Overall rating: 5/5 Stars

"We hardly ever start at the beginning."

Most people don't look, really look, into art. So hardly anyone ever notices the three figures sitting on the pier of one of the most famous paintings in the world: The One of the Sea. But Louisa does.

To her, it means something about the world, about her best friend Fish, about who she is. But it will never mean more to her than it does when she hears the real story behind it and the friends who helped the artist C. Jat to create it.

Moving between the past and the present, we watch both as the painting comes to be and as it is unexpectedly placed into Louisa's care. It is a journey on both ends, and neither of them start at the beginning.

This book is the essence of friendship contained within some words on a page. It is the meaning of life, sentiment, ineffability. There is no summarizing a Fredrik Backman book if you've never read one.

"And Ted has to forgive them, because in grief we are reminded that we're human beings. In life we might be enemies, but when faced with death, we see the truth: we are one species, all we have is each other, and where you go, I shall follow."

The way he writes opens me up to all of human emotion. I feel everything as I read his work; from despair, to hope, to longing, to laughter at the unexpectedly funny parts to warmth.

"He used to say that art is coincidence.
A beautiful painting is the sum total of a person, what has happened to them, blessings and curses alike.
Coincidences."

This book is not chronologically written in the most beautiful, human, raw, and real way possible. What is magical about this book is that it's about the worst things that could happen to you, but really, it's about kindness.

"Okay. You can tell me the rest of it now."
"The rest of what?"
"The rest of the whole long story!
About everything! About the competition and the painting and... everything. But it mustn't only be unhappy! It must also be a bit ... you know ... ordinary too."

This book is written in memories. A professor once told me that time is relative and we remember things being longer that had more of an impact on us. I was reminded of this constantly while reading because the smallest passages had the most profound effect on the characters and on me as I absorbed their feelings and lessons.

Thank you for another beautiful and imperfect ride through the best and worst of us, Fredrick Backman.

"It's cool that we happened at all."

Thank you to NetGalley for proving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so, so incredibly much for the advanced copy of My Friends. It was a privilege to receive and one that I was quick to prioritize, since Backman has written some of my top books to recommend. Beartown and Anxious People were both 5 star reads for me.

That being said, I was a bit disappointed with My Friends. It was a charming story and absolutely had some highlight-worthy lines, but it didn’t resonate as deeply as Backman’s other work. The story begins in present day to introduce a runaway orphan named Louisa. Just shy of 18, Louisa gets caught in an event that catapults her into a found family adventure. She meets two adult versions of the other main character friend group. What follows is an alternating timeline: we are offered a journey all its own while Ted recounts the summer he and his closest friends were 14. The main themes are art and its influence on mental health, found family and childhood friendship, and the different directions and possibilities detrimental to reaching adulthood.

I appreciated the nostalgia, Backman’s personable and humorous writing style, and the heartwarming stories within the story. Each character is well represented and it’s easy to fall in love with all of them, respectively and more and more as things unfold.

Some of the novel felt like it was trying too hard to be witty and likable, though. I also feel like a handful of crude references were overused. It’s always great to see themes and references pop back up or come full circle… but My Friends didn’t need that or land the same way Backman’s previous work has accomplished.

Altogether, this novel was well done if not overdone. Backman offers another opportunity to consider heavy questions with a light perspective. I’d recommend this to his usual audience but would not recommend this as anyone’s first time experiencing his work.

I will post this on my Goodreads with a 3.75 rating.

If Backman writes it, I read it. I have been waiting for a new book of his to be released and this one didn't disappoint (but then again, he never disappoints me). 
This story follows Louisa, who has had a rough life but has learned to stay hopeful with the help of her friend Fish and a postcard that depicts a famous painting of a sea (but if you look real close, you can see 3 friends on a pier). Although this painting was done twenty five years prior, these friends will have a big impact on Louisa in ways she never thought possible.
Backman's writing is truly unlike anyone else I've ever read. He serves as this omnipotent narrator who gives you insight into each character in such a flawless way that you can't help but feel so deeply about everything that happens in his books. This story is about friendship and art, but also what it means to simply be human.
Deeply grateful to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing an ARC with me! Of course, I also preordered a physical copy of the book to add to my collection of Fredrik Backman novels (yes, they're that good!)

I have no words to express how much I loved this book! I was instantly hooked. I adore Backman's writing style. It made me laugh, cry, and experience such a wide array of emotions. It was heartfelt and poignant. It strongly focuses on themes of friendship, grief, and love. I really enjoyed the dual timelines and the depth it added to the plot. I absolutely loved all the characters, and the character development was excellent. This book deserves all the stars.

