Atria eARC
There are just some books I read so slowly to savor each and every word, and this was one of them. Over four months, I came in and out of this story because I knew it would be so hard to say goodbye to these characters. I loved this story of friendship and how, even in the worst of circumstances, friends are what can keep you going. This book had me in tears so many times and then I'd be laughing not too much after. Backman just creates such richly developed characters, and I could easily picture all of the characters here. If you've read him before, you know what to expect, but if you haven't this would be a great book to start with to introduce you to his brilliant writing. I can't wait to see him on his US tour!

“The only thing we can take for granted is that everyone we have ever met and everyone we have ever known and everyone we have ever loved will die. So how great must our imaginations be for us to even summon up the enthusiasm to get out of bed each morning? Endless! Imagination is the only thing that stops us from thinking about death every second. And when we aren’t thinking? Oh, those are all our very best moments, when we’re wasting our lives.”

Fredrik Backman is one of those rare authors who seem to be able to write a perfect balance of the beauty and pain of the human condition. This book centers around friendship, loss, art, and one summer full of teenage adventures. It’s about an endless sea, a great friendship, a true love story.

The book made me laugh, cry, sigh, sob, and reminisce. There were so many passages that I highlighted, and I found myself putting it down to reflect so many times. This was a book that I made myself read slowly, so I could savor the telling.

There are instances of death, domestic abuse, illness, drug overdose, and violence… this book doesn’t shy away from harsh realities of life, but it also doesn’t overdo them for the sake of the plot. I definitely recommend this one if you like found family, coming of age stories, grief and the lifelong process of trying to heal, finding beauty in unexpected places, and books that will make you cry.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria for this advanced copy of the book! It was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint!

My Friends is a gooey chocolate chip cookie of a novel: satisfying without subversion, deeply nostalgic without the complexity provided by tension (or, say, walnuts). I flew through it, I thought many parts were beautiful, and also I felt a little…manipulated? Will most people find the reliance on coincidence and the tendency for every character to slip-slide into the wise, sardonic voice of the narrator annoying? Probably not. But I was, occasionally, annoyed.

That said, My Friends is deeply sweet, especially for a book with five traumatized teens at its center. The novel moves backwards and forwards in time from one defining moment when a foster-kid-on-the-run crashes headlong into her hero, an artist on his deathbed. The story of how the artist came into fame is told in fits and starts, mostly by his childhood friend Ted, while in the present Ted and the teen, Louisa, make their way across country with the first painting the artist ever created. Everyone is a little rough around the edges and also prone to casually sprinkling moral wisdom into their dialogue.

Backman is at his best when he’s talking about violence: the many shapes it can take and what it does to the people who experience it. He captures, too, the heady joy of adolescent friendship—the feeling that you’re living your best moments out in the slow sun of summer and that adulthood could offer nothing worth pursuing. The characters in this book experience great pain, but their absolute alignment in terms of loyalty and memory offers a kind of shield against the worst of it (even as it diminishes the stakes for the reader). This is a book to read with the ocean in the background; despite my quibbles, I think most people will find it lovely.

Fredrick Blackman did another good one with this one! My Friends is everything you’d want in a book. I ate this one up in two sittings!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

Fredrik Backman has done it again. **My Friends** is a beautifully written, deeply moving story that perfectly captures the messiness, humor, and heartbreak of human connection. His characters always feel so real — flawed, lovable, and unforgettable — and this book is no exception.

Backman’s ability to explore the complexities of friendship and community with both tenderness and sharp wit is why I will always pick up a book with his name on it. His stories never fail to leave a lasting impact.

“The only people who don’t think that teenagers are the best humans are adults. Which is obviously because adults are the worst kind of humans.”

♾️⭐️

My Friends is one of the most beautiful, painful, and emotional reflections on the coexistence of happiness and sadness that we experience as humans.

I think on a personal level this story resonated deeply with me because I am a teacher for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities that are around the age of the main characters in My Friends. The teens in this story all have difficult upbringings and some that are quite traumatic.

Backman (as always) does an incredible job of showing that no matter how many painful and awful things happen, we can still find joy and beauty in the smallest moments. Especially when we have the love of our chosen family - our friends.

If you like Backman’s writing or an emotional, human story, I think it’s best to jump into this one without even reading the synopsis. Just jump off the pier (and bring tissues).

Thank you to Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

My Friends
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I still can’t believe I got a copy of this book on @netgalley! Fredrik Backman’s books are so popular for his unique writing style and full character development—and this book fits right in with the rest.

This book alternates between present tense as Louisa escapes an abusive foster home and past tense, where Ted tells her stories of growing up and the artist she has admired for her whole life.

This book read really slow for me, but the characters were so complex and wonderful. Definitely some tough topics with abuse, drugs, grief, but it made me admire the characters that much more.

