Told in typical Backman style, heartbreaking yet hopeful. It took me longer than I wanted to read this because I was struggling with my mental health but I did really enjoy it.

My Friends felt disappointing and unlike the compelling stories I expected from Fredrik Backman. The plot dragged in places, and I struggled to connect with the characters on a deeper level. It seemed repetitive and lacked the emotional impact that his other books usually deliver. Overall, it didn’t live up to the promise and left me feeling underwhelmed.

4.5 ugly cried reading this heartbreaking and gorgeo4.5 ugly cried reading this heartbreaking and gorgeously written one of my favorite from Backman so far

My Friends is an endearing examination of friendship which concentrates on a painting by a soon to be world-wide and famous painter among the group. Looking at the relationships among the four teenage friends and also the rather brutal home life of several of them, family and character development grow in importance. There is hope, grief, trauma, and loss as well as humor and kindness in relationships.

When the artist, toward the end of his brief life, determines to leave his famous, brilliant, and infinitely valuable painting to 18-year-old Louisa, it thrusts her into a growing and affectionate relationship with Ted, her elder by about 20 years. Through Ted, Louisa hears many stories that encapsulate the nature of the interactions among the "friends" and their hi jinks over the years.

My Friends moved a bit slowly at times, and the frequent mention of crepitations occasionally grows a bit tiresome. There is also quite bit of parental violence but at the same time, a lot of parental affection. The interweaving of the sometimes complex plot and the strength of the sometimes astonishing friendships is compelling and moving. The book is long but at the same time its strength is the power of relationships that never ebbs.

Thanks to Atria Books and Net Gallery for the opportunity to read this book.

Whether you are new to Backman or a returning reader, this book is a wonderful treat. I have read a few other stories by him, and I have enjoyed them all. I believe this one is one of the better ones.

I consumed this one quick. I love the way I feel like I’m in the scenes he is writing. I love the cast of characters. Ugh the relationships and the conflicts and just everything!!! There were many tears to be had, especially in the last quarter.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman is a heartfelt exploration of friendship, art, and the enduring impact of human connections. The narrative unfolds across two timelines: in the present, Louisa, a grieving teenager and aspiring artist, becomes captivated by a mysterious painting featuring three tiny figures at the end of a pier. Determined to uncover their story, she embarks on a journey that intertwines with the past lives of four teenagers whose bond transcends time and circumstance.

Backman's storytelling shines as he delves into themes of loyalty, loss, and the transformative power of chosen family. The novel's dual-timeline structure enriches the narrative, offering readers a poignant reflection on how the relationships we form can ripple through time, affecting lives in unexpected ways.

"My Friends" is yet another heartfelt triumph from Fredrik Backman. With his signature blend of humor, tenderness, and emotional depth, Backman paints a beautiful portrait of friendship, grief, and what it means to truly show up for the people we love. The characters are vivid and painfully human, and the story lingers long after the final page. Honest, moving, and quietly powerful—this is Backman at his best.

This was book was just beautiful. It was a bit of a slow burn but I enjoyed every moment of it. I found myself reading certain passages and pausing to take a deep sigh to process the emotions. The author writes with a poetic flair that no one should rush through this book. I enjoyed how the characters were delicately developed with anticipation through Ted ands Louisa’s storytelling of their friendship while their own friendship was building.

I always enjoy reading Fredrik Backman books. This story had all the feels. At times I was crying, other times laughing, and always reflecting. The characters develop nicely as the story unfolds. It a story of love, loss, friendship and everything in between. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. 5 stars for me!

Best book I have read this year.

Every character has a story to tell. The stories are weaved together through friendship and art.

I ended up listening to this book and it felt like I couldn’t stop smiling. The friendship was written with such beauty and clarity and it made me feel everything as sharply as if I were there.

I haven’t read a novel that’s made me cry this much in a while. It also made me laugh. It made me angry. It made me contemplative. Most of all, this book just made me feel grounded because it’s one of those books that demands you slow down, take stock of your life, and be grateful for the good it’s given you and find meaning in the bad it’s brought you.

Of course, this is the kind of book that I’m a sucker for anyways as it explores the special, intense kind of love and closeness in teenage friendships, the withering effect of time, and the devastation of grief. But what makes this book stand out is how beautifully it was written. I actually wanted to write down some of my favorite quotes, and I had to stop because I was basically going to have to quote the whole book.

Fredrik Backman has such a talent for writing complex emotions and conveying how meaningful they are to these characters that I just get sucked in and the story becomes real. Every time I picked up the book, it felt like I was checking in with friends. And every time I thought of the book, it felt like I was wondering how those friends were doing.

I was so impressed with how he was able to write about teens in a way that captured the angst, mental health struggles, and traumas without it being overbearing or like a caricature. Then, he does it again for the adults going through grief. And then, he weaves the stories together in such a fluid way that it felt like I was listening to someone naturally reminiscing because we were having a conversation that brought up memories. It all felt so balanced and seamless that I didn’t notice how well it was done until now as I write this review.

