Library Loans

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The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
Published by William Morrow on September 10, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction

Goodreads

For readers of Remarkably Bright Creatures and A Man Called Ove, a warm, life-affirming debut about a zany case of mistaken identity that allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family.

‘Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.'

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he’s desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. But Fred’s luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of grumpy Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up.

Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard's facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter's health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again.

As Fred walks in Bernard’s shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise's suspicions about his true identity. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition.

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.

Down on his luck, Frederick Fife stumbled upon his doppelgänger and reluctantly assumed that man's life.

That sentence is really an over simplification of this heartwarming tale, but it was how the story started. The whole beginning was a comedy of errors and mistaken identity, and it was set up in such a way that I had no qualms with Fred "borrowing" Bernard's life. Most of all, I was sort of happy Fred was put in this position because he needed some good things to come his way.

Fred was so easy to love. He was a sweet and had a heart of gold. He seemed to always choose kindness and quickly endeared himself to all those around him. His friendship with Albert, a fellow patient with dementia, really tugged at my heartstrings and clearly illustrated how lovely and tenderhearted Fred was.

I have a bit of a soft spot for books featuring elderly characters. Society tends to push older people aside, determining that they have outgrown their use. But Fred showed them. He did so many wonderful things, built so many connections, and his actions resulted in comfort and joy for many.

The focus on human connection in this book was a thing of beauty, and I relished every moment of it, but I also loved the theme of second chances. There were many instances throughout the story, but none more touching than Fred's quest to try and redeem Bernard. Have some tissues handy for this plot thread because it is bound to tug at your heartstrings. I am pretty sure my heart grew two sizes as it played out.

Johnston did something interesting with the story structure as well. There were three points of view, and it all seemed straight forward until it wasn't. I was delighted by this surprise, and I hope other readers will be as well. It was interesting and made sense in the long run, too.

Overall all, this was a touching and uplifting story about so many things! Found family, growing old, death of loved ones, second chances, and so much more. I have to commend Johnston on skillfully melding all these themes together without making it feel overwrought. And I cannot argue with the final product which was a story that made me smile while warming my heart.

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Take Me Home by Melanie Sweeney
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on July 9, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Road Trip No bad music. No detours. No falling in love.

Hazel Elliot doesn’t look back. If the universe closes a door, she burns the whole house down. But when she’s summoned home for her father’s wedding, she’s forced to return to small-town Lockett Prairie, Texas, for the first time since she fled for college.

Ash Campbell has been in love with Hazel since they were teenagers, when she dated his best friend. Now, Ash works at Hazel’s favorite coffee shop, where they feud over the best chair, and his sizzling attraction to the prickly girl from home has only gained steam.

When Ash’s car breaks down just as family obligations pull him home, there’s only one person who can get him there on time. But Hazel has one condition: everything between them must stay the same. And if he fails to oblige? She gets the coffee shop. So the frenemies endure bad music, inclement weather, and B&Bs with only one bed—and that’s just the drive across Texas. When they finally arrive, Hazel must face the bridges she’s burned, because there’s nowhere in a small town to hide, not even from herself. And, right where she least expects it, she might just find a man worth changing everything for . . .

When Hazel went away to college, she didn't look back. Now, she had been summoned back to Lockett Prairie for her father's wedding. Reluctantly, she accepted the invitation but would be accompanied by her high school boyfriend's former bestie and coffee shop nemesis, Ash. Could this roadtrip be the beginning of something special or a total disaster?

This book really exceeded my expectations. I expected a fun rivals-to-lovers tale, but this was so much more than that. 

My favorite thing was Ash. He pined so hard for Hazel for such a long time. I love that he was finally getting his chance to shoot his shot. Ash was a devoted son and brother, sometimes to his own determent as he carried all his family's burdens on his shoulders, but still! He had such a big giving heart, and I wanted him to be the man who penetrated Hazel's defenses and win her over. He deserved to finally get the girl. 

My heart really ached for Hazel. She struggled with feeling unwanted. Her mother up and left while her father spent her childhood focused on his career. She returned home to find him being a doting husband and father to a new family. It had to hurt. Sweeney did an amazing job helping me understand Hazel's pain, and I was very pleased with her personal journey.

But I really came for the romance. Good news - it was a great one. It was fun to watch these two spar, but it was even better to see them connect on a different level and bear their souls to one another. Their relationship was complex, both playful and deep, and I was so happy they took a risk on each other because it resulted in a beautiful thing.

Overall, I adored taking this fun and emotional roadtrip with Hazel and Ash. It was a rollercoaster for sure, but at the end, I was left warm and fuzzy and happy.

Do you believe in doppelgängers?
Let us know in the comments!