Emily Austin could publish her grocery list and I would read it. Her command of the english language is masterful. The fact that she was able to contain such a complex story into such a short book is baffling to me.

This book made me feel so many feelings despite it's simplicity. I loved that I never knew what was real and what to believe - by making me question my reality this book made me think deeply about humanity. Such a gorgeous and weird and wonderful story that I'll remember for a long time.

I am super sad that I am DNFing this book because I was SO excited for it, but I am 65% of the way through it and I just can't read it anymore. I like books with unreliable narrators, but Sigrid's letters (the first half of the book) were so rambling and repetitive that it was hard to believe any of what she said. Margit's perspective (which comes a little over halfway through the book) is just not enough to save it for me. And when she quickly also deteriorates into rambling, I had to be done. I understand from looking at reviews that there is a bit of a twist or reframing of things at the end of the book. I just don't care enough to get there, unfortunately.

Emily Austin books have such a distinctive voice and viewpoint. Her specific style of dark humor works really well for me, and the themes in We Could Be Rats felt both unique and universal. Sigrid's struggle with the loss of her childhood self resonated with me in a very particular way. For some reason, I had a hard time with the the format of this book. The first section of letters is great in concept, and I do love the way it gets turned on its head. However, the topics started to get repetitive and the stream of consciousness style made the emotional beats confusing. I actually found myself the most compelled by the second section (Margit's perspective) and I felt a little conflicted going "back" to Sigrid at the end. For me, this book had all the right elements, just not necessarily in the right order.

After loving Emily Austin’s last book, I was excited to read her latest.

The author does such a good job of creating characters with depth and nuance. I loved the quirky lighthearted feel of this book that was addressing some very heavy topics (mostly suicide but also drug addition, poverty, and trauma).

I quickly felt attached to the sisters in the story and was very invested in what was going to happen to them both. Their stories were sad and hopeful all at once.

Overall, I’d recommend this one. I do wish it had a little more closure at the end although I’m sure the ending was intentional.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Austin has done it again. HOW does she continually write these ultra-relatable, lesbian literary masterpieces with autistic-coded characters? I have never felt more seen than I do with Austin's books. This book was incredible - starting off with the drafts of a suicide note written by the protagonist, you learn more and more about her life with the bits and pieces she chooses to share. The creativity in Austin's works and characters are unbeatable. If you love lesbians, unreliable narrators, and childhood nostalgia, PLEASE pick this up!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Authentic, beautiful story of sisterhood, queerness, and the disillusionment that is growing up.

I always feel incredibly connected and seen by Emily Austin's characters and this book was no different. The unique writing style/story structure (the first half of the book is drafts of a suicide note) took me a bit to get into, but once I did I absolutely loved it. Learning about Sigrits life and inner thoughts through these series of drafts was intriguing and had me questioning my sanity right along with her. Then, getting Margit's points of vire to see how differently she experienced some of the same events was such an interesting perspective. The nostalgia and disillusionment Sigrit felt about growing up deeply resonated with me and provided some wonderfully unique perspectives on maturing and dealing with adulthood.

This book brings you on a journey of going down a mental health spiral, stepping back and seeing the bigger picture, and then putting those two together to figure out how to move forward. Emily Austin continues to be one of my favorite authors!

3.75
this was definitely my least favorite of Emily Austin's books... but she's written some of my favorite books of all time, so perhaps I hold her to too high of a standard.
I want to avoid spoilers, but my biggest issue with this story was the tone. We end up getting quite a few different perspectives/voices throughout this, and the fact that they are nearly indistinguishable given the direction that the plot takes was... disappointing, I guess? Again, I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but I looovveeed some of the voices and then I felt like we just lost those characters and were starting over with each new perspective.
all that being said, this was still recognizable as a smart, sweet, sad, and kind Emily Austin book. I loved the exploration of relationships in this book—between the sisters with each other, between the sisters with their parents. and the FRIENDSHIP!! ugh.
I recognize that I resonated with Austin's previous works because they happened to be soul-destroyingly relatable for me in certain ways—so this might be the match for you! While I still really related to this one, the voice and style wasn't quite my cup of tea. I'm confident her future works will continue to wreck me.

4.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have read all 3 of Austin's novels and am always amazed by her humorous tone in discussing serious topics faced by young women. This book is hilariously relatable even though the subject matter is incredibly dark. My only complain was that I was not a huge fan of the perspective shift and "reveal" that occurred mid-book. By the end, however, I thought it redeemed itself and I am glad I pushed through.

This was one of my most anticipated books, and it unfortunately just didn’t work for me. It’s my first Emily Austin, and I ended up soft DNF’ing. I’m not sure if maybe I read it at the wrong time and I may like it later, but for now I found myself trying to force myself to finish and not enjoying the book. Maybe my expectations were too high, or the writing style just wasn’t for me. I liked the characters and the basic premise, and in the future I may return to it to finish.

