I really wanted to love this book because I loved Beartown. But, sadly, I have not loved any of his other books, and this one is in that category. I just could not get into the book. Though the premise sounded interesting with the painting and the people in the painting that no one notices, from the beginning when Loiusa is in the gallery, I just was not invested. I kept reading because I got this from NetGalley, and I wanted to be able to give an honest review, but if it had not been a NetGalley book, I would not have finished it. Just not my taste or style. Louisa was annoying, and the plot and dialogue fell flat for me. I don't recommend it, but yet, if you like Backman's books, you will probably love it. I do thank Atria Books and NetGalley for the e-arc.

I will always love Fredrik Backman's writing style his uniquely simple, yet profound descriptions of the human condition. Unfortunately, I just didn't connect as much with the characters and storylines of this book as much as some of his others.

For fans of Backman this will be an absolute hit! My Friends’ characters feel very real and alive, which is hard to do in books. Having only read Beartown from Backman, I was very intrigued by his new book, and it did not disappoint and has made me a fan of his writing, character development, and storytelling. It is a story about what it is to be human.

Picture your favorite summer in childhood. This will bring it all back for you. My Friends by Fredrik Backman is beautifully written. I have never saved as many quotes as I did while reading this story. My Friends will be a book that you will hear about throughout 2025. If you are looking for a sweet drama, then this story is for you.

What I Liked About My Friends:

I read this book a while ago, but I needed to let it settle in my mind before writing the review. Truly, my favorite part of the book was the nostalgia. There is nothing better than hanging out with your friends on a summer day. The main story line of Ted and Louisa and how one painting brought them together was masterful writing.

Told from two different time periods and different points of view, the reader is shown what true friendship is about. Backman does a wonderful job of characterization in the book. I loved all of the characters, but especially Louisa. Louisa is in the present tense of the story; she is a woman who just “aged out” of being in foster homes with nowhere to go. It was a certain painting that kept her hopeful.

As she meets the artist and his friend, she learns the backstory of the painting. It was the friendship of 5 childhood friends that kept the story moving. It was through this characterization that Backman shows that family isn’t always created through blood, and that your childhood friends become just as much a part of your story too.

Quotes From My Friends: (It was hard to pick my favorite top three):
** “Our teenage years have to be simultaneously the brightest light and the darkest depths, because that’s how we learn to figure out our horizons.”

I loved my teenage years, but those years definitely put you through the ringer. As someone who has taught teenagers for most of my life, I saw them on their brightest and darkest days. I wanted to save each and every one of them, but I knew they needed to navigate life on their own,

** “I’m worried about being alive without you.”


Ugh. This brought on so many tears and feelings. I’m not scared to die, but I am scared to live life without the people that I love the most. I’m sure this line hit home with many people.

** “When you think about summers growing up, it feels like the sun was always shining, there’s never any wind or rain in nostalgia.”

This is so true. Even as an adult, my memories of summer will never have wind or rain in them, even though it’s raining today. Most of my childhood memories consist of swimming in a pool with my best friend, or waterskiing on a lake with my family. It’s funny how memories work.

Something To Think About:
This is not a fast read. It is a long book at over 400 pages, so you have to be ready to settle in. In order to appreciate the story, make sure to take some time to appreciate the beautifully written lines. At times, I wish it moved a little more quickly, but I’m not sure what I would take out either.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Fredrik Backman for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

Reading challenge category - 2025 PopSugar: a book you got for free (Netgalley)

Oh Fredrik Backman, you've done it again. I didn't expect to cry in the first section, but I did. I think I should always expect to cry when I read his works, silly me.

This story is told in two timelines: present day and ~20 years ago. Present day: Louisa meets a famous artist and his most famous painting is left in her care. She sees the real story of the painting - three teens - not the sea. One of those teens, Ted, accompanies Louisa to his hometown where the painting was set. On the trip there, in flashback stories, Ted tells her about the summer and the group of 4 friends - the three in the painting plus the artist.

The story explores friendship, love, grief, bio family/found family, art, and the meaning of life and legacy. It is more of a slow burn than some of his others, but an enjoyable read, nonetheless. (I'm keeping this in my review) Anna - you will like this for the sheer frequency of the mentioning of farts.

Thanks to #Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

"𝘈𝘳𝘵 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."

This beautiful book called for some beautiful flowers.

𝗠𝗬 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 is a slower book - it took me almost a week to read - but what it lacks in action, it makes up for in heart. Backman never fails to wow me with the way he uses words, the humanity he infuses into his characters and the unique twists he gives his stories that don't seem like they'll ever connect but eventually do in the most wonderful way. This charming and poignant look at friendship, at grief, at trauma and at healing is one I won't soon forget. All the stars!

Thansk to Atria Books for the copy to review.

This book had me in TEARS, but I fear that is not an original experience when it comes to anything Fredrik Backman—he will forever and always find ways to pull at our heartstrings.

Never would I have thought a book about a painting would have so much to tell and so much to give. But then again, I felt the same about a small Swedish hockey town and was absolutely blown away. My Friends is just further proof that nothing is as simple as hockey or a painting; it’s always about the people—the unexpected connections made along the way of those long, hard, emotional journeys.

Backman has such a way with words and really knows how to convey harsh realities and emotions in his characters, but I am continually amazed by his understanding of young people and the overall intimate human experience. There is something so consequential about insignificant people and their lives that he promotes so incredibly well.

No other author out there is like Fredrick Backman. His stories are studies in humanity and lessons in empathy and compassion that truly everyone must experience and learn from.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria for this e-ARC.

