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The Passing Playbook

The Passing Playbook

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-19 07:51:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Isaac Fitzsimons
  • ISBN：0241401283
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Summary

Love， Simon meets Friday Night Lights in this feelgood LGBTQ+ romance about a trans teen torn between standing up for his rights and staying stealth。

'A sharply observant and vividly drawn debut。 I loved every minute I spent in this story' - Becky Albertalli

Fifteen-year-old Spencer Harris is a proud nerd， an awesome big brother and a Messi-in-training。 He's also transgender。 After transitioning at his old school leads to a year of bullying， Spencer gets a fresh start at Oakley， the most liberal private school in Ohio。

At Oakley， Spencer seems to have it all: more accepting classmates， a decent shot at a starting position on the boy's soccer team， great new friends， and maybe even something more than friendship with one of his teammates。 The problem is， no one at Oakley knows Spencer is trans - he's passing。

So when a discriminatory law forces Spencer's coach to bench him after he discovers the 'F' on Spencer's birth certificate， Spencer has to make a choice: cheer his team on from the sidelines or publicly fight for his right to play， even if it means coming out to everyone - including the guy he's falling for。

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Reviews

Grace W ，

（c/p from my review on TheStoryGraph） 4。5 This was a quick read for sure but a stressful one as well。 Not in a bad way， just in a waiting for things to go badly way。 I don't want to spoil it but also please know that so much of this book is softer than it could have been， and the ending is very lovely。 Parts of it were hard for me as someone with a lot of religious trauma so it's not a full five stars but that's entirely a me thing。 TW for this book include: Transphobia， Religious bigotry， Homop （c/p from my review on TheStoryGraph） 4。5 This was a quick read for sure but a stressful one as well。 Not in a bad way， just in a waiting for things to go badly way。 I don't want to spoil it but also please know that so much of this book is softer than it could have been， and the ending is very lovely。 Parts of it were hard for me as someone with a lot of religious trauma so it's not a full five stars but that's entirely a me thing。 TW for this book include: Transphobia， Religious bigotry， Homophobia， Bullying， Ableism， and Child abuse 。。。more

Jen ，

I really enjoyed the Cute and fascinating story with lovable characters。 It’s a quick and light read too！

Shauna O'Halloran ，

Wow。 What a way to enter the YA book game！The Passing Playbook is the debut novel of Isaac Fitzsimons and I for one will be looking forward to what else they come up with， because this was fantastic。A story about acceptance of yourself and others， while not being afraid to fight for things you can change。 Spencer Harris is a black， transgender teen who just wants to fly under the radar， until he gets pulled into back into the game he loves so much; soccer。 But will his team and the league accept Wow。 What a way to enter the YA book game！The Passing Playbook is the debut novel of Isaac Fitzsimons and I for one will be looking forward to what else they come up with， because this was fantastic。A story about acceptance of yourself and others， while not being afraid to fight for things you can change。 Spencer Harris is a black， transgender teen who just wants to fly under the radar， until he gets pulled into back into the game he loves so much; soccer。 But will his team and the league accept a transgender player？The premise for this story is an all to real scenario and the way it was handled with care and detail was something we need to see more of。 I loved the characters and the representation in this book is plentiful！ Spencer is a great MC， who is not perfect and that’s okay！ He feels like a totally real person and that made him all the more endearing。 While I wish we got to learn abit more about Justice， I did love the background for his character as it added a really interesting layer to an already great storyline。I am delighted I got to start pride month off with this one and i hope others will too。 。。。more

