My Friends by Fredrik Backman is an exceptional, heartbreaking, humorous, very highly recommended story of friendship, art, trust, and finding your people. This is a masterpiece and certainly will be the best book I've read this year, perhaps even over several years. Admittedly, I am a long time admirer of Backman's work but My Friends is a life-list book.

An artist's first painting, “The One of the Sea,” is being sold and eighteen-year-old Louisa needs to see the painting for her own reasons. Her best friend Fish recently died and Louisa knows that the painting isn't about the sea, it's about the small group of friends on a dock in the corner of the painting. Circumstances result into her running from a security guard and crashing into a homeless man in the alley. Only he isn't homeless, he is the artist of “The One of the Sea” who calls himself C. Jat, and he is dying.

In the hospital later the artist tells Ted about Louisa and proclaims "She's one of us!" The us is the group of four friends, the friends in the painting from twenty-five years earlier and the ones he knew at fourteen and fifteen, when he painted “The One of the Sea.” These friends are Joar, Ted, Ali, and the artist. The artist, who had Ted buy his painting back, tells Ted to give the painting to Louisa and this leads to the two embarking on a cross country trip where she learns about the friends and how they saved each other from their bruising home lives and in school.

The dual timeline works perfectly in My Friends. The present day is Louisa and Ted on their trip while Ted tells the story of when they were teens in a working class neighborhood and how they helped each other survive. Louisa talks about how Fish helped her survive. The story is emotional and I was tearing up and openly crying throughout. Their interactions can also be humorous. These young characters went through so much. He points out that the world has spent thousands of years practicing how to puncture the lungs of children who are different.

The characters come to life under his careful, compassionate, and insightful portrayal. They are all fully realized individuals with vulnerabilities, strengths and weaknesses. These teens know that they can love and trust each other, which is a combination that can be difficult to find in life. They took care of their friendship and helped the artist survive being different while encouraging his artistic pursuits.

As Backman notes several times in the well-written narrative that, the most dangerous place on earth is inside us. He writes: No one can explain why some fourteen-year-olds want to die. Nature gains nothing from unhappy children, yet they are still walking around everywhere, without the words to describe their anxiety. Also that a "Lack of self confidence is a devastating virus. There is no cure."

There is a plethora of observations about what art is and there were so many quotes I saved. A few examples: Art teaches us to mourn for strangers, isn't chronological, is what we leave of ourselves in other people, and art doesn't need critics, art has enough enemies already. Art needs friends.

My Friends is a must read book that is sure to become a classic, on many lists of one of the best books ever, and a top book club choice. Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

This was a different readfor me. I love Backman, especially Anxious People. My Friends was good. Backman's writing never fails, no matter the subject. He really can pull at your heartstrings. Not a new favorite, but a great read none the less.

This was my first Fredrik Backman book! It was a slower pace than I anticipated, but had great character development. It had such a beautiful ending with a compelling story. I'm so excited to read his catalogue now!

to be frank, i am not really interested in what frederik backman has to offer. i have read and liked anxious people, but something in his writing has never incentivized me to read more. i am glad i give this a try.

my friends is a stunning coming-of-age novel following two different perspectives - one in the past and one in the present - revolving around a painting of the sea. the narrative is written with backman's signature style, and i think it served the purpose of this book well. the constant reminiscing of the past enhances the nostalgic feeling of the story, i found myself yearning for moments of the past throughout the book, and it goes hand and hand with the construction of backman's characters. i think there is a distinctive scandinavian prose that i don't often like, but here the author delivered what i expected this book to do, pulling on my heart strings.

the thing about backman that i have noticed is that he tends to write a lot about tragedy in a particular way. in the era of trauma sensationalization i find this style to be very refreshing. backman doesn't write about tragedy for tragedy's sake, he always put it in the context of what has come before. reading this i don't feel like the characters suffered without reason (many of the trauma explored are pretty "stereotypical", but that's just reality, isn't it? suffering isn't uncommon and its causes aren't either) and in the most brutal of descriptions, the narrative is always profoundly humane. the characters aren't perfect people, they have flaws and shortcomings but backman makes sure that we know they are still humans. it's quite apparent to me that backman fundamentally believes in the power of human connections and how it upholds society (since somehow it hasn't collapsed under capitalism) because love is everything the characters live for, and that even after "endings", because what is grief but not love preserving.

thanks to atria books and netgalley for providing me with this e-arc. the review is my own and the quote is from an unfinished galley and is subjected to change upon publication.

find me on instagram: @loverssrequiem and twitter @aloversiris

What a well-named book, "My Friends", because the friendships in this book are incredible. Backman has always been great at character development, and I think this is his best. Ted and Louisa are the main characters, the ones we spend the most time with, but all the others are also very strong.

