My Friends is a coming of age novel that brings all the feels. It reflects on a group of four kids with sorted family lives at 14 years old from the perspective of an adult, 25 years later. This book takes you on the journey of what happens to them that causes them to go their separate ways, and in some cases, come back together.

The story takes place around the sale of a painting by a famous artist. A homeless 18-year-old named Louisa is gifted the painting, and in turn, she learns the story of the four friends that made the painting happen. She not only learns what happened to them, she becomes part of the story, and their future.

This book was a slow start for me, but once I got attached to the characters I could not stop reading it. The author writes the characters so well you almost feel like you know them. The story will leave you wanting more.

Beautiful. As only Backman can be.

This is a story of 4 best friends being good to each other in a world where no one else has ever been. They're family. Twenty five years later, they invite another child who is broken to join their family.

This is a story of love and loss and finding your place in the world. I loved every word.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for letting me read an eARC of this book. I was so excited to receive it. Publication date is May 6th, 2025. Do yourself a favor and buy this book.

If it says written by Fredrik Backman, I just know it is going to make me feel EVERY emotion. And My Friends was absolutely no exception. The way that Backman is able to intertwine the stories of these characters is just so incredibly special and I could not put this down. I laughed, I cried, and I cried some more. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this story - so far it is one of my top reads of this year and I do not see that changing anytime soon!

TL;DR: ugh why am I crying???

Backman does it again. He's managed to craft a lovely, beautiful, brilliant, HUMAN story. I won't lie, this one took me a little longer than normal to get into. I wasn't drawn in immediately, and it wasn't until about halfway through that I was fully invested, but honestly, that's okay. In fact, I might argue that it is better - the slow burn makes this slightly more human; you're getting to know the story and the characters just like you would in real life.

Louisa is a great underdog, and the dual timeline makes the story just mysterious enough to keep a reader engaged, even if the story starts off slowly. The framing of the plot was difficult at times, because I wanted to KNOW things, but I also think this was highly intentional.

in any case, I laughed and cried and you probably will too. if you've read Backman before, this is a great addition to his canon. If you haven't, this is a great fit for someone wanting a reflective, heartfelt story who is up to meander a bit with the slower paced plot.

🎨 Is there another author who can warm your heart quite like Fredrik Backman? If there is— I can’t think of one! This is another precious gem from the man who does not miss— a very favorite author of mine. Thank you to @atriabooks for the sneak peek. This is out in May!

🎨 Backman’s writing style is so incredibly unique and specific. You don’t need his name on the cover to know you’re reading one of his books. If you love it, you love it; and this one surely won’t disappoint. I got my Kindle back in February and this was certainly the most I’ve used my highlight tool so far! He just has the BEST and most creative way of saying things.

🎨 This book explores childhood friendship, particularly when there’s trauma in the home and it is so so special. These are characters who will stick with you long after you read the last page.

🎨 It also explores art and artists and what happens when art is considered valuable, etc which is another interesting and thoughtful conversation.

🎨 Read this when you’re ready for a character-driven novel that will make you feel the feels and also make you laugh out loud.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Atriabooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded down

What to expect in this book:

-Literary fiction
-Childhood friendships
-Reflective and emotional writing
-Found family
-Childhood trauma and the impact of friendship
-Grief and loss

Thoughts

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors and his newest My Friends was easily one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. I love an emotional read and as this one centers on childhood friendships and is very character-driven, I was ecstatic to get an advanced copy! One of the most famous paintings in the world features three friends sitting on the edge of a pier, so small that most people do not even notice it. Until twenty five years after the painting was created when a young girl's life is changed by this painted and it determined to learn more about the figures depicted. A young artist herself, Louisa immerses herself in the life and friendships of the elusive artist and the tales of the artists friendships that inspired the painting begin to unfold. Filled with nostalgia, painful and poignant moments, this book is a true testament of the power of friendship.

Friendship is one of my very favorite topics and found family, particularly, is one of my favorite tropes within a book. However, I just did not connect with the characters on a deeper level. This book took me over a week to read (a long time for me!) and I did not find myself longing to find out what would happen. Told through reflective stories of twenty-five years prior, Louisa begins to connect parts of the artists story with her own. I loved the writing and the language throughout, but ultimately felt like the emotion was lacking in this one. I also find sometimes that it is very hard for me to connect with books where the main characters are male, so that could also be why.

I will also note, this is heavy and features many difficult topics, most notably loss and grief, abuse, and neglect. I love when books are able to describe and involves deeper themes, however if you are not in the right frame of mind for this or not looking for a sad read, I would pass on this one until you can feel ready for that. Overall, I felt like this was a beautiful read, it just was not what I feel like I need in this season of life.

