“Grief was love with nowhere to go.”

I am absolutely emotional after reading this wonderful debut novel. 😭 Fred absolutely stole my heart. This book makes you laugh, makes you angry, but definitely made me cry. It was such a heartwarming story of a lonely man that borrows a life (after not being believed multiple times).

It makes me sad to think how many older people are alone, not by choice but because they’re the last ones around. It shows how broken the system is for seniors, whether it’s in Australia or anywhere else.

Absolutely recommend this book! Thank you so much NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Fred finds himself homeless and alone at 82 years old he has no clue what he’s going to do. In a twist of fate he comes upon a man in a wheelchair that is deceased and while trying to get him help he gets mistaken for the dead man. Fred finds himself with a home, hot food, and friends. As time goes on it becomes harder and harder to tell the truth.
This was such a heart warming story about found family and the power of forgiveness.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

I wanted to like this book more but it was a little slow and hard to get into. The reviews were so good and the book was just ok to me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a story about mistaken identity and found family. Frederick Fife, is one in a million. His superpower is kindness and what a different world it would be if there were more like him, even if he is a little bit naughty. But now at 82, he is on the brink of homelessness. That is until a bizarre case of mistaken identity sees him living in the Wattle River Nursing Home, where staff assume he is Bernard Greer. He finally has a chance to be part of a family again, with a roof over his head.

The characters are well written especially Fred as Bernard and the guy he befriends in the nursing home. The plot, while unbelievable, but completely entertaining! I loved the relationship between the daughter and Fred. This is a great story that will make you smile at the end.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife might be my favorite book of 2024!

I loved the characters so much. They were funny and I wanted to hug them the entire time. For a book that has depressing themes it was so ended up being so joyful and lighthearted.

I do recommend having some tissues close by because there are definitely some tear jerking moments.

Highly recommend this for everyone but definitely those who like Fredrik Backman books and Remarkably Bright Creatures (sorry but there’s no fun animals in this one)!

There are some TWs: Death of parents, dementia, child death from illness (briefly discussed)

Thanks to Netgalley and William Marrow for a copy of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife in exchange of an honest review.

DNF @63%

I have had such a struggle with this book--I have been chipping away at it in tiny bits for weeks, starting sections over because I didn't process things enough repeatedly, and then procrastinating finishing it because I just wasn't feeling it for a while now. I think I am just going to accept that it is not for me and move on.

I can understand why this has been a hit for so many people. The early reviews are glowing and I am so glad--I can see how this is a homerun for so many, if it gels with you. My personal trouble was that the humor missed me, and the book is SO so sad that because the humor wasn't hitting, it just felt like I was repeatedly being bonked in the head with the sad stick, over and over for hundreds of pages, with nothing really to break it up. It was very emotionally draining to read; perhaps I've been reading too many other emotional books too lately, perhaps I am just stressed out IRL and was looking for something that wouldn't hurt so bad, I'm not really sure.

This is one that I'm not 100% opposed to coming back to at a later date if I feel up to it, because I firmly believe it is not a bad book and it'll impact many people in a positive way. Maybe at a later date, it'll be more my speed.

Thanks so much to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

William Morrow eARC
This will be one of my favorite books of 2024. I fell for Frederick right away. I just love stories with sweet old men, and this one was so heartwarming. It had the reminder of why community is important, how friends can make such an impact with little thoughts, how grace and forgiveness can change someone's life, and just so much more. I laughed and cried. I was surprised. I felt sad and hopeful. The author created such rich, vivid characters that were easy to fall for and connect with. I just loved this book so much and will recommend it widely. So, so sweet and will be thinking about it long term.

Fred is a nice guy. He always has been. At 82 though he is all alone. Everyone in his life gone and no way to make rent. He's looking at homelessness with no one to turn to.

Bernard is not a nice guy. He's grumpy and hard to deal with. He's alone as well. No one visits him in the home he is living in thanks to recent falls and a stroke.

