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I first want to say that I LOVE Fredrik Backman. I’ve read several of his novels, and many of them remain among my favorite books ever. Therefore, I do understand that I likely came into this one with bigger expectations than other readers might have.

However…this one was a huge disappointment to me. There’s no denying Backman’s writing talent - I highlighted several sections that were just so beautifully written and full of emotion. He has a way of putting into writing the thoughts many of us have but just can’t quite articulate. So for that, bravo as usual.

However, the entire novel felt like misery porn to me?? I don’t know, I just felt like it was cliche that every single character had some depressing backstory or traumatic experience. And yes, Backman’s other books have similar vibes, but for whatever reason it really irked me in this one. I also felt like the characters were two dimensional and I never felt fully invested in their stories. Maybe it’s just me and the stage of life I’m in, but I found myself skimming some sections and feeling bored.

TLDR: I will always be a Backman fan, and the Beartown series is probably my favorite book series aside from Harry Potter. However, this was my least favorite book of his that I’ve read thus far, and was somewhat disappointing.

Backman is hands-down the most gifted storyteller of our times. Every one of his books is a marvel in storytelling each unique from the previous and his next. He creates characters who wear their hearts on their sleeves, he develops storylines that every reader can relate to in one way or another (I do not ice skate, play or watch hockey yet the Beartown trilogy was incredible).

The beautiful language in these stories are marvel given how they are translated, although having met Bachman there’s nothing wrong with his English and he would do a wonderful job if he wrote in that language.

This his latest, to be published in May, broke my heart 1 million times before it bound the pieces back together again over and over again. It is an incredible story that will make you laugh and cry in the same paragraph. I don’t know where he gets his ideas from, it truly is a miracle of imagination and incredibly inspiring that somebody could be this gifted. These are a lot of words, but I am at a loss and not gifted enough myself to describe what this experience was like.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria books for the super early peak into this May release that everyone should read. I am eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to preview this and to discuss it with everyone and anyone willing to listen to my spiel. I will continue to shout its praises until its release in May!

I’m ashamed to say that this is my first book by Fredrik Backman , and it definitely won’t be my last. Such a beautifully written novel filled with grief. Love, and amazing storytelling. Louisa will forever be close to my heart.

Fredrik Backman's "My Friends" isn't a standalone novel, but rather a short story or novella often included in collections or available as a standalone e-book. Therefore, a full "review" in the traditional sense might not be appropriate. However, I can offer a brief description and impression:

"My Friends" is a poignant and bittersweet exploration of friendship, aging, and memory. Backman's signature style – heartwarming, humorous, and tinged with melancholy – shines through as he portrays an elderly man reflecting on his life and the people who have shaped it. It's a short but powerful piece that packs an emotional punch, reminding readers of the enduring importance of human connection. While not a complex plot-driven narrative, it's a beautifully written and deeply felt story that will resonate with anyone who has cherished the bonds of friendship.

Another incredible book by the incredible author Fredrik Backman! What a read. The beginning chapter already hooked me. I cried, laughed and loved every minute of this. Will stay with me forever and will pick this up to read again and again!

Fredrik Backman is an easy auto-read author for me.

My Friends lived up to my expectations. A story-telling style that sucked me in. Ordinary people that tell about friendship, love, overcoming, and so much more. Backman never lets me down. I truly loved this one.

Fredrik Backman is my favorite author of all time. I’ve read everything that he’s written and loved it all. The newest book from him I has everything I love - greet writing, memorable characters, and so much heart. I will forever recommend his books to everyone I know.

Fredrik Backman always has a way with words, but this book just absolutely struck me in every way.

A combination of a coming of age story told in nostalgic flashbacks, a dash of mischief, characters who are impossible not to love and cheer for... all the ingredients of classic. I've read several Backman books but this one just feels so poignant and easy to connect with. Some might find some of the quotes and musings about life a little too close to saccharine, but I think that the commentary fits with the characters and isn't forced. Everyone who has the pleasure of reading this book is sure to fall in love with each and every character - cheering them on along the way.

I very much foresee a physical copy of this book sitting on my shelf for years to come, hopefully on loan to friends and family so they can share in this epic tale about the power of friendship.

Thank you Atria for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this arc!

If there is one thing Fredrik Backman knows how to do it, it is make you feel every emotion. From pain, to joy and laughter, this book had it all.

I love that the friends lives are shown when they are 14, it really shows the pain and excitement of growing up and reminds me of Beartown when he mentions “no one has friends like the ones they have at fifteen.”

This book was beautiful, poetic and I loved it from start to finish!

Three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of the most famous painting in the world. Louise, a tough 18 year old gifted artist, sees this in the painting and is determined to find out the story behind these 4.
Twenty five years ago, a group of young teens find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending their days laughing and telling stories out on the pier.

Joar: never backs down from a fight, protector of the group
Ted: bookish, quiet, sensitive
Ali: only girl in the group but tough
The Artist: possesses extraordinary talent

The 4 find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream. Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be put into Louisa’s care. As she struggles to decide what to do with it, she embarks on a surprise journey to the painting’s birthplace and on the way learns the story of how the painting came to. On the trip she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic spirit, but happy endings don’t always take the form we expect.

Wow what a wonderful story that everyone needs to read! It was a book I wanted to keep reading but not to end. There were so many feelings involved with this story about friendship and art. It was funny yet sad. I laughed out loud yet many parts made me cry. It showed the power of friendship and what it means through good and bad times. The story also involved grief, sacrifice, trust and protecting those you love. It was a very heartfelt, emotional story. The story made me feel like I was there watching .

