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carlytenille's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Suicide
neverlandpages4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- Going into this, I was so sure that it wasn’t going to be a 5 star read. The characters were mostly unlikable, the plot was getting repetitive, and I just felt like it would be an okay read. As soon as I finished it, that immediately changed. The ending and how everything came together was amazing. This book taught me countless lessons. The characters’ development left me speechless. I loved everything about this book. Yes, it might’ve started off boring, but looking back at it, I knew I needed this book. Also, in the rare occasion where a book makes me sob, it’s usually a 5 stars.
- I loved the unusual blend of genres. Mystery combined with humor makes for a surprisingly interesting read.
- The writing style is one of my favorites and it just felt so personal, you almost feel like you’re talking directly to the author.
- Fredrik Backman knows how to articulate some of the most complicated feelings of being human into words. His metaphors are always amazing and I love how easily he explains why we are the way that we are.
- The relationship between the father and son was so wholesome to read about. I think the author portrays parenthood in such an honest way which makes me want to read his nonfiction book about fatherhood.
- This touched on so many different topics like parenting, humanity, substance abuse, mental health, and more.
- Finding out the whole reason behind the robbery was really sad and it shows how life can change completely in a matter of days.
- This was a tough read because it talks about depression and suicidal thoughts quite often and when I picked this up, I was in a pretty good mental state so reading about those topics wasn’t ideal. But at the same time, if I was reading them while I was in a bad headspace, I’m not sure it would’ve been any better. So it’s just a tough book to get through.
- This was a ridiculously funny, heartfelt, and life-changing book that I would recommend to everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Gun violence, and Infidelity
Minor: Xenophobia, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, and War
minskiwho's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i don't even know what to say, this book made me laugh and cry and question things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Grief, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Minor: Infidelity, Domestic abuse, and Excrement
lrwebber's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I immediately liked the style of the author’s writing but it took me a bit to decide to decide if I liked the book. But then I was hooked in and invested in the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
sambo_0103's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Death, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
They say that a person’s personality is the sum of their experiences. But that isn’t true, at least not entirely, because if our past was all that defined us, we’d never be able to put up with ourselves. We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows.
I am in love with how beautiful and clever Backman's writing is. It is repetitive and humorous in a way that very few others can accomplish when dealing with such dark and difficult themes. Be aware that this novel is filled with discussions along the lines of suicide, alcoholism, infidelity, etc. so please be aware of this going into it, but Backman handles these sections of the novel with such care and skill that I would not hesitate to recommend his works fairly broadly.
I was conflicted about my rating for this book. I found it surprisingly difficult to get into. Some of the characters were initially very unrealistic in the way they conducted themselves and interacted with others and were somewhat insufferable. However, I got used to this almost comedic style of storytelling and found myself wanting to stay in this cosy alternative reality that the author constructed. I had fun reading this book and that is ultimately what my rating is based on. I grew to love and care for the characters - every single one of the unique people in this large cast. That is not an easy feat to accomplish, but - honestly - Backman never fails to amaze.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Homophobia, Alcoholism, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Grief, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Infidelity
maudsmeets's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
it's interesting how the novel keeps trying to convince you that the story is realistic
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Addiction, Grief, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicide, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Blood
clevergirl216's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I had trouble getting into this book at first. It is a totally unbelievable scenario, and the style of writing was unusual. There was a lot of going back and forth from the present to the past with observations that didn’t really seem relevant. This is the only reason I didn’t give it five stars. From the midpoint on, where things began to tie together, I enjoyed the book more all the time. Several little twists that I didn’t see coming, and some thoughts about human nature that resonated. I especially liked the theme of how one person’s actions affect others.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, and Suicide attempt
maiahhtratchh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Like all of his books, anxious people hooked me from the first chapter. I DEVOURED the last 150 pages. I’m shocked by how funny it was…. Although I don’t understand the “how’s tricks” thing…. I’ll have to Google it. oh my god the twist of the female bank robber got me. I read that part on international woman’s day then had a hoot laughing because how silly of me to think women COULDNT be terrible bank robbers 🤣
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, Addiction, and Drug abuse
Minor: Dementia
stacy_es's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Rather strong book. Mainly because its plot is not something read before and also thanks to those in-text author thoughts about such simple life things as love, death, loneliness, parenthood, choice etc.
I liked the sense of humor, at times bitter but very to the point. I wish the book was in English.
I also made quite a number of highlights in the text and would look them through from time to time, as they really provoke a lot of deep thoughts.
I liked the sense of humor, at times bitter but very to the point. I wish the book was in English.
I also made quite a number of highlights in the text and would look them through from time to time, as they really provoke a lot of deep thoughts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Pregnancy and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Death, and War