tldr: I loved this book. I went in somewhat hesitant about the heavy nature of the book but couldn’t put it down.

The first half of the book consists of attempts at Sigrid’s suicide note. Through these notes we learn about the relationships between sisters Sigrid and Margit; between their family, including parents and an aunt; and between Sigrid and her friend Greta. These relationships are each uniquely devastating and their descriptions play off each other well. We also learn about the small town the sisters are from, their political differences with their family, and the many ways Sigrid has struggled to be accepted (socially, academically, sexually).

Throughout, though, is the sense that everything isn’t as it seems. The drafts admit to lying multiple times, and each memory raised contributes both to the shifting ground being built beneath the reader and to the curiosity about what is really going on—there are aspects of the relationships conspicuously unremarked upon. This sets up Part II: "The Truth" to be a revelation.

Parts II & III are set from each sister’s point of view in the fallout of the suicide attempt as they attempt to understand each other and move forward.

Austin differentiated each narrative voice skillfully and in such a way that captures the shifting nature of the truths and lies we tell ourselves (and others), and that our relationships are built upon.

There's certainly a lot in here for people feeling lonely while grappling with bridging the gap emotionally or politically with those around them. There isn’t a tidy resolution but I have hope for these sisters.

Heartfelt, funny, and skillfully constructed. Can’t recommend enough. Out jan 28.

Emily Austin’s ability to write from the perspective of tortured 20-somethings trying to figure out life’s next steps is unmatched. Austin demonstrates how small moments collect to make us feel like we’re descending into uncontrollable chaos. Her writing is a perfect example of how describing life’s peculiarities and circumstances creates as much weight as huge plot twists and turns. Life is unbelievable enough without adding inventive devices. We Could All Be Rats is subtle yet hugely impactful. Austin yet again delivers a masterpiece. Thank you to Emily Austin, Atria, and Netgalley for advance access to this story.

This book is an absolute masterpiece, and I will be recommending it to everyone. The writing style is unique and similar to stream-of-consciousness. Usually, I'm not a fan of stream-of-consciousness writing but it Austin did a phenomenal job writing it and it fit the story so well that I found myself enjoying it. The characters are incredibly interesting as well. Our main character Sigrid is a somewhat unreliable narrator, which made the ending that much more satisfying. I really love the different ideas and conversations brought up throughout the book and how the characters influence one another.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Two sisters, Margit and Sigrid, reflect on their upbringing, struggles, and relationship

Wow. This book really got me in all the feels. This novel is deeply introspective with many connecting pieces that unfold over the course of the story and its alternating POVs. At its heart, it’s about growing up and the struggles that come along with realizing that the world you imagined as a child is not the world that is actually out there.

I found myself very emotional throughout the novel, strongly relating to the character of Sigrid, and her growing frustration and anger over the way that society forces the creativity and wonderment out of children/people as they grow up. You grow up thinking that world is one way, and some continue to hold on to that hope and belief that people are good at their core. Many of us can probably relate to the confusion and frustration that Sigrid feels as she watches people succeed and rise to power at the expense of others.

Austin masterfully writes two POVs of the sisters, with each having her own distinct voice. You can’t help but empathize with both Margit and Sigrid, different results of the same difficult childhood and upbringing.

We Could Be Rats is going to stay with me a long time. I absolutely recommend it.

Make sure to check TW, because this book deals heavily in suicide, suicidal ideation, and mental health in general.

This was a good little read. I enjoyed the slow unraveling of the truth, and all the unique ways in which Emily Austin can paint pictures with words. She really knows how to write as a disillusioned, neurodivergent twenty-something in a way that feels completely relatable and not at all condescending.

This book will not be for everyone, because the first half is told in a series of attempted suicide notes (bleak, right) by an unreliable, unlikable narrator, Sigrid, a compulsive liar and a weird but also somehow relatable lesbian, enduring a trapped existence as a dollar store cashier and high school dropout in a suffocating, conservative small town that she can't escape.

