4.5

The only word to describe this book is human. This is an achingly human story, in the absolute best way.

At times, reading this book feels uncomfortable. It’s messy, confusing, and raw. Sometimes you want to scream and other times cry or laugh. That’s the magic of Emily Austin’s writing—it mirrors back parts of ourselves, even the ones we’d rather not confront. Especially those.

This is a story about the human experience and the messy, complicated journey to understand both ourselves and our place in the world. It is written with a vulnerability and beauty that cuts deep. It is unflinching and unapologetic, making it painful as it is necessary.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books and Emily Austin for this advanced readers copy for my honest review.

Final grade: A, we could be rats, but alas we are human

This might be my favorite book that I've read this year. I don't have a single negative thing to say about it. I loved the letter format and the sisters and their relationship. It was really sad and funny and I loved that combination. I would definitely recommend it.

Emily Austin always manages to unsettle me with her writing, but I usually enjoy the journey. She's very good at writing messy unreliable narrator lesbians.

This book is broken into 3 parts. Part 1 is various attempts at writing Sigrid's suicide note. The second part is the POV of Sigrid's sister. And the third is after Sigrid's suicide attempt.

This book tackles subjects like suicide ideation, drug addiction, ugly family dynamics, bigotry, homophobia, and even sexual assault. While these topics aren't delicately handled, it feels like a very real portrayal of how people can experience these things. There are definitely things I liked about this book, but I don't know that I could articulate it.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Austin’s characters have such strong voices, and I really enjoyed the psychological unfolding throughout this novel. The first section of the book moves a bit slowly for my taste, but I can look back on it as having lots of depth now that I’ve finished the book. The narrative between the two sisters is touching, though I wish we could have spent a bit more time with Margit’s perspective.

I love this author and I especially loved this book for the sisterhood theme. It’s so special to follow their bond and how they try to protect each other. I always find the dialogue in this authors novels to be so realistic and relatable which makes them very easy to read and empathize with.

Oof, this book tore me open in the best way. This book is about Sigrid, a twenty-one- year-old who is disillusioned by her life and her family, and Margit, her "perfect" older sister who also feels quite detached from reality and doesn't know who she is. They had a difficult childhood where their parents were always fighting, and they reacted to it in different ways: Margit turned inward and made herself small to avoid conflict as much as possible, and Sigrid got confrontational and angry.

This book really, really resonated with me - I found myself crying a lot. Austin writes with such clarity and emotional honesty about how complicated relationships with siblings can be, especially when you grew up with the same parental trauma but it didn't bond you the way you would hope. I related so much to Sigrid and Margit's struggles to connect with each other, and their sense that they would do anything for each other but also had no idea how to talk to each other. I was so touched by Austin's descriptions of Sigrid's mental health struggles and Margit's attempts to understand her, and the way Austin wrestled with coming to terms with your family as they are and setting your own boundaries was really moving. I didn't expect to feel so much when I read this book, but it broke me open and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for a honest review!

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin was such a unique and weird read but I definitely enjoyed my time reading it. I never go in to a Emily Austin book expecting anything because it always feels like it's going to surprise me anyways and this book did just that. It was a heavy read but I loved it. This is definitely one of those books that you'll be thinking about after finishing it. It's like a slow simmering book in the best way. It might not grasp you right away but when it does, you can't stop thinking about it. I loved it and I can't wait to recommend it to everyone who's looking for something a little different.

The first 60% of this book was just really hard to read. I understand what the author was trying to do but for me it just didn't land. Margit's point of view was way more compelling to me.

I would be amiss if I didn’t begin the review by mentioning how much I feel that this books description doesn’t do it justice. I think it’s important to note that this book grapples with suicide and suicidal ideation in a very visceral (though not graphic) way, which is not noted at all in the official description, so I encourage readers to check CW (StoryGraph has been my go to) before approaching this book. But having said that, I am aware that this is more a critique of the publisher than of the author, who did include what I felt to be a very appropriate authors note on the topic before the beginning of the book.
On to the actual book: WOW. I’m entirely disappointed with myself that this is my first read from Emily Austin because that absolutely blew me away. Austin has such a beautiful way of making you feel seen, and encapsulating feelings that often feel so nebulous. I saw myself in some ways in both Sigrid and Margit, and appreciated the exploration of how their diverging personalities and choices often stemmed from very similar desires. I truly can’t wait to read Emily Austin’s other novels, as she clearly has such an immense talent for capturing the human condition.

This book was not what I expected but I loved it. It's about family and having people who understand you and support you for who you really are.

CW: suicide, depression, substance use, homophobia

This book is heavy. The first half of it is a series of attempts at a suicide note. Each reveals more scenes in a claustrophobic story: a young, gay woman stuck in a poor rural town, a best friend addicted to opioids, a family with homophobic and judgmental views.

Despite it all, it occasionally manages to be comedic and hopeful. It paints a nostalgic picture of childhood, of innocence lost too soon, of strained sister relationships. It demonstrates an overwhelming hopelessness at a macro level with only a glimmer of hope for change at a micro one. In sum, it feels a lot like real life.

emily austin has done it again and i may even go as far to say, did it even better. we could be rats tugs at feelings and urges that i didn't even know i had. you are somehow begging for the book to be over but also so heartbroken when you get to the final page. this book isn't for everyone by the sheer content warning alone, but if you can, read this. and then read it again.

we could be rats is a book that sits in the hollows of your mind and will stay there forever

Emily Austin is swiftly approaching status as one of my favorite authors. I read her first novel when it came out, and I read Interesting Facts About Space and We Could Be Rats in quick succession. All I have left is her poetry collection and Oh Honey.

