Just perfect. Darcy and Joy’s relationship is so tender and filled me with so much joy. A beautiful story of healing and connection. All of the side characters were dynamic and charming. Austin has so many lines that read like poetry or offer an insight so cutting you sort of sit and ponder for a bit. Sometimes you read a book at the exact moment you need it. If you are my friend I will be buying you this as a gift xoxo.

Thank you to Emily Austin for continuing to write stories for us, the readers. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a bit hard to review because even though it's advertised as a novel, it doesn't really feel like one. It reads like an essay from the mind of Austin. I got the impression while reading that she was using this book as an outlet to talk about a lot of relative political issues that are plaguing our generation. The story aspect was just the chamber for the actual essays. As always, Austin hits the nail exactly on the head. I felt myself becoming increasingly anxious with certain plot lines; much how I feel about the same topics in real life. This was a short read (~about four hours and I'm not a fast reader).

I'm very chuffed I've received another chance to read an Emily Austin novel before publication. I would recommend this to her fans and I can't wait for her next one! Really hoping she does a book tour in Halifax, NS 👀

Thank you to Atria, NetGalley and Emily Austin for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I devoured this book Emily Austin has a delicious way of creating characters settings & stories.I loved Darcy this is a gem of a novel.#NetGalley #atria

I will read ANYTHING Emily Austin writes. I adore her. As a mental health professional and educator, her writing makes it easy for me to describe things like neurodivergence, anxiety, emotional regulation and coping skills. She is gifted. She has the ability to describe painful things but takes the edge off with humor. This book touches on grief, coming out, relationship skills and so so much more. I laughed out loud many times and then cried seconds later. That's what I love most about her. I appreciate also knowing Im not alone. She has this way of making people feel safe in their dysfunction vs judged and I am beyond grateful

As an avid Emily Austin fan, I was thrilled to receive an ARC from Atria Publishing of her soon-to-be released, "Is This A Cry For Help?"
I was expecting to love it, as I have with all of her work that I've been privileged to read; what I was not expecting, however, was how difficult it would be to review.

As a person who is frighteningly similar to the book's protagonist, Darcy, there were times where I felt like I was reading my own story written far better than I ever could by a person who has never met me, and likely never will. It feels impossible to attempt to articulate my feelings about this book, but I am going to do my best.

While there is a story within the pages of this book, the real magic happens outside of those margins. When we are not directly reading Darcy's life as a librarian and her coping with the recent death of a former partner, we're reading an almost stream of consciousness from a person who is struggling and lost. Darcy's thoughts are so intimate and raw that it feels both invasive and a gift to read. I found myself laughing with Darcy, crying with Darcy, and feeling like the wind got knocked out of my sails at multiple times in this book. Despite the emotional whiplash I was experiencing, I couldn't put this down. I read it in two sittings, and if I didn't have such a busy week while reading it, I easily would've finished it in one.

I've said it before and I will say it with my chest until the sun burns out: nobody humanizes mental health issues in writing the way that Emily Austin does. If you have ever struggled with anxiety and/or mental health, you will feel seen in this story. If you are fortunate enough to have never struggled with these issues, but perhaps know someone who does, you will understand them better after reading this book. "Is This A Cry For Help?" is worth your time and attention, as well as a spot on your bookshelf and in your heart.

Thank you endlessly to SS Atria for sending me an invitation to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait to purchase a copy of this for myself when it comes out in 2026.

Emily Austin's newest book continues to have her engaging and dynamic writing style, complex character development, and thoughtful commentary (this time focused on issues of censorship and the importance of public library spaces). As a fan of Emily Austin already, this book was easy to love too. My favorite of hers remains We Could Be Rats, but this comes in a close second for me.

From the very beginning, I was immediately invested. The main character, Darcy, is a gay librarian recovering from a mental health crisis and navigating returning to work. This author consistently writes realistic and relatable characters, and I found that to be no different with the character of Darcy. This book is a beautiful exploration of the complexities of grief, love, and queerness.

You might love this if you're a fan of:
- internal dialogue & stream of consciousness
- mental health & grief representation
- character-driven books
- libraries
- humor in books

Thanks to Atria Books & Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My favorite Emily Austin will probably always be Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead because that humor is exactly my vibe, but Is This a Cry for Help? was still a really solid read. It leans more feel-good than darkly funny, which surprised me, but I appreciated Darcy’s therapy moments and the sharp commentary on censorship and right-wing chaos. Fast-paced, super readable, and definitely a book slump killer—plus it leaves you with a lot to think about. 4 ⭐️

thank you to netgalley and atria books for providing me with an e-arc of this book. i am happy to say i devoured it. i couldn't put it down. the way emily austin crafts her characters and builds the narrative feels like a warm hug. she is able to encapsulate such specific yet universal feelings. this was a wonderful read.

I love the way Emily Austin writes her main characters. This was such an amazing read and if you love quirky female characters, you will love Darcy!

