Frederik Backman has such a unique way of exploring deep and expansive concepts in a very cozy and approachable way. This book explores themes of friendship and art and even has a little bit of a mystery/reveal. The pace is steady and comfortable and its a very easy read. Big recommend!

The novel starts with a commotion over a painting on a wall in a small gallery. It is a painting of some teens on a fishing pier. Initially I was confused, as only 3 teens were named and someone referred to as "the artist". Who was the artist? Eventually the artist is named, and as I looked back, I realized there was a clue. The story follows the teens as they grow up, and the real meaning of friendship is revealed. This was a very beautifully written, moving story that I will definitely reread to experience again. I have enjoyed all of Backman's books, but I think this was the best yet!
Thank you to Net Galley and Atria for the advance read.
#Netgalley #Atriabooks























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Fredrik Backman has such an incredible writing style. Once again he does not disappoint with this wonderful story. It was one that I could not wait to pick up and keep reading.

I love this author. This book was so good. This reminded me of Three by Valerie Perrin, and it is nearly as good. If you loved that book, I would absolutely recommend this book as well. This book is like a warm hug, but it is not just a happy story. It is more complex than that. I don't want to give too many things away here. You should just read it.

So grateful to Net Galley and the publishers to get to read this book. It had been a while since I read a Frederik Backman book. I was pulled in immediately. I was so into his characters and their life lessons and the infusion of art, that I kept a notepad beside me to jot down what felt like “aha!” quotes. I really loved the interaction between the young friend group and how Backman uses them to tell and diffuse very hard stories. It left me wishing I would have had friends this close growing up. I also really felt hopeful with the placement of Ted and Louisa in each other’s path. I liked the banter and the life lessons they each brought. This book was finally what I have been wanting and needing to come across my path.

I love, love, LOVE Fredrik Backman's writing. The dry humorous, almost social commentary of it all.... But then mixed with these astute observations about the human condition. It's why I loved Anxious People and it's why I loved this book too.

The first 5-10% of the book I was rally struggling with the cadence of Louisa, an 18-yar old girl who had grown up in foster care. It was a rambling, almost incoherent, type of narrative. But then . . . oh my goodness, Fredrick Backman's amazingness in writing books captured me.

I had to slow down and really read the words in this book. Th words about grief and death are so profound - and how it is explained ripped out my heart and left me in tears.

There is something in this book for every single person - those who have dealt with death, sadness, best friends, growing up, being insecure - those who have dealt with living! Because we all have one life to live - it's how you live it and those you surround yourself with that matter.

Told thru two different times - the present and 25 years ago - this story interweaves such sadness in living and then intersperses it with laughter that fills the darkness with light.

Thank you to NetGalley, Fredrick Backman and Atria Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Fredrik Backman has been one of my favorite authors for several years now, and the email approving my request for an ARC of My Friends was one of the best Christmas presents I could have received last year.

This book was everything I have come to expect from Backman. As its title suggests, My Friends is a story about friendship. Told in dual timelines, the majority of the book centers on 39-year-old Ted telling 18-year-old Louisa about the summer he and his friends were 14 and how that summer and those friendships led to the creation of a world-famous painting that Louisa has always loved and now finds in her possession. In telling the story, Ted and Louisa form their own unlikely friendship. My Friends contains a lot of the same types of elements found in Backman's other works that I've read (the repeated references to the characters' ages; the reference to one of the characters by a descriptor instead of his name until the last 10-15% of the book; a lot of foreshadowing; etc.) but it is his ability to flesh out his characters and the meaningfulness of their relationships that will keep me coming back for more. My Friends was no exception. It was just the right mixture of funny, sad, and hopeful. I'm still laughing at a joke made early on involving a tambourine. I loved these characters, and how despite their difficult backgrounds and home lives, they were able to bring out the best in each other. I loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published May 6, 2025.

This is the 11th book I’ve read by this author and this was a definite MUST READ! I predict it will be my favorite book in 2025. ❤️

This is a story about childhood friends, summers, laughter and farts. It’s about art and love and loyalty and trust. It’s about artichokes and tomorrows. It’s about a postcard and serendipity. I laughed out loud multiple times and I cried out loud multiple times. The story unwinds perfectly and beautifully.

The biggest compliment I can give it is the beautiful prose. Backman’s sentences deserve re-reading to truly appreciate their magic and brilliance. I tend to highlight sentences that speak to me and I probably highlighted 25% of this book.

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. It deserves it.

Backman's "My Friends" is a love letter to life, art, friendship, and a summer of nows. The poetry with which Backman shares the story of four friends during their summer of fourteen is masterful. We experience their friendship while learning about a new artist who is one of us. I'll be recommending this book to everyone and cannot wait to buy my own copy in May when it comes out to reread and annotate to my heart's content. "My Friends" will forever be one of my book friends that I return to for a comforting story throughout my lifetime.

I always struggle to describe what Fredrik Backman's books are about. Everything and nothing. Grief, art, friendship, farts. Friends simply existing while life happens aggressively at them. Kids doing their best. Being responsible for everyone forever. Death.

Always so easy to read, and so intentional and beautiful. Cried the whole time.

"Art is coincidence, love is chaos."

Fredrik Backman is my favorite author. Every one of his books touches my heart in a unique way and reaffirms my faith in humanity, despite the constant examples of our human flaws.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to experience Backman's newest masterpiece. It was truly a joy to read. I laughed and cried in equal measure. The author has created wonderful, fully-dimensional characters. We understand them, cheer for them, and want to hug and comfort them.

It's a beautiful story of friendship, the affirmation of life, empathy, and the role of art in human existence.

Thank you again to everyone involved for this wonderful experience with Fredrik Backman's book.

Backman is one of my favorite authors and this one did not disappoint. It was a beautiful story about art, friendship, love, and loss, told between the past and the present. The characters were so well developed and I found it so hard to put it down. The only thing that stopped me from wanting to read it all in one sitting was needed to prepare myself emotionally for the next chapters. Backman has such a unique way of storytelling; if you’ve liked his previous books you’ll enjoy this one too! I received an advanced copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you like a captivating story with beautiful prose, you will love this book. As usual, Fredrik Backman does not disappoint!

This was my first book by Fredrik Backman. This was an interesting read! I enjoyed it and I look forward to reading more books in this genre.

Huge fan of the bear town series so was very excited to try something new and wasn’t disappointed! I would definitely recommend.

What can I say? If Backman writes it, I want to read it and this was no exception.

I don't think you really need any intro into the background of this book - I went in basically blind on the plot and the writing just stands on it's own. My Friends is about friendship, grief, domestic violence, the power of art, and family - the kind we have and the kind we make.

My favorite thing about the book is how Backman flawlessly moves back and forth between the current time period and back to tell the story of how the painting came to be - the story of this fateful summer for four friends. The way that he constructs the narrative is so brilliant - it mimic's how our actual memories work, back and forth, picking up on small details and major themes all at once.

Just beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for access to this eARC. I am thrilled to be able to share my honest thoughts.

4 1/2 Stars rounded up.

Bachman's prolific output spans the very lighthearted to the serious. My Friends is on the serious side. But it is similar to all of Bachman's books in its tender-hearted acceptance of humanity.

I found this book to be just ok. I would rectify to my friends, but it wasn’t in my top 10. My interest kept fading. It wasn’t consistent.

I laughed. I cried. I fell in love with every single character. Fredrik Backman has magic in the way he writes. I don't know how he can make me love his characters so deeply and so quickly. This is the story of 4 friends during the summer when they were 14. Life was difficult. But they had each other. This was so beautifully written that I already can't wait to read it again.