I think this is one of his more meandering, saccharine books, but I picked it up at a time when I really needed it, so to me it’s perfect.

I’ll end this review with a few quotes that really exemplify the clumsy tenderness, desolation, hope, and utter humanness that fills this book:

“The first person to stop laughing was obviously the artist, his joy never lasted very long, his skin was too thin to keep reality out.”

“A soft little exhalation through the stubble of his beard, one final little beat of his heart, and then the world is smaller.”

“The artist’s bookcases were full of poets, like the bookcases of anyone trying to find out how everyone else copes.”

“The chance to feel that he had stolen more moments from death than death had from him.”

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

“Because art is a fragile magic, just like love, and 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.”

“The most dangerous place on Earth is inside us.”

And that whole paragraph when Ted describes why he couldn’t live in the artist’s apartment anymore.

And those two pages when the artist describes why we in fact should take life for granted because it’s only when we’re not thinking about death that we can live fully and create magic and show the world our true selves.

It's been awhile since I've read one of Fredrik Backman's book, but this. book was fantastic! It might have been the best one I have read yet. It had plenty of emotions while surprising me at the same time! The storytelling is phenomenal!! Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Backman does it yet again with another compelling masterpiece of a book. I can't think of a better author to take the mental spaghetti we all deal with, put it on a page successfully, and make me want to untangle it. Who does that!? Deciding to read this book was the easy part - automatic yes - but deciding to go to bed each night was the hard part, when reading this was my other option. Heartfelt, earnest, and broken...in compulsively readable ways.

While I enjoyed this book, I didn’t feel the urge to pick it up each time. This book took me nearly 2 months to read. I enjoyed the writing but was not as engaged by the story.

To be honest, I only finish this book because a friend of mine gave it five stars. I kept thinking I would find the gold in what she did. It did definitely feel like a teenager was writing about teenagers. Felt very basic in its writing and overdramatic in the emotional aspect. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review

In My Friends, Fredrik Backman returns with the emotional intelligence, wit, and empathy that have made his previous works so beloved. This novel is a tender, complex portrait of human connection, exploring the messiness of friendship, the weight of unspoken grief, and the quiet power of showing up for one another.

Backman’s storytelling is both intimate and universal. The characters in My Friends are beautifully flawed—achingly real people navigating love, regret, loyalty, and the pain of growing apart or closer in unexpected ways. With his usual mix of sharp humor and deep compassion, Backman captures the nuances of lifelong bonds and the quiet ways people save each other without ever realizing it.

The prose is reflective and heartfelt, often turning ordinary moments into profound reflections on life. Readers are left with a bittersweet sense of hope—that even in the midst of hardship, connection endures.

My Friends is another triumph from Backman: a poignant reminder that relationships, though imperfect, are what make us human. Thoughtful, moving, and full of heart, it’s a book that lingers long after the final page.

I loved everything about "My Friends." I've truly enjoyed every book I've read by Fredrik Backman, so I had high expectations going into his newest novel. But, I didn't predict how much my mind would cling to this story, even months after finishing it.

From the fragile characters to the dual timeline, this book is perfection and the best book I've read so far in 2025. The themes of childhood friendship, trauma that lingers, loss and grief, and creativity were woven together expertly.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Once again, Fredrik Backman absolutely wrecked me—in the best way. 💔💫

His latest novel is a powerful meditation on friendship, art, and the strange beauty of the people who find us when we need them most. It begins with a painting—a quiet detail in the corner of a famous piece—but what unfolds is a sweeping, bittersweet story spanning decades.

We meet Louisa, a young artist set on uncovering the mystery behind three figures at the edge of a pier. Her journey takes her across the country and deep into a past shaped by trauma, loyalty, and summer days that seemed like they’d never end. 🖼️🌊

Ted and Louisa might be one of the most chaotic duos Backman has ever created—and I adored them. They understand what it means to feel broken, and how belonging to the right ragtag group can help you feel whole again. 💥❤️

This isn’t a story of happy endings. It’s a story of meaningful ones. There’s grief, laughter, nostalgia, and hope—and that rare, luminous feeling you get when a book reminds you just how beautiful it is to be human.

🚨 Bring tissues. I knew better than to read this in public… and yet here I am, teary-eyed in a Shibuya café. (Thanks for nothing, Beartown trauma.) 😅

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC of this in exchange for an honesty review.

This is my introduction to Bachman’s work; I’ve always wanted to read his books and so I was ecstatic when I saw my approved request for My Friends.
I have a distinct memory of staying up till 2AM to finish this book since my arc was expiring in less than 3 hours.

There’s not much action in this novel, you’re mostly along for the ride. We get to experience and witness first hand the main friendship in this, which was delightful. So if you like a book with plenty of things going on, this is not it. It’s a character exploration spanning 1 summer and 25 years all at once.