Fredrick Backman has done it again. This book really comes to life through the ups and downs of Louisa and Ted’s friendship and the retelling of summer long ago with 4 teenage friends. These two worlds collide int this beautiful story. I felt like I knew the characters so well and I wasn’t ready to let go off them on the last page. If you’ve read any of Backman’s book and fallen in love with his style, you won’t be disappointed.


Thanks so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read the advance review copy of My Friends in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is May 20, 2025.

This was an extremely slow paced books that gave a ton of details that were not needed and slowed the book down. There are two storylines that you need to follow (past and present) and I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I enjoy being kept on my toes while I read and the length of the book just felt daunting.

Fredrik Backman really knows how to tell a story. I loved My Friends. Not as many characters as Beartown; characters to fall in love with ... and I did.

3 three boys and a girl (one then and one now).

Arts and farts and friendship.

Highly recommended. 448 pages, and I really didn't want it to end; can't say that very often.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read the advance review copy of My Friends in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is May 20, 2025.

This will be one of the top books in 2025.

Let me start by saying the moment I first picked up Fredrik Backman’s novel Beartown years ago, I knew this was my author. Everything about his style of writing appeals to me. I have loved all of his novels and My Friends was no different. When I was given the opportunity to read My Friends, I could not contain my excitement. This was a book that I wanted to end all while the same time wanted to last forever. I truly took my time and savored every word. The friendships that developed between all of the characters was so heartwarming. We all should be so lucky to find those types of people to share our lives with. My Friends is going to be a hard one to top this year. 2025 has started out strong.

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

I have absolutely loved Fredrik Backman for quite some time, and I think everything he writes is gold. As a devoted fan, I had high expectations for this book—and it did not disappoint.

The story opens with Louisa, a teenager in the foster care system whose best friend has just died of an overdose. She sneaks into an art auction to catch a glimpse of a painting by a world-renowned artist whose work deeply speaks to her. After being thrown out of the auction, she meets a man she assumes is homeless—only to discover he is actually the famous C. Jat, the very artist behind the painting she came to see.

That night, the painting sells for an exorbitant amount to Ted, the artist’s longtime friend and confidante. C. Jat, who is terminally ill, has spent everything he has trying to reclaim the painting, determined to die penniless but with his artwork in his possession. Ted fulfills his friend’s wish, and on his deathbed, the artist gifts the painting to Louisa, recognizing her as “one of them.”

Louisa, with no stable home, is overwhelmed by the responsibility of owning such a valuable piece. Ted, however, knows someone who can help her sell it. Together, they embark on a journey to the artist’s hometown, carrying both the painting and his ashes. Along the way, Ted shares the remarkable story of his friendship with the artist, their enigmatic companion Joar, and the larger-than-life Ali.

This novel is a masterpiece—filled with heartbreak, humor, and hope. It is simply brilliant.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I've enjoyed many Fredrik Backman books over the years. He's a wonderful story teller. My Friends is another example of his wonderful storytelling abilities.

Louisa has grown up in foster homes. She's bounced from home to home - some okay, some awful. One thing she's always brought with her is a postcard she found at one of the earlier homes. To most this postcard is just a picture of the sea but she's special. She sees more than the rich fancy art buyers that are just looking for prestige pieces of art. She sees the friends sitting on the pier.

The story begins with Louisa in a museum hoping to see the painting in real life just once. She never intends to steal it or destroy it. Luckily she bumps into just the right person while trying to escape the security guards. He knows instantly she's one of them and needs to be protected.

The story flips between the story of the kids on the pier and Louisa who suddenly finds herself the owner of a priceless piece of art. Making her way with the artists.

I found the middle of the story a little slow and I really had to push myself to keep going through this book. But I knew like other Fredrik Backman books the ending would be worth it and I wasn't disappointed. This is a beautiful book of art and friendship. I loved the ending.

I would recommend My Friends to anyone who can appreciate a good story being told and can be patient for a great ending.

Quite possibly his best novel. A story of friendship and art and belonging and love. I enjoyed this one immensely and will recommend to those who have enjoyed his previous books.

