Fredrik Backman is one of those must-read authors for me. I was so excited to get an ARC of this book (thank you to the publisher and @netgalley). I didn't love this book as much as I've loved some of his past novels. The Beartown trilogy and A Man Called Ove were so amazing that I think it will be hard to ever produce something that great again.

That said, this is a good book. It's an interesting story and I liked the characters for the most part. The story centers on Ted and Louisa who come together after one of Ted's best friends, a world famous artist, dies. Their meet cute is kind of weird and Louisa can be very grating, simultaneously acting like a 5 year old and a 25 year old at the same time.

My main dislike with the book is all the trauma (death and domestic abuse). It was a lot to handle and I'm at a point in my life where it really got to me. It may not affect other readers in the same way. I also felt like I couldn't relate to the characters that much. I've never had friends like Ted did and I certainly can't recall a summer of my life the way he does. It's obviously not necessary to have the same life experiences as characters to enjoy them, but something about these two just wasn't relatable at all.

The book does have the unique blend of Backman's humor and sentimentality, which I really enjoyed. Overall, I would recommend this book and I'll eagerly await Backman's next work!

Another winner from Backman, who is so good at eliciting big feelings with his writing. This is a story about deep friendship that transcends time and circumstance, about art and its power to uplift and transform. Every character is captivating, and the whole novel has a sort of fairy tale vibe to it. I was completely sucked in from the first page. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for a digital review copy.

My Friends by Frederick Backman
Rating: 5 stars
Pub date: 5/6

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria for my advanced copy!

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors and has once again proven himself to be a master storyteller. “My Friends” follows Louisa, an 18-year-old artist, who inherits a mysterious painting linked to a summer twenty-five years ago, and four teenagers who found solace in each other during a difficult time in their lives.

The story alternates between the past, where we get to know Joar, Ted, Ali, and the “artist,” and the present, where Louisa embarks on a road trip with Ted to uncover the story behind the painting. Both timelines are equally gripping, and I found myself fully invested in each of them.

The teens’ story is heartbreaking yet full of hope. Their friendship is raw, real, and messy at times, but full of heart, and their line to each other, “I love you and I trust you,” is simple yet devastating —a mantra that is the soul of the novel.

I loved Louisa and Ted together! In their present-day storyline, they have a hilarious and heartfelt dynamic. Their back-and-forth is sharp, funny, and unexpectedly emotional. It’s one of those relationships that feels completely genuine.

No one writes stories the way Backman does. He somehow balances deep emotional moments with humor that doesn’t feel out of place, and he seems to understand the human condition in a way that other writers don't.

If you loved Beartown, or are into stories about found family, lifelong friendships, and the kind of art that changes lives, this one’s for you. It’s beautiful, hopeful, and quietly powerful.

4.25 stars. Oh Mr Backman - How do you write so beautifully every single time?

Backman finds a way to use words in such a way that helps everyone relate to something even when they have not experienced it. I just eat it up. The quotes are always SO GOOD. He can somehow take the smallest experience and describe how it can affect life in such a brilliant way. I loved the Beartown series for this reason - and this book was no different. The first half was pretty slow for me but the second half more than made up for it. It was a little bit A Man Called Ove with some grumpy characters -- meets Stand by Me --meets Beartown. Maybe it was just a me thing - b/c while it sounds crazy, I saw similarities. Overall, I just love Fredrik Backman. It's also SO refreshing when a man is a girls guy. I mean, he is all for women all of the time. And he can fully admit and support that one of the scariest things to a woman, can be a man. It's something that most men cannot understand (or maybe they just don't want to admit it). He writes trauma, grief, and healing so incredibly well. Yet another hit for me.

4.5* rounded up... From the first time I read A Man Called Ove I was captivated by Backman's writing style and finesse with words. His multi-faceted stories are easy to get lost in. My Friends is no exception. I appreciate the details and depth of his characters. These unlikely friendships from the past intertwined with new relationships in more recent times do not hesitate to tug on the heartstrings. Imperfect and complicated lives bring these kids together as they navigate life and their developing personalities. They truly will define "friend" in many ways. The journey the reader will go on to the end of the story will be one of reflection and plenty of emotions.
Don't miss this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

Fredrik Backman’s 𝘔𝘺 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 is a beautifully written novel that reflects on the nature of art and the importance of found family. As he depicts a group of young teenagers as they deal with illness, depression, alcoholism, neglect, domestic abuse, and homophobia in their households and turn to each other for distraction and support, the author offers clever and profound observations about life. Though the narrative is a bit slow and meandering at times, overall the book is an eloquent and moving coming-of-age story. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I started this book, I was absolutely paranoid that this was Fredrik Backman's way of telling us he's dying.

