5 heartbroken stars 
 I'm a sobbing mess. This book is the most beautiful, precious thing that I've read this year. 
 Ove is a newly retired, grumpy man who doesn't seem to know of the existence of the word "fun". But is there more to this strict old man than the appearance might suggest? When a foreign family moves next door his orderly and secluded life is turned upside down in unexpected ways, but will Ove be able to adapt and let someone new into his life? 
 I cannot begin to explain how much I enjoyed this book. It's funny, engaging and beautifully bittersweet, and Ove's character is absolutely fascinating. 
 As the story progresses we find out more about his past and I watmed up to him more and more with every reveal. 
 The 40 year long feud with his neighbour Rune, his reluctant care of a stray cat that he calls "Cat Annoyance" and his interactions with the neighbours made me both laugh out loud and at times tear up. 
 The young Swedish/Iranian family who moved into the neighbourhood was easily my favorite, especially the determined Parvaneh and her 2 young daughters. 
 I cannot recommend this book enough, and whoever liked the movie Up is bound to love this as well. Ove, Parvaneh, Jimmy, Cat Annoyance and Sonja will stay with me for a long time and I'm so glad that I got to know them. 
 I only have a minor, tiny complaint about the book... Ove is 59 years old, and I feel like the author should have made him at least 10 years older. First of all, it's hard to believe that he'd be retired at an age when most Swedes still work regularly, and also... my dad is just 2 years younger than Ove and it's hard to reconcile an image of a working, active and tech savvy 57 year old with Ove who doesn't even know what an iPad is. 
 All I'm saying is that I'd find it more believable if Ove was just slightly older. 
 (view spoiler)[Also, his neighbours are rougly the same age as Ove and they suffer from Alzheimer and Parkinson's and they are about to be taken into a nursing home?? (hide spoiler)] I have a feeling that the author doesn't differentiate between an average 50-something year old and a 70-year-old, but the difference in real life is huge. 
 The age complaint aside, this is easily one of the most poignant and memorable reads of the year, so do yourself a favor and pick it up as soon as possible! 
 "We always think there's enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens and then we stand there holding on to words like 'if'."