I *LOVE* Backman's books. Like love beyond reason. So I was very very excited to read this one. And maybe it was my extreme excitement that made it for the hard to live up to it, but it just didn't work as well as prior books like Ove or Anxious People. I love Backman's bringing together of disparate people, hurting in their own ways. I love his humor. This book tries those things but never to the same effect as prior books. A story of friends and art, I was very much into the flashback story telling by Ted but was incredibly frustrated at the meandering way that the flashbacks were told and at the interruption by present day, a storyline that was a million times less compelling after the first couple chapters. I guess the pacing just never worked for me. I loved the bones of it but a rare miss from Backman.

My Friends is out May 6, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think I have to words to describe how much I love this book (and author!).

Like all Backman books - for me it takes a little while to fully immerse myself in the characters and setting, but once I am in, it is well worth it. I highlighted so many lines, phrases and moments.

This is an amazing story about a group of friends - and new friends along the way. Found family is my favorite, and this book does it 100 times better than most!


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

5 love this author stars

I was a little afraid to read this one because I loved the Beartown series so much. I wondered if this author could top those or even match them. It’s safe to say his writing is top-notch here as well. Backman somehow creates these broken characters that are so human and fully developed that I feel like I know them and want to hug them!

We meet Louisa, a young artist raised in foster homes about to come face-to-face with a painting she has coveted for some time. It’s a very famous painting of three friends at the end of a pier and the seaside. If you look closely, you will see them. And Louisa wants to know their story.

In this magical story, Louisa’s story is mixed in with the artist's and his friend’s stories. These misfit friends are there for each other in so many ways, and they would do anything for each other.

Joar, who has to fight battles at home and school, is a fierce protector. Ted is the quiet one in the group. Ali brings joy to the group. And the artist, filled with incredible talent that teachers don’t know how to cultivate. They all have obstacles in life, but their friendship is the biggest gift.

We learn the friend’s life stories as they are told to Louisa, and I didn’t want to get to the end of the story either. The summer of the painting came to vivid life in this book. What will Louisa do with all this knowledge, and how will it influence her painting?

This one brought out all the emotions as I read it and marveled at Backman’s talented writing. A story that shows us what friendship is all about and how we should cherish our friends.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy <3 I may have squealed when I got the email!

Originally 5 stars, but I sat with this for a few days and I feel more like it should be 4.5-4.75. This book is another incredible read from Fredrik Backman. Told in a back and forth between present day and 25 years ago (which is the year 2000 in case anyone wants to feel old) by one of the 4 friends. Joar, Ted, the artist, and Ali (al-ee) have one perfect summer when they're 14, full of bike rides, swimming in the sea, and loving each other like only 14 year olds can. Fredrik Backman so perfectly encapsulates what it is to feel and be human and what it is to feel 14 (the two are NOT the same thing).

This book made me cry no less than 3 times.

The reason I took away half to three-quarters of a star is because of how SAD this book is. Life isn't perfect, I don't want it to be portrayed that way. But my god was this book hopeless. Not necessarily trauma p*rn, but I had to take regular breaks from reading this to read a fluffy no-substance romance novel because of how dismal this book made me feel. But that truly is how it feels to be 14. But surely what are the odds that 4/4 (100%) of a friend group have abusive parents, are bullied at school, and generally have horrific lives? None of them have any hope to do anything with their lives? Maybe I didn't like that because it's too close to my own hometown.

Anyways, I loved this book and absolutely will be recommending it to everyone I see.

Thank you @atriabooks for the complimentary ARC. ♡

·∘⋆⊹ “𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚙 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚘 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚛𝚜𝚎.” ⊹⋆∘·

I was nervous to read my first Backman, afraid my expectations would be too high. I’m glad to report that there was no reason to be concerned — I loved this book.

This book is an endless sea, a great friendship, a true love story. It’s dual timeline, which left me apprehensive each time we traveled back to the past.

Backman uses humor to deal with emotionally charged topics, while dropping little nuggets of wisdom along the way. I loved the interplay between the child (well, she’s 18 but she seems young to me), and the older characters (*eh-hem* they’re all younger than me at 38-40 😂😅).

I was tearing up within the first 5 chapters and it didn’t let up till the end, with love and hope shining through. I leave you with some of my fave quotes (along with the one up top):

“𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚏𝚊𝚛 𝚊 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎’𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖.”

