I am devastated to give this book a 2 star rating. Backman is one of my favorite authors of all time but this story took me nearly 40 days to read because I kept getting so bored. I found that I couldn’t connect to any character and when ai got close, the chapter ended and it switched to present day.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?” - The Summer Day, Mary Oliver

As soon as I read this quote I knew this book was going to be magic. Fredrik Backman has a way of writing characters perfectly flawed while also being believable. Louisa and Ted were the perfect, unsuspecting main characters for this story and I loved the back and forth timelines. Learning the story of the friends along with Louisa kept me interested and at times felt eager to keep reading. Backman writes stories about human connection so beautifully. Definitely add this to your list of new releases to watch for!

• thank you to netgalley & atria books for an ARC of My Friends. All thoughts are my own :)

“I wouldn’t have swapped those idiots for a thousand childhoods.”

"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?"

i am speechless about how much i had loved this book and the experience i had while reading it. throughout reading this book i had felt every single emotion possible. i was crying, laughing & even laughing while crying at some points. no words could fully describe my feelings for this amazing book.

i love every single one of the characters and loved being able to learn more about them and what made them the way that they are. i do wish we had learned more about louisa and her past but still loved hearing about everyone else in the story. while reading this, i felt like i was in the story itself and experiencing everything that was happening and felt thoroughly connected to every character.

this book has instantly become one of my favorites and will forever recommend it to everyone i talk to.

Fredrik Backman has a way of capturing the depths of human emotion like few authors can, and My Friends is yet another masterpiece that tugs at the heartstrings. From the very first page, I was completely invested in the story, drawn into the lives of the characters with Backman’s signature blend of humor, warmth, and heartbreak.

Fans of his previous works will absolutely love this book. Backman’s storytelling remains as captivating as ever, weaving together moments of joy, sorrow, and deep introspection. His ability to make everyday life feel extraordinary is on full display, and the emotional weight of the story is undeniable.

I found myself tearing up multiple times, overwhelmed by the raw honesty in his writing. The relationships, the struggles, the quiet moments of love and loss—all of it hit hard. Backman doesn’t just tell a story; he makes you feel it in your bones. My Friends is a beautiful, moving novel that lingers in your heart long after you’ve turned the last page.

first off, I want to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with Backmans writing from the moment I read his amazing book “A Man Called Ove” so I was incredibly excited and honoured to have received an ARC of this book. This book was phenomenal, heartbreakingly beautiful. I laughed and cried. The story was so beautifully written I couldn’t stop reading. I couldn’t believe he’d done it again. Wrote another masterpiece. The characters in this book reminded me of the characters in the movie “Stand By Me” coming from different homes, different backgrounds.. what they all went through and how the power of friendship truly can save a person from ending it all. I was invested in every line. Backman never misses. His messages always truly mean something.

I almost didn't give this book a fair chance when I began reading it... Thankfully I got over my hesitation, because by the end, I was barely able to read the words on the page through the tears welling up in my eyes. This was, simply put, a beautiful novel. Full of heartbreak, laughter, violence, death, and SO MUCH LIFE.

Backman has this way of writing about simple moments and turning them into the most heartwarming or heart-wrenching sentences you've ever read. His writing style is not for everyone, but I urge you to give it a shot. I compare the narration of this novel (and some of his others, quite frankly) to the zooming in of a camera lens... It's as if the reader is in the sky looking down on this cast of 4 teenagers and feeling so outside of their jokes, idiosyncrasies, insults, and hardships (even their names!) and as we learn more about them, their history, their plans for the future, and their drive to just live and be happy, you feel a part of them, completely absorbed by their love for one another, laughing alongside them, clenching your fists when they get hurt, and crying when they feel sad (and boy is there a lot of it).

This is a book about art, about love and friendship, a book about grief and the happiness of infinite nows, about small towns and breaking cycles; but most of all, it's a book reminding you to live life to the fullest and appreciate the beauty in everyone and everything around you.

