We Could Be Rats opens with the many, many versions of
Sigrid's suicide letter. Sigrid is a young adult living in a town that
is too small and too closed-minded for her non-conforming
personality. Through her attempts to explain why she has ended
her life, we learn about Sigrid's childhood and adulthood, her
relationships with her family and friends, and what has spurred
her to her last actions. At the halfway mark, we hear from
Margit, Sigrid's sister, who takes over the narrative and gives us
a different perspective.


This book was such a disappointment after having completely
loved Austin's two previous novels. I barely made it through and
really only persevered because other reviews mentioned things
heating up with the twist. The first half of this novel was more
like a series of vignettes about Sigrid's life, and 1 just couldn't
get invested. I did love the third section of the novel, so l'm glad
I pushed through to get there. Overall, though, if you haven't read
Emily Austin yet, do NOT start with this one. Grab one of her
other two novels instead; they are both delightful.

4 stars!

Emily R. Austin never disappoints, her books are always funny and real, making me look up from time to time as I read, staring at the wall because what I feel so deeply is written on a page before me.

In this book we have sisters, Margit and Sigrid, two sisters who couldn’t be more opposites. We Could Be Rats is a story about family, and childhood magic, and the death of that magic as we grow up. The whole time I was reading this book, a quote from Adventure Time, a tv show, played on my head in a loop “But does growing up just change your body? Or does it change your soul?” And I feel like this book is 100+ pages of that quote.

This book will make you laugh, it will certainly make you cry, and probably both at the same time in a way only Emily R. Austin can do.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for an ARC of this book. I am not being paid to read this book or leave a review, I am doing both voluntarily.

I cried and literally laughed out loud many times during this book. I really appreciated the fresh format of this book. At first I wasn’t entirely sure what I was reading. The writing and prose is parsed down to feel like your inner monologue. I thought this book was a good exploration of sisterhood and mental illness. I think this book being so current is so significant. I thoroughly enjoyed its musings on confronting your feelings dealing with a conservative family when you are liberal. I thought the rat metaphor worked and had me crying a few times. Really fresh book and I would read another book by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC.

This book was absolutely fantastic! I felt so seen and understood by both Sigrid and Margit as their experiences are very relatable to my life. I love how Emily Austin is able to imbue humor into her stories even when so much of the story is focusing on grief and PTSD.

First I want to thank the publisher for the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was heavy! I can't say I enjoyed it because the story is to heavy to enjoy, but I am glad I read it! I think the author did an amazing job developing the characters and giving them their own voice. But make sure you are in the right headspace before reading this book. It is an intense delve into some really heavy topics including suicide, depression, identity, family relationships, SA, and bigotry. If you can handle it, it's a wonderfully written story that really made me think.

Is Emily Austin going to show up in my favorite books list every single year? Looks like it!

She just has this way of writing totally fragile characters that are devastatingly relatable. There is always this feeling of treading water- of sinking lower and lower, but not wanting to inconvenience anyone by asking for a hand. But help is there- this book, like her others, is ultimately a cathartic journey for the characters AND the reader who is sharing the ride. The book is written with overwhelming anxiety and sadness... but you can trust Emily Austin to create a moment of connection and a network of healing.

CW: suicide (ideation, attempt)

I initially thought this subject matter would be too hard to read, but I ultimately found it so I trifling and different. There was such a unique voice in this story and I found myself so compelled to understand these characters in a deeper way.

This story begins with entries from one sister, Sigrid, as she prepares her suicide note. She is critiquing her writing and you can’t tell if what she is sharing is truth or if it’s an exaggeration to appear more interesting. It’s a combination of humor and extremely depressing thoughts that make you question whether Sigrid is going to actually kill herself or if she regrets her past decisions and just wants to restart. The older sister, Margit, has a vastly different view of the world and how one should act in social situations. Both sisters recount their childhood memories and share their disturbing thoughts about the point of their life. It’s tragically relatable.

We Could be Rats follows Sigrid, a young woman who has struggled her whole life with feeling like she doesn’t fit with her family and doesn’t fit with society. As her life spirals, she takes drastic measures that force her and her sister, Margit, back into each others lives, and they must confront the ways their turbulent childhood impacted them and their relationship. At its heart this is a story of two sisters who love each other very much and have never been good at showing it but ultimately are trying to be better. This is beautiful and heartfelt and showcase just how good Emily Austin is at balancing humour and darkness in her work. Her characters are strange and quirky, and yet have depth and feel real. Margit and Sigrid are flawed, but sympathetic. The format of this is different to her other books, but it serves the story so well. Basically, I hope Emily Austin keeps writing books about weird, depressed lesbians, because I eat them up every time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-arc!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. I enjoyed it and I would recommend reading it. I would rate this book a 4 stars.

A perfect story about breaking and healing in that quirky writing style we’ve grown to love from Emily Austin. I did not really know what to expect going into this book but I was very moved by Sigrid and Margit’s story.

The thing I really like about Austin’s books is that they are always very unique, and this one is no exception. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in based on the description and I was not prepared for what the story ended up being. I was also very surprised by the first big twist. It took the plot in an unexpected direction that I found fresh and fun.

I loved the tone of the writing as well. It was quirky and conversational and made it highly enjoyable to read. I flew through this not just because it’s a fairly short book, but also because it was written in such a friendly way. Definitely check it out!

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for this ARC. We Could Be Rats is out 1/28

Another book hit out of the park by Emily Austin. This one was definitely a little darker than her other two books I’ve read but still was an amazing read! She is truly a great writer who knows how to impart some wisdom along with little pockets of humor. Her books make me feel like I’m not alone!