Sigrid is sure she is going to kill herself and is reminiscing about what drove herself to this decision by examining her relationships, including a violent, bigoted family, a controlling big sister, and losing her only friend to an opioid addiction. The lies become bigger and bigger until she spirals out of control and loses grip on reality.

After her suicide attempt, the point of view switches to her sister Margit, flailing to make sense of how their family failed her, and then again to Sigrid, in her subsequent psychiatrist-ordered diary entries. Throughout it all you are constantly wondering if she'll really go through with it or is she just lying to herself and trying to talk herself into it.

I fell in love with Emily R. Austin's writing in Interesting Facts about Space so I knew exactly what I was getting into: Weird litfic about neurodivergent lesbians. This one wasn't funny like Space was, but it was quirky and moving amid the morbid, disjointed/nontraditional, epistolary narrative.

I felt like I was immersed in the headspace of Sigrid and Margit, wondering how they would ever escape this gritty plane of existence where nothing they do seems to matter, and maybe it will just end like this with Sigrid finally admitting that she just wants to be happy.

But what draws me to Austin's writing is the small tendrils of hope she inserts in long stretches of despair, and you are left thinking that maybe people can change after all; maybe not change their core beliefs per se, but at least understand you a little better, in small moments of anger and clarity, those in-between liminal spaces of everyday life instead of the big, obvious things. Hope is the thing that speaks the truths you kept to yourself to not upset anyone else, when you feel you have nothing left to lose.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had the opportunity to read this book as an e-ARC through. It was a very moving story, and dealt with some extremely heavy topics. It was a quick read, considered the role family plays in one's life, and impacts of family members on their children's lives as they venture into adulthood. I enjoyed the story, and thought the interaction of characters with each other was a unique gaze into relationships and families. Thanks for the read!

Thanks to NetGalley I was able to read an early copy of We Could Be Rats.
This was a profound and emotionally complex novel that opened up with a heavy trigger warning, which is something I deeply appreciated as a reader who has personally experienced the pain of loss in this way. Having recently lost someone close to me, I made the bold choice to read this book, despite the rawness of its content. The fact that it releases exactly one year to the day since my personal loss adds an extra layer of significance and emotional weight to my reading experience.

Austin’s writing is simultaneously devastating and healing. There were moments when the pain of the story was so overwhelming that I couldn’t help but cry, yet I found comfort in the raw honesty with which the book portrays the bond between the two sisters. We Could Be Rats is a celebration of the power of sibling love and the unbreakable ties that hold us together, even when life feels like it’s falling apart.

This novel resonated with me in ways I didn’t expect. It’s not only a poignant exploration of grief, addiction, and the search for identity but also a reminder of the importance of nurturing the connections that matter most. At times, this book hurt too much, but in other moments, it offered me the exact kind of emotional release I needed. For anyone who has dealt with loss or struggled with family relationships, We Could Be Rats is a book that will stay with you long after the final page.

3.5 stars

After really enjoying Interesting Facts About Space, I had to pick up Emily Austin's latest! This book deals with some tough content: suicide, drug abuse, sexual assault, violence, homophobia and more. Yet, the main characters brought realness and humor into an otherwise depressing storyline.

Sigrid and Margit are sisters who couldn't be more different. After Sigrid attempts suicide and leaves behind a series of notes describing her intent, many childhood memories resurface and Sigrid's failure to launch. The family has some deep issues that Margit likes to sweep under the rug and escape from during her time away at college. Sigrid is stuck in a menial job in her hometown, and faces disappointing familial attitudes regularly.

There were parts of this book that really pulled on my heartstrings and made me feel for both MC's. I was quite shocked by the twist in Part 2 "The Truth" and enjoyed reading the details of why certain things happened in Sigrid's letters. The book focused a lot on feelings of despair and how it's so important to have a support system when you most need it. This was demonstrated by how differently Sigrid and Margit handled their depressive phases, and I appreciated how the author wove this into the story. I love the depth with which she writes, and except for a few meandering moments throughout the book, I was quite captivated by this novel. I do wish we had seen Greta as an adult and that Margit had a few more chapters. Otherwise, this was a solid read!

