She’s done it again!! After book #2 I can officially say that Emily Austin is one of my favourite authors. I would read this woman’s grocery lists.

This book follows Enid - 20-something and anxious, with an irrational phobia of bald men and lots of interesting facts about space. She has an absent father, a complicated relationship with her mother, and 2 half sisters that she is trying to built a relationship with. Objectively, Enid and I are nothing alike. But this character vocalized thoughts I’ve never been able to find the words for. Interesting Facts About Space will make you laugh, cry, and reflect on the deepest parts of your psyche. Enid is a flawed character and that’s exactly what I loved about her. If you loved Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead as much as I did, I would highly recommend picking this one up.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my thoughts! I can say with certainty that Interesting Facts About Space will remain a favourite for 2024.

5/5 ⭐️

4.25 stars
I had a really good time with this book. Who doesn’t enjoy a complicated relationship with your off & on depressed single mother. There is an instance when Enid is casually hooking up with people that gets her into trouble that then turns into a whole other unexpected relationship. I was surprised to see a relationship explored between Enid and her half siblings. It was interesting to read siblings forming a caring relationship into their adulthood. With the chaos that is going on in Enid’s head I’m glad that she was able to gain kind sisters.
What made me appreciate this book was Enid’s thoughts that she might be a bad person. She also feels as she’s missing critical info needed to fully form into herself. I think it’s relatable and gives us more insight into her as a character.
Here are some quotes showcasing that:
“I don't ever want to become my full self. There is no reality I can envision where myself now doubled is good. I think that if I were fully formed, I would be awful.”
“I want to hold people's beating hearts in my hands. I want to see all their arteries. I want to study how fully formed and bloody they are. I want to get as close as I can to them; to touch all their things, to put my mouth on them. I want to trick them into loving me. I want to test whether I can be loved; however, I think the way to test whether I am capable of truly loving people back is by ending things.”

Thank you netgalley for providing me an ARC for my most anticipated read this year! “everyone in this room will someday be dead” altered my worldview dramatically. The line “Now, do you ever think about how some people might wish that for you?” completely winded me in the moment and it’s sat in the back of my head for the two years since I first read it. Reading Emily Austin novels feels like a fourth wall break. it literally feels like someone, every other chapter, pulls the covers from above my head and shines a flashlight directly on my face in the night.

I have two half-siblings and a mom I feel guilty talking about them with. I hope I never see people again after a good time. I was lonely a lot as a kid. I avoid relationships because I believe I’m not made for them. I’ve always done things because I thought I was supposed to. Enid is one of, if not the most, personally identifiable character I’ve ever read and I don’t know how to thank Emily Austin for writing her. I can’t even put to words the things I didn’t love about this book because the good is so good. Reading this was a form of therapy and I wish I could have it in my hands right now to highlight and cry into.

Emily, I’m begging. Please do a reading or a signing or some kind of event here in Ottawa. If there’s one person in the audience, it’ll be me. My head is spinning.

This unique, quirky story follows main character Enid in a sort of slice-of-life way, as she navigates her life of working for a space center, dating women she meets via dating apps, listening to true-crime podcasts, managing her phobia of bald men, and trying to nurture relationships with both her mom and other family that she hasn’t previously been close to. We watch as Enid’s life heads towards a breaking point, and her typical coping mechanism of calling her mom to tell her interesting facts about space just isn’t quite enough anymore. With the help of friends and a therapist, Enid eventually works towards understanding both her past and her current self on a deeper level to ultimately lead to a hopeful future.

There is SO much to unpack in this short novel, but Emily R. Austin does it all with grace, providing such thought-provoking and reflective prose in the backdrop of an entertaining plot that is as humorous as it is heartbreaking.

While the publisher’s description of “fast-paced, hilarious and ultimately hopeful novel” is accurate, and the hot pink cover suggests a funny, popcorn-y story, I think both of those things are a little misleading as to what a reader can truly expect from this book. Despite being funny and compulsively readable, it’s also profoundly sad at times. This very character-driven novel really dives into Enid’s honest inner thoughts and takes on lots of aspects of mental health head-on in a deep way. Through Enid and her story, Austin explores PTSD, neurodivergence, paranoia, manic-depression, phobias, anxiety and more from the mental health perspective. Not only do we see mental illness through the eyes of a character experiencing some elements of it themselves, but we also see what it’s like to have someone close to you with mental illness, and how one person’s mental health can affect so many others. All of that being said, I do think that it ends on a hopeful note, and that the humor throughout provided a perfect balance to the heavier topics the book tackled.

