This is rising to the top of by Backman Favorite Title's list, and I've loved them all. As a "world famous artist" dies, he plots to sell everything he owns to repurchase his first and most famous painting. At the auction for that work is a young drifter about to be 18 for whom the painting has been a touchstone. He decides to gift her the painting, and she then accompanies the artist's friend to their hometown by the sea on an adventurous journey while relating the painting's backstory. True to Backman's style, there are many twists and turns, the assumptions youmake are challenged in the end, and there will be tears. Delightful, again, rising to the top of my entrenched favorites!!!

Another brilliant read from Fredrik Backman. This book had me in tears pretty much every page. He has this masterful talent of being able to rip the reader's soul into shreds in such a remarkable way that one can't stop reading. His flawed but oh so beautiful characters can't not be loved. Such a simple but devastatingly gorgeous story that will replay in your mind for a long time.

I have always been a fan of Fredrik Backman so I was excited to read this one. This story was full of so many different emotions which tend to happen with his books. It really focuses on grief, friendship and love/relationships. You get their backstories from their past and see how they had to live and what went on. Definitely a good book!

Fred is back at it again, writing stories full of hardships but also equally full of heart. Even though I do think his characters and books all kind talk about the same things over and over, and at times it does get repetitive, he does it in such a way that it’s too heartwarming and full of heart for me to dislike it.

As always, there is a cast of characters all with their endearing quirks and personalities. I only wish he would’ve delved in deeper for some of them.

Though I couldn’t help but see the characters of Stand By Me in my mind.

The Artist was Gordie.
Joar was Chris. (I also think Benji Ovich is him too from Beartown)
Ted was Vern.
Ali was Teddy

I do think you have to leave your sense of plausibility at the door when reading most of his stories. Just go with it, don’t question it. Because at its heart, the story is only trying to make you as a reader, feel uplifted and maybe a little lighter than before you read it. I really appreciate that about Fred. He comes from a good place always.

For me, I think this was a solid story and I enjoyed it more than I’ve enjoyed some of this other books. The Beartown series will always be number one for me…sorry nothing is coming between me and the residents of Beartown!!

But I really do think that this was his version of Stand By Me. Because you don’t really ever have friends like you did when you were 12…or 14.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC copy of My Friends by Fredrick Backman.

First, I need to let you know that I LOVE Fredick Backman's books. They are all so heartfelt and deep. The translations are amazing! This book is no different from the rest. Although, this wasn't my favorite one of his, Beartown, Anxious People, and A Man Called Ove, will always have a special place in my heart.

My Friends has a dual timeline where readers follow a group of teenagers as they navigate life in a small town and Louisa and Ted, who start off as strangers, but later become close friends. The story is easy to read and unfolds slowly. There were a few times I laughed, but some of the jokes just fell flat for me. Still, the writing was beautiful, and the story showed how important it is to have people in your life.

This book was 3.5 stars rounded up to 4, because of my love for Backman. I will always give his books a try!

5 stars.

It’s 3:21 AM, and I’m sobbing. And no, this has a happy ending. But it's just so beautiful. I had a lump in my throat throughout the book.

This was my first Fredrik Backman book (I know, right?), and what a beautiful book it is, with beautiful prose, a beautiful world, and beautiful characters. And for me, this book is already breaking a record: it made me ugly cry by chapter 5.

The setting feels so dreamy. In my head, their summer feels like this-so golden and nostalgic, everything green and blue, cicadas humming in the background like a lullaby. It made me want to step right in, live there, breathe their air, be their friend. I stretched this book out, reading it bit by bit, because I didn’t want to leave. Because every time I opened it, it felt like warmth spreading all over me.

Note: Thank you, Atria Books, for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my heavens, Backman has done it again!! My heart. Sobbed at the end of this book, an easy five stars. I feel forever changed.

This book broke my heart in the best possible way—I had to pace myself, reading painfully slowly just to take it all in. It made me feel everything: I laughed out loud, ugly cried, and even made my husband sit down to hear all my annotated quotes.

The bond between these four friends—plus Louisa, discovered 25 years later—is raw, whole, and imperfectly impeccable. One can only dream of a friendship as deep as theirs. Despite enduring so much pain at the hands of those who were supposed to love and protect them, and despite all they have lost, they still found space in their hearts for each other. Their story of unwavering support, through joy and grief, is profoundly moving.

Although I would have liked to know more about Louisa and her best friend, Fish, the other characters were developed with such detail that I felt completely invested in each of them. I cheered for them, braced myself for impact, and held my breath, never knowing if they would make it out. The narrative shifts seamlessly between timelines, weaving past and present together in a way that feels effortless yet deeply impactful.

A standing ovation to Fredrik Backman for crafting such a heartfelt novel and reminding me what life and friendship are truly about.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me the digital ARC.

