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citrus_seasalt's review against another edition
4.0
I can write a review now, I’m not in horrifying pain! Finally!! (I finished this while in the trenches of healing from my wisdom teeth surgery.)
I wish so badly I got to have this book as a middle schooler!! Ash connected with me so deeply. Like them, I was openly genderfluid in middle school, it took me very long to feel comfortable with the label “trans” because I wasn’t sure if that was actually me if I still felt comfortable being feminine part-time(spoilers: I use “trans” and “nonbinary” labels in the present day!), we both went through our own crisis of experiencing gender differently depending on the day but not being a label such as bi or pan so…how on earth would we address ourselves, and also, both of us perceive sound in a funky way!! (Ash clearly has synesthesia, I have no clue if I do, but sometimes I’ll be hit with colors mid-song, or flavor mid-feeling). Although I was a bit turned off by how long it took for Ash to not fit their different switches and forms of expression into different gender roles, half of that was justified by the attitudes towards their gender they’ve been shown(not saying it was right, there’s just a narrative reason for it), and thankfully, that was resolved by the end.
I also really enjoyed the character development! Ash and Daniel both mature as the story progresses, which is evident in the evolution of how they understand themselves, and how they can move on from their past. (With Ash, it’s their trauma, with Daniel, it’s taking responsibility.) I especially loved how Daniel’s emotional vulnerability/intelligence was handled, he sends a good message towards the readers of this book: recognize your emotions and feel them without ridicule, but don’t only consider your own feelings when others are involved. In the plot department, there’s not much going on, but Chewbarka was a good character to bring them together, and was very endearing, too.
My only other gripes with this story are that I felt pretty dysphoric reading Daniel’s POV for most of the book, he (unintentionally) frequently misgenders Ash as they try to make themselves more girly for him and it’s painful to read. I was scared for his reaction for when Ash came out, and thought I had some of that fear justified but I’m glad that his disappointment and anger didn’t come from Ash being genderfluid(..mostly), but from them hiding an important part of themself from him. For a middle grade, ”Both Can Be True” has a lot of heavy subject matter, which isn’t a problem but might make it harder to digest for its target demographic.
I wish so badly I got to have this book as a middle schooler!! Ash connected with me so deeply. Like them, I was openly genderfluid in middle school, it took me very long to feel comfortable with the label “trans” because I wasn’t sure if that was actually me if I still felt comfortable being feminine part-time(spoilers: I use “trans” and “nonbinary” labels in the present day!), we both went through our own crisis of experiencing gender differently depending on the day but not being a label such as bi or pan so…how on earth would we address ourselves, and also, both of us perceive sound in a funky way!! (Ash clearly has synesthesia, I have no clue if I do, but sometimes I’ll be hit with colors mid-song, or flavor mid-feeling). Although I was a bit turned off by how long it took for Ash to not fit their different switches and forms of expression into different gender roles, half of that was justified by the attitudes towards their gender they’ve been shown(not saying it was right, there’s just a narrative reason for it), and thankfully, that was resolved by the end.
I also really enjoyed the character development! Ash and Daniel both mature as the story progresses, which is evident in the evolution of how they understand themselves, and how they can move on from their past. (With Ash, it’s their trauma, with Daniel, it’s taking responsibility.) I especially loved how Daniel’s emotional vulnerability/intelligence was handled, he sends a good message towards the readers of this book: recognize your emotions and feel them without ridicule, but don’t only consider your own feelings when others are involved. In the plot department, there’s not much going on, but Chewbarka was a good character to bring them together, and was very endearing, too.
My only other gripes with this story are that I felt pretty dysphoric reading Daniel’s POV for most of the book, he (unintentionally) frequently misgenders Ash as they try to make themselves more girly for him and it’s painful to read. I was scared for his reaction for when Ash came out, and thought I had some of that fear justified but I’m glad that his disappointment and anger didn’t come from Ash being genderfluid(..mostly), but from them hiding an important part of themself from him. For a middle grade, ”Both Can Be True” has a lot of heavy subject matter, which isn’t a problem but might make it harder to digest for its target demographic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Deadnaming
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Infidelity
february_friday's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.5
A middle grade novel about a genderfluid kid with synesthesia falling in love with an emotional boy that saved a dog from being euthanized? SIGN ME UP
I knew this was a book for me, a queer coming of age with no plot except for a dog named chewbarka. It was great, and I only cried twice, which is unprecedented. I loved how the conflict was resolved by something really simple called communication that is not often represented in books.
