Backman is by far my favorite author. He writes stories that are so people-centric and it makes you feel like you know them. This was no different.

So good!! Backman's use of misdirection is top notch and his talent for story telling is obvious. Read if you like coming of age stories and can't help feeling nostalgic when you think of summer days.

This one really pains me, but I could not finish this book. I usually inhale Backman's books, but I could not get into this book for the life of me. Stopped at 35%.

This book seems more in line with Backman's work such as Anxious People and A Man Called Ove, not so much Beartown. It still has the same heavier topics in there, but the storytelling is a tad lighter in comparison to his most famous trilogy. Overall, many Backman's fans will surely love this book, as long as they don't expect a Beartown-like story.

Fredrik Backman continues to demonstrate his remarkable talent for exploring the complexities of human relationships and the emotional depth of everyday life. My Friends is both tender and thought-provoking, written with the kind of heart and insight that fans have come to expect from him. Backman's signature blend of warmth and poignancy is evident throughout the novel. He captures the nuances of friendship, love, and loss in a way that feels deeply personal and universally relatable. His characters are drawn with care and authenticity, and the story lingers long after the final page.

A bit harder to get into than his other books. Not my favorite, but still an interesting read! Going to recommend to my book club.

This novel addresses themes of friendship (obvious from the title), art, humanity, anxiety, dysfunction in both families and communities, and more. It's kind of intense. There are some funny parts, but it's mostly pretty moody. The tone of desperation overpowers hope, even with the intentionally hopeful ending. I liked being surprised by some of the twists and turns. Backman did a good job leading me one way and surprising me with something unexpected. That's always fun.

I absolutely loved My Friends by Fredrik Backman. The characters are messy, flawed, and so incredibly human—and that’s exactly what makes them unforgettable. Backman has such a great way of writing people who feel real, like they could walk right off the page. This one made me laugh, tear up, and think a lot about the people in my own life. A beautiful, heartfelt read about connection, forgiveness, and the complicated nature of friendship. Highly recommend.

This book was sad to me. It just seems like the back story of the boys was very drawn out and pieced together. The girl had a sad story also. Although, it was justified the way she grew up and the loss of her friend. I found it rather slow until the lets say 20% of the book. The story follows the best friend of a very famous artist who is telling the story of the relationship of 4 friends growing up. These friends all had very sad stories and home lives. A 17 year old foster girl meets the artist before he dies, she is an artist also who has grown up fascinated with the famous painting of the lake with the friends in it. The artist decides to leave this famous painting to the girl, but she doesn't feel worthy to take it. She tags along with the artist's friend who is returning to their hometown. Along the way, the friend tells the story of the friends growing up. It is a sad story, but the ending I did enjoy.

this was a bittersweet story about friendship, love, and art. the author’s writing style is unique and definitely takes some getting used to, but i knew that from “the answer is no.” “my friends” starts out slow and honestly kind of confusing, but i got invested into the characters during ted’s storytelling. thank you to the author and NetGalley for this ARC!

If there is one thing Fredrik Backman knows how to do, it is pull heartstrings. As in his other books, My Friends sets up a quirky cast of characters, takes them on a roller-coaster of events that excavate emotions, and still manage to end with a hopeful outlook on life. Also as in his other books, it is all about the importance of our relationships with other people. But perhaps you can tell, My Friends goes even deeper into just how vital friendships are to life.

My Friends gives us a dual timeline of events. In our first, we have Louisa, who has run away from her foster home the day before her eighteenth birthday. Having recently lost her best friend Fish to an overdose, Louisa is on a quest to see a famous painting they had promised to see together. Finally getting to see, in person, the piece of art that means so much to her, is life changing. But perhaps more life-changing is the homeless man she meets in the alley after getting thrown out of the art auction. Together, they are going to create a piece of art that will change the trajectory of their lives and others.

In the second timeline, we are introduced to the artist who created the painting Louisa has gone to see. It was created at the end of the summer the artist was fifteen. But in order to understand how the painting came to be, and how it came to be world-famous, Backman takes us to the beginning of that summer, which is a summer of friendship and of danger. Which means it also turns out to be a summer of miracles small and large.

What struck me right away is how Backman absolutely nails what it is like to be a teenager. In the artists timeline he is writing fifteen-year-olds, and in Louisa we have a barely eighteen-year-old, both experience the depth and breadth of emotions that come with being a teenager. There is a constant emotional whiplash, and everything is strong because it is being felt for the first time. In many ways, life is emotional whiplash for a teenager. Backman captures the extremes of anger, silliness, grief, and joy. And he invites the reader the experience those emotions right alongside his characters.

Later in the book, the story of the artist begins to be told to Louisa, and in that way she is able to serve as a stand-in for the readers. When she is reminded that everything happened a long time ago, she points out that she is experiencing it for the first time. Through her, Backman validates the feelings of the reader, who although they may understand it is fictional, still feel for these characters.

In addition to being about friendship, My Friends is largely about art. It is about what art means to us (everything), who is capable of creating it (anyone), and who deserves to enjoy it (everyone). In My Friends, art has the expansive power to connect people across generations, time, and space. It is a bit of meta-narration as a piece of art discusses what art means in our lives.

