Both Can Be True:

by Jessica Guerrieri

When a local mother goes missing, two estranged sisters are pulled back into each other’s lives and forced to confront old wounds, fractured trust, and the many ways a woman can disappear in plain sight.

Frankie is the funny one, full of restless energy and sharp edges, the sister who got sober, opened a bookstore, and slipped into a version of domestic life without ever fully confronting the past. Mere is the steady one, the caretaker, a mother quietly unraveling under the demands of her neurodivergent daughter and the loneliness of a marriage to a husband who sees the world through an entirely different lens.

For the Gilmore sisters, losing their mother to cancer at a young age gave them a brief window of closeness they’ve never been able to reclaim. But over the years, a mentally ill father, the unspoken trauma of sexual violence, and the different vices they turned to for survival fractured their bond and created a divide of resentment neither of them could bring themselves to cross. When a woman in Frankie’s social circle disappears, the sisters are pulled into a shared reckoning and can no longer deny the past that has shaped so much of their present.

Set against the backdrop of a quiet Northern California mountain town, this gripping and emotionally layered novel unfolds in alternating perspectives, revealing the many ways women vanish inside motherhood, addiction, marriage, and shame. Told with raw honesty and wry compassion, Jessica Guerrieri’s sophomore novel is a story of sisterhood, acceptance, the unspoken truths we carry, and the redemptive power of bridging pain into connection.

 

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary, Addiction, Family Drama, Mental Health

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2026

About the author

Jessica Guerrieri (pronounced grrr-air-eee) is a writer and novelist who lives in Northern California with her husband and three daughters. With a background in special education, Jessica left the field to pursue a career in writing and raising her children. With over a decade of sobriety, she is a fierce advocate for addiction recovery.
Her award-winning debut book club fiction novel, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Harper Muse), is out now. Her sophomore novel, Both Can Be True (Harper Muse) is out now.

Reviews

[Liana Gold · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4.5 ⭐️ One of the BEST literary fiction novels I've read this year. This story is for ALL the women who have felt, might feel, or are feeling the weighted blanket of womanhood, motherhood and its expectations in our society. It's the quiet unraveling of motherhood that felt so spot on in this book, that makes this book outstanding on all levels. It felt as if someone spoke the words I was thinking out loud for me, someone who possibly lived in my head and felt what I've felt. Some parts of the story were a mirror of my life while others served as a comforting blanket. The commentary that speaks on what its like to be a mother and a wife will be relatable to many. Guerrieri writes with so much compassion, handling difficult topics with care--never sounding judgmental or downplaying any other topics. The candid narrative is heavy in trauma, addiction, abuse and mental load. The purpose of this book is not to explore but to HEAL. For anyone who is a sexual assault survivor, please note that this book is not graphic but focuses on the aftermath/the lasting effect of the assault and what life might be like moving forward.

Frankie and Mere are two estranged sisters, pulled back into each other's lives when a local woman from their town goes missing. Frankie is a bookshop owner, a recovering alcoholic sober for many years and a sponsor to the woman, Brie, who went missing. Having never confronted her past, this tragic event shakes everything in her life & she begins to spiral out of control. Mere is her older sister, a mother to a neurodivergent/autistic child, in a strained marriage, with a heavy emotional load carried all by herself. The sisters didn't have a great childhood, their parents had a broken marriage, their father was an alcoholic--their history is complex, layered with resentment but also a love that never dissolved between them two. They share a similar dissatisfaction and both are burdened by the weight of expectations. As Brie goes missing, the women begin to confront their past mistakes and although their paths are very different, their confrontations illuminate the many ways women and mothers feel unseen, forgotten and 'brushed under the rug'.

The characters are deeply layered and complicated. Guerrieri uses trauma to show how easily a woman's identity is lost and how a woman can disappear inside a marriage and motherhood. In Frankies case, a survivor of sexual assault, she used alcohol to cover her internal scars and cope with the shame and guilt that she felt for many years after the assault and during her alcoholism. There is a lot that is unpacked in the story that surrounds her alcoholism but the core is the relationship/sisterhood between the women. For years they have been at odds with each other, leading to a resentment that lingered. Brie's disappearance ticks off something in Frankie and she begins a spiral down a rabbit hole but this eventually pushes her to confront her past. And when she does, she comes to realize the transgressions and their imprints on her life.

