A sweet uplifting story about Frederick Fife, an 82 year old widower who is down on his luck, broke, and soon to be homeless. Through a case of mistaken identity, Frederick finds himself living in a retirement home with three square meals a day, luxury accommodations (at least to him), new friends and a bonus family. Initially, Frederick embraces his new life but eventually his conscience gets the best of him and he decides to confess his true identity. This book is so well written - full of humor and charm while also realistically portraying some of the indignities and heartbreak the elderly experience. Highly recommend!
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fred, age 82, finds himself evicted from his place. With a twist of fate leading to misidenty, he ends up in a nursing home.
I laughed. I was stunned at a surprise in the middle. I sighed at the love shown in this book. The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife reminds me of books by another Fred, Fredrik Backman.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is the kind of feel good, compelling, and guaranteed to appeal to all book that I love reading as a bit of a palate cleanser after diving into unknown authors and books that could go so well or terribly badly. Frederick is a character that, even when doing objectively bad things, helps you understand why they can be questionable and why what’s beyond the surface can make you root for those things to be done.

A simple story in many ways, Frederick Fife represents the good in a life that takes some dark turns and how love and hope can keep you going even when there seems to be not much left. Frederick has live a good life with his love Dawn, but after she passes he finds himself flirting with homelessness (having spent all their money to try to save Dawn) and borrowing the life of a strange deceased man he stumbles upon, Bernard. While in his place in a nursing home Frederick endeavors to pay back this favor of a borrowed life while also simply being himself as much as he can. The consequences are ripples of good and provide hope for Frederick and so many others.

This story is an easy read but masterfully layers in different characters, emotions, and even some ethics so that by the time you’re deep in the story you have an echo of an idea that this is something special, but don’t realize how much so and how well done it is at getting its ideas across until it’s done. If you too need a palate cleanser or just a warm and embracing place to retreat to, this is the book that will provide it to you. We need more like it.

Grief is one of the most universal constants of life. It is the opposite of love. The absence of anyplace to emote the love you feel, and it comes in many forms. Death. Abandonment. Betrayal. Lost opportunities. Failure. Illness. We all have to find ways to cope when grief finds us. We must keep hope alive - it is what allows us to carry on. The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife resounds throughout all the hollows of grief, touches all the raw and jagged edges of it, and teaches us to celebrate the opportunities still ahead of us through an unlikely hero with a heart of gold.

Frederick Fife isn't having the best day. After stretching his pennies as far as they can go, his landlord finally kicks him out. Unsure of what to do next, or where to go, Fred takes a stroll in the park and stumbles across the only person who might be having a worse day than him: his doppelgänger, a man who died peacefully in his wheelchair by the river on a nursing home outing. Frederick and his hero's heart tries to help get the man back to his group when they both slide down into the river. At 82 years old, Fred's body isn't what it used to be, and he is unable to recover the body. Just as it floats around the bend (with Frederick's dropped wallet), the nursing staff find Fred and mistake him for Bernard, the dead man. Bernard was in the early stages of dementia and was often confused, and as it happens, his carer that day is overwhelmed with her own personal issues and is only half listening. Frederick tries several times to set the record straight, but no one believes him. Turns out, Bernard had a pretty nice situation at the nursing home, and the warm bed and hot meals are impossible to ignore for a man like Frederick, who would otherwise still be in that park, sleeping on a bench. When he overhears Bernard has no visitors or family left, Fred stops struggling so hard to be understood. Perhaps the strange twist of fate is some kind of cosmic gift from Dawn, his late wife. Who is it hurting? Maybe it would be okay to borrow Bernard's life for awhile. After all, he's not using it!

This book does an incredible job of balancing humor with the intrinsically soul crushing themes of grief in all its holographic colors. Somehow, through all of the darkness, the story never feels unbearably heavy. Though it made me cry, they were the good kind of tears, brought on by the deepest empathetic connection to the characters during the epic finale.

Frederick is a gregarious guy. He's had a long life and has learned many tough lessons. This new life in the nursing home is his big second wind. Suddenly, he's not so lonely. He finds himself able to help the people around him in the simplest of ways. Conversations. Shared meals. Forgotten letters sent. He is a good and patient man. He is the embodiment of forgiveness and understanding. He is the medicine many of his cohorts are in need of, and they are the same for him.