Ted's crew from the summer he turned 15 were "the artist", Joar, and Ali. We learned so much about their lives, and I must say tragic lives; from abuse to neglect. Honestly, I had a hard time with some of what these kids had to deal with; their lives being very different from my own middle class upbringing. But, they found one another and many times saved on another. That was why as they go older they recognized the struggle in the next generation.

I so appreciated the beautiful way this book was written. Even with the sadness there was much joy and love, just like in life. I felt all the feels in this book but mostly I just loved the friendships. People are most important and Ted and Louisa along with those around them showed us just how important they were to them.

Highly recommend this book, just have the tissues at hand. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

"Stories are complicated, memories are merciless, our brains only store a few moments from the best days of our lives, but we remember every second of the worst."
Fredrik Backman has the single most incredible ability to write characters and relationships that draw you in and never let go.

I've heard a few comparisons made about this book to others and I can definitively say that there is no other book like this. From characters with depth and pure, raw emotion to an interwoven story of timelines, lives and friendships... I feel confident that this will be one of my favorites of the year.

Louisa is an orphan, struggling to find meaning and her place in the world after the loss of the only person who understood her.. She's only ever felt connected to them and a piece of art that she discovered on a postcard as a child. When she finally has the opportunity to see the painting in real life, it sets off a chain of events that will lead her to people and stories and home in a way she never thought she'd find.

This book will make you feel seen. It will break your heart and stitch you right back together again.

Thank you to the publishers for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman is the story about four teenage best friends, told through the eyes of one of them twenty-five years later to a young artist struggling to find her way after losing her best friend, Louisa, after she was gifted an expensive painting by one of the friends, who was a world famous artist.

Fredrik Backman's ability to tell multiple stories at once and weave them together is unmatched, and that is truly highlighted here with his dual timeline as he tells half of this story in the present, and half of it twenty-five years earlier with a flashback timeline. The prose and writing here is just fantastic. His use of metaphors and the way that Backman strings together words to form these beautiful sentences makes the reading just so fun.

In addition to his storytelling, you fall in love with Backman's characters, and each of them, although flawed, are all so easy to root for. They genuinely feel so real and sweet, you just want to hug each one so badly. I love Ted, and Joar, and the artist, and Ali, and Louisa and Fish. I love the side characters you meet along the way like the train conductor, the Mom who needs to use the bathroom on the train, the custodian at their school and his mom, the minister, each one is just crafted so wonderfully and perfectly to the story.

I could not flip the pages for this one fast enough. A great read.

Thank you so much to Atria Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.25 🌟

Fans of Fredrik Backman are going to LOVE this book.

If you've read Backman before, you know his recipe for a book. Kinda slow, deep character development etc. This book was exactly that. In the middle of the book I wanted something to happen, please. By the end of the book I was in love with every. single. character. Every single one. The story of friendship in this book is absolutely beautiful. And the ending?! 😘😭🥰

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Based on the reviews I've seen posted, I am definitely the outlier here...but I think this was actually my least favorite Fredrik Backman book. :(
*
This hits themes of belonging, abuse, love, found family, and has some very touching moments, particularly at the end. That said, I really felt like it dragged, and I couldn't connect with the characters. The main thing for me is that Louisa reads as much younger than 18 and Ted reads as much older than 39. I had to remind myself of their ages because I kept feeling like I was reading about a curmudgeonly 60-something with an annoying 10-year-old.
*
I also felt like the character of the artist was inconsistent. Perhaps that's due to character growth during the years not shown in the book, but I had a hard time seeing the goofy man who loves a good joke as the same person as the sensitive, quiet teenager he's portrayed in the stories. Maybe that's intentional, but it was one more thing I had a hard time connecting to.
*
Definitely don't want to discourage anyone from reading this, Backman is a genius of a writer and I've seen plenty of reviews say this was their favorite of his. It just ultimately wasn't mine.

there were times I had to take a breather from this story because of how deeply I felt it. Backman's writing and beautiful characters are at their best in this one. it had me both happy and sad sobbing at different points.