Emily Austin does not miss, and this book proves that true. This is an important read about book bans and library censorship mixed with Austin’s brilliant signature stream of consciousness prose through the lens of a complex narrator who I absolutely adored. Emily Austin is one of my very favorite authors and this book is a prime example of why!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for the ARC!!! :)

Ever since I read Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead in early 2023, I've been a fan of this author. She creates the best characters that are deeply relatable, shed light on navigating life with mental illness & neurodivergence, & are just hilarious. I was so excited to pick this one up because I love bookish books, cats, and have had a similar mental breakdown situation as the main character. I related to this one so deeply feeling so seen and did not want to put it down. I loved how this story unfolded and it also addressed so many important topics like book banning, importance of libraries to communities, mental illness, & much more. This is now my favorite of her books & highly recommend picking this one up when it releases on January 13, 2026!

Read if you like:
- Lesbian lit fic
- Books featuring librarians
- Dark humor
- Cute cats
- Mental health rep
- Therapy
- Being anti book banning
- Supporting libraries
- Organizing your bookshelf

*Thank you to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review*

Absolutely loved!!!! Emily Austin has definitely become an auto-read author for me. Her writing style is fantastic. I love how effortlessly she blends humour with serious topics. This book was wonderful exploration of grief, mental health, and what it means to find your way back to yourself after falling apart. The characters were refreshingly flawed, loveable, and deeply human.

Support your public libraries!!!!

Thanks to Atria/S&S for the ARC :)

This is very much a character driven book. The sharp writing, engaging plot, and memorable characters make this unforgettable story.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Austin does it again! Nobody writes like she does. As with most of her books, it features a queer FMC dealing with mental health issues, and I loved every minute of it. She finds a way to make serious topics lighthearted and so relatable. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the book and by the end couldn’t help but shed a few tears. Easily one of my favorite authors.

Easily my new FAVORITE from Canadian author Emily Austin!! This big-hearted book was a love letter to libraries, librarians, freedom of information, seeking mental health help, finding the courage to live authentically and standing up against book banning and homophobia of all kinds.

I laughed and cried and felt so seen while reading an advance copy of this book. As a fellow public librarian, so much of Darcy's story resonated with me and libraries need our support now more than ever as instances of book banning and defunding continue to rise, especially in the States.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!! Highly recommended to fans of books like Overdue by Stephanie Perkins.

Fav quote:
"Why didn't anyone warn me that I'd spend days telling people not to cook meat in the bathroom while hearing others chant from outside that I'm a pedophile?"

Wonderful! A warm-hearted and moving novel. Darcy is back at work as a librarian after two months of medical leave. She thinks she is ready to get back into the swing of things but when she returns to work there is a growing protest against the library’s policies and a call for banning books.

I loved this. Darcy was so easy to cheer on and the writing is sharp and funny. Highly recommended!

Thank you very much to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

is this a cry for help? felt like stepping into someone’s private spiral and watching them slowly piece themselves back together. darcy’s voice is messy, guilty, and painfully human, and i appreciated how the book didn’t shy away from the ugly parts of grief. it’s not just about losing someone—it’s about confronting who you were with them, and who you are after they’re gone.

what really stuck with me though was the balance between darcy’s internal world and the bigger conversations happening around libraries, book bans, and community! the mix of personal and political felt organic, and by the end i found myself rooting for darcy’s growth as much as i was rooting for the library. a little heavy at times, but worth it.

thank you Netgalley and Atria Books, for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was just not it for me which is saying a lot since it was about a gay librarian. I think the stuff about the ex boyfriend just didn't fit into the narrative at all and honestly didn't need to be there. I appreciated that the main character was trying to understand her past and what not but it was just felt so out of place and it didn't connect for me. As a librarian, I definitely felt very seen with a lot of the librarian content. I can tell that the author put a lot of work into understanding libraries and librarians.

My other main issue was with the main character. I usually love the characters in this authors books, but this one just didn't click. I honestly don't even remember her name or much about her. There wasn't much to her besides being a librarian and having a shitty ex-boyfriend.

Rating 5/5

Darcy is a librarian dealing with public outrage within her local library while simultaneously navigating her own mental health after she learns her ex-boyfriend recently passed away.

Emily Austin writes characters that feel like home to me. There is much comfort to be found in books that make you feel seen, that you make you feel like you aren't so different after all. This book included something very important to me: public libraries. Beyond that, Emily Austin so casually and beautifully weaves grief, coming of age, growing up, and queerness into a very relatable and digestible story. Is This a Cry for Help? made me feel that growth - no matter your age - is inevitable. Grief is inevitable. You carry these versions of yourself forever.

*I am so grateful to have read this ARC. Many thanks to Emily Austin and the publishers!*

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read Is This A Cry For Help?. This is a wonderfully written book about a librarian named Darcy. I related to Darcy's struggle with her mental health so much. She is brilliant and flawed but oh so normal. If that makes sense. I loved the cast of characters in Darcy's story, especially the four legged ones! This is the first book by Emily Austin that I've read but it will not be the last. This is a must read and so very relevant book.