Speaking of which, the cast of characters at the nursing home is quirky and endearing, and their antics help color the narrative with playfulness and heart. Not all of them are bubbly and positive in the monotony of assisted living, but together they brighten the setting and make it a wholesome place to spend 300 pages.

If you can't tell already, I greatly enjoyed this novel. It made the topic of grief feel approachable. I'm still astonished at how many facets of the concept were explored, and while none of it felt glossed over, it also never felt overwhelming. What an accomplishment!

What a wonderful book. Octogenarian Fred is walking by the river and discovers another elderly man in a wheelchair who seems to be alone and, well, dead. Fred looks over the hill and sees a care home van so he assumes this gent is with them. He tries to push him and the wheelchair tips and the poor deceased chap falls into the river. The nurse from care home comes running and thinks Fred is Bernard. Fred doesn't try very hard to tell them he is really Fred because he was about to be homeless and this gave him a chance for a meal and a bed.

Then let the shenanigans ensue. Fred makes a new friend, avoids an old woman who is determined to get him into her bed (evidently she had succeeded with Bernard), and is generally the opposite of Bernard in his helpful attitude.

Having a father living in a nursing home, I especially found this a fun story for the escapades. But the story has much more depth to it than that. Fred becomes Bernard - and saves many lives, especially his own.

I high recommend this book - it made me laugh out loud and it made me cry.

I was given this by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a heartwarming story about an 82-year-old widower who finds himself faced with loneliness and despair. His story of facing homelessness to suddenly finding himself living in a nursing care facility, is filled with many aspects of the human condition and how to process both grief and joy. Frederick finds himself mistaken for another resident, who met his untimely death, and Fred begins a journey of living the life of Bernard. Fred travels through so many emotions from loneliness to despair, to finding hope in many other people. He makes friends, he finds community, and he finds family. He finds HOPE! Even through the twists and turns of his journey as Bernard, his convictions to honesty and truth win out in the end, as he is a man of integrity who truly cares about those friends and new "family" he has made while at the nursing care facility. I highly recommend this heartwarming story to inspire you and encourage you to see the beauty in kindness, friendship, care of those who face dementia and even just the elderly at large. We all have value. This story shows the importance of seeing the value in another and being other focused in all you do each day! Thank you for NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

This unapologetically sentimental novel introduces us to some endearing characters. Fred, through no fault of his own, finds himself falling into homelessness after he spends his resources on his wife's terminal illness expenses. He happens to cross paths with a nursing home field trip by the river where he discovers a gentleman in a wheelchair who has died quietly. Fred, in attempting to alert the group, somehow loses the man (Bernard) to the river where he is swept away. He does tell the caregivers but in yet another fictional coincidence, Fred and Bernard could be identical twins. Bernard was having some cognitive problems and no one believes Fred. They herd him into the group and take him back to the rest home.

Fred and Bernard are alike in appearance only. Fred is kindly, empathetic and upbeat. Bernard was crabby, unpleasant and querulous. Fred tries for a while to explain his situation again, but the lure of a bed and meals triumphs, especially when no one particularly believes him. The novel is filled with lots of heartwarming interactions as Fred affects the lives of the people he meets in the facility. There are some sad realities in the course of the novel but a resounding happy ending eventually. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was such an adorable, heartwarming, unexpectedly funny story!
One day Frederick Fife is walking by a river and he notices an old man in a wheelchair. When Frederick approaches the man, he realizes the man is deceased. Frederick tries and fails to get someone's attention to help, so he tries wheeling the deceased man and his chair to what appears to be a group from a nursing home. This is where things go very wrong. The deceased man falls into the river and Frederick is left holding the wheelchair. A nurse from the old folk's home comes to collect the man in the chair to take him back, and she wrongly assumes the man holding the wheelchair has simply fallen out (the 2 men apparently have an uncanny resemblance). She assists Frederick back into the chair amid his protests and takes him to the home. This is the start of the borrowed life of Frederick Fife. Frederick tries to explain the mix up, but since the deceased man had dementia, everyone assumes he is just confused. At first Frederick just wants to stay long enough for a warm meal, but he soon gets completely intertwined with Bernard Greer's life.
This book had me literally laughing out loud on multiple occasions (just wait until you read about a certain tattoo!), but it had its sad moments as well. I loved the completely unbelievable though absolutely plausible premise of the story and the old man mix up. I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to feel all the feelings while reading!

I thought about giving this 4 stars but I can't stop thinking about it so I am bumping it up to 5. I think it will be one of the best books of the year. It was a little hard for me to read because my mom had dementia and passed away in a nursing home so it brought back a lot of memories. I wish she had been in a nursing home like this one. I wish she had a friend like Fred. It's really a beautiful story and was well written. I would highly recommend it.

Not to be dramatic, but every single time I opened this book, I cried, either from joy or sadness. Every. Single. Time.

While I found the humor a bit cheesy at times, this was so heartwarming and emotional. Our MC, Fred, will almost instantly charm the socks off you, but you’ll be introduced to many quirky, dynamic, and lovable characters throughout. Covering loss, love, aging, and so much more, I commend Johnston for her ability to tackle heavy themes, but package them in such a soft and gentle way that keeps things light and fun.

If you enjoy the humor, cleverness and spirit of The Guncle or The House in the Cerulean Sea, you’ll find the same heartstring-tugging vibes in The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. A fresh debut novel… just don’t forget your box of Kleenex!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for this advanced copy.

Oh my goodness, this book. It's not often a book brings me to tears, but this one did over and over again, both happy tears and sad. This unique storyline caught my attention right away, as our lovable and lonely main character Fred, gets quickly mistaken as "Bernard" and swept up into a life that isn't his own. As the story continues, so many likable and relatable characters are introduced, and the connections were both unexpected and interesting.

This book was equally heartwarming and heartbreaking, though on a couple occasions it almost made me too sad. That being said, this is a story that will stay with me for a while, and one that is not to be missed. It's a lovable and vulnerable reminder of what is most important in all our lives.

We feel for Frederick Fife, age 82, a widower without income or savings who is about to be thrown out of his apartment for arrears in rent payment. He meets a group of seniors on a walk at the park, finds that one of them, wheelchair bound Bernard, has died on that walk. By a series of mishaps, Fred is mistaken for Bernard and taken to the home with the others. Fred's insistence that he is not Bernard and doesn't belong with them is ignored as delusion as the carers know that Bernard has dementia.

Fred is a sympathetic character even though he is resigned to being Bernard and relieved to being taken care of in the senior home. How the whole situation is played out is the theme of the novel. I found the plot unusual and clever as well as humorous at times. An enjoyable read overall about senior citizens, dementia, nursing homes, and family.
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The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife👓REVIEW

📖Goodreads Rating: 4.50
📚Genre: Fiction
📄No. of Pages: 336
🗓️Publishing Date: September 10, 2024

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Fans of A Man Called Ove and The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot - this is your next read! Based on her relationship with her grandfather and her own experience working in a nursing home, the author of this heartwarming debut novel draws you in from very start. I found it to be well-paced (though slowed for me a bit in the last 25%) and enjoyed the well-executed balance between heavier subject matter and lighthearted humor. I’m a sucker for multiple POVs with well-developed, complex characters and was pleased to find that in this one! I especially loved the way the author slowly revealed the way the characters’ lives were intertwined. The MC, Frederick Fife, is a delight and so easy to root for; he should truly be the gold standard for us all as we age! To face significant hardships and overwhelming grief, and yet still life a life filled with gratitude as well as unconditional kindness and compassion for others - what a guy. If you enjoy themes of found family, second chances, and the redemptive power of community/human connection - you’ll love this charmingly quirky read!

A special thank you to @netgalley, @williammorrowbooks, and especially to @annajohnstonauthor for the honor of reading this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest, thoughtful review 🤍

Cute sweet story about life in a retirement home. Lots of stories going on within the home. Fred has a very interesting and unexpected life waiting for him. I received an early print from NetGalley. I felt it could use some more editing. Some parts were too repetitive.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a story of redemption and kindness and love. The writing is top notch with so much humor and joy and tenderness. I slowed down while reading because I wanted to stay in this world with these characters who were complex and inspiring. This is the book I'm buying everyone for holiday gifts this year - everyone will love - 100%. Thanks to the publisher for gifting me a copy. I'm so grateful.

I received an electronic ARC from William Morrow through NetGalley.
Readers meet Frederick Fife at one of the lowest points of his life. At 82, he has been evicted and truly has nowhere to go. Through serendipitous circumstances, his life completely changes as he is mistaken for someone else. He settles in to adopt someone else's life at the nursing home as no one believes the real story. Fred's kind and encouraging acts becomes bonds for residents, family and staff. Of course, the truth comes out and life looks dire again for Fred but he does find a second family and the story finishes strong. Johnston uses a light touch while challenging readers to look at heavier issues. I appreciate the sweet overtones even when addressing dementia, alcoholism, elder care, etc. Readers will come away with a light hearts but also with much to think about.

Frederick Fife is in the twilight years of his life, lonely and houseless. His beloved wife died, and he wasn't able to keep up with the house payments. On the first day of no secure shelter for the night, Frederick has an interaction with a fellow octogenarian that results in a crazy case of mistaken identity. When nighttime falls, instead of wondering where he will bed down for the night, Frederick finds himself in the room of Bernard Greer at the local home for the elderly. Frederick tried clearing up the mistake but everyone just thought he was speaking out of the dementia that Bernard has. Giving up for a full night of sleep and a full belly of food, Frederick determines to right the problem the next day. But then the next day leads to the next day, which leads to the next, and before Frederick knows it, he's living Bernard's life - but better than Bernard ever did, which is why everyone who lives and works at the home is slightly baffled but pleasantly surprised by the new and improved Bernard that came home from the outing. The longer Frederick is getting medical care, sleep, and consistent meals and the more he learns about Bernard, the harder it is for him to come clean and right the mistaken identity. And in the end, it may be that nobody wants to know what happened to Bernard and who has taken his place.

This is an absolute delight of a story from the first word to the last. Frederick Fife is a lovely man, a beautiful soul, and a ray of sunshine. Anyone lucky enough to enter his orbit will walk away inspired and encouraged. Johnston's execution of mistaken identity was clever and very funny. The side stories Johnston included to round out the story as a whole really gave depth to both the characters and the overall tale. There were so many endearing characters in this story, in addition to Frederick, that I found myself wishing they were real and I could go visit these lively elderly folks. Highly recommend for the moment you need your faith in humanity restored and need a hug for your heart.

Frederick Fife is down on his luck when a case of mistaken identity lands him in the life he dreamed about. Good food, friends, and a warm place to live are all his if he can only keep up the charade of being someone else. This humorous story of growing old and chosen family will appeal to fans of second act stories.

Let me start off by saying this book exceeded my expectations!
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is about second chances and realizing the bigger picture. The story line was amazing and filled with so many topics, including grief, loneliness, and homelessness.

The only complaint I have about the book is that the writing felt a bit childish from time to time.
Other than that, a 3/5 and a recommendation from me! ✨

Thanks to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the copy of this in exchange for my honest opinion!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

“Until he was widowed, Fred never realized how much he’d taken physical touch for granted—yet it meant so much. How many millions of other people were going without hugs?”

If you have been reading my reviews, you know that I don’t like books that are whimsy and “feel good” in an over-the-top cringey way. I was concerned that this book would not be for me, but it was lovely and feel-good in the best way! No cringe, no cheesy coincidences, or obvious plot points here.

The bottom line is — everyone needs some Fred in their lives. The book is about Frederick Fife - an elderly man who is alone in the world, nearly penniless and about to be evicted from his apartment. He really has no one and nothing to live for. On a walk at a park, he sees an elderly man in a wheelchair who has passed away. Fred tries to help him, but the wheelchair topples and the man’s body gets pulled into the river and washed away.

The man’s carers find Fred and think that he is Bernard as the tow men have an uncanny likeness. Fred tries to tell them the truth, but they think Bernard’s dementia is talking and whisk Fred away to Bernard’s nursing home where the adventures begin.

I’m calling it that Fred will be the Marcellus of 2024. (See Remarkably Bright Things!)

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are honest and my own