(ARC review)

it feels rare to read something that so accurately captures the challenges of navigating family relationships as an adult. the cognitive dissonance that comes with everyone in your life perceiving you in a very positive way while your family sees you as exhausting and dramatic. the feeling of going home with your adult values and ideas and being completely unable to articulate them because within the parent/child dynamic you’re still a kid whose voice isn’t heard. and above all, the haunting nature of looking back on these events and wishing you had been able to handle things differently, wishing you had been understood differently.

This is my favorite Emily Austin book so far. I loved how it was written through a series of notes and how it switched perspectives between the two sisters. I related so much to both sisters and it made me want to call my own sister and tell her I love her. I have more to say but I’m emotional.

It just…didn’t do it for me and I usually love miss Austin :( I didn’t really like any of the characters and I found it super juvenile. I know that was the point but everyone was just so annoying.

I’ve never read another book quite like We Could Be Rats. It’s like—what if you had a classic sort of YA novel, the kind of edge-of-adulthood book that combines silly adolescent fantasies with real trauma, that earnestly includes both playing with barbies and attempted suicide. But then, you crossed that with an obscure Central European Noble Prize winner about the unstable nature of reality and the fundamental impossibility of using narrative to capture human experience. So that, on the one hand, a lot of the novel’s imagery felt not quite as original as it seemed to think it was. But on the other hand, that sense of an unstable narrative reality shifting beneath your feet was so well executed that it was genuinely unnerving.

And then, what if this novel pulled a real bait-and-switch on you. And you wondered if you thought you were reading about one thing, but really, you were reading about something else. After all, you thought you were reading about one person, and really, you were reading about someone else. And then you might think—it might cross your mind—that Emily Austen had taken a kind of accessible, YA-adjacent, very Millennial queer storytelling, and done something pretty special with it.

i really wanted to like this more than i did. i read my first emily austin book last year and it was my favorite read of the year, so maybe my hopes were too high i don’t know. but i didn’t connect with sigrid or margits perspective of this story. emily is a wonderful writer and the imagery in this book was great but not enough for me.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review <3

Please allow me to share a timeless quote from a review of Emily Austin’s Interesting Facts About Space: “Emily Austin is a precious gem and all of her books are perfect.” Wow, what an amazing quote. What absolute genius wrote that? It was me. I wrote it.

This book is so. good. I needed to read it. Both in a “I’m a fan of Emily Austin, I need to read this” way and a “I need to read this for my soul” way, though I didn’t realize the latter until I was finished. It feels like reading someone’s diary (and I guess part of it is kind of reading someone’s diary) so it’s very raw and authentic. The strained relationship between Sigrid and her sister Margit is so interesting and even a little frustrating as the reader because you just know they could be great friends since they’re so alike. But they don’t realize it and it’s like… ahhhhh!

I don’t know how she does it, but Emily Austin creates characters that I always relate to in some way. There’s always something about them that calls out to me and says “I’m you and you’re me,” and then I laugh and cry the whole time because it’s true. This time, the thing that grabbed me most was Sigrid’s relationship with Greta. Everything about it screamed “this is your relationship with your own friend,” and it was lovely and heartbreaking and at times it was painful to read.

I’ve found that a part of me is healed every time I read one of Emily Austin’s books. I’m convinced that eventually, she’ll write enough of them that I’ll be completely cured. Can’t wait!

It’s hard to say that I enjoyed a book so much that starts out the way it does, but this book was just so well done. This book is going to make you feel all the emotions. It does contain sensitive subject matters, so check into that. I, however, loved it. Emily Austin made being a rat at the fair something everyone will want to add to their bucket list.

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin takes on an interesting structure to show two sisters coming back to each other.

Austin does an impeccable job at creating characters who are well rounded, to the point I feel I'm reading an autobiography of someone who exceptionally embodies what it means to be a human. The thoughts of the characters feel so grounded, and their actions are so wild, yet mundane, they must have happened in real life.

One quality I love that the author brings into all of her work is how absolutely everything is linked with something else. There are no extraneous remarks that are never resolved. Through We Could Be Rats, we wonder many things, that sure feel like they're mentioned solely to move the plot forward, but actually have a full circle moment. It helps the stories feel grounded in reality.

There are many times I found myself lost in the pages, convinced I was close with Sigrid and knew her as well as I knew myself. I cried with the characters, felt their frustrations, and felt their sense of continuing on.

What a fantastic read.

