This was definitely an interesting read. It was all over the place but the plot was meant to be that way considering that the people who were held hostage were either in shock, in denial, or just funny.

I thought Anxious People was excellent; I love Fredrik Backman's prose. I have read both Beartown and Us Against You and knew I was a fan of his writing, so the premise of a bank robbery gone wrong was very enticing. There was quite a cast of characters, but they are all carefully developed throughout the story. Sometimes when there are so many characters it is hard to keep everything straight, yet that is not the case here- it is easy enough to keep track of everyone.

While still tackling some hard subjects, this story is told in a more lighthearted and humorous way than previous novels I've read by Backman. The way the stories of the characters overlap is so coincidental that it can only (likely) happen in a fictional story. This tidiness might frustrate some readers, but I loved it. The way the story unfolded was masterful. I would absolutely recommend this book.

A powerful, comical, heart-wrenching and beautiful novel, Anxious People is a book about life, death, love, marriage, parenthood and other human anxieties. This awe-inspiring book will take you on an emotional roller coaster, and you will love every minute of it!

Within a few minutes of the reading this book, I knew I was going to love it. A bank robbery gone wrong, a hostage situation with the “worst hostages ever”, a group of human oddballs stuck together in an apartment, tender reflections and conversations on life and love – everything about the plot sucked me in. The chapters alternated between the actual hostage situation and the police questioning of the hostages after release, which kept the element of mystery alive. The unexpected twists and turns had me completely gripped. I devoured this book in less than two days and loved every minute of it.

The varied, flawed, funny and utterly human characters of this book stole my heart. On the surface, they look like a bunch of goofballs with their weird and slightly annoying habits. As the story progresses, their deepest fears and anxieties are laid bare, and you fall in love with them gradually. Backman has brilliantly captured the vulnerabilities and anxieties of human life and relationships. His characters feel refreshingly alive and complex - complete with human oddities and tragedies.

I immensely enjoyed Backman's quirky writing - it had me in splits one moment and a crying mess the next. He manages to write about some very hard-hitting facts of life in a breezy, almost unsuspecting manner.

Anxious People is easily one of the best books I've read in a long while. Definitely recommended!

Wow! This book was truly incredible! It was funny and lighthearted, but surprisingly meaningful and poignant. I laughed, I cried, and I definitely struggled to put this one down. This book explores relationships, mental illness, death, and hardship. It also explores the idea that people are layered (just like ogres), and how you may perceive someone on the surface, doesn't necessarily reflect what's going on inside. Bank robbers aren't necessarily bad people.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Anxious People by Fredrik Backman.

Jack and Jim are a father and son police duo who are dealing with the most puzzling case. After releasing hostages from an apartment building covered with blood, the hostage taker is no where to be found. Through a slew of even more confounding interviews, they are able to put the pieces together of this strange case.

Listen, Fredrik Backman can write a phone book and I'll probably read it. This probably wasn't my favorite of his, there were a lot of joints to it, so I got lost a few times, but it was still very enjoyable.

I loved the cast of characters. There were lines like "will you please stop rubbing your eyebrows like that, it's freaking me out" that made me laugh out loud. I loved the subtle twists and turns, overall a colorful and lighthearted read.

With Anxious People my favorite author Fredrik Backman has written another winner. When a bank robber fails at robbing a bank and runs into the closest building, we're introduced to a lovely cast of characters that make for one of Backman's best books. Some of the characters are in the building to honestly view an apartment that's for sale and others are at the viewing for other reasons. The bank robber has no choice but to hold these characters hostage. In the meantime detectives Jim and Jack need to solve the crime in their own town without help from Stockholm.
This story made me laugh aloud and cry it was so cleverly written. I received an advanced copy of Anxious People from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity. I'm eagerly looking forward to Backman's next book as he never fails to entertain while bringing up fascinating insights into the human spirit.

What happens when a bank robbery, an apartment-viewing, a hostage situation and an investigation go wrong all at once?

Anxious people tells the tale of 12 strangers who are so humanly flawed, the choices they've made (which are equally as flawed) and how they come together. Readers uncover the events of the bank robbery, apartment-viewing, hostage-situation-investigation gone wrong all while watching as the characters battle their own individual anxieties and help each other all at once. Such a honest and compassionate look at human nature - and maybe how we can all save another.

It read like a mystery, captivating, and quick. It left you wanting to uncover another clue every time you put it down. (Even though it wasn't actually a mystery.) It was complex and easy to read all at once. It was not at all what I thought it was going to be, and I'm so glad it was.

Goodness this was a wonderful book. I tried to read "A Man Called Ove" multiple times but couldn't get into it; that was not the case here. Funny, fascinating, moving-it covered all the bases. I finished it in tears because of the story and the fact that it was over. I will absolutely re-read this.

Fredik Backman has a way of creating characters you can relate to and feel for. He also does an amazing job weaving a story together and making characters relatable. His books read fast because it’s so hard to put it down. I think they are thought provoking and a great discussion piece. This book and his Martin Luther quote are kind of everything right now. The message of loving each other and saving those we can, doing the right thing, and just being kind to each other. The overarching theme of family and how it can be more than just your blood relatives, it can be a complete stranger the reaches out and changes your life.

