Backman has done it yet again. Not that I expected this book to disappoint. They never do. Somehow it makes you laugh and cry at the same time. Your jaw will drop. But best of all, your heart will feel like it’s getting a big, warm hug. It’s almost like a form of therapy, showing the other side of tragedy and sadness, the hope, the light at the end of the tunnel that always appears, the love. The characters are perfect and easy to cheer for. And the way with words. So many quotes I wanted to rip off the pages and hang on my walls so I could read them over and over again. I’m so glad this book exists. I’m so glad a read it and highly recommend you do the same.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and of course, Fredrik Backman.

Both hopeful and heartbreaking at the same time. Bacman is a master storyteller who excels at making readers feel the emotional experience of his characters and this book is no exception. I became absorbed in the world he built and didn’t want the story to end.

I love Fredrik Backman’s books and have read everything he’s written. I enjoyed this book so much. I felt all the feels and fell in love with each character! I enjoy Backman's quicky writing style too.Thanks to NetGalley, and the publisher for an arc!

How can I rate a Backman book anything less than 5 stars?

One thing I have noticed about Backman and his writing style is that you simply can't read his words and be done. You have to sit with them, break them down, say "wow" to yourself when you figure out what it means to you, and then repeat the process. How this man can weave humor, hijinks, laughter, sadness, depression, and utterly gut wrenching scenarios and ideas, sometimes all of the latter in one paragraph, is truly beyond me. My Friends tells the story of 4 idiots, the kind of idiots you can only be when you're fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. It is about the sea, about art, about teaching, about brothers, about parents, about grief, about love, about loneliness, about violence, about simplicity, about fart jokes, about trains, about planes, and honestly, it's about life. You think you know where the story is going to go 20% in, 45% in, and even 80% of the way in, but Backman still surprises you. He creates full fleshed out characters that have flaws and are messy and are just trying to figure it out, just like we all are.

A few of my favorite lines/thoughts/ideas presented within My Friends, with little to no explanation:

1. "And Heaven laughs. Oh, how it laughs." - A damn good line.

2. "They were fourteen years old then. It was the first time Ted had lost someone he loved, when you grow up you realize that fourteen is actually quite late, that not losing anyone in all the years before then was really just luck." - Yes, it is.

3. "Rich people love tiny food." Classic Backman.

4. "Stop saying I was in prison!" "I'm telling you, it makes you seem dangerous and attractive."

5. "Not everyone can be as lucky with their friends as you." (:

6. "In the evening Christian's mother comes and helps the minister pick up the flowers and put them on the graves that no one visits."

Words are not small things, Fredrik write in another book of his, Beartown (and if you know me at all, you know this series is one of the reasons I am who I am today). That is the invisible string connecting us to one another. The power of words. The ideas presented within will carry on. Put this one on your TBR, immediately.

The biggest of thanks to NetGalley for early access, this meant the world to me.

My Friends was my first experience with a Fredrik Backman story, and immediately I knew that I reading the words of a master storyteller. It was also apparent Backman was adept at making his readers feel the emotional experience of his characters- which usually makes me wary (is he about to break my heart to bits??), but somehow, he also earned my trust. All this within the first 10% of the book. I don’t know how it’s possible, but this book is art. This book is a beautiful act of rebellion in a hard and harsh world. I could not put it down.

This book explores the ripple effect of the friendships of a group of rough and rugged teenagers rebelliously choosing love and beauty while growing up in a hard world of domestic violence, substance abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, loss… etc. There are tough themes explored, but Backman does not go into grotesque and descriptive details of maltreatment. He just gives enough for the reader to hold the characters, their experiences, and their choices with empathy and compassion. He holds the tension of recognizing beauty and love against a backdrop of relentless hardship. This book will change you, but it won’t break you.

You can trust Backman to give back your heart in one piece with My Friends. This will absolutely be an instant best seller, and it’s one not to miss. What a treasure.