Mere is a struggling mother to a neurodivergent child and a caretaker who feels the loneliness slowly engulfing her. Her lack of support is palpable, despite being married, she's the 'hands-on' parent who does it all, going above and beyond and over for everyone, except herself. She loses herself in her marriage, in her child's diagnosis and societal expectations. Unlike Frankie, Mere is the character I truly connected to because I, like Mere, have a neurodivergent child. I felt and feel what Mere has felt. Her story is a mirror of my own...There is so much in her story that I'd rather not spoil for anyone..but Meres story will really make you feel for her.

Jessica Guerrieri is a survivor of sexual abuse/assault and knowing these experiences are from the authors past, Guerrieri bridges pain to connection so effortlessly! It’s all so moving. I immensely felt drawn to both characters and their struggles and how they were written with raw honesty, tenderness and fragility yet never making the women appear fragile or broken. Instead, their strengths were highlighted all through out the book.



Narrators: Helen Laser, Mai Hutchinson-Shaw, Rebecca Lowman and Jessica Guerrieri
Duration: About 9 hours and 40 minutes
Speed: 1.25x



Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Muse Audiobooks and the author, Jessica Guerrieri for an early ALC!

Publication date: May 19, 2026

[Lauren W -behind! (work)- trying to stay semi-caught up♥︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
A layered story of two sisters balancing their difficult childhood with current-day lives and a side of true-crime/mystery.

This book explores many deep topics— including addiction, trauma, neurodivergence, motherhood and identity— each topic is handled with immense grace and heart. A moving and thought-provoking read that highlights the importance of sisterhood.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sucked me in and I couldn’t put it down till I finished. Loved the female lead characters and loved the themes of motherhood, missing persons, estranged family, and old wounds. I was able to relate to both Frankie and Mere in different ways. This book does a great job showing how trauma in our past shows up in different ways. This book is very relevant to all women whether you’re a mother or not. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not quite seeing why this book is getting so many good reviews. The characters didn’t really grab my attention, and it felt like each chapter was just a repeat of the last.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy

[itsallaboutbooksandmacarons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very drawn into this book, with a lot of complex events, shifting connections, and secrets coming into play throughout the story. It kept my attention because there was always something developing between the characters and situations

The structure feels layered, with different threads overlapping and gradually revealing more as the story moves forward. There is a steady build of tension through the relationships and what is being hidden or uncovered.

The thriller side didn’t feel as strong as I initially expected, and the conclusion was more subdued than I was anticipating. Even so, it worked very well as a drama, and I still found it engaging and worth reading.

[Amanda R Sims · Rating 2 out of 5]

Both Can Be True is a novel of women's fiction about the perils of addiction in a deeply personal narrative of auto-fiction representing a lot of the author's own feelings as mentioned in the end notes. There are many women who will appreciate this moving story about sisters going through very difficult times parallel to each other. This is a novel dense with heavy, hard to read topics relating to motherhood, sobriety, and womanhood. I think this will resonate with women struggling to feel seen as they navigate their own personal struggles. 

I did not personally enjoy reading this book. I felt there were too many excuses made for the behaviors of some characters, and the resolutions felt rushed. I did not like that every male figure in the novel is to at least some degree untrustworthy.  I think it would have been better served with a first person point of view to lend authenticity to characters' emotions and perspectives. The third person narrator often demonstrated strong emotional bias that felt out of place for the structure. There were many moments where I felt I had missed something, but it really was a time jump forward or backward in time without warning.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators were clear and very engaging.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperMuse Audiobooks for this ALC.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both can be True is a story about two sisters who have experienced trauma, and negotiated their lives from their teens to middle-aged adults. After nursing their dying mother, Mere--the eldest--goes off to college leaving her younger sister, Frankie, to deal with their alcoholic and mentally ill father. Unable to cope with the suffering and death of her mother, Frankie turns to alcohol. Frankie has never forgiven Mere for abandoning her, and Mere has had enough of Frankie’s destructive behavior. Their resentment, pain, and grief grows into an ever-present miasma that weighs down their choices and relationships. When their friend Brie disappears, Frankie is about to jeopardize her ten years of sobriety, and possibly turn her flirtatious relationship with Sam into a sexual one. Mere is overwhelmed with the role caretaker for her sister, neurodivergent daughter and (undiagnosed) husband. Can she be ready to call it quits?