Is it May 20 yet because I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book. With My Friends, Backman is truly at his best as he explores the intricacies of friendship, love, life, and grief. The lyrical prose with which Backman envelopes the reader is a true comfort as you are taken on this incredible journey through time. I am excited to come back to this book after it is published and highlight every beautiful image that Backman created through the use of his unique voice.

Louisa, C. Jat, Ted, and Joar create a cast of characters that make you want to revisit your own childhood memories. Times when you felt invincible and as if life held every possibility. Those quiet moments when your dreams were just within reach and all you needed was the support and love of your best friends. And although life may have hit you with unexpected ups and downs, you know that there are those people in your life that you could always reach out to if needed. This book is a love story to unconditional friendships and the memories created within them.

My Friends will be one of those books that I recommend to every person I know as it truly is a novel that showcases the beauty of what it means to be human.

Caution: If you read this book on a plane, prepare yourself to ugly cry, laugh out loud, and smile like an “idiot”. Your fellow passengers might think you’re absolutely insane and I promise you that it’s ok to let them believe whatever they want.

“My Friends” had me in my feelings, reminiscing about my formative years, thinking about those who shaped me. I am better because I read this book. My hope is that everyone, and I mean everyone, reads Backman’s latest masterpiece because we can also use a reminder that the greatest parts of us showed up with those we loved along the way.

Fredrik releases another signature blend of humor and emotional depth in this title. This character driven story grabs you as you become invested in the friendship and perseverance of the characters . This just hit the spot for a great read that you want to recommend to all your friends.

When Louisa finds herself face to face with her favorite painting, she never would have guessed how the rest of her life would change. Backman writes a cast of characters that become the reader’s friends, and My Friends is no different. My Friends is a cast of diverse characters that grow and develop throughout the story painting a picture of lives interwoven by art, trauma, and one summer.

4.5 stars rounded up. There was just a bit of lull.. a meandering where it was too slow and repetitive that brought it down from a 5.
But other than that I have no complaints! I love the way Backman writes and his translator does an amazing job. The narrator is speaking right to you and it feels like he breaks the 4th wall and you’re part of the story right with them. This is a coming of age story told by a man who has come of age. A chance meeting with a younger woman on the run (recently 18, so she can do whatever she wants). He tells her his story of he and his friends the summer they turned 15. And he realizes that Luisa really is one of them. They bond over an artist and his art.
This is a heartwarming and hopeful story of very broken people who are just figuring it out by not stopping. They’ve been through a lot and they’re coming out the other side.
Lots of sadness, domestic violence, bad foster homes, and death of those held so dear. My friends is a story about family. And obviously friends. The human condition and how people can connect over different spaces and times. Somethings bring us together even when the world around us is burning.

This one’s good. I highly recommend!

Fredrik Backman strikes again!
‘My Friends’ is a moving story of the powerful bond between friends told from two perspectives of present and past.
In the present, we’re introduced to Louisa’s story timeline - an orphan girl who had hopped from foster home to foster home and only recently obtained freedom in her eighteenth year. She coincidentally crosses paths with an artist she admires, who is introduced in the story as (fitting!) ‘the artist’, and his dear friend Ted.
Meanwhile, 25 years before we’re introduced to Ted’s childhood and the joys and hardships he faces with his 3 best friends: the artist, Joar, and later Ali - a group of misfits in their own sense.

Backman’s storytelling in these is given in piece-meal which both helped the storyline by introducing past details at clever moments while still not taking away from either story timelines. BUT I will say the piece-meal method of storytelling really destroyed me - I wanted to read it all and know everything at once!!

Honestly, I enjoyed this so much. First 5-star of the year!
Backman has such a way with words and storytelling and he knows how to develop his characters past the idea of being fictional. You could really resonate with these kids and feel their pain and their sadness and their joy. Such a lovely piece of work and I am so honoured to have been given the opportunity to read this prior to its release. So excited to purchase my own copy on May 20!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was different from the other Backman books I’ve read in the past. I kept waiting for the part that would make me sob uncontrollably and it thankfully didn’t come. I was extremely captivated by the way that characters couldn’t be written in a way that made me love them before I even knew some of their names. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the book and yes some parts made me really sad but the happiness of them all outweighed it. This story truly encapsulated how important having “your people” is and how big they become to you in your life.