“𝚃𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎?”

“𝚈𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚜.” 😭🥹

·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ My Friends is releasing tomorrow, May 6! You won’t regret reading this one.

TW: Child Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Rape (off page), Death, Drug Abuse, Addiction, Assault, Violence

Reading a Fredrik Backman novel is akin to sitting on the porch with a dear friend talking well into the night and going wherever the conversation takes you. The subject matter switches easily from reminiscence to philosophizing and back again. You laugh and you cry; pausing occasionally to sit with your feelings. When you finally rise from your chair to call it a night, your heart is fuller because time spent with a friend is a true gift. Fredrik Backman is a gift and this novel, MY FRIENDS, is a testament to his ability to get to the heart of what makes us human.

This is a story of friends and friendship and the importance of both and their ability to sustain us when the world is bleak and scary and full of pain. It is a story of art—it’s beauty and how it connects us. It is a tale of resilience amid circumstances that seem unsurvivable. It is the essence of love in its most basic and truest form. It is a gift from Backman to the world; slowly unfolding and embracing the reader like a promise.

It’s best to go into this novel with an open heart. Let yourself follow Backman’s brilliant writing on a journey of discovery. You’ll laugh and cry. You’ll roil at the unjustness of circumstances and revel in the beauty of the universe. And, in the end, you’ll be thankful for the time on the porch with that friend who makes the world a better place.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

On brand with Frederick’s other novels, this is moving and heart warming, but I found it to be a little immature and too on the nose. It repeated cliches and quotes pretty often and in some ways felt like a children’s book.

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

This is, hands down, the best story of friendship I've ever read. I've only read a few of Backman's book, but this gave me all the feels. Laughter and tears. Absolute gem. Read it! 5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this eARC. My opinions are my own.

All I can say is WOW. If all Fredrick Blackman books are this good, I have been seriously missing out. It is a coming of age story about a girl who is obsessed with a painting. Of course it’s more than that, multiple perspectives going back and forth between the past and present all revolving around a painting of the sea and four friends. I went through all the emotions and it was everything. I am definitely reading the rest of his books now.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this as a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I will die on the hill that this is Backman's best book yet. An absolute rare experience for myself in that it took me three and a half months to read, but speaks to exactly what this book is. This is not a book to be consumed or even digested, but a book to be savored.

This story follows four teenage friends with wildly different backgrounds yet similar positions in life and how they fight for each other and the love they feel for their people. There's a dual timeline with another teenager who meets one of the four later in their life and hears their story for the first time. I think the framing of the story being told within the story was extremely impactful because it allowed the reader to have unfolding emotions in real time but also understand the weight and reality of walking through experiences and emotions and memories when you're in a much different stage of life.

Like I've felt reading so many of Backman's other books, the characters were so layered and complex and even if they were "in the background" there was enough depth to them to make the reader care about how they contributed to the story of the teen they belonged to.

Cannot tell you how many tears I shed or times I had to put this book down to read something else for a minute just so I could take a full deep breath again.

You know that feeling when you're swimming and you're underwater just a bit too long and there's that frantic scramble to break the waves and then the air you inhale is humanity and being alive at its finest? That's the feeling this book brings. Read it.

Young Louisa is embarking on the rest of her life when a chance meeting with her idol literally puts her on a path she could have never imagined. During the initial leg of her journey, she learns about four kids who were the closest of friends one summer 25 years earlier: an artist, a troublemaker, an intelligent, quiet boy, and a girl who never stayed anywhere for long. They were each other’s refuge from the lives they’d been born into and they forged a friendship that was strong enough to span decades. Alternating between these two time frames, we see how the events of that summer affected the friends and rippled outward over time.

While this wasn’t particularly like any of the other Fredrik Backman books I’ve read, My Friends was told with signature Backman style—with intuitive understanding of human sociology and psychology, with astute commentary on behaviors that humans shouldn’t be proud of, and with a good dose of humor and relatability. This novel particularly focused on the beauty of otherness. Backman took people who were considered to be outsiders, weird, and undesirable and wrote about their humanity, their art, their vulnerability, and their love and loyalty to each other and others like them.

Louisa grabbed my attention right off the bat. She was a complicated, yet hopeful, teenager struggling to survive. The interplay between her and Ted was charming and funny, despite its awkwardness. Louisa was slowly able to pull out Ted’s story and share her own, bringing them closer together during their adventure.

