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This was such an engaging and entertaining read. It was also laugh out loud funny! The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife follows 82-year-old Frederick Fife, who, after losing his wife Dawn to cancer, is mistaken for a missing nursing home resident, Bernard Greer. Fred is “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” (Goodreads).

Denise Simms is a middle-aged mom and a caregiver at Bernard’s facility. Her marriage is falling apart and her daughter’s health concerns are always on her mind. When Fred starts leaving “a trail of kindness behind him,” Denise has a very hard time believing he could be Bernard, but “when unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition” (Goodreads).

This book deals with grief and forgiveness, but there is no shortness of hilarity. The way that Fred takes the place of Bernard is truly hilarious and I laughed out loud. I gave this book 3.75 stars out of 5. I think that older characters are a good change of pace and a chance to have a more inclusive reading experience. The only thing that really felt too good to be true was when Denise said she wouldn’t tell anyone that Fred wasn’t Bernard, because of course people are going to eventually find out, but it all worked out in the end.

Denise has two daughters and there are also two daughters in flashbacks so sometimes I got confused which group of sisters were being talked about. There were two sides during book club. Some liked the new outlook Fred was having after losing his wife, but some felt sad that he was alone and had to move on without her. No matter what side you’re on, I really liked all of the characters and how they realize that it’s always better to be together and make friends rather than be alone in life.