We Could Be Rats Is a beautifully written novel about the complexities of relationships, the importance of being true to yourself, and honoring your weirdness.

Sisters Sigrid and Margit have a complex relationship. One is conventionally successful at college while the other is stunted, working a dead end job in her hometown. When one sister does the unthinkable, the other steps in to help in the only way she knows how.

I adored the pacing and literary style of this novel. Emily Austin's writing is both beautifully poignant and laugh out loud hilarious. I related very much to both sisters and found numerous similarities between their upbringing and my own. I, however, would definitely look up trigger warnings before picking up this novel.

I want to thank Atria Books for the advanced reader copy - it was an honor to read one of my most anticipated books early! I thoroughly enjoyed We Could Be Rats and can't wait for the publication date so I can buy copies for my friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting access to this book.

If I am being honest, I struggled with how to rate this book. This was mostly because of the heavy subject matter in this book. While I didn't necessarily "love" this book, interestingly enough, I was hooked till the very end. I almost want to describe this book as mesmerizing...but I also feel like I could describe this in a better way. If anything, Emily Austin tackles a hard subject in a beautiful and careful way that makes the reader hooked to this story. Overall, I would rate this book at least 3.5 stars.

This book is important. Its important because it brings up stuff people dont want to…suicidal ideation, purpose, anxiety, self acceptance, self loathing, social acceptance. It gives air to topics that are often suffocated. Im beyond grateful Emily Austin exists. She has a way of articulating whacky thoughts I have every day but am too rooted in shame to share. She somehow makes me feel accepted, smart and seen. This book is important for people age 17-37 especially. I am so grateful for the prompt to consider what life was like when we were children and the need to return to that kind if existence in adulthood. Ill never look at rats the same way again.

This is my favorite Emily Austin book to date! I appreciate the character building in this novel so much because I truly feel like I understand the thought processes of the characters, and empathize with them as well. This book also had a unique twist that kept me engaged, and I loved how the chapters were written as letters.

I really enjoyed this book, it was an incredibly emotional journey through the lives of two sisters growing up in the same environment, but who coped in very different ways. There were many quotable passages that hit home very hard for me personally even though I grew up as an only child.

“You always said you were introverted, but I don’t know. You might just get tired carrying the mental load required to monitor everyone around you.”

“Friendships change when people grow up, I guess.” ………. “I wondered sometimes if maybe she and I were only meant to be friends for that phase of our lives.”

“I feel like I don’t know the things I’m supposed to. I feel like I’m pretending.”

I think we all have parts of us who relate to Sigrid, who longs for the freedom of childhood, who loathes having to become an adult, and who just doesn’t understand the motions of adulthood, because they really don’t make much sense, do they? And then there’s parts of us who relate to Magrit, who has a need to control things, both emotions and actions, who feels a need to be accomplished and praised for being “normal” even if that’s not what is truly wanted.

This is a beautiful example of an unreliable narrator, with twists of shifting POVs. It’s also a fairly open ended book. I think readers will need to be okay with not fully knowing everything for certain because of this. Personally I always have enjoyed this theme, but I know it’s not for everyone.

Overall, this is a big five star in my book and I’m very appreciative for the chance to read and review it early!

Emily Austin does it again my friends. An unforgettable story about two sisters, childhood and the bittersweet journey of growing up that gave my reading palate the refresher it needed... with probably the most unconventional way to start a book.

I always appreciate about Austin’s work is her ability to tackle difficult subjects with a touch of dark humor. This novel is no exception. And my friends, the story doesn’t shy away from exploring heavy and emotional themes. I recommend checking the content warnings listed at the beginning of the book. before diving in.

The main thread through it all is about the reality of growing up and leaving your childhood behind. This made me think deep about who I am as a person today and how I used to be when I was younger. It made me think about trying out new personalities to see what works best to 'fit in', when you stop believing in certain things, leaving your imagination behind, is it okay to lie to others to make them feel better or save them pain?

At its core, this book delves into the realities of growing up and the loss of childhood wonder. It made me think deeply on my own journey into adulthood —the ways we try on different identities to fit in, the moments when we stop believing in certain things, and the heartbreak of leaving behind the imaginative worlds we once inhabited. It also checks morality; is it okay to lie to others to make them feel better? How do we reconcile the complexities of our inner worlds with the demands of reality?

Austin’s knack for creating unreliable narrators shines here. Despite their eccentricities and flaws, the people in this story feel achingly real. Their small-town lives, family dynamic, and personal struggles are so intricately detailed that I couldn’t help but recognize pieces of my own experiences in theirs. These characters will linger long after the final page.

With her insightful prose and deeply human storytelling, Emily Austin proves once again why she’s a standout voice in contemporary literature. This is a book that will make you laugh, cry, and question what it means to grow up while holding onto the pieces of yourself that matter most.

Another 5 stars to the talented Emily Austin. Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Emily R Austin for an advanced e-copy of this book. A physical copy will be on my shelf upon release (Jan 28th, 2025).

i loved the premise of this book and wish i could have taken longer to really sit with each of the stories. my goodness, what a lovely idea this compilation was :)

This book was overwhelmingly, and undeniably shocking. These characters are full of their own unique love and also pain, that was raw and real.

I enjoy Austin’s writing style so much, and this was no exception. I enjoyed the second half of this book even more than the first!

"I'm not sure why we tell kids everyone's so unique. We aren't really. I get wanting to make kids feel special, but most people are more of the same. It might be easier to grow up if kids weren't sold this tale that we're all exceptional... We're mostly ordinary." Page 26

By Canadian author Emily R. Austin, We Could Be Rats is a coming-of-age story about two sisters, Sigrid and Margit, who have drifted apart after one stays in their small hometown after high school and the other moves away for college. With an interesting format, this book was emotional, yet pragmatic. It reminded me slightly of the movie Lady Bird. Definitely check the trigger warnings before picking it up, as there are some sensitive topics!

