Fredrik Backman writes like nobody else. His style is poetic but yet simple and powerful. He creates characters and stories that are simply timeless and My Friends is no exception.

Another easy five stars for a story and cast of characters that will steal your heart. I thoroughly enjoyed following Louisa, the artist, and his friends on every single page. Moments you will laugh out loud, get choked up, be angry, and so much more.

Thank you Fredrik for also sharing your art and talent with us all.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Atriabooks for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I hope Backman never stops sharing his stories with us, we are so lucky! I couldn’t resist starting this one immediately after receiving and it did not disappoint. As usual, Backman writes beautiful characters with brilliant insights, in his unique style that i could spot anywhere. all the stars!

As I sit here writing this review, tears are continuing to stream down my face. This book was a story within a story. A story about friendship. A story about loving others and loving yourself. A story about acceptance. A story about loss. I laughed, I cried, and I gained as much as I lost through these pages. These characters were vulnerable beyond belief and also so lost that you could not help but wish to be the light that guided them.

Fredrik Backman is always exquisite when it comes to writing human emotions and making you feel as though he pulled your thoughts right from your head. He is such an incredible writer, writing about a realistic world and characters that are unlike anything you’ve read before. I loved everything about this book. I loved watching the characters grow and the raw humanity evident in the pages.

There are many people who are not a fan of his writing style, but I am not one of them. There is a realness within his words that is hard to find with other authors. You can feel that he puts every ounce of himself into the story he creates. There is never a moment where you should question where the story is going. Just trust the process. In the end, you will love these characters and the world more than anything else.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
If you’re a Backman lover like I am, this book will not disappoint. I’m so thankful I made this my first read of 2025 because the beauty of this story and the life lessons it offers will stay with me for years to come. This book was gut-wrenching yet magnificently breathtaking.
Backman has an incredible gift for bringing his characters to life. You truly feel every ounce of their pain and happiness. I can’t even pick a favorite character because I loved them all so much. Their friendship is a beautiful experience for the reader, showcasing a raw and realistic portrayal of life’s blessings and brutalities.
When you are ready for a life changing journey filled with laughter and sadness and prepared to highlight the heck out of your book or Kindle, pick this one up. Backman will forever be one of my all time favorite authors. We are so lucky to get to read about life’s ups and downs through his remarkable lens.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💙Human connection
🎨Beauty of art
🤝Friendship and love
💡Self discovery
🥹Emotional and hopeful
🏠Found family
📈Coming of age
💭Beautiful quotes
🤣Funny
✌🏽Dual timelines

⚠️ 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: child abuse, toxic relationships, death, grief.

🎨𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🎨
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

💕Q U O T E: “𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝒾𝓈 𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝓂𝒾𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓁𝑒𝓈, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓃𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒻𝒶𝓇 𝒶 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒷𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒾𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝓎 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑒𝓁𝓈𝑒’𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑒𝒻 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Fredrik Backman for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

I LOVED EVERY ASPECT OF THIS BOOK!!! I didn’t want the story to end. I loved the story, the characters, and the location! This book is going to be hard to beat! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazing

“Art is what we leave of ourselves in other people.”

Eighteen year old Louisa’s greatest desire is to see a painting with her best friend. Not just any painting, but one depicted on a worn postcard she’s kept with her as she’s transverse multiple foster homes. On the night she breaks in to see it, she gets way more than she expected. After a series of wild events Louisa could not have began to imagine, she finds herself with the priceless painting in her custody and with the artist’s friend as her companion. She’s determined to find out the story of the friends on the pier in the painting - and in turn, she gets an emotional tale of a group of friends formed 25 years in the past.

Backman has done it again. Every time I read his work, I think to myself “how does his writing come out so beautifully?” And this book is no exception. There’s such an amazing way these characters are portrayed and the stories that are told that you can’t help but be completely sucked in from the beginning. I completely devoured this book in a single day, I could not stay away. Each character feels so alive and personal, you’d swear they are living and breathing out here in the real world. There are some difficult topics approached so be prepared to have your heart pulled out and stomped on a few times.

Recommended if you like: books about friends, books that make you cry, any other Backman novel

As always, Backman knows how to tug on the heartstrings through poignant writing and heartbreaking situations. Along the lines of the Beartown series, My Friends is a heavier book with moments of light, especially at the end. Through characters your heart aches for, Backman highlights the life saving love of friendship. It was a nice read but almost felt as if he was trying too hard.

Wow. This has got to be one of the best books I have ever read.
I laughed out loud, I cried tears of sadness and of joy (I thought that was a myth), I felt every emotion a person can experience, all within 355 pages.
This is a book that will forever stay a part of my soul.
If you ask me for one book recommendation, don't be surprised to hear this title.
Beautiful character building, a unique story telling premise, and yet such a suspenseful nail-biting plot!

Thank you so much NetGallery and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this eARC. And thank you Fredrick Backman for the indelible experience of this novel!!

Louisa is a almost 18 and has run away from foster care. She's going to see her favorite painting and has a post card of it the was her mother's for a very long time. She ends up getting kicked out of the art gallery and runs into the artist. He's close to death and his best friend has been sent to buy back the painting.