This easily took the slot for my favorite Fredrik Backman novel. Funny and heartbreaking, this in essence is just a lovely story of friendship and belonging.

‘My Friends’ brings the past and present together surrounding a famous piece of art, but of course it’s so much more than just a painting. Art is subjective and never perfect, and the same is true of the characters we meet. Every one is a little flawed, but oh so lovable in their own special way. Backman’s writing is a slow burn with meandering prose, but so much emotion. I laughed, I cringed, I cried, and I highlighted at least a dozen passages.

This was almost perfect for me. The writing was beautiful, the characters were well developed, the story itself was moving, but it had just a couple things that didn’t work for me. First, the timeline was choppy. The dual timeline itself wasn’t a problem, but when we bopped into the past we were all over the place before, during, and after the infamous summer. It was a bit distracting for me. Then, certain phrases became too repetitive. I’m sure it was intentional by Backman, but there could have been more creative ways to introduce the time jumps. If we played a drinking game for every time you read “fourteen” or “twenty-five,” well… you’d be blackout. That being said, both of those “negatives” are me being overly picky and only brought the story down half a star. Really, this was nearly perfect for me.

It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming all rolled together. A quintessential Fredrik Backman novel, exploring the complexities of human relationships with a mix of wit and empathy. A character-driven story with a slower, building plot. If you’re a fan of found families and an underdog story, this one is for you.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my thoughts and opinions.

My Friends. Wow! Let me start with I have loved every Blackman novel. But this one was so unique and of course soooo well written! Every character becomes your child. All their struggles are your struggles. My Friends is the story of 4 kids helping each other get through a rough childhood. The way they absolutely love and protect each other is amazing. One of the friends known only as the artist for most of the book, captures this love in a painting. Twenty five years later that picture gives hope to a young girl with her own struggles. When this girl, Louisa, meets the artist her life is changed forever. The first part of the book is slow with a lot of hints of what is to come but once you are in it, you will not want to put it down. I might just read it again to savor some of the best parts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

Title: My Friends  
Author: Fredrik Backman   
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an artist herself, knows otherwise and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending their days laughing and telling stories out on a pier. There’s Joar, who never backs down from a fight; quiet and bookish Ted who is mourning his father; Ali, the daughter of a man who never stays in one place for long; and finally, there’s the artist, a boy who hoards sleeping pills and shuns attention, but who possesses an extraordinary gift that might be his ticket to a better life. These four lost souls 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 eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. As she struggles to decide what to do with this bequest, she embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn the story of how the painting came to be. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic spirit, but happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this fresh testament to the transformative power of friendship and art.

This was a heck of a read!  I expect great characters and an intriguing story from Fredrik Backman, but this was just so, so good. On the surface, it doesn’t seem super appealing, but the characters were just so appealing and their friendship was fantastic. Hanging out with the four friends in the past just sounded fun, and Louisa and Ted in the future made me laugh a lot. Great read, with some excellent twists.

Fredrik Backman is a bestselling author. My Friends is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 5/21).

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors, and he does not disappoint with his newest title. This book is about four teenage friends, art, and finding your ‘people’ that make each day worth it. The depth of each character is Backman’s magic, and I will be thinking about these characters long after I turned the last page. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

Backman delivers another beautifully human story, full of heart, humor, and the kind of emotional gut-punches that sneak up on you. His characters feel like people you’ve known forever—flawed, loyal, and unforgettable. It’s a powerful reminder of how friendship can be our softest place to land and the thing that saves us.

backman does it again 🫶🏼 his books are just so full of FEELING and i especially felt all the emotions in this one. teenagers have a special place in my heart (i became a middle school teacher for this reason) and so naturally this book wrecked me 😭 our kids deserve better. while this book is heavy and heartbreaking, there is hope and love all throughout.

things i liked:
-i particularly LOVED christian’s mom. she provided such a special light that was so needed. 🤍 her character made me sob.
-all the characters and their dynamics felt so real. each trauma and struggle was treated with care.
-the teenagers felt like teenagers. sure, the way they talked is typical backman writing style, but their actions were spot on. the found family they created was so pure!!! friendship truly is love.

slight criticisms:
-dragged a bit toward the end/75% mark. i felt Louisa when she had a breakdown over everyone saying “it’s a long story” 😂
-if you aren’t used to his writing, this book may be odd at first- lots of time jumps. but push through, it’s great!!!!

anyways, i counted and i highlighted 31 quotes. that’s how much it spoke to me. i can’t wait for the world to experience this incredible story. 💌

my most heartfelt gratitude to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review :’)

If you know me, you know I love Fredrik Backman. I’m still working my way through his backlist, but I have yet to be disappointed. I was apprehensive when starting this one since I was seeing mixed reviews from Backman fans, but, luckily, this one did work for me!
Backman just has such a beautiful way of seeing the world and using that lens to connect characters in ways that pull at every heartstring. Every character is slowly fleshed out so even if you think you won’t like the character, you end up loving them because you understand where they’re coming from.
I also thought I knew what happened to some of the characters, but I was wrong, and I love when that happens while reading!

