Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Anxious People

This book was a disappointment and I should have DNF’d a while ago. But by the time I realized the storyline was bland, I was already more than halfway through. I finished but ultimately it wasn’t great. I gave 2 stars because it was funny on occasion and had a unique plot. There was some good character development but overall it wasn’t great. It was cheesy, slow, and the timeline made things confusing for me. I thought the robber was a male until 75% of the way through and realized they were a female?? I don’t know how I didn’t realize that beforehand? Or if it was on purpose? I’m not sure. Anyway, I would not recommend.
I would compare this book to “Normal People” but more funny. Still depressing though.

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neverlandpages4's review against another edition

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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.

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risemini's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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marie_is_reading's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

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laurenalysse's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense 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

4.0

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katstu1's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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manu_k's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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? No

5.0

So hilariously insightful, I didn't know what to do with myself after I finished it. Without a doubt, the best book I've read so far this year. Do be warned, it tends to get heavy in the middle, which is the reason it took me 3 months to complete (plus exams, but who cares about those, right?).

It keeps its pacing all throughout the book, and even when we get to the heavy parts, Backman keeps it light with a well-timed sarcastic comment or incongruous joke. The story flows well, and the smooth change in point of views compliments the non-linear storytelling. The writing is beautiful and the way the story comes together at the end is inspired.

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gmwells's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-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

TL;DR: THIS IS A TRULY AMAZING BOOK AND I BELIEVE EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT AT LEAST ONCE! This is one of those books that I wish I could read for the first time again.

I bought this book on a whim because I happened to see it for sale online when I was searching for course books on Convergent Journalism. It had been in my TBR list for a short time as I saw many readers on BookTok (or whatever you want to call it) recommending it.

When I started reading it, it was honestly because I couldn’t continue to read one of the five other books that I had started — I had to start a new book instead. I had no idea what this book was about, simply that it had something to do with “anxious people” as the title suggested.

After I began reading it, I will admit that I had a slow start. I made it through maybe five rather short chapters before needing to take a break. I had no idea where the story was going to take me, and I suppose my brain didn’t quite like that idea.

As I continued reading (over a period of a few months packed with other things like birthday parties and black belt ceremonies), I had a greater appreciation for the book. I started finishing more and more chapters each time I picked it back up until I read the entire final half of the book in two days.

I cried three times while reading this book: once a little less than halfway thought, once about 50 pages from the end, and once while reading the entirety of the last 15 or so chapters.

Something that every author should strive for is having characters with relatable personalities. More importantly, every author should give their readers the ability to see the world through a new lens. Backman does both and more in this book.

He tells a story of love (of all kinds), of loss, and of the ripple effect that people have on one another’s lives. The characters’ paths are carefully woven together, and new secrets continue to be revealed in practically every chapter.

One thing that I will say about a certain relationship near the end is that they (not revealing who; no spoilers) were a bit forced. They had a mild amount of chemistry between them, but it seemed to carry the same message of amatonormativity that I have seen many books drenched in. Thankfully, because Backman also focuses on other kinds of love more strongly throughout the whole book, he did not have this message of amatonormativity as heavily thrust on the reader as many other books do; however, it was there nonetheless.

This book has attachment, relatability, and simplicity, and that’s all you really need to write a great book. Besides the slow start and the one small bit that I mentioned in the above paragraph, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I loved that I was kept on my toes right until the end, and that by that point I had unknowingly fallen in love with the characters so much that I couldn’t help but cry during the final pages. Backman’s writing style is one that I will forever appreciate and enjoy, and I look forward to reading more of his books in the future.

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