While I enjoyed the book, I did often feel that it was repetitive and long winded. I felt like Backman laid it on pretty thickly in relaying his message. I mean, it was a good message. It was just lots of the same message over and over.

I found it interesting that the book title is “My” Friends. Was Backman referring to his own life story? I also never understood why the name of the artist was withheld for so long. I assume there was a point to the timing of the revelation but I couldn’t figure it out. I’m planning to see Backman soon in person and I hope he discusses this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this opportunity to read a galley of this new novel by an author I admire. My Friends will be published on May 6, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the e-Arc.

I have to admit this was definitely not my typical genre of book and not my favorite book I’ve read this year. However, I loved the way Backman wrote the relationship between all the friends- it was a great depiction of true, deep, lifelong friendship. As far as Ted and Louisa relationship it almost seemed like they were the same age in their conversations (even though they weren’t) and the bickering got a little old for me.
The story was rather slow, anticlimactic, and flat to me. The back and forth timelines didn’t quite work the way I was hoping for. The message of the story being friendship, found family, never giving up on your dreams, and helping others do the same really resonated with me though. I also love when books are focused around art (whether it be music, painting, acting etc) and that drew me in a little more. Overall I liked the book but I just wasn’t Wowed by it.
Trigger warnings to have to be brought up : violence, death, homelessness.

5⭐️ Y’all!! I really don’t know how to do scribe this book without giving things away, but I’m going to try. This is my first Fredrik Backman book, and it didn’t disappoint. The depth of friendship that surpasses literally so much life that is thrown at them. The depth of every character!! There are so many hard topics touch but in a very real respectful way. While still having so many moments that make you smile and laugh. Just read it. That’s all I can ask. So good. Coming this Tuesday, May 6th.

Louisa is going to make it to eighteen. Then they’ll stop looking for her and she’ll be free. What she doesn’t expect is to inherit a priceless piece of art. She only met the artist once. But now, Ted is doing his friend this last favor. Drawn more to the artwork, Louisa proceeds to convince Ted to share the history behind it and ultimately the artist. Neither of them expect to find what transpires on a cross-country journey of reliving the past, finding healing, and remembering so much friendship.

Thank you so much to @netgalley @atriabooks and @backmansk for the honor of an advanced reader copy. #netgalley #myfriends #atriabooks #friendship #bookreview #arcreview

Fredrik Backman’s My Friends is a tender and hauntingly beautiful novel that lingers long after the final page. With his signature empathy and depth, Backman weaves together two timelines—one of an aspiring young artist named Louisa, the other of a group of teens trying to survive a difficult summer—with a quiet power that builds into something truly unforgettable.

At the heart of the story is a painting: mysterious, moving, and central to both the characters’ pasts and their futures. What starts as a simple curiosity for Louisa soon becomes a deeply personal journey, filled with surprises, emotional revelations, and a profound exploration of what it means to belong—to people, to places, to art.

Backman masterfully captures the ache of adolescence, the weight of unspoken trauma, and the enduring light of friendship. Each character is fully alive, flawed, and lovable in their own way, and the dual timelines converge with a grace that is both heartbreaking and hopeful.

My Friends isn’t just a story about a painting—it’s a reminder that even the quietest lives leave behind a legacy, that art can carry memory, and that sometimes, the truest families are the ones we choose.

This book is a gift.

I don’t even know if I have the words to describe how beautiful this book is. All of Backman’s books have been a work of art but this one is a masterpiece. The way Backman writes about grief, addiction, and friendship had me in tears the entire time I read the book. It’s just so humanizing. Gah. This book is going to live in my heart forever.

And as basically everyone has already said: Fredrik Backman has done it again. Truly. Every single one of his books deserves a place in a museum. If no one else will say it louder—I’ll be Joar in this universe, yelling from the rooftops that these books are masterpieces. They deserve nothing but love, protection, and endless praise.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman is a sweeping, emotionally charged novel that beautifully captures the raw, aching complexity of growing up, the enduring power of friendship, and the quiet resilience found in human connection. The book follows two main characters: Louisa, an 18-year-old runaway in foster care who dreams of being an artist, and Ted, an older man who once shared a deep friendship with the famous painter Louisa admires. When Louisa meets the artist just before he dies, he leaves her with a mysterious painting and a task that will change her life. She ends up traveling with Ted to the artist’s hometown to scatter his ashes and uncover the story behind the painting.