By the end of the book I did feel a little tired of the back and forth timeline (present to past), but that was one chapter from the end so it didn’t lose me too much. I also feel it could have been trimmed just a tiny bit. Some things felt a little redundant. Overall, this was still a solid Backman book for me and I’d recommend it!

As much as I loved A Man Called Ove, I cannot seem to get into any other books Fredrik Backman has written. What is wrong with me? I know he writes good books. Ive heard it from own friends. I felt like this book just dragged on. When I went to pick it up to read more, I would actually groan out loud. Maybe it's just me. I just found the book unengaging.

Friendship that shows up at just the right time is one of life's greatest gifts. The 4 teenagers found each other when life wasn't perfect and knew they needed to be each other's soft place to land. Their story, told in asides from the past, is sweet and hard but just what Louisa needed to feel less alone in this big world. She was one of them.

The publisher said it best; My Friends is "...an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later."

Thanks @netgally and@atriabooks for the ARC!

Fredrik Backman delivers another heartfelt masterpiece with My Friends. Witty, tender, and deeply human, this novel captures the complexities of friendship and the quiet beauty of everyday connection. Backman’s signature empathy and humor shine on every page.

A moving, unforgettable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

"Art is what we leave of ourselves in other people."


NetGalley ARC

It all begins with a painting of the sea that isn't really a painting of the sea - but you'd only know that if you're the right sort of person who notices these sorts of things.

I want to say the book follows a group of teenagers from their carefree moments on their favorite summer pier to their adult lives 25 years later, but that isn't quite true. It's more a story of what happened then, and what is happening now, and all the ways they do and don't fit together. The ways that friendship and love endure, the ways that they change... and the ways that they don't.

This one reminded me a lot of his Beartown trilogy both in writing style and themes. I loved the found family here, the nostalgia for childhood and the way Backman contrasted it with the reality that many kids don't have pristinely innocent, happy childhoods. It's achingly beautiful and devastatingly heartbreaking. Running throughout the story is a common thread about the power of art, who makes it, who buys it, and what impact it can have.

Backman truly has a knack for writing incredibly profound things in accessible ways by weaving them seamlessly into a story. I bawl reading every one of his books. I laugh out loud reading every one of his books. They're the kind of books that live rent free in my head forever. The kind of books that remind me why I read. His books get under my skin in an incredibly rare for me way. I simultaneously want to devour them in one sitting and draw them out for weeks so I don't have to say goodbye to the characters. One of my absolute favorite authors, no question.

This will undoubtedly be a top 5 read of 2025 for me. It's a strong contender for my favorite book of this year. Read. This.


A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Fredrik Backman for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of My Friends.
This is a beautifully written story of four teenagers that don’t quite fit into their world. They create such a strong friendship together that it brought me to tears.
A common bond is established twenty five years later between this group of friends and another isolated teen, Louisa. A painting, unexpectedly, falls into Louisa’s care. This painting is the focal point of the story. The two timelines intertwine together like a masterpiece.
The characters are so well developed that I felt I knew them inside and out. The dialogue is emotional and humorous. All of these teens and adults are terrific storytellers and I was immersed from start to finish.
I liked how each character explained their perspective and it was quite the puzzle to put together. I loved the compassion these characters had in caring for each other. Their main goal was to stick together and challenge the world. They learned so much from each other, especially trust and love.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It has been in my mind constantly and that to me is a sign of a great work of art. No doubt-five plus stars!

Extremely emotional and, dare I say, sappy. This was my first book by Frekrik Backman and, if his others share a similar tone and feel, it will likely be my last. The plot is excellent and original - as a young woman encounters a famous painter and comes into possession of her favorite painting of all time, the story flips back to 25 years in the past when the painter was growing up and spending time with his best friends as a 14-year-old. They would spend days of joy and fun together while also navigating tragic and dysfunctional home lives.

It feels like Backman is trying to make you cry on each page with repetitious phrases of sadness and melancholy. For some, they will eat this up; but it's not for me.