We Could Be Rats is an excellent example of a new genre I like to call "Autistic Lesbian has a mental health crisis" which is, let's be real, one of my favorite genres of all time. I love Austin's writing style and her characterization is impeccable. Each character feels distinct and uniquely aggravating and endearing. While it's clear that this book is more of a 'slice of life' novel than anything adventurous we still see the conflicts from beginning to end. Plenty is left up to interpretation and I think that is part of the allure, we can project ourselves into these situations and think about what we would do if we were in this situation.

Loved it - I can't wait to pick up a copy!

Short yet unique and memorable, in that it's the first epistolary novel I've read that's mostly written in the form of suicide notes. I thoroughly enjoyed the dark, morbid humour of 'Everyone in This Room..', and similarly this did not disappoint, exploring the complicated mind and struggles of the very flawed (and possibly neurodivergent) protagonist. Many relatable feelings of grief and loss are captured, not just from death but the quieter loss of family, friendships, and change. Looking forward to reading Austin's next one.

From the reviews that I have seen I do not think I will be readomg this book. I have concerns with how Aaustin can haandle these sensitive topics. BEcause of this I cannot in good faith read the book.

Oh, this is such a touching book! I really loved the three part format. It was a very fast read, but this format made it seem to go even faster.

The book touches on the heaviest of topics, yet somehow was still funny and in parts felt lighthearted (in a good way). For a relatively short book, there was so much character development and growth!

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it makes me want to look up and read other things she’s written.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

I felt this review needed to be public for other readers' awareness, and NetGalley won't let me post without leaving a star review. Please be aware that I only read the first few sentences of this book.

I know Emily is a celebrated, beloved author in our community, and I’ve been a fan of some of her work in the past. While I struggled with her second novel, Interesting Facts About Space, due to triggering content related to stalking and what I felt was a mishandling of PTSD treatment, I was still eager to read her upcoming novel.

However, upon opening my ARC copy, I found an author's note that explained the story “deals with suicide” from the perspective of someone who treats their death “as trivial.” Suicide and mental illness are not mentioned in the book’s blurb or marketing materials, so this note took me by surprise. I flipped to the table of contents and saw that the first chapter is is a suicide note, followed by 21 chapters titled “Attempt One,” “Attempt Two,” and so on. Initially, I interpreted this to mean the book chronicled 21 suicide attempts, which was alarming and triggering for me.

In my search for clarification, I came across reviews explaining that these chapters detail the narrator’s attempts to write a suicide note, not suicide attempts themselves. However, reviewers also mentioned unsettling elements, including a narrative that oscillates between humor and distortion when discussing suicide, mental illness, and psychosis. One review shared how the narrator fabricates stories, walks back serious claims like experiencing hallucinations, and justifies these fabrications as attempts to make her suicide “more comprehensible.”

Given my past concerns with Emily Austin’s handling of sensitive topics and the deeply personal nature of this subject matter, I’ve decided not to read We Could Be Rats. While I respect the nuanced and complex ways writers approach mental health, I feel strongly about prioritizing my own mental well-being and only engaging with stories that handle these issues with care and clarity.

To my fellow readers: if you choose to read this book, please tread gently. I encourage us all to remain mindful of how storytelling impacts both ourselves and others, especially on topics as sensitive as this.

I absolutely loved Interesting Facts About Space, so I was excited to read this. It is not interesting. The voice of the protagonist drags on and is painful to read because she's so mopey and hopeless. I guess since she's suicidal that makes sense, but uhhh. Boring.

Before I talk about how much I loved this book, I need to talk about how much I love Emily Austin’s novels. Everything she writes speaks directly to my soul and reminds me of how much I love being a lesbian. She is my number one auto-buy author at this point in my life, and I genuinely almost cried when I got approved for the We Could Be Rats ARC.

That being said, while I loved loved loved this book, it hit different than her other novels (‘Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead’ and ‘Interesting Facts About Space’) in a fairly significant way. Emily Austin’s characters are so delightfully odd in a very comforting manner, leaving me wishing that I could be friends with their real life counterparts. They also experience the world in real and relatable ways; they live with anxiety and depression and get autism diagnoses as adults, and their lives are impacted by this. It means that sometimes they struggle, or hurt others, or hurt themselves while living day to day. It’s played realistic and raw, and that means sometimes it’s uncomfortable or frustrating to read.

‘We Could Be Rats’ goes beyond uncomfortable to upsetting, because the topic does as well. This is a book about suicide, and suicide ideation, and the [consequences] of a suicide attempt on the life of the victim and their loved ones.

It’s also a book about using humor to cope, and all the different ways sisterhood can manifest, and how to talk to someone you love who is hurting, and what the best animal to be reincarnated as is (the answer, if you couldn’t guess from the title of the book, is a rat.)

I can’t wait to hold this book in my hands and scribble in the margins and make every single person I love read it and share it with a friend. Emily Austin continues to prove that she can write no wrong (buh dum tss) and that lesbians are the best thing to ever happen to the world.

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin was a beautiful, beautiful novel about life, connection and family. I was really immersed in the letters broken down in each chapter and the relationships between the two narrators. Emily Austin is solidifying herself as an auto-buy author for me. Her writing is so great. Thank you to the publisher for this advanced copy.