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy of We Could Be Rates by Emily R. Austin in exchange for an honest review!

I am so sad that this book didn’t resonate with me. I loved “Interesting Facts About Space” and her poetry collection, “Gay Girl Prayers”, which were genuinely both five star reads for me. However I just didn’t mesh with the characters or the premise. This does deal with some serious topics that I don’t often read about. However I think my issue was more with the storytelling. I liked the beginning more with the unconventional formatting but was ultimately let down when it shifted. I feel like I still didn’t really understand the characters or their motives by the end. I would still recommended to Emily Austin fans, especially if they liked all her other books. I would also recommend to those who resonate with some of the serious topics in the book, as it might be better received.

Thank you to Net Galley, Atria Books, and Emily Austin for allowing me to read this e-arc.

Each Emily Austin book I read I am more blown away. We could be rats deals with a variety of challenging topics (so please check trigger warnings) dealing with complicated parental and sibling dynamics and the resulting coping strategies, growing up and loosing your youth, the opioid crisis, coping with a reality in which your family does not support your identity, and growing up in a conservative town as a member of the LGBTQIA community.

In this book, we around following our main character Sigrid recount her life through a series of suicide note drafts as she tries to explain the choice she has made to take her own life. Emily has such a magical way of injecting humor into the darkest of stories. This book also brings important awareness to the day to day burdens of those who are part of marginalized communities. I definitely plan to pick up a physical copy to add to my collection on release day!

The way that Emily Austin has this incredible ability to talk about mental health always astounds me. Her books are deep, dark, funny, touching and thought-provoking in a variety of ways.

I love how her characters actively jump off the page. The way that we get to read about the relationship between these sisters was unlike any other "sister-book" I've ever read before.

I did find the layout/setup of this particular book of hers to be a little funky, which made it a bit difficult to get into.

A fantastic read from start to finish! Several trigger warnings regarding the read that should be seen in advance for particular readers, but was so beautifully written that it didn't take away from the story. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book as I typically dive into other genres, but happy I had a chance to read this.

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book has major content warnings so for those who need to check them, please do! This book is about grief and sisterhood, as well as familial trauma, friendship, and wrestling with the fact that things are not so black and white. That was vague but I think this book is so important! As I mentioned please check trigger warnings as this book deals with a suicide attempt.

I absolutely adored Margit & Sigrid’s relationship and it absolutely shattered me to read how they each contributed to each others trauma growing up without knowing it. Because of this, they grew up and grew apart. I can totally relate to that feeling and it’s a soul-crushing feeling. This book was both harrowing and heartwarming. Darkly funny, and immensely thought provoking. This is some of Emily Austin’s best work in my opinion.

I went into this not knowing the emotional journey I was about to go on, but I’m so glad I read this!!

Absolutely wonderful. Hopeful and sad and surprisingly funny, Emily Austin has quickly become one of my favourite authors. She writers real and gritty stories about difficult topics but you can’t help but leave them feeling hopeful and nostalgic and just moved in such a visceral way.
The story took a little bit of time to get into, the format/ narrative style being a bit confusing because it just dives right into letters right away. But once you get into it the story just flows so effortlessly.
Thank you to NetGalley for an e-arc of this book

95/100 or 4.75 stars

This is a stunning Teen/YA story. There is sensitive and difficult topics that are brought up and discussed within the novel, but it is done so incredibly well (with so much care and thought put into it) and makes sense with the purpose of this story.
The writing and the writing style was perfect for what she was trying to do and what she was trying to show the readers. I do own another book by Austin and I will absolutely check that out when I can get to it.

This will be an important book for so many teens and young adults; it makes me happy just knowing this is out there for them to discover, devour, and cherish.

“ I can’t imagine anyone has felt happiness more profoundly than me. I got to the peak. I don’t intend to kill myself because I’m unhappy. This has nothing to do with that.”

I am in awe of this book. It was chaotic and harsh, deep and intriguing, questioning and so very real. I loved the unreliability of the narrator, I loved the story telling and how it pulled back and forth like a game of tug of war. I loved both sisters and their different worldviews. I loved the darkness that surrounded these characters and my god did I love the last line.

I couldn’t put this down. I literally could not. Put it down. I kept telling myself one more chapter, one more chapter, until I got to the last page and felt a crushing sadness that I’d run out of pages to read and story to follow.

Emily Austin writes characters that felt just like me. Questioning the world, am I good or bad, why am I here, what’s the point? She beautifully portrayed what it’s like to be forced to grow up and want nothing more but to go back in time to being a child with no responsibilities - but knowing that child couldn’t survive in the adult world.

“I wish I could go back in time, reconnect with my genuine interests, let go of all social expectations, and feel happy as myself.”

Austin handled the topic of suicide and depression in such a loving yet realistic way. I truly cannot begin to explain how much I loved this book and a big thank you for the advanced copy, but I will be needing a physical copy as well to annotate because there were so many life lessons, breathtaking quotes, and simply amazing lines.

I went into this one blindly having loved Austin's last book and loved it. The turns this book kept taking kept surprising me each time (other than maybe the last one at the end).

If I was a rat I would devour this book and scramble over to all my rat friends and force them to eat this book up and then use our tiny rat hands to carry this book around to our rat relatives (ratatives if you will) and make them read it too. Unfortunately I’m not a rat yet so this review the best I can do. thank you so much to Emily Austin, Atria, and NetGalley for an ARC of a new favourite. 🐀🎡

No one can make me laugh, think about death, and analyze my childhood trauma all at once like Emily Austin can. I love how relatable her characters are and appreciated the unique format of this book.

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