the same time. As a fan of any book about sports, I was excited for this one, and I appreciated the way it exposes the transphobia that exists within this realm, and within many others. The main character is also strong, and there are many nuanced discussions of identity throughout the book. This is an important read, and an empathetic one, that I am sure many will enjoy.

After being bullied at his old school, Spencer transfers to a private school, where no one knows he’s transgender. He gets recruited for the soccer team, makes some new friends, and everything seems to be going smoothly, but, later on, Spencer’s coach discovers that his birth certificate is marked “female.” Spencer has a decision to make–should he stay silent and remain on the bench, or should he fight for his right to play, even if it means coming out?

❀ STRONG MAIN CHARACTER

Spencer is such a strong main character, and I was really rooting for him. I admired the way he isn’t afraid to speak out and stand up for what is right, even though it is difficult, and he inspires others to speak out, as well. He is also a realistic character, and each of his actions feel true to his age–something that is really important to me. I also enjoyed Justice’s character, the captain of the soccer team. He faces his own struggles with being gay in a religious household, but he remains kind, and I loved reading about his relationship with Spencer.

❀ IMPORTANT THEMES

This book has some very important themes, and they are each handled with sensitivity. Spencer and Justice are both at different stages in terms of their identity, with the former passing as a cis boy and living with an accepting family, compared to Justice, who needs to conceal his identity to stay safe. This highlights a certain privilege that comes with passing, but more importantly, the book never presents one as more valid than the other. I also appreciated how the story does not focus on educating readers about being trans, but still discusses important issues that trans people continue to face.

❀ A POWERFUL STORY

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons is a powerful story about standing up for what is right. I enjoyed the sports aspects, and the main character is realistic. While this book is not overwhelmingly heavy, I enjoyed the nuanced discussions of identity and the sensitivity with which each character is written. Those looking for a read that is both uplifting and contains more serious themes will enjoy this one.

The Passing Playbook is a heartwarming story about Spencer, a Trans boy, starting over at a new school and deciding to join the soccer team. Along the way he has to decide who he can trust with his secrets and with his heart and how to stand up for not only himself but also the wider Trans community. I loved this book so much, and particularly loved that it portrayed such a positive and affirming experience both with Spencer's family and his friends and teammates at school. Especially coming up to Pride month in June, it is a great reminder that stories about joy and acceptance can be just as powerful as stories about pain and hardships. I also loved the juxtaposition of Spencer's positive experiences with coming out to his family against the difficulties Justice faces with his own family and how Spencer's experiences affected how he responded to Justice's decisions and choices throughout the book. I honestly think this is an important book for people of any age to read, but it makes me so happy to know that younger LGBTQ+ kids and teens will be able to read this joyous tale of family, teammates, and self-discovery.

This was written a bit younger than I was expecting, but gosh was it wholesome. I flew through it so quickly! I think part of that was the easy writing, but also my heart couldn’t take not knowing what happens to Spencer and Justice!

I loved that this book tackled hard and relevant things, like the challenges Spencer faced playing soccer on the boys’ team, including Ohio legislature, backlash from bigots and general ignorance. But the story was also so hopeful. Spencer had support from his parents, his brother (I cry), his teammates, his coach, and the Queer Straight Alliance at his school. My heart was literally bursting, because queer stories (like queer lives) unfortunately can come with a lot of abuse. While there were instances of transphobia and hate (particularly from Justice’s super religious family), it was like the author was writing a world where trans and queer people are met with more and more love and acceptance. I’m filled with joy and gratitude that younger and older readers alike might find comfort in the pages.

There was also an inner struggle Spencer faced that the author explored: coming out led to bullying and transphobia at his old school, so he felt safer passing at his new school. But passing comes with privilege, and he grappled with how to help the trans community—his community—while staying safe himself. It gives more thought to the idea of staying closeted, of passing, of safety—so many things that trans and queer teenagers deal with that I wish they didn’t.