There was some foreshadowing in the narration that turned out to be a red herring rather than foreshadowing. And on the one hand, I really loved being surprised by that reveal. On the other hand, I feel like I had been tricked as a reader. Being a reader involves trusting the author, and in a book like this you hand over emotional control. To be immersed in the story is to have your emotions manipulated by the words on the page. But to have something set up, only for it to be knocked down at the end, I think weakened the trust I had for the author.

My Friends offers not a perfect world for you to get lost in, but an opportunity to see the world in a new way. If you are looking for a cathartic book, which will make you cry but ultimately leave you feeling hopeful, then I can think of no better option than Backman.

I stretched this one out over the last few weeks because I couldn’t bear the idea of getting to the end and letting go. I’ve loved his other novels but the writing in this one? Come on now. I read the arc on my Kindle and on days too hot to walk outdoors would hoof it on my treadmill while often uttering “are you +#%^ kidding me Backman?” as I jotted quote after quote into my notes. Sentence after sentence knocked the wind out of me leaving me breathless and in awe.

This man is literature’s equivalent of fine wine and just gets better with age. I loved every page of this novel and marveled at his ability to once again boil our existence down to the smallest details that thread humanity together.

Buy this book. Read this book. Savor this book. Because when it is done, it is done and then you’ll have to join me in the excruciating interval awaiting his next masterpiece.

A month later, I am still thinking about the amazing relationship of the friends in this wonderful novel by Fredrik Bachman. This is a deeply moving story of friendships and what these friends will do to protect each other. Imagine remaining friends with some of your peers for over two decades, through good times and bad. These characters were so real, their personalities so unique, their talents so diverse. This novel is charming, humorous, heartfelt and warm. The author has a way of hooking you right from the start as you begin to learn about these characters.
Four lost souls, Joar, Ali, Ted and Kimkim (the artist). On their own in the summer when they were 15 years old. They all come from challenging family situations, but find the best in each other. When Joar discovers a painting contest, he insists that Kimkim paint the sea despite the fact that he has no painting supplies or money to buy what he needs. Eventually, the painting is complete and the artist added his three friends sitting on the end of the dock to the painting.
Decades later, Louisa, a runaway from a foster home, tries to see this now famous painting at an auction. What happens next when she connects with Ted is an adventure in itself. This painting serves as a catalyst for what comes next.

This novel deals with spontaneous adventures that will make you laugh out loud. The friends deal with grief, sacrifices, trust, survival. There are trigger warnings for family violence and sexual assault.

As you read this heartwarming novel, be prepared to laugh and to cry.
There are so many quotes that will stay with you as you read this but my favorite is:
“I love you and I believe in you.”
― Fredrik Backman, My Friends

Thank you, Fredrik Backman, for writing such a masterpiece.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for bringing this book to my attention and for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published on May 6, 2025.

Beautiful depiction of friendship in all its forms. I was very moved by this story and spent a lot of time crying for characters that I will never forget. Backman is so good at writing characters that I feel emotionally attached to. I have recommended this book to those who enjoy other books by Backman and wonderful character-driven novels.

Always a five for Mr. Backman. He truly never misses. I don’t know how this man can perfectly incapsulate the feeling of being a human. Please read this book, you will laugh & cry and feel the warm light of his writing in this dark world.

It always takes me a while to acclimate to a Backman book, and this one was a bit of a rough ride. 🚂 Truthfully, it wasn’t until about the halfway mark that I began to care for its characters. I found myself wishing that Ted would just tell Louisa his story chronologically already—the walk down memory lane was more of a dizzying maze than a nice stroll. Funny enough, Louisa started getting mad at Ted for this, too! That said, the novel deals with many difficult topics which I thought were handled beautifully. Overall, a sad book, but I just wasn’t SAD, you know? Get your notebook out because there are a lot of characters to keep track of. Oy vey!

“It’s a funny thing. The person we fall in love with, we hardly ever call by their name. Because it’s somehow just so obvious that it’s you I’m talking to, that it’s you I’m always thinking of. Who else?”

The writing is amazing! It’s sad and heartwarming and beautiful. There are beautiful quotes from comic books and poets and witty quotes about life and teenagers and being middle-aged. I loved this book. Thanks to the publisher I read an e-book version and highlighted so much, it was seriously a joy to read.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

I so desperately want to give this book five stars - I found the characters to be quirky and fresh, with a story that was both sobering and uplifting all at the same time. It's pretty raw and told without holding anything back. I was okay with how much darkness there was to the story, because it was countered with an equal amount of acceptance and hope. But as much as I loved the bones of the book, I had a horrible time with the writing - I found it to be repetitious, and incredibly circular. There were too many cheesy cliches for my taste, and overall, the writing tried so hard to be good that it lost its emotion and its humanity. That said, there were so many quotable lines in this book that made me pause, re-read, and think about what they meant (in a good way). The good things about this book were really, really good. But the bad things ended up getting too much in the way.

I have read many of Fredrik Backman’s books. I was excited to get to read this. This book was all about the lasting friendship between friends. I thought it moved a little slow in the book and wished it could have been a little shorter. Overall a good example of how people can come into your life as friends and change you forever.

Sometimes you start a book and know from the opening pages that it's special; this is that kind of book and so much more. I fell in love with all the characters - in spite of the disadvantages they have, they have no shortage of love and kinship. I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end. It's been a long time since I've been so moved by a book, I absolutely loved this.