Family court judge, Jackie Martin, is shocked when her live-in boyfriend, Lou, leaves unexpectedly, leaving behind a cursory note on the kitchen table. The break up rocks Jackie’s world, causing her to doubt her job, her attractiveness as a partner and even her self worth. Jackie throws herself into her job, but she keeps falling short of expectations. Though she is the appointed judge, she feels she herself is being criticized by her clerk, supervisor, amongst others, at every turn. If only she can find a way to win Lou back, she thinks, then all would be right with the world again. 

When a member of Lou’s family ends up in her courtroom, Jackie is faced with the difficult choice between her career and her relationship. But maybe there’s a way to have both? If women can supposedly have it all, could there be a way for her to have her cake and eat it too? 

I always enjoy a novel with a moral dilemma at its core. I love looking at the choices, weighing all of  the evidence and deciding for myself which way the scale tips. I rooted for both Jackie and Lou, even though they both made a significant number of cringe worthy choices. I even found myself yelling at them on occasion, trying to prevent them from going down the wrong path. Both Are True is an engaging story about love, lost and found, and about finding yourself along the way. The characters are real, flawed and easy to root for, and I enjoyed this peek through the window into their emotional lives.