My Friends ARC Review:

5 🌟

“𝘼𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙤𝙨.”

This was my first ever Fredrik Backman book, and I was not disappointed. From the very first page, I was completely captivated by his writing style. The storytelling was fantastic—immersive, compelling, and so emotionally rich that I often forgot I was reading fiction. Every moment felt real, like I was stepping into the lives of these characters and experiencing their joys, struggles, and unwavering loyalty firsthand.

“𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙄 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

At its core, My Friends is about friendship, the love of art, and a group of friends who each carry their own burdens but find their greatest happiness when they’re together. Their bond, their unwavering support for one another—it was everything to me. The loyalty they shared was beautifully written, making their connection feel so authentic and heartfelt.

“𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩.”

This book made me feel all the emotions. I laughed out loud at certain moments, felt deeply moved at others, and was completely engaged from start to finish. It was a masterpiece—Backman has such a gift for creating characters that feel precious, like people you know and love. I just want to hug every single one of them.

“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚’𝙨 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨.”

𝘈 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

This was an unforgettable read, and I can’t wait to explore more of Backman’s work!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an opportunity to read in advance. As with all of of Backman’s books I need to come prepared for wordy, leisurely reading. As always, he provides deep, poignant, relationships that take sweet time to develop into flawed, beautiful souls.

The book is based on four teens who spend the summer weathering their family struggles - together. They save each others life - in some ways both for real and figuratively. The book carefully unfolds how one of the kids is encouraged by the others, one in particular, to enter a painting contest. Yet, the artist, while his painting ends up being a main character in the book we seem to get to know the least about him. If you’ve read Backman, doesn’t this sound familiar? I feel like the artist was the character who steps back to allow everyone else to shine, meanwhile everyone else keeps that character from being lost. Everyone is equally important to the story. Everyone has so much loss and pain but you root for them.

As a secondary story in current time, Louisa, also an artist but also a troubled foster kid/ newly minted grown up comes upon the artist, and another of the friends. We learn through her adventure how the painting has been a life preserver for her. Her story adventure, which is more fast paced, allows for the author to weave together all of the friends’ history - everything that happened that led to this painting and the significance of it to the friends. The painting is the thing that brings everything together and provides hope.

I really enjoy Backman’s writing style, it is so unique. His voice is one of a kind. It’s often like he is reaching out to the reader to confirm that we agree how crazy life can be, breaking a 3rd wall in a sense to say come on in, look closer at this. You can’t help yourself but go along.

25 years ago, four teens sat on a long pier and became best friends. One boy, the artist, depicts their friendship in a now famous painting. Louisa, sees the laughter and friendship in the painting and the artist gifts her the painting on his passing. She struggles what to do with the gift and departs on a surprise filled journey with one of the friends from long ago, Ted. He tells the stories of the four teens, escaping their difficult home life by spending time together and laughing through adventures.

I was inspired by the selfless characters and the writing that made you feel like you, as a reader, were part of their inside jokes. This title was a funny and moving novel depicting the power of selflessness, love, art and the power of friendship.

"Art is coincidence, Love is chaos."

I really needed to read this book.

It was perfect. I have no other words to describe this masterpiece. Like, what the hell was I doing all these years?? How had I never picked up a Fredrik book?!? Because honestly, this was so good. It hit me so hard, and it's the kind of book where you actually sit and contemplate, but it's also very easy to read and so enjoyable!! I'm so glad that this was my first book by him because it's the perfect book to judge him by. To be honest, I was a little hesitant about reading his books—I was excited, yes, but I was also scared because they are so well-loved, and everyone who reads his books ends up loving them. It's such a relief to love it as well. But honestly, it's such an effortless 5-star book for me because it just hooks you, grips you, and is sooo consuming. I will admit that the first 19% was slow, and it took me a little time to adjust to his writing style, but when I hit that mark and was fully comfortable with this book, I FLEW THROUGH IT!

