Member Reviews

**Review will be shared on Goodreads**

Emily Austin has done it again. The format of this book kept me on the edge of my seat, I was not sure who to believe! An insightful, thoughtful, passionate story about life, death, and those we love. Amazing work!

Was this review helpful?

We Could Be Rats is a novel about two sisters - Sigrid and Margit - who faced a difficult childhood and ultimately drifted apart due to their differences, until Sigrid attempts suicide and makes Margit complicit in writing a note. The novel is broken into three parts, the initial part showing multiple attempts at writing a suicide note, the second showing Margit's point of view, and the third showing Sigrid's.

I thought the book covered heavy topics with a sense of humor that made them feel less heavy, despite covering topics from childhood trauma to suicide. The separation of the book into three distinct parts helped tell the story through different lenses, helping the reader piece the truth together piece by piece. The repetitive nature of part 1's letters reflected the nature of intrusive thoughts/rumination that can lead one to seek release from the hell that can come from one's mental health, and I found the constant "let me try again" at the end of each chapter amusing. The book is about a messy person with a messy past, and the style of writing really captures the essence of Sigrid and Margit. I will say I was more interested in Sigrid's parts than Margit's, but that may have been a result of the initial letters portraying Margit as an unsavory person in Sigrid's life. Overall this was a quick, interesting read that fits nicely with Emily Austin's collection.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Was this review helpful?

emily, the last chapter made me sob.

this is a love letter to every queer girl who has ever been in a place that didn’t want them there. so many versions of myself felt seen in this book.

i’m still thinking about this book and it’s been weeks. i’m going to have to reread it.

Was this review helpful?

I want to start by saying, Emily Austin is hands down one of my favorite authors. Her work is consistently imaginative, heartfelt, and funny. The balancing she does between humor and terribly sad sh*t is remarkable. I love her, and I will read and recommend literally anything she puts out.

WE COULD BE RATS might be my least favorite from her, but I still enjoyed it - the twist that Margit wrote the suicide notes totally worked on me, and I really fell hard for Sigrid. I think I just wanted something different from the second part, specifically more story/scene. A full book of exposition (letters + journal entries) became tonally repetitive, and revelations (like that Sigrid was making the bomb threats) fell flat since we were just being told things.

But that's just me! This was also beautiful and heartwarming and sad and funny and sweet, and Austin took a wonderful risk with this story that I deeply admire.

Was this review helpful?

I accidentally read this in under 24 hours. It's not the longest book in the world, so maybe that's not a feat to some, but that's not the point. The point is, I devoured it. I felt such a connection to Sigrid within just the first few pages and I couldn't stop reading.

As someone who spent their childhood attached to toys and playing make believe all the time beside my sister, some of this felt like a personal attack. Maybe that's why I cried so much during it. Maybe I would have cried anyway because it's just that beautiful of a story. I am leaning towards the latter, honestly.

I loved everything about this. No notes.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, Atria, and NetGalley for providing an ARC for review.

I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that I found the first 60% of this book borderline unpalatable. The narrator of this portion has a truly nauseating combination of self-hatred and narcissism, with an amount of neurotic naval-gazing that I haven’t seen since Woody Allen in Annie Hall (this is not a compliment – I hate this movie and that man with a passion). The beginning section of the book is Sigrid’s suicide note. The narrative switches between stories of Sigrid’s childhood with her sister, Margit, and stories from Sigrid’s life recently. There are breaks between these flashbacks that consist of Sigrid begging her sister to edit her thesis-length suicide note to somehow make it more likable. It is also hard to understand what is true and what is made up by the narrator in this section; the narrator will repeatedly state that something she just said was a lie that she created to be more likable or make her suicide more comprehensible. For instance, she alludes at multiple points to be undergoing a psychotic break and discusses experiencing hallucinations; pages later, she walks this back, stating this all was a lie, and justifies including these sections because she was trying to help the reader understand her suicide. What would actually help the reader understand her motivations to kill herself would to describe her thoughts and actions leading up to her suicide attempt; this is curiously missing, and it is not clear that this was a deliberate decision until the very end of the book. In the meantime, this section just feels confusing and is simply too long.

Somehow, the following 40% almost make up for first section. When the book actually focuses on two sisters who were traumatized, and now are in their early 20s coping with their experiences in wildly different ways, the narrative shines. Their relationship is as ugly as it is beautiful, and it is incredibly complex. The last couple of pages justify why the first section was confusing and annoying. However, I still find myself unsure about what actually happened in this narrative versus what was fictionalized or revised.

???/5

Was this review helpful?