All in all, this was a completely unique reading experience that eloquently melded humor with emotionally heavy themes to ultimately show that it’s possible to work through our fears and achieve a healthy headspace despite the most difficult of circumstances. And I LOVED also learning super interesting facts about space along the way! I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished it, and it’ll be one that sticks with me for a long time. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Emily R. Austin and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This might be a case of bad timing. I absolutely loved an earlier book by this author and was really excited for this one. However the structure really isn’t working for me in this one. I may try again when I’m more in the mood for it now that I know what to expect but at this point, deciding it isn’t for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

Emily Austin did it again for me. LitFic about neurodivergent queer people will always end up on my tbr. Learned a lot of fun facts about Space too.

Interesting Facts about Space by Emily Austin is a humorous and charming story.
Emily Austin's writing style is quirky, hilarious, and surprisingly touching.
This book was so deeply touching and phenomenal.
I was sucked in quick. And found it to be very astounding.
I will be picking up her previous title Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Emily R. Austin has done it again! This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and boy it delivered! Emily’s other book Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead is one of my favorite books of all time, so I was very excited to read this one.
I really enjoyed following Enid's journey with mental health and her family. Over the course of the book had such a big character arc which was great to follow. Enid is a character I find very relatable, one sad gay to another. Overall what a stellar read that I would highly recommend. I will literally be reading anything, Emily R. Austin writes in the future

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read many books that have made me feel the way this book does. I felt like someone had taken a flashlight to the cracks in my facade, letting everyone see the monster I am. Austin has a talent for capturing the banal horror and anxieties of everyday life, including the experience of being a teenage lesbian. Throughout the book, I rooted for Enid to find her happy ending, all while understanding that there was going to need to be some serious work done for her to earn it. The relationship between her half-sisters, her mother, and her friends speaks to the complexity of the modern adult, balancing their own mental health against feeling like they need to hold the family together. I cannot wait for more titles by this author.

Much like Emily Austin's previous novel, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, this one is good in a sneaky sort of way. There are some weird plot developments, and some of the writing feels like it's just repeating internet clichés, but ultimately Austin once again manages to take a style that would become grating under some authors and turn it into something a bit less conventional and a lot more compelling. The relationships between characters are wonderfully constructed, and Enid's journey feels realistic and earned, which ultimately pushes off any fair comparison to some other not-as-great popular novels.

The synopsis really emphasizes this being "hilarious" and "brimming with quirky humor," and it does have that (like the character of Maveric, who might as well have been plucked from a workplace comedy), but I don't think I was quite prepared for how intense and anxiety-inducing the book would be. Well, I didn't read the synopsis anyways, so I guess I wouldn't have known either way, but I think I expected something more generally wholesome and less "keeps me up for hours after reading it because I'm caught it an anxiety spiral." Maybe you can find some humor in the character's quirks, but they're also kinda a little too real for that, and there's this constant sense of tension and desperation throughout. The darkness here is not hidden behind quirkiness or the facade of a lighthearted romp.

I'd consider this a step up from Emily Austin's previous effort. Unlike with that book, I didn't feel the need for any relationships to be further fleshed out, nor did I feel like the ending was quite as overly clean or rushed, and the positive aspects of that book are only enhanced here, as there's a little more space to deeply explore the characters, and a little more ambition to do so, for that matter.

Litfic about weird woman who are prisoners of their own minds is a sub-genre that’s absolutely for me. I thought there was absolutely no way Emily Austin could top her previous novel but I was wrong. This one was somehow even better. I felt such strong emotions while reading this. I laughed, I cried, and I annotated basically my entire kindle copy. Halfway through reading this I ordered a physical copy because I couldn’t handle not having this beauty on my bookshelf. Austin’s writing simply speaks to my soul and I feel like she’s taken a sneak peak into my brain. I feel so seen by her and books like this matter so much. Highly, highly, highly recommend to all fans of character driven literary fiction with neurodivergent characters, repressed childhood trauma, dysfunctional relationships, and seemingly unwarranted fears.

I loved this but book! It is a quick read, full of heart. It pulled me out of a reading rut and had me postponing all the other things I needed to do so I could finish it. This book is about Enid who can’t stop listening to true crime podcasts, knows a lot about space, and is a character I completely fell in love with by the end of this story. And it’s not just Enid- there are so many things I enjoyed about this book- writing is great, there are complex characters, interesting family dynamics, and of course a lot of interesting facts about space.