"I love you. I trust you.."

I was reading this book like I normally read all other books (lol), but then there would come a point where I would stop and think, like, this is quite literally how most friendships go and is most likely how my friend group is going to be. It hurts so much to know that there will eventually come a point where we won’t be able to meet or hang out as we do now. All of us would be away in different places, and with the constraint of time and the burden of responsibilities, the interaction would be so limited, and we would just drift apart. And if that's not the case, we just don’t know how long we’re even going to live. To imagine a place without your friends—I honestly cannot. I hate this book for making me feel like that. Like?? There was no need to be that brutal, Fredrik. Also, this is easily my most highlighted ARC because his writing style was just sooo beautiful.

"I'm not your reason, no one is your reason, your art is your own."

The characters here were so precious, and I LOVE THEM.

Louisa - She was such a sweet character. She was seventeen, yes. Did she act like a seventeen-year-old? Nope. I didn’t mind that, though, because I feel like, given how she was raised and where she was raised—with such limited exposure to life and such a wild imagination—it fit her character. Whenever she talked about Fish and how much she missed her, it was so sad because I think everyone would be able to relate to the feeling of missing a friend when you're in a different country, and you can't meet. You just want to meet and talk, but you can't, and you miss them so much. But what made it so much more sad here was the fact that Louisa could never do that, and I wanted to cry. Her being so curious and listening to Ted's story made this story so much better. She was such a lively character!!

The chance to feel that he had stolen more moments from death than death had from him"

The Artist - MY HEART BROKE FOR HIM. He deserved so much more than he got. Imagine being so talented and different from other people that even your parents think that there is something wrong with you instead of being proud of you. Uff, I hated them. How can you treat your son like that? I can't even fathom how that actually happens. I would love my child no matter what. The artist was so precious; he was literally like Louisa—lively and cheerful. His laugh was so addicting and contagious. Honestly, I need a graphic audio of this book just to listen to the artist laugh. But deep down, he was so troubled and sad, but he didn’t show it. He was always happy and laughing, and it's amazing how someone who got so little love could share so much love. I ALSO LOVED THAT ONE PAINTING HE DREW SO BAAAD. His interaction with Louisa was so cute.

"Children aren’t responsible for their parents' happiness, but they still try."

Joar - What would I give to get him out of his house :( His story reminded me so much of Joey, but it was so different at the same time. His relationship with his mother and his relationship with his friends were so good. I actually loved him so much because he was there for everyone and protected them. That one scene where his mother is crying on the floor broke my heart because of the lengths she would go to protect her son and the fact that Joar was willing to do the same thing for her. Joar's love was so immense, and I loved him so much. My heart broke hearing his perspective of the story near the end, and have you guys seen those memes where they just shut down the book when a sad/bad part’s about to come, and the caption says "The perfect end"? Yeah, well, this is exactly how my rereads of this book would go. I am shutting this book on that part.

"We all jumped off the pier. That was the last time I swam in the sea with my friends."

Ali - NO! I'm not ready to talk about her yet!!! You guys don't understand how much I loved her and how much I loved her with Joar. FREDRIK, THIS IS NOT FAIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

"It’s an act of violence when an adult yells at a child, all adults know that deep down because all adults were once little. Yet we still do it. Time after time, we fail at being human beings."

Ted - Yes, yes, I know it's getting repetitive—but I LOVED HIM!! If men like Ted exist, the question "Man or Bear" would never even be there because he was so pure, innocent, and lovely. I loved his story, and I loved how Fredrik tackled his story. I just love how he views humans and how all his characters are so deeply flawed. Because when I was reading Ted's story, I felt so bad for him, but then I read the part where his mom and Ali are talking, and I felt so bad for his mom, too. Ufff, I just don’t know how to put it into words, but wow, it was just amazing to read. His whole scene with his brother was so sweet, and the whole "how words can affect people" thing played out here with his brother, and how he got his life in order because of Ted—I LOVEEEEEED IT!

