Emily Austin gets my attention every time from one simple thing: her titles. Every time they are so strange and out of the box, but also something that makes me say “yes, that’s me” and so I pick up her books every time. She’s never wowed me or blown me away in the way I’d like, but she does well enough to keep me coming back because I always find myself in her books. They’re always About quirky women who are navigating life through some big event, this time a woman coming back from a mental breakdown, and I’m just like “wow that’s so me.” In this one protagonist is also a librarian so bonus points. This wasn’t anything crazy, but I related a bit so I enjoyed it.

As a public librarian, the aspects of IS THIS A CRY FOR HELP ? I most enjoyed were the ones that revolved around the main character Joy’s job at a branch library— the awkward colleagues, the weird patron requests ( I am still laughing about gay birds), and the challenges and pressure of public service.
Joy’s mental breakdown, her relationship with her wife, and her ongoing therapy sessions felt less successful to me, because it all seemed a little too “surface-y” and lightweight for such serious topics. I wanted the story to go deeper. This was a quick read with a fair amount of humor, but I felt like it needed something more.

The Review: 3.5
This one covered a lot of controversial, political, and emotional ground, but was somehow also tender and with humorous undertones. Austin offers us a multi-layered story of a young woman attempting to balance herself and find happiness, while coming to terms with past trauma. But it is also a political commentary on the dangers of extremist viewpoints, the importance of inclusivity, the threat of censorship, and a spotlight on the challenges faced by the LGBTQ community. I loved the brain-dump feel of the book, almost like you were reading the diary of the pleasantly flawed and quirky main character, Darcy. I had a difficult time with Ben, the recently deceased ex-boyfriend who seems a bit too close to a pedophile for my taste. I am certain that many of Darcy’s emotional challenges stemmed from the inappropriate nature of this past relationship. But the Darcy/Joy relationship is so genuine and endearing that it erases any “bad taste.” This one is not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. **Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the ARC**

This is a heartfelt, raw, and timely novel that pulls readers directly into the mind of its main character, Darcy. A librarian navigating both personal grief and the harsh reality of book-banning protests in her community, Darcy's journey feels incredibly authentic and deeply human.

What stood out to me most was how real this book felt. Austin's writing captures the messy, complicated emotions of grief and guilt so vividly that it felt like I was inside Darcy's head, experiencing her thoughts and feelings in real time. That raw honesty made it impossible not to connect with her struggles and her growth.

The novel also feels strikingly relevant to our world today, where censorship and challenges to intellectual freedom are very real. By weaving those issues into Darcy's story, Austin not only makes a powerful statement about the importance of libraries but also shows how personal battles and public ones can intersect in meaningful ways.

Overall, "Is This a Cry for Help?" is both an intimate portrait of one woman's journey toward healing and a timely reminder of why community, authenticity, and the freedom to read matter so much. It's a book that lingers long after the last page.

Is This a Cry for Help had me at cats and books! While this book was very well written, it took me some time to acclimate to the style. There was a storyline for sure, but it was told in a way that felt like a stream of consciousness of the protagonist. It was interesting to witness Darcy’s journey through a mental health crisis, and how she struggled with the flawed nature of herself and of others as well as her intense focus on how others perceived her. This novel was very thought provoking as it explored the current sociopolitical climate including issues of sexuality, gender identity, family dynamics, relationships, censorship, and the covert ways that women can be manipulated. At the end, the protagonist uses a quote from the poet Rumi that captures much of her struggle: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Emily Austin for this free digital book in exchange for an honest review.

I had trouble getting into this one to be honest. we’re kinda just thrown into the book and tossed around and while I feel like it’s a good metaphor for how Darcy felt, my brain did not appreciate it lol.

Emily Austin always writes the most thoughtful and touching romances. Love. For people and places. What a love for libraries we need to share. Read this. Read books. Support your local libraries. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

IS THIS A CRY FOR HELP? Tells the story of Darcy; a thirty-something woman after having a mental breakdown when she realized her boyfriend had suddenly died of an aneurysm. After recovering from
Her mental break she returns to work only to encounter a slew of issues like patrons protesting the library she works at, a stray cat she needs to take in and her girlfriend having to tend to a family emergency. Through it all Darcy is trying to cope with the death of her ex, her cheating a decade ago and a job she had interviewed before her MTB.

Darcy soon has to face all her issues and learn to communicate with her wife about her past in order to forge a future.

Overall the story was good- AUSTIN is great at telling stories of flawed characters and setting a well paced novel. While there were plot points and things she needed to accomplish, they felt very low stakes and resolved rather quickly. There also felt like a lot of telling throughout this book that felt dead panned. Still I enjoyed Darcy’s journey from troubled woman to a someone who is beginning to take hold of her life.

