Both Sides Now by Peyton Thomas

This post wasn’t the post I had planned for today, but I just finished the novel Both Sides Now by Peyton Thomas, and I have a lot to vent about. So before I start, I want to let you that this is more like me sharing my thoughts and opinion than your typical review. At first, I took this novel at face value.

I mean that most of the transgender characters I read in books talk about how they feel and the issues they are having and later on how they overcome, ending the story with rainbows and butterflies. There is nothing with happy endings, and it’s something that I do myself as a writer. When you have a photo and add a filter to it to review all imperfections, it might be more eye-catching, but it’s not 100% legit, which is the difference between an impersonal to personal transition in writing.

I think the author did very well by showing Finch having other life issues like money and relationships. Some people feel that just because you are transitioning or transitioned, all your problems has stopped being problems, which isn’t reality. The way I try to explain it in my head is when there is any kind of transition, no matter what they might be; it will bring its challenges; the difference is how you face them. Everyone has a unique solution to their problem that is right for them.

This beautiful novel is a 2021 release, and I’m giving it five stars. If you liked Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, this is a book you might want to pick up.

Alex