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A review by jaredt
Both Can Be True by Jules Machias
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
"...You gotta use your grief or your anger or whatever to make things better. Got me?"
The cover signaled to me, so I picked it up to give it a go. I was very pleased with it. This story has well rounded characters, believable and engaging both with the kids and the adults.
I loved the dynamic between Ash and Daniel. Ash's own internal struggle with not just their own gender, but others who weren't quite lined up with the binary expectations was a neat struggle. I also loved that Ash also has synthesia, and how that shapes how Ash reads and interacts with the world.
Daniel is also a wonderful kid, and I loved the focus of his emotional journey, between his own sense of self worth and trying to juggle the expectations of his family.
Ash's mom is my favorite adult, and I really like how Tina's character is handled as well.
Overall, this was a sweet book, with nice introspection and dialogue between all the different characters (except Ash's dad I hate him). It does a good job at building the tension, and has well put together ending.
The cover signaled to me, so I picked it up to give it a go. I was very pleased with it. This story has well rounded characters, believable and engaging both with the kids and the adults.
I loved the dynamic between Ash and Daniel. Ash's own internal struggle with not just their own gender, but others who weren't quite lined up with the binary expectations was a neat struggle. I also loved that Ash also has synthesia, and how that shapes how Ash reads and interacts with the world.
Daniel is also a wonderful kid, and I loved the focus of his emotional journey, between his own sense of self worth and trying to juggle the expectations of his family.
Ash's mom is my favorite adult, and I really like how Tina's character is handled as well.
Overall, this was a sweet book, with nice introspection and dialogue between all the different characters (except Ash's dad I hate him). It does a good job at building the tension, and has well put together ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Outing, and Transphobia
Moderate: Animal death, Excrement, and Dysphoria
Excrement is in relation to the dog who frequently pees throughout the main conflict
Animal death is in a few specific spots, first in reference to Daniel's former dog, who passed away , and the worry that Chewbarka will end up this way. For those who want to know what happens, the dog lives .