My Friends is a sad yet satisfying story of friendship. The narrative of four friends during the events twenty-five-years ago, when they were fifteen, is doled out in a now and then format. It’s an origin story of how the artist known as C. Jat came to paint his most famous work The One of the Sea that summer. Ted is supremely irritated, and afraid (natch), that he is the one to tell the tale of the artist, Joar, Ali and himself to eighteen-year-old Louisa. In a way, it’s reminiscent of the film Stand By Me, but the observations and writing style are all Backman. And typical of Backman’s style, you get all the feels. All. The. Feels.

Not a lot happens per se, but you put the book down and you can’t stop thinking about the characters, their insights and most of all their love for one another. There are a lot of passages, quotes and sentiments that will resonate with you and I suspect your copy, like mine, will be heavily highlighted.

***“You can be whatever you want to in life, as long as you don’t become a critic! Not of other people, and not of yourself. It’s so easy to be a critic, any coward can do that. But art doesn’t need critics, art has enough enemies already. Art needs friends.”*** This passage in particular resonated with me. I also get the irony, as I am writing a review of the book. However, My Friends is just that, my friend and I hope it becomes yours as well.

Thank you to publisher, Atria Books, for providing the digital ARC via NetGalley, which I voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of My Friends by Fredrik Backman. It comes out on May 6; go immediately and preorder this gem.

No one writes like Fredrik Backman and this new novel is one of his best. It’s a love letter to the power of art and friendship (not necessarily in that order) and his luminous language captures the feelings and inner thoughts of teenagers living in difficult circumstances that make them grow up too fast.

To give more details about the story would be to ruin it so I’ll just say run to get this book as soon as you can. Five stars.

About 15 year old friends 25 years ago and an 18 year old now and how art affects their lives. Ted is the connection between then and now. A thoughtful and interesting read with lots of fascinating characters. Worthwhile and recommended.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman completely destroyed me in the best way. I laughed, I sobbed, I had to put the book down just to recover. It’s one of those books that grabs your heart and doesn’t let go.

It’s about friendship—the messy, complicated, beautiful kind. Twenty-five years ago, four teenagers spent a summer together, escaping their rough lives, laughing, getting into trouble, and making memories. One of them, an artist, captured it all in a painting that became famous. Now, Louisa, a foster kid who has carried a postcard of that painting for years, just wants to see it in person. But that moment pulls her into a story that’s bigger than she ever imagined.

Backman’s writing is pure magic. He breaks all the rules, and I love him for it. His characters are flawed and real and impossible not to love. Ted, the grumpy, bookish old soul. Louisa, sharp and funny but carrying so much pain. And the artist—God, my heart. The way he sees beauty in everyone but himself?

This book is hilarious, heartbreaking, and honestly, kind of life-changing. One minute I was cracking up, the next I was ugly crying.

Five stars isn’t enough. This book deserves all the stars.


Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books

Impossible to put into words how this, and really all of Backman’s books make me feel as a reader, as a human, and as someone who has loved and lost and had to keep on living with the grief and the love. This book makes me want to give the author his own private world so that he’s free from the public’s demands to produce more works of genius. But then how could he continue to describe what we all go through so agonizingly perfectly? Don’t expect a linear path through this book, and honestly don’t carry any expectations with you at all. It’s beautiful, and heartbreaking, and hopeful, and I almost can’t wait to read it again. E-ARC provided by NetGalley.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I loved the way the story was told, and I loved the characters and their interactions, especially Ted and Louisa. The story wasn't predictable, and was very blunt about reality and how things work out. It didn't gloss over hard topics, and gave a perspective to love and loss I haven't had before. The feelings this book created had me all over the map, and I often had to remind myself it was a story and not real life. But, as Louisa says many times, even though the story happened 25 years ago, to us it's happening NOW.

Fredrik Backman writes a genius novel, once again. The perspective that he takes on childhood and adulthood is so refreshing that I stopped so many times to highlight and ponder. I don't know how he does what he does. This book was heart-wrenching and endearing. I loved Ted so much. This is a must read for anyone who has ever been a kid.

An early read from my favorite author is truly a bright spot right now. Even if it made me sob and sob.

Backman has a gift for writing characters who simply demand your love and care and concern. It took me several of his books to realize that I had to approach reading them with caution, in a certain headspace, and know the stress and heartbreak I was signing up for. But at the same time, as my friend says, “Backman forces you to slow down.”

My Friends is about childhood friendships. But not just any type of childhood - the type of childhood where home isn’t a safe and loving place - a different reason for each friend - and the magic that can be found, running around town or piled in a basement together. My Friends is also about loss, woven through the story in many ways. It’s about defining characteristics and quirks that endear us to our people. Art is a theme in a literal sense, but also in a greater existential sense. This book is its own work of art, and as is written within: “Art is so big, so unfathomable, that it teaches us to mourn for strangers.”