Fredrik Backman is my favorite author, and this is definitely one of my favorite books of his. The entire book kept me engaged, his storytelling is truly so endearing and his characters fly off the page. I am so thankful to NetGalley and Atria for allowing me to read this early, I wouldn’t be surprised if this lands in my top reads by the end of 2025. It was fantastic and a joy to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book.

It was a joy to start 2025 with Fredrik Backman's My Friends. My Friends is a stunning portrait of a close-knit group of friends. It's a book about four friends growing up in a rough community who all rally around "the artist" friend as he becomes a famous painter. It's about growing up, struggling through adversity, love among friends, and art, and has moments of happiness, laughter, sadness, everything. It is an emotional novel, and Backman's best. I look forward to recommending this book to students, colleagues, and friends.

Thanks for NetGalley gifting me this ARC. I am new to this author, but have obviously heard of him. I can say his writing is phenomenal, his story emotional, and my want to read more books, absolute. Do not go in if you do not want to feel things....

Fredrik Backman does it again....tearing my heart out and making me fall in love with his characters and all their flaws. I knew 13% in that this book would be one of my favorites for 2025. Told in alternating time lines, this is the story of The Artist, his three best friends, and the summer they turned 15. This is also the story of Louisa, who has just turned 18 and has decided to run away from the foster system. The two stories collide in an alleyway behind an art auction. Beautiful, heart breaking, funny...this was perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Publishing for this ARC. I've read and enjoyed all of Fredrik Backman's books and this one is just as enjoyable! Five big stars! It is beautifully written and a joy to read. I savored every word on the page and found myself going back from time to time to reread a paragraph and relive the story. We follow the friendship of four friends and each of their lives over the years as their relationships deepen and become more intertwined. The story is centered around the main character, Louisa, and a painting that gets auctioned off for a large sum of money. This is all about friendship and love.

Fredrik Backman writes the most profound, yet authentic, depictions of the human experience and what it means to be human. Full of joy, loss, grief, pain, friendship, strength, and how they all intertwine, My Friends is yet again another work of Backman that had me laughing, crying, and screaming all at once.

I truly believe Backman will go down as one of the best writers of our time, and this book only further solidifies that belief!

FIVE STAR BOOK REVIEW

Four teenagers whose deep friendship, captured in a piece of art, changes the life of a stranger years later.

I loved this book so much. MY FRIENDS captures the same emotional depth that makes Fredrik Backman’s books so unforgettable. His unique ability to explore the complexities of the human experience with profound insight and compassion is what makes him one of my favorite authors. This story didn’t just touch me—it found a permanent place in my heart.

The narrative shifts between present-day life, following Louisa and Ted’s connection through a painting, and memories of Ted’s childhood friends. Every single character felt incredibly personal and real, and I found myself completely invested in their lives—feeling every ounce of fear, joy, pain, and hope alongside them.

For fans of Backman’s other works, this book will feel familiar in the best possible way, but also offers something new. I was laughing one moment, crying the next as these wonderfully complex characters turn moments of grief into something beautiful and everyday moments into lessons of love and resilience.

Overall, a beautiful, poignant story about the power of friendship and art, and how both can inspire us, heal us, and change our lives in unexpected ways.

I had the privilege of this incredible book being my first read of 2025. As with all of Backman’s books, MY FRIENDS was an incredibly moving and powerful story. While the character’s stories were heavy and heartbreaking, they were also full of hope and wisdom. I was laughing one minute and crying the next.

The characters were so lovely and genuine and I loved with them with my whole heart. We got little pieces of each of them as the story progressed, which came together in the end in an emotional and through-provoking way where each character is significant. Backman’s unique voice and storytelling will forever be my favorite.

+ love and profound friendship
+ heartfelt and genuine
+ exploration of grief
+ adventures and art

Oh wow. I am in awe of this book, the story, the characters, the subject, the plot, everything. Fredrik Backman just knows how to make you laugh, make you cry, and do both at the same time. He has mastered his own individual voice through this book. Backman reminds the reader so many times of how we keep living through grief, our own insecurities, and family troubles. This book is so incredibly human it hurts. I have so many highlighted quotes from this that I will continue to look back on. This book is for artists who need a reminder of why they do what they do.

My only qualm with this book is the lack of content/trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. The subject matter is NOT for the faint of heart, and I think it would be irresponsible for someone to go into this book without knowing what is discussed. Think "A Little Life" but not so in your face.

Thank you so much to Atria Books for this e-arc!

4.5 stars!

Fredrik Backman can do no wrong! I've loved every single one of his books and My Friends is no exception.