Austin has established herself as a favourite author for me! I really loved her debut, and I connect with her writing in a personal way. she has a way of writing characters that are easily sympathetic yet flawed, and easily bingeable stories. this is mostly about Enid’s journey of self-discovery and i blew through this in a day, because Austin’s way of writing is just so addictive.

wow wow wow 5 stars

Okay, so I sometimes worry I rate things a little higher than I should but this is not the case here. Interesting Facts About Space is my first book of 2024 but I can say it's my favorite book I read in the past year and one month. I've not yet had the chance to read Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead so I was excited about getting early access to this book thanks to Netgalley and I must say it didn’t disappoint. In my eyes the best part of this book is the relationships, I think Emily Austin does an amazing job of introducing us to Enid and her life. All of the relationships felt very well written and so rewarding, and everyone felt very grounded and real. I won't go into any details but the relationship Enid finds herself in felt so beautiful and honest. The depiction and representation of mental health issues were written so well and, in a way, I think lots of people can find comfort in by realizing they are not alone. Enid and her mom's relationship might have been my favorite part of the book I loved every text and phone call and the love and sometimes guilt behind them. It is truly a touching and beautifully written book and a nice plus was all the interesting facts I learned about space.

Publishing date is January 30th, 2024

Wow. I enjoyed Emily Austin’s debut novel, but Interesting Facts About Space was exactly my kind of weird!

Austin’s sophomore novel is a comedy, drama and mystery all wrapped up in one. The story follows Enid, a 20-something queer woman, as she:
- Has a number of hilarious / cringeworthy dating adventures
- Seeks to connect with her adult half-sisters (aka her estranged father’s second family)
- Texts her mother interesting facts about space whenever she becomes anxious – fortunately, she knows a lot, since she works at the Space Centre
- Hyperfixates on true crime shows and has an irrational phobia of bald men

I won’t get into the plot for fear of giving spoilers. However, I thought this book was an absolute riot, and at the same time, somewhat devastating, due to its captivating exploration of Enid’s mental health challenges and relationship with her dysfunctional family. At its heart, Interesting Facts is a book about identity and belonging, and Austin does such a terrific job of bringing Enid to life as a character and endearing her, flaws and all, to the reader. Ultimately, I was impressed at how well Austin wove these elements together to create an emotionally compelling page-turner. It feels good to have found my first favorite book of the year.

Sincere thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Interesting Facts About Space follows Enid, a woman who loves to talk about space and listen to true crime programs, dates a lot, is terrified of bald men, and has an overwhelming fear that she’s a terrible person. Throughout this book Enid tries to develop a relationship with her half sisters and falls in love for the first time, but her life becomes more and more difficult and overwhelming as her paranoia around bald men grows and her fear of being a bad person intensifies.

So I started this and I was like “Oh…… this is just Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine... ok I guess.” And I’m surprised it’s been as popular as it has because from what I’ve seen in recent years people haven’t seemed to enjoy Eleanor Oliphant as much as they did when it first came out. I’ve found that in almost every positive review of this book that I’ve seen the reviewer says some variation of “I related to this so much! I’ve never felt so seen!” And maybe that’s why I didn’t enjoy it as much as a lot of other people have. I don’t relate to it for the most part. But I definitely don’t think a person should have to relate to a book a book to enjoy it so I’m still disappointed. I also didn’t think it was funny and I think the humor is another big thing that makes people like this book. I don’t think this is a bad book at all. I just think I could’ve done without it because it didn’t give me anything unique, any laughs, or any interesting writing. Yes the main character was quirky but we’ve seen a whooooole lot of quirky main characters in recent years. So that wasn’t enough to keep me interested. I’ve seen people describe the writing as unique but I feel like I’ve encountered this writing style before. I just think it’s forgettable and I don’t feel like my life is any better or worse for having read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited when I was approved to read this book, because I read Emily Austin's debut novel, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, last summer and thought it was great. Ever since, I've been itching to read something else by her, because I found her writing to be strikingly authentic. I was a bit worried this one wouldn't live up to my expectations... but I was wrong! Interesting Facts about Space exceeded my expectations - it was funny, heartwarming, moving, and gnawed at the back of my mind whenever I put it down. I found myself picking up the book as soon as I had a free moment throughout the day; it pulled me in and never let go.