At times, I thought this was more of the same of Emily Austin, but this is probably my favorite from her. This is more plot focused than her previous books, and each character was fully fleshed out.

I really enjoyed that Darcy had meaningful relationships and passions. I liked that this book starts after the mental breakdown and begins with healing. Austin perfectly fit many themes and political effects in a novel about the importance of libraries and access to information.

ARC was kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was too didactic for me. Darcy spends a lot of time talking about all the parts of society that make her feel forced to heterosexuality and experiences a lot of regrets about her first and long term boyfriend Ben. When she learns of his death, she has a full on mental breakdown that requires her to take a leave of absence from work.

Much of Darcy’s grief comes from the death of her first and only heterosexual relationship before she came out as gay as a young adult. The sheer amount of internalized homophobia Darcy is still unpacking 10 years after the breakup is truly mind boggling to me. I was hoping for a cozy gay novel but instead I got a lot of regrets about not realizing she was gay earlier, and every single societal message she ever received and how that played into this straight relationship. It was so over the head it was starting to feel homophobic.

As a librarian, the parts about book banning also felt really didactic. They were more like extreme generalizations about book banning than an actual story about book banning. I was only mildly compelled by the email storyline, which felt like a misplaced whodunit in the middle of the story.

I kept thinking “show don’t tell!!!!” for a lot of the internal monologuing Darcy does especially about her partner, job, etc. Some of it came out more skillfully in the therapy sessions, but many pages of the monotonous day to day things (reorganizing a collection of books? Vacuuming and wiping down kitchen counters?) just didn’t hit for me. I love cats, but the length of the cat storyline did not make for compelling reading. I definitely only pushed through this one because I got it from NetGalley and needed to write a review!

2/5 stars
Pub date: Jan 13, 2026

Another incredible read by Emily Austin! This has a slightly different vibe from her other books where the main character was leading up to or in the midst of a mental health crisis. Is This A Cry For Help? shows a main character, Darcy, that has come out on the other side of a crisis and working on re-entering her life at work and with friends when the library branch she works at is challenged by a local group of conservative citizens.

Austin has such a wonderful way of creating unique and relatable characters while creating awareness for mental health, and now for book banning and public library support! I love the way she’s folded this very current issue into a story about love and understanding people we may not agree with. I loved reading this and I hope a lot of people do, and run to support their local library branches!

Me 🤝 picking up & loving another Emily Austin book!

Is This a Cry for Help follows Darcy, a librarian returning to work after a mental breakdown. The trigger? Learning about the death of her ex-boyfriend, Ben. Even though they hadn’t spoken in years, Darcy convinces herself she’s somehow responsible.

Here’s the thing: Darcy is gay. She’s happily married to Joy, adores their two cats, and loves her job at the library. But she still feels guilty about the years she spent with Ben; guilty about never fully being honest with him or herself, making him believe there was a future with her. Through therapy, she begins unpacking those feelings and reckoning with the reality that Ben wasn’t as perfect as her grief paints him—yes, he was kind, but he was also a decade older and surrounded by misogynistic friends. The book beautifully explores how societal pressures on women can make it nearly impossible to be truthful, even with yourself.

At its heart, this is also a love letter to public libraries and the people who keep them running. Darcy’s return isn’t easy; she faces book ban protests, endless patron demands, and all the behind-the-scenes chaos librarians handle daily. As a lifelong library lover, I found it eye-opening to see the sheer amount of work, care, and even nonsense librarians navigate to keep these spaces accessible for everyone.

This was such an endearing read. Of course, it wouldn’t be an Emily Austin novel without spiraling thoughts and existential dread but despite the heaviness of Darcy’s grief, the story felt surprisingly calm and steady. Once I locked in, I couldn’t put it down.

Libraries mean everything to me. I credit public libraries with reigniting my love of reading back in my second year of university 😭. I wouldn’t be the reader I am today without them.

I think that Emily Austin writes really relatable characters and I will continue to read her work! This novel also touches on important issues like public libraries and banned books.

I read Emily Austin’s previous book We Could Be Rats earlier this year and loved it and somehow, this book was even better. I loved learning about what librarians do through interactions at the library and all the things they have to deal with especially now. I also really enjoyed getting to understand Darcy’s comphet perspective and her sympathy for her ex boyfriend. I don’t think I would care all that much if an ex boyfriend died but maybe I’m not as good of a person as she is? Although I don’t think I would have the same reaction to Darcy, I really understand why she felt the way she did and found this book very thought provoking.

