I enjoyed this book way more than I was expecting to. Sigrid, a young adult working at a local convenience store, tells this story in a collection of suicide notes. This story was equally emotional and funny, a mixture of style that I’ve come to expect from Emily Austin. She has become a reliable queer/weird girl litfic author for me! Definitely would recommend this to readers who have enjoyed her other work, but also to anyone looking to branch out within in the contemporary fiction genre.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary fiction 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
Such an interesting and unique read the delves right into the hard and dark topics in a refreshing way.
- make sure you check the trigger warnings before reading
-
𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Dark comedies
Books that tackle mental health in unique ways
Coming of age stories
Complex, layered characters
Dark yet emotional topics
Dual POV
Small town settings

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The unique, quirky nature of the story
How it addressed mental health and dark topics in a raw and honest way

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
It was a little confusing and drawn out at times

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “Sometimes, the things that hurt the most are the ones that teach us the most.”
★ “We could be rats, scurrying through life, trying to make sense of the maze we’ve built around ourselves.”
★ “In the darkest moments, there’s a strange kind of clarity that only the brave dare to see.”

I loved this book. I love everything Emily Austin touches, but this book really gripped me from page one in a way the others didn’t. (Those got me on pages two. Or three.)

this is now my third Emily Austin and I've previously really enjoyed her previous work but i'm very sad to say that this completely missed the mark for me. before going into this please know that this deals with the topic of addiction and suicide, in fact the narration is told through a series of suicide letter drafts in which Sigrid recounts her life, her childhood, her reluctance on growing up and her friendship with her best friend. this type of format got really repetitive and grating to read, I found Sigrid annoying but at the same time, due to the epistolary format I never felt like I knew sigrid and so I never warmed up to her. Sigrid’s over active imagination and her reluctance to grow up was cute at first but then it got old.

this is by far darker in tone to Austin’s previous work, there was none of of Austin’s signature quirky yet relatable characters and laugh out loud moments were far in between. I don’t think I was ready for that change in tone, maybe in the future I will appreciate Austin’s maturity to try something new but at the moment I will be pretending like Austin didn't write this one.

This is one of those books that I went into blind and wow. I was hooked from the very first page and quite honestly didn't see any of what was going to happen coming. It was an emotional journey about grief, mental health, friendship, family, and all the messiness that comes with that.

One thing's for sure, I'm going to be reading Emily Austin's books forever.

What a fantastic book! The first one I have read by this author but definitely can't wait to read more! The characters stay with you long after you finish the book. Highly recommend!

Something about this book just did not click with me. It's told very stream of consciousness however I don't feel like you get to know either of the characters. Nothing *feels* as drastic as the ultimate result. Sigrid's mental states feels like temporary blues by the way it's conveyed. Overall, I really just didn't get the point it was trying to convey.

Emily Austin, you are a wonder. Her stories always amaze me. I quickly became a fan. I didn't know I would be reading this many books exploring sibling dynamics as adults, but I am not mad at it all. This book really makes readers think about their existence alongside their sibling's and sympathizing with one another.

Wow. All of the stars. I connected so deeply with this book, as I do all of Emily's books. Emily has such a way of writing the most relatable characters. I felt like this was written just for me. I purchased a copy and annotated it to no end!!!! A new favorite! Beautiful!

Emily Austin’s books are so quirky and I just absolutely LOVE them! Thank you @atriabooks for the copy of We Could Be Rats (yes, this is a BOTM copy, but Atria sent one too). This book is available now.

This book is about two very different sisters, their not so great childhoods, and has a twist that really caught me off guard (in a good way). I always struggle with reviewing Austin’s books, because not only are they kind of hard to explain but I feel like I never do them justice. There’s LBTQ+ rep and mental health rep in this book, which I love seeing.

Check the TW though, some people might struggle with the format/topic.

Another crushing book by Emily Austin. I finished this in one sitting it completely absorbed me and is still in control of all my thoughts.

We could be rats is equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful. It feels like Catcher in the Rye for girls in their early 20's who aren't living up to their potential. quietly perceptive and heartbreaking. this made me grieve my younger self and my hometown. 5 stars

"I would never be a girl who everyone liked. Those weren't options for me. I was assigned the person I am. I had no choice. Even if I got extreme plastic surgery, covered myself in tattoos, buzzed all my hair off, amputated a leg, or gained or lost a hundred pounds - there were parts of me I could never change. I was assembled with the bones I came with."

We Could Be Rats is an incisive exploration into so many aspects of life - as a girl, as queer woman, as a liberal woman stuck in a small, conservative town. It explores grief, childhood trauma, the loss of childhood, and how one grapples with all this while becoming an adult and person they no longer recognize.

A bit of an unreliable narrator, Sigrid shares with readers her thoughts through an epistolary narrative - a series of suicide notes she writes and rewrites over and over. We read about her childhood, her relationship with her sister, her friendships and loves, and the loss she's endured. At times the narrative is slow, but the writing is still gripping and poignant and thought-provoking.

I really enjoyed the second perspective we get to hear from, as well, as it offers a side I was craving to hear from, and broke my heart in the process.

Overall, this book is both heartbreaking and uplifting, realistic and earnest. It's definitely character-driven, but once you're in, you're in.

Thank you so much to Atria books for the advanced e-copy!

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.