At this point, I should just say up front that I've never met an Emily R. Austin book I did not enjoy and likely never will. As always, I love her depictions of the rich inner world of a depressed lesbian. This time, our main character is a librarian named Darcy, who is happily married to her lovely wife, Joy, and enjoying her job until she learns belatedly about the unexpected death of her past long-term boyfriend, Ben. This prompts her to have a guilt and grief-induced mental health breakdown, and she's finally feeling better and back to work and learning to manage the grief with a therapist when she finds herself in the middle of some right-wing independent "journalist", outraged by his local library not getting rid of certain books and banning drag queen story time for the kids.

Truly, this is a love letter to libraries and the organised minds that keep them running smoothly and find ways to service the community through outreach and educational programs. Through Darcy, we can understand the importance of categorisation, labels, education, and supporting all members of the community with free resources, and also cleverly relate them back to her own mental working through her relationship with Ben, her complicated feelings about compulsory heterosexuality, and the life she once wanted versus the one she now has.

If you enjoy likely neurodivergent lesbians who are passionate about libraries and working through past trauma, you will love this. I deeply enjoyed how complex a character like Darcy is, and many people who realised late in life that they were serving a comphet lifestyle instead of authentically following their feelings will identify with Darcy's struggles and trying to work through her trauma.

This felt like the most honest and raw novel so far from Emily Austin. I have loved them all and her writing is so pure. This one felt special. I can feel how much of herself she puts into her writing and I think that really helps readers connect to it. I’m so thankful for her unique voice. I always feel her words deep in my heart.

I've loved Emily Austin's writing in her previous books, and Is This a Cry for Help? was no different. I could feel the stress and anxiety Darcy was experiencing through her writing. It made it really easy to get absorbed in the book; Darcy felt very real to me and I was invested in her story. This book was the perfect balance of funny and vulnerable. I will for sure be recommending it to my friends once it's released!

I really enjoyed the inside look into the life of a Librarian. The unknown stresses that come with the job and the bureaucracy that is unknown to the visitor’s. The author really gets to the heart of what a library is truly supposed to represent. Darcy is a relatable character with many relatable flaws.

Is This a Cry for Help? feels like self care – Darcy finds herself back to work at the library after a leave of absence due to a mental breakdown. It is a story of finding and recognizing yourself, of navigating complicated grief, of finding space to care for yourself, physically and emotionally. And the library. THE LIBRARY! For those that grew up within the steady space of the library, to those who are finding acceptance and belonging at the library today even amongst the current chaos, this is the biggest love letter to everything the library represents. Darcy carries the weight that we’ve all felt at some point or another, and she shows how to traverse that tangled domain with grace.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc! Emily keeps reading my mind. I should be concerned but more so am just grateful. While this book feels personal it is balanced by its timeliness yet universality. Emily’s writing continues to make me feel seen, content, and grateful to be a LESBIAN.

Darcy is a librarian at the local library and her wife runs a local book binding service in town. They both love to collect books and their book shelves are almost full but when Darcy finds out her ex boyfriend has passed away her life is turned upside down.

A witty and poignant ode to grief, mental health, dysfunctional families, self-forgiveness, and community. The flawed heroines in Emily Austin’s books frequently deal with intense/complex personal and social issues but they are so well written that it feels like a light read even though the undertones are heavy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The cover art of this novel and the succinct but catchy title captures the essence of this book.

Told from the first person narrative, the reader 'listens' to the protagonist's inner thoughts. At times, it's her inner musings about curtains or deeper ones as to her prior relationship with an ex-boyfriend or her current wife. This allows the reader to build the main character in their own mind. Book's more dark humor with a bit of a sting rather than a lighthearted read-expected from the book's description. Still, could not find a connection with the main character as found her very angst ridden.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Atria Books, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Austin, the queen of sad lesbian fiction, does it again. Out of all four of her books, I think this is her best one.

The story follows Darcy a librarian,, who has just re-entered back into society from a week long stay in the mental hospital after finding out about her ex-boyfriend's death. The book follows her life as she navigates her guilt with the help of her therapist, coworkers and wife. I can also describe this book as cozy vibes, with recovery really emphasized in the mundane tasks of life. Definitely recommend picking this one up.

I'll answer the book's question: yes, I need help. I need help convincing people to read this book, because wow. I loved it and I am speechless, so help me out and read it.

PUB DATE : Jan 12th 2026

My Rating : Not my Jam

Oh vey , when Atria books reached out to me and offered this ARC I was ecstatic to receive a copy of the well known Emily Austin …however I’m going to be in the minority here because this was not my rodeo.

I really struggled with the protagonist Darcy who is married to her wife Joy and is a librarian and when she is asked by a patron to look up an obituary she stumbles across her ex Ben from about 10 years ago has passed away .