The story follows Enid, a 26 year-old, neurodivergent woman who struggles with anxiety. She has a phobia of bald men that is taking over her life and calms herself down by reciting interesting facts about space and listening to true crime podcasts. In her free time, she goes on dates with women she meets on dating apps, checks in on her mother with depression, and is starting to form relationships with her two half-siblings. The novel details her life as she begins to suspect that someone is following her. Is her bald neighbor stalking her, or is she just overly paranoid?

I loved this story. From the moment it started, I was intrigued by Enid and her life. Emily Austin's writing is so good. Her books make me wildly uncomfortable, because she writes about anxiety and mental health struggles with such accuracy. She also sprinkles humor and thoughtful social commentary throughout her books. I found myself laughing one moment, only to have goosebumps ten pages later. Her writing is easy to read, as well. It's written in first person present tense, following Enid's thoughts in a stream of consciousness. It flows naturally, which I find impressive for this type of style.

This novel is even better than the author's first one, because the characters are more developed. Everyone has a unique personality that has been fleshed out. While some readers might not find Enid likeable, she is at least sympathetic. She is clearly struggling, but at the same time, she cares a lot about others and wants to be a good person. Her journey is fascinating to read. The other characters are intriguing, as well. I loved Enid's best friend, Vin, and love interest, Polly. Even the other characters Enid goes on dates with are interesting and offer great commentary on queer dating in the age of social media. Enid's family members each bring something different to the story, too. I was so moved by the chapters featuring Enid and her mother.

The pacing is the main thing I could see others critiquing. It worked for me, because it felt like a true representation of someone's mental health struggles (it is slow for a long time, but then a lot happens all at once near the end). If you don't like slice of life stories or you find Enid uninteresting, you may be bored throughout the first half of this book. For me, though, I was so interested by Enid and how she lived her life that even the slower chapters held my attention. Every detail ends up being important, so it is thrilling to piece everything together alongside Enid.

While I clearly adored this novel, I don't think it will be everyone's cup of tea. It deals with heavier themes, such as childhood trauma, mental illness, parental abandonment, and more. However, it is also quirky and has some silly moments. This created a perfect balance of emotions for me, but if you don't like dark, somewhat strange humor, then you may not find it as entertaining as I did. Also, if you don't like slice of life or stream of consciousness writing in your books, you also may not find this as enjoyable. However, if you want to read a moving portrayal of mental illness with queer representation and some added comedic relief along the way, then I highly recommend Interesting Facts about Space!

5 out of 5 stars.

Enid loves space and can tell you pretty much any fact about it. Other than that she is fairly normal…well, except the fact that she is terrified of bald men. A typical day includes listening to a true crime podcast, going on dates with a rotating door of women, and worrying about trying to build a relationship with her estranged half sisters. Enid feels like someone is following her though, and her traps show that maybe someone is…ok fine…maybe she is slightly more paranoid than normal…

This book was so delightfully quirky. Seriously…I think quirky is the only word for it. When Liz from @Lisaandliz told me she thought I would like it, she called it quirky and I made her differentiate between good, bad, or just weird quirky. Well I can tell you she was right, it is good quirky! I really loved Enid and while her facts about space were all over the place, I enjoyed hearing them! I have totally been the person that makes sure I locked my door four times before going to bed, and 85 times before I leave to go on vacation, so while Enid was slightly more intense about it, I understood her concerns about her safety, though I don’t think the true crime podcasts helped her much there. As we got closer to the end my heart broke more and more for Enid. Also, my dad is deaf in one ear so I felt so hard for her when people got annoyed she wasn’t “listening” when she couldn’t hear them. This book was so unique and I truly enjoyed every second of it!

I loved this book. Enid’s story was well thought out and surprisingly moving. Even all the side characters worked for me. It was a lovely read that I highly recommend.

⭐️ ARC REVIEW ⭐️
Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin
My Rating: 3/5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the gifted ecopy of this book!

My Review: I went into this read completely blind with no context. Ironically enough I had chosen this for my BOTM before I was even picked to read the ARC.

I felt this book gave me anxiety while I read it. Everything was short snippets of Enid’s experiences and everything about her was erratic. Even my ADHD got an eye twitch reading this. For a majority of the book there wasn’t a true direction, it was just a lot of fast thoughts or events. I’m still not even sure what the book was about if someone were to ask me.

The last few pages Enid comes into her own, and that’s probably what tipped me from a two to a three star review. I didn’t struggle through it, I was genuinely invested, but it just seemed like a lot of jumbled thoughts put together. I think personally I need more structure in the books I read and the characters I encounter.

Interesting Facts About Space is available wherever you buy books on January 30, 2023.