3.5 stars rounded up. Once again, Emily Austin has hit the nail on the head with her incredible ability to create these deep connections between characters that absolutely pull at your heartstrings. The story starts from the perspective of Sigrid, who is explaining her relationships and worries through a suicide note left to her sister Magrit. I ended up really resonating with this book as an older sister, and appreciated how it explored being an eldest daughter who is expected to keep the peace and manage everyone's emotions around her. I do wish there was a clearer sense of voice between the perspective of the sisters, but overall this is a tender telling of sisterhood and the beauty of letting people take care of you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Austen does it again!!!!! Obsessed with everything this author puts out. Such a unique story and writing style. Sigrid and Margit were so well developed and written. The stories were heartbreaking and reminded me of my relationship with my sister. I couldn’t put this book down and the story will live rent free in my mind for a long time. Will be recommending this to many! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an electronic advanced reader’s copy.

While Austin’s writing might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is most certainly mine. After reading Interesting Facts About Space earlier this summer, I knew I needed to get my hands on this book when I saw it on NetGalley. We Could Be Rats has solidified Emily Austin’s spot on my auto-buy authors list. The author’s ability to make you immediately feel connected to a character within a few sentences is so admirable. Immediately Sigrid is a likable, relatable character, and I always feel a sense of affection for Austin’s characters even before I know really anything about them. Austin writes really entertaining dry humor and utilizes it well to make subjects like grief and suicide approachable and less taboo.
The switch of thoughts when Sigrid becomes a teenager is jarring because you don’t necessarily realize when you stop imagining things and giving magical characteristics to normally mundane tasks like walking or eating until one day you’re in your 20s and become nostalgic for a period you don’t remember ending.
The dual perspective between Margit and Sigrid was so interesting because it allows the audience to read about how each character perceives the other while also knowing the thoughts that are going on in both of their heads. It reminds you that while you may think that someone may appear to have it better than you, you don’t have any idea what they might be struggling with. Austin represents well what it feels like to have opposing political beliefs than your family and acquaintances. You feel like you’re going mad. This book really emphasizes the profoundness of sisterhood and the bonds that form between siblings.
Overall, We Could Be Rats joins Interesting Facts About Space as one of my favorite reads so far this year, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this on pub day. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-Arc!

I love Emily Austin so much and after devouring my third Emily Austin novel, I can honestly say, I will read anything she writes.
She captures the human emotion like no one else I’ve ever read. This book is raw and heart breaking and laugh-at-loud funny, all at the same time. Everything just feels so real and relatable, even though my life experiences have been so different than what’s presented. It’s hard to imagine someone not identifying with at least some parts of this story.

This has been one of my favorite reads of this year and probably one of my favorite of all time. I can’t wait to be able to have a physical copy of this book and reread in January. I just need Emily to keep writing and take all my money. Anything she puts out is an instant buy.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to read this eARC and to get a little sliver of Emily Austin’s genius brain.

Sigrid is stuck in her hometown after not graduating high school and now working at the local Dollar Pal. She reminisces on the days when she was a child and has always resisted the idea of growing up. So, her high school years consisted of hanging out with her best friend Greta mostly just smoking weed, going against the grains of what consists of being a high school teenager and celebrating their discovery of being gay. However, after high school things change. Sigrid reminisces on the days she called her parents swamp monster as they shook the house with their rage, when her sister Margit would nudge her in the ribs for making comments against her parents ignorant ones and Greta now putting a wedge between the two of them with her opioid addiction. Now with Sigrid’s secrets coming to life, Margit begins to understand her sister, bringing them both closer than ever before.

I loved this book and like all Emily Austin books, I found it extremely relatable as an *anxious girly* however, I found this one a bit more confusing and drawn out. Yet, I kind of want to blame that on myself being busy and in a reading slump.. because as most of you know, Emily Austin is one of my top 3 fav authors of all time. So although this book doesn’t get a super high rating from me right now, I did still love, enjoy and would recommend it. I love Emily Austin and every character she creates. Give me more more more by miss Emily Austin pls.

Incredible. I got this from NetGalley and was incredibly excited then put off reading it for two months; I knew I would love it considering Interesting Facts About Space, yet also knew it would be “an experience”. I was right.