This was expertly written but contains a lot of trigger warnings. Austin addresses these at the beginning of the novel which I appreciated. She gets into the head of the modern girl like no one else can. Sigrid is a complex character and her woes become your woes. You understand more and more of her through each attempt. This contained some of the same humor that her last novels did, but tackled deeper issues as well (like the opioid epidemic).

This was a heavy read, and one that impacted me deeply. On the surface, Sigrid and her sister Margit couldn’t be more different; Sigrid is a high school dropout who stayed in her hometown working a dead-end job, while Margit, the “golden child,” left town for college and seemingly never looked back. What follows is a deep exploration of the bonds of sisterhood and what led them to their current place.

I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts of this book into words. What I can say is that I was incredibly moved by both the writing style and the emotions it provoked within me. I saw myself in both Sigrid and Margit in entirely unique ways. I appreciated the LGBTQ+ and mental health representation, which were approached head-on but also very delicately. This was my first book by Emily Austin, and I am looking forward to her reading her backlist.

Please take the content warnings into serious consideration before starting this novel, as the topics are heavy and not danced around.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the gifted eARC!

Wow! This was my first Emily Austin novel, and I am an instant fan. The book literally blew me away, and I could not put it down. The format and writing style are perfect. A tale of two sisters who couldn’t be more different but never are what they seem to be.
Sigrid never graduated from high school and is struggling with ‘growing up’. As a child she had a vivid imagination and a closer relationship to her toys than her family and friends. Now she works at the Dollar Pal store and just broke up with her girlfriend. Margit, her sister, is going to college and has always been the more mature and controlling sibling. Each sister deals with life and what is expected from them differently. They hardly speak to each other but soon realize that they have more in common than they thought.
I loved this book and will definitely look for more from this author. Even though the topics are quite heavy, there were enough laugh out loud moments to make it highly entertaining. It is a slow pace, an emotional roller coaster, mainly character-driven but has a big twist that will make you gasp. This book will remain with me for a long time. I highly recommend it. 5⭐️
Trigger warnings: suicide, mental illness, addiction, domestic abuse
I would like to thank Netgalley, Atria Books and Ms Emily Austin for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy. I truly enjoyed it. The above is my honest review and own opinion. The book is available on 1/28/2025.

duh this is five stars but just know i am confused...

emily austin burrows herself further and further into my heart with every book she write. I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!! her books are kinda out of my usual reading tastes just because of the writing style and the fact that they aren't romances. yet i cannot stop thinking or talking about them. i know everyone in my life is getting sick and tired of me yapping about these books.

when i started this one i was taken aback. i hadn't really read the synopsis and once you do i feel like the first half is still pretty jarring. the content of this book is pretty heavy so definitely check trigger warning before diving in. after reading all 240 pages, i'm happy, sad, lost, angry, basically any emotion you could feel. so much of this book packs a punch but because of my lack of understanding it hits in different ways. what i mean by confusion is that you find something out in the end that kinda changes how i view the first half of the book so my brain is jumbled right now.

this book is still a masterpiece. emily austin just writes such real characters who have conflicting emotions about life and i get it. my pen barely leaves my hand when i'm reading because of how many small lines just hit so hard. more people need to be writing sad girl literary fiction but specifically like how she does so that i have more books to read.... not that i need more. the commentary on living in a small, conservative town and having an asshole run for a political position was like a shot straight to my heart. its also just a shitty time in the political climate so i was getting frustrated even reading about it be fictionalized. (fuck white men who are racist, homophobic, sexist, transphobic, and just awful people who keep getting high positions of power. I HATE YOU)

my rating is a five star but i think i will just rate anything she writes five stars. out of the three this one is my third favorite. this could be because i've reread both of the others and have only just finished this. please, please, please, pick it up anyway though because its great. pick up all her books while you're at it!!!

Brilliant. An emotional smack in the face. An ending that made all that hurt and turmoil feel worth it. There's such a bursting possibility of hope.

Sigrid and Margit grew up in a tense (understatement) household, and had opposing reactions to that trauma. Margit grew hypervigilant and careful, always aware of others' feelings and trying to de-escalate the situation; Sigrid disappeared into her imagination and struggled not to be confrontational about the things she cared about. Sigrid is also a lesbian in a small conservative town that has regressive ideas, and an opioid and homelessness problem. Sigrid and Margit both feel trapped and had different plans for getting out. Margit did, going to college. Sigrid didn't...