While my overall feeling of this book was positive and I have already been recommending it, I did find myself losing interest in the story at times. I would leave and come back. Eventually I was able to read larger portions at a time. This story of friendship was a very unique story of teenagers living in some hopeless situations but I did like the storytelling style within the book. Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy.

3.75 stars

Overall, this book had some very moving and heartbreaking moments. I had mixed feelings stylistically but did appreciate the story and the characters. If you are a fan of Backman, you will likely find something to love here. At times, it seemed a bit goomy, Jonathan Livingston Seagull emotionally manipulative, but then a scene would come along to take my breath away.

The story centers around four teenagers, some from devastating family backgrounds, and their friendship over the years, interspersed with a current narrative, touching and funny, about one of the friends and a young protege. It's framed by lots of opinions about art - the meaning of, the making of and the appreciation of. There is also some real heartbreak in this story. I was braced for a brutally sad ending, but it didn't come. An emotional read, with both humor and sadness. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If Fredrik Backman writes it, I’m going to read it. This book was a little more all over the place than his others have been, however I think that might have been the point. It was both heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time!

A wonderfully written book full of humor and grief about the strength of friendship beyond loss and tragedy. The dying artist C. Jat sells everything he owns to buy back his first painting, and then gives it away to a teenager he just met, named Louisa, which leads her on a journey to understand what lead the artist to create the painting.

The beginning was a little slow, and I had a little trouble getting invested, but I was pulled into the story playing out in the present with Louisa, as well as the story that took place twenty-five years earlier.

My Friends is classic Fredrik Backman, full of humour, grit and deep connections to real life events and feelings. He always makes me think and forces me to look at situation and people in new ways. I look forward to listening to the audiobook as I know that I will pick up even more that I did with my first read. Add this to the top of your TBR!

Thank you Net Galley, Fredrik Backman and Atria Books for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
My Friends is expected to be released May 6, 2025.

ARC review
Publication date: 06 May 25

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors.
I read all of his books and I was looking forward to reading "My Friends".

So I was very happy when I received an e-ARC from Atria Books (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

From the beginning, the story is emotional and the way that it is written keeps you engaged and makes you want to find out more.
Backman is a very good writer, his characters are real and so alive and he makes you fell like you are part of the story.
This book is about friendship, starting with the story of a painting from 25 years ago when a group of 4 teenagers spend an unforgettable summer together.
In the present, the painting brings together the artist and a young girl named Louisa.
It is hard to write more about the story without spoiling anything.
I have to say that I cried and laughed and suffered while finding out about the story of the characters.
Also, Backman's sarcasm is present in the book, but also his humour.

You will fall in love and empathize with the characters and you will be happy at the end.

Backman is a master. Truly no notes. I will read anything he writes, even if it is a menu. He captures humanity like no other author, and I could not love this story more.

Thank you to Netgalley& the Publisher for my earl e-arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for a review. This review contains my honest thoughts and personal opinions on the book. Please note that any quotes included in this review are subject to change upon publication.

“Lousia is a teenager, the best kind of human. The evidence for this is very simple: little children think teenagers are the best humans, and teenagers think teenagers are the best humans, the only people who don’t think that teenagers are the best humans are adults. Which is obviously because adults are the worst kind of humans.”

From the very first page, Fredrik Backman made me laugh, which is a very good way to start a book. I know some people might be offended that besides this novel I’ve only ever read one of his books. So not only do I lack the knowledge to compare this book to previous ones, it also means I’m missing out on some of the best stories, which I hope to correct soon. Regardless I hope to shed some light on what readers can expect in reading this novel and do it justice.

This book felt like a true story. The kind someone sits down to tell you and not one that feels like an action movie. This isn’t a bad thing, rather there are just different kinds of stories and different kinds of readers. It's the one that makes you laugh, cry, hope, and want to throw across the room, which is ridiculous because it's supposed to be just a story about some kids and one summer before the turn fifteen, a painting, and how it changes a stranger’s life 25 years later. Except it’s not; it’s so much more than just a story, which may be the most ironic thing because most people would never tell it.

“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.”

The truth is Lousia, Ted, Ali, Joar, and the artist are nobodies, the people we usually forget. Lousia is an awkward kid who feels too big and ran away from the foster care system after her best friend died. The artist is a kid who has been told over and over that he’s so strange he believes he’s worthless. Ali is a kid who constantly moves from place to place and is full of fire. Joar is a kid who carries the dreams of the people he loves and fights the world to keep them from getting hurt. Ted is a quiet kid who loves to read but gets mocked for the way he speaks. They don’t have very much and their days are often filled with violence, suffering, grief, and broken families, but they have each other. They have a summer of Danish pastries, farts, shopping carts down steep hills, stolen bikes, and fireworks in mailboxes. The only moments that matter. It reminds me of my own summers where I felt invincible and like everything would last forever.
It’s weird that I’ve only just read this book because it feels like I’ve known these characters forever.

“Art is coincidence, love is chaos.”

