Both Can Be True
- Judith D Collins
- Apr 19
- 3 min read
Narrators:Jessica Guerrier, Helen Laser,
Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Rebecca Lowman ISBN: 9781400345984
Publisher: Harper Muse
Publictaion Date: 05/19/2026
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
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.
Praise
Both Can Be True is a beautifully written story of love, redemption, and resilience. Guerrieri explores what it takes to survive, and to thrive, and at what cost to ourselves and to the ones we love. A compassionate tale told bravely and honestly that will make many feel seen and understood.'
-- Amy Neff, international bestselling author of The Days I Loved You Most
'It's a rare novel that tells the hardest truths about motherhood and the reasons so many women feel a need to escape, even when they fiercely love their children--and Both Can Be True is that rare and bold novel. In prose that took my breath away, Guerrieri explores the bonds of sisterhood and friendship between women with an unflinching and generous eye, while also shining a light on the darkness of addiction and sexual assault. By turns devastating and transcendent, Both Can Be True had me turning pages late into the night.'
-- Kerri Maher, USA TODAY bestselling author of All You Have to Do Is Call
'Jessica Guerrieri is a wonderful writer, and this novel is an exquisite examination of sisters, motherhood, and marriage. Both Can Be True is interested in what can and can't be repaired in our lives, and the grace we can choose to give ourselves and others along the way. Superb.'
-- Annie Hartnett, author of the bestselling novel The Road to Tender Heart
About the Author
Originally from the Bay Area, Jessica Guerrieri lives in Davis, California, with her husband and three daughters.
Jessica has a background teaching special education but left the field to pursue a career in writing.
Her debut novel, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, won the Maurice Prize for Fiction from her alma mater, UC Davis.
With over a decade of sobriety, Jessica is a fierce advocate for addiction recovery.
Connect with her online at jessicaguerrieri.net; Instagram: jessicaguerrieriauthor; X: @witandspitup; TikTok: @jessstayssober; Threads: @jessicaguerrieriauthor