As you read this book, you will find that Mere and Frankie (and their female friends) are hurting and trying to just survive. Loneliness; anonymity; resentment: these are their constant companions as they parent their children, and disengage with their spouses.

Their is much soul wrenching and searching through this piece of auto-fiction. Our author, Jessica Guerrieri, uses her experiences as a sexual assault survivor and alcoholic to add a very realistic approach to the characters. At times this level of self-awareness felt unrealistic and forced. However, if you pay close attention, you may be able see yourself in these ladies, and gain some insight of your own.

I would like to thank Goodreads Giveaways, and Harper Muse Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

[Amber (amberreadsitall) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/ Family Drama
Format: 🎧 and 📖
Pub date: May 19, 2026

Both Can Be True is a story about two sisters, Mere and Frankie. The two sisters are estranged, but are pulled back into each other’s lives when a friend of Frankie’s goes missing. The sisters are forced to confront old wounds, addiction patterns, fractured trust, and the complexities of motherhood, as they try to reform their bond.

This story is told from alternating perspectives. It examines the way women can disappear in plain sight. It explores themes of sisterhood, grief, addiction, guilt, neurodivergence, and marital loneliness.

This story felt raw and real. I appreciated the realistic elements of addiction, abuse, and neurodivergence that were depicted in the story. The author did not gloss over Frankie’s addiction patterns. She shared how the addiction affected various aspects of her life and her family.

Having a neurodivergent child myself, I could relate to so much of what Mere was feeling in the story. Sometime you get so busy being a caregiver that you lose yourself along the way and have to find yourself again.

This story has a melancholy feel to it, but also a hopeful tone as the story progresses. This story is very character driven and you can’t help but want the best for the women in this story. This story serves as an important reminder that we need to be willing to take our masks off, be ourselves, and ask for help when needed.

The audio of this book was performed by Helen Laser, Rebecca Lowman, Mia Hutchison-Shaw, and Jessica Guerrieri. The audio was very well done with this full cast of ladies. I highly recommend the audio format, as well as the print version.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for the copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

[Elisa Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been eager to read Jessica Guerrieri since hearing about her debut The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Both Can Be True solidified her as an author who truly understands the complexities of the female experience.

This is a story of two estranged sisters, Frankie and Mere, forced to confront a shared trauma when a local mother goes missing. While the plot moves well, the real strength here is the character work. One (of many examples): the way Frankie uses reading to quiet the "noise" in her mind and find a sense of calm is something I think every reader will deeply relate to.
Guerrieri writes the inner lives of women with raw honesty, covering sobriety, motherhood, and the unspoken truths we all carry. I found myself thinking about the title constantly. The idea that we can be more than one thing at once (flawed and loving, struggling and surviving) is a beautiful central theme.

I alternated between the audio and print, but I highly recommend reading this in print. I never usually have the urge to annotate, but this book had me reaching for my highlighters. Make sure to read the author’s note at the end to see the deeply personal connection she has to this story.

There were parts of the book I didn't understand the why behind. This was a 5 star story that fell a little short in the delivery.

Overall, a beautiful, empathetic read that explores how we find peace through acceptance.

[Rachel Floyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Both Can Be True by Jessica Guerrieri has an important message about identity and acceptance, and I appreciated what it was trying to do.

However, it didn’t fully work for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, as they felt somewhat underdeveloped, which made it difficult to stay engaged in the story.

That said, I did appreciate the way the sisters grew closer over time, as well as the honest portrayal of how crippling addiction can be. While the themes are meaningful— the execution just didn’t resonate with me personally.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley

[Charnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad and tense story that shows the complexities of mental health, coping mechanisms, and addictions.
These sisters are so different but so similar in subtle ways. The conversation on who cares when a certain type of woman goes missing was interesting.

I love the ASD rep 🧩

Overall, a decent mystery read that has some good messages of family, found family, and friendship.

[Shelby (allthebooksalltheways) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set against the backdrop of a missing person case, two sisters reconnect as long-buried traumas rise to the surface.

This was such a beautiful, layered, nuanced exploration of sisterhood, motherhood, marriage, addiction, and the ways the past shapes who we become. While there’s a thread of mystery throughout, this reads more like a family drama, which is exactly why I loved it. I was completely invested in these characters and their relationships. The audiobook is voiced by a trio of top-tier narrators: Mia Hutchinson Shaw, Rebecca Lowman, and Helen Laser. They knocked it out of the park!

