To read a Fredrick Backman book is to feel seen. To have the most lonely part of your soul recognized. I think Backman might be my favorite author I’ve ever read. He’s done it again with the novel, My Friends. To be honest, the beginning was a bit slower than his other novels. But the payoff is great. You, too, will fall in love with these characters.

My Friends is a beautifully written (no surprises there!) that delves into topics of love, friendship, grief. In true Backman style, it’s sprinkled with chaos and humor making the read so entertaining! I absolutely loved it!

This man has a way with words and emotion that should be studied. This is probably my 2nd favorite book of Backman’s behind Beartown, which has been at the top of my list of all time favorite books since I read it when it was translated to English and released in the US. The way we discuss art and friendship and dyanmics of aging and changing and growing, oh my my i was happy and joyful and crying all at the same time. 10/10 perfection once again.

It’s no secret that @backmansk is one of my favorite authors. He makes readers laugh and cry and gives all the feels. And dang it!— he did it again with My Friends. While this book took me a bit to get into, I fell in love with it. I was invested. Invested in the Louisa’s story, the friends’ stories, and the characters— wow, I loved them. This book wrecked me and then healed my heart again. I cried several times.

Thanks to @atriabooks for an egalley! I also had to buy myself the signed hardcover from my local indie store. Backman’s collection deserves a permanent spot on my shelves.

Oh, Fredrik Backman. You have such an interesting, quirky, and charming storytelling style that I absolutely adore. Your Swedish curmudgeons who discover their hearts and worth by interacting with a young person and the outside world are my favorites.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital galley.
#MyFriends #NetGalley #AtriaBooks

Backman paints a beautiful picture of a friendship in this story. This story is both sad and happy, a love letter to both art and to the summers of our youth. I love the way art was described in this story, as something that you can feel, that takes on a life of its own when you see it in how it becomes part of you. Like all of Backman's works, it is exquisitely crafted, with characters that just leap off the page. Ted was my favorite. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book.

“The most dangerous place on earth is inside us. Fragile hearts break in palaces and dark alleys alike.”

Fredrik Backman is just magic with words. Magic I tell you. He pulls you in every single time and takes you on a ride you don’t want to get off of. I would read the back of a cereal box if he wrote what was on it.

This precious story of orphans finding an affinity with each other and in art is just so heartwarming. It makes you feel all of the feels, man. I highly recommend, as always.

“Adults often think that self-confidence is something a child learns, but little kids are by their nature always invincible, it’s poor self-confidence that needs to be taught.”

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“art is what we leave of ourselves in other people.” - fredrik backman
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this book is about art. friendship. family. grief. survival. and living your life to the absolute fullest.
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backman has a way of articulating human emotions and experiences in such a beautiful way. this story is one that i know will stick with me for a very very long time.

This is not a book you simply read, it’s one you endure, absorb, and carry with you long after the final page. The first chapters punch you in the heart so forcefully, it’s almost daring readers to continue. Yet those who continue will discover a master storyteller who weaves pain and longing into every moment.

Backman doesn’t write characters. He conjures souls. Louisa, the orphaned teen searching for belonging, holds the narrative in a fragile, fierce, and illuminating way. Her grief over Fish’s death lingers on every page. She’s forged herself a backstory to fill the void, and her desperation to avoid another foster home is palpable. Ted, drawn into her orbit, is both shaken and transformed. And then there’s the painter who cracks the veneer between art and truth, and is held tightly by those who believe in him.

What begins with a postcard and the quest for a painting becomes an emotional scavenger hunt through human suffering, reluctant hope, and the weight of memory. Backman’s style demands focus; questions are asked with no promise of immediate answers. But the journey between question and resolution is where the reader truly lives. Reaching for hope, but knowing that is not an option.

The writing is prophetic, often circling back to earlier seeds planted quietly between pages. Just when you think Ted and the others might catch a break, Backman holds back. There is no easy redemption, no tidy conclusion; only truth that is raw, devastating, and, at times, gorgeous.

Louisa injects chaos into Ted’s life, almost hilariously so. And while 40 absolutely isn’t “old,” she threatens to age him decades by sheer emotional force alone. Their dynamic adds a flicker of light in an otherwise dark tale.

I had to walk away from this book for a short time. Not because I didn’t love it, but because it created a sadness and wouldn’t let me go. Yet when I returned, it greeted me with wisdom I hadn’t seen before and proof that the most painful stories often require courage to finish.

As I reached the final pages, I found myself stalling. I didn’t want to say goodbye. And then, in a bittersweet twist, Louisa becomes someone else’s postcard. That full-circle moment. That’s where the tears come. If you reach the end and don’t feel it in your bones, I’m not sure you’re fully human.

A novel that will hurt you. It will haunt you. And you’ll love it for that.

My Friends is funny, emotional, and full of beautifully flawed characters. I was pulled into the story quickly and really felt the weight of the friendships, the grief, and the love threaded throughout.

That said, at one point Louisa says, “If I have to hear ‘it’s a long story’ one more time…” and honestly, I felt that while reading. The timeline jumps around a lot, and at times I wasn’t sure where we were or what had already happened. It made it a little hard to stay fully connected.

Still, the emotional payoff is real, and Fredrik Backman’s signature storytelling style make it absolutely worth the read.

Absolutely loved this one. Highlighted so many things. I love how this author has a way of telling a life story while also sharing life advice.

