A famous piece of art depicts the sea, a pier, and if you really look - 4 kids on the pier. Louisa is an aspiring artist and somewhat lost foster kid whose best and only friend has recently died. She has carried a postcard of the piece for most of her life and just wants to see it in person. 25 years after the artwork was created, Louisa serendipitously gets possession of the priceless work and meets one of the boys (now man) and takes a journey with him where she learns the story of the kids on the pier, all living with terrible home lives and only really having their friends as support. This is a story about finding your people and the support and intimacy of platonic love.

I love Frederick Backman and appreciate his writing style, I have read most of his backlist (the last Beartown book is just waiting for when I have time to enjoy). This was not my favorite of his but I still appreciated the different stories told through and of course the trademark Backman zingers sharing his feelings and observations about the world and people's behaviors. While this one was a bit slower than others, I still become invested in the kids’ stories (much more than Louisa’s) and wanted to continue to read so I could learn what happened to all of them in their adulthood. I loved Beartown and A Man Called Ove - I don’t think this one reached that level but still a worthwhile and enjoyable read. I listened to about three quarters of this one (I like his books on audio, they work particularly well for me) and really thought the audio was the way to go, I think this would have been a slower story if I read most of it.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC to review

Fredrik Backman did not disappoint in his most recent novel, My Friends. This was a reflective coming-of-age story about a summer and a group of friends. As always, Backman knows how to get the reader laughing and crying simultaneously.

Louisa is aging out of foster care when she meets her idol, an artist, right before his death. When he dies, he entrusts his best friend, Ted, to get his painting to Louisa. Louisa follows Ted on his journey back to his childhood hometown. Ted spends most of the novel recounting his last summer with his friends when they were 14. Ted considers this summer the last summer they were kids. This group of friends experiences trauma, death, and violence, but their friendship is what they hang on to to endure the summer and still find light in life.

This story leaves the reader reflecting on what it means to be a friend, lover, and human being. The story of art, friendship, and loss will break your heart and have you thinking about the characters long after you close the book.

5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this free ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I have read a lot of Backman's books over the last few years. I expect them to pull at my heart strings, make me laugh when I feel like crying and make me think more about the world around me.

My Friends is next level Backman. This book emotionally destroyed me from page one. And kept going until slowly building me back up again. it made me think about the people I had at 14 and the life I lived. As someone who could feel the emotions from both a lost 18 year old and an almost 40 year old remembering his past. It was just one tug after another.

There is nothing I could improve on with this book. it is literal perfection.

Fredrik Backman has a way of writing that feels honest and human. My Friends is a heartfelt, often funny, and surprisingly emotional look at friendship, connection, and the things people do for each other—sometimes messy, sometimes awkward, but always real.

The characters are quirky and imperfect, just like real people. Backman shows how they struggle, make mistakes, and still find ways to care for one another. He mixes humour and sadness in a way that feels natural—you’ll laugh one minute and maybe tear up the next.

What stands out most is how relatable it all feels. Whether it’s the quiet moments between friends or the big emotional decisions, Backman makes you feel like you’re right there with them.

If you liked Anxious People or A Man Called Ove, you’ll enjoy this too. It’s a reminder that even when life is tough, we’re better when we have people around us—flawed and all.

A warm, thoughtful read that sticks with you.

My Friends is about four teenagers whose friendship will change Louisa's life twenty-five years later. A world famous painting will end up in her possession and she will try to learn the story of how the painting came to be.

You should pick My Friends by Fredrik Backman if :
* You like slow burn stories about the connection between different characters;
* You want to feels like you personally knows the characters because they fells so real;
* You don't mind to be brokenhearted because these teenager's lifes are tough.

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite writer. I adore the Beartown trilogy, equally for the story and for the writing style. I really liked My Friends too, it is beautifully written. It was just sooo sad my god I couldn't read it for more than a couple of pages at the time. I don't know why, but it really got me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How do I even go about with this one? It did take me about a month to finish My Friends as I kept treading with it slow and steady. That's how I enjoy my Backman adventures and I think it worked for this one, because it's a book that's definitely impressionable to me.

First off, Fredrik Backman just has a nifty talent of making me love all the characters he writes and includes in his stories, in this one no less. I loved Louisa's character that's flawed but hopeful, charming yet cautious and still someone that's coming of age even though she's wiser beyond her years. Her brief encounter with the artist was beautiful and sad, something that made me think of everyday life when you meet someone at the grocery store briefly and they may or may not leave a lasting impression on you. Then Louisa's friendship with Ted and learning more about his youth and memories, the great ones and the not so happy ones. The story did move slowly for me, but it built up to reveal more and more that I didn't know my heart needed.

Everything I questioned about while reading was answered in the witty Backman ways and the ending was a full circle moment that had me wobbly smiling and happy. This book tackles grief and many hard subjects through a heartbreaking but powerful story. I didn't expect anything less from one of my favourite authors but this was a gooder.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a digital reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions and review.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC for My Friends. I absolutely loved this book. I had to portion it out over time because I didn't want to leave these characters. It made me laugh, cry, and think about my own life. It was just what I needed at this time.

I loved the storytelling aspect of this book. It wove together the kids in the pairing with Louisa so well. Few books can weave in flashbacks and the past so organically. All of the characters were broken but found solace in each other which provides so much hope.

I loved the way this story was told but I can see why others might not like it as much. The story was slowly revealed but it kept my attention and I wanted to hear the story being told. The more present day storyline I did struggle with at times because I couldn't really connect with these characters. This as normal for this author's books, was heartwarming and sad. I did enjoy, and would recommend it to others.

