This is my third Emily Austin book and certainly won’t be my last! Emily never ceases to amaze me with how accurately she captures anxiety and overthinking . The characters in this story perceive themselves as being disconnected from one another, but they are more similar than they realize. A defining event brings them together and illuminates how much they love and need each other. It was a lovely depiction of sisterhood and a good reminder of what matters most in life.

4.5 rounded up

"I used to joke, 'I wish we were rats' because, if I could choose how the world worked, we would all be rats at the fair. We would all live well, sampling every possible ounce of happiness."

---- there will be MINOR spoilers in the review. nothing huge, but there is vague mention of the direction of the plot.---

I just truly don't even know where to begin with how lovely this story was. If you take away the fact that the first half is drafts of a suicide note, it's genuinely so funny. I love when a book can combine such beautiful truths about the world with a certain level of brevity where you're just like "wow, that's hilarious" and then you read that line over and over because it just hits in such a deep place in your heart. I loved seeing the world from the optimistic and imaginative mind of Sigrid. there were just so many nuggets of wisdom sprinkled throughout her note. I think this would easily be my most highlighted book in a long time.

Then we get to see Margit and understand the world from her viewpoint. See the way that she navigates the emotional turmoil of finding her sister and sitting at her hospital bedside begging her to live. the aftermath of finally seeing the hurt that your love ones have been hiding was conveyed in such a raw and honest way. I felt so much empathy for both Sigrid and Margit. They are such different people (one of my favorite things about humans, specifically siblings, is how we can experience the same parents and childhood and come out on the other side with such different manifestations of what we've experienced). Seeing all of the small moments of kindness that Margit allowed to gently guide her into seeking help was really touching as well.

This story was just so lovely. There really isn't much more to it than that.

Please check the TW <3 take care of your hearts and your brains, friends.

Thank you to Atria for an early copy of this book! I came for the title, i stayed for the bird in a monkey costume. and jo, of course.

I want to start with thanking NetGalley, Atria Books, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Emily Austin for the eARC for <i>We Could Be Rats</i> in exchange for an honest review. I was surprised and absolutely delighted when I received the eARC. <i>We Could Be Rats</i> is my most anticipated book for 2025 and let me tell you, it is well worth the wait! <i>We Could Be Rats</i> releases in the United States on January 28, 2025.

Anyone who has either 1) spent any time with me or 2) has seen any of my reviews, will know Emily Austin very quickly became one of my favorite authors after I read Interesting Facts about Space as an early release from BOTM last February. Austin has a talent for representing lesbian and autistic voices incredibly well. Once again, I sobbed.

Emily Austin continues to amaze with her latest release <i>We Could Be Rats</i> . <i>We Could Be Rats</i> deals with some incredibly heavy topics such as suicidal thoughts, suicide, and homophobia. Austin handles each of these tactfully and artistically. The first half of this book is told through a series of suicide notes that our primary narrator Sigrid is attempting to write before killing herself. From the beginning, Sigrid is an unreliable narrator who is stuck in life- whether due to her own actions or the small town. Sigrid is now determined that the only way to move on from this stuck-ness is to kill herself.

Each of the letters in the first half of the book is riddled with lies and half-truths. However, Emily Austin does an amazing job portraying the type of person Sigrid is. Austin has a true talent in creating characters that feel real. Her characters are messy and human and tangible. You love to hate them and love to love them. I don't think I will ever despise an Emily Austin character. I think they all need a good hug and some (read: lots of) therapy.

Austin plays a lot with the form in <i>We Could Be Rats</i>. When I opened the book for the first time, I was wary of the letter format. Yet, it was such a poignant way to showcase Sigrid's desire to not be a disappointment. Sigrid spends her letters, that should showcase her truth, creating a reality that would be more bearable for those she is leaving behind. It is a rambling mess as she searches for the truth she wants to leave behind. Austin does a great job capturing the rambling in a cohesive and not overdone manner. Sigrid is a selfless liar. She wants to downplay her own death to spare others.

Sigrid's sister, Margit, is the one who has to pick of the pieces. Margit is a typical older sister with older sister syndrome. On the surface, she is put together and does her best to stay out of the way and not make trouble. Sigrid makes enough trouble for both of them. Margit, through Sigrid's perspective, seems uncaring and unbothered. Yet, as we reach the second half of <We Could Be Rats</i> it is clear who she actually is. To spare from major spoilers, I will make one quick spoiler comment before moving on. Slight Spoiler: <spoiler>Margit's perspective is an incredible reflection on how a family member's suicide / suicide attempt affects them. Margit is tasked with keeping it together. Her life begins to unravel.</spoiler>

Emily Austin has done it again. I believe I have said this in my other reviews of her novels (and poetry!); Emily Austin's prose is an acquired taste. Everything has to be poignant and real. She succeeds at this, continuously. I feel like if you don't walk away sobbing or at the very least misty-eyed, you may not have read her works properly. Emily Austin writes about human connection from a notably queer, neurodivergent (autistic) lens that leaves me rattled every time as an autistic lesbian. Human connection is always difficult and even more so when you aren't the default. Austin's characters always find that connection on their own and they end the story ultimately stronger than they were at the start.