Highly recommend grabbing a copy of this one!

Out now!

💚Huge thanks to Harper Muse and LibroFM for my gifted copy!

[Stephanie Wilen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did an immersive read for this one and the audio was really well done. Both Frankie and Mere were brought to life beautifully by the narrators, which made the emotional moments hit. Tears were shed.

The addiction storyline was the clear standout for me. Jessica Guerrieri writes it with warmth and understanding. Even as Frankie struggles, there’s this steady thread of hope running underneath it all that kept me invested. It felt honest without being heavy handed.

I will say, I was a little torn at times. There’s a lot being explored here and for me it started to feel a bit crowded. I think if the focus had stayed on addiction, motherhood and parenting a neurodivergent child, it would have felt more cohesive and impactful.

I also found myself wanting more balance between the sisters. I really connected with Mere and understood her. Because of that, I wish her perspective had been given a little more space. Frankie felt like the priority and a more even split would have made the story feel more complete.

That said, the vulnerability in these characters is undeniable. It’s deeply emotional, raw and rooted in the messy realities of womanhood, which made it a compelling read overall.

[Sheila Lynch-Afryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

These people were exhausting.

[Kassandra • · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ overall
5 🎧

Thank you Harper Muse Audio and Netgalley for this advanced audio copy! This was really good! Great audio. It is well written and I was engaged till the end - read in one sitting! For some, who can relate to specific themes, including addiction, I think it will really pack a punch.

This book is a character-driven women's fiction layered on a mysterious suburban mom disappearance. The tag line: "there's more than one way for a woman to disappear" is very fitting.

This book follows 2 sisters from 2 POVs navigating adulthood as wives, mothers and friends, while facing overt triggers of their pasts. During adolescence, Mere (eldest) became the primary caretaker until their mother passed, while Frankie (youngest) was tasked with holding their remaining addict parent together when Mere left for college. Years later, these roles still influence their marriages, friendships, and most poignantly, their sister-relationship. Jessica does a good job of capturing the nuances of being a woman.

This book is a tribute to the many ways women give, conform, and sacrifice themselves for the comfort of the world, to the detriment of the world.

If you liked Big Little Lies, I think you'll like this.

[Babs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mere and Frankie are sisters who are pulled back into each others lives when a local woman goes missing. This novel is a gripping exploration of the mental load associated with being a wife and mother, family dynamics, trauma, and addiction. Mere is the mother to a neurodivergent daughter, who feels alone in motherhood. Frankie is the survivor of sexual assault, and struggles with substance use. Mere and Frankie each have a ton of layers that are slowly peeled back throughout the book, revealing more and more of their life experiences and the impact those experiences have had on them. The mystery of Brie's disappearance is intricately woven into the story, providing a dark backdrop for the family drama.

[Christina Faris (books_by_the_bottle) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Libro and Harper Muse for the ALC!

“Alcohol didn’t make people strong, it made them vanish…”

Frankie and Mere are sisters, estranged now but both scarred from their childhood. Frankie has battled for her sobriety, trying to keep her life on track for her family and the book store she has opened. Then there’s Mere, quiet and dependable, the caretaker for her neurodivergent daughter. When a local mom goes missing, the two women are forced back into each others’ lives.

This story was a gut punch and warm hug all at the same time, while wrapped around a mystery. If you have ever loved an alcoholic, a lot of the dialogue/situations described may hit close to home. Coming from that perspective, I really appreciated how raw and true-to-life Guerrieri told this story. Though there is the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a local woman, what really got me in this story was a different kind of disappearance - how one could slowly lose oneself to addiction or even motherhood. Every bit of this story - every sentence - was intentional, and had a bigger meaning in the grand scheme. Not your typical mystery, and definitely more of a slow burn, but incredibly powerful.

“Both Can Be True” is out NOW! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a little bit page turner, a little bit “how is this going to end”. There were definitely unexpected surprises where I thought oh my gosh, I can’t believe she went there! And I mean that in every good way. Please do heed the trigger warning that she gives at the beginning of the book. Subject matter was so well handled and it’s really a beautiful telling of sisterhood but also life right now in our culture.

[Artemisthepinkreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much Harper Muse, the author Jessica Guerrieri and Netgalley for free electronic copy of Both Can Be True.