Talie ，

Thanks to Penguin Teen for the arc of this title。One sentence review: I really enjoyed this feel good story of a transgender student who switches schools and has to decide between fighting for his right to play soccer for his high school team or continuing to blend in at his new school。The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons for me feels like a book about transgender joy。 Serious issues and harsh realities are for sure discussed， but the emphasis of this book is about acceptance。 Spencer is a Thanks to Penguin Teen for the arc of this title。One sentence review: I really enjoyed this feel good story of a transgender student who switches schools and has to decide between fighting for his right to play soccer for his high school team or continuing to blend in at his new school。The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons for me feels like a book about transgender joy。 Serious issues and harsh realities are for sure discussed， but the emphasis of this book is about acceptance。 Spencer is a fifteen year old who switches schools after being bullied at his previous school。 As Spencer starts a new year at this new， more liberal， private school， we get the teen experience of how to fit in in a new environment。 Things go sideways for Spencer when the coach of his soccer team requests a birth certificate and issues of gender come up。My thoughts:- This book brilliantly captures Spencer's hopes， dreams， doubts and worries。- While this book is meant for teens， I think it would also be a fantastic read for parents with kids who are transgender。 Spencer's mom is such an advocate for her kid。 And Spencer's dad， while not as perfect as mom， still is a very supportive parent who loves his kid and is there for him。- And so comes my one worry for this book。 Spencer's parents are amazing。 Dad slips up with names and pronouns at the beginning， but overwhelmingly these parents are there for their kid。 And the school they send Spencer to is largely the same way。 I just worry that for teens who don't have this kind of support this might be triggering。 Or it might inspire hope。 I suspect it could vary greatly depending on the person。 This is in no way a criticism of the book， just more of a strange trigger warning I guess。In summary， I really think this is a great book。 It is hopeful while still outlining the reality and difficulties that transgender youth face。 。。。more

Pixie Ware ，

and then everybody clappedQuite predictable and cheesy， not for me

Sharade ，

Loved it！

Vicky ，

THanks netgalley for gifting me an E。Arc of this book。Fifteen-year-old Spencer Harris is a proud nerd， an awesome big brother， and a Messi-in-training。 He's also transgender。 After transitioning at his old school leads to a year of bullying， Spencer gets a fresh start at Oakley， the most liberal private school in Ohio。At Oakley， Spencer seems to have it all: more accepting classmates， a decent shot at a starting position on the boy's soccer team， great new friends， and maybe even something more THanks netgalley for gifting me an E。Arc of this book。Fifteen-year-old Spencer Harris is a proud nerd， an awesome big brother， and a Messi-in-training。 He's also transgender。 After transitioning at his old school leads to a year of bullying， Spencer gets a fresh start at Oakley， the most liberal private school in Ohio。At Oakley， Spencer seems to have it all: more accepting classmates， a decent shot at a starting position on the boy's soccer team， great new friends， and maybe even something more than friendship with one of his teammates。 The problem is， no one at Oakley knows Spencer is trans - he's passing。So when a discriminatory law forces Spencer's coach to bench him after he discovers the 'F' on Spencer's birth certificate， Spencer has to make a choice: cheer his team on from the sidelines or publicly fight for his right to play， even if it means coming out to everyone - including the guy he's falling for。I would class this book as a holiday read。 Its a quick easy read and has a great storyline。， It's very YA and maybe even younger preteen，。 It's a cute uplifting read， I must admit reading it I kept expecting the worst to happen and was happy that the worse didn't happen。 It's a great book to read as it doesn't adhere to the kill the queers' trope。 I love the representation in this book。 We need more stories like this！ I would have loved to have this book to read when I was a teenager。 It gives me hope for future generations that they will see themselves represented in the media that they consume。 。。。more

Megan ，

This book is definitely adorable！ There are aspects that are idealized but that’s part of the appeal。 It’s a quick read and easy to follow。 The story line is cute and hopefully。

Lizzie ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Read this one in a matter of hours and LOVED it！！ So much representation in such a small book and I was so here for it。 I adored the characters， literally every single one of them。 Spencer was such a great protagonist who I loved and rooted for at every moment and his sweet， supportive family were literally the best。 I adored his relationship with his brother and how they're always there to help each other be brave。 And his parents， while not perfect， try their best and mean well and literally l Read this one in a matter of hours and LOVED it！！ So much representation in such a small book and I was so here for it。 I adored the characters， literally every single one of them。 Spencer was such a great protagonist who I loved and rooted for at every moment and his sweet， supportive family were literally the best。 I adored his relationship with his brother and how they're always there to help each other be brave。 And his parents， while not perfect， try their best and mean well and literally love their son with their whole hearts and seriously， every interaction between them had my heart bursting at the seams。And then there's the team。 I cannot express how freaking excited I was that his team was so supportive and instant allies for Spencer。 So many times in queer novels the team always turns against the queer protagonist but this team rallied around him and supported him and it was freaking beautiful。But onto Justice。 Sweet， complex Justice。 I loved him instantly but also was worried instantly upon learning about his family。 Obviously these two were gonna fall head over heels for each other and obviously it was going to end horribly when Justice's parents inevitably found out。 Which， it did。 And their break-up was awful but their make-up was adorable and I'm so glad that Justice got out of that environment and is playing the game he loves somewhere where he can be his authentic self。And lastly， the main point of the plot。 Hell yes， Spencer should be able to play for the boys team and him getting that victory and getting on that field to win the championship game was absolutely everything。 。。。more