There is something so magical and powerful about this author. He captures these characters from the ether and creates these connections between them that are so unique and so relatable at the same time. I felt like I could have known some of them for years. I loved that the book reached forward and backward in time to tell the story while adding depth and nuance at the same time. This is my favorite book so far from this author and love that he keeps getting better. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. This was amazing.

What a beautiful, heartbreaking, and raw depiction of friendship, art, and the difficulty of being human. In true Backman form, I felt like I was sitting across from these characters, learning about their lives and hearing their stories firsthand.

Every character and interaction in this book serves a larger purpose, and it was beautiful seeing how every interaction, even one that seemed irrelevant, had an impact on someone in their future moments.

From a group of friends who found "home" in each other, to a girl who is just finding her place in a big world that feels impossibly lonely, this book will have you smiling and crying - repeatedly.

Wow. Another masterpiece from Fredrik Backman! This book absolutely tore my heart to shreds, but it also had beautiful glimmers of hope, friendship, art, and humanity. It took me so long to read this book because I wanted to linger over his writing. I always take my time with his books. Some authors can get a line or two that move you, but man, Backman just packs the punches with his words. Here are a few of my favorites from this one:

“People always say that you should live as if every day was your last, but when you have children you realize that you have to live as if every day was their first.”

“Ted gives everyone more love. But I think you’ve both given each other the same amount: everything you had.”

“Children aren’t responsible for their parents’ happiness, but they still try.”

“I hope you know I was never ashamed of you. I’m ashamed of myself.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Fredrik Backman for sending me this ARC.

⭐️(4.5/5) My Friends - Fredrik Backman

✨Pages: 437

✨Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Thanks so much for the ARC @atriabooks! I know that Backman’s writing can be polarizing, but I am firmly in the LOVE camp. I am so affected by the deep relationships he creates and I always seem to end up crying at some point reading his books. This one definitely had me bawling (a woman on the train came over and gave me a candy to help me feel better because of my bad day. I explained I had a great day and was just emotional because of the book’s ending! Oh, to be a reader.) What a beautiful ode to childhood friendships and the power of art. 🥹

Louisa is a teen orphan, lost after the death of her closest friend. She simply has to see her favorite painting in person, as it’s one of the only things she finds joy in nowadays. She unexpectedly meets the Artist and connects with him immediately. This chance encounter brings the Artist’s best friend into her life, who begins to tell her the story of the painting and the group of friends who embody it.

The Artist’s group of friends had all the magic of the groups in “It” and “The Body” (the short story my favorite movie Stand By Me is based on.) I loved this group and their dynamic deeply. Louisa’s longing to hear about the friendships, the good and the bad and the messy, was so pure. I loved these characters so much! “Beartown” is still my favorite Backman but this is really up there. Some have issues with his writing style, yet he’s the only author whose translated works don’t make me feel at an arm’s length. Some reviews say this book felt repetitive but it didn’t for me, I genuinely could have read another 500 pages about these beautiful souls. Highly recommend for fans of slow, character driven books focusing on adolescent friendship.

✨Content Warnings: Suicide Attempt, Domestic Abuse, Child Abuse, Cancer, Death of a Parent, Drug Abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Panic Attacks, Animal Cruelty

✨Themes: Friendship, The Power of Art, Grief

✨You May Like This If You Enjoyed:
-The Interestings (Meg Wolitzer)
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky)

Transcending time and friendships, this is the story of a summer, a painting and a journey that changed the lives of many humans. As Louisa travels across the country learning about Ted and the three friends in the painting, her life (and Ted's) are forever changed. This is the epitome of Backman's spectacular writing style — you will want to highlight and dog ear the entire book — words that will take your breath away. I was deeply connected to Backman’s characters by chapter 5 and sobbing along with them. I was left breathless on multiple occasions as we were taken through this journey of strangers becoming friends and being told the story of a lifetime, of a life-changing summer with the best humans.

This book is such a touching and beautiful story. Fredrik Backman writes in a way that feels honest and full of heart. The characters feel real, and the emotions really stay with you.
I didn’t want it to end. I already want to read it again just to spend more time with the characters.

5 stars. No notes. Favorite author strikes again and I'm devastated. If you don't like it after 5 chapters, he's not for you, and that's okay

So much foreshadowing that it made me anxious, but now that I have gotten through it and know the end I want to go back and read it all again and take in all the amazing lines and thoughts on humanity, that Fredrik Backman wrote. Stories about childhood friendships always resonate with me, they are such important building blocks for who we become. Many of those relationships are ones that stand the test of time, there is a deep understanding of each other, friends who know not just us, but us within the context of our families, where we come from. This book did those relationships justice.

I’ve read several of Fredrik Backman’s books, and My Friends might be his most quietly powerful yet. As always, he captures the ache and beauty of being human with such grace. The story follows Louisa, a seventeen-year-old artist grappling with grief and searching for meaning in the wake of her best friend’s death. When she stumbles upon a mysterious painting, it sets her on a journey that intertwines with the lives of four friends from decades past.

Backman’s writing is reflective and emotional, filled with the kind of small, profound moments that stay with you. Louisa is a compelling narrator—sharp, vulnerable, and deeply real—and her connection with the older man she meets, Ted, adds a moving intergenerational layer to the story. It’s a novel about memory, art, and the friendships that shape us, even long after they’ve ended.

If you’ve loved Backman’s previous work, this one will feel like coming home, bittersweet, thoughtful, and so full of heart.