One issue I had: I can’t speak to the Autistic rep, and I don’t have any Autistic siblings. However, it felt a little weird when Spencer would go from talking about Theo positively to saying his “meltdowns” or behavior could be so bad that it took the attention or focus off of him, so he could do “bad” things and not have to worry about the consequences as much. The author literally writes that Theo is different, not bad, but then goes on to talk about him like he’s a problem. Idk it was borderline an issue at one point, maybe just the way it was worded, but most of the book goes on to focus on Theo’s love of animals, making movies and his keen eye for his family’s dynamics that Spencer did not realize, and their relationship was ultimately really good.

CW: transphobia, homophobia, religious rhetoric, misgendering, addiction/overdose/loss of a child (spoken about as past events)

Say hello to one of my favorite books I’ve read this year 👋🏼 The Passing Playbook was everything and more. So good. So good. It had a way of mentioning struggles while also focusing on joy which was just 👌🏼 Here are my highlights:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🧍🏽Biracial MC with an autistic little brother
🏳️‍⚧️ Bursting with trans joy
⚽️ Easy to follow soccer explanations for those of us who don’t know all the technicalities (me finding out the jersey numbers correlate to the position played 🤯)
🥲 I don’t know if I’ve ever happy cried reading a book before but this one made me tear up.
🥺 this was my face almost the entire time.
🤭 Questionable recruiting practices that reminds me of Schuester in Glee
✝️ Religious expectations
💼 A look at the impact of discrimination and anti-trans laws on trans youth (if I could make this required reading I would)
☝🏼 Standing up for yourself
🥺 A line that destroyed me, “Sort of like being home.” Read it to know what one of the characters is talking about
🤣 A whole lot of funny
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
So in conclusion, buy it. Request it at your library. Read it. The end 😌

eARC provided by Netgalley. All opinions are my own

This book was a one sitting kind of read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and blasted through the 300 page book before I knew it.

"The Passing Playbook" follows trans teen Spencer as he navigates his new school and joins the soccer team, as well as Justice, a closeted soccer player dealing with his unaccepting family, and the goal of getting a sports scholarship.

This book definitely feels like its aimed at a young audience in terms of writing style, but the serious themes addressed in the story might be hard for younger readers. A huge part of the plot revolves around homophobia and transphobia both within and outside of the lgbtq+ community.

The book is fast paced and the romance was absolutely adorable. Also, as a sports romance fan in particular, I loved this book so much. I'm not going to lie, this book was a little bit triggering, especially given that it is marketed as a more lighthearted story, but a lot of that will depend on the reader's personal experiences. For me, Justice's story was pretty hard to swallow.

Despite the few inconsistencies in terms of target audience, I highly recommend picking this book up, and I'm honestly kind of sad its a standalone.

Content Warnings: forced outing (off page, mention only), transphobia, homophobia, homophobia as a result of religion, misgendering

Thoughts and Themes: I was a bit skeptical about starting this book because I don’t really like sports themed books but I’m glad that I kept reading on. There is so much more to this story than just the sports plot line.

I liked so much about this and my feelings were all over the place as I read this story. There are some heartwarming moments that I was just rooting for Spencer and Justice in, and then there were heart breaking moments too. There were moments in which I was angry along with Spencer but then sad for Justice. I just wanted to protect both of the main characters from enduring any harm, and give them the safe space that they longed for.

I liked how this book has being queer and belonging to a religious family. I thought it was good to see how Justice’s family being religious affected him being out and how that went into his relationship with Spencer. This was such a hard thing to read through and recall how my coming out experience was because of my religious upbringing.

I have so much to say about this book and all of the feelings that I had while reading it. This is definitely going to be added to my list of comfort reads as I loved it so much.

Characters: In this book you get introduced to several characters in their interactions with Spencer. You get to meet the love interest, Justice, the coach, another trans student, Riley, Spencer’s brother, Theo, Spencer’s best friend, Aiden, and several of the soccer team players.

I found each of the characters that you meet through this story to be lovable. I really loved the way the soccer team embraced Spencer when he comes out and how unexpected that is. I like how this shows a different side to sport team members, and how transphobia doesn’t have to exist in that space. I thought that was the most important thing that was shown, the book really shows that transphobia and homophobia have no place in sports, and that they don’t have to exist in sports.