This throws our unstable narrator into severe depression and puts her in a psych hospital for a week and from here she try’s to get control of her life .

I had zero connection with this character and couldn’t come to grasps of having someone from her past interrupt her life so much .

Although it is well written, I think I was hoping for something deeper and less quirky so that is on me , I think I e sadly discovered this author is not for me , but don’t let my review stop you from snagging this one as I have been known to be a bit of an outlier 🫶🏼

Thank you NetGalley , Atria Books and Emily Austin for this early ARC 🖤

I LOVED this book. Emily Austin always crafts quirky stories with flawed heroines. Is This a Cry for Help is no different. This is my favorite of Austin to date.

Darcy returns to her job as a librarian after medical leave. She suffered a mental break after hearing an exboyfriend died. Darcy is now happily married to Joy, a book binder. They have a beautiful home, two loved cats and a well crafted life. But, when her ex passes away, Darcy has to deal with dealth of expectations and a life she thought she wanted before coming out. Throughout the novel, we see Darcy working through her emotions and learning to give herself some grace.

Upon return, the library is embroiled in controversy from a community group wanting to ban books and question the library's programming.

This is an introspective novel. We spend most of it bumbling around in Darcy's brain. This will not be a universal recommend, but this reader loved it and can't stop considering these characters.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in January. I think I loved this almost as much as Everyone in this room. It was very slow and meandering but again it was hard not to connect with the MC. I loved how this book is about holding separate truths for yourself and about dealing with external and internal queer hate.

Emily Austin is the queen of writing awkward sapphic characters who are just doing their best and feel so relatable and I love her and her work so much for that.

This story is similar to her others in that it’s full of quirky introspective thoughts and a behind-the-scenes look at a beautiful relationship between two women who love each other dearly. It’s wholesome and sweet, while also being shameless in its overall message; which, in this case, is how important libraries are and how stupid banning books is.

It’s absolutely timely to the overall state of the world right now and, as someone living in the mecca of a lot of this chaos (the land of the eagles, if you will), it feels especially relevant. It’s a love letter to libraries that makes you think really hard about what defines p0rn and want to go get your library card if you haven’t already.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this one, so 4.5 stars for me! It’s a quick and easy read that lingers long after you finish the last page.

Absolutely wonderful. Everything that Emily Austin writes is gold. Witty, satirical, relatable, and beyond entertaining. I don’t know if I’ve read an Austin book that hasn’t been five stars. No notes, just absolute praise!!

Beyond thankful to NetGalley, publisher and author for this ARC! I won’t be able to stop telling my friends about it now!

I am so glad I was able to get an advance copy of Is This a Cry for Help! Thank you Atria for sending me a copy through NetGalley to review!

This book follows Darcy, a librarian returning to work after having a mental health crisis. There are so many little storylines throughout this book that work perfectly. I loved how Emily Austin balanced the heavy emotional aspects of the story with hope and happiness. She tackles regret, guilt, and grief surrounding the death of Darcy's ex-boyfriend, as well as the challenges of being a public librarian in this day and age (super relatable- I too, have a crockpot story). On the other side, there is library joy, queer joy, family, cats!

10/10 no notes. Can't wait to buy a physical copy and force everyone I know and work with to read it.

First and foremost I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!!

Oh my goodness does Emily Austin do it AGAIN! In Is This a Cry for Help? readers follow Darcy while she navigates grief and grapples with her sexuality and the world surrounding her.

As a reader and someone who studied English Lit. and Creative Writing, I absolutely loved this in depth discussion about censorship and what’s made accessible to the public.

I’m constantly in love with the way Austin writes such short and sweet sentences that leave you feeling as if you’ve just been waterboarded. Like, are we kidding? If you’re new to Emily Austin, welcome. If you’re a longtime lover, enjoy. This novel tackles really tough subjects with a perfect hand of satire and serious consideration. I hope everyone loves it just as much as I did.

Review: In Is This a Cry for Help?, Emily Austin delivers a tender, wryly humorous tale centered on Darcy, a librarian back at work after a mental-health break triggered by the death of her ex-boyfriend. as she navigates guilt, grief, and healing, she also contends with a library under siege—facing censorship, book bans, and volatile politics. Austin balances poignant self-reflection with her signature comedic edge, weaving in themes of queer identity, compulsory heterosexuality, and the urgent importance of public libraries as beacons of intellectual freedom. It’s equal parts introspective and timely, offering both emotional resonance and sharp cultural insight.

Absolutely phenomenal, as always. Emily Austin has quickly become one of my favorite authors. As a public librarian, I commiserate with Darcy's workplace stories. I cherish her lesbian relationship with Joy. I understand her conflicting feelings about an older man she dated when she was in college. I was completely absorbed by this book in every way! It is nice to think that, somewhere, there will be a reader this may impact positively. We can say that about any book, really, but I find this title to be particularly inspiring.