Thank you, Emily Austin, for once again making me a blubbering mess. I did finish this before my girlfriend and had to sob quietly in bed to 1) not wake her and 2) not spoil the book for her.

*5 stars*

This book is exactly what you’d expect after reading Austin’s other books; it’s queer, messy, genuine, and heart wrenching. It had me sobbing throughout. I just find Austin’s books to be so incredibly relatable and raw, but they always leave you with an incredible sense of hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

austin continues to get better with each release. she is truly shaping to be an auto-buy author for me!! i love the exploration of not only romantic and queer relationships but those of familial and societal as well. her writing makes you think in ways i personally don’t in my personal life, and i appreciate that!!

I really love Emily Austin. I came off of a reading high having just read Interesting Facts about Space. Side note — that book made me laugh so hard while simultaneously made me want to give the main character a giant hug. Austin’s niche is making her characters inner dialogue borderline between worrisome and humorous with their dark thoughts. She gets you comfy with funny antidotes but then turns a corner and the character becomes earnest and sincere in their fears. She personifies inner dialogue in a way I feel I can’t for myself. It always feeels like a hand reaching out saying “do you get it”? Talking about a topic like suicide is tricky. You don’t want to idealize it yet, it is something that’s happening more often than we want to notice. At first, I was worried because immediately you’re thrown into Sigrid blankly stating that this is her suicide note, technically one of 21, and you think the worst is to come. (It does and doesn’t but I’m not going to spoil it). This book deserved a more in depth review from myself as well as all the praise.

I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book “I was getting older and losing my capacity to imagine. My dress rehearsal was ending, and I was just going to have to be who I was.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Austin, and Atria Books.

💌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025, and I must say it did live up to my expectations. It’s relentlessly relatable and laugh-out-loud funny, and it’s brimming with heart, and tackles heavy topics with deft compassion and sharp wit.

In this book, we follow Sigrid- a blunt, queer young adult from a small town who never managed to leave her hometown. She’s tired of watching everyone around her move on with their lives while she’s still working at the Dollar Pal store with constant bomb threats being made. She never wished to grow up, and her older sister Margit is constantly on her ass about it- nudging her to conform to polite society and its expectations. So the book starts with Sigrid writing her su*cide note.

This book felt like a warm hug (for those of you who’s always feeling a little lost in their 20s). Austin writes about navigating the chaos of 20s and the ache of feeling adrift in this world so well. Her books are therapy for me. She clearly verbalizes the growing pains of realizing the stark disconnect between fairy tales and reality; realizing life doesn’t deliver on childhood dreams is captured with such raw honesty that it’s both comforting and devastating. I also adore her ability to write such complex sibling relationships with so much heart.

She also addresses so many heavy themes(check tw) like addiction and dysfunctional, abusive home with so much empathy. She strikes a delicate balance, blending humor with the gravity of these issues in a way that feels authentic and never dismissive. While I did find myself wishing she’d explored some of these topics in greater depth rather than trying to address so many broad array of sociopolitical issues, I still adored this book.

Her books always work for me, and this confirmed that I will absolutely be picking up anything she writes.

4.5/5⭐️

🤍 Read this if you like:
- witty, queer narrators
- reading about complex sibling relationships
- feeling lost in 20s books
- quirky books that feel like a warm hug
- weird and/or sad girl books

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the arc. We Could Be Rats comes out next Tuesday on 1/28!

Two sisters who have grown apart unite in this great Emily Austin book - with style, finesse and emotions that only she could deliver. The book starts with drafts of suicide notes (please check your trigger warnings before jumping into this!) and twists and turns from there. I never knew what was coming next, but was always ready for the words that went straight to the heart.

I’m still getting used to the aura of Emily Austin books, with their unique voice and twisty plots through lit-fic-esque novels. The book took some unexpected plot twists, and visited some topics I didn’t think it would. While not necessarily off putting, I’m not sure that it added to the novel to me that it dove into some political and adjacent topics. This book will stick with me for awhile, and I think if you’re into literary fiction novels, or other uniquely formatted and topic novels, you should give this one a try.

