Perfect for fans of:
- Blue from Love, Simon
- Anything that’s wholesome
- The vibes of Fat Chance, Charlie Vega
- The feel-good vibes of summer camps
Review:
“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.”
Let’s get the most important announcements right out there: Spencer Harris is a soft boi (no, that’s not a typo). I am absolutely, one hundred percent, living for this emergence of soft, tender first loves in YA that aren’t all about getting hot and heavy and instead focus on the friendship aspect of a romance, of getting to know someone and having someone by your side who is supportive, always.
Also, leave it to soft boys like Spencer and Justice to get me interested in sports. I have never cared about soccer in my life, yet within minutes of reading this book, I wanted to sit on the bleachers (or in the stands? See, my knowledge of attending soccer games is already insufficient) and cheer for Spencer to be let off the bench and play the game he loves. Not to mention that Justice helping out Spencer when it comes to keeping his playing a secret or getting him shoes that fit so he doesn’t have to tell his parents absolutely warmed my heart.
There is a huge religious aspect to this story since Justice hails from a very Christian, very traditional family, which causes some problems both with Spencer and Justice’s eventual growing feelings but also with Justice who just wants to escape his family’s stronghold. While I can’t speak for the representation of religion, I can tell you that I was entranced and terrified at the same time watching Justice comply to be able to stay at school and play soccer, yet trying to rebel in tiny ways against his family’s rules and regulations.
On top of that, there is quite the discussion around what it means to be a supportive parent and Spencer sometimes wonders how far the love of his parents goes after transitioning. It was such a quiet, yet fierce approach to the anxieties of anyone on the LGBTQIAP+ spectrum and I think it will resonate with tons of readers.
I also really enjoyed that this was neither a traditional coming-out narrative nor centered on Spencer’s transition process and instead focused on him living and passing at his high school and what problems appear when he decides to keep his identity under wraps for now to avoid the same fate he dealt with at his old school. There are a lot of factors that make Spencer’s life better by staying stealth, but like two sides of a coin, he also misses certain parts and the feeling of community he’s not getting at the QSA of his school. Fitzsimons takes his time exploring Spencer’s divided self and I couldn’t put the book down.
My absolute highlight in this book was Spencer’s relationship with his little brother Theo. The tears that I shed when reading their interactions were unreal. Theo is such a wholesome character and without giving too much away, there is one scene where Theo blurts out something that had me gasping for breath because it was so simple yet so beautiful in the way it showed his support for his brother’s transition.
Really, the only thing I’d dock points for in this book is that I wished the secondary characters would have been more fleshed out. Spencer’s teammates like Macintosh or Spencer’s football coach only ever become dynamic in moments where they share information that aids Spencer in his own “quest” for acceptance and I could have done with a bit more background info on them. Overall, that didn’t take away from my enjoyment though!
A gentle and wholesome depiction of the struggles of passing to fit in, Fitzsimons’ debut The Passing Playbook is a wonderful exploration of what it means to be true to yourself and step up for your right to play—and live—the way you want to.
The Passing Playbook is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 1st 2021.
Will you be picking up The Passing Playbook? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