I’m really trying these days, during this cold, dark January to be where my feet are. Love and serve who is in front of me. And if my thumbs are tippy tapping, hopefully it’s to turn the page on my kindle more often than scroll my phone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own..

Humor. Sadness. Hope.
A love story of friendship.

The most quirky of characters and as lifelike as life itself. I haven’t cried while reading in a while, and this book is worthy of my tears. But I won’t forget the laughs either!

Definitely a book I imagine re-reading when I need to feel hopeful. Or have a good cry. Or both.

Perfection.

5 out of 5 stars and my deepest respect to the author.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster – Atria Books for the chance to read this book ahead of its publication date!

My Friends is a multi-generational story of teenaged outcasts relying on art and friendship to overcome the adversity of their harsh upbringings. In the third-person omniscient narrative style that’s become a hallmark of Backman’s unique storytelling, we follow two core timelines, both relating one of the greatest and most expensive pieces of art ever created, “The One of the Sea”. In present day, Louisa is a troubled teen floating about the foster care system alone, grieving the death of her best friend. Louisa is a starving artist who has long felt comfort in studying this painting, and ends up on journey with the unlikeliest of companions, Ted. Ted is a middle-aged, fearful and reserved man who is the opposite of Louisa in just about every way conceivable. As they travel, he reveals his own connection to the “The One of The Sea” in an alternating series of flashback chapters. The second timeline follows Ted and his three closest friends through their own teenaged years, and their role in the creation of the iconic painting, and the simultaneous tumult, grief, friendship, and love formed along the way.

It's an ironic thing to read about how brave artists are to put their work nakedly into the world, and then to turn around and write a review to critique that very work. Even more, humor may be one of the most subjective things in the literary world. Unfortunately, unlike Anxious People and A Man Called Ove (both of which I found to be hysterical, as well as moving), the jokes in My Friends just did not land very frequently for me. I hope it’s just a personal thing, and that it works well for others. Another problem I encountered during my read was that the present day plot was markedly less interesting than Ted’s flashback chapters, which led to some issues with pacing for me as well. Parts of the book felt intentionally dragged out as a plot device meant to build suspense, but instead led to me glossing over portions of the read. Finally, I really struggled with the amount of saccharine commentary. I expect and even enjoy some degree of this from Backman (think Beartown), but there were so many tears shed by characters, so much reminiscing, and a huge amount of omniscient narrator commentary about how different memories would stand in a character’s mind for the rest of their lives. Over the course of the full story, this began to have a numbing effect for me. If each event of these characters’ lives is the most important/most loving/other superlative thing that’s ever happened to them, then it starts to feel like none of the previous events mattered.

Critiques aside, there were a few things I absolutely loved as well. Louisa was an extremely dynamic character, who had believable motives and learned behaviors as self-defense mechanisms, given her background. Additionally, there were numerous passages in which Backman’s observations about grief resonated very strongly for me, and I found myself highlighting these often. Lastly, there was a character arc between brothers that, although was a minor side plot to the book, I found to be one of the strongest written sections of the book.

All-in-all, it was a perfectly enjoyable story, and probably worth the read if you know that you’re a Backman fan. It just unfortunately didn’t land for me the same way his other works have. Shoutout to Neil Smith too, because translators are often unsung heroes, and Neil Smith & Fredrik Backman are a heck of a duo. I look forward to their next joint effort!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy of My Friends, which will be published May 20, 2025.

This book gave me all the feels, it made me laugh and cry many times and there are multiple surprises throughout the book. As the title indicates, it’s about friendship and the friends you make when you are young.

Backman’s writing is phenomenal
and the importance of art is central to the story. A few of my favorite highlights:

“Art is so big, so unfathomable, that it teaches us to mourn for strangers.“

“Paint like the birds sing.”

“It’s art that helps me cope. Because art is a fragile magic, just like love, and that’s humanity’s only defense against death.”

“Louisa tells him about art so beautiful that just seeing it makes you too big for your body, a sort of happiness so overwhelming that it’s almost unbearable.”

I highly recommend this book!

Fredrik Backman just has this way of making you feel everything at once—joy, heartbreak, nostalgia, hope—all wrapped up in everyday people just trying to make sense of life. My Friends is no different. It’s a story about four teenagers and an artist, Louisa, who becomes fascinated by them years later. But it’s not just about them—it’s about the way friendships, even the messy, imperfect, fleeting ones, can shape us long after they’re gone.

The way Backman writes about relationships—whether it’s between kids finding their way or an outsider observing from a distance—is so deeply human. He captures that mix of humor and sadness that makes his stories feel real. And, of course, his signature wit is there. You’ll laugh. You’ll probably cry. You’ll definitely think about the people who left a mark on you, for better or worse.

If you’ve read Beartown or A Man Called Ove, you already know what Backman does best—he makes you care. And My Friends is another reminder of why his stories stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page.