I don’t even know what to say. This was simply incredible. It was so well written and original, emotional, captivating, devastating, and impactful. The narrative choice on how it was written was unexpected and really clever. Just go read this but be ready for an experience. There will likely be emotions. I will be reading everything this author writes forever.

Highlights:
-What a love letter to childhood, and a great discussion of growing up.
-The structure of this novel was genius. I love it when the writing itself adds to a novel, and not just the content that is written about (if that makes sense).
-Love an unreliable narrator. Especially when its dialed up to 11.
-What complex and nuanced characters. Perfection.
-My emotions! I don’t often cry during books, but this one got me a few times.
-Talk about mental health representation! Also, a brutally honest commentary on the opioid crisis.
-The ending was a little lackluster and yet I didn’t care. Props to the author, that’s actually something I’m billing as a positive achievement. I 100% believe this was an intentional choice by the author and it was a good one.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This review was left voluntarily and is entirely honest.

(thank you netgalley and simon & schuster for providing me an e-arc of the novel in exchange for an honest review).

*4.5 stars
reading a book that reflects so much of my childhood, mental health struggles, and inner thoughts can be quite unsettling. i’ve often asserted my belief in the serendipity of literature—that the right book finds you precisely when you need it most. this one did, in ways I could barely have anticipated.

this book right here, is why I read. emily austin's words resonate with a profound and captivating power. she navigated the darker themes of life’s challenges in such a clever way with a sense of tasteful humor.

now, if you don't mind me, i'll be reading the rest of her work. DND.

Emily Austin, I love all of your writing in such different ways. No spoilers of course, but the use of perspective, time and narrative made this super interesting from a technical standpoint. The content manner will not be for everyone, but what a wonderful read. Austin always depicts queerness as a fact of life instead of the greatest hurdle a protagonist is going to face, and I zoomed through this book as I have the last two Austin novels that I have read.

Thank you so much for the advanced copy!

If Emily Austin had no fans I'd be dead. I have read every Emily Austin book so I was beyond excited to read this. For the most part, I really enjoyed it! I related a lot to Sigrid and Margit's upbringing. As an older sister cursed with politeness, I REALLY felt for Marg. Reading this has made me reflect a lot about who I am and how the way I grew up has shaped me into who I am today. Being 23 years old, I am also just a girl in her early 20s like Sigrid and Marg navigating the strange cusp that is the transition between adulthood and adolescence.

Although I liked the book, I must say some parts felt repetitive. As deceiving as the cover is, this probably is Emily Austin's darkest book so far. There were parts that were humorous but I didn't laugh in the way I did for her previous novels. I did find it hard to start reading considering the format it's written in and at times, to digest what is being said, because a lot of the topics touched on are uncomfortable to read about so I would recommend checking out the TW list. As hard as it was to read about them, they are still important topics to talk about and I'm glad Emily Austin shed some light on them, especially in the context of current Canadian politics.

Emily Austin has an amazing ability to write in a way as if she took my thoughts and emotions on paper. I'll be thinking about this! Thank you Atria Books, Emily Austin, and NetGalley for the e-arc!

I felt that this book had amazing portrayals of queer identities, mental health struggles, grief and loss, and relationship conflict I would absolutely encourage people to check trigger warnings/content warnings before reading!

i have been a fan of emily austin since i read her very first novel and it is clear to me now that if she writes it, i will read it. this book was everything i hoped for and more. her stream-of-consciousness writing made me feel like i was in the brain of the main character. also, as a lesbian who grew up in a small town, this story hit especially hard.

this was a book i wanted to savor slowly, and by the end, i found myself thinking that maybe i could try appreciating those little things that often go overlooked.

this book covers queer identity, grief, mental illness, loss of a friendship, and more that i feel like i’m forgetting. it’s beautiful and wonderful and magical.

thank you to netgalley and atria books for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

(3.5 Stars)

This one is kind of mixed bag and all over the place, but I enjoyed it when it got going! CHECK TWs!

Lots of stream of consciousness to get through, but I appreciated both characters as individuals and as sisters.
Author does a great job of tackling themes of grief, being queer in a small town, suicidal ideation, toxic family, coming of age,etc. Lots of great nuggets and moments. I laughed and teared up at times, but also wasn't sure where it was going for the first half of it, which made this one drag a bit.

Feel like a lot of people will see themselves in this read, which is great and sold me on finishing this one.