I found this book to be greatly engaging and relatable. Austin’s ability to write characters that are layered and interesting is what pulls me in. I enjoyed the formatting and writing style as well. I appreciated Austin’s inclusion of what it means to be human and the every day struggle to just, live. I also related a lot to Sigrid’s queer friendship and familial issues. Overall, a great mix of real life struggles discussed while staying true to the story and character arcs. Also looking up trigger warnings before reading will greatly benefit the reading experience.

*Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this Advanced Readers Copy (ARC)*

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

*3.25 stars*

This book deals with heavy topics, so here are some trigger warnings: suicide, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, mental illness, rape, drug addiction, grief, homophobia, domestic violence (of a side character)

We Could Be Rats follows Sigrid and her older sister Margit, as they deal with adulthood and the after-effects of a dysfunctional family dynamic. The novel is split into three parts where the majority is taken by the first part, Sigrid’s attempts at the perfect suicide note.

We are shown Sigrid and Margit’s childhood through Sigrid’s perspective to see how she’s gotten to this point, and there are many memories shared to show how nostalgic Sigrid is for her childhood, a time where things were more imaginative and her life isn’t something she needs to endure.

As a result of their family dynamic, Sigrid and Margit are two very different characters - Margit tries to keep the peace by appeasing her family, and Sigrid lashes out and acts out as a way of rebelling. As a result, the two are not close with each other, which is shown consistently throughout the memories.

Structurally, this book is written almost like an epistolary where Sigrid addresses us as the reader at points. There were times where this confused me, but overall, I don’t think it was done poorly.

Austin does a great job at weaving nostalgia and imagery together, and I loved the memories the most out of the entirety of the novel. She also does a great job at writing the characters in a way that feels real. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t questioned their adult life at some point, so she hit the nail on the head with that one.

However, there were aspects of this book that did not land with me. There is an unreliable narrator aspect that plays a part in the plot, and I just felt jerked around by it. It made the characters weaker to me, and I understand why it was happening, but I didn’t like it regardless.

Structurally, the book felt off in the pacing, in my opinion. It feels weird to say a book’s suicide note part took too long and became repetitive, but it was in this book. There was time spent on these notes that could have been spent on the other two parts to develop the characters more thoroughly, and I feel like some of the depth of the characters was lost as a result.

Alongside that, based on what I’ve seen about this book, there is a focus on the sisterhood aspect with Sigrid and Margit, but they actually don’t have much time and development together. I was left wanting more, especially knowing how different they are and how they could connect despite that, but there isn’t much of that, which was disappointing. Separately, the characters are great, but there wasn’t enough of them together.

Overall, I think this was a uniquely written book that accurately portrays different types of mental illness thoughtfully, but there could have been more depth. I’m still excited to try reading some of her other books, though!

When I first downloaded this book, I wasn't actually sure I would like it, but I'm happy to say it was amazing. It was surprisingly twisty, a beautiful story of mental health and family, and was like reading poetry. I gave it four stars only because some parts did feel a little long, and at some points I was getting a little confused with the back and forth from narrators. However, the structure of the story was really interesting.
Like an Alex Michaelides, it set you up only to whip your head in the other direction time and time again. I honestly found the book hard to put down, and I normally don't go for fiction books (in fact, I have DNF'd most that I've read).
Something else I loved in this book was the story we don't normally get; the aftermath of what could have happened. Authors normally write about the loss and it's effect on someone's family, but what happens if nobody is lost? Austin beautifully details how a family deals with the grief of not loss, but knowing they had no idea someone they were close to was almost gone. Everyone's reactions seemed so genuine to how people process such a complicated set of emotions.
Overall, a very well-written and surprising book that I think a lot of readers are going to love.