The only think I maybe didn't like was that the end felt a little rushed.
It also felt more YA than middle grade, considering that the characters were in fact teenagers and it dealt with a lot of hard topics surrounding transphobia in a more explicit manner. It didn't ruin my experience at all but sometimes it just makes me mad that publishing only considers YA the books that have main characters over 15 years old even though a lot of the people that read YA are tweens and early teenagers??
I knew this was a book for me, a queer coming of age with no plot except for a dog named chewbarka. It was great, and I only cried twice, which is unprecedented. I loved how the conflict was resolved by something really simple called communication that is not often represented in books.
The only think I maybe didn't like was that the end felt a little rushed.
It also felt more YA than middle grade, considering that the characters were in fact teenagers and it dealt with a lot of hard topics surrounding transphobia in a more explicit manner. It didn't ruin my experience at all but sometimes it just makes me mad that publishing only considers YA the books that have main characters over 15 years old even though a lot of the people that read YA are tweens and early teenagers??
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Bullying
Moderate: Grief and Infidelity
tinytrashqueen's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.0
Re: animal death cw a big part of the plot revolves around a dog saved from euthanasia and whether or not they'll be able to successfully keep it from being found out. The dog does end up ok though! I was stressed not knowing so thought it might be helpful for others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Outing, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Animal death, Deadnaming, Animal cruelty, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity
betweentheshelves'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this to review! This is a middle grade novel that caught my eye one day while browsing NetGalley, and I'm so happy I read it! It definitely fills a much needed hole in middle grade literature.
Machias absolutely nails the voices in this book. The narration switches between Daniel and Ash, which means we get to see inside both of their heads. They both really struggle with how the world views them because they don't fit into expectations. I think a lot of middle grade readers will relate to both Ashe and Daniel. Middle school can be so brutal, and they're lucky that they find each other.
We get a wide variety of parental figures in this book, too. First, we have Ash's mom, who is supportive of them being whoever they want to be. Then we have Ash's dad, who thinks he's helping Ash, but isn't really. Daniel's mom tries tough love, where Daniel just needs to be told it's okay he feels so hard. And Daniel's dad is a little absent, but can be supportive when he needs to be. It's important for readers to see all of these sides of adults, because like kids, no adults are the same.
There are a lot of great discussions in this book about gender roles and toxic masculinity and how it can harm teens. I love that this forces you to challenge how you think about gender, and it's absolutely something that all middle grade readers need on their shelves.
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I loved this! The voice was on point, and just felt right for a middle grade novel. More to come in a full review next week!
I loved this! The voice was on point, and just felt right for a middle grade novel. More to come in a full review next week!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming and Infidelity
mezzano'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In Both Can Be True by Jules Machias, main characters Ash and Daniel work together to save an elderly dog from being euthanized prematurely. While the who characters bond over their dog rescuing efforts, each one has their own personal arc which unfolds over the course of the novel. Ash is adjusting to a new school and the pressure to find a label that fits their gender identity comfortably. Daniel is learning how to accept his deeply emotional and empathetic nature. While reading this novel, I reflected on many of my gender nonconforming students who are the ages of the characters in this novel. Much of what Ash describes in the novel is a similar journey that my own students are living in present day, which gives this book a great deal of power through representation. I'm thrilled that Machias is out there creating Own Voices narratives about young people who feel caught in between expectations and popular terminologies. Figuring out who you are isn't always easy, and I'm happy that stories exist in 2021 that normalize gender identity exploration.