He probably isn't, but based on some recent Facebook posts about his book tour, he may have gotten close enough to scare him. He says he wrote this book like it would be his last because he thought it would be.

As a theoretical last book, it's a good one. It took a second for me to relate to Louisa, but that's because I'm more of a Ted. The quotes about life, death, and grief are as heart-wrenching as all his other books. The man really knows how to make you cry. The frame story is cool; both stories had such compelling characters that I was never bored or anxiously waiting to get back to the other one. Like Louisa, I was not quite ready to hear the end, because I knew it wouldn't be a perfectly happy ending. His endings never are.

I'm grateful that I got to read this one pre-publication, although I would've bought it, anyway.

I received a free Advanced Reader's Copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've only read two Backman books prior to this one, and they were very different from each other (Anxious People and Beartown). I loved Anxious People and liked Beartown. My Friends falls between the two - I REALLY liked it (4.5 stars, rounded up).

My Friends tells the story of a group of friends over 25 years. It's told in two timelines - one which is present day, one which goes back to the summer when the friends were 14 years old. Each of the kids had their own hardships and struggles with their home lives. Each of them found solace in the friendships they formed with each other.

Even though the story is propelled forward by just one of the friends, I felt that each of the characters in the friendship group were well fleshed out (though I would've liked a little more of Ali's story). The author chose not to reveal the first name of one of the characters until pretty far into the book, which was a strange choice to me.

One of the things that I struggle with when reading Backman books is all the little platitudes sprinkled throughout. While I ultimately end up highlighting a lot of them (because let's face it, they are accurate and make you pause and think about them), they can still feel overused to me. I ran into a little bit of that in this book, but nowhere near as much as in Beartown, where it actually became a distraction for me.

I enjoyed both the present day and past timelines, though at times the story felt like it was dragging a bit. At nearly 450 pages, I do think the book is a bit longer than it needs to be, but overall it such a beautiful story of childhood friendship that I can forgive the length.

This is a book about friendship, hardship, joy, grief, sorrow, loss, love, and art. Ultimately, it's a very beautiful and real story that perfectly relates the human experience. It's depressing at some points and uplifting at others. But isn't life the same way?

I would definitely recommend this book to others. If you are already a Backman fan, you are sure to love it. If you've never read his work, this would be a good book to start with.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Number of stars I give this book: 🌟♾️
Number of times I cried while reading it: 😭7

It's not secret that Fredrik Backman is one of my all time favourite authors. To me, he writes about the human condition like no one else. His observations are eerily accurate and profound. Their feelings, their desires, their juxtapositions, their vulnerabilities. And he does it all written in such straightforward language, it retains its depth and meaning even when translated from Backman's native Swedish to English. How fitting that this book is about geniuses, because I truly believe Backman really is one.

What is the book about? I could say it's about art. I could say it's about friendship. I could say it's about grief and it's about survival. But really it's about so much more. It's about Louisa and Ted and a famous painting of teen friends created twenty-five years earlier and how that painting came to be. It would be a disservice to try and guess where a Backman book is going to take you, because the power is in the journey.

A little warning that the pacing of this study is non-linear and at times it felt more rushed and at others it took it's time, slowly unraveling, but with all Backman books it takes you exactly where it needs to go. It almost felt reflective of how I wanted to read it- I equally wanted to savour it slowly but also devour it and read it in one sitting (I did the latter).

I cried. I laughed. I trusted. And I loved- oh boy did I love.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

“My Friends” by Frederik Backman may be one of the best books I’ve ever read. In a world full of despair, violence, and cruelty, four lost teenagers in a seaside village band together in a friendship they have each other’s backs and will stop at nothing to help one of their group achieve his dream of becoming an artist. Twenty-five years later, the story of this friendship comes alive in the telling of it to Louisa, an aspiring artist who has also suffered greatly in her short life. Louisa, who was immediately recognized as “one of them” by the artist of the group, is given riches beyond her imagination. Not just in terms of money, but in terms of love and acceptance. And hope.