Thank you #netgalley, #fredrikbackman, #atriabooks

One of the hardest parts of getting an ARC is the promise you give to write an honest review. But what can you possibly find to write when a book leaves you without words because it is so perfectly complete? Nothing that I can say will come close to doing it justice.

Fredrik Backman has knocked it out of the park with this one. It's going to be a runaway best seller, and deservedly so because it is brilliant. The characters perfectly drawn, their relationships unbearably believable, and the love that fills each page can only come from someone who has had many moments of "perfect nows," not just one.

There is nothing more I can add. I literally have no words for how wonderful this book is, and I don't want to spoil the surprise for those of you who haven't had the opportunity to experience it yet. Consider this my present to you - a book that you are going have the joy of unwrapping for yourself.

This was my first Fredrik Backman book, and this alone has made it clear as to why Backman is such a cherished author among his readers!

My Friends tell the story of teenage best friends, specifically “that summer” (don’t all great friend groups have a “that summer?”) and where life takes them 25 years later.

A brief synopsis can’t do this book justice. It is thematic, meaningful, experience driven, emotional and touching. This book exemplifies why reading is power, reading is experience and reading is knowledge. I have learned and felt so much from being a part of this journey.

Also, for what it’s worth…no book has ever left me more desperate to see a painting.

Fredrik Backman just knows how to write characters.

This is a story about a group of four teenagers who share a bond unlike any other, and a young girl who ends up connecting with them 25 years later. I laughed, I cried, I mourned. I just felt immersed into this story.

I would consider this to be one of the best depictions of true friendship that I have read. If you are a Fredrik Backman lover like I am, I have no doubt that you'll love this one too.

I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because some parts felt a bit cheesy to me- but not enough for me not to still really, really like this book.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I truly will never understand how Fredrik Backman seems to write the most perfect books time and time again. He manages to capture the essence of how it feels to live and be a person. I know that sounds so silly and doesn’t even make any sense, but I assure you that Fredrik Backman makes it all make sense. There is just something so beautiful about how he can capture and write about the human experience. This book was a beautiful story about friendship and the magic of human connection. The writing is so real and raw.

I wish he could just narrate and encapsulate my entire life into prose because his writing is just truly one of a kind. I don’t think I’ve ever highlighted so many passages of a book before, and it truly took my breathe away at times.

I felt like I knew all of these characters inside and out and I laughed with them and oh how I cried with them too. I was sad to close the book and leave these characters behind, but I think this book and this story will stick with me for a long time.

I really, really hope this gets a movie adaptation.

I will continue to read anything and everything he writes. I think this book has now secured a spot in my top 3 of his. I could not be more excited to get a physical copy to add to my shelves.

Another winner from Fredrik Backman. This is a story of four teenage friends and their story twenty-five years later that changes a complete stranger's life. I highly recommend this book!

I know I can always rely on Fredrik Backman to break my heart with such a beautiful story and this one did not disappoint. It’s about unconditional love between friends, grief, trauma, acceptance and so much more.
“I love you. I trust you.”

My Friends is both hopeful and heartbreaking. It alternates between the past (a group of friends spending the last summer of their childhood together) and present (a teenage girl breaks into a museum to view her favorite painting and ends up engaged in the story of that summer as told by one of the friends, now an adult). Both narratives blend well and kept me engaged throughout. This book was much heavier than I expected and dealt with themes of abuse, grief, and loss. I struggled with the pacing at times and think further editing might have been beneficial, but overall very much enjoyed the story. I cried multiple times while reading which seems to be a given anytime I read a Fredrik Backman novel. The author is truly gifted at writing emotional, moving stories.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity!

Backman does it again with a book filled with imperfect people and a story that ambles along yet somehow winds up being just right. It took me a few chapters to readjust to his writing style, but by then I was already in love with the characters, past and present, and fully invested in their stories and lives. Readers who enjoyed A Man Called Ove and Anxious People will find similar wit and melancholy, and a beautiful book about people learning to accept that doing their best is all that is expected of them in this world.

I don’t think I will ever forget this beautiful book. I cried in the first few chapters and cried so hard the last few that I had to take a break. I laughed throughout the whole story and reread so many paragraphs slowly to take it all in. I have a true fear this will be made into a movie that won’t do it justice. There were only a few moments in the story that didn’t sit right with me (there were a couple cheesy lectures and a plot twist that happened so fast it didn’t feel like if was given justice) but the prose and characters were beyond perfect and just lovely.

I would love for a different cover. I don’t like underwater but I absolutely need to own this book.

I received this book from net galley in exchange for a review.

No one creates a character like Fredrik Backman and the cast in My Friends is no exception. At times hilarious (I've never read a book that mentions 'farts' so much in my life!) and at other times deeply emotional, I was transported in this novel to a train ride with Louisa and to a summer with four best friends. Part coming of age and overwhelmingly a tale of love and friendship, this book was perfectly crafted and superbly written.

I loved Backman's descriptions in this novel. I truly felt like I could see the painting that so moved Louisa and shaped her life. His writing is so captivating and descriptive that I had no problem at visualizing scenes and creating images of people in my mind. I also loved how the novel was about C. Jat, but also not at all about him. He was an artist and the novel was about his talent and his muse, but also about so much more.

A coming of age novel, this was a moving and often poetic book. The pace is slow-moving but it helped me appreciate the beauty that Backman created.

If you love Backman's other novels, I definitely recommend, though this wasn't my favorite of his. Overall, it was emotive and poignant. Love emanated from the pages, even when the words bore grief and pain.

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