Thank you for the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a sucker for books that explore girlhood and sisterhood and this book did just that - uniquely teasing out the subject matter and examining it under the lens of greater society and circumstance. The book is somehow both very sad and even at times bleak, yet incredibly hopeful too. Overall no regrets, good read.

I read about half of this book before deciding to put it down. I may check it out of the library when it comes out and finish it, but for now, where I'm at with my reading, it's just not working for me. I've been looking for a good sister novel to rival All My Puny Sorrows - or it's not a competition so let's say to make me feel how Miriam Toews made me feel - which is why I requested this despite being meh on Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead (and I bet if you loved that, you'll love this!) but this is more of a fine sister novel. I find the format a bit uninteresting/uncompelling. It could be a good bit for me, but just maybe if it was more honestly realized. Like having each note be rougher and rawer (pardon my corny word choice) and more rough draft-y. Or more narrative drama or more well characterized thoughts and stories within the notes and better developed family members or clearly and unintentionally glossed over family. Or just even more beautiful writing where every line hits to your core or whatever. Maybe that could make it work for me, but for what it is it's not hitting any specific enough interest of mine in what I tend to enjoy reading about to compel me to finish.

But it's also entirely possible that some impressive, book altering play with form will occur in the next half of the work, which is why I may revisit this. For now though, I'm going to close the book. Sorry for this wordy, poorly composed review.

I'm grateful to have been allowed to read this book before it's publishing!!

Emily R. Austin does it again. This book was so beautiful and devastating at the same time. Emily R. Austin has such a unique ability to write about vulnerable, broken, yet relatable characters.

Emily Austin’s We Could Be Rats is a poignant exploration of sisterhood, childhood, and the struggles of growing up. Through the lens of Sigrid and Margit, two sisters with vastly different approaches to life, Austin delves into themes of identity, imagination, and the impact of trauma.

Sigrid’s aversion to adult responsibilities and her haunting memories of family turmoil paint a vivid picture of a young woman caught between innocence and harsh reality. Meanwhile, Margit’s frustration with Sigrid’s choices highlights the complexities of familial expectations and the longing for understanding. As they navigate their strained relationship, the sisters embark on a journey of rediscovery that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

Austin masterfully captures the essence of childhood imagination as a refuge from life’s challenges, ultimately reminding us of the unbreakable bonds that can bring us back together. This beautifully written novel is a love letter to those formative years, and it resonates deeply with anyone who has grappled with the transition into adulthood. A must-read for fans of emotional storytelling!

Just like with her first two novels, Emily Austin has created characters that are relatable and unforgettable. We meet two sisters who responded to a troubled childhood in very different ways. Sigrid and Margit, though only a year apart, are not close and struggle to understand one another. Sigrid’s suicide attempt forces Margit to really see her sister, maybe for the first time.

Although the subject matter is dark, I really enjoyed this book. Austin uses a really unique structure to tell the sisters’ story. Its compulsively readable with short chapters and lots of page breaks. I finished it in three days. I’ll continue to read anything Austin writes.

This book has everything that I've come to love about Emily Austin's novels: humor, heart, and a reminder of all the reasons that life is worth living.

WE COULD BE RATS is for the townies, the freaks, the dykes, the dropouts—all of us who think the world would be better if we evaporated, if we traded working at the Dollar Pal and hating ourselves for living the good life as rodents at a carnival. Emily Austin’s signature dark humor and sharp observations into the human condition grip and entertain while a series of suicide notes unravel the truths behind addiction, bitter family fights, and anonymous bomb threats against a certain conservative politician in small town Canada. There are no caricatures here, just me, you, and everyone we know. It’s Alice Munro for depressed lesbians, and it made me weep before it gave me a hug.

Another absolute hit from Emily Austin. I absolutely devoured this, Austin’s ability to make the most relatable queer, awkward, and neurodiverse characters should be studied. Austin just knows how to depict the human condition, in its beauty and its ugly.

I laughed and I contemplated my own life and my humanity and it’s everything I could have wanted.

While a tough subject matter I think the way it was handled and integrated into the narrative fit so well.

We Could Be Rats is so real, so jarringly and vulnerably real. A must-read not only for fans of Austin’s previous works or sapphic literature in general, but overall fans of litfic and discussions on what it means to be a person.