I also really loved how supportive Spencer’s family is of him, I like how even if they struggle with the right thing to say or do they still support him. I liked getting pieces of Spencer’s brother in the story and seeing how Spencer tries to take up less space because of Theo being Autistic. I think seeing Spencer navigate being out and knowing how much attention that would bring to his family was good to see because we see him finally think about himself rather than everyone before him.

I really enjoyed Justice as our love interest and as a side character. I thought he was well developed and really liked the complexity he deals with being queer and having religion play a large role in his life. I thought this was really important to see especially as we see that both those identities can coexist, both peacefully but also negatively. I thought it was good to see the contrast between Justice’s families’ beliefs and what he believed. I also really liked how Justice just accepted that Spencer is trans and there was no dilemma with that.

Writing Style: This story is told in third person with a somewhat all knowing narrator. I tend to get frustrated with stories being told in third person but I actually liked this pov for this book. I liked that we got to read about so many different feelings and thoughts. I also liked that we got to follow different characters but I thought it was well done so that it didn’t feel like there was too many things going on.

This was the PERFECT gay disaster book of the summer. I loved the clash of identities and how those opposites were brought together. I loved how inclusive and diverse this book was, the widespread representation of characters across a wide gamut of identities was amazing. The inspiring and lighthearted nature of the story in general was also great to read about. The empathy and love throughout this story made this an incredibly wholesome and loving book!

The Passing Playbook is a book I will recommend to so many of my middle school students! There need to be more trans teen stories told, and this one was told so well!

Spencer is a teenage boy who is starting over at a new school after a horrible incident at his old school. He decides to not tell anyone at his new school he is trans, but that gets messy when he joins the soccer team against his parents’ wishes. He starts a friendship with the boys on his team and maybe more with a teammate named Justice.

Spencer is starting to feel comfortable at his new school and with his new friends, but then a clerical technicality forces his coach to bench him, and Spencer has to figure out what his next steps are. On top of that, Justice’s family is incredibly homophobic and Spencer is stuck between keeping his identity and relationship a secret, and being out and supportive for another student in his schools QSA to fight for more equality in school.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fairly predictable at times, but it was adorable as well. I thoroughly appreciated how not toxic the boys on the soccer team were, and how supportive the coach was. The friendship groups in this book were a breath of fresh air and hopefully will be great representations for teens to read and follow. The family dynamics were also messy but loving. I would love to get a copy of this book for my school's GSA library.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this June 1 release. Spencer is starting over at Oakley Academy in Ohio. When he came out as transgender at his old school, he faced a ton of bullying and is ready for a fresh start. He catches the boys’ soccer coach’s eye in PE class on his first day; he played soccer competitively in his old life, and agrees to try out for the team. The only problems? His parents want him to wait to play soccer. His teammates don’t know he is trans. And he might be falling for one of his teammates. This is perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and will fit well in the middle school library collection. Recommended for grades 7+.

Any time a book makes me actually interested in sports, it deserves a gold medal.

This story was heartwarming and painful and funny and downright adorable all at once.

And it took me far longer than I care to admit to realize the double meaning of the title. Passing, as in passing as cis, but also passing as in, like, soccer. Duh.

Spencer is a black trans boy and also simultaneously a sports kid and a giant nerd. I can only begin to think of the thousands of young readers who will resonate with his character and I'm so happy he exists.

This book deals with a lot of hard-hitting topics beautifully, all while providing a tearjerker love story and making you care so deeply for these teens who just want to be loved and accepted exactly as they are despite the rest of the world not understanding.

I'll admit there were a few moments that felt rushed and a number of lines here and there that I wish had been expanded on or explained in more depth, but overall, the lessons and message of this story come across loud and clear.

Each person's journey in acceptance - both within themself and to the world around them - moves at a different pace, and there is no shame in being two steps ahead or twenty steps behind anyone else. The pressure to conform to societal or familial expectations can be a major roadblock, and ultimately it is up to you and you alone when you are ready to let people know you entirely.

Overall, an excellent debut from Isaac Fitzsimmons and a wonderful story that I will be glad to revisit again in the future.

*Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

This book was really enjoyable to read! It was a quick read that immediately sucked me in, and I couldn't put it down till I'd finished it. The main character, Spencer, was my favorite part of this book; he was such a delight to read about, heartfelt and humorous and sweet. He had a great character arc and lots of growth. I admired his persistence and determination to do what he loved: play soccer. He was also an amazing older brother to his younger brother Theo, and I applauded his bravery in standing up for his beliefs and opinions. He's a character who's impossible to not ​love and cheer for all the way.

​I also loved how inspiring and uplifting this book was. While discussing important topics, especially in regard to discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, this book held a positive tone and placed an emphasis on trans joy rather than suffering. This made for a heartwarming, encouraging read. The author also did a wonderful job of bringing current issues into focus and explaining the problems with them in ways that will help all readers become more understanding and open-minded.

The romance in this book was quite adorable. I really enjoyed reading about Spencer and Justice's interactions and was rooting for their romance the whole time. It was also wonderful to watch Spencer make new friends who accepted him exactly how he is. I especially loved his friendship with Riley; they both helped each other become more comfortable and accepting of themselves and were supportive friends all the way.

I don't want to say that the ending was too easy, necessarily, because Spencer did risk a lot in the end. But it did go quite a bit smoother than I expected. However, it was a very happy and heartwarming ending, and for that I liked it.

Thanks to Penguin for access to this e-arc!

I really enjoyed reading this book! I started it thinking I was just going to read a little bit before I went to bed, and then I got totally engrossed in it and read the entire book in one sitting. It' is on the shorter side so that was part of why it was so quick to read, but it was also an engaging and easy to read story and I absolutely zoomed through it.

I really liked the main character, Spencer, and how realistic of a teenage character was. Spencer made mistakes, and learned from them and grew. I also really appreciated the love interest Justice - the exploration of how he is closeted and can't just come out was great and I actually wish that had been developed even a little further. I think this book could have in general been a bit longer so we could get more exploration and development of the themes present and the characters in the story, but I really loved what was in the book. I felt like there were a few too many pop culture references for my taste in the first couple of chapters, but they weren't as prevalent later on so it didn't bother me too much.

This book dealt with some serious and emotional topics, but it was also so heartwarming. I found myself absolutely grinning at some of what happened (and tearing up at some other things). I loved the team and their support, and I wish we had gotten to see even more of them!

I can't wait to see what else this author writes in the future.

rating: 4/5 stars

Age 14+ (TW: -intimacy, -profanity, -substance abuse, -drug overdose, religious fanaticism, -misgendering, -deadnaming, -death, -transphobia, -homophobia, -religious justification for homophobia/transphobia)
Tropes: enemies to lovers, declaring love in an argument, found family

Pros: This book features such a diverse cast of characters! The main character, Spencer, is a queer, trans, biracial POC who has a younger autistic brother. There are also other POC, trans, non-binary, gay, and bi characters.

There are many very important and relatable topics covered in this book such as the challenges and process of transitioning, what it means to be an ally, lgbtq acceptance, religion’s affect on friendships, how people use religion to justify homophobia, struggles with family acceptance, the harms of gendered clothing, lgbtq safety, coming out, and so so many more.

There were a million times while I was reading when my jaw dropped because something came up that I had never seen brought up in a book before, and could immensely relate to. There are a tremendous amount of things allies and lgbtq members alike can learn from reading The Passing Playbook, whether you are a friend of an lgbtq member, a parent, or lgbtq yourself.

It bring topics to the surface that you would never think of. Everything from being lgbtq, to being a poc.

Fitzsimons did an incredible job of telling a realistic story without sugarcoating anything. Read The Passing Playbook and learn about acceptance, growth, and love.

Cons: Nothing!

•••

My favorite quotes:

“My parents wanted me to wear really gendered clothing because they think that if I show up in some thing too out there, I’ll be a target. I don’t want to wear this [a hoodie] for fashion. It’s more like armor.” - The Passing Playbook, Isaac Fitzsimons

I would recommend this book to everyone!