I wish with all my heart that I could give this book 5 stars... Fredrik Backman is my favorite author of all time, his prose is just beyond this word!
And this book is good, it is really good, but sadly it isn't quite a 5.
A few tropes are a little overdone, a little too much is still left unsaid, a few switcheroo's that just didn't work for me. Still, a solid 4, definitely worth reading. So much to gain here, and Backman definitely delivers.
This book is about friendship and art, about belonging, find your people and finding yourself.
Four down and out kids grow up the best of friends in a small town, one gets out. He becomes a world famous artist. Near the end of his life he meets a young girl who he see's something special in. On his death bed, he tells his best friend to give her his most famous painting. Said friend finds the girl, also a down-and-out sort of person, and they begin a long journey home. Along the way the friend tells the girl the life story of the four friends. She gets invested in the lives of these people (so did I!) and it is interesting at the end to see how it all turns out.
Yes, I know this synopsis is a bit vague, but I don't want to give anything away - go read it for yourself!
Anything Fredrik Backman writes is worth reading!! (Just check out his Instagram page, his posts are the very best.)

This may be one of my top books ever. Backman has a way of making you want to highlight nearly every other sentence. He's thought-provoking and drops you into the soul of multiple characters all at once. You'll fall in love with every single one of his "friends" in this book and hang on every word. Brilliant!

As some who has a lot of Backman’s titles in my favorites of all time shelf, tragically “My Friends” was my first miss from this author. “My Friends” has an intriguing premise of reflecting on adolescence, what art represents & the power of human connection. We follow both Louisa in the modern day as a freshly turned 18 year old as she struggles to find her place in the world without her best friend. Her other main love in her life is the painting, On the Sea. On the Sea was painted by “the artist” 25 years prior and represents the love he had for his friends during that time and how all of them were trying to get out of what life expected from them. To not go into major details, the novel follows Louisa meeting that friend group now and the friend group when they were 15.

While I found some great nuance in the emotions surrounding grief and how art is viewed, I kept being taken out of the story due the excessive amount of fart jokes. I understand the intention but really every 10 pages, a fart joke, really? Also in my opinion that would have worked better if they were younger, but like at 15 … really. It read more as cringey, it wasn’t endearing and just felt like a basic way to convey a “childlike” character rather than the delve into more stuff they did as kids. I just never felt like I really knew the 15 year olds, just that they found farts funny.

This just seems to be a case of this book isn’t for me, I know a lot of people will adore this book but it’s not for me. I didn’t connect to Louisa at all and found her grating, which I love that Backman choses to show people flaws and all but just never clicked for me here. Would have loved this a heck of a lot more if the humor wasn’t so crude and surface level. And I’m not disagreeing that farts are funny, they are occasionally (key-word occasionally).

⭐️⭐️💫

I first want to say that I LOVE Fredrik Backman. I’ve read several of his novels, and many of them remain among my favorite books ever. Therefore, I do understand that I likely came into this one with bigger expectations than other readers might have.

However…this one was a huge disappointment to me. There’s no denying Backman’s writing talent - I highlighted several sections that were just so beautifully written and full of emotion. He has a way of putting into writing the thoughts many of us have but just can’t quite articulate. So for that, bravo as usual.

However, the entire novel felt like misery porn to me?? I don’t know, I just felt like it was cliche that every single character had some depressing backstory or traumatic experience. And yes, Backman’s other books have similar vibes, but for whatever reason it really irked me in this one. I also felt like the characters were two dimensional and I never felt fully invested in their stories. Maybe it’s just me and the stage of life I’m in, but I found myself skimming some sections and feeling bored.

TLDR: I will always be a Backman fan, and the Beartown series is probably my favorite book series aside from Harry Potter. However, this was my least favorite book of his that I’ve read thus far, and was somewhat disappointing.

Backman is hands-down the most gifted storyteller of our times. Every one of his books is a marvel in storytelling each unique from the previous and his next. He creates characters who wear their hearts on their sleeves, he develops storylines that every reader can relate to in one way or another (I do not ice skate, play or watch hockey yet the Beartown trilogy was incredible).

The beautiful language in these stories are marvel given how they are translated, although having met Bachman there’s nothing wrong with his English and he would do a wonderful job if he wrote in that language.

This his latest, to be published in May, broke my heart 1 million times before it bound the pieces back together again over and over again. It is an incredible story that will make you laugh and cry in the same paragraph. I don’t know where he gets his ideas from, it truly is a miracle of imagination and incredibly inspiring that somebody could be this gifted. These are a lot of words, but I am at a loss and not gifted enough myself to describe what this experience was like.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria books for the super early peak into this May release that everyone should read. I am eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to preview this and to discuss it with everyone and anyone willing to listen to my spiel. I will continue to shout its praises until its release in May!