I would like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There is a reason why Fredrik Backman is my favorite author ! He writes with DEEP emotion. His characters are flawed, as we all are. His storylines are non-linear, as life can be. And it is ALL perfection. He manages to grasp my heart from the first page and holds tight until I am sure I don't want him to let go.

Core friend group from the past, youngster, and art. Contains the signature Backman insightful way of explaining universal truths, but trigger warning it contains a lot of loss. 3.5 stars

Story: 3 Characters: 4 Engagement: 3
Recco: sure--as long as you're emotionally prepared

"Our teenage years have to simultaneously be the brightest light and the darkest depths, because that's how we learn to figure out our horizons."

Highlights:
- Love the beautifully written descriptions of life learnings and character observations Quotes of a few below.
- Ode to friendship and finding your people is excellent
- The main girl is a trip: spunky, endearing, and lonely. I really felt for her.
- Main man is an island in himself which is nice to see disrupted
- Some scenes are so emotionally poignant you can't help but be affected by them
- The importance of authentic from the heart art us central

Midlights:
- Storytelling of the past isn't sequential so bit harder to follow

Lowlights:
- So many people die: it seems constant and imminent and quite depressing
- Some kids' lives are so gut wrenching

Quotes I highlighted::
"The most dangerous place on earth is inside us."

"Fragile hearts break in palaces and dark alleys alike.."

"He has an impressive scream, somewhere between a five-year-old who's fallen off a swing and an opera singer who's found a snake in her car."

"his joy never lasted very long, his skin was too thin to keep reality out."

"He was good at seeing the beauty in everything, that happens if you're no good at seeing it in yourself."

"Ted and Ted's brain are not friends, they're classmates, forced to do a group assignment called "life" together."

"She's bad at pretty much everything, but good at being angry."

"Art is empathy."

"You're an artist if you don't see the world the way it is, if you hate white walls!"

"What happens next is both stupid and logical, much like most of life, really."

"it's impossible to come home now, he realizes, because home was the people."

"Grief is a selfish bacteria, it demands all our attention."

"The woman pretty much has the emotional range of a lampshade."

I'm going to start this by saying, I go into 99% of the books i read blind. Backman is my favorite, and when I got the arc I did an actual happy dance and called like 5 people jumping up and down. And then i sat down and bawled through the first chapter, because i am an adoptive mom of an older child that we adopted through the foster system. My heart was cracking for Louisa and fish so much after the first chapter that I had to put the book down for a week before I could continue.
My favorite thing about backman's books is always the same. He sees, actually sees, people. He will mention a character... it might be a main character's brother, or a random teacher, or a janitor, or just a passerby. But instead of dismissing them (they're a bully, they're always afraid, they haven't amounted to anything) he explains their WHY. I think it's so easy for us in life to forget that everyone has a why for why they act and respond the way they do. Backman acknowledges the why, and it's beautiful and important. He reminds us that being kind can change a person's entire life, and that being different is still worthy.

Thank you atria books for this digital arc! :)

I looooove Fredrik backman & his work. I’ve read Beartown (just the first) and so many of his stand alones. I’m going to get some backlash probably for this one, & I know his writing style is usually a slow burn, but this one was a real slow burn for me. I loved all the characters, their friendship, & various timelines, but maybe I just needed a little more action / events. This will be a four or five star read for many who love him, but this just wasn’t my favorite. 🤍

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Wow, really wow! I struggled with this book on the first two chapters, not that it wasn't interesting but you know when you finish a really good book, sometimes it is hard to get into another one. I persevered though because if any of you have ever read any other novels written by Frederik Backman, you know that it is worth reading.
I would like to thank #netgalley for giving me this ARC to give an honest review. To those of you that actually read my reviews, you will know that I do not like to give anything away about the book. There are other reviewers out there that will give you a deep dive into the book, I only look at how many stars reviewers give. I also follow another reviewer who reads similar subjects that I do and I usually do enjoy the books Chelsey reviews.
This story involves 4 young friends, one who becomes famous and the story is told how their friendship has stood the test of time, all the way into their adult lives. They meet more characters along the way, they help people even though they all have encountered hard home lives.
I enjoyed this book immensely and I highly recommend it.