I laughed and I cried while reading this book. Sometimes the writing was so beautiful it just took my breath away. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this incredible book. My opinion is my own.

I was not able to get this onto my Kindle to read. :( I tried multiple times and i'm not sure what the problem was. I have heard great things though and if a physical copy were available, I would read it asap! I have loved everything i've read by Backman thus far and am positive I would love this as well! His writing plus a story about friendship... what's not to love?!

I’ve read just shy of 90 books thus far in 2025, many of which were fantastic. But, since finishing My Friends late (LATE) last night, it’s officially risen to #1. Five stars is really just not enough stars for this one, my friends. It’s pure Backman, with all the humor and pathos and love and pain and beautiful insights into humanity that I’ve found in every one of his books.

I loved these characters, and while I didn’t envy their circumstances, I sure did envy their friendship. Once in a very great while, a book comes along with characters who truly come to life and stay with you long after the last page. I’ve just added some new friends to the list.

Thank you Fredrik Backman, Atria Books, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fredrik Backman does it again! I loved this book from start to finish. The characters and their stories made for another roller coaster of emotions moving from laughter to tears. I would recommend this to anyone.

Backman's work is full of nostalgia and wonder. This one will appeal to his usual fans, and the road trip element may make this the book of the summer.

Fredrick Backman is a terrific writer but this book was tough to read for me. The 4 friends had such hard and sad lives. It was beautiful how they had each other and took what joy they could in the small things. It was also a beautiful reminder that one person/one small encounter can make a life changing impact on another person. Overall though it was hard for me to read because it was sad and a little depressing.

I am a huge Fredrik Backman fan & his new book My Friends may be my most favorite! I laughed and cried more times than I can count & felt all the emotions so deeply when reading this. If you read one book this year, make sure this is it!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Backman’s writing and characters are so amazing. The story moves slowly, it’s very character driven, but the message between is so heartfelt! I’ll get all teary eyed but then the next page I laugh out loud. That’s just how it is.

This book truly speaks to the beauty of art and friendship.

“Art is what can’t fit inside a person. The things that bubble over.”

Most of the time I know exactly what I want to rate a book as I’m reading it, and definitely by the time I’m done. This time I’m at a loss. My Friends is one of those books where I don’t know whether to rate it for my personal experience of reading or if the book accomplished what it meant to. Honestly, most personal reviews skew toward the former anyway, so maybe I shouldn’t worry about it!

I think Backman really has two lanes: the Anxious People lane and the Beartown lane. Anxious People is one of my all time favorite books. Beartown was not for me, and I think My Friends fits in that lane. To that end, I can’t wait to discuss this with my friend who loved the Beartown trilogy!

It is so much easier for me to pick out what I didn’t like than what I did, which probably tells me something about what my rating should be. Even though Backman skips around in time, I didn’t find that hard to follow, though I did think some of the sidebars could have been edited out. Just about every sad and terrible thing you can think of happening to a person happens in My Friends, which is not something I enjoy reading. The characters were so kitschy that they almost crossed the line into caricature, in my opinion.

As a person who verbally processes anyway, I think I need to be in conversation with other readers to nail down my thoughts about My Friends. I was interested enough in the story not to DNF, for what it’s worth.

Thank you Atria Books & NetGalley for an ARC of this novel. Fredrik Backman's My Friends is a beautifully written novel that explores the quiet, transformative power of friendship with tenderness and depth. Backman’s lyrical writing elevates the everyday moments between flawed, deeply human characters, showing how connection can flourish in even the most difficult circumstances. The story’s emotional weight is carried by its honest portrayal of love, regret, and enduring loyalty, leaving a lasting impression that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. At its core, My Friends is a celebration of the people who stand by us—especially when we don't deserve it. As one character reflects, “Sometimes, the people who stay are not the ones who shout the loudest, but the ones who sit beside you in silence the longest.”

Perhaps I set myself up for disappointment because I had high expectations of this book. There are two timelines to the book: one follows a group of four 14-year-old friends with hard lives, the other takes place 25 years later when one of those friends has become a famous artist. This book has a good storyline, but it just took too long to tell the story, so reading it felt like a chore at times.