"Kimkim laughed, then Joar laughed, and then Ted and Ali laughed too, and perhaps that was the last time they all did that out loud, in such a liberating way, together."

The four most beautiful, loving, caring, precious, cute, lovable, amazing friends - Them together was the highlight of this book!! Sir, I need what they have. The way these four friends brought me to the verge of tears—how they cared for each other so much. They were the epitome of "die for each other" because I just know that they would die for each other. The way they loved so, so much but were never loved—it just hurt so much reading that because they were just kids, and they deserved so much better. I want someone to love me like Joar loved Ali and the way Ted loved the artist, also the way the artist loved all of them. It also shocks me how much happiness these kids could express while living under these circumstances because I am so sure that I could never. The little things in this book were so cute, like the part where Ted and Joar would bring cookies for the artist, the part where they would teach Ali how to swim, the part where Ali would give Joar the knife, the part where they would go back for the ashes, and the part where the artist drew them all together. It was all so good.

A very special thanks to Hoda, who's been nudging me to read Fredrik's books, and I am so glad she pushed me to read this as my first because I was going for Beartown, and I just know that it wouldn’t have hit as hard as this did. This was just amazing! I loved updating her at every scene, and her trying to make me cry and ordering me to blink a lot at every sad scene to force tears out of me. Also, loved her review... so check that out as well.

I think I wrote so much for this book, but believe me when I say this: no matter how much I praise this book, it will never be enough.

Some quotes/scenes that I love:
"Don’t cry for me, Ted. I got to experience everything. It’s been a long, long life, and at the end of it, I got to see something unbelievably beautiful”
“That girl’s paintings?”
“No. You. I got to see you.”
.
"My... birthday isn't until tomorrow," she says.
'I might not see you tomorrow,' the man whispers, with kind eyes."
.
"Is it a horrible thing being an adult?" the girl asked.
"Unbearable," the mother replied. "You fail with almost everything, all the time."
.
"Are you sure about that?" Louisa asks.
Ted raises his eyebrows, somewhere in the borderland between surprised and insulted.
"How do you mean?"
Louisa's shoulders bounce.
"I just mean... maybe you got the room in the basement so you wouldn't see how sick your dad was the whole time? And how sad your mom was? And maybe your mom was trying to protect you from your big brother?"
Ted stares across the sea, squinting at the sun, with shame washing through him. All these years, and he has never even considered that. It's hard to be little, hard to be big, hard to be everything in between. So he turns toward Louisa and says:
"It wasn't only bad. It was a love story at first, my mom and dad's marriage..."
Then her eyes grow wide in anticipation, because she loves love stories.
So he tells it to her the way it was once told to him."
.
"I could never have lived there without him. I would just have lain awake all night waiting for him to come home. I would have had to throw away all the eggs because he was the only one who ate them, but I would have forgotten not to buy them. I would have forgotten that he didn't exist, all the time. I would have gotten angry because the light in the bathroom was turned off, because I used to get so annoyed with him for always leaving it on. I would have saved all his shoes, all his shirts, and I would have been angry with the spring and hated flowers when they appeared because they drowned out the last smells of him. I would have always laid the table for two on the balcony. I would have had to eat all the popcorn myself. I would never have been able to pick a film."
.
"If anyone sees the painting, I don’t want them to know who I am. I only want to be who I really am... with you."
.
"Sometimes you don’t appreciate your own blessings until you see the envy in someone else's eyes."

I struggled with Beartown but this one was much more my style. I enjoyed the writing and the storytelling, and it felt much more my style, definitely a pleasant surprise!

My Friends is a heartfelt story about art, friendship, and the deep bonds we form in our youth. Backman’s signature warmth and humor shine through, though this is one of his more meandering works. The stream-of-consciousness style makes for an immersive read, but at times, it felt overly sentimental. While I didn’t connect deeply with the characters, the themes of belonging and nostalgia still resonated. Fans of Beartown will likely love it, but for me, it lacked the emotional punch of his best work.