Thank you to the publisher for a free copy in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved this book, and I also found it really fruitful for my own writing and reflection. Sigrid’s and Margit’s stories were so impactful to read. I think, as an older sister, I learned a bit more from Sigrid, but was then able to find myself in Margit. I absolutely adore Interesting Facts About Space, and Emily Austin’s newest book is just as wonderful.

Emily R. Austin is a talented author, especially at describing states of being and the deepest inner thoughts of people. Her imagery and prose are beautiful. I loved the way she describes the mental isolation of living in a small, conservative town where you feel crazy for thinking and believing so differently from everyone else around you. She illustrates the nostalgia of returning to childhood with depth and visceral yearning, even when that childhood was less than picture-perfect. She describes the disgust and frustration of watching someone you know to be a predator gain power. It is like she can stare directly into a soul and write your innermost thoughts and desires, and that is where she truly shines as an author, in my opinion.

Even though I had some minor issues with the plot, pacing, and being able to fully emotionally connect with the two sisters, that did not stop me from enjoying We Could Be Rats. I also didn’t find the book’s description accurate to the book I read, and I would encourage people to really heed the author’s note at the beginning.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If I had to describe this in one sentence: sad-girl Gone Girl without murder.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book! We Could Be Rats is the newest release from Emily Austin. I had really high hopes for this book, which isn’t always the best way to start a new book. I loved Emily Austin’s previous books, so I was over the moon to be able to read her newest release early!

We Could Be Rats follows two sisters, Sigrid and Margit. The first third of the book is Sigrid’s various suicide note attempts. The remainder of the book gets into the truth. I mentioned I had high hopes for this book, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead was my favorite book of 2023. However, as I was reading through the suicide note drafts I was starting to worry that maybe this book would not live up to my (really high) expectations. I was so wrong. Once we moved into the middle and end of the book, this story opened up to reveal a complicated family dynamic. Within it, two sisters who had grown apart, yet they knew each other better than anyone else could. It was a beautiful story and I actually wish we got to know more of Sigrid and Margit. This book is more complicated and emotional than Emily Austin’s previous books, and I highly suggest reviewing the trigger warnings prior to picking it up, but I would ultimately recommend this book. I can’t wait to read more from Emily Austin!

No other writer today (that I’ve read) is able to infuse so much love, joy, tenderness, and hope into their words, even when writing, outwardly, about sadness and despair, as Emily Austin.

I fell in love with Sigrid and Margit, and wanted to read this book forever so as to stay with them and their stories, forever. As usual Austin is so good at completely embodying a character, with all their little quirks and tendencies, so that they feel entirely known to the reader. She also experiments with form in this one, and I thought it was done so well, especially with these characters and their particular relationship as sisters.

I can hardly think about this book, especially certain quotes and passages, without genuinely bursting into tears. I ugly-sobbed through the last chapter. Loved, and can’t wait to read whatever Austin writes next.

We Could Be Rats perfectly encapsulated what it’s like to reckon with the loss of your childhood. It beautifully depicted the complicated dynamics of sisterhood as well as how scary it can feel to grow up, how trapped you can feel when you outgrow your hometown.

I loved the way Emily Austin played with narrative styles and formatting. It captivated me from start to finish. My only critique was that due to its style, I didn’t totally connect to Sigrid, and at times it felt a bit repetitive. Otherwise, another fabulous release from Austin that displayed humor working in tandem with the more emotional aspects of the novel.

We Could Be Rats is another weird, thought-provoking, deeply emotional read by Emily Austin. When Sigrid attempts to end her life, it leaves her and her sister, Margit, reeling. Each woman is forced to contend with how the way they were raised has impacted their view of the world, their views of themselves, and the way they view each other.

I think this is going to be one of those books you either love or you hate. I had to read a few chapters a day, unable to sit down and read the whole thing in one sitting, because of the feelings it brought up. I can absolutely see someone finding either one of the sisters insufferable or unlikable, but I personally appreciated how flawed they both were. No one makes it out of the type of home they were raised in as a totally well-adjusted adult. I loved the way that the story explores creativity as a coping mechanism and what to do with creativity as an adult without the outlets that you have in childhood. I finished this book and was left with so much to think about, which is one of the things I look for in a great book.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.</i>

4.5 stars rounded down

This is the kind of book that will sit with you for a while. It was sad and dark but also made me LOL multiple times. I loved the aspects of childhood and small towns and sisters. I absolutely need to bump Emily Austin’s other books to the top of my TBR.