Backman has done it again! This book is everything that’s good in the world and will just tug and tug at your heartstrings. I loved it so much!

Reading a Fredrik Backman book feels like being wrapped in a warm hug where the person hugging you also happens to be ripping your heart out. Backman writes about art and love and friendship with an unmatched perception of humanity and sense of humor. All that to say I loved this book.

I landed on 4 stars because there were some moments in the middle where the story was struggling to hold my attention, but the way Backman ties up all of the characters and their journeys was so beautiful.

This was a really beautiful read. It flowed nicely from perspective to perspective, and made it possible to identify with the characters and their youth/aging.

I have read every Fredrik Backman book and this one jumped to the top of the list for me. It's been almost a month since I finished this story and I haven't stopped thinking about it.

It's a story about art, grief, friendship and found family. Louisa has been enthralled by a painting for years and the small figures in the corner. Turns out there is more to the story of the figures. Enter Ted and his friends, the figures in the image. In present day, Louisa embark on a journey to learn more about the painting and forms a friendship with Ted. The journey they go on together, uncovering the past while forming a friendship is such a beautiful story. I sobbed the last 30% of this book and felt every feeling. I truly truly loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Mr. Backman surely writes character driven plots and this is no exception. The characters are rich and humorous and sad. The main plot centers around 4 friends frozen in time in a painting but few even see them as they are minor figures in the work. But our teenage lost foster child absolutely does. When a chance meeting with "the artist" takes her into their world she becomes a part of that time and she will defend them with her very soul. The interplay between them all is so loving you follow along with their story. I loved when she is wailing after twist in the plot and they're telling her it's OK, it was year ago and she says "Not to Me--it just happened!" and she's right. It's new to us so please continue. Parts are a little convenient, a little neat and tidy and others dragged a bit if I'm being honest but these characters will stay with me for a long time.

This was a masterpiece. And even though this isn't a YA book, I think this is worth adding to ANY library just because of the emotional depth of this beautiful, poignant story. Backman excels at showing us what it is to be human, with all its fragility and tenderness. I loved every page of this. The friendships, the relationships... it was all just so very well done. One of my favorites of the year!!!

i love fredrik backman’s writing!!!! he writes simple things in such a hard hitting way it makes me cry every time, for sometimes very mundane reasons. putting feelings and emotions into words is his superpower.

i was compelled by ted telling the story of the 4 best friends from his childhood and how the famous painting that the story centers around came to be. i loved the storytelling style of these parts of the book because it felt like he was telling it to me personally!

i found the stories of each individual character to be unfortunately realistic. the friends each had their own versions of a traumatic family life, and the relationships they built with each other through the hardships was very heartwarming. you can really tell how much they all love and trust each other, and how much finding each other as teenagers shaped them into the people they become.

the relationship that louisa and ted built throughout the story was my fav. i was kind of hoping for a specific outcome for them, and i was not let down. the book did start to feeling a little long towards the end, but overall i loved it!

i will never not recommend a fredrik backman book. they always hit people in different ways, so i recommended giving his books a go if you’re on the fence!

thank you atria and netgalley for the free e-arc

My Friends is a story within a story about the summer of four fourteen-year-old friends and twenty-five years later about a piece of artwork.

As usual, I cannot describe what Fredrik Backman’s writing means to me. Every time I pick up one of his books, I know I’m going to read something I didn’t know I needed. It always takes me a bit to get into Backman’s books, but that’s not a bad thing, you just have to take his writing slow and steady before it hooks you and you immerse yourself in it.

The characters are complex and I walked away from the novel feeling like Joar, Ted, Ally, and the artist were my own friends. Backman doesn’t shy away from hard topics - the kids are there for each other as an escape from their home lives, some of which are dangerous. The writing brings out realistic dialogue between the friends and shows the simple yet messiness that can come from being so close with someone.

With a story about childhood friendships and those people who help shape who you are, this book is sure to resonate with everyone who reads it - especially reminding you of your childhood ride or die.

“I love you.”
“I trust you.”

*Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of this book.

Each book I have read by Fredrik Backman has been filled with profound observations of human behavior and depth of character. Aptly, this book is full of nuanced characters and relationships that felt deeply emotional. There were some light moments, but I definitely wouldn't call this book a light or easy read.

There were times that I felt the pace dragged a bit, but at the same time, there were so many so many revelatory statements about life, childhood, and friendships that it was appropriate and necessary to take time to let them sink in. I had a difficult time getting into the book, but it was well worth it by the end.

Backman has done it again. My heart swelled and broke into a thousand pieces as I remembered my own youth and lived the life of our beloved characters. My Friends is an ode to life, and to teens - the most resilient and lively of us all.

I have been crying non-stop. Why does Fredrik Backman keep doing this to us?

I’m constantly in awe of how Backman writes about life, love, friendship, and art with such clarity and precision. He has this incredible way of highlighting the best parts of being human, things you may have never put into words yourself, but instantly recognize the truth of the moment you read them.

His prose (and the translation) makes it feel like he’s speaking directly to you. It’s like he’s telling you the story, and you’re right there on that pier with those four friends by the sea, in on the joke, feeling every beat of it. He captures the entire spectrum of emotion and reflects it back in a way that feels both gut-wrenching and beautiful.

My Friends centers around art and friendship, and it left me wanting to call my friends just to hear their voices and remind myself that they’re still there.