Corey ，

As an adult white male cisgender Baptist preacher， I am far from the target audience of this book！ However， Isaac Fitzsimmons did a marvelous job of writing a protagonist that is relatable and easy to empathize with， despite his obvious differences from me。 All of us struggled with high school， puberty， and relationships， and the Passing PlayBook shows us that LGBTQ+ teens are just like the rest of us。。。 Except for their struggles over basic human rights。The book did fall short in many ways。 It As an adult white male cisgender Baptist preacher， I am far from the target audience of this book！ However， Isaac Fitzsimmons did a marvelous job of writing a protagonist that is relatable and easy to empathize with， despite his obvious differences from me。 All of us struggled with high school， puberty， and relationships， and the Passing PlayBook shows us that LGBTQ+ teens are just like the rest of us。。。 Except for their struggles over basic human rights。The book did fall short in many ways。 It came to an end quickly and tied up so many loose ends with so much ferocity I may have gotten whiplash reading the last five chapters。 Sure the part after the climax is called the falling action， but it's not supposed to feel like skydiving。 This book could easily have been 100 pages longer and I would have kept reading it。Finally， while the main characters were dynamic， any Christian character was a wooden stereotype （including the protagonist's love interest）。 I understand these stereotypes exist for a reason， but it gave the book a pigeonholed view that's not going to win support from those who share that faith。 。。。more

brownie ，

- sports- m|m- rep: trans gay black mc， gay white li， bi sc， autistic sc， gender unconfirmed sc using they/ them pronouns， other black characters" Spencer didn’t want to be tolerated。 You tolerated a bad smell。 You tolerated a leaky faucet until it got fixed。 "this book was short and packed in with some memorable dialogues and moments！！the teammates were so supportive， something we dont usually get to see in books， a coach who is understanding of his players （that man has a heart of gold）， and t - sports- m|m- rep: trans gay black mc， gay white li， bi sc， autistic sc， gender unconfirmed sc using they/ them pronouns， other black characters" Spencer didn’t want to be tolerated。 You tolerated a bad smell。 You tolerated a leaky faucet until it got fixed。 "this book was short and packed in with some memorable dialogues and moments！！the teammates were so supportive， something we dont usually get to see in books， a coach who is understanding of his players （that man has a heart of gold）， and there is also a reliable friend who supports spencer no matter what！！spencer is a passionate protagonist although there were times when he came off too insensitive and i will admit that i was a bit confused with what the author was trying to do with justice in the beginning of the story。 the book felt a bit rushed in the end， the issues werent entirely solved by the end of the book but there is hope that it will be in the future。 i would also have loved to see these kids interact on the field， i feel like we were robbed off it 😩lastly i would recommend this book to you if you are looking for a short， quick read featuring sports！！！tw: transphobia， homophobia， racist remarks。 。。。more

Lisa ，

Spencer starts a new private school without anyone knowing he's transgender。 He copes with a budding relationship， wanting to be on the soccer team， and needing to stand up for transgender rights。 Great diverse representation and depiction of what it's like to be a transgender teen - especially when the needed support is there。 Spencer starts a new private school without anyone knowing he's transgender。 He copes with a budding relationship， wanting to be on the soccer team， and needing to stand up for transgender rights。 Great diverse representation and depiction of what it's like to be a transgender teen - especially when the needed support is there。 。。。more

Lizzy （reviewsshewrote） ，

This was so sweet and THEO IS MY HERO

Shelby （Grace with Books） ，

The Passing Playbook is a story about a trans teen who wants to play soccer at his new school but must decide whether or not to stand up for his right to play or live the rest of his life in the background。 I thought this was a fantastic debut novel， it is not often you see an LGBTQ+ sports romance。 As an avid fan and former soccer player， I loved getting to see Spencer pursue his dreams of playing。 I thought the romance was pretty good， the other love interest， Justice， is from an ultra-religio The Passing Playbook is a story about a trans teen who wants to play soccer at his new school but must decide whether or not to stand up for his right to play or live the rest of his life in the background。 I thought this was a fantastic debut novel， it is not often you see an LGBTQ+ sports romance。 As an avid fan and former soccer player， I loved getting to see Spencer pursue his dreams of playing。 I thought the romance was pretty good， the other love interest， Justice， is from an ultra-religious and conservative family which caused a lot of friction in their relationship。 Overall this was a nice， quick， heartfelt read that was different than other LGBTQ+ books I've read in the past！ 。。。more