Fredrik Backman is an automatic read for me. While My Friends didn't quite have the same magic for me that A Man Called Ove, Beartown, and Anxious People did, it was still an enjoyable read. It definitely made me nostalgic for childhood summers spent with friends (though mine were unfortunately not as loyal).

There was a little twist at the end that I didn't see coming (somehow) and I feel I should mention that if you are triggered by domestic violence to perhaps use some caution when picking this up.

Fredrick Backman writes amazing well rounded characters who you just can’t help but grow to love. He writes like he understands 100% of the human experience. I loved reading about it. I loved the air of mystery in this one as we tried to piece together the past. This book made me laugh and cry and I loved how he connected generations

4.5 stars rounded up because once again, he made me cry...

If you're a fan of Fredrik Backman and you like his quirky way of slowly dripping information about the characters, then you'll love this one. As is usual for him, his focus is on the characters and he slowly builds him up over the course of the novel and some might find that to be slow pacing, but for me, I love slowly peeling through the layers of each of the characters. Additionally, Louisa is the perfect listener for Ted because he tells his story about his friends in such a meandering way, and you absolutely are with Louisa as she complains about what a terrible storyteller he is! But it worked for me. By the end, I loved every one of the friends, the ones who were "one of us". There were so many times when I laughed out loud and quite a few times when I shed tears. I loved that this story revolved around a painting and the idea that if you were the rest of the world, you saw the painting one way, but if you were "one of us" then you saw it another way.

There were definitely times when I was so angry at the town and the adults that "allowed" the suffering that these teens had to endure, but Backman had a way of showing us that even the adults were suffering because it was a hard life. Without excusing the choices people made, he helped us see why such situations had come to be, but he also allowed redemption to be part of the story. In the end, this was a beautiful story about friendship, found family, and artistic expression. As with all of Backman's books, I recommend this one as well.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fredrik Backman does it again. This man has an incredible gift of putting these feelings I cannot describe into words. Both of the timelines are captivating and intriguing. These characters slowly wedge their way into your heart and leave you with such a renewed faith in humanity. I would recommend any of his books and this is no exception.

So. I love Fredrik Backman. His quirky, specific, incredibly human way of telling a story breaks my heart every time.

But I struggled through this one for some reason. I generally like a multi-timeline approach with back and forth glimpses of what's to come, but this one didn't move forward fast enough. I found myself choosing other books instead of this one, and it took me something like two months to eventually finish. If it weren't Backman, I would've DNFed. I persevered for the trust I have in his storytelling.

And it did pay off! I'm happy with how it ended, and I was of course in tears in the final couple of chapters.

This will not be the Backman book I recommend to newcomers though.

Also. I know this book was about teenage boys but waaaaaay too many references to farts for my liking. *insert shrugging emoji*

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader eCopy of Backman’s My Friends.

This book is about friendship, found family, how impactful art can be, overcoming adversity and the power of resilience. In typical Backman fashion, there are many food for thought passages in this book. I did feel like there were too many. At one point, the redundancy seemed to me like reading Backman’s never ending stream of consciousness. At the 60% mark, I paused this book for a few weeks before picking it up again for a buddy read.

Please read trigger warnings, there are some heavy themes in this book. Backman adds some comedic relief here and there as a reprieve from the main characters’ tragic and traumatic childhoods. I will not say more as my fellow buddy readers are still reading.

3.25⭐️ Not my fave Backman but still worth the read if you’re a fan of his work. Set in a seaside town, in the summertime, this book will take you back to the innocent (or reckless) carefree days of youth.

This was the 3rd Backman book I’ve read and it’s by far my favorite! The characters had a cool spin on “found family” and I loved the connection of the two timelines. Excellent story!

I will read anything this man writes!!

This was a beautiful, heartfelt story with gut-wrenching moments, witty humour, and charm! I was captivated from beginning to end. The characters were flawed but loveable and so fully formed. I just loved everything about this book!

My Friends may be my favorite book I have read this year. Backman never fails to build a world and characters that you connect with in his emotional stories which are clearly written for the heart and about the human experience. The storylines in this story which take place in current day and in the past, will have you engaged from start to finish as you will laugh, cry, and find yourself heartbroken as the tragedy unfolds with an ending of hope.

This book was simply lovely. Fredrik Backman never disappoints and My Friends is no different—it was moving, heartbreaking, funny and just absolutely a must-read.

Gutwrenchingly beautiful, this Backman novel will make you cry, laugh and have hope. Louisa runs away from foster care and encounters a man she thinks is homeless. The Artist is not homeless, but dying, and recognizes himself in the young woman. When his friend Ted comes to give the woman the Artist’s painting, a quirky and wonderful relationship develops. There is much to love about this book that celebrates uniqueness, art, and friendship. The flashbacks to the four young friends, Ted, Ali, Joar and Kim, will touch your heart. I highly recommend this meaningful and well written novel. Thanks to. NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of My Friends by Fredrik Backman.

I absolutely loved this book. Backman once again proves why he is my favorite author. He has a rare gift for capturing the complexities of family, friendship, grief, and joy with such depth and beauty—often in just a single sentence. Every line felt meaningful, and I found myself highlighting passage after passage because the writing was so powerful and affecting.

I cried multiple times and couldn't put it down. The emotional resonance is strong throughout, and the characters feel so real, so human. Backman beautifully captures the complexity of relationships, showing how grief and love can live side by side. His writing is both simple and profound, and he continues to be my favorite author. I would read anything he writes. My Friends is another stunning reminder of why.

Another one of Fredrik Backman's well written novels with sweet characters that make you want to know what happens to them. The two main characters are so lovable. 4.5 stars.