I’m ashamed to say that this is my first book by Fredrik Backman , and it definitely won’t be my last. Such a beautifully written novel filled with grief. Love, and amazing storytelling. Louisa will forever be close to my heart.

Fredrik Backman's "My Friends" isn't a standalone novel, but rather a short story or novella often included in collections or available as a standalone e-book. Therefore, a full "review" in the traditional sense might not be appropriate. However, I can offer a brief description and impression:

"My Friends" is a poignant and bittersweet exploration of friendship, aging, and memory. Backman's signature style – heartwarming, humorous, and tinged with melancholy – shines through as he portrays an elderly man reflecting on his life and the people who have shaped it. It's a short but powerful piece that packs an emotional punch, reminding readers of the enduring importance of human connection. While not a complex plot-driven narrative, it's a beautifully written and deeply felt story that will resonate with anyone who has cherished the bonds of friendship.

Another incredible book by the incredible author Fredrik Backman! What a read. The beginning chapter already hooked me. I cried, laughed and loved every minute of this. Will stay with me forever and will pick this up to read again and again!

Fredrik Backman is an easy auto-read author for me.

My Friends lived up to my expectations. A story-telling style that sucked me in. Ordinary people that tell about friendship, love, overcoming, and so much more. Backman never lets me down. I truly loved this one.

Fredrik Backman is my favorite author of all time. I’ve read everything that he’s written and loved it all. The newest book from him I has everything I love - greet writing, memorable characters, and so much heart. I will forever recommend his books to everyone I know.

Fredrik Backman always has a way with words, but this book just absolutely struck me in every way.

A combination of a coming of age story told in nostalgic flashbacks, a dash of mischief, characters who are impossible not to love and cheer for... all the ingredients of classic. I've read several Backman books but this one just feels so poignant and easy to connect with. Some might find some of the quotes and musings about life a little too close to saccharine, but I think that the commentary fits with the characters and isn't forced. Everyone who has the pleasure of reading this book is sure to fall in love with each and every character - cheering them on along the way.

I very much foresee a physical copy of this book sitting on my shelf for years to come, hopefully on loan to friends and family so they can share in this epic tale about the power of friendship.

Thank you Atria for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this arc!

If there is one thing Fredrik Backman knows how to do it, it is make you feel every emotion. From pain, to joy and laughter, this book had it all.

I love that the friends lives are shown when they are 14, it really shows the pain and excitement of growing up and reminds me of Beartown when he mentions “no one has friends like the ones they have at fifteen.”

This book was beautiful, poetic and I loved it from start to finish!

Three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of the most famous painting in the world. Louise, a tough 18 year old gifted artist, sees this in the painting and is determined to find out the story behind these 4.
Twenty five years ago, a group of young teens find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending their days laughing and telling stories out on the pier.

Joar: never backs down from a fight, protector of the group
Ted: bookish, quiet, sensitive
Ali: only girl in the group but tough
The Artist: possesses extraordinary talent

The 4 find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream. Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be put into Louisa’s care. As she struggles to decide what to do with it, she embarks on a surprise journey to the painting’s birthplace and on the way learns the story of how the painting came to. On the trip she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic spirit, but happy endings don’t always take the form we expect.

Wow what a wonderful story that everyone needs to read! It was a book I wanted to keep reading but not to end. There were so many feelings involved with this story about friendship and art. It was funny yet sad. I laughed out loud yet many parts made me cry. It showed the power of friendship and what it means through good and bad times. The story also involved grief, sacrifice, trust and protecting those you love. It was a very heartfelt, emotional story. The story made me feel like I was there watching .

Thank you #netgalley, #fredrikbackman, #atriabooks

One of the hardest parts of getting an ARC is the promise you give to write an honest review. But what can you possibly find to write when a book leaves you without words because it is so perfectly complete? Nothing that I can say will come close to doing it justice.

Fredrik Backman has knocked it out of the park with this one. It's going to be a runaway best seller, and deservedly so because it is brilliant. The characters perfectly drawn, their relationships unbearably believable, and the love that fills each page can only come from someone who has had many moments of "perfect nows," not just one.

There is nothing more I can add. I literally have no words for how wonderful this book is, and I don't want to spoil the surprise for those of you who haven't had the opportunity to experience it yet. Consider this my present to you - a book that you are going have the joy of unwrapping for yourself.