A great thanks to the author for giving a content warning list at the beginning of the novel. It was very nice and I started to the novel with knowing what to expect.

Both Can Be True is a beautiful novel that does not tire the reader like its contemporaries even though it works on serious subjects. What I liked about this novel is that, it gives a very different aspect of sisterhood from my sisterhood, and I realize how lucky my sister is to have me as a sister 😄 Jokes aside, the separation between the sisters, how they get closer to their friends instead of their siblings, the family dynamics and strong friendships are the strongest parts of Both Can Be True. There are some parts either not so much realistic for me or felt somewhat not necessary but overall, the strong family and relationship analysis, the water like flow of the novel, the craftsmanship of difficult subjects without making it extremely difficult for reader are very successful.

#reklam Kitap, Netgalley tarafından, erişimime, ücretsiz, elektronik ortamda 54 günlüğüne açılmıştır.

[Footnotes and Footfalls · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this sophomore novel from Guerrieri expecting a real standout. It’s a solid read, and I do think it will resonate with many women, but I had a few hangups along the way.

The central idea of women disappearing or feeling invisible in their own lives is such a strong premise. While it’s clearly what the author is reaching for, there’s a lot happening around it that pulls focus. The story weaves through sister reconciliation, addiction, sexual assault, raising teens, traumatic childhoods, and recovery, and at times it feels spread a bit thin. With so many threads competing for attention, the core theme doesn’t always get the space it deserves, and it can feel like the story is searching for its center.
A couple of political jabs and threads of ideology seemed inserted rather than organic, which felt a bit off-putting and unnecessary.

That said, I still found this to be a solid 4 star read. I think readers who see pieces of their own experiences reflected here will connect with it in a deeper way. At its heart, it’s a story about complicated relationships, survival, and the hard but meaningful work of finding your way back to each other.

[Gigi Ropp · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this one ends up being more of a family drama than a thriller, I really enjoyed the exploration of family, addiction, and motherhood. The author's own experience with alcohol addiction adds a gritty layer of truth and raw reality.

[Becky Frazier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall this was an ok book. But it was very slow and was more about the sisters relationship and the dealings with addiction then the death of a fellow friend. Bries death was more of an afterthought.

I read via the audiobook and the narrator was ok but like I stated it was very slow

Thank you NetGalley for the copy

[Leah M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guerrieri has a beautiful way of writing that peels apart all of the hidden layers of being a woman. She has perfected the themes of how women can get lost within their marriage and motherhood, how trauma can affect you for years despite ignoring or burying it, and how addiction can ruin lives.

BCBT covers a lot of ground through a lot of characters, and I have abandoned many books in the past because I couldn't keep track of all of the people in the beginning. Not this book. I truly was hooked from the first chapter, & I finished in 48 hours because I just could not stop reading.

BCBT is dual POV told through sisters, Frankie & Mere. Together, they have experienced their moms death from cancer and their dads journey with alcohol and mental illness. Individually, their adult lives are very different. Frankie is a mom to teen girls & she has been sober for 10 years. Mere has a young daughter who was recently diagnosed with autism and is consumed with keeping everything together. Their adult relationship has not always been easy, but when a woman disappears in their town, they find themselves pulled back together and are forced to revisit some of their old wounds. I spent much of this book thinking "how is this going to end?!" and I hope that you enjoy the emotional roller coaster as much as I did. It ended with me crying and 5⭐️.

🚩This book tackles topics that can be difficult for some, including sexual assault, addiction and grief. Check the trigger warnings, but also know that Guerrieri has a way of writing a fiction book that feels like a self-help book (I mean this as the best compliment).

Thank you Harper Muse for the advanced reader copy!!

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sorry to say that this was a total miss for me.
Surprising, as her debut, at least for me, was PHENOMENAL!

This one revolves around two sisters, as well as a circle of friends, their (ridiculous) husbands, their children, and multiple addictions… and support groups.

I had a really hard time keeping up with both who was who, and… what timeline we were in.

So, that did it for me. Totally confusing. One theme leaching into another. And when I thought we were in the present, somehow we were back when they were teenagers?!?!

Add in a missing friend and lots of drugs and alcohol… and here’s your story.

