This short story was brilliant. I loved the humour and silliness of it. Some people might prefer the more dramatic stories, and I like them too. This one was right up my alley though, and I can't wait to recommend it to everybody once it comes out officially.

I always say that Fredrick Backman just “gets” people, and this book is no exception. His take on how people complicate their lives in the pursuit of happiness is very clever, funny and unfortunately, scarily true! Lucas had worked out how to be happy and content with his life - maintaining this is why he must say no…either that, or be put in a coma for a while!

I can never say no to a Fredrik Backman book. He has a keen understanding of human nature and has a distinctive voice I love.

This book has all the humour and heart of "Anxious People" and is perfect for the holidays. I admit in the middle, I was getting bored of what was happening as the story seemed to be repetitive but just when I was wondering where this was going, the book hooked me again.

Thanks to Netgalley & Amazon for the e-copy.

Fredrik Backman is possibly the greatest living author we are blessed with today. "The Answer is No" is clever, touching, and hilarious. I loved it as I have loved everything else he's written. Read it. Everything Backman writes is worth your time.

"He’s just happy. It wasn’t even particularly difficult. All he did was to remove the one thing that makes almost all people unhappy: other people. Whatever they want, the answer is no."

Can you believe a freaking frying pan can destroy peace and quiet Lucas had been cultivating all these years? I mean these people could pick it up and put it into trash and leave a note for whole apartment to see. But no, because they have nothing else to do, they would disturb Lucas' peace.

Backman can write the notes in Baci chocolates and I would eve read that. Or those weird notes in public toilets. So when this short story came up, I did not walk, I ran. I love the quirky characters he creates and man, it is true that all of our problems stem from other people. Life would be easy when there is no one to mess with us.

This is a ridiculous, laugh out loud short story with annoying, heartbreaking and uplifting characters. Yep, it has it all in just 68 pages!

Truly a gem that all adults should read. It was wonderful to read during my lunchtime. I think I will be remembering it all afternoon, smiling, and wanting to eat Chinese food tonight.

I want to thank Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for giving me the immense pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

OMG! I love this book so much! It really captures human nature. And the introvert in me is in absolute dithers over how relatable this book is.

Lovely and upbeat. I was nodding and laughing throughout. If you want a quick but hearty burst of joy, read this book!

This story follows Lucas who is not a people person. He prefers to stay in his apartment working from home, ordering takeout, and playing video games. These things make him happy. Adding people to the equation just makes things complicated and messy. Then someone leaves a frying pan on the ground outside the apartment building and Lucas is drawn into the subsequent chaos.

I always enjoy the humor in Backman’s books. The inherent frustration with bureaucracy and making something with a simple solution so complicated it boggles the mind of most of us. It’s just such a relatable topic. I laughed through all the ridiculous scenarios this frying pan caused just by simply existing. The characters were fun and adorable whether outrageous or practical.

If you haven’t read Backman before this is a good short to check out his humor and character development and if you have, it’s an enjoyable read that can make you laugh through your personal stress this time of year. Recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for a copy provided for an honest review.

I'm a massive fan of Fredrik Backman, whether it be the stunning Beartown trilogy or the more whimsical books like 'Anxious People', so a special short story that popped up was a joyful surprise. This is very much in the 'Anxious People' vein of his writing, as loner Lucas' quiet life is shattered by a ring of his doorbell. As events spiral out of control, and the world that Lucas has carefully avoided crashes into his calm existence, Backman conjures the perfect hilarious story that will have the reader siding with Lucas every step of the way. A joy to read.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

I’ve never read a book quite like this one.
I absolutely LOVED it! 🥹
It was funny, heartwarming and totally relatable.
The last couple chapters really brought the story to a good close and pulled on my heartstrings.
This story is full of meaning and I think everyone needs to read this.
I felt like I was watching a Wes Anderson film. Amazing!!!

This was my first read by Fredrik Backman and it was great. I can not wait to dive into more of this author’s work. I think he is one of my new favorite authors! 🥳

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

A silly and weird little story. I also thought it was a bit random and confusing.

This was an absolute delight—charming, funny, and unexpectedly touching!

The story follows Lucas, a man who’s living the dream (if your dream is avoiding everyone). His idea of perfection? A quiet night with wine, pad thai, and video games. But when the apartment board knocks on his door about a rogue frying pan, his carefully crafted solitude spirals into chaos.

The humour is spot-on, starting with dry, observational wit and escalating into pure absurdity as Lucas faces increasingly ridiculous situations. Backman’s portrayal of awkward interactions and the quirks of communal living is so relatable it’s almost uncomfortable.

This is a quick read, but it packs a punch. If you’re after a story that’ll make you laugh, reflect, and maybe even want to call your neighbours (or hide from them), this one’s for you!

- “It’s a frying pan that ruins Lucas’s life. We’ll get to that.” -

This short story had me from the very first page. Fredrik Backman never fails to disappoint with his unique storytelling and his ability to intertwine multiple characters and their journeys into one hilarious, heartwarming story.

On the surface this book is about Lucas, who is perfectly content in being on his own, with his video games, wine and a pad Thai. But Backman weaves layers of depth and analogy’s throughout this story which made it an absolute delight to behold. My only issue with this book, is that I wish it was longer!

- “You can make yourself happy if you don’t let others make you unhappy.” -

A charming and quirky novella. I absolutely loved the absurdity of it all, the observational humour and realistic yet over the top characters. The story isn’t serious but there are some interesting messages underneath about humanity, happiness and contradictions. I loved the sharp prose and flew through this. Definitely a random story that is memorable and fun. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

So much to love in such a short story! I was smiling the whole way through. It’s absurd, witty, odd and yet I resonated with the story. This was such a good read.

Lucas is happy being alone and doing 3 things: playing video games, drinking wine and eating pad Thai with peanuts. Then one day the apartment board consisting of 2 men and 1 woman rings his bell demanding to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight. Soon his quiet life is turned upside down .

This was a short story of 68 pages. It’s a story about what makes people happy and was very thought provoking. It gives observations on human behavior. The story makes you think what makes a person happy really doesn’t and puts things/people into perspective of what/who is really important. There was a lot of wisdom and truth in this book, even in parts that made me laugh. It was a story that made me laugh but also had me agreeing to many things Lucas was thinking.

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC

This short story by Fredrik Backman is written in a similar style as the “Beartown” series. We start off with Lucas who leads a satisfying loner life, a dream for an introvert. The story progresses to show small glimpses of humanity. A quick and delightful read.

I dont even know what I just read but I think it had a good moral to the story… love and friendship is great but sometimes you just need alone time and I couldn’t agree more. A very quick 68 pages. It was a cute little story.

How does such a short story give me so many emotions?? This was chaotic, hilarious, and adorable all at the same time. I am Lucas. Lucas is me lol

First off, I adore this author. I love his Beartown series (Team Benji forever) and his writing style-long, ramblings sentences. However, this book was not it for me. I DID love some of the passages, and the meaning is very heartwarming. But I found it a bit silly. It's also a novella, which I usually don't like. I can see why people are loving it, but it just wasn't for me.