Is This a Cry for Help?

I gave this book a 3.5 stars. When I was reading, it felt like I was along for the ride. I did not know where the plot was going. This book is heavily character driven, which I expected. It felt like I was just in her head and reading all her thoughts with no filter. Austin's use of stream of consciousness connected me to the character. I was learning a lot about Darcy through the stories and memories that were scattered throughout. My rating is not higher because I personally did not relate to some of Darcy's struggles. Someone who is queer would relate to a lot of what Darcy was going through. I did relate to her experience with sudden grief. But her experience with grief was directly tied to her struggles of coming out. Austin did shed light to the expectation society puts on women and queer people. I learned about and empathized with Darcy's societal challenges. I do recommend people to try this book. I will read more Emily R. Austin books in the future.

A queer librarian finds herself caught in the middle of book bans, community backlash, and everyday resistance while just trying to do her job and live her life. As pressure builds around freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights, she’s forced into advocacy in ways she never expected. The story follows her navigating relationships, identity, and what it means to stand up — even when you’re exhausted.Reading this while the United States feels like it’s on fire was actually perfect timing. The banned books angle and a lesbian librarian fighting for intellectual freedom? Timely. Relevant. Unfortunately very real.That said… it all felt pretty surface level except for one moment that actually hit deeper. Overall, it was decent. Not bad, not amazing. I finished it, moved on, and a few days later had to reread the synopsis to remember what it was about…

‘Is This A Cry For Help’ is another masterpiece by Emily Austin. The book reads almost like a memoir and follows Darcy, a librarian who is recovering from a nervous breakdown. While it is a slow burn with a nonlinear timeline and a single narrator, the book touches so many topics including grief, guilt, abortion, death, coming out, banned books and so much more. An emotional rollercoaster and an hommage to libraries and their role in the community. The author’s writing style pulls you in from the first page and keeps you hooked until the end. I loved the characters and felt their emotions and pain. Emily Austin never shies away from difficult topics and describes how normal people can overcome adversities. Her new book gives hope and inspiration how to recover from a breakdown and learn how to live again. Emily has definitely become a must-read and go-to author for me and I am looking forward to her next project. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Is This a Cry for Help is contemporary fiction about a thirty-something public librarian that has a setback after her ex-boyfriend dies.Darcy is returning to her job as a librarian after she had a mental breakdown and spent a week in the psych ward. She had come across an obituary of the man she had dated and lived with from the ages of nineteen to twenty-five and suddenly is hit with grief, guilt, and regret. She’s married to a woman now and happy, but the way she left Ben weighs on her. On top of that, her public library has been targeted by a conservative group that questions their policies, services, and book selection, with the leader singling Darcy out in particular.This book is a nice little slice of life that tackles grief, relationships, and the continued fight to keep libraries free from people determined to force their own ideologies on them. It tackles serious issues but also has a lot of humor and heart.

Is This a Cry for Help? is actually, a cry for help by the quirky, loveable main character Darcy. She is struggling to find her way in life and it has not always been easy. At this point in her life, she is married to her soulmate, Joy. and is working as a librarian. She is happy, but ghosts from her past still trouble her. Ben, her partner from her former relationship has died, and she has tremendous guilt, as she was the one who ended the relationship. She had a breakdown and is now working with a therapist. Emily Austin has written quite a thought-provoking novel that touches on so many current issues, censorship, DEI, book bans, protests at libraries, and the funding issues all libraries now face. There are just so many nuggets of wisdom throughout the book. I found myself captivated by both the story and the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The opinions of this review are my own.