Well, my heart is still so full, like physically aching because of happiness. This book is hard to describe because it follows no organized plot structure and because it introduces characters with snippets of information that can range from past info to present info.

The simple premise is this: 9 strangers meet at an apartment viewing when a bank robber shows up and holds them hostage. Obviously, there is so much more to the story: more to the situation, more to the people, more to the place. The short chapters tell us about those nine people as well as some of their own relationships, as well as the lives of the two policemen in charge of the case.

The book is a character study that simply exists to remind us that humanity is, essentially, good. We also learn that we are inexplicably linked to each other, and that we can cause goodness or we can do the opposite. We are also reminded that we are, all of us, idiots (in Backman's repetitive wording!) However, the book isn't an easy read: suicide is one of the links connecting people; and depression and anxiety also play a part. Backman never once negates these issues as plot points or skims over the devastation and pain associated with them. He merely incorporates these points to remind humans of our resilience--and how good can grow back where previously only darkness abided.

I love when books give me a physical reaction: be that fury and anger or happiness and satisfaction. I can feel all the love and satisfaction--in a way that makes me think that my heart just grew a few sizes bigger. I'm just so touched, and I think it can be a blanket statement that right now in our world, we need all the books like this that we can get. I highlighted SO MANY passages that just spoke to me. I know it's been said that Shakespeare was a master because of his ability to write about humanity and human nature, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Backman is giving him some serious competition. The way he can write the most profound descriptions of human nature--the good and the bad--is beyond commendable. I can't rave enough about this book.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

While our library is likely to purchase a copy, Anxious People doesn't have the same magic as other Fredrik Backman books. Identifying characters in an impersonal way, job titles as opposed to names, made it difficult to connect with and differentiate characters. Backman characters are usually the highlight of his books, they come off the page, but for whatever reason this one missed the mark. I'm such a big fan of Backman's other books and my heart hurts a little that I can't give this title a rave review.

What a lovely, lovely book. Anxious people is, at its heart, about human connection and the impact we have on those we meet. But it's also about mental health, the issues and fear that come with being a parent, and love in it's many various shapes and sizes. Beartown might be favorite Backman book but this one has now been added to my list of most charming books.

Such a charming, feel-good story! Has all the charm as "A Man Called Ove" - Mr. Backman is a talented storyteller! Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

I found the beginning of this book slow and made me lose faith in Fredrick Backman but then it became good. Really good. Excellent. And my faith was restored.

A bank robber tries to rob a bank. Finds out that it's cashless and in a panic runs into an apartment viewing. With a gun being waved around, people assume that they are being held hostage. And all the bank robber wants is to do is go home and forget that this ever happened.

At its heart, this book is about not committing suicide and forgiving yourself for your stupid mistakes. All the hostages are flawed people. Hilariously flawed. Deep down, they are trying their best for each other and their loved ones. They have made mistakes and they bond with each other. And the twists made me want to reread as soon as I was done.

This review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital ARC of Anxious People by Fredrik Backman in exchange for an honest review. I have read one other book by this author: A Man Called Ove. I loved it. Once again Fredrik Backman has us take a look at the shortcomings of human beings, and the power of relationships. The characters in the story were wonderful. This was a great read.

This story is about a lot of things, but mostly idiots."

I think that's one of the best lines I've read in a long time. This story had so many pieces and so many people. It's amazing how the author made them all come together into this story and how interconnected they all were. I honestly had no idea where the story was going and was surprised every time I read another chapter.

One of the best books I've read this year!
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

A quality return to the original Backman of exploring the sweet interconnections of people. It was an absolute pleasure to read!

I truly believe he could write a MENU and I would love it. The humanity in his books is nothing short of a miracle.
. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

This is probably one of my favorite books of the year. I had previously read A Man Called Ove but wasn't a huge fan of it, but this one was engaging and there were twists and turns that kept the reader on their toes. A huge focus of the book was about the consequences of judging people and their motives and how you can't assume anything about a person until you've understood where they've come from. The book explores the relationships between all the people who are stuck in the apartment with the bank robber, but also focuses on the two police officers who are dealing with the hostage situation.

I would suggest that readers jump into this one knowing as little as possible about the book. I had read the synopsis a few months ago so I had forgotten it by the time I opened up the book. I re-read the synopsis after finishing the book and realized that the things that I enjoyed being surprised about or things that I had a suspicion they were not what they seemed were already hinted at in the summary, so I suggest going in with as little info as possible.

In the book, there were so many amusing moments in between the serious and heavy ones. A perfect combination and a very well-balanced novel. I'll definitely be getting a physical copy for my shelf. I'm going to want to revisit this story in the future.

What a wonderful novel as I had hoped it would be. It is both funny and poignant while also writing about a serious issue. The dialogue is sassy and the group of hostages, eccentric to say the least. With tears I hated to see this book end and I will be purchasing the hard copy.