I feel like even discussing the structure of the novel will give things away, so please read the author's note in the beginning. This is a novel that contains extremely heavy topics, but somehow manages to remain effervescent. I tore through the first half, and took a little more time with the second. Sections two and three are revealing and important.

This is a book about sisterhood, friendship, guilt, and healing. Despite the dark start, it ended on a note that gave me hope.

Emily Austin is truly a one of a kind writer in that she writes with what feels like a universal voice, and creates narratives that it is easy to crawl inside and inhabit. I experience her books, not just read them. She is absolutely brilliant, and I will read everything she writes. In the future, I think we'll look back on her work as essential to understanding this moment in time.

I have loved all of Emily Austin’s books so far. I find her main character’s to be so relatable. I also admire how she tackles heavy topics in such a thought out and gentle way.

Sigrid is deeply unhappy and no one gets her, even her sister Margit. Margit is constantly frustrated by Sigrid because she does not try to conform to or be a part of regular society. However the two sisters endured a less than ideal childhood which should bond them, and when Margit learns the depth of Sigrid's unhappiness, maybe the two can begin a new phase of their relationship.

This is a hard one for me to rate, there are definitely triggers in this book (if suicide is one of yours, don't read it). Emily Austin is one of those writers where I may not fully enjoy the content of what I am reading but her writing is so funny and quirky that I still enjoy it. The first part of the book is a series of discarded suicide note drafts that tell the story of Sigrid and Sigrid and Margit’s relationship. I really enjoyed this novel because of the writing and how the story evolved. This is not for everyone but if you have my sort of humor and you enjoy quirky but traumatized characters, then pick this one up. I ended up listening to over half of it on audiobook and the narrator did a spot on job for the difficult subjects, she knew when to hit the humor and when to hold back.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC to review

I was lucky enough to get an ARC for this book and I can’t say enough good things.

I absolutely adored this book! Emily Austin is one of my favourite authors when it comes to portraying mental health and queer women. I loved the layout of this book and the different perspectives. This is heavy and emotional, but in my opinion, written in a very beautiful, relatable, digestible way.

Emily Austin’s grasp on my psyche should be studied. Good God.
This book is comforting, confusing, a mirror for me to squint at. ‘We could be rats’ is really the only thing that’s engaged me emotionally since my cat died last month and I turned into this weird numb husk.
It was sadder than the other books I’ve loved by this author. It likely won’t be my favorite Emily Austin book in the long run, but it was effective and memorable for me. Missing the way the world was when you were young does hurt, but the sky is still pink sometimes. I’m grateful to have gotten the arc, thank you Atria Books.

Once again, Emily Austin has created a deeply relatable and sad novel about growing up, family relationships and mental health, while still managing to package witty humour into the pages.

In this book, our main character Sigrid has decided she wants to end her life so she is crafting her suicide note while reflecting on her complicated relationships with her family and friends, and reminiscing on her lost childhood.

I really enjoyed the emphasis on growing up and feeling like your childhood has escaped you, and not knowing where you stand now. I found myself relating to a lot of what Sigrid was saying. I also really enjoyed reading about the particular dynamic she has with her sister - Margit.

This book just felt so real and raw. It had me highlighting quotes that resonated with me, and I don’t normally do that. I will definitely continue to read from Emily Austin in the future.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC copy.

This book is not my usual style. It’s gay, but not super gay, and while relationships are mentioned, there’s no romance aspect to it. But oh my god, THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING I NEEDED RIGHT NOW. The book centers around a twenty year old woman looking back on her life as she tries to write her suicide note. I know that sounds morbid, but the book was a beautiful exploration of what makes us into the people we become. I resonated so much with the words in this book, especially right now as the country seems to be going on a fast downward spiral. The main character talks a lot about wanting to stay a kid, and I think a lot of us can relate to that. There’s a ton that I could say about this book, but I don’t want to go into more detail than that because I truly believe this book is better the less you know going into it. It’s like a puzzle you’re piecing together while the main character pieces together her life. It’s beautiful and deserves to be read by everyone, so get it now! Seriously.

We Could Be Rats is a full 5 ⭐️ from me, but of course.

Wow, what a beautiful little book. Truly existential and heartbreaking, challenging the reader to think about their own child self weighed against their adult self. I found myself relating so heavily to Sigrid, but also to Margit.

I just loved this but don’t know how to talk about it. Emily Austin at her best.