While reading the novel, I acknowledged that Machias' experiences create a very specific perspective of the gender nonbinary spectrum which is unique to the author. Ash feels a great deal of pressure from those they are close to and know about their gender identity to come out, even before the character has selected a label that they feel most comfortable with. The pressure to pick sides is stressful for Ash, describing themselves as Asher or Ashley at parts of the book, rather than one whole individual. The decision to choose which bathroom to enter is also a difficult one, even when gender neutral options are present. While these are all very valid and common experiences for trans and gender non-conforming people, many of Ash's pressures to identify themself came from external sources. Ash's ideologies surrounding the term gender nonbinary (that it "felt like a place people stay rather than actually are" and that it "wasn't a real thing") come from Ash's father, who places great interest in Ash picking one gender. Ash also feels pressure to choose a label from their friends also, even though past experiences that Ash has have shown how dangerous (emotionally and physically) it can be to do so. Ash's eventual identity selection culminates in a girl at school threatening to out Ash with a bullying video which deadnames Ash. While the girl never outs Ash and is stopped by Ash's other trans friends, Ash later goes up to the girl and thanks her for giving them the push they needed to make a decision. . While Ash's fathers ideas are challenged, they are undone by the interaction Ash has with a girl towards the end of the book. I wish there had been a part of the book where Ash recognized that while labels and coming out can be life-changing in positive ways, it should be done something in the person's own time. Ash felt constantly pushed to make a decision, which left me feeling as though there were mostly external reasons for selecting an identity. After all, Ash stated several times throughout the book that they personally felt it was more important to just be themselves without a particular defining identity.
Daniel's part of the story is mostly straight-forward. I appreciate that Daniel's emotions are shown to be a strength, but that he still struggles with overwhelming feelings of stress and anxiety throughout the book. Daniel's assumptions about Ash's gender identity was interesting, and it was great to see him grow into a more accepting individual over the course of the story. His responses to things outside of his comfort zone are sometimes laced with anger and harmful remarks, which made sense for his character and his own biases. Daniel exists in the story to add nuance to both gender norms, gender expression, and animal rights. While there is a lot going on in both Ash and Daniel's lives, I liked the grounding influence the two characters had on each others' lives. While there is romantic drama in the story which drives Ash and Daniel apart, a resolution is made that feels realistic and properly paced.
Overall, this story is a great one for a middle school classroom. Even if it misses some of the marks, it is great to have a realistic story which will allow other gender nonconforming kids feel seen and represented in literature.
While reading the novel, I acknowledged that Machias' experiences create a very specific perspective of the gender nonbinary spectrum which is unique to the author. Ash feels a great deal of pressure from those they are close to and know about their gender identity to come out, even before the character has selected a label that they feel most comfortable with. The pressure to pick sides is stressful for Ash, describing themselves as Asher or Ashley at parts of the book, rather than one whole individual. The decision to choose which bathroom to enter is also a difficult one, even when gender neutral options are present. While these are all very valid and common experiences for trans and gender non-conforming people, many of Ash's pressures to identify themself came from external sources. Ash's ideologies surrounding the term gender nonbinary (that it "felt like a place people stay rather than actually are" and that it "wasn't a real thing") come from Ash's father, who places great interest in Ash picking one gender. Ash also feels pressure to choose a label from their friends also, even though past experiences that Ash has have shown how dangerous (emotionally and physically) it can be to do so. Ash's eventual identity selection culminates in a
Daniel's part of the story is mostly straight-forward. I appreciate that Daniel's emotions are shown to be a strength, but that he still struggles with overwhelming feelings of stress and anxiety throughout the book. Daniel's assumptions about Ash's gender identity was interesting, and it was great to see him grow into a more accepting individual over the course of the story. His responses to things outside of his comfort zone are sometimes laced with anger and harmful remarks, which made sense for his character and his own biases. Daniel exists in the story to add nuance to both gender norms, gender expression, and animal rights. While there is a lot going on in both Ash and Daniel's lives, I liked the grounding influence the two characters had on each others' lives. While there is romantic drama in the story which drives Ash and Daniel apart, a resolution is made that feels realistic and properly paced.
Overall, this story is a great one for a middle school classroom. Even if it misses some of the marks, it is great to have a realistic story which will allow other gender nonconforming kids feel seen and represented in literature.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Transphobia, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, and Excrement
Minor: Sexism, Infidelity, and Deadnaming
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