A review by beautifulpaxielreads
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

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

Review to come.

The Passing Playbook is a tale that warms the cockles of the heart. It's also vitally important that trans folk have positive, uplifting stories like these. Don't get me wrong, those painful, difficult and heartbreaking stories are needed too, but it's important to have happy endings for trans folk as much as anyone else.

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.



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