Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC!!

This is my first Emily Austin book and I found her writing style to be very enjoyable!! I appreciated how she skillfully addressed challenging topics with a blend of humor and grace. The journal entries in the book made it easy to form a real connection with the characters and gain insight into their past struggles. We Could Be Rats is a thought-provoking novel that explores the intricacies of sisterhood, mental health, and the lasting effects of a rough upbringing.

I think Emily Austin writes books specifically for me, I just love them so much. This is a beautiful story about the connection between sisters and details how difficult familial relationships can be. We Could Be Rats is delightfully morbid, and brings a real sense to the dread of feeling stuck. It is also a tale of resilience, and shows how difficult that journey can be on its own. Sigrid and Margit are such well-developed characters that you can't help but fall in love with. This will be a book that I come back to, completely resonating with Sigrid's experience.

Another excellent book by Emily Austin!

This story is Sigrid's suicide letter, or her attempts at writing a suicide letter. Through her letters we follow what has lead to this point, memories of her childhood, family and friends, what her life has been like lately and her feelings. This story is funny, emotional and relatable. It also displays how you don't really know what is going on in someone's life and how they're feeling, no matter how well you think you know them. I highly recommend not doing much research into this book before reading it, as it's better experienced than described.

I love Emily Austin's writing style, she writes with both short chapters and short sections of text, which allows the story to flow nicely and go by very quickly. This story often feels like a natural progression of human thoughts rather than a story being told, and I really enjoy this style.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advanced copy of We Can Be Rats by Emily Austin.

Before diving into this book, I want to note that it contains potential triggers, including mentions of suicide, rape, toxic relationships, a toxic household, substance abuse, and the fear of growing old.

At its core, We Can Be Rats is a powerful story about two sisters and how, despite growing up in the same environment, people can turn out completely different. I appreciated the way the novel explored LGBTQ+ themes and the importance of kindness toward one another.

This is one of those books that’s best experienced without too much prior knowledge—it’s truly unique. While it starts off slow, the pacing picks up as events unfold, making it more and more compelling. I ended up reading it in just two sittings because, although it’s heavy at times, the dark humor kept me engaged. The diary-style format, told from both sisters’ points of view across three different sections, made for an intimate and deeply personal reading experience.

This was my first book by Emily Austin, and it certainly won’t be my last! Now, I’m off to embrace my inner rat at the fair—forever and always.

Thank you netgalley for the arc of we could be rats. I saw a lot of buzz about this book but didn’t really dive in knowing what its about. It starts off as a long suicide note that is at times very confusing. Sigrid has had a tough life. A difficult childhood and a smidge of mental illness. Its hard to write too much about this book of self discovery and sibling live without giving it away. I really enjoyed how the author tied in the title several times over the course of the novel. Four stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

We Could Be Rats follows Sigrid and Margit, two sisters who have grown apart as Sigrid stayed home while Margit went off to college.

It feels like a monumental task to pin down a single description of this book. It's a coming-of-age story, an investigation of sisterhood, a partial diary entry, heartbreaking and uplifting and dark and beautiful all at once. The format of this novel was a shining feature for me, centering first on Sigrid, then on Margit, and then on the truths we couldn't have known any earlier. Sigrid and Margit are remarkably strong characters with engaging and compelling voices, two features which are vital for such a character-driven novel. This won't be every reader's cup of tea -- and it's certainly worth checking out trigger warnings ahead of time! -- but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I won't be forgetting this read any time soon.

Boy, where to begin...I have no idea how to review this one without totally spoiling it. I guess I'll start by saying this was a tough book to get through emotionally. It was sad and so heartbreaking as I read Sigrid's notes making various attempts (many) at writing an appropriate suicide note to people. It gave the reader a really good insight to her mental status and her growing up years in particular.

Why, I wondered, would a 20 year-old woman say that she never did want to grow up? Instead, wanting to remain a child. Some of her notes helped explain that because she had so many good creative times to reminisce and I was blown away by just HOW imaginative she and her sister, Margit, were. But each attempt at a "perfect" note just was never enough, never quite right.

As the story progresses, there are some really shocking eye-openers that were huge to me. I was hoping for Sigrid and Marg to have a sisterly bond and for them to have a HEA love for each other. I can't say what happened, but I will say this is a book very worth reading. That being said, it's also a book with a storyline that can trigger some people, especially those who've dealt with certain subject matter so go into it knowing that.

I love reading a book, and setting it down for a minute to check that the author hasn't read through my journals, or peeked into my brain. I feel like Austin has written a story that will resonate with many people, and leave them feeling either hopeful or squeamish.

Margit and Sigrid, two sisters who have drifted apart through miscommunication and circumstances, are so familiar to me. The feelings that both put to paper spoke to the depths of my soul. I went into this one blind, only knowing that I love Austin's writing, and I finished eight hours later feeling simultaneously sad and revived. We Could Be Rats has moved to my favorite Emily Austin book.

