The Passing Playbook
Ratings20
Average rating4.1
I don't need every book I read to be a literary masterpiece, but the writing in this book is so pedestrian and flat that I never felt involved in the story or any of its characters. I'm hesitant to criticize a YA novel about a transgender teen in 2023, because I don't want to contribute to the hateful right-wing war on the trans community. But my 2-star rating is entirely due to the execution of the book, not its subject matter. I recommend [b:Ander & Santi Were Here 57884665 Ander & Santi Were Here Jonny Garza Villa https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1658575149l/57884665.SY75.jpg 90682328] and [b:Beating Heart Baby 58724791 Beating Heart Baby Lio Min https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1644888200l/58724791.SY75.jpg 92367307] as much stronger recent YA books with trans MCs.
while i did appreciate a lot of the subjects that were touched upon, it just didn't make up the bland writing and rushed pacing for me. spencer also had me frustrated at times as a main character - i feel like a lot of the conflict (not including the main one) would have been easily preventable through more communication.
the romance also felt underdeveloped for me - i think it was the best part of the book (especially during the middle) but the third act just left me unsatisfied with how it concluded.
Love the normalisation of gay people within sports. Also, I'm British and don't understand soccer!! I really enjoyed the story, I thought Spencer's relationship with his parents was sweet and realistic, and his struggle with legislation and his birth certificate so realistic and it highlighted how there are still laws that discriminate against trans people.
Some things I didn't like were the fact that Spencer had like no chest so he could just take his shirt off and not need top surgery. I get that the Fitzsimons wanted to write a story about a trans teen who was stealth, but it just made Spencer a lot harder to connect with, seeing as he didn't face probably one of the biggest and most upsetting struggles for many trans men.
Another thing I didn't like was the ending, as Justice just disappeared and the explanation felt a bit rushed and I think I would've liked more detail into Justice's difficulty with being blackmailed into coming out to his very homophobic family and then leaving the school. I also think it would've been nice if the book expanded on Spencer and Aidan's relationship, as it never feels explored enough, as well as Spencer's budding friendship with Riley.
I would definitely recommend this book, and it would've been a 5/5 if some of the problems had been fixed.
