Oh how I love Emily Austin! She always hits me in the feels in the rawest, most witty ways. We Could Be Rats was written in a very creative manner, with the first half of the book being the main character writing and re-writing suicide her letter. Although creative, I’m not sure how I felt about this style of getting to know the characters. Emily Austin’s other novels were definitely more my vibe, but I still really enjoyed this one!

We Could Be Rats is undoubtedly her best yet. Though the book contains her signature style of blending sentimental insights and bursts of sharp humor, this is the first time we see her play with form and narration—and it completely pays off.

We Could Be Rats follows two sisters, Margit and Sigrid, dealing with a devastating event and their past, eventually coming together and reconnecting.

This book snagged my attention from the start and held it until the very end!! It was absolutely painful which only made it all the more interesting to read. Margit and Sigrid are both painfully relatable and there were several moments throughout the novel where there were tears in my eyes. There was definitely a lot of care put into this book with the depictions of depression and trauma, and seeing how differently the sisters coped. It was beautiful to see them come together and to see the different ways they experienced their childhood. I love stories about imagination and growing up and losing that, especially as it is something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently and I really enjoy stories about sisters, so this was an especially favourable read.

I really enjoyed Austin’s writing style so I am definitely looking forward to her new books!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore this author! Her writing style, relatable characters, the laugh-out-loud moments. I read this in one sitting and it’s a book I know I’ll read again. I thought about the sisters after I finished reading and have told so many of my friends to grab this book. I also added it to our book club picks.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read!

i did not enjoy the writing style in this book and i wanted to love it so much. the idea was fantastic but it fell flat for me. i did not finish the book i was just struggling to want to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of "We Could Be Rats" by Emily Austin. All opinions are my own.

I LOVE Emily Austin! This is three books in a row now that I have adored and given 5 stars to each. This authors voice and writing style is fantastic. The familiarity I feel when I read this is unmatched. I cannot wait for the next one.

This was another book by Emily Austin that I just ate up. This was so good. This is not my normal genre at all but this is the second book by this author that had me hooked. The writing is dark and witty and impactful. It’s definitely worth the read.

*“A moving story about two very different sisters, and a love letter to childhood, growing up, and the power of imagination.”*

I first tried to read the physical copy of this but found that the audiobook is better. With epistolary novels (or anything similar), my brain just absorbs the story on audio because it doesn’t feel too one sided that way (anyone else?).

Anywhooo, a lovely story about sisters who grew apart and found each other again. A story for those whose adult journey just didn’t turn out the way they expected and or what the society expected!

Thank you Atria Books for a copy!

In this contemporary literary fiction, you primarily follow Sigrid. She did not graduate high school. She works at a dead-end job. She's trying to navigate early adulthood. Through Sigrid's suicide notes, the reader is able to understand from her perspective the challenges she is facing. Her sister, Greta, finds these notes and is faced with a challenging task of sharing the news with their family.

Emily Austin does a wonderful job inserting humor into the story, while still maintaining a powerful and deep story. This was actually my first book by the author and I'm super impressed...so impressed that I picked up another book by her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion and review. After reading this ARC, I purchased a physical book for my home library :)

This novel finds such a unique way to explore grief, trauma, and mental illness. I've never read anything like it! Emily Austin is so adept at writing about neurodivergence and mental health. Reading one of her books feels like looking into my own brain; she puts to words experiences I couldn't even begin to articulate. I find all of her characters so deeply relatable, and Sigrid and Margit were no exception (in fact I couldn't decide which one of them I related to more). I continue to be impressed at the way Austin crafts such a thoughtful, dare I say almost gentle lens through which to examine dark thoughts and experiences. Her portrayals are honest and unflinching, but with a touch of softness. I will read anything she writes without question or hesitation.

This book is poignant, it's beautiful, it's existential, it's devastating. It feels very relevant to this moment in time: if you've ever felt like your life is an endless cycle of clocking in and out while the world burns around you, this book is for you. As usual, Austin does such an excellent job balancing the heaviness with humor and with hope. It's difficult to say much more without spoiling it!

This book definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea. Not much happens in this book in terms of plot. It's told entirely through recollections and is very character driven. It's also heavy. That being said, I wholeheartedly recommend this one (and highly recommend looking into the content warnings before you begin)!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC.

I thought that this was such a creative exploration of mental illness and grief. The twist that happens in this one had my jaw on the floor, and I thought that it portrayed the message of this book’s themes really well. I love Emily Austin!