Another Emily Austin novel that I absolutely loved! I have never read a novel that was written this way and it was so refreshing. The subject matter was heavy but it also had a humor that I loved.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I will never not consume an Emily Austin book and simultaneously cry and lust for a better life. She has an uncanny way of tapping into the psyche and tugging on the heartstrings that I utterly adore her for.

Was this review helpful?

the first two sections were 3 stars, but the final section was 5 stars all the way. so meeting in the middle!

• adrift & alone, sigrid, a queer high school dropout who works at dollar pal, attempts many times to write her own suicide note to little success
• through sigrid & her sister margit’s perspectives, the reader has to piece together the events that got us to the present, and the implications it has on them both
• i found this darkly comical, and very easy to read. austin’s writing style really shines in the 3 distinct sections to this book, but it was the final section that really stood out

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely adore everything Emily Austin writes and this was her best yet! I felt so much for Sigrid and Margit as I read this. I don't have any sisters, but I've been really into all the books about sisters lately. I feel like this is one of those books I'll think about for a very long time; it was so heartfelt and tender and gave me all the feels. Thank you so much to Aria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

This novel follows two sisters as one struggles with mental illness and they both reconcile how their childhood affected them. This was my first Emily Austin and I went in very high expectations, maybe too high. I enjoyed my time with this book, but wasn't running to pick it up and didn't find it terribly memorable. The writing had some exquisite moments though and I really appreciated how the writer made the story relatable to someone who would not think they'd have anything in common with these characters.

Was this review helpful?

thank you so much to netgalley & atria books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
this book was slightly different to austin's last two publications which i loved deeply; i'd even categorize them as some of my favorite contemporary books of all time. this was different, but has austin's throughline of weird little lesbians uncovering their traumas and discovering themselves in the span of less than 300 pages. we could be rats is experimental in some ways for its writing style - austin dabbles in some narrative/perspective switching and takes the idea of 'unreliable narrator' to a new real. i couldn't decide if i liked it or not, but i will say the writing choices she makes are not without reason. in the book, we are reading sigrid's attempts at a suicide note, which have then subsequently at parts been edited by her sister margit to i found it inventive if not a bit distracting (but again, intentionally distracting). this book has a difficult main topic (primarily dealing with suicide and mental health) but i think covers it beautifully and sensitively. the ending is beautiful and I don't have much more to say about it than that because I do think everyone should just experience it for themselves. another amazing novel by emily austin. absolutely go read this book when it comes out in january!!!!!

favorite / most thoughtful quotes:
-"Every time I lose someone, I'll have less purpose. I will degrade in value the longer I live, until there is no point to me."
-Sigrid about the death of her grandma: "One thing I really wrestled with was feeling like there was less love in the world for me. When she died, I felt a shift in the universe. It was more than her absence. I felt the cosmic void where her love for me used to be."
-"Sometimes it's kinder to let people believe they are helping you even when they aren't."
Margit when her boyfriend is meeting her sister for the first time: "I wanted to jump in to guide his answer. I wanted to cue him into the safer assumption being that I told him about her in general, but before I could, Mo said, "Yeah, she told me she loves you." (This one really resonated with me as someone who struggles with anxiety/control and often wants to 'manage' people's interactions. What a beautiful reminder that people can surprise you and it is not always in your best interest to manage things, and in fact people can express themselves better than you can for them)
-About people who don't have as much privilege: "We were morally obligated to be less stupid"
-Sigrid's friend Greta about people disliking her because of her beliefs and how she talked about them: "I know I'm unbearable, but what else can I be? We have to be unbearable, you and I."
-"I always believed everyone was ultimately good. We were just born in the world we were in; we were shaped in ways we wouldn't have chosen to be had the world been created by us."
-It's hard for me to reconcile being my authentic self with existing comfortably."

Was this review helpful?

Netgalley comes in clutch for this one 😌🫶 thanks @nineinchnovels for recommending it. It definitely called out some of my childhood trauma. The middle bit = 🫨. If it's not on your radar, it should be. I'm definitely going to be buying this one when it hits the shelves on January 28th. The main trigger warning is that this is a story where the main character wants to unalive herself, and she sees her death as a trivial thing.

Was this review helpful?

Wow wow WOW this book?!??! heart wrenching, funny, relatable all at once. sisterhood is depicted in a fresh and creative way with the narrative choices. My absolute favorite author 🩷

Masterclass writing--Emily is able to touch on heavy themes in a funny and clever way. This work is different than her others, I liked seeing her do something new and fresh with the POV. I don't want to give too much away, I truly think this would be an excellent book to go in blind too (trigger warnings checked out before due to suicide notes being used) due to the book going unexpected directions with the writing style/ POV. The letter format and playing with the narration was a huge highlight of the novel.