As their train moves across the countryside, Ted begins to unravel the story of a summer long ago—twenty-five years earlier—when he and his three teenage friends (Joar, Ali, and the artist) formed a friendship that shaped the rest of their lives. In Backman’s signature style, these flashbacks shift smoothly between memory and confession, filled with sharp humor, deep emotional insight, and a powerful sense of truth. Each of the teens is vividly drawn: Joar, full of fire and defiance; Ali, always searching for a place to belong; Ted, quiet and carrying silent grief; and the artist, whose calm nature hides a soul that sees the world too deeply. Their bond is imperfect but full of love, and the time they spent trading jokes, secrets, and dreams on that forgotten pier shines with a kind of nostalgia that feels real—like you’re right there with them, laughing, hurting, and hoping. Backman writes their story with humor, honesty, and so much heart.

His prose is both simple and poetic, saying so much with so few words. He writes about grief with brutal honesty, but also with warmth and compassion, showing how sadness and laughter often live side by side. In the present, Louisa’s story reflects Ted’s memories. Her curiosity, strength, and hidden vulnerability mirror the emotional struggles his group once faced. As Louisa and Ted grow closer through shared stories and slowly opened hearts, she begins to find not just answers to the painting’s mystery, but a feeling of belonging she’s never had before.

At its core, My Friends is about how people become home for each other—especially when the world feels cold and unfair. It’s about the art we create from our pain, the stories that outlive us, and how even short-lived friendships can change our lives forever. With laugh-out-loud moments and heartbreaking truths, Backman shows how the past never really leaves us, and how healing often begins when we let someone else in. This book doesn’t just ask you to read—it asks you to feel. It calls you to remember your own messy, beautiful teenage years, your once-in-a-lifetime friendships, and the dreams you tucked away in quiet places. It reminds you that even in hard times, there’s still beauty, still love, and still hope.

With unforgettable characters, layered themes, and a voice full of warmth and wisdom, My Friends may be one of Fredrik Backman’s finest novels yet. It is a tribute to the people who never leave us, the bonds that never break, and the parts of ourselves we give to those we love. This isn’t just a story—it’s a deeply emotional experience, one that will stay with readers long after the final page is turned.

Sunday afternoon reading --I finally finished My Friends by Fredrik Backman! I'd been reading it most of the week and while I liked it, I'm not in love with it as I've seen so many friends rave reviews.

I sometimes struggle with his unique writing style and I felt like parts of this book dragged on. I loved the ending and the themes about friendship and belonging and the realities of life but it wasn't enough for me to love this book.

I absolutely adored the Beartown series and Backman has such a way of writing teenage characters and that is strong in this book. I preferred the part from the past and the summer everyone was fourteen more than the current story.

I know my review isn't as glowing as others but I'm still going to read more from Fredrik Backman and he is such an amazing storyteller.

Thanks to Atria books for an advanced copy! My Friends comes out on Tuesday!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Fredrik Backman takes you on an emotional journey of how four best friends find comfort, love and acceptance in each other despite the circumstances they were raised in. Their story unfolds in various stages after Louisa is gifted a painting from the artist and finds herself following one of the friends on a journey to the artist’s hometown. Backman’s writing is one of my favorites and this story continued my love for his work. I highly recommend reading this one (and his previous works as well)!

Fredrik Backman's writing is truly magical and every story he writes never fails to make me laugh and cry. His characters always feel so real, each with their own flaws and traumas — and that's what makes them so human. This story and these characters will stay with me for a long time... This book explores friendship, found family, art and grief and shows you how one encounter can change someone's life for the better.

I feel so lucky to have received this ARC from one of my favorite authors, and I’m incredibly thankful to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Fredrick Backman is a gifted author who creates characters that are very likeable with unique and quirky dialogue. This story captures the pain and beauty of being an artist. It also shows how strong the bonds of friendship can be.

My Friends tells the story of Louisa an emerging teenage artist who happens by chance to meet the world famous painter she admires. This chance encounter will change her life forever. The story has two timelines in it. Ted the other main character is an older gentleman who befriends Louisa and tells the tale behind the famous painting. All the characters in the book have had a troubled background, but there is a lot of happiness too in their friendships. It makes you thankful for the friendships you have and makes you realize that in all the hardships there is still hope in the end.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone. The author does such a great job of keeping the reader entertained.

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