Praise for Both Sides Now

"Queer issues are given center stage, evoking the lived experiences of many in a sensitive and sympathetic way... Emotionally charged and politically relevant, this is a must read."

"A young adult book to watch for."

—New York Times

"The thing I like about it - what makes it feel like a true novel and not just written for the sake of representation - it feels like someone who wrote a novel trying to answer a question they found interesting. Not someone trying to just give you a character to relate to."

—Newbery honoree Kyle Lukoff in the Washington Post

"Thomas's book is lively, funny and puts the reader - and this great central character - into necessarily uncomfortable places."

—Globe and Mail

"One of the best Canadian YA books of the year."

—CBC

"A heady, heartfelt whirlwind of smarts, soul, and contemporary queer coming-of-age adventure."

—Kai Cheng Thom, author of Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir

"Thomas' debut is achingly vulnerable... There's no debate: Both Sides Now is a compelling, heartfelt must-read."

—Booklist (starred review)

"Thomas's nerdy, funny, ambitious queer teens stun me with how realistically they love and fear each other... Bright, funny, savvy, and wholehearted."

—Hal Schrieve, author of Out of Salem

"Debut author Thomas's conversational writing style is highly engaging and should draw readers in with a compelling story of self-realization and a bit of youthful romance."

—The Horn Book

"A delightful YA read."

—The Advocate

"This coming-of-age romance poignantly depicts self-discovery and finding your place in the world."

—BuzzFeed

"I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more! There's no debating it, this is a hilarious and heartfelt story about love and accepting yourself."

—Mason Deaver, author of I Wish You All the Best and The Ghosts We Keep

"In this sharp and emotional first novel... Thomas doesn't pull any punches on difficult topics and never once reduces his characters to objects of pity. Instead, he depicts teenagers who are working hard to find their places in a world that has thrown obstacle after obstacle in their paths. The novel balances serious political conversations and scenes of moving emotional hardship with moments of comedy and a spirit of true camaraderie."

—Bookpage

"Peyton Thomas's debut novel is a wonderfully nuanced exploration of what it means to be a transgender teen... Both Sides Now is an impressive debut that focuses on fully realized trans and queer characters, with a high-stakes plot that will keep readers invested until the very end."

—CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"Deeply moral without sacrificing complexity, and with a beautiful slow-burn romance at its core, this is a book no queer teen will want to miss."

—Naomi Kanakia, author of We Are Totally Normal and Enter Title Here

"A sharp, witty narrative... full of cerebral teens with big plans and snark to spare."

—School Library Journal

"Thomas writes with effortless ease; his convincing characters have notably diverse traits and he's clear that what they are doesn't necessarily define who they are."

—Shelf Awareness

"[Thomas] offers a heartfelt, witty debut novel in this compelling coming-of-age tale of a trans teen coming into his own."

—Buffalo News

"An excellent, engaging read. And I just can't help but feel a particular affection for a kid who dreams of egging Mitch McConnell's house."

—Pride Source

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Bylines

Music

Album Reviews for Pitchfork

Charli XCX's "Speed Drive" for Pitchfork's Best Songs of 2023

Jens Lekman Explains How Streaming Culture, and Joni Mitchell, Inspired Him While Re-Recording Two Beloved Albums for Billboard (2022)

Girlpool Burst Through Their Confines on Their Fourth Studio Album, "Forgiveness" for Uproxx (2022)

U2's "Zooropa" for Pitchfork's Sunday Review (2020)

Still Tears Left to Cry: How Ariana Grande is Defying Pop-Star Conventions About Showing Pain and Sadness for Billboard (2018)

Beyonce's "Cuff It" and Mitski's Laurel Hell for the 2022 Uproxx Music Critics Poll

MUNA's "What I Want" for Pitchfork's Best Songs of 2022

Elliott Smith's "Say Yes" and Daniel Johnston's "Some Things Last A Long Time" for Pitchfork's Best Songs of the 90s

Jonathan Richman's I, Jonathan for Pitchfork's Best Albums of the 90s

Rostam's "4Runner" for Pitchfork's Best Songs of 2021

Soccer Mommy's color theory for Pitchfork's Best Albums of 2020

Denzel Curry's ZUU for Pitchfork's Best Albums of 2019

Sleater-Kinney's "Hurry on Home" for Pitchfork's Best Songs of 2019

Television

Netflix's I Am Not Okay With This Turns 1980s Pop Anthems Into Lesbian Love Songs for Pitchfork (2020)