Easy 5 star read, I will always read anything Emily puts out. Sibling relationships are so special and hard to write and I'm so delighted to find an author who does it so accurately.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, one of my favorite books I read in 2024 and can't wait for others to read in 2025. 🐀

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Atria for providing me with this ARC!!

I don't want to go too much into the exact plot of this book because the blurb does a great job at keeping the story very vague, which is clearly intentional. This is really a book that is best to go into blind, but I am going to include some trigger warnings at the end of this review just for reference! To put it simply, "We Could Be Rats" follows two sisters, Sigrid and Margit, and their journey coming back into each others lives following a tragedy. It is emotional and honest and raw and everything I have come to expect and love out of Austins work.

As always, I felt incredibly seen by Austin's characters. She writes characters that I can always find myself in and allows them the grace of accepting their flaws. Really the experiences of both Sigrid and Margit spoke to my soul in a way I only ever find in Austin's work. I cannot get enough of the beautiful but realistic prose. I need everyone to read this book NOW!

I would recommend this book to Noah Kahan lovers, people with tumultuous sibling relationships, people feeling trapped in conservative small towns, lesbians, and depressed English majors.

Here is my message to Emily Austin: I would literally do anything for you. I love you. Please never ever stop writing. I would read you grocery list.

TRIGGER WARNINGS!!!! suicide ideation, suicidal thoughts, death, sexual assault, homophobia, drug use, domestic violence

Was this review helpful?

Wow did I love this book! I read Interesting Facts About Space earlier this year and was obsessed, so I'm not totally surprised that this was another hit for me from Emily Austin. I really love the tone that this book was written in. It covered some seriously heavy topics, but somehow I found myself laughing. Don't get me wrong, I teared up a few times too, but I was ultimately left feeling very hopeful. It explored the sister relationship in a way that I haven't seen before, and I really appreciated the unique take. I 100% recommend this to sad girl lit-fit lovers, and can't wait to see what Emily Austin gives us next!

Was this review helpful?

3.75 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc<3
This book was quite different than the previous Emily Austin’s I’ve read. We Could Be Rats is definitely more serious and less comedic. I think the writing nailed the feeling of experiencing life as a child/teen and losing your childlike wonder against your will as you get older. It was also extremely relatable when it came to family dynamics and how often as we grow older, we realize that the people we looked up to as a child aren’t really that great of people (sometimes they’re actually really shitty.) The format of this book was interesting. We are introduced to our MC Sigrid through attempted suicide letters and as the novel progresses, we end up seeing a different perspective through the MC’s sister, Margit. Both sisters have much to grapple with and I enjoyed seeing them come to terms with how life was growing up and how maturing means realizing the extent of which you were failed by adults. I very much missed the classic Emily Austin absurdism humor- that is my favorite part of her books, but I do think this was a beautiful and heartbreaking ode to growing up. The way Austin ends books is also a favorite of mine, and this one did not disappoint.
Obviously huge TW for suicide, as this book pretty much centers around it, but also for domestic violence, abuse, sexual assault, drug use, probably more but that’s all I can think of right now.

Was this review helpful?

WE COULD BE RATS by Emily Austin was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025! Austin is an auto-read author for me now, after loving literally everything else she has written. This book veers a bit off the normal course for her, but it is still so distinctly Austin with her unique and singular voice.

The story is a bit of a mind-bender, with the rug getting pulled out from the reader a few times in unexpected but not uninviting ways. It is about two sisters at its core - the sisterly bonds, and ultimately heartbreaks, when one attempts suicide. This is not a light book by any means, despite the fun cover. It's about being queer in a small town, feeling disaffected by your own family, and what it means to be the author of your own life.

Austin has surprised and delighted me once again. While this may not be my most favorite of hers, I still really loved it and am so glad we keep getting incredible books from her. Can't wait for the next one.

Was this review helpful?

TW: Discussions of suicide

This book was a beautiful portrayal of a person who feels like they are a misfit, forgotten by society. Explores difficult family relationships. The main character joins the ranks of Austin’s main characters who are anxious lesbians who just want to be seen and loved by those closest to them. The structure was interesting and allowed for a shocking twist. However, this structure also made it a bit repetitive by the end.

ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

"-there were parts of me I could never change, I was assembled with the bones I came with."

We Could Be Rats was my first Emily Austin read, but it certainly won't be my last. Austin was able to take serious subject matter and add just enough humor and levity to make it realistic- neither so serious it became admonishing nor so lighthearted it became meaningless. I appreciated that Austin was able to surprise me with changes in direction each time I thought, "This must be the truth," but didn't go so over-the-top with it that I lost interest. I loved getting to see this story from both Sigrid's and Margit's sides. Additionally, I highlighted many quotes from this book that I found poignant in regard to life, growing up, being different, and trying to understand the world and your place in it.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

Was this review helpful?