Sophie M ，

I received an advanced physical copy of The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons for free in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour organised by Pride Book Tours。 Thank you so much to Isaac， Penguin Platform and Pride Book Tours for having me on the tour！ In The Passing Playbook we follow our protagonist Spencer， a transgender fifteen year old， as he is about to embark on a new school after facing life threatening bullying at his old school。 He wants to keep his head down and not d I received an advanced physical copy of The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons for free in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour organised by Pride Book Tours。 Thank you so much to Isaac， Penguin Platform and Pride Book Tours for having me on the tour！ In The Passing Playbook we follow our protagonist Spencer， a transgender fifteen year old， as he is about to embark on a new school after facing life threatening bullying at his old school。 He wants to keep his head down and not draw any attention to himself when he suddenly gets roped into playing for the football team。 However when a discriminatory law benches Spencer， he realises that he needs to fight it and may even find love on the way。 I absolutely loved Spencer as a character！ He was such an engaging， brave and witty main character！ I felt instantly connected to him and I loved watching him become more confident and stand up for himself especially with his family， friends and even the law！ As soon as I picked up this book I knew it was going to be special and I devoured and adored it！ I finished the book in a day and it was so brilliant it has quickly become one of my favourite reads of the year so far！ The Passing Playbook is a book you can't put down and believe me you won't want to！ Another aspect I loved about the book was how it gave me tools to be a better ally to the transgender community。 I will always strive to learn and better educate myself and I am so grateful to the author for helping me on my journey！ This is a book that I will definitely be rereading and one that I think everybody should have！ The Passing Playbook is a story of love， friendship， learning how to open yourself up to others and fighting for what you believe in。 An absolutely incredible read， thank you so much for the opportunity to be on this tour！ 。。。more

Aiden Thomas ，

With a sweet romance on the backdrop of high school， soccer and first loves， THE PASSING PLAYBOOK is a big heart of a book about how acts of courage — both small and large — can be so empowering。 Fitzsimons explores complicated relationships and family dynamics that many trans and queer kids experience with care。 While this book doesn’t shy away from heavy topics and hard conversations， it’ll leave readers feeling both loved and hopeful。

Lilyleia78 ，

Finally a book a genuinely enjoyed！ It was funny and cute but also fast-paced and unafraid to cover more serious topics。 A great reas！

Trigger Warning Database ，

Trigger & Content Warningsreligious homomisiaTransmisiaMisgenderingOverdose mentionedDeath of a child mentionedBullying recounted

Barbara ，

This important addition to the YA canon of trans literature is a 3。5 for me。 Not so long ago， middle grade and high school readers would be hard pressed to find a book featuring a trans character。 That isn't the case any longer， and the world is better for that fact。 In this novel， fifteen-year-old Spencer Harris has recently changed schools to progressive Oakley High School in rural Ohio。 Spencer has recently started hormone therapy and is a soccer fanatic。 Not only does he have soccer posters This important addition to the YA canon of trans literature is a 3。5 for me。 Not so long ago， middle grade and high school readers would be hard pressed to find a book featuring a trans character。 That isn't the case any longer， and the world is better for that fact。 In this novel， fifteen-year-old Spencer Harris has recently changed schools to progressive Oakley High School in rural Ohio。 Spencer has recently started hormone therapy and is a soccer fanatic。 Not only does he have soccer posters plastered all over his bedroom wall， but he loves the sport despite his own short stature [five foot two inches]。 When an incident during physical education class brings Spencer to the attention of the soccer coach， he tries out for the team and makes it。 But he keeps this a secret from his parents who are a bit overprotective and concerned that he will be injured by the larger players。 Spencer's parents are supportive and try to do their best for him even when they learn what he's been hiding。 But a bigger problem arises when Spencer's birth certificate still classifies him as a girl， making him ineligible to play for his team or risk their having to forfeit their games。 Spencer has found his new school supportive of his queer identity， but he hasn't revealed that he is trans， fearing the reaction of classmates and teammates。 Although he knows that it's probably the right thing to do， Spencer understandably still fears those consequences。 To complicate matters further， he's attracted to Justice Cortes， a soccer teammate with a strict and very religious upbringing。 Theirs is a love/hate relationship for awhile with Justice giving off mixed signals about his feelings。 Teen readers will root for the two boys to find happiness together and be pleased that the school has an active Queer Straight Alliance even though its membership seems dismissive of concerns about bathroom access as raised by nonbinary member Riley。 For readers uncertain about what all the to-do in current society about pronouns and bathrooms is about， this book provides clear explanations and insight。 It isn't the bathroom per se but how the lack of access or denial of basic human rights dehumanizes someone （p。 295）， as Spencer reflects。 While parts of the story seem too good to be true， readers will certainly feel encouraged and hopeful for change and acceptance and not tolerance in the future。 This is a marvelous debut that made me believe in happy endings again。 。。。more