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💃🏼 Vibes: Melancholic stream of consciousness.
📕 If you like ______, you’ll like this: Blue Sisters; unreliable narrators
📖/🎧 Read Type: ARC (thank you @netgalley, Atria Books, and Emily Austin!)

“I used to joke, ‘I wish we were rats’ because, if I could choose how the world worked, we would all be rats at a fair. We would all live well, sampling every possible ounce of happiness.” This novel begins with several drafts of Sigrid’s suicide notes, all addressing issues with her family and estranged childhood friend, Greta. Within those, it tells the story of Sigrid, who is imaginative and rebellious, and her more conventional sister, Margit. The rest of Sigrid’s story explores her issues with growing up and fractured familial relationships, examining childhood trauma and mental health struggles.

Emily Austin has become an auto-buy author for me. I requested this ARC because I loved Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead. In the same way that story explores the inevitability of death, this novel explores the inevitability of growing up. This reads like a love letter to the innocence of childhood. The prose is raw and lyrical in a completely relatable way. (I.e., “It's not that I was desperate to be someone else. It's not that I hated myself. It's just that when you get older, you are suddenly required to be the person you are. I felt like I was cast as a character I wasn't able to play.”) It’s a book that will stay with me for a long time!

This novel will be published on January 28! 📆

I was wholly drawn into Sigrid and Margit’s heartbreaking (yet healing!) story. The pacing was perfect, and their lived experiences felt rooted in reality. I will be reading more by Austin.

I want to start by thanking Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Emily Austin’s writing is truly one of a kind. I have had countless “oh, so that wasn’t a unique experience?” moments when reading her work, and We Could Be Rats was no exception. I (oddly enough, as they are intentionally so very different) saw myself in both Margit and Sigrid. Their shared experience in childhood is something that was so valuable for me to read, as someone who also grew up in a tumultuous home, in a town that was predominantly white and conservative. I feel especially comforted by the way she touches on religious trauma, and the way that continues to affect you into adulthood. The way Emily Austin can put you in a character’s mind is what makes her characters feel so raw and relatable. I could go on and on, but the moral of the story for me is that no matter work of hers you read, you’ll come away feeling like someone sees you, and understands you.

Austin never fails me. This is another perfect brain candy book that approaches heavy topics in a lighthearted manner. The epistolary format was very easy to follow and engaging. This was a tender examination of sisterhood dynamics as well as how it feels to grow up and losing the magical lens of your childhood through negative experiences. This book called to mind how as children we are just simply ourselves and don’t even consider the way others may expect us to be. As we grow, we learn to change aspects of ourselves to make ourselves “fit” and we forget how to be ourselves until adulthood when many ultimately learn rediscover our authentic selves. It also demonstrated how we chip away at ourselves every time we aren’t authentic and the toll that takes on a person. This bittersweet story pulled at my heartstrings. I will always recommend Austin!

Wow. I am utterly speechless. We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin is nothing short of extraordinary. This deeply moving and thought-provoking novel delves into the complexities of mental health and the profound ripple effects of suicide attempts, offering a raw yet compassionate portrayal of humanity at its most vulnerable.

Emily’s masterful storytelling shines through in the unforgettable journey of Sigrid and Mag, two sisters whose lives are interwoven with pain, resilience, and an aching need for connection. Their struggles, reflections, and growth throughout the story left me completely captivated and emotionally wrecked in the best way possible.

This isn’t just a book; it’s an experience. Emily Austin handles heavy themes with such tenderness and nuance, making it impossible to put this story down. It’s a powerful reminder of the importance of empathy and the strength it takes to keep going when life feels impossible.

Five stars aren’t enough to express how much I loved this book. It’s an absolute must-read for anyone who appreciates stories that make you think, feel, and see the world just a little differently.

A huge thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this brilliant novel early. We Could Be Rats will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you soooo much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange of an honest review.

I fell in love with Emily Austin's writing when I read Everyone in this Room Will Someday be Dead last year.
When I saw that she had a new book coming, I was hyped to say the least.

The best way to describe my experience with this book is that I loved it so much that I actually took my time with it instead of bingeing (which is what I usually do with books I'm hooked on).

Her writing style is pure gold.
Her themes and subjects are perfection.
Her character work is wonderful.

Read this if you're looking for something profound, yet easy to read. Something sapphic, something any millennial will relate with. A book that will stay with you.

I'll go add to my Emily Austin shrine now.

I LOVED THIS BOOK

“When you're a kid, you assume you're just getting a taste for all the memorable experiences life has in store for you, but the truth is, most people don't spend countless nights running through the streets with their friends. They spend a handful of nights doing that if they're lucky.”

When I was in high school, my class was assigned to read Sophie’s World. I don’t remember anything about this book except for the rabbit telling Sophie that as we age, become adults, we lose our childlike wonder. And our childlike wonder is the meaning of life. I related to that, because like Sigrid in We Could Be Rats, I too, was not ready to leave the boat of childhood behind to become a swamp monster of an adult.

To this day, I marvel as much as I can. And it’s easier with kids, to be frank. The airplanes in the sky, the computer in my hands, the blades of grass between the cracks in a sidewalk. The rabbit, the hawk, the robin eating grub. All of it is a marvel and all of it is amazing. Most days, my clouds are pink, like Sigrid hopes for.

But other days, my clouds are grey. And other days, I also wonder if I am real.

In the most vulnerable way I can put this, if you read this book, you will know the heart of the way my brain works. You will meet me in my truest form. You will understand thoughts I have that I cannot put into words as elegantly as Emily Austin did. We read to challenge our ignorance, our self, our world view. But this was a rare occasion. I read this book and I looked into a mirror the entire time.

What a powerful and profound gut punch of a book.