This is a different arc for Emily Austin, but one I deeply appreciated. Although this is not my favorite of her novels, I couldn’t help but fall for these characters and fall apart subsequently as the narrative progressed. If you’ve ever been a lesbian with comphet or a human being who has experienced grief or a human who has gone through mental illness, this is such a relatable tale. I love everything Emily Austin writes, this is undeniable, but I truly did enjoy this novel so much. 4.75 rounded up.

📚IS THIS A CRY FOR HELP? EMILY AUSTIN-Scribner/Atria-Publishing JANUARY 13, 2026

Summary
“A librarian who comes back to work after a mental breakdown only to confront book-banning crusaders in an empowering story of grief, love, and the power of libraries.”

Darcy is a librarian at her local branch. She’s married to Joy who runs a book binding business. They’ve been together for 7 years. Then Darcy finds out her ex-boyfriend passes away. She has a mental breakdown, leaves work, and tries to cope with the guilt, grief and regret. She goes to therapy, and returns to work. At work she is bombarded with right-wing’ers trying to ban books, and protests about intellectual freedom in the library.

A story told with Emily’s Austin signature voice and wit. A story that looks at libraries, censorship, book banning, grief, loss, love, and friendship.

Is this a cry for help? Showcases Austin at her best. I loved We could be Rats, and Everyone in this Room… If you love Austin’s other books, you’ll love this one!

My e-reader is not color, but the cover is a nice blue and green.

Not out till January. (Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley

#emilyaustin #fiction #upcoming #netgalley #isthisacryforhelp #booksaredeadly

Is This a Cry for Help? by Emily Austin

Darcy is the head librarian at the local library, but there have been some disruptions in her daily life, personally and professionally. She has recently been off work for several weeks due to a mental health issue: her ex-boyfriend died unexpectedly and she feels responsible, and due to panic attacks she has had to go into therapy to deal with her feelings. Then, on her first day back at work a patron is seen watching pornography on a library computer, and Darcy must deal with the turmoil it causes in the community.

The story is told in a light but serious way with the reader learning about Darcy’s inner thoughts as she copes with her feelings. And, though she is experiencing turbulence in her life, she seems to handle things with calm, sensible, well-thought-out answers to her boss, co-workers, and disgruntled library patrons. I was very impressed with her.

I enjoyed this book a lot and would definitely read this author again!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Emily Austin, and Atria Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you to Atria Publishing and NetGalley for early access to this title for review!

After learning that her ex-boyfriend had passed away, Darcy is forced to grapple with her existence, her past and the perhaps the role she played in Ben's death. That may sound ominous, but in reality following a diagnosis with a panic disorder Darcy continues to spend her days the way she did before the news, only now she has medication and a therapist. This book is the story of Darcy's life as she comes to term with her complex feelings about her age-gap romance with Ben, her coming out and meeting her now-wife, Joy, the politicization of her life, and the politicization of nearly everything in her job at the library.

Having not (yet) read anything by Emily Austin I was a little surprised, and thoroughly pleased to be offered this ARC after seeing several reader friends rave about the author on their Instagram pages. While I didn't know exactly what to expect, this was a story of community, humor, healing and growth. I found myself wondering where the story was going to go, because when reading about book bans and library policy it's hard to think there's a simple solution. Rather than choosing the ideal solution or leaving reader's with a happy ending, she left readers to contemplate where the book ended and reality began -- what would they do in this situation? Would the human library change the minds of anyone? How do you heal from a past relationship that you now realize was problematic? Darcy is a lovable and relatable character who brings heart and humanity to her experiences.

I anticipate updating this review soon as I don't think my words truly encapsulate the thoughts and feelings I had while reading this book.
Once I do that I will post my review to GoodReads as well as preparing a draft on Instagram to post closer to publication day.

Emily Austin books will always and forever be Holy Grail, God Tier books for me, and this is no different. Her writing never fails to pack a devastating emotional punch while simultaneously making me laugh out loud. I can’t recommend this enough and I hope she writes 30,000 more books.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!!

Wow. Emily Austin does it again. Thank you SO much Atria and NetGalley for this ARC!

I have loved every one of Emily Austin’s books, and this one is no exception. It is a love letter to libraries and community; a treatise on authentic living and the celebration and mourning of the lives we choose not to live in order to live as our perfectly imperfect selves. In this novel Austin’s characters are in a later phase of life than those in her previous works, and there’s a grounded maturity that feels new and exciting. But the mix of humor, vulnerability, and queer representation remain uniquely Austin. Read this. You won’t regret it.