Thank you Net Galley for this e arc.
TW: suicide, self harm, drug addiction, domestic violence
We Could Be Rats has to be the most heart wrenching and most personal novel Emily Austin has wrote. We Could Be Rats follows the journal entries of Sigrid. In these journal entries we follow Sigrid as she copes with loneliness, suicidal ideation, her friends opioid addiction, her past trauma through her imagination. Truly Austin perfectly illustrates the in between of self hate, wanting to be better, and feeling at lost. Austin's humor and care to her characters shine through. Please read this book with caution as it is very triggering.

This book had me sobbing at 3am. Emily Austin never fails at writing a story with rich characters and fun, heart-wrenching prose.

We Could Be Rats tells the story of two very different sisters - Sigrid and Marg. Margs seems to follow the direct path, the expected path while her sister is somewhat of an outsider. After a failed suicide attempt these two sisters work to understand each other and their differing childhoods.

3.5 stars, rounded up. I wanted to love this book - and I DID really, really like this book. I have seen different versions of myself in both of these sisters. Austin is a talented author tackling real life issues in a relatable way. Unfortunately I found the pacing of this book very difficult to work through. Sigrid 'attempts' nearly made me give up before the book really felt like it even began.

i've read (and loved) all of Emily Austin's books, and We Could Be Rats is my new favorite.

this is an unforgettable, moving story about two very different sisters who discover that they have a shared, unwavering bond as they continue to grow up and reflect on their childhood.

the format of this novel was so unique and kept me very entertained. at points I was moved to tears, and others I was laughing out loud. i adored Sigrid and i was rooting for her the whole time. i absolutely love Austin's writing style, and i will read anything she writes.

thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Title: We Could Be Rats
Author: Emily R. Austin
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: January 28, 2024

I received a complimentary eARC from Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Peculiar • Complex • Nostalgic

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Sigrid hates working at the Dollar Pal but having always resisted the idea of growing up into the trappings of adulthood, she did not graduate high school, preferring to roam the streets of her small town with her best friend Greta, the only person in the world who ever understood her. Her older sister Margit is baffled and frustrated by Sigrid’s inability to conform to the expectations of polite society.
But Sigrid’s detachment veils a deeper turmoil and sensitivity. She’s haunted by the pains of her past—from pretending her parents were swamp monsters when they shook the floorboards with their violent arguments to grappling with losing Greta’s friendship to the opioid epidemic ravaging their town. As Margit sets out to understand Sigrid and the secrets she has hidden, both sisters, in their own time and way, discover that reigniting their shared childhood imagination is the only way forward.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Interesting Facts About Space was one of my most unexpected and surprising reads in 2024, so I could not help but add Emily Austin's 2025 release, We Could Be Rats, to my list of most anticipated tiles.

With humour and great care, Emily Austin delivers another deeply raw and emotional story featuring two sisters who have lost touch, and which explores the power of imagination, childhood trauma, regret, and reconciliation. She manages to capture the vast realm of human emotion in such a haunting fashion. The social commentary sprinkled throughout adds an extra layer, yet it never overtakes the underlying story.

There's an entirely unique structure and point-of-view to this story, while Austin's writing style itself is so distinctive. It's one of those books that I wasn't sure what I had just read when I finished, yet I knew it affected me on a deeper level. Somehow she takes rats and manages to incorporate the metaphor flawlessly within the narrative. The book itself is on the shorter side, yet the characters are complex and highly relatable.

We Could Be Rats wasn't what I was expecting, yet it was so much more. The way in which Austin handles mental illness really speaks to me. A story of anyone who has ever felt unseen, alone in the world, and that life is a constant battle. There are certainly days, I, too wish I could be that rat gouging on sugary food at the fair without a care in the world. I definitely need to go back and read Everyone in the Room Will Someday Be Dead now.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• stream of consciousness
• sister stories
• up and coming Canadian authors

⚠️ CW: mental illness, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, suicide, depression, medical trauma, drug use, drug abuse, addiction, sexual violence, sexual assault, rape, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, homophobia, lesobophobia, biphobia, death, death of parent, grief, cursing, alcohol, cancer, terminal illness

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"There are only so many days in a year, and a lifetime. There aren't enough carefree days like the ones I had with Greta, I guess. I think of those times as scarce and precious now. I didn't appreciate them then. I do today."

"It occurred to me that everyone needs someone who understand them and believes in them. Having even one person who really gets you, and likes you, feels sort of vital for survival."

"I'm not sure there is a way to be alive without upsetting people. We're all in this web together, aren't we? Everything we do tangles everybody else together."

"I think part of why losing Greta feels so catastrophic is because she was the only person who I felt understood me, and who I understood. I felt alone without her."