Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

9 reviews

randeerebecca's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This touches on a lot of hard things, especially about being a lesbian in a small conservative community and the significant impact that has on a person’s well-being. I related to some of it and the stuff I didn’t relate to directly was written so that it was easy to empathize.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Lesbophobia

slimejules's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

absolutely LOVED this one. the storytelling felt original, the characters were fleshed out perfectly. i think emily austin's character studies are meant to feel like punches to the gut, and this one got me even moreso than her last two. sigrid spoke to me so deeply and i will carry her with me for a long time. i wish we could be rats.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Cancer and Medical content

lila134340's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

littlelizzieborden's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Vomit

hannah2896's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This audiobook was positively suprising. The writing was engaging throughout with some dark themes portrayed by both Sigrid and Margit's characters. I was a bit confused during the first chapters as it was quite repetitive and I couldn't understand what the point of the letters were. The ending of the book tied all the lose ends together. Eventhough the protagonist's were pretty negative, the second half of the book had a positive twist, and I related to a lot of their thoughts and feelings. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

cas_reads_anything's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

kelly_e's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Title: We Could Be Rats
Author: Emily R. Austin
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: January 28, 2025

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."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

depression

joensign's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Ableism, Cancer, and Racism

matthewvw's review

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Abortion, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation