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.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife was a truly delightful read! It contains several tropes I enjoy, including found family and a lonely elderly protagonist.
When the book starts, Frederick has lost his wife to illness, his finances have been depleted on her medical care, and and he is being evicted from his home. He's not sure how he's going to manage and move forward, when out on a walk he witnesses a man falling out of his wheelchair. He attempts to help the man. It turns out the man is deceased, and he accidentally ends up falling into the river and is washed away along with Frederick's wallet. The lost man bears an uncanny resemblance to Frederick, and when he attempts to alert the staff of the nursing home where the unknown man lives, they mistake him for the man - Bernard - and bring him back to the home.

At first Frederick continues to try and tell people they've made a mistake, but having no family, friends, or place to go, he accepts his new life as Bernard. He makes new friends at the home, and throughout the story we learn of Bernard's back story as well as delve into a few of the other characters.

This book is tender, and despite moments of sadness ultimately left me with a warm and happy feeling in my heart.

I can’t remember the last time a book made me feel this much. I loved this book sooo much!!! Frederick Fife stole my heart from the very first page. His kind, quirky nature and hopeless optimism, even as he’s about to lose everything, made me want to reach through the pages and give him a hug. And when his life takes that crazy turn—swapping places with the grumpiest guy at the nursing home—I knew I was in for a ride that would keep me hooked until the very last word.

Fred is the kind of person we all hope to meet someday—someone who leaves a little bit of happiness everywhere he goes, even when he’s pretending to be someone else. His interactions with Denise, the overworked but deeply compassionate caregiver, were so genuine and filled with warmth. Watching her gradually open up to Fred’s unexpected kindness, even while being suspicious of him, felt real and incredibly moving.

This book made me laugh out loud (seriously, Fred’s inner dialogue is hilarious!), but it also hit me with moments of unexpected sadness and hope. I found myself cheering Fred on despite his little charade, because his heart was always in the right place. I loved how his small acts of kindness rippled out to everyone around him, slowly transforming not just his own life, but those of the people he met.

By the time I finished, I had tears in my eyes and a huge smile on my face. It’s rare to find a story that can balance humor and heartbreak so beautifully, but The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife does it effortlessly. This book deserves to be turned into a movie! I’m going to be recommending this to everyone I know. Anna Johnson has crafted something truly special here, and I’ll be waiting eagerly to see what she does next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. There is sweetness and grace but disappointment, devastation, and sadness. I felt the whole range of human emotions while reading this book and it's one that will stick with me for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this wonderful book.

I really enjoyed The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. It is not a fast paced book, but it a book that pulls you in and makes you want the happy ending. It does show that meaningful connections between people are what really matters the most. Not everyone gets a happy ending, but if you have those connections, your life has meaning. If you love someone, you will be willing to sacrifice your own happiness to make them happy. This book is a testament that your "family" can be those you choose; the ones you care about and they care about you. Fred has had a few rough years. When he is mistaken for Bernard and taken back to the care home where Bernard lives, he tries several times to set things right. No one believes him because Bernard has dementia. They think he is just confused. He finally gives up trying to tell the truth. He begins making friends and he has been missing that for a while now. Fred lives with the regret of the deception and fear of being caught every day. He is so lonely that he craves the human interactions. Will he be caught or will he find his happy ending?

This novel is a big hug for the aging and those with Dementia/Alzheimer’s.

Frederick Fife literally has a new life fall into his lap, in essence. As he is grieving the loss of his wife, whom he loved dearly, he lives another man’s life for a short period of time. During this time, Fife finds a “found daughter” and has his eyes open to what really needs to happen.

The novel sheds so much light on life in a nursing home (with some SUPER repetitive phrases…) and how life affects those around us, as how to find compassion for someone who has not necessarily made the best decisions.

It starts out a bit slow, and I almost stopped reading, but I am ultimately glad I stuck with it, because the ending for Frederick is just chef’s kiss!

Approach with caution if Alzheimer’s and Dementia, along with elderly care are triggers for you.