One of the most heartfelt books I’ve read in 2024.

Fred is about at his rock bottom. He lost his wife a decade ago following a battle with cancer and dwindling funds has now left him newly homeless at 82.

While contemplating his new future on a walk, he finds a man dead in his wheelchair at a riverfront park on a nursing home outing. A strange series of occurrences and the odd similarity between the two men lead to Fred being mistaken for the dead man and taken to the home.

No explanation on his part is taken seriously so he decides to settle in to this new life as this stranger.

In this new life he finds new purpose in new connections.

But can he continue to live as someone he’s not? Especially when it turns out the stranger whose life he took over wasn’t as alone as he thought.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is the ultimate found family story. In this novel, we meet down on his luck, 82 year old Fred - he has lost his wife, been evicted from his rental, and is trying to figure out how he will get by when something crazy and unexpected happens that changes the course of the remainder of his life.

The remainder of the novel is heartwarming and loving. He makes amazing friends and meets new family in such unexpected places. This novel was beautifully written and so touching. If you like Ethan Joella’s novels, this book is definitely for you! Love this story so much!! Just what I needed to read!

“If there is one thing I’ve learnt in life, it’s to not wait to say things. As we both know, life is short, sometimes unexpectedly short.”

Ummm I have a question…WHY IS THIS BOOK NOT GETTING MORE LOVE?!

Sorry for yelling but ohh my heart. What an absolutely perfect, heartfelt, sweet, lovely, and endearing story. Gahh I just love old people. So many times I wanted to pop inside these pages and just squeeze poor Fred. We need more men in the world like him. I couldn’t possibly recommend this more!

Thank you to Netgalley, William Morrow Books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts

netgalley arc thank u netgalley!
anyway let’s talk about this
so much to say yet i can’t articulate most of it
i enjoyed this book so much, for me it was insane watching fredrick fife wear someone else’s skin for so long and watching him affect all the relationships around him some for better some for worse
honestly a great read everyone should check it out

I loved this book! Anna Johnston has combined heartbreak and humor in perfect proportion and created a story that shows the true nature of love and family. The characters were delightful. The challenges were very real. The relationships were touching. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more from this author. Thanks #NetGalley #WilliamMorrow

What a beautiful, touching story about a once in a life time chance to live in someone’s shoes (literally) and impact the people around you. I loved Mr. Frederick Fife from the very beginning and just the absurdity of having a doppelgänger was fun to read. It got so emotional throughout the rest of the story and I even found myself tearing up sometimes. He has such a big heart full of love but lost all the people closest to him, and he finally got a chance to share this love with others. Hannah’s innocence turned anger was also written very well and I felt the inner conflict she had alongside her as she worked out how she felt about everything. It wasn’t predictable nor was it boring. Definitely one of my top 2024 reads.

I loved the Australian setting and the overall premise of Frederick being mistaken for Bernard and stepping into his life.

So many great novels along the lines have come before such as a “man called Ove”, “Tuesdays with Maury”, “Lillian boxfish takes a walk”, “Bettyville”, and the movie UP! But this novel is brilliant enough to stand on its own with its wit, humor, and most of all because of each character’s humanity. Book of the Year contender.

What a fabulous, heart warming book! Eighty plus year old Fred finds himself in a precarious position when he is mistaken for another elderly man at a retirement home. Without any friends or family of his own, his new life enables him to share his big heart with others. This is a book I wish I could read again and again for the first time.

Heartwarming and hilarious, a touching story of family and forgiveness. I loved the joyful tone, the beautiful interpersonal connections, and the satisfying resolution. Try this one when you need a pick me up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

This is a lovely heart warming read of mistaken identity and found family. The author has a talent for engaging the reader and also keeping us guessing with some bits of mysteries unfolding. Very well done

Ultimately, I wasn’t the right reader for this book (at least at this time). I just felt bad and a little grossed out with all the pee talk from the get-go but that’s probably just a me problem.

This was such a sweet, heartwarming and also heart breaking book.

It follows Frederick who after a case of mistaken identity begins living in a retirement community. He somewhat takes on the identity of this other man, and builds new friendships with other residents.

This book was so cozy. I loved Frederick and his personality. How we wanted to help everyone else.

I didn’t quite love the other storyline with Denise. It didn’t really feel necessary. And at the beginning I didn’t really understand the purpose of Hannah’s life as a child. It also felt like that part could have been shortened.

But overall this was lovely and touching. If you like books such as A Man Called Ove, you’ll enjoy this one too.

I thought this was sweet and lovely. Frederick is a joy of a man and I really enjoyed getting to know him and watch him make the people around him happier just by bringing his loving self to their lives. There are some heavier topics in the novel, but they are handled with kindness and care and only served as things that the characters were able to move through. This is mostly a feel good story and I enjoyed it a lot.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife was easily a 5 star read for me! It was such a heart warming story which I enjoyed very much because I normally love to read thrillers. Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I read this novel with my Instagram book club for our August pick! I LOVED it!!! It was heart-warming, different, funny. I loved the plot twist of the character view points. Fred has been one of my favorite characters of 2024. I loved the friendships that developed, how he cared for complete strangers and quickly became like family. This is a book I will be recommending to everyone for a long time!

3.5 stars rounded up. This plot of this book was a bit like Dear Evan Hansen with senior citizens. Frederick made some questionable choices that weren't originally his fault. His choices ultimately helped the other characters, including/especially himself. The ending here was sweeter than the bittersweet one in Dear Evan Hansen though. Frederick was also an all around likable, sympathetic character, which definitely helped make the story heart-warming.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Frederick Fife is such an endearing character that I fell in love with him and this novel. It was so charming and heartwarming. A geriatric mix-up in the nursing home and second chances make this book so delightful. Thanks, Anna Johnston for such a terrific debut novel! Thanks also to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
"Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I'll take care of it."

In the same vein as Man Called Ove or The Last Quartet, a great story about humanity and family. I loved Fred and loved the conclusion of this book.

How lucky am I that I got to experience The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. What a heartwarming, heartbreaking, and joyful read this was!!

Frederick Fife is down on his luck and about to be homeless. After spending all of his savings to try to save his beloved Dawn, he is no longer able to pay his bills. A chance encounter with an elderly man named Bernard, who happens to look exactly like him, changes his life. He is mistaken for Bernard by the staff at his nursing home and despite his objections, he is brought back to the nursing home and assumes his life.

I can't say enough wonderful things about this book - I raced home every day to read it! This book is filled with quirky characters, love, and an understanding that forgiveness and grace is one of the most freeing things you can do for yourself. Frederick is the father, grandfather, and friend we all need in our life - he is thoughtful, caring, loving, and will do anything to help. I will never forget this one.