Reviews

Both Can Be True by Jules Machias

forestjay's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

junosreadingstuff's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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? Yes

4.75

penofpossibilities's review against another edition

emotional relaxing

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

I liked the pacing and the dual povs weren't jarring and didn't throw me out of the story, which is rare. the writing style was a bit bland and cliche but also felt real for a couple of 13 year olds. I thought the plot was a bit mid although I loved the gender journey Ash goes on and found that to come to a satisfying conclusion. I liked that the book had diversity in both the main and side characters. I would have loved it if I had been able to read this when I was younger. One of the main plot points/conflicts of the book is the potential death/killing of a rescued dog - so if this is in any way upsetting to you I'd advise to be careful and check the content warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexism

Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Transphobia, and Outing

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

emotional abuse from parents towards their children and general shittiness

tayend_x's review against another edition

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

shullin3's review

4.0

4.5

readingrobin's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted 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? Yes

3.0

Cute enough middle grade book where the genderfluid/nonbinary rep feels very genuine what with its fluctuating and chaotic nature. The use of internet slang can be a tad much at times, it seems more reminiscent of millennial online slang rather than the generation this is geared towards. 

Also that poor dog. The guy was a jerk to get rid of her the way that he did but there are some serious quality of life issues that the dog is going to face. 

The plot gets a little bit bogged down every now and again, retreading similar ground to the point where you really feel some more editing could have been used.

Still, as a possible introduction to gender fluidity, and synesthesia too wow I rarely see that in kid's books, I think it's worth at least a quick read.

sparky63's review against another edition

funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I read this for the genre challenge. It falls outside my normal tastes, age range and just being a light fluffy book. While representation is representation, it felt like nothing happened or overly repeated. That said I’m not the expected reader demographic 🤷‍♀️

saskiarodenburg's review against another edition

While I definitely enjoy reading from different perspectives than my own (in this case multiple characters who are LGBTQ+ while I am cisgender) I just found the plot very lacking. I didn’t particularly care about any one character and it became cumbersome to read.

beth21's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

athornton_2197's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75