Oh Frederik Backman, you did it again! Characters I care about, a compelling story, unpredictable turns. So good and so moving. This book is a tribute to friendship. Some of the friendships are across generations--as much as I cherish those friendships I made as a child, I really love friendships that emphasize intergenerational friendships too since we are all the same age on the inside in so many ways.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Here I go, declaring love for another author, but nothing makes me happier than when Fredrik Backman releases another book. This is a story about friendships, love, art and grief. Like Louise, I was on the edge of my seat as Ted( slowly) tells the story of the artist, Jaer, Ted, Ali, and Christian. Future readers, you may not like the pace, but I assure you that it is such a beautiful story.


As always, when I read a Backman, I find myself falling in love with so many beautiful lines from his work.



Trigger Warnings: Domestic Violence, Suicide, Cancer, Drug Overdose
Expected Publication Date 06/05/25
Goodreads Review Date 21/04/25

I am not exaggerating when I say that this is one of the best books I have read! An absolute delight to read, I smiled almost all the way through when I wasn’t laughing or getting something in my eye.
It is so beautifully written I was writing down quotes from the book constantly.
The way the story is told to Louisa by Ted is full of heart and joy and some heart stopping moments along the way.
Read it, tell your friends to read it and I am looking forward to the TV series or movie which has to happen!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy. It wasn’t my favorite Backman book but it was a good story on relationships!

Well I’m late to the Fredrik Backman world but so happy to finally be here. What a beautiful story told straight from the heart. I was just immersed the entire time. Grabbed me from the very beginning and didn’t let go. Such a beautiful cast of characters!
Thank you NetGalley, Fredrik Backman and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book

3 stars. I am a fan of Backman's work so I'm pretty surprised that I didn't click with this book. I found the pacing to be too slow to hold onto my attention and I didn't connect to the characters. This might just be a case of right book, wrong timing for me personally. I could definitely see myself revisiting this book down the line to see if my opinion changes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy. My Friends is available on May 6, 2025.

I am speechless.

This book is the perfect mix of funny, deeply heartbreaking, and somewhat still incredibly hopeful.

With every new book of Fredrik Backman’s that I read, I find myself more and more fascinated by his talent at painting human experiences through beautifully accurate similes and metaphors. I would quote some of my favorites for you right now, but I would hate to spoil even a morsel of this wonderful story.

You are just going to have to trust me when I tell you to go into this blind and let yourself be transported through Backman’s enchanting characters and spellbinding narrative.

5 stars

Prospective readers who are familiar with Backman's work and wonder if he can possibly manage to do it again will be pleased to know that the answer is a resounding "yes." He can and does in this incredible new novel.

It's the day before Louisa will turn 18, and this isn't just the mark of her impending adulthood. As a long-term resident in foster care, Louisa's impending birthday will mark her freedom from a life of emotional and physical safety and security. The one respite from her struggles is her friend, Fish, whom she has recently lost (and she mentions so very early on, so not a spoiler at all). Louisa's grief and uncertainty lead her to do and see the one thing that resonates with her: a specific piece of art. That experience catapults her into a new set of contacts, an adventure, and a whole series of discoveries.

I'll leave the plot points as vague and minimal as possible because this journey is really about character development and connection, along with grief, processing, and resilience. The way Backman explores the human condition is just so special and layered, and I love his work. This novel is no exception. Recommended to all.

this unpacks so much! Love, friendship, found family, heartbreak, and loss... FB really packs a punch in his books, it's worth taking your time with it.

4.5/5 ⭐️, 0/5 🌶️, 3/5 💧

🎨Found Family & Power of Friendships
🎨Dysfunctional Families
🎨Power of Art & Surviving
🎨Bullying/Addiction/Domestic Violence
🎨Dual Timeline

If you've read a novel by Fredrik Backman, you know he has a very distinct style of writing that you either love or you don't. I personally love it, and just found myself crying throughout this book, admiring and feeling the love between the characters.

The storytelling of these friends was shared such as the main young character in the book matched the reactions of the reader, which was a fun way to flashback to the pasty. It was interwoven with present day in a captivating way that moved the story along. That being said, there are a lot of anecdotes that show us why these friends are the way they are, but it's not a perfectly linear fast paced plot line - so if you're looking for something quick moving in that way, this won't be it. However, I still found the storytelling compelling and couldn't wait to hear more.

There were tough topics woven in with the nonchalant dark humor that Fredrik is known for that had me crying and laughing throughout. It was such a beautiful story that I'll be thinking about for a long time.

If you're looking for a slower paced but emotionally moving story that's told with a signature humor, I would very much recommend this book. It's heavy, so just make sure you're in the right mood before diving in.