Fred never meant to lie. But, after a sudden death and an unfortunate accident trying to return Bernard to the home, when everyone mistakes Fred for Bernard he still tries to set the record straight. But what can it hurt to enjoy a few good meals and a warm place to sleep?

Denise works at the same facility where Bernard lived. Her life is going in all of the wrong directions with a husband she cannot trust and a daughter who may have a serious medical condition. Denise is suspicious of the sudden change in "Bernard".

This was such a sweet read. I love a book in which people find exactly what and whom they need at just the right time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife
Author: Anna Johnston
Source:  NetGalley
Date Published:   September 10, 2024

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a wee bit predictable and slightly saccharine. This book is not A Man Called Ove, which many reviewers use as a comparison. In a weird twist of fate, Frederick, who is basically homeless, assumes the identity of a nursing home resident who meets an unfortunate and accidental end witnessed by Frederick. It stretched believability that the staff and other residents of the nursing home think Frederick looks just like the deceased. The line between sweet and harsh is very thin in this book, and while Frederick is kind, many people neglect the elderly in this story. I will be in the minority on this book review, but it was just okay. This is not a bad read, just not a great one. #TheBorrowedLifeOfFederickFife #AnnaJohnston #fiction #adults #elderabuse #seniors #kindness #neglect #family #seniorcare @williammorrowbooks #australia @netgalley #feelgood
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#book #books #bookAddict #BooksOfInstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader #bookreviewer #bookish

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

This book!! Wow! Tugged at my heart strings! Such a good book. Easy quick read and I could not put it down.

4.25⭐️

This healed my soul 🥹

It reminds me a lot of the storied life of AJ fikry so if you like that, I think you should give the one a try (my personal opinion is that The Borrowed Life of Fredrick Fife is actually better)

Fred is a very kind 82 year old man with no friends or family who just got evicted from his apartment and has an empty bank account. While looking for a place to sleep in the park he spots an elderly man who fell out of his wheelchair. Turns out the man is dead but he looks eerily like Fred but in a tragic mix up the nursing home helpers mistake Fred for the man and gets whisked off to the nursing home. As he try’s to tell the nursing assistants that he’s not who they think he is, Fred starts to see maybe there are perks to being here. A warm bed, free meals, and most importantly, he’s able to keep company.

The was just the most tender and wholesome book I’ve read in a while. I think it handlers topics like grief and death really well. It’s kind of a boring read but at the same time it has so much emotional depth to it. All the characters were fleshed out, it’s a small cast of characters but each was done so well. Now I really wish Fred was my grandpa 😭

<i>Thank you Net Gallery for giving me this copy for the exchange of an honest review</i>

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet, tug at your heart strings story with many laughs mixed throughout. The concept is unique and plot is well executed. It borders on being overly saccharine, but it was still a great read with a few plot twists to keep the page turning.

Ideal for fas of Iona Iverson and A Man Called Ove.

This book needs to be far more popular than it is, and BookTok needs to catch up! It's giving A Man Called Ove vibes, but is an entirely unique story all its own. I loved this book with all its quirky characters.

This was a wonderful story!!! I can’t believe it’s the first novel by the author. She really amazed me with this! I read this in one day because I could NOT put it down! Fred’s adventures made me both laugh and cry, and his developing relationship with Hannah was so sweet! I will recommend this book to everyone! Absolutely loved it!