I talked about this one in episode 188 of Book Talk Etc.

So, so good. I will literally read anything she writes. If you loved her first book you will love this. I would recommend even if you have not read anything by her. So funny and heartwarming.

Unlike anything I've ever read before... Emily Austin writes with such an inviting voice and such deep emotion

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I adore this author. She is so adept at capturing a variety of neurodivergent characteristics and mental wellness challenges. With this novel she has become an auto-buy for me. Please take gentle care while reading as the content is quite heavy. Beautiful, but heavy.

This was such a strange nostalgia inducing book. I had high expectations after loving Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead. This book surprised me. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

It’s difficult to say anything about the book without spoiling it but I’ll try my best. The synopsis doesn’t give that much away and I think it best for readers to go in knowing very little.

As the synopsis says, the story is about two sisters growing up. But it’s so much more than that. First, there’s Sigrid, who feels like it would be great to be a rat at a fair feasting on treats, scaring people, hanging out with rat pals, eating trash, and dying in two years after having a blast. Then there’s Margit who is meant to be the golden child of the family. The depiction of the relationship between the two sisters is painfully accurate at times. Austin perfectly captures the relationship between the two sisters. The book also delves into drug addiction, suicide, SA, and more. I’d advise checking trigger warnings.

The book doesn’t go from point A to point B. It takes you on a ride at the fair (where there are little rats feasting). Just buckle in and enjoy where the story is going to take you. There are sudden drops and unexpected turns. Just go with it, trust me.

(Skip this section of review if you want to go in blind)
At a certain point in the story, there’s a change that happens which was unexpected to say the least. I love when a book manages to surprise me and make me rethink the whole story. This is a book that gives readers a lot to think about. I know I’ll definitely want to re read this book again.

That said, I don’t think this book is for everyone and that’s OK. Austin’s writing manages to be engaging and surprisingly funny and profound. I’d recommend this book to anyone, especially if you have a sister.

I’d also highly recommend checking out Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Oh, Honey.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for providing me with an ARC for review.

An emotionally impactful read that solidifies Emily Austin as an auto-buy author for me.
I consumed this entire book in a coffee shop one morning and could not put it down for a second. It's dark, heavy and emotionally gripping.

The way that this book dealt with such a heavy topic but it told the story through the eyes of a girl who just wants to somehow explain herself and her reasons using dark humor. The relationship between the sisters was so realistic and organically expressed throughout the attempted letters. I felt a deep personal connection to this story with the way childhood trauma was handled here.

I was amused and emotional scarred and that's the way I like my lit fics!

If Emily Austin writes it, I will read it. I find Austin's style of writing so fun to read and honestly it's just so relatable. This novel in particular is about a very heavy subject so definitely check trigger warnings before reading. I still found the dark humor good but I did kind of get bored a little way in. Nothing bad about the writing, I think the topic just got a bit heavy and I kind of got lost on me. I still enjoyed it overall though, but I would say compared to Austin's other novels this would be ranked last.

Thank you so much to Neutrally and Atria for the eArc!

While this isn't my favorite Emily Austin book, its still very well written, and is a great story about familial love.

“I decided that deep down we’re all who we were when we were kids. I think being a teenager is about hiding all your quirks and contorting yourself to fit in and impress people, and being an adult is about re-finding who you were when you were eight years old.”

This book was different than I expected in such an interesting way. The entire book is told through memories recounted by two characters, and the first half of the book is entirely theoretical suicide notes. It was such a unique way to present the story and kept me engaged the whole time because I didn’t really know where the story was going. While the story brings humor to relieve some of the heaviness, this book explores deep topics including complex family dynamics, sister relationships, mental health, and addiction. This was a very impactful book that I will be thinking about for a long time to come.

Note: Please check content warnings if needed because this book hits on a lot of heavy topics.

Thank you to Emily Austin, Atria, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Emily Austin’s We Could Be Rats is a poignant and darkly humorous novel about sisterhood, mental health, and the weight of the past. I thought Austin did a great job balancing heavy themes with dark humour and hope. I am not a book annotator, but this would be the kind of book where you could easily highlight quotes and passages because the writing was so sharp and interesting. I loved the contrast of the sisters and the exploration of family and life. Looking forward to reading more of Emily Austin's work!
Thank you Atria Books for the copy through NetGalley.