Don’t get me wrong. There were a lot of valid points and things going on in here, but, this one just didn’t grab and/or HOLD my attention. But…that’s just MY opinion. And, I seem to be in the minority here.

That being said, if this sounds like something you’d enjoy, please keep your eyes 👀 open for its release on 5/19/26!

Both Can Be True by Jessica Guerrieri and narrated nicely by Helen Laser, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Rebecca Lowman, Jessica Guerrieri

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and @HarperMuseAudiobooks for an ALC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Instagram: @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!!

And as always, thanks for reading along with me! 📚⭐️📖🩷

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like with her characters in Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, I had a very hard time connecting with anyone in this book. I think maybe that is the point. Her books are steeped in addiction and recovery so I think if you have never lived through those things, its hard to understand the choices that a person who is, would make. The choices that these characters make leave me feeling very frustrated and uncomfortable. There were lots of things in this one that I couldn't quite understand, but that doesn't make it any less valuable to read about. The frustration I feel during a book like this lets me know that it was well written because it feels like I am carrying their heavy emotions.

There are lots of potential triggers in this one. I would definitely check that out before diving in. There also is a handful of F words...like around 10 I think.

[Pasha Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book pulled me right in! I read Jessica’s first book this summer and when I learned she was writing a second I couldn’t wait to read it. I love her writing style. She doesn’t hold back. She’s real and raw. I think this book is even better than her first. Frankie and Mere are both great women in their own ways. I could relate to both of them and at some points I was like Dang! Has she been inside my head bc I felt like she ripped a page out of my daily life. Being a woman and a mother is hard in today’s world but when we can lean on each other we can make each other’s lives better and this book shows just that. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ryan Brandenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This powerful novel delves into the complexities of sisterhood, addiction and its aftermath. I was instantly captivated by the intricate relationship between sisters Mere and Frankie, and I found myself engrossed in the narrative, finishing the novel in less than 24 hours.

The book takes readers on a profound journey, filled with raw emotions and heartbreaking moments. I believe this novel will resonate well with fans of Demon Copperhead and The Blue Sisters when it releases in May 2026. I would also predict a Read with Jenna pick!

Please be aware of the following trigger warnings: sexual violence and addiction.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book, it is beautifully written. Jessica writes with such an openness it makes it so easy to care for and want the best for her characters Mere and Frankie. What they are going through or have gone through we can empathize with, if not having been through similar or the same situations. It is not easy being a Mother, Sister, Wife, Caregiver, Friend, all to others without feeling lost sometimes.

Thank you to Harper Muse and Net Galley for the advance copy.
Pub Date: May 19 2026

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

[Janis Gerney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story line about two sisters and the challenges in their lives. I liked the chapter at the end from the third person’s perspective. Very insightful regarding alcoholism and having a child with neurodivergence.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOTH CAN BE TRUE by Jessica Guerrieri has been high on my anticipated reads list since it was announced. Her debut novel, BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, put this author on my must read list. I knew going in that this book would be gritty and unapologetically real.

Guerrieri does not shy away from the truth—even when it’s ugly and painful. In BOTH CAN BE TRUE she tackles the many ways women disappear by focusing on three women who are slowly losing bits of themselves. This is a heavy book with uncomfortable themes of trauma, mental illness, sexual assault, substance abuse, sisterhood, and motherhood.

Frankie and Mere are sisters whose relationship is stretched taut by the shared trauma of their mother’s death followed by their father’s slow descent into alcoholism and mental illness and eventual dementia diagnosis. Frankie is a recovering alcoholic tenuously hanging onto her decade of sobriety. Mere is the mother of a neurodivergent daughter whose entire existence is focused on accommodating and managing her child’s struggles. Both are lonely within their marriages. The disappearance of Brie, a woman Frankie is sponsoring through AA, brings simmering tensions to the surface.

I appreciate the honesty Guerrieri brings to her writing. Her own battle with substance use and personal sobriety journey bring validity to the character arcs throughout this novel. Her writing makes it easy to become invested in those characters as their stories play out on the page. I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding Brie’s disappearance, but it was Frankie and Mere’s all too realistic unravelings that captured my heart.

I paired the physical ARC with the audiobook narrated by Helen Laser and Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. Their performances are outstanding and showcase the depth of feeling and pain carried by these characters. Readers should check content warnings as there are sensitive themes running throughout this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, Harper Audio, and Book Sparks for the gifted advance copies for in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.