Kindhearted Fredrick Fife is eight-two years old. He’s has lost his beloved wife Dawn to cancer. His life’s savings has been exhausted and he’s been told that he must be out of his current living arrangement due to non payment of rent. He’s lonely and desperate and hasn’t had a decent meal in a very long time. While out walking trying to decide what to do about finding himself with no family and homeless, a bizarre circumstance unfolds. The local nursing home residents are at an outing along his route. Denise is a caregiver who falsely identifies Frederick as one of their residents Bernard Greer because Fred’s likeness to Bernard is uncanny. He tries telling Denise and the other staff members that he is not Bernard but they think he is confused because Bernard has dementia. As the story continues some difficult subjects are dealt with such as childhood terminal disease, abandonment and alcoholism. The author writes in a way that makes these subjects palatable through the eyes of her characters. Yes, it’s a bit predictable but sometimes it’s just the right way of finishing the novel. I needed a heartwarming story and this filled the bill. This ARC was provided by Harper Collins Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, by Anna Johnston, is a fabulous book.  It is a heartwarming story of an elderly man who finds himself in a peculiar situation and makes the best of it.  I can't find enough good to say about this one.  I've already recommended it to so many friends and a few book clubs. It has the makings of a bestseller!
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

I cannot begin to express how much I loved this book! It’s a heartfelt (and humorous) tale of loneliness, friendship, family, loss and love. I will miss all of these wonderful characters immensely. From the very start of this unbelievably beautiful book you will be rooting for Frederick and all of the people he has come to love.
(I may now be a wee bit in love with the extraordinarily sweet octogenarian Frederick Fife 😍)
This is a magnificent debut novel from Australian author Anna Johnston. Publication date is September 10th.
This book will live in my heart forever. Read it. You won’t regret it.

This year's "A Man Called Ove". Like Ove, Fredrick is an older gentleman who is recently widowed and at a loss as to how to go on, but for different reasons. Through a highly unbelievable, but completely plausible, case of mistaken identity, much like "While you Were Sleeping, Fredrick assumes the life of Bernard, who lives in facility, where he finds friends and acceptance, and creates a new life for himself. Like Ove, this book is in equal turns laugh out loud funny, and painfully heartbreaking. This is a lovely and poignant book about finding a family when all is lost. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC opportunity for this sweet and charming book.

Yes, this is a sweet, heartwarming book like everyone else is saying. I recommend reading it. Bring tissues.

What was great:

A story full of hope and optimism with likeable characters. Fun, madcap capers and some twists along the way to keep the reader interested. Lots of tender moments.

What could have been better:

Everyone here is very one-dimensional, and for the premise, you really have to suspend belief and think of it as fantasy. Beyond the wild coincidences (several times at the end characters say "You wouldn't believe it but it's true! It's like a movie!"), the story is staged a few times to throw you off track. The ending was wonderful but completely predictable.

Also, there was a lot of bathroom humor.

3,5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Anna Johnston for an advanced copy for review.

5 stars. Ever since reading Remarkably Bright Creatures, I've seen a lot of books touted as "the next" version of that book. It seems like every book that features an elderly main character is given that moniker, but few have come close to reaching the emotional depths that Remarkably Bright Creatures did (at least for me). The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is indeed one of those books. But it feels wrong to call it "the next" Remarkably Bright Creatures, because this book is so damn good that it deserves to stand on its own. When homeless Frederick Fife gets mistaken for the recently deceased Bernard Greer, he decides to borrow Bernard's life. Just for a bit. But Frederick does more than just borrow Bernard's life. He gives it meaning for the first time in 50 years. This is an emotional story, and truly, I ended the book in tears. But these were good tears, because they meant that this book moved me in a way that even the best books rarely do (it is VERY infrequent for me to cry while reading a book, even emotional books that I love). But it was just impossible not to fall in love with Frederick. And although he was lying to basically everyone, he didn't set out to hurt anyone. And in doing so, he actually ended up enriching literally everyone's life in the process. I don't really want to say or give away too much, because the book is perfectly paced, with more and more information revealed as the story progresses. With that said, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is one of (if not) the most heartwarming books I've read this year. I absolutely loved it. And highly recommend it to basically anyone. But yes, especially to those who loved Remarkably Bright Creatures (or A Man Called Ove).

Thank you so much to Johnston, Netgalley, and William Morrow for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.