I love Fredrick Backman’s books. His characters. His story. The human nature that just punches you in the gut. This book was no different. It’s about love, friendship, grief intermingled with poverty and violence. I was finishing this book while on an airplane sobbing at the love and the friendship. Just fantastic.

Read the book. Sob. Hold on to your friendships even harder. Find the ones that are “one of us”. Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

Backman has a way of pulling at the heartstrings. His characters are so strong, you can't help but connect with them as you see reflections of your own struggles and failures. But when it all came together its hopeful and charming.

Backman has a way of writing people that really shows you human nature which is why I love his stories so much. Stories encompass the joys and sorrows of life and while the characters have their secrets, you get peeks of them being vulnerable. This story is exactly that....a story of kids growing up who may not have the best lives, but make the best of what they have and find family in each other.

Backman's writing style always draws me right in. I enjoyed this book about boys and the hardships they had to endure in order to survive their childhood. Backman is really wonderful at weaving characters together and making them multi-dimensional. While I thought this story was a little slow at first, it kept my interest with the witty banter between a young girl and a grumpy man.

Absolutely one of the top five favourite books I’ve read to date. Backman finds a way to make a gut wrenching story beautiful, intriguing and a work of art. My Friends hooks you from the first page and balances emotion with the best humorous quips the whole way through.

There truly is not a book Fredrik Backman writes that doesn't tear my heart apart, make me cry multiple times then most often puts it all back together with some good true laughs in between. So no doubt about when I see his name I am all for it. This book is about an endless sea, a profound friendship, and a true love story. It delves into grief, sacrifice, fart jokes, uproarious laughter, spontaneous adventures, learning to trust, and protecting loved ones at all costs. It’s about the serendipity of art. It’s about finding your own pearl in an oyster shell and learning to let go, even when it feels like shards of glass stabbing your heart. These four vagabonds met nearly a decade ago when they were just 15, united by their desire to help the artist attend a painting competition—even though he couldn’t afford supplies like paint, brushes, or canvas. Despite their own struggles and the harsh hands life had dealt them, they were resourceful and unstoppable as long as they had each other. Don't think twice about it and just dive in its so worth it.

A coming of age story that breaks your heart and puts it back together. If a story could teach love, it's this one.

Thank you, Atria Books, for the copy of My Friends by Fredrick Backman.This is the first book I have read by Backman and now I’m anxious to read more! From the start I was mesmerized by the main characters, and I loved their dialogue. I liked the surprising and quirky writing, and the unexpected things that occurred, but at some point, it was too much and I just wanted to get on with the story of Ted and Louise. The past narratives from Ted were too long, and while I appreciated the story of the friends, it really didn’t resonate with me. Maybe if I were an artist or art lover I would have enjoyed it more. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I really enjoyed a lot of the book.

😭😭😭😭
Seriously, every book of Backman's is a masterpiece and gets me right in the feels.
The last 10% of this book had me in new tears every couple of paragraphs. The story telling is so lovely. The relationship between the four friends was so well crafted.
I think this book should have been called One of Us instead

5⭐️ To say I love this book would be an understatement! I laughed, I cried, I felt anger and joy! Will be one of the best of 2025!

One summer, four outcast friends and a painting that will change them all! The artist, Ted, Joar, and Ali
come to life on the most beautifully written pages. Backman’s prose is gorgeous and I became lost in their adventures and heartbreaks.

Told in flashbacks from Ted, about that one pivotal summer when the friends were 14, to Louisa,an aged out foster child. Alternating chapters between Ted and Louisa, both strong character voices. Love, friendship, death, grief, alcoholism all feature in the emotional ride that is MY FRIENDS.


Thank you Atria books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

My Friends is a powerful story about the lasting strength of friendship. There’s a group of teenagers who find solace and strength in their friendship. The way Backman portrays their bond, their struggles, and their joy is incredibly authentic. He’s done it again, thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC, appreciate you.

I will devour any book that Fredrik Backman writes, and Backman’s “My Friends” is no exception with its colorful cast of characters, heartfelt story, and Backman-esque humor.

Four teenage friends living in a coastal village face abuse, grief, and poverty. Where their homes are unstable, their friendship is a solid foundation. From this friendship, an incredible painting is created and launches the career of “the artist” among them.

Two decades later, the artist meets Louisa, an artist and orphan, the day before her eighteenth birthday as she runs from the police. The artist and Louisa form a quick friendship that, once again, changes the course of everything for the artwork and the people who care about it.

I laughed at Backman’s mix of dark comedy and silly humor (so many farts!). I became invested in the plight of the teenagers as they navigated the space between childhood and adulthood. I was moved by a friendship and a work of art that changed lives and transcended time.

My new favorite Fredrik Backman book!!
My Friends is so deeply moving and absolute perfection. This is one I will be continually thinking of and won’t stop recommending, especially for my book friends looking for a great cry. (I cried multiple times! Don’t worry, In true Backman style I also laughed out loud.)

This is a beautifully written novel that captures the complexities of friendship, love, and human connection in a way only Backman can. His characters are flawed, funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful all at once.

My Friends is an absolute must-read. Highly recommend!

Ugh yes.

Fredrik Backman is incredible. And so was this.

The further the story went along the more and more I fell in love with it. It definitely started off slow but Backman is a master at getting you to truly fall in love with his characters and that I did. Honestly this gave me a lot of A Little Life vibes, just without the torture on page.

This was emotional and heartfelt and funny and heartbreaking. You will feel all your feels and want to cry by the end. There was even some shocking turns along the way.

The plot as a whole is very simple but the way that is it done is just so perfect and gives the ability to really focus on this story that the characters are sharing.

A lot of good themes here and found family and just yes. Just YES. That is all.

What can I say about a Fredrik Backman novel that hasn’t already been said? I have loved every one of his that I have read.

I am not going to attempt to give a short synopsis of this book. You can read on online blurb about it in many places.

This beautifully written book is amusing, poignant, heartbreaking, heartwarming. It is about friendship, the joy and pain of friendships and growing up, found family, the nature of art, art as salvation. Backman’s character development is at his best here. There are so many memorable observations and compelling lines….if you are an underliner, you will be kept very busy noting outstanding parts.

Take your time reading and savoring this story and all it says about life. BTW, my husband also read this and said it was the best book he had ever read.

This book is another that just demonstrates why I love this author so much! His ability to describe people and pull you in emotionally is incredible. I loved this book and will forever be a fan.

My Friends is funny, moving and powerful. Fredrick Blackman certainly has a way with words. Great author.

Easily my favorite by Backman yet! It felt really like he perfected his signature mix of whimsy, tenderness, and wisdom with this one. The characters were so vivid with unique quirks of their own and I really loved them all. I laughed out loud and even got teary-eyed at one point. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Fredrik Backman is so adept at creating characters that the reader will fall in love with. I wanted to crawl inside the pages of this book and be a part of the story. Such a lovely novel about the power of friendship.

In true Fredrik Backman style, this book is full of heart and is the epitome of love in all forms. The way he weaves the story together is impressive, as the narrative of the four friends is slowly unraveled to Louisa through Ted.

There were so many profound insights made about friendship, love, and all of life's challenges. Each person has had their own particular brand of adversity, but the way they support and accept each other is a beautiful thing to witness.

The only thing about the book I didn't love were times in which the dialogue seemed overly dramatized, with capitals and exclamation marks when it wasn't necessarily warranted. It may have been a way the author chose to show the difficulties certain characters had in expressing their emotions, but it came off as a bit heavy-handed and juvenile, and it gave the book a less mature voice.