Emily Austin is the reigning queen of sad lesbian stories. Her books are quick reads—perfect for a long flight or weekend in the woods—but they are packed with raw emotion. The irony of WCBR is that this book is about two sisters who feel so alone, but so many of Austin's readers can see themselves in one or both of these characters. Through attempts at writing a suicide note and classic narration, Sigrid comes to terms with the devastation that the world is not always the beautiful, magical land of gumdrops and success that we dream up as children. I know, personally, that the 2024 election brought on similar feelings of disappointment and devastation. I related heavily to this book and personally think it is Austin's best yet.

So I have been a fan of Austin since their first novel Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead due to the content of their novels being the most relatable things I have probably ever read which meant that naturally I was going to pick this one up ASAP. While I recognize that the themes between Austin’s novels are somewhat repetitive, it works for me everytime and this time was no different. I will admit that I think the first section involving the note was a little repetitive, but I appreciated the unreliable narrator aspect of it. By the second section I did appreciate the flipping of perspective, but by the end I wish we could have heard a little more from Sigrid. That being said, I love a nice quick read and this one I devoured within a day. While I think I preferred Austin’s previous novel Interesting Facts About Space, I think this is purely due to the content being nearly identical to my own life. I really enjoyed this one like I always do and I am going to continue to read whatever Emily Austin gifts us in the future!

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This told such a relatable story, it was written in such a way that it takes us all back to our childhood , this book painted vivid memories and I loved this. It was a trip down memory lane for me.

Emily Austin never fails to move me. She is a wonderful addition to my roster of queer lit fic authors. I would say I liked this just as much as her previous 2 novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading. We Could Be Rats is a short, powerful read with a unique epistolary first half that I loved every second of. This is very heavy but Austin’s signature dark humor does well to keep the reader invested without feeling the depression of a suicidal main character. The twist made my jaw drop. I loved the slow reveal of Sigrid’s story about her childhood and relationships. I love, love, loved her sister Margit and how she enters the story.

Overall, an incredible read that other fans of humorous lit fic will love. Be kind to yourself and make sure to check out the trigger warnings.

As always, Emily Austin leaves me without words and trying to piece together my thoughts on another literary masterpiece. This moved me in a way I struggle to describe. I see so many versions of myself reflected in this book: the hopeful child, the sometimes depressed lesbian, the young adult longing for a piece of childhood; the hotheaded sister; the person trying to keep afloat in the scary world in which we live. Wowza.

This is the third book I’ve read by Emily Austin. All three have been strong five star reads, but this one is easily my favorite. I absolutely adored both Margit and Sigrid, and I loved getting to watch them grow up throughout the story. The element of viewing the story as a draft of a suicide note is so unique and I think it adds a lot of depth to the story. There were also quite a few twists that I did not expect!

This is one of those books that just reminds me why I love reading. I hope someday there’s a special edition of this released so it can be buried with me when I die.

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this arc, it was an absolute pleasure to read.

I didn’t like this one as much as Emily’s previous books, but it’s still good nonetheless. This book is more plotless, thoughts-driven. I resonate and find comfort in this book and I think it’d be important for the right readers

Thank you for the eARC!

I’m having a really difficult time trying to figure out my thoughts about this book. I read it in two sittings (only interrupted by sleep). At the beginning, I was fully seated and ready for this to be a 5 star. I think Emily Austin’s writing is so For Me.

The first couple chapters, I was hooked. It was so relatable. Maybe almost too relatable, as by “chapter” 13, I had to go find the table of contents to make sure the “chapters” would eventually change into something else. I couldn’t keep reading in that voice, in that way.

Margit ultimately felt so frustrating to me. I was so pleased to get back to Sigrid. I feel like an amalgamation of these two women, to the point where I can see how, in certain time periods of my life, I could love or loathe or be indifferent or feel relatable or feel better than either one of them.

The book has themes. Big themes. I think if I were a teen, or in my early 20s, I would be throwing this book at everyone I love, begging them to read it, shouting SIX STARS!! from the rooftops. Maybe, being older and wiser and desperate to move on from a place where they feel relatable, that’s where the disconnect comes in for me, and I’m struggling with coherent thoughts and giving it a four based on my idea of objectivity.