It starts with a girl named Louisa and the painting she fell in love with, but really it starts 25 year earlier between four friends during the summer that changed their lives. Backman's writing style is so special to me and I'm absolutely confident that I could pick it out if asked to. It's simple but occasionally he'll slip in the most devastating truth and it'll hit me like a brick. Louisa, Ali, Joar, Ted, and the artist are all so quirky and interesting in their own ways, and layers of their characters fall away to reveal the complexity at their cores. Stories about childhood friendship, particularly between characters with rough home lives, are a favorite of mine and I love the author's take on it. The painting and the train ride and Louisa's recent loss and newfound relationship with Ted are just such a gorgeous frame for that type of story. As expected, there are Backman's trademark fake-outs which kept me on my toes and some of the lines will really stick with me. I can't wait for everyone else to get their hands on this.

Amazing all around! I'll always look forward to Backman's next work.

Thank you to Fredrik Backman and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

My Friends by Fredrik Backman 🌅🌅🌅🌅🌅

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on May 20, 2025.

Reading a new book by your favorite author is a great way to start off a new year! Backman is back with his first novel since finishing the Beartown trilogy in 2022. What a beautiful and brilliantly written novel this is.

It’s set in two timelines: current and 25 years ago. In the current timeline, Louisa has had a rough life. She’s been in foster care for most of her life, and her one and only best friend has just died. An aspiring artist, drawing is the only thing that has kept Louisa alive. When she goes to a museum to see a world famous painting, she has a chance encounter that will change her life.

In the timeline from the past, we find out about the artist who painted that world famous painting and the friends he had as a teenager who kept him alive.

A major theme in this book is depression, so…trigger warning. Backman has battled depression, and he’s able to put that struggle into words with so much heart that anyone who has fought against it will understand and feel seen. The characters and relationships are where Backman shines, though. The way he writes humanity, the good and the bad, is unlike any author I have ever come across. I laughed and cried and loved all of these characters. They will remain in my heart and mind for a long, long time.

I have 17 quotes saved from this book, but I can only give y’all one. (Yes, it was hard to choose.) You’ll have to read the book to enjoy the rest. Mark your calendars. May 20, 2025. Ten out of five stars. All my thumbs way up.

“[A]rt is a fragile magic, just like love, and that's humanity's only defense against death. That we create and paint and dance and fall in love, that's our rebellion against eternity. Everything beautiful is a shield.”
— Fredrik Backman, My Friends

Such a beautiful read. The amount of highlighting I did in this book has outdone any other book I've read for quite awhile. How does Backman come up with such poetic and real thoughts for his fictional characters? Who needs poetry when you have Backman?

This story is somewhat slow and methodical and such a beautiful journey of revisiting the past with friends but also moving forward with new friends. The idea of connection, struggles, trials, decisions and artistry is so poignantly shared. When I closed the last page, I had tears rolling down my face, not in sadness, but more because of the connection Backman gave me, the reader, to his characters.

An easy recommendation!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the gifted e-ARC.

I've read every one of Fredrik Backman's books, and while each explores vastly different themes, they all share a distinct, familiar warmth. Whether he's writing about the elderly, an eccentric neighbor, a struggling hockey team, or a criminal on the run, his stories consistently remind us that beneath even the most overlooked individuals lies a deeply human heart.
My Friends beautifully embodies this same essence, touching on all these characters in one way or another. The story unfolds across dual timelines: Louisa, through a chance encounter, discovers a priceless painting and embarks on a cross-country train journey (the locations are never explicitly mentioned but feel distinctly European). Along the way, Ted recounts to Louisa—and to us—the story of his childhood friends. Their tumultuous upbringings are filled with hardship, yet Backman's storytelling never veers into despair. Instead, it feels tender, hopeful, and achingly real.
As the narrative unravels, we learn about the painting’s creation, the inspiration behind it, and the legacy it carries. Ultimately, My Friends is a celebration of art, unlikely friendships, chosen family, and the beauty of imperfect people finding connection.
There’s mystery, intrigue, and Backman's signature humor woven throughout. Poignant yet playful, this novel is sure to be another standout hit in 2025. I can’t wait to see how readers respond.
Bravo, Backman—you've once again delivered a masterclass in storytelling.

Thank you much for this ARC. Fredrick Backman is one of my favorite authors. This book was funny and a joy to read. I will highly recommend it to people!

Only Fredrik Backman can have me crying on one page and laughing on the next. This story is an absolute masterpiece. Backman has such a way with his writing that no matter the subject (Hockey for Beartown, Art for My Friends) you dive in and care so deeply about it because you realize it's not at all about art or hockey, it's really just about the relationships. Already preordered this and cannot wait to reread it once it comes out!

I ADORE Fredrik Backman. He is such a unique 'flavor' in the literary world, and this was no exception to that. Backman continues to perform surgery on the little intrinsic pieces that make us human, and serves them up in a way that is digestible and almost 'chewy'. This is Backman at the top of his game.