Patsy ，

3。5 stars

Ro ，

There were some corny， cheesy， too on the nose “woke” moments but they were few and far between。Loved seeing a book that understands sport and being trans and the connection in both。 How much it benefits a kid to have a team。

ManjotKReads ，

4。5 stars

Nico ，

Hey！ Woah！ Hello！This book was a joy。 It tackles a lot of very heavy issues， but the overall feeling it left me with was nothing short of hope。 There are scenes of small， quiet triumphs that are burned into my heart。 4。5* because the finale left me （view spoiler）[finding it hard to enjoy and truly bask in it when I was absolutely wrecked with worry over my boy Justice， and I wish he would have gotten more comfort and support during that last half （hide spoiler）]。Rounded up to 5*s， an absolute jo Hey！ Woah！ Hello！This book was a joy。 It tackles a lot of very heavy issues， but the overall feeling it left me with was nothing short of hope。 There are scenes of small， quiet triumphs that are burned into my heart。 4。5* because the finale left me （view spoiler）[finding it hard to enjoy and truly bask in it when I was absolutely wrecked with worry over my boy Justice， and I wish he would have gotten more comfort and support during that last half （hide spoiler）]。Rounded up to 5*s， an absolute joy to have it join my collection。 2021 is the YEAR for trans boys。 。。。more

Miguel Gil ，

This was a very good book。 A pleasant read。 Half way through the book i found myself engaged and even enamored with the main characters and those budding Romance。 Afraid at first that everything would go wrong， much like In Spencer’s head， but happy that it had a happy conclusion。 A good read for anyone。

Y ，

Such a wholesome delight of a book。This should be another indicator that I need to read more queer books because clearly my lack in reading them is an injustice done unto myself at this point。 I had such a good time reading this。 I smiled， laughed， shed a tear here and there。 The good stuff。 For a debut novel， I think this was overall fine。 I couldn't look past some flaws in this， but I give it all a pass to just sit back and enjoy this for what it is。 I was never really into sports to begin wit Such a wholesome delight of a book。This should be another indicator that I need to read more queer books because clearly my lack in reading them is an injustice done unto myself at this point。 I had such a good time reading this。 I smiled， laughed， shed a tear here and there。 The good stuff。 For a debut novel， I think this was overall fine。 I couldn't look past some flaws in this， but I give it all a pass to just sit back and enjoy this for what it is。 I was never really into sports to begin with， so there's that lack of interest for a major part of the book， but I just count that as going out of comfort zone a little bit。 That kind of ties into why I gave it a 3 star - just a personal thing。 Every scene of Justice and Spencer falling in love with each other was so precious。 I didn't mind how cheesy it got or even how cliché it could be; it just felt so right with me。 I love to see it。 I feel like a lot of the victories felt。。 too easily earned？ A lot of the pressure just comes from Spencer's insecurities， and even the biggest obstacle felt like a breeze to get over。 I definitely wasn't expecting like court-room-serious type of scenarios or anything too extreme， but it just felt underwhelming for what I had expected to happen。 Maybe that could be a plus since I enjoyed this as a light-hearted read。Regardless， I couldn't put this book down。 I loved it！ 。。。more

