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Book club for the girlies in their 20’s who live in the suburbs of Chicago <3 We will meet on the last Sunday of every month :)

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead: A Novel

In this “fun, page-turner of a novel” (Sarah Haywood, New York Times bestselling author) that’s perfect for fans of Mostly Dead Things and Goodbye, Vitamin, a morbidly anxious young woman stumbles into a job as a receptionist at a Catholic church and soon finds herself obsessed with her predecessor’s mysterious death.

Gilda, a twenty-something, atheist, animal-loving lesbian, cannot stop ruminating about death. Desperate for relief from her panicky mind and alienated from her repressive family, she responds to a flyer for free therapy at a local Catholic church, and finds herself being greeted by Father Jeff, who assumes she’s there for a job interview. Too embarrassed to correct him, Gilda is abruptly hired to replace the recently deceased receptionist Grace.

In between trying to memorize the lines to Catholic mass, hiding the fact that she has a new girlfriend, and erecting a dirty dish tower in her crumbling apartment, Gilda strikes up an email correspondence with Grace’s old friend. She can’t bear to ignore the kindly old woman who has been trying to reach her friend through the church inbox, but she also can’t bring herself to break the bad news. Desperate, she begins impersonating Grace via email. But when the police discover suspicious circumstances surrounding Grace’s death, Gilda may have to finally reveal the truth of her mortifying existence.

With a “kindhearted heroine we all need right now” (Courtney Maum, New York Times bestselling author), Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead is a crackling and “delightfully weird reminder that we will one day turn to dust and that yes, this is depressing, but it’s also what makes life beautiful” (Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl).

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256 pages

Average rating: 6.75

168 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

OkayDesirae
Apr 21, 2025
5/10 stars
I completely understand why so many reviews praise this book for its honest portrayal of anxiety and depression. That said, I was continuously frustrated by Gilda's actions. She's so passive she ends up dating a guy she has zero interest in. She ignores texts from her actual girlfriend but answers calls from her fake boyfriend? She thinks it would be too sad to tell someone their friend is dead… but decides impersonating that dead friend is somehow the better option? Some of her choices just didn't make sense to me, and I found myself constantly wanting to shake her. Still, there were redeeming moments. Her commentary on the meaninglessness of existence and humans being a virus really hit home. And when she finally tells Giuseppe how she really feels... "Ignorance is bliss, Giuseppe, have you ever heard that? If you ever find yourself feeling particularly blissful, take a moment to appreciate it's probably because you are incredibly stupid." That was oddly satisfying. Harsh? Yes. But also, finally—some honesty! In the end, this book had some deeply relatable moments, but the overall experience left me more irritated than moved.
zoography
Mar 07, 2025
10/10 stars
favorite january read!
Anonymous
Nov 18, 2024
6/10 stars
3.5
_Ella_
Jan 03, 2024
6/10 stars
Beautiful metaphors and writing but It was hard to connect with the characters
MielLapine
Aug 05, 2023
10/10 stars
Read the entire book in one sitting. Never in my life have I ever had the incomprehensible feeling of existential dread put into tangible thoughts and words. As someone who struggles with anxiety, depression, and ideation of death, I feel validated and understood. My inner hurting child just took a major step towards healing. Thank you, Emily Austin, for making me feel less alone in this expansive universe

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