This story deals with some difficult topics that are not disclosed in the synopsis, and it is impossible to discuss much of the book without spoilers. That being said, Austin has put content warnings right at the start of the book, so I encourage all readers to consider these carefully before proceeding.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. I will be purchasing a finished copy soon, as I want to reread and highlight and annotate the many beautiful passages.

DNF at 25%

Emily Austin's writing has the perfect amount of whimsy and quirkiness I as a reader, love. In the end though, unfortunately, this book fell short for me.

The story begins from the perspective of Sigrid, a woman in her twenties feeling a little lost in life. She didn't graduate from high school and she's currently working at a Dollar Pal. Her family disapproves of her life choices, including her older sister Margit. Packed with childhood wonder, Sigrid explains her quirky habits, whimsy friendships and her fruitless past relationships in the form of suicide notes, trying to explain why she no longer wants to be a alive.

I did not realize the story would be told through the form of letters. I usually don't read this format since I have trouble connecting to this type of storytelling voice. I really wanted to love this, but I just could not get into it. Sigrid spoke a lot about who she is, what she did and sort of narrates how she ended up the way she is. I rather when a story shows more than tells. This was my first Emily Austin novel and I know it will not be my last.

I can see why a lot of people would connect to a story like this and a character like Sigrid. There were a few moments where I really related to her. Sadly, the pace of the novel was just too slow for me. I will say this is a very soft DNF, I may want to try picking it back up in the future.

Thank you NetGalley, Emily Austin and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love other Emily Austin books, but this one just took me too long to get into and didn't keep my attention. It wasn't bad, but definitely not a favorite of mine.

I was very excited for this book after reading Interesting Facts About Space last year! While I didn't enjoys this book as much it was still very good. It was real, raw, and contained so many relatable personal thoughts and experiences. Between political views and mental health issues I couldn't help but feel the author was in my brain a little.

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted copy! Thank you to Atria for the eARC! Nothing is better than an Emily R. Austin book. She so expertly captures the human condition - I feel so seen I can taste it. Her books, for me, are the epitome of the sentiment that everyone is going through something and were never as alone as we think we are. Her queer characters are stunning and her books never fail to captivate me. This is a gem.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first Emily Austin book and overall I enjoyed the reading experience! I’d give it 3.5 stars, rounded to a 4 star out of 5.

I didn’t know what I was getting into based on the synopsis alone and I think that was a breath of fresh air, going in pretty blind. This is definitely a heavier read and I really enjoyed the way the author brings authenticity into her characters and weaving mental health themes throughout the story. It was thought provoking and beautiful, heartbreaking and impactful. I’m definitely going to check out her backlist!

I really enjoyed this book! I found the premise to be very intriguing as well as the way it was written. Getting vague snippets from the narrator through numerous attempts at writing a suicide notes was different to any book I've read and I loved it. Even thought this book was dealing with more serious topics, it was able to approach them in a light hearted way while also still getting an emotional reacting from me. This was a short, compelling read that I devoured.

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

Non-spoiler synopsis:
We Could Be Rats follows sisters Sigrid and Margit, who didn’t have it easy growing up in an explosive household, in a small conservative town. They both coped with this in completely different ways, which caused a division in their relationship. In this novel, Austin grapples with questions like: What happens when you never want to grow up? When you try to only see the good in everything and eventually have to come to terms with the fact that the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows? What happens when you grow up too fast? When you spend your whole life trying to appease others and control your surroundings? When you try so hard to survive without making sure that you’re also thriving? What happens when two sisters take these completely opposing paths in life? This is a story of sisterhood, of growing apart and back together again, of resilience and the ways it can manifest.

Review:
We Could Be Rats had me hooked! I was on the edge of my seat and every time I thought I had a grasp on the truth, something blew me away and shook everything up. I also thought the format of this book was very interesting and different from other books I’ve read. I don’t want to give anything away, so I won’t expand on either of those points. I loved all of Sigrid and Margit’s childhood stories and the connections between recent events and reflections on their lives growing up; I found a little bit of myself in both Sigrid and Margit. Above all, though, this made me reflect on my relationships with my family, especially my siblings, and how our environment growing up influenced our relationships with each other and other people. I found myself pausing to reflect often and made MANY notes in the margins (that I wish I could share but will not since this is an ARC copy, and because I simply cannot spoil anything for y’all)!
I have recently become an Emily Austin stan; she is now an auto-buy author for me! I recently read Interesting Facts About Space and that absolutely blew me away. I found both that, and We Could Be Rats, extremely relatable and so painfully human. The way Emily writes these extremely complex characters with such intense emotions and histories, weaving together their lives in such a short span of pages, is masterful. If I ever write a novel, she’ll be my role model.

Please read We Could Be Rats if you’ve ever wished you could be somebody, something else; if you’re a bit different and disconnected from your sibling(s) but wanted to be closer to them; or if you miss your childhood friend(s), but you fell out of touch over the years; it’s OUT NOW! I absolutely must know what you think of this one if you read it!!
___
TW: depression, suicide, death of family members, mentions of sexual assault, complicated family relationships, homophobia, ableism

I’ve been a big fan of Emily Austin’s work since her first book so when I got the chance to read We Could be Rats early I was so excited. Although this book might not appeal to everyone given the subject matter (suicide and depression are prominent themes), I found it very powerful. The character driven story follows sisters Sigrid and Margit coping with their trauma in very different ways.