✩ lish ✩ ，

𝐂𝐖: 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚， 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚， 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠， 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐦， 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 （𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝）This is the first sports romance book i’ve read that i’ve actually enjoyed， the sports concept of it made me hesitant to read but it did not DISAPPOINT！ This is one of my favourite reads of the year so far。 Although it took me a while （𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝟮𝟱% 𝗶𝗻） to actually get into the book it was perfect， the representation was great honestly perfect for any youth apart of the LGBTQ especially for trans kids showing 𝐂𝐖: 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚， 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚， 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠， 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐦， 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 （𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝）This is the first sports romance book i’ve read that i’ve actually enjoyed， the sports concept of it made me hesitant to read but it did not DISAPPOINT！ This is one of my favourite reads of the year so far。 Although it took me a while （𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝟮𝟱% 𝗶𝗻） to actually get into the book it was perfect， the representation was great honestly perfect for any youth apart of the LGBTQ especially for trans kids showing them that they are relevant， valid and of course loved！ which i know is hard when you are trying to find yourself in life with the world we are living in right now。 i loved the autism rep （𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻） even though Theo was a side character i felt like he was developed well and i could see myself in him a lot， it was also interesting seeing how other people viewed him and made me think about my autism would of effected my sister as well which i never really thought of before。 honestly loved this book， it was just full of 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀 and i can see myself reading it again and again as it gave me comfort （4。5⭐️）。 。。。more

Nadia ，

Let me state that this story was amazing and beautiful。 At first， I was nervous because I didn’t want to read anything that was hurtful to the main character。 The horrible parts was presented in the past such as threats to his life。 Spencer had to move to a new school because he was a biracial transgender teen。 In his new school， he meet new friends， joined the soccer team， and possibly found a new romance。 I loved that every character was so sweet and supportive to him。 Especially as he opened Let me state that this story was amazing and beautiful。 At first， I was nervous because I didn’t want to read anything that was hurtful to the main character。 The horrible parts was presented in the past such as threats to his life。 Spencer had to move to a new school because he was a biracial transgender teen。 In his new school， he meet new friends， joined the soccer team， and possibly found a new romance。 I loved that every character was so sweet and supportive to him。 Especially as he opened up about himself when he was comfortable and felt safe doing so。 His family and his younger brother were loving and amazing。 Especially his brother Theo who was autistic and needed support as well。 Both siblings learned to help each other to be brave in front of obstacles。 I can only hope that there are more supportive and loving families out there。 I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves a good feel story。 You won’t regret it。Thanks to BookishFirst for my book！！ 。。。more

Kashvi Gulati ，

It was beautifully written and the author was very well-informed about what he was writing， in regards to both transgender and queer struggles and football。

Melissa ，

This book has my whole heart。 I was swooning for Spence and Justice as they developed a relationship。 The way Spencer’s team embraced him and supported him when he told them he was trans was so heartwarming。 This book touches on a very important conversation of trans rights for youth， specifically in sports。 This book was a delight。 Cannot wait to read more by this author！

Marieke du Pré ，

Aw， loved the writing， the diversity， Spencer and Justice， just everything！ Although this story deals with some hard hitting topics， I read it with a constant smile on my face。 Reading this story during the European Championship soccer （hey USA: it’s actually called football here！！） made it even more special！ Hoping my own country would win the match and hoping Spencer would get through the tryouts。 Cheering when my country scored a goal and cheering when Spencer was selected。 The disappointment Aw， loved the writing， the diversity， Spencer and Justice， just everything！ Although this story deals with some hard hitting topics， I read it with a constant smile on my face。 Reading this story during the European Championship soccer （hey USA: it’s actually called football here！！） made it even more special！ Hoping my own country would win the match and hoping Spencer would get through the tryouts。 Cheering when my country scored a goal and cheering when Spencer was selected。 The disappointment when the opponent scored and feeling Spencer’s disappointment when he was benched。Of course this story is not only about soccer。 Spencer is a Black trans boy and he’s dealing with being trans。 I loved how Isaac Fitzsimons focused on the joy instead of the pain in this story。 The friendship， the love， the team spirit， acceptance and so much more。 The story is about going stealth， being out and not being able to come out。 It’s such an easy and heartwarming read， I flew through the pages， feeling shocked when I found out I already finished the book。Last week， I listened to a podcast about a professional gay soccer player who’s not out and doesn’t want to come out because of the atmosphere in locker rooms and reducing his chances to play in an important competition （for the Dutch: De Schaduwspits）。 I felt angry and defeated like I lost a match。 Although we’ve made so much progress， we still haven’t in some parts of the sports world。 Why are queer female soccer players accepted and queer male not？ Therefore， I’d like every （professional） soccer player in the world to read this story， acknowledge it， and make the soccer environment safe for everyone to come out， whether they’re gay， bi， pan， trans etc。 I’d love them to play wonderful matches together， accept another for who they are， queer and straight！ We’ve got so much to win here！ Wouldn’t it be great if the next Virgil van Dijk’s or Lionel Messi’s are queer players？ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Passing Playbook

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Passing Playbook&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Passing Playbook&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0