Scan barcode
rockythefreak's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
A wonderful read! I wish I had this book when I was a kid. As an adult, there were a few parts I might have cringed or yucked at (I do NOT want to read about teens exploring sexually, no matter how brief) but I think for teen readers, these moments are important and perfectly done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Outing, Transphobia, Child abuse, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Dysphoria, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Outing, Medical content, and Abortion
Minor: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Deadnaming, and Sexism
emily_mh's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
When I picked this book up I was looking for a tropey high school romance with a bit of cheese, and this book delivered on all fronts. The American high school setting satisfied my nostalgic cravings (think cafeterias, sports games, and biking to school). The chemistry between Spencer and Justice was great; I particularly liked how they started off on the wrong foot, but that they were also clearly into each other. My critique here is that I wanted to know more about WHY they were into each other. I also wanted the tension between them to have been better resolved. But overall their romance was sweet and ultimately happy.
I loved Spencer as the MC! I was fully invested in his story. His bravery in coming out and standing up for himself considering the transphobia in his history (and present), was incredible. Like, I was a mess as a teen, how are these kids doing it? Through Spencer’s character, Fitzsimons demonstrates how being both Black and trans impacts playing soccer. I loved seeing Spencer’s development in realising he wanted to come out again, that the cons of being in the closet outweighed the pros for him personally.
Something I haven’t read a lot about in fiction is religious bigotry, which is a major theme of this book. Justice, the LI, comes from a bigoted religious family so we really get to see “behind closed doors” with this. We also gain insight into the complex situation this leaves Justice in, as he must ensure his personal safety as a gay teen dependent on and at the mercy of the very people who seek to oppress him. Another topic Fitzsimons approached that I was gripped by was the lack of solidarity within the queer community when it comes to marginalised identities. This manifests in Spencer’s QSA not caring to fight for trans rights at their school. It was a great example of how queer people can still have privilege and work consciously or unconsciously to oppress other queer people on the basis of that privilege.
By the way, if you, as an autistic reader, are worried about the autism rep in Spencer brother, don’t be. It was characterised with care. Spencer being a glass child might be a little triggering if you are disabled with siblings, but this is a very small part of the book and I believe it was handled with care and without ableism. On a lighter note, don’t let the soccer focus put you off. I was also worried by this but Fitzsimons included this content in a very engaging way!
So this was a solid read. The reason why I docked 0.75 stars was because of my early critique of the romance, and also because the pacing did get away from Fitzsimons in the last third. It was too rushed and it felt like we needed more time fleshing out the resolution of each plot point. But overall this was a heartwarming and hopeful queer story and I look forward to see what Fitzsimons writes next.
Rep: queer trans Black MC, gay LI, Black autistic SC, Black SCs, East Asian SC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Death of parent, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Grief, Medical content, Outing, Ableism, Alcohol, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Vomit, Addiction, and Pregnancy
Minor: menstruation, chronic pain, loss of a loved one (child)ana_the_frog's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Medical content, and Outing
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Of course, it isn't all sunshine and roses for our main character, Spencer, who has to deal with transphobia, and homophobia, much of it wrapped up in religious bigotry. However, author Isaac Fitzsimons treats these topics with the care and sensitivity they deserve whilst never allowing them to overwhelm the narrative.
I really enjoyed seeing Spencer's relationship with his parents - so often in YA these characters are seen as an afterthought, so it was nice to see them developed properly here. I loved how supportive they were of Spencer's transition, even if they did make mistakes and Spencer felt frustrated with them at times. Their intentions always came from a good place.
I really enjoyed this, and look forward to reading more from Fitzsimons.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Outing
More detail to come.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
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
matheo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Outing, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Racism, Vomit, Death, Addiction, and Drug abuse
emfass's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Medical content
Main character was threatened at his last school, I forget if the exact violence threatened was described, but it was so serious that the school went into lockdown and his parents pulled him from the school as a result.spaghettireads's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
I really enjoyed it, and you should read their review for much more eloquent thoughts.
I am such a fan of sports books, and my brain really soaked up the story. I really loved all the characters, and I was fully rooting for all the parts of the plot, which is impressive in a relatively short book.
If you are looking for a queer YA sports book this summer, I would highly suggest this one!
I am such a fan of sports books, and my brain really soaked up the story. I really loved all the characters, and I was fully rooting for all the parts of the plot, which is impressive in a relatively short book.
If you are looking for a queer YA sports book this summer, I would highly suggest this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Medical content
bookcrushin's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Gosh I loved this book. Finished in one day and I haven’t done that in a long time. So important especially with all the anti-trans bills in schools and sports. Just let people play sports!!
I also loved that we had supportive parents and even though that can also be a detrimental to teens at times too. Super important narrative and I will hold this book in my heart for sure.
I also loved that we had supportive parents and even though that can also be a detrimental to teens at times too. Super important narrative and I will hold this book in my heart for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Child death, Medical content, and Grief
reference to being deadnamed and misgendered in the past, not on page.