Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Both Can Be True

Ash and Daniel are two seemingly unlikely friends. Ash has just transferred middle schools in the 7th grade after being attacked at their old school, and Daniel is a photography enthusiast who is constantly being told he feels too many things too strongly. When Daniel accidentally ends up with an almost euthanized dog, Ash ends up teaming up with him to help him conceal and save the dog. Both kids have to examine their identities and preferences when they start falling for each other.

I loved so many things about this book. I loved that Ash had a gender affirming parent. I loved the friendship turned romance between Ash and Daniel. I didn’t love the fact that once again a trans story was being told through the lens of something tragic having happened to them. I just want more stories about trans or gender non-conforming kids just living their lives, going through regular tween/teen issues, but not always having to be bullied or hate crimed for their narrative to move forward.

Overall I would still suggest this book to my students, but would be more wary of suggesting it to all of my GSA kids.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for review!

Content Warnings

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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!

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mezzano's review against another edition

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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.

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