Great read. Quirky characters that come together to tell a heartwarming and uplifting story. Backman ties the story up beautifully.. This and Ove are my two favorite books by this author. It will be a great book for book club discussions.

The first chapter of this book instantly hooked me! I'm afraid to admit that I had actually never read a Fredrik Backman book prior to this one so now I need to go back a read a few to see if his writing style is always this brilliant. Backman unwrapped the details of a hostage situation gone wrong, one non-linear layer at a time, and kept me up way past my bedtime in a "just one more chapter" fury. Early on the book starts out as a farce-like gathering of characters, but somehow smoothly morphs into an important reflection on the various types of anxieties that we humans experience....such a great bit of bibliotherapy for this anxiety-ridden reader! Thank you to NetGalley, Fredrik Backman, and Atria Books for the advanced copy.

As a Fredrik Backman super fan, it's tough to give this book only a 3 star review. The first half felt like it took forever, but I ended up reading the end of the book in less than a day. To even describe it is difficult. The story focuses on an accidental hostage situation. It mainly takes place on the day of the event, both inside the apartment and afterward as the hostages are interviewed. Our main characters are the hostages, the robber, and the two policemen on the case. So, we get to know them and what's happening in their lives over the course of the story.

If you've read Backman before, you know he's a master at writing humans. He has the ability to perfectly describe our thoughts, feelings, and emotions. And that is no different in Anxious People. Part of the reason I loved the second half of the book was because he shined here, when the individuals started to make connections and reveal more of themselves.

In general though, this book felt like it was trying too hard to be clever. He wrote as if someone was telling a story, jumping from one place to the next and back and forth in time. I usually like his unique writing style but this was too much.

Also, simply put, not a lot happened in this novel. It felt like the beginning was dragging because almost no plot was taking place. The insight into these characters lives might have felt more meaningful or interesting if there was more happening to them.

I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone except readers who already have read and loved Backman's books. He has so many other gems that I'd recommend first

This new book by the talented author of A Man Called Ove, was like a gorgeous nesting doll. Everytime you thought you got to the last layer there was more to come. It wasn't just in the unfolding of the story but in the hidden connections between the characters. You become so invested in them as you read it's almost as if you are holding their beating heart in your hands. Within each part there are so many gifts from the author. He gave me words to so many feelings as a parent. Feelings that people don't always talk about , possibly because it can be so hard to articulate. So I feel blessed to have read this book. I will be buying a finished copy for myself . Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I love everything by Fredrik Backman and this book did not disappoint! I love how he twists the character's stories together in the most unexpected ways. The book shows a lot of heart and shows how humans can really help take care of each other even in the worst of times. It gives me hope that there are good people who will read this book and be inspired to be even better people by lifting others up. It also shows how desperate people can be and the downsides of life, if we let them get to us. Although it's fiction, it deals with very real concepts and is so relevant in today's world!

Backman has done it again. Another heart-warming tale of flawed human beings desperately seeking a connection. Backman is a master at creating authentic, relatable characters, people who want to be loved, accepted, understood. The dialogue is witty yet thoughtful in expressing human desires, frailties, and vulnerabilities. In this story, he uses humor to relate the conditions that lead to feelings of anxiety and panic and how that anxiety can lead to disastrous consequences. In the end, though, Backman believes in the essential goodness of people and their ability to empathize to overcome.

This ARC was provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The novel proclaims itself to be "about idiots," and it definitely is. I expected the novel to be funnier, and it has funny moments, but mostly i found the characters annoying and ridiculous.

“Anxious People” is a very disjointed novel, told in pieces, which don’t come together until Chapter 11. Not too long after Chapter 11 I gave up on reading it, and therefore I will not be writing a formal public review.

The book definitely lives up to the title. The wannabe bank robber is anxious. The hostages are anxious. The father-and-son police officers are anxious and have Issues. Everything moves at a snail’s pace among too many characters. It’s all very twee and precious. Backman’s formula works when it works, but this novel seems to draw out all of its inherent weaknesses.

Backman doesn’t know how to plot a mystery, and he can’t stop pulling on the reader’s heartstrings long enough to move the plot along. To me, it felt like, “Would you like to cry over the characters now?” “Not particularly, no.” “How about now?”

The story of Anxious People follows a would-be bank robber and the several people that are accidentally taken hostage, as well as the two police officers who are working to free the hostages. All of the characters are linked by an event that happened ten years prior, and through the course of the book, we learn how that one event altered the course of everyone's lives.

