Score: 4.5/5 Bookmarks

Thank you to Dial Press, Bookish First, and Penguin Random House Audio for my gifted review copies of The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons.

I’ve been in a bit of a book slump lately and this one just pulled me right out of it.

Spencer is 15, trans, and starting a new school in Ohio. At first he just wants to pass, and be treated like all the other boys, which includes joining the boy's soccer team. He's fast, agile, and can read the field better than anyone else there. His birth certificate is proving to be an issue though because it still lists him as female, and the soccer league won't let him play.

As if that wasn't enough to deal with, Spencer is falling for his frenemy and fellow team-mate, Justice. But is Justice really who he says he is?

To begin with Spencer is hiding a lot, from himself, his parents, his classmates. But as the story progresses he learns more about what is important to him and starts to come out of his shell and trust the people around him more. I don't want to give away too much, but this was such a wonderful YA book. It was heartwarming, sweet, and thought-provoking—basically, I can't recommend it enough.

I absolutely adored the audio as well, which is narrated by Jamie K. Brown and comes in at seven hours. The narrator just brought the characters to live, and I didn’t want to stop listening…not to eat, sleep, work…

You can grab your own copy of the audiobook here, or click the button below to get a physical copy.

Synopsis:

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.