Fredrik Backman said in his speech for Simon and Schuster's Centennial Celebration: "I spend 8 hours every day locked inside a room with people I have made up. If I was comfortable talking to real people, I'd have a real job". Oh how I wish I had been locked up in that room with the characters and people in his latest novel "My Friends"! You can count yourself fortunate if you have friends in your life like the ones in this book.
This is a novel of friendship spanning 25 years. A story of four lost souls, and how they face life, death, grief, various types of trauma, and an inordinate amount of fart jokes–all told with Backman's signature humor, insight, tenderness and familiarity with anxiety. It also gave me a whole new perspective on art, and creativity. How being truly artistic, and being "one of them" is inherent, and not something that can be learned. It's a talent that's just there. "Art is a fragile magic". "Art just needs friends".
Previous to reading this, I felt that the Beartown trilogy was my favorite of this brilliant Swedish writer...but "My Friends" has captured my heart in ways I didn't expect. This is one hug of a book!
Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader of this novel by one of my favorite authors!

Fredrik Backman, author of "A Man Called Ove," is back with a tender story of a group of friends, the value of art, and the power of connection. "My Friends" opens with Louisa, a teenager entering an art auction with a backpack full of spray paint. Her aim is not to vandalize priceless art but something much more simple. But within an hour her life is turned upside down after an encounter with an ailing artist.

At the center of the book is his painting, “The One of the Sea,” his first serious work, created when the artist was a teen himself. His small circle of friends had, at that point, thought of him simply as The Artist and encouraged him, even forced him to begin the painting. Joar is the wild one of their group, quick to fight and steal, but unexpectedly loving with friends and his mother whose abusive husband terrorizes them both. Ted is quiet, organized, nerdy, unexpectedly funny funny when he chooses to be.

The two of them are pictured in the painting, far out at the end of the pier with a third figure who might be the artist himself or perhaps someone else altogether. Their love and laughter is apparent from the body language of the figures, even in the distance. Now years later the painting is up for auction. The Artist is dying and relying on Ted to fulfill his plan, which leaves Ted with The Artist’s ashes and the painting itself, bequeathed unexpectedly to Louisa.

Over the course of a train journey with Ted who reluctantly allows her to accompany him, Louisa learns the story of their friendship and their struggles in a working class town that had little patience with young people trying to find their place in the world.

Louisa herself has been in foster homes for most of her life, her loneliness assuaged by the presence of her friend Fish. Newly turned eighteen, she is ready to strike out on her own, knowing that she’s not the easiest person to get along with. She talks too much, she’s impulsive, she asks inappropriate questions. She’s everything that drives Ted up the wall. His caution and self-containment drive her crazy, but when he comes out with what are essentially dad jokes, there’s also something weirdly appealing about him.

Within their stories and arguments are many, many ideas about art and what it does. These are worked in quite naturally and never feel forced, a tribute to the characters Backman has developed. Many are statements that begin with “Art is ….” I began highlighting them once I realized how often they appeared. A discussion of these would be a fascinating book club activity.

"My Friends" is a powerful story of love and connection across time. It took me a little while to become used to Backman’s sometimes quirky writing style, but once I got to know the characters, I was hooked to the point of not wanting the story to end. That’s always a happy way for a librarian to read, imagining our patrons getting to know and love these characters, just as we do.

"My Friends " will be published on May 6th. Thanks to NetGalley for sending a free galley in exchange for an honest review.

There's nothing quite like starting my reading year off with a Fredrik Backman book. He's one of the few authors that I will re-read, and wow has he ever written a book to re-read time and again with "My Friends".

Lousia, budding artist, newly 18, and former foster kid with no where to go, just wants to see the painting that has always kept her going through some very dark days up close, The day that she does, things don't go according to plan, and Louisa begins on a personal journey that she wasn't expecting.

What follows is the story of the transformative power of art. Set in both the past and in the present, the story follows two distinctive groups of friends and the challenges that they have to overcome in order to make it to adulthood.