The artist and his three friends growing up all had challenging childhoods, from neglect to physical abuse, to parents illness etc and they found each other. They had 1-2 glorious years with each other.

Ted is with the artist at the end of his life and the artists last wish is that Louisa get the painting... Because she is one of them. This is that story and the story of those few years.

I loved this book so much!! It's brilliant. Nobody's writing speaks to me like Fredrick Backman's does. He has the ability to bring life to his characters and allows me to know and relate to them like no other author can. He somehow takes the worst parts of humanity and life and is still able to bring love and hope to them. This book is heartbreaking, but at the same time, a beautiful portrayal of friendship, trust, sacrifice, vulnerability, and love. I don't have a single negative thing to say about this book.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: My Friends
Author: Fredrik Backman
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Small Town Drama
Pub Date: May 20, 2025
My Rating: 4.2 Stars
Pages: 448

The story begins with Louisa sneaking into an art auction to see ‘The One of the Sea’ – a painting she has loved since childhood.
In the painting there are tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of this famous painting, which most people don’t notice. Artist C. Jat was just fourteen when he painted these three teens and captured a summer of friendship.

Now Twenty-five years later Louisa, who is an artist herself, is determined to find out the story of these three figures, and decides to start a journey to learn the story behind it.
Ted is one of the friends and he helps Louisa on this journey.

The story unfolds slowly,

In the past, we get to know the three friends: the artist (C. Jat), Ted, and Joar. Have to admit at first it was a bit confusing as I thought perhaps Joar WAS C. Jat).
As we follow the friends, we experience the violence Joar is dealing with by his abusive father,
Story kept me curious. ~ Backman does not disappoint.

This is my 9th Fredrik Backman. Although this was great as were the others however, my fav is still " A Man Called Ove".

Want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 20, 2025.

I will read every single book Fredrik Backman writes. I was so happy to get this ARC. Amazing story. I fell in love with all of the characters.

⭐️4.5⭐️

I first have to graciously thank Atria Books and Netgalley for granting me access to one of my most anticipated ARCs of the year. I was given this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

This story is about four teenagers with a bond so monumental, it causes ripples 25 years later. In the present, we follow orphaned 18-year-old Louisa, who has become the sole possessor of one of the most valuable paintings in the world. She embarks on a spontaneous cross-country trip with a member of that original friend group to learn more about the painting and finds more than she anticipates.

This is a deeply moving story about meaningful friendships, personal trauma, and wholesome endings. Fredrik Backman’s writing is beautiful, and he has easily become one of my favorites. His writing feels so human and holds so much heart. I found myself crying, laughing, and gasping throughout this read. It’s a beautiful story that I believe fans of his work will absolutely love. Backman’s characters are so masterfully crafted that I struggled to let them go when I finished the story. I felt so connected and attached to them and everything they did throughout their personal journeys.

This story does an amazing job at defining what love really is. It highlights how important love and trust can be, even for those who feel undeserving. I also loved Backman’s underlying message of how silence can be more harmful than negative actions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and believe those who enjoy Backman’s writing and are looking for a story of rich, realistic character development will love this book. If you are looking for a story about the silver linings in happy endings, I suggest picking this book up when it’s released in June this year.

I LOVED it. I love all Bakcman’s writing and this did not disappoint. I felt every feeling, loved every character. I’m going to have to read it again because the first time through I was so eager to know what happened to everyone. And now I have to go back and savor it.

I cannot begin to explain how much this book means to me. What starts as a story in an art gallery spirals into one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read about friendship, love, and what it means to grow up. With Backman's signature humor and ability to weave together multiple realistically wild and broken characters, there is something for everyone in this book. What really struck me, though, was the way Backman was able to describe what it feels like to be fourteen in the summer. The same way his character The Artist paints what laughter sounds like, Backman writes what youthfulness feels like, and you don't even realize that's what he is doing until quite a way into the book. He writes so accurately about it, it can make you feel like he somehow knew you as a child too. I have read a few of his other books and loved them, but My Friends is different in the way it is a story about every single one of our lives. Every one of us has had to grow up up, but not every one of us has gone through the things Backman's characters have in his other books. That's what makes My Friends so thoughtful. At times it did feel a little long and for a bit in the beginning I found myself confusing the characters (and their parents), but in the end it all made sense.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Atria Books for the ARC of My Friends by Fredrik Backman.

My Friends is the 21st century's Stand By Me. Gordie's "I Never Had Any Friends Later On Like The Ones I Had When I Was Twelve. Jesus, Does Anyone?" resonates exactly for Backman's group of misfits and troubled 14-year-old friends, and while the plots are different, the message still resonates just as strongly.

I probably could have read this in one sitting, but I honestly cried so many times that I had to do it across two, and even that included a few breaks between chapters to emotionally recover for whatever was coming next. Backman is at his best here - he's going to mislead you and tear your heart out and make you laugh and mislead you again, all while coming back to universal positive and unavoidable truths about people and life, even when we see them at their worst.

