A review by michellekiara
The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.75

When I finished the last page of The Answer Is No, I just sat there, smiled, and said, “wow.” This has never happened to me before. I mostly read thrillers and horror, so I am used to big gasps at the end, not quiet awe. The only other book to have elicited this same reaction was Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, one of my all-time favorites.

Reading this book felt like being a kid again. It was heartwarming, clever, and full of memorable lines, like, “He works well in groups as long as it’s groups of fewer than two people,” which made me giggle. I also loved how Lucas, the main character, referred to a board of three people as a “bureaucratic Hydra” and called them Head One, Two, and Three for the rest of the book. It was hilarious and perfectly captured his essence.

Only when I finished the book did I realize this was by the same author as A Man Called Ove, which has been on my TBR for a while. Now I am even more excited to pick it up.