We Could Be Rats is a book that will make you laugh out loud on one page and cry on the next. The prose is both simplistic and poetic, accessible and literary. It is simultaneously uplifting and depressing, offering hope for the future and an incredibly strong nostalgia for childhood. I related to both Sigrid's and Margit's characters, but what especially resonated with me was how Sigrid hung onto her childhood for as long as she could. When she couldn't hold on anymore, and was thrust into mundane adulthood, she couldn't stop thinking about her toy world in the basement and pink clouds in the sky.

I don't want to comment on too much because Emily Austen manages to pull the rug out from under the reader multiple times throughout the story, and the reaction will be much more effective if the reader goes into the story without much knowledge or detail of what's to come. Something you must know, though, is that We Could Be Rats is a book that will make you *think*. If you're in the headspace to read this book (check trigger warnings for sure), I would recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by any third parties.

This book was so beautiful, just like other Emily's books. It started off with some dark humor, but eventually I just wanted to reach in and hug both of the sisters. It was really well written and smart story telling, duh it's Emily's book, I just really wish we got more of them together at the end. My sappy heart needed a bigger hug at the end. But other than that, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Also, definitely take the TWs seriously.

this is my first five star of the year! even better, it got my personal gold seal of approval: making me cry on an airplane.

i just think we're so lucky to have emily austin's wacky goofy funny cynical cutting loving brilliant brain helping us to navigate these unprecedented times. this book helped me make sense of so much in my own worldview: how i can love others and believe people are good, even while i am horrified to see the timeline we appear to be on. being surrounded by strangers with so much love in my heart in this book that also manages to be funny...it was a treat beyond words.

I really enjoyed this book and found I was feeling all the feels.. I was happy and laughing one minute and sad and on the verge of tears the next. Loved the different POVs from the sisters. This definitely felt very YA but I still liked it a lot being in my mid 30s. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly I am kicking myself for not reading any previous Emily Austin books right now. What do you mean, I could have been reading things like this for years?!?

I absolutely loved it. It’s readable and sometimes funny, never pretentious but yet with so many lines I wanted to highlight. It’s heartbreaking and hopeful and just so genuine. I really loved the interplay between the two sisters, how they both hated each other at times, fought constantly, and yet would without hesitation egg the car of someone who hurt the other. Just delightful.

I will always love the books that Emily Austin writes. She has a way of making the story usually so uncomfortably relatable, which really pulls me in every time. I seem to always have a hard time accurately describing how her books make me feel but I know I loved this one a lot! The plot twist caught me off guard! This one was so heartbreaking but still found a way to mend my heart back up by the end. I will forever read books by Emily Austin.

Tried my hardest with this one but ultimately had to DNF at 45%. Felt a bit ramble-y and wasn’t vibing with the writing. Never was itching to pick it up. I’m sure the readers who love ~weird girl lit~ will love this one.

This was a really unique read! Without giving away too much or spoiling the "reveal" about 60% in, it's the story of one sister trying to understand the other before, during, and after a nearly fatal choice is made by one of them. It's at once funny and sad, and explores the ideas of childhood, imagination, and what it means to grow up and move past who we thought of ourselves as. It's a coming of age story, and is compulsively readable. It tackles some tough subject matter with wry, dark humor and honest reflection. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I have read Emily Austin's two previous books and was really excited to read an early copy of this one -- I really enjoyed it, I love the glimpse inside Emily Austin's mind and all the tangents the characters go on.

I loved the structure of this book -- it felt very unique, and I liked the different angles we were able to see the characters from. I thought the depiction of the sister relationship was great -- and so accurate for the complicated way relationships can be.

This book deals with many heavy topics, especially suicide.

If you've read other Emily Austin I definitely recommend this one. It is very quirky and endearing while being sad and life-affirming. I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Emily Austin can do no wrong! This is such a strong novel in writing and emotion. Sigrid and Margit are sisters and they couldn't be more different, but they grew up together and some things are hard to forget. Who really are these sisters and can they come back together after everything? Told in 3 parts, this book had me both laughing and crying, each part revealing something new and making me love these characters even more. I will read anything Emily Austin writes and my little lesbian rat heart will thank me for it.

Emily Austin strikes again with a book that’s sharp, weird, and existentially unhinged in the best way possible. If Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead made you feel seen in your millennial anxiety, We Could Be Rats cranks that feeling up to “screaming into the void but make it fun” levels.

What to Expect:
Dark humor meets existential dread
Messy queer relationships & personal crises
A protagonist who overthinks everything (relatable)

If you’ve ever had a breakdown in a grocery store, trauma-bonded with a stranger, or wondered if life is just a cosmic joke—this book is for you.