Stars, Stripes, and "Salaam, RuPaul Joon!": A Niche Interview with Jackie Cox for the Niche (2020)

Film

"What Will It Take to Get a Gay Character in Star Wars?" for Vanity Fair (2017)

Culture

Did the Mother of Young Adult Literature Identify as a Man? for the New York Times (2022)

American Girl is all about equality. So why did it partner with JK Rowling? for LGBTQ Nation (2022)

The Radical Acceptance Behind Little Women for Oprah Daily (2022)

If You'd Like to Be A Vase, Julio Torres Supports That for Vanity Fair (2022)

Little Women Author Louisa May Alcott Was A Transgender Man for LGBTQ Nation (2022)

How this Trans Author Came to Terms with His Acne for the Advocate (2021)

How to Find a Rabbit: A Niche Interview with John Paul Brammer for the Niche (2021)

"Ordinary Person, Wild Radical" for the Atavist (2018)

Video Games

"Bachelorette Party" and "Platinum" for Choices

Press

Interview with Matt Bucher and Dave Laird on Concavity Show (2022)

Discussing Both Sides Now at the Archer School for Girls (2022)

Discussing Both Sides Now at the Orangeville Public Library (2022)

Discussing Both Sides Now in Frolic (2021)

Discussing Both Sides Now at the Toronto Public Library (2021)

Launching Both Sides Now at Glad Day Bookshop with Anthony Oliveira (2021)

Talking Both Sides Now with Tundra Books (2021)

Interview with Geoffrey Moss at Wine Anorak (2021)

Greatest Hits for the Niche:

American Girl Dolls Ranked in Order of Gayness

All 293 Sufjan Stevens Songs, Ranked

What is "The Dynamic," Anyway?

I Went Ahead and Wrote a Spider-Man Movie Where Peter Parker is Bisexual Because Life is Short and God Knows Nobody Else Was Going to Do It

What's the status of Peyton's Little Women novel?

In 2020, I began work on a contemporary trans adaptation of Little Women. After a couple of years conducting archival research, I publicly announced the book in 2022 in the New York Times and Oprah Daily.

Initially, this was a young adult project for Dial Books for Young Readers, the publisher of my debut novel Both Sides Now. After a couple rounds of revisions, though, we mutually decided that the manuscript would be more at home in the adult literary market. So, between 2022 and 2025, I was at work on a draft titled A Novel by Jo March, which followed an unhappily married, closeted Jo returning to her small hometown, her estranged family, and her conservative mother. There, she found Laurie in early transition, grappled with her own gender dysphoria, and fell in T4T love.

In the spring of 2025, Emily St. James announced her novel Beth March Returns from the Dead, pitched as "a Little Women-inspired spin-off about a trans woman's return home after a decade's estrangement, only to be reunited with her three sisters, difficult mother, and much-changed high school nemesis, healing her childhood wounds and expanding her notions of queer love."

I've been reading Emily's work for over a decade. Her Mad Men reviews are some of the best writing about television ever put to print, absolutely indispensable for anyone who wants to watch and think deeply about the show. There's no way she could have known the particulars of my Little Women project, and it's just an unfortunate coincidence that our loglines are so similar. This stuff happens. On my podcast Jo's Boys, I interviewed the authors of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and Jo: A Little Women Adaptation (Sort Of), two middle-grade graphic novel adaptations of Little Women featuring a baby lesbian Jo, no less delightful for having come out within a year of each other.

Still, the very last thing I want to do is block Emily's bag, or prompt unfair comparisons between my book and hers, or (God forbid) become a side character in some intracommunity Twitter maelstrom that will only diminish everyone involved. For those reasons, I've chosen to set aside A Novel by Jo March for the time being. In all likelihood, I'll dust it off in five or six years. But my focus right now is on other work. There's stuff I've had to say no to in recent years because I was so locked in on Little Women, and I'm excited to return to those projects.

I know this'll come as a disappointment to those who've enjoyed my work on Alcott, but rest assured the full archive of Jo's Boys remains available for listening, and all of my Alcott journalism is linked on this page. I'm still available to talk all things Little Women - just shoot me a message via the contact information below.