It's hard to really describe any Backman novel, because while the plot reads as one thing, he's always leading you somewhere else instead. This novel is told in two different time periods, one during the summer The Artist and his friends are 14 and he is painting his first piece. The other where Louisa, a newly 18-year-old orphan, is admiring that same painting at an art auction 25-years-later. Louisa, mourning the death of her person and alone in the world, causes an uproar at the auction which inexplicably leads to her meeting The Artist in an alley outside. From here, The Artist works to bring Louisa into the fold of his friends from the past, and the two timelines mingle as we see the way time and life have led everyone to where they are today and where they could go in the future.

The novel has Backman's signature wit, while also cutting to the heart of what makes us human - reading any of his novels feels like he is both cutting into you personally and then happily stitching you up and giving you a lollipop. Whie this novel does feel a bit darker, just given the background of the teenagers and the difficulties of their lives, it's also filled with so much damn hope you won't really be able to identify all your feelings after you finish reading it, but you'll be so glad you have them.

Heartfelt thanks to Atria for sending me an early copy to review.

“Because who can make someone grieve for a person they never even knew, so that it hurts this much?”

Fredrik Backman.

Backman is the type of author you slow down for. My life is often loud and busy. The moment I sit down, I am called. If I am reading, it has to be something I can easily drop and pick up, because my attention is pulled in 145 different directions at any given moment.

But Backman forces you to slow down.

For a moment, I had trouble connecting. It was taking time to fall into the story, to fall in love with these characters. Because that’s what I expected. It’s what Backman does best. He gives you people to love and share pain and nostalgia with. And then sometimes they leave you. And still, it took me some time, because I have learned to guard my heart against Backman’s characters, because I get so wholeheartedly attached.

But.

Once the world was quiet, once I let my brain click off and melt into this world crafted of childhood friends, all felt right in the world. Because you slow down for Backman.

And just like his character ruminates, “Because who can make someone grieve for a person they never even knew, so that it hurts this much,” I am in mourning. I am grieving. And I have yet to recover from The Winners. No one can create a cast of characters like Backman. No one can make me feel the way I do while reading one of his stories like Backman, and My Friends was no exception.

It was truly an honor to be able to read an early copy of this book. It made my entire year.

Add this to your 2025 TBR! A beautiful dual timeline story about friendship, grief, and forgiveness. Thank you Atria Books and Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for a review..

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of My Friends by Fredrik Backman due to be published May 20, 2025.
Also read and recommended by Fredrik Backman: A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Beartown, Us Against You, The Winners, Britt-Marie Was Here, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer, The Answer is No.

Four children grow up in a seaside town, finding refuge from broken homes and lives, sharing secrets and dreams and only fourteen-year-olds can. Out of that summer comes a work of art from “the artist”, and his life and his friends, Joar, Ted, and Ali will never be the same.

I could not wait to finish this book to see how it ends, but I didn’t want to finish it. It was so beautiful – the words, the quotes, the story – all of it. I smiled, I laughed, I cried, and I cheered. Just. Read. It. You will not regret it! I’m very stingy with 5-star reviews, but this is one that deserves it!
#NetGalley #FredrikBackman #AtriaBook #MyFriends

<b>Grief is a selfish bacteria, it demands all our attention.</b>

The group of friends is 14 years old, with varying levels of trauma and grief and painful lives. But Fredrik Bachman will have you remembering what it is like to be 14, when friendship and infatuation feel exactly the same. Ted is serious, and becomes a history teacher who is tasked with telling their story. Joar is rebellious and funny and a little belligerent. And the artist sees the world in a beautiful way, he paints the way they laugh together.

Told in alternating timelines, Louisa is the current day 18 year old who has inherited a special painting done by the artist. The artist spends all of his money buying a painting that Louisa, a grieving foster kid, sees beauty in. Ted, who was living with him during his illness, promised to get her the painting. What follows is Ted and Louisa travel together, Ted telling her the story of how the painting came to be. She asks wonderful questions, Louisa has an artist's eye and an inquisitive nature. Louisa just lost her beloved friend Fish, and is facing how to get along in life without her partner in crime. Ted comes to her from a later period in life but knowing what it means to love someone.

Fredrik Backman is just the master of beautifully worded observations that will have you reaching for your pen and highlighter. Yes, it is funny, and of course, it is touching, and just a tad bit ....too unnecessarily sad. This is a story of how people view and value fine art, what constitutes art or an artist, how people love and trust their friends, and the loyalty therein. All of the characters are pitiful in some way and they can't abandon people who need them, even to their own destruction. This painting was described so frequently that I started to envision it in my mind, I am a bit resentful at the cover showing me the teenagers legs under the sea. This is an author I always reach for and the writing is beautiful, if under-edited. I think after some time, when movie directors become really well regarded, the producers stop forcing them to make their movies a good length. Eventually when a director becomes a star in their own right, their movies are just too long. And I think this happens with some beloved authors also, after awhile their editors don't want to fight them to revise their work. That's a long explanation to say that perhaps 100 pages or so didn't contribute to the setting, characterization or narrative.

And yet, it is truly a beautiful story made of well constructed characters and tenderhearted dialogue. A must read for the Backman fans out there.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC. Book to be published May 20, 2025.