Both Can Be True - Jules Machias

⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

Ash is a gender-fluid kid at a new school who is still trying to figure out how they want to present to the world, while Julien is a sensitive boy trying to protect a dog from getting euthanized in secret. Eventually he enlists Ash's help, so they try to save Chewbarka while dealing with their own issues of self-acceptance.

I think this was my first book in the POV of a gender-fluid person, so that was interesting, and especially as we're able to see what that means to them as they figure it out themself. Ash is female-presenting at the beginning and knows that Julien sees them as a girl, but how do they tell him that they're not always a girl, especially when girl clothes stop feeling right? And Julien is constantly being told that he needs to get ahold of his emotions and stop crying so much, so he's dealing with gender things too. I liked that it was not only these issues, but also saving a dog, which helps to move the plot along. It was great, plus it gave me lots to think about.