This book is every bit as well-written as I have come to expect from Fredrik Backman. A beautiful book filled with funny moments, touching moments, and everything in between, this is a must-read for both new and old Backman fans.

There is absolutely no way for me to put into words the ways that Fredrik Backman's books make me feel. There is something so tender and beautiful in his prose that makes for an incredible story that no other author has been able to match.

In My Friends, Backman tells the story of a few people, but I'd say that it all comes back to the artist. The artist painted a picture of his friends when he was fourteen and now that work of art is worth millions. The artist was so special. I could FEEL it. I have yet to find another author that makes me feel anything close to what Backman does to me. The artist finds himself painting in an alleyway with a girl named Louisa and afterward, tells his best friend Ted that she is one of them. That's the spark that ignites this whole story.

I think I loved Ted the most. Every single character in this book pulled on my heartstrings more than any other character has in the last few years, but especially Ted. He was so pure and genuine and caring and sensitive and every good thing you could think of wrapped up into a precious, kind man. The others--Joar, Ali, Louisa, Christian, and their various family members--also had incredible depth, even for the ones whom we only got to know for a short time. For me, Backman's books are always character driven, but he did a great job with the setting in this one, too. I was able to envision the sea and the pier, the white wall(s), the train, the homes.

I'm so honored that I received an ARC from NetGalley and Atria Books of this novel. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. I can't wait for it to be available to the public so that others can read this and experience the joy and love hidden within these pages. 🥲

My friends by Fredrick backman

This story exceeded my expectations, I feel it best to go into a book blind so you can feel everything. This book had all the feels.

Louisa who is an artist and was searching for the meaning behind another artists famous painting ends up getting more than she bargained for. Thai story took a wild turn diving into the lives of the figures in a painting bringing each one of their tumultuous lives into perspective. I enjoyed this book and the deep dive into art and friendship. What a win for the book. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for this sweet book about friendship and value.

This is a tragically beautiful story that reflects life, friendship, and art. Fredik Backman is extraordinary, and this may be my favorite book of all.

4 stars

Louisa, 17, an aspiring artist, has always been fascinated by the three small films hires sitting at the end of a pier in “The One of the Sea,” the first known work of famous artist C. Jat, painted when he was a 14 year old prodigy. She desperately wants to see the painting in person and to know the story of those three people.

Twenty-five years previously in a town by the sea four teenagers escape their difficult lives by banding together as best friends, sharing their lives and acting out just a bit during their fourteenth-going-on-fifteenth summer. And from that summer comes an incredible piece of art and an artist such that the world has never seen.

Ultimately that work falls into the hands of Louisa who travels across the country to learn its origin story, and maybe a bit about how to begin to live the rest of her life.

Maybe I’m the only person who never read A MAN CALLED OVE? I may own it, but I’m not sure. Anyway, I read a short story by Blackman recently and though it was a bit more twee than what I usually like I still enjoyed it so I thought I would give this a try and I’m glad I did.

In this book, translated by Neil Smith, I fell a little bit in love with Louisa, Ali, Joar, Ted and the artist, all wonderfully flawed people who have been dealt a difficult hand but handle it all admirably in their own ways. Oh, how I loved Joar! So prepared to accept what small moments of grace the world had to offer. So, same thing here as in short story…this was much sweeter, more redemptive than my normal read, but I quite enjoyed it. I would guess that readers who have enjoyed Blackman in the past will find a lot to like here and will go away satisfied. I believe I will remember these characters for awhile, and that is saying something.

I live Fredrik Backman’s books and have read everything he’s written. I was thrilled to get an arc of his newest book. It did not disappoint! I loved it. I laughed, I cried. I fell in love with the characters and Backmans quirky written. So good. Thanks to NetGalley, Fredrik Backman and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was equal parts heartbreaking and equal parts hopeful all the way through up until the end. It had a perfect, hopeful ending and was very reflective of life itself!

Lots of trigger warnings and sensitive topics. Much heavier read than I’m used to, but a 5 star book nonetheless. Also, so many beautiful and awesome quotes throughout this book!