“Is This a Cry for Help?” by Emily Austin is about a librarian named Darcy as she reenters the workplace after a mental breakdown.

Told across a few days, the book jumps to flashbacks when certain occurrences remind the main character of past events. Throughout the plot, we get email and news article snippets related to the happenings. Darcy learns how to move on from guilt and that sometimes you can’t categorize things as neatly as a shelf of books.

I liked that Emily included the songs she listened to while writing (shout out to “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” by Stars! Haven’t heard that one for a while!) at the end of the book. Darcy was such a lovable character who everyone should have the privilege of meeting. Bonus: this book includes several cats! 🐈🐈‍⬛

Thanks @atriabooks for the #netgalley ARC (out 1/13/26)! This is a great one to start the new year with!