Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
The Gilmore sisters have endured more than their share of heartbreak. One sister is battling alcoholism, while the other has long been seen as the picture of responsibility. Together, they have faced the loss of their mother, their father’s mental illness, and years of complicated family pain. Over time, the sisters have grown apart, but when someone from Frankie’s circle disappears, they find themselves pulled back together to confront old wounds, new betrayals, and the unsettling question of whether they can protect each other before another woman goes missing.
Jessica Guerrieri’s sophomore novel, Both Can Be True, continues her work of normalizing honest portrayals of alcoholism and mental health struggles in literature. The book showcases her ability to build relatable characters and realistic situations, then set them against some of our deepest fears to create a mystery that lingers long after the final page. Following a group of small-town women navigating addiction, family drama, and fractured trust, this story offers an honest look at how community can help heal even the deepest pain.
I give Both Can Be True 4 out of 5 stars. I am continually impressed by Guerrieri’s portrayal of addiction. Written with clear self-reflection, her work shows the danger addicts face when they assume one small misstep or exception will not restart harmful patterns. I especially found the portrayal of parenting a neurodivergent child while partnering with a neurodivergent spouse to be lifelike and deeply resonant. As a mother in a similar situation, I related closely to the reflections on how disappointing it can feel when real-life parenting does not match the movie-perfect version many people once imagined. With that said, I did find the story difficult to follow at first, and the ending lacked continuity of voice. The final chapters felt somewhat unrealistic, almost as if a portion of the story had been removed shortly before publication. I chose the audiobook version of this book and greatly enjoyed the narrators, including the author herself.
With depictions of addiction and drug use, this book may not be suitable for all readers. I do think it would make a strong book club or buddy read because of the closeness of the lead female characters and the many layered issues surrounding them. Readers who enjoy works by Gillian Flynn and Kazuo Ishiguro will likely appreciate Guerrieri’s writing as well.
Both Can Be True was released on May 19, 2026, and is available now in our Bookshop.org store.
This post contains affiliate links.
What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Pretty Dead Things, Kelsey Cox
- Current audio book: Same Time Next Summer, Annabel Monaghan
- Book I’m most looking forward to: God’s Country, William Kent Krueger
Discover more from Read With Lindsey
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