In true Backman style, this book is driven by incredible characters. Backman has a way of writing about the everyday events and emotions that people feel, and will leave you muttering to yourself, 'YES! That's so true!". This story is no different. Woven throughout is a story about love, suicide, and being a parent. It is a captivating story and I would recommend it in a heartbeat.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is another great book from this author. He spins creative and beautiful stories that always touch the heart..The book is part bank robbery gone wrong, hostage situation and an apartment viewing that is crashes by the bank robber. The police need to solve the crime by finding out how the robber gets away eventually. Backman is somehow able to tie all these random things together.
The book takes a variety of people and unravels all their personal baggage throughout the book . By the end of the the book the characters find out they all have dealt with a lot of similar feelings in their lives. The characters seemed like a mismatched bunch from the beginning. Backman spins humor and serious topics into the book in a way that works. He always finds a way to reveal
how the stories connect.
If you like mystery, humor, stories about goofy robbers and cops, and interesting characters then you should pick up this book. Be warned there are some serious topics that might be triggering for some people but the author finds a way to provide hope for the people dealing with those issues.

This book had SO much going on - in the very best way. I laughed, cried, and found myself thinking introspectively. It was more “action-packed” than any of Backman’s books that I’ve read previously, but had many of the same wonderful, thought-provoking qualities that I have come to know and love from him.

Fredrik Backman never disappoints and I always look forward to his books! His stories always have great depth into human nature. His understanding of human nature is amazing and there is much compassion shown in this story, which is what we are in need of at this time.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh, what a treasure Fredrik Backman is! In a novel sparkling with whimsicality and rich with wonderfully crafted characters, Backman once again delivers an irresistible and intensely human read.

This is a super fun, quirky evolution of a bank-robbery-turned-hostage-situation, and at times I laughed out loud, feeling as though I were in an episode of Three's Company.

Sometimes the dialogue crossed the line from slapstick into over-the-top, and there was a particular character arc that I felt needed a little more attention.

After I finish a book, I often find myself wondering what became of the characters; I especially appreciate how Backman left me feeling satisfied.

*My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another amazing story and rich characters from Fredrik Backman. A wonderful and quirky journey that is deep and meaningful. A must for any collection.

With a diverse cast with a spectrum from (Swedish) society, this book is true to Backman style, witty, pithy and amusingly sardonic yet sensitive and trenchant at the same time. Add love stories, familial complications and sort of a "locked door" mystery and you get a story that does not disappoint.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing this review copy.

What can I say? Fredrik Backman just knows people. This is the story of a bank robbery turned hostage drama except it’s not. This is a story of the human condition. Wonderfully written for fans of an unusual cast of characters coming together.

Meet your new favorite Backman! This book was unbelievably witty... Backman's narration was GOLDEN and his characters so broken and relatable, while also whimsical and light-hearted. I can't begin to do justice for this book! I absolutely adored it. The story of an unusual bank robbery gone awry, these strangers find themselves in a strange hostage situation. Each character is more unique than the next; extremely fallible, unreliable, and yet I loved them all. Backman did an incredible job weaving together these characters and their stories, and I just enjoyed this book so much.

Anxious People is the story of a bank robbery...and a hostage situation...and a divorce and a police officer and his dad and a suicide...caught your attention?

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors, with the articulate and insightful way he addresses the way we all feel without knowing how to articulate it ourselves. In this novel, we have multiple characters and tragedies and human experiences that all manage to interweave in a way that keeps the reader wondering how these people are connected and who they are.

This isn't a feel good novel in the same obvious way as a Man Called Ove, but it is in that the reader sees human experiences that we can all identify with and empathize with and wonder how we'd handle this. Would we be the good guy? Would we be one who cared or would we be the one to let another human suffer beside us?

My one critique is that in the interest of keeping the reader guessing about the identity of the characters, it was hard to sometimes follow the plot and which character was which. At times, I felt like the narration dragged a bit slowly, but the overall effect was still one of suspense in a pleasant way.

Overall, Anxious People is a lovely way to see different walks of life and at the same time, investigate your own role among other people who are struggling.

Similar to Backman's My Grandmother Asked me to Tell You She's Sorry, Anxious People incorporates a large cast of characters who's lives intertwine and create a heartwarming tale of the power of human connections. Anxious People is the story of a bank robber, who never planned to be a bank robber, on the worst day of their life. They attempt to rob a cashless bank and on fleeing stumble into an apartment showing which creates the unlikeliest of hostage situations. Within the apartment are an older couple who have made a hobby of flipping apartments, a younger couple expecting their first child, a rich banker who is unable to let herself feel love, a real estate agent who may not be very good at her job, a rabbit, and an old lady who just wanted company for the new year.

As usual, Backman's storytelling is heartwarming and amusing with moments of tears and laughter. But what is stronger is the message that we all struggle and behind everyone's mask is a battle that we aren't aware that is being waged. It is easy to forget that each and every person has their own story when we become so consumed in our own but if we take a moment to be nice to each other there is no telling how it will change our lives. This is a powerful message and the reason that I absolutely adore this book.