This book is very much about people, in very broken families, who try their best to say I love you but fail most of the time. It’s about the people who’d do anything for you even if that means letting them go. It’s about grieving together, even sometimes hurting people. It’s about living courageously despite the fact that we do not always have tomorrow, and about finding your people. Most of all, this book is about art.

“Because art is a fragile music, just like love, and that’s humanity’s only defense against death. That we create and paint and dance and fall in love, that’s our rebellion against eternity.”

This book reminds you of the way art can make you feel so much that it’s almost unbearable. It stops us in our tracks and makes you feel alive. Art is an attempt to defy the world which is almost impossible because “the world is undefeated.” Yet we still persist because we hope someday we will win. Until then, I recommend reading this book because it's pretty cool.

"Adults always think they can protect children by stopping them from going to dangerous places, but every teenager knows that's pointless, because the most dangerous place on earth is inside us."

If there anyone else on the planet who can write like Fredrik Backman? Who can get inside a character and expose everything they are thinking and feeling in a way that makes you laugh, cry, scream, and think. My Friends is yet another masterpiece by this incredible human being. His writing style is so different and unique - I am constantly in awe. I absolutely love the way he cracks characters open and exposes them to the reader - he is so intuitive and reflective of the human experience. This is such a quirky, heartbreaking, unexpected, and delightful story about friendship; how it molds us, how it impacts us, and, ultimately, how it changes us. When I sat down to think about how I could say everything I was feeling about Louisa, Ted, Joar, Ali, and "The Artist" - these "friends" will linger in my heart forever.

My goodness, the way Fredrik Bachmann understands humanity. I underlined nearly half of this book, because it was just so true, yet so simple. I love the straightforward, spare way he does it.

Despite the fact that I love looking at art and going to museums, when people say quite seriously things like “art will save us all,” I nod while thinking huh? This book helped me understand a little more. It’s mostly about how relationships will save us all, but also art. (And Backman’s writing is a great example of said art.)

There was a point about halfway through when the tangent-style storytelling started to get to me. I felt unmoored. Then I got to the ending and there were just so many feelings, constantly leaking out of my eyeballs; it was a bit overwhelming and I wondered why I wanted to rush to it. Plus, now it’s over and I’d love an extra tangent or two to spend more time with the characters!

For reference: I'm the type of Backman fan who loved Anxious People and didn't love Beartown. This book could be easily compared to Beartown, and it probably will be, but it also has a lot of humor and a tiny air of mystery, like Anxious People.

I will be thinking about this book for some time. My Friends has Backman's signature humor, wit, and heart. It is a story of love, loyalty, and unyielding friendship. Of grief, life, and hardships that make children grow up too fast. Backman masterfully weaves the past and present together, and in a way that keeps you gripped and coming back for more after each chapter. There are many side characters that are explored, some more than others, but all in a way to remind you just how hard it is to be human. This is a relatable and profound look at the best and worst aspects of human nature, but leaves on a note of joy and hopefulness. You will laugh, you may cry, and you will have a little bit of faith in humanity restored. For all of that, I definitely recommend it.

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

The story of My Friends is the story of a foursome of friends that all are from troubled homes. Their friendship provides them each comfort, companionship and love. Narrated in dual time line, one of the friends, an artist has a brief encounter with a orphaned teen, Louisa that will impact her life. Ted, one of the friends seeks Louisa and together they embark on a journey. As they travel, Ted will retell their story for the four friends. I adored the banter and humor between all the characters, as well as their loyalty and faith in one another portrayed in Backman's gift of story telling. You can actually "feel" the characters' emotions in his words. I laughed and cried. Thank you #Netgalley and #Atriabooks for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"His laughter carried all the way to his home, to the open window and into the apartment, His mother stood there with dirt on her hands, smiling from ear to ear. Being a parent is so strange, all our children's pain belongs to us, but so does their joy."

"It's art that helps me cope. Because art is a fragile magic, just like love, and that's humanity's only defense against death. That we create and paint and dance and fall in love, that's our rebellion against eternity. Everything beautiful is a shield. Vincent van Gogh wrote: 'I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things.'"

The latest by Fredrick Backman is a deep dive into lifelong friendship. He takes us on a journey from young adulthood to adulthood through the eyes of 4 friends and the summer that changed everything for them.

As usual Backman tells an intricately woven and character driven story. His writing makes it easy to binge his books, but then you just don't want them to be over. He's got a great way of telling stories in a memorable way with wise words of wisdom deposited within.

This story was difficult to read at times as it portray child abuse and neglect deeply. Joar's story broke my heart. However, the portrayal contributes to these characters and their journey and solidifies their friendship and shows why they were so desperate to hold on to it for their own survival. I loved this whole story.

I also enjoyed the present day story with Louisa and Ted and unraveling the mystery of how the art changed everyone's lives. I loved the underlying theme of art being healing and life changing and also encouraging young children to put their art out into the world.

A beautiful story and one that I will be highly recommending!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for my ARC of this story.