My Friends is Fredrik Backman’s best book yet. This story about friendship from young to older is extraordinary in its character portrayals and their journeys lived and to be lived. Artful and exquisite! Highly recommend.

I have loved every single Fredrik Backman book I have read - and I have read them all! This one did not disappoint. It has all of his trademark style. He lays out a journey with some characters all of whom we may not initially like but most definitely come to love. There are time leaps back and forth but we know they are stories from the past so it's not one of those novels that's difficult to keep the timeline straight. It was a lovely, heartwarming story about how important that is to make connections in life - that we are not alone and that we can't survive alone. If family is not there for you, family can be made and we are all better off for it. I highly recommend this book - 4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

Fredrik Backman is someone I always love to read. He always finds a way to bring you into his world and the characters in his stories become "My Friends". This was no exception. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my eARC and thank you to Fredrik Backman for continuing to write amazing stories.

Fredrik Backman never fails to make me laugh and cry — often within the space of a few sentences! And this book is no exception. This story about the lives of four friends over the course of a single summer and the ripples it creates for years and years was heartwarming, heartbreaking, and altogether beautiful.

The story took some time to start up, but is written in Backman’s classic, beloved style. Backman is funny and seems to not take himself too seriously but a is a true master at characterizing human relationships. He is one of my favorite authors of all time for this exact reason, and it’s a talent that makes his stories unforgettable. As with any of Backman’s books, this one was extremely hard to read at times.

A new parent myself, I didn’t expect to be hit so strongly in all my feelings with simple sentences about children and the adults who are supposed to be taking care of them — but their incredible resilience in the face of hardship makes these characters wonderful.

I pumped my fists when I found out that I had received an ARC of this book, and I am grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this to me in exchange for an honest review.

This was not the book I was expecting.

Looking at it, it has all the things that come with a Fredrik Backman book. The dark side of people. The deepest regrets, cruelty, violence, shame. The weight they have, and how they can be wielded, to everyone's detriment. How they threaten to swallow everything. Then, the other side. The shy smile, the tentative trust. The loudest laughter and love bigger than your body can contain.

Absolutely beautiful.

I can't wait for it to be May. For this to be out in the world, changing lives and perceptions and hearts the way only Backman can. I can't wait to have the audiobook always close, downloaded on my device for the times I'll desperately need it. I can't wait to read this one again and again, and for people to read it for the first time.

If Fredrik Backman writes a book, I want to read it. He has a way of writing that takes heartbreak and brings in peace and hope. This book is no different. I’ll admit it is a long book and because it’s being told out of order and sometimes from different perspectives, it felt longer. Doesn’t matter. He sticks the landing—as always.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

Absolutely loved how the story came together in the end, and this was just as quote-worthy as Backman’s other books - I have so many lines and entire passages highlighted that convey exactly and universally how life feels. The characters were all brought to life so well. I loved Joar most of all. Perhaps a few too many red herrings would be my only criticism, but Backman fans will love and treasure this book.

I absolutely loved this book! The story was super engaging and I loved the way it was written. Will recommend this to everyone I know. Thank you for letting me read this early.

Another beautiful story from my favorite author!

This is a story about art. The story behind it, the different interpretations from everyone, and that moment in time frozen forever. Louisa steals one of the most famous paintings created in recent years, taking her on a journey of discovering the story behind the 3 small figures that everyone seems to overlook.

In typical Backman fashion, this was beautifully written and felt so personal. The found family, both past and present, warmed my heart. Backman is a master at creating characters and these are no different. I don't know how he does it, but he brought me right back to the feeling of being 13 years old, spending every other night at my best friends' houses, and feeling like you are on top of the world even though there is so much still left to learn. I don't talk with those friends any more, but I look back on our memories fondly, as Ted does throughout this story.

I wish I could read this book for the first time again, and I can't wait to have the physical copy in my hands when it comes out in May!

This book had an interesting premise, but I found it extremely slow. I didn't care for the two main characters and their conversation felt grating and silly at times.

This book wrecked me in the best way. I cried and laughed out loud so many times while reading it, not just at the end. Backman has an incredible ability to cut to the truth of what a friendship is, how one experiences childhood, how to people live through grief, what it means to be human. I loved each and every one of the characters: the story follows two main timelines, (1) the present day focusing on Louisa (a teenage artist, in and out of foster care) and her connection to a famous painting, and (2) decades earlier, focusing on a group of friends and their own connection to the painting. I loved going into this mostly blind and I recommend you dot he same!

Fredrik Backman has a specific talent for reaching through the pages of his novels, gently grabbing your heart and soul in each hand, and cradling them as you read. My Friends is a perfect example of this ability. Backman maintains his typical 3rd person objective POV in this new novel, telling the story from a multitude of perspectives, both past and present. He beautifully teases twists and withholds information keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, desperate like Louisa, the main character, to know how the story ends. At its core, this is a novel about four friends and the summer that changed their lives, but in the grander scheme, this is a story about circumstances, and how every person’s story can change on a dime. Filled with masterfully written lines, heart-wrenching relationships, memorable dialogue, and the classic Backman touch, My Friends is yet another masterclass in contemporary fiction, and further cements Backman as my favorite writer, as well as an author of this generation.

If I see the name Fredrik Backman, I'm in. This is a beautiful book about friends that become family, the family that scars us and the art that gets us through it all. This book has amazing characters that will make you wish you could go back to that amazing summer you spent with your best friends.

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Several of Mr. Backman's previous books have been high on my list of favorites for quite some time. My Friends is no different; I loved every chapter. The character development was stellar, as usual. I especially enjoyed how the reader is kept guessing. Just when you think you've gotten things figured out, you find out you've been wrong the entire time. This is definitely going to be a reread for me. I'm interested to see how certain plot points and details come across when you go in already knowing the entire story.

Oh my! What an amazing story. This one is right up there with one of my all-time favourites by this author, A Man called Ove, The story of the four friends and their summer together plays out over the course of the book and is masterfully told.

“The night comes padding in from all directions, dusk stuffs the town in a sack, lights go on in the houses down the hill like bullet holes in the darkness.” Such craftsmanship!

A teenager is gifted a valuable painting at a time when she really needs something good to happen in her life. She is determined to learn the story of the kids in the corner of the painting that many people miss. And so we are introduced to the artist, Joar, Ali and Ted, their incredibly loyal friendship, and what happened that summer 25 years ago. You will want to read this book quickly, but I encourage you to slow down and savour it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Fredrik Backman for the advanced copy. I can’t wait for the movie to come out (hint, hint).

Fredrick Backman does it again. He always knows how to make someone feel all the emotions. I loved this story and I can't wait to read more of his backlist!

This one grabbed my interest right away and never let up. Well written characters and interesting story. There is intrigue and humor, a nice read. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Once again, I am left awestruck after reading another work of art by Fredrik Backman. It's difficult to properly review his book because it is something that has to be experienced to understand its simple depth. Although it took a little too long for the story to get going, the payoff of the ending was worth it. My Friends is an example of why I love reading and what sets it apart from other forms of media.

this book was so beautifully written. the characters felt so real and there were so many beautiful quotes and stories and i just want a physical copy so i can reread it and put all my annotations there. i love fredrick backman's writing style and all the characters deserve the whole world and more. :(