The first part, told through a series of Sigrid’s suicide notes, is a dark but extremely unique and striking format. I found it hard to know what to believe and when the twist occurred and I was left speechless. If you’ve ever felt alone this story will speak to your soul. The ending is open-ended but optimistic and the reader is left wondering what will happen to the sisters.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Austin’s previous two books, I was really eager to get around to finishing the advanced copy of We Could Be Rats that I had received from NetGalley last year. Unfortunately, I struggled quite heavily with the epistolary format of the novel. I can see what Austin was trying to do with this one, I’m just not sure it fully worked. The “plot twist” of sorts felt a little clumsy and I generally don’t like to read topical fiction.. so that’s on me. Overall, not a bad book, but certainly not Austin’s strongest and not my favorite of theirs. If anything, I was quite underwhelmed by what I had expected to be an overwhelming and emotional experience.

I’m not exactly sure how to describe this book or why it was easily a 5-star read for me. It’s a personal story and my feelings and rating are mostly subjective. That being said, objectively, the way the story was crafted was brilliant and kept me wondering and questioning nearly the whole way through. There were so many lines that practically jumped out and bit me, that I had to read over again to feel them a second and third time.

“Sometimes I think adults all feel just as intensely as teenagers do, but they’re restrained inside their monster bodies.”

Ain’t that the truth.

“She and I used to talk about how a lot of life felt like that, like we were never the target audience for any of it, like we were always on the outside of something.”

We Could Be Rats introduces two very different sisters, Sigrid and Margit. Sigrid, stuck in her small, dead-end hometown and devastated by the loss of her best friend, resists adulthood, retreating instead into the world of her imagination. Meanwhile, Margit, confused by Sigrid’s lack of drive, struggles to understand her sister. After a traumatic event, the sisters begin to find their way back to each other.

First, I want to say that I am a big Emily Austin fan! I absolutely adore her previous books, and any critique I have of this one is in no way meant to be hurtful. I’m simply sharing my honest thoughts.

While all of Austin’s books address serious themes, We Could Be Rats is much darker and more somber in its take on mental health struggles, lacking the quirky humor of her other works. My biggest issue with this book lies in its narrative structure—it’s written entirely in letter format. I struggled to get through the first 60% of the novel, which consists mainly of attempts at writing a “good” suicide note. During this time, I found it difficult to connect with the narrator, especially because of her dishonesty. Each time I felt a moment of empathy, she would reveal another lie, which was frustrating.

After the 60% mark, the perspective shifts, and a twist is introduced that further complicates the storytelling. I won’t spoil it, but for a while, this made me feel even more disconnected from the characters. Once I moved past this, though, I found myself engrossed in the last 40% of the story.

Despite these narrative issues, Austin’s writing is beautiful. She does an excellent job capturing the loss of childhood and the alienation that comes with growing up. The moments between Sigrid and Margit, especially their complicated sisterly bond, are genuinely touching. The novel doesn’t end with the sisters becoming inseparable, but their progress toward understanding and caring for each other feels grounded and realistic.

I absolutely loved the final pages of the novel. Margit’s realism and Sigrid’s imaginative ways finally come together in a moment where Margit not only“sees” her sister, but also gently pushes her out of her fantasies and into the real world.

I was drawn to this book immediately when I saw the cover. This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, but certainly won’t be my last. We Could Be Rats is a character-driven novel that follows FMC Sigrid, a twenty year old girl who’s extremely lost. The story unfolds in a series of notes (suicide notes), as Sigrid attempts to untangle her final thoughts before she plans to kill herself. Later in the story we get the perspective of her sister, Margit, who always had a bit of a tumultuous relationship with Sigrid growing up.

I think people are either going to love this or hate this; luckily for me I fall more into the love category. The writing style is sooo interesting and really spoke to me. I don’t usually like epistolary format, but I thought this worked so well and does a great job of telling the story. It’s messy, chaotic, rambling, whimsical, and endearing. You feel like you’re right in Sigrid and Margit’s heads. For such interesting and complex characters, I really appreciated the blatant distinction in voice between both girls’ perspectives. It’s a little bit coming-of-age, little bit dealing with all different sorts of grief and childhood trauma, little bit of healing and sister’s finding common ground for the first time in their lives. I absolutely adored Sigrid and was really rooting for her. The most fabulous (and unreliable) narrator.

Definitely check the trigger warnings! But I will say it has an overall light-hearted tone, despite all the heavy topics in here.

Thank you to Netgalley, Emily Austin, and Atria Books for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings: suicidal thoughts/attempt, drug abuse/addiction, mental illness, grief, domestic abuse, emotional (child) abuse, alcohol, rape, death of parent, animal cruelty (brief mention)