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.

6 STARS ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fredrick Backman…this was a masterpiece!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to be an early reader!

This was by far my favorite book by Fredrick and I’ve loved them all.

I really hope this story continues…maybe with a Ted book 😉

"My Friends" is another gem of a story by Fredrik Backman. It begins with a secret hidden in a painting that inspires a cross-country journey, and centers on the friendship of four teenagers and the lasting power of Art. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Pub Date: May 6th, 2025.

#MyFriends

Louisa, a foster child and aspiring artist, seeks how to find the history of a famous painting that she sees more of than most. The background of the painting takes us to a distant seaside town, where a group of teenagers find refuge from damaging homes in each other.

We all know Backman can write a story that will pull on the heart strings. This one does just that. It was really good. Personally I read this when I was not in a place to fully appreciate such an emotional read, but hopefully you will be and be prepared. It’s a coming of age tale with two timelines and stories, which both show us the power of friendship and the meaning of art. You may expect how the tale of the past will end, but it takes different directions that you’ll originally think.

“We speak of the birth of a child as a miracle, but really the miracle is everything that comes after.”

My Friends comes out 5/6.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

I will preface this by saying I have not read a Fredrik Backman book that I haven't adored. Ove, Beartown trilogy, Anxious People, I loved them all. My Friends was different. I am not an artsy person, but the sentiments expressed throughout this book struck something in my heart. This book is devastatingly beautiful, and not always in the way you'd expect. It was a beautiful masterpiece, it was full of characters I won't forget. 5/5.

Louisa has a lifelong obsession with a painting pictured on a postcard, a prized possession. When she finally
gets to see the painting in person, she ends up meeting the artist unexpectedly. When the artist's friend is left
with the task of giving the prized painting to Louisa, what follows is a journey together to the artist's hometown.
Reading about the difficult lives they all had is heart wrenching and their never-ending support for each other
shines through.
#MyFriends #AtriaBooks #NetGalley

"I love you. I trust you."

some books don’t just tell a story—they leave a feeling behind, one that lingers long after you’ve turned the last page. this is one of those books. what started as mystery hidden in a painting ending with the kind of heartbreak that sneaks up on you, quiet but crushing. i'm already declaring that this is Fredrik Backman's best book that he's ever written. so much tears, laughter, and ugly sobbing. it's cliche to say this but you really do need some tissues for this.

premise: Louisa, an artist herself, notices something most people overlook—three tiny figures at the edge of a famous painting. she becomes obsessed with their story, leading her on a cross-country journey to uncover the truth. what she finds is the echo of a long-gone summer, where four lost teenagers found a brief refuge in each other: Joar, always ready for a fight; Ted, grieving his father; Ali, constantly uprooted by a restless parent; and the artist, a boy whose talent could have saved him—if only life had been kinder.

their story oh my was messy, raw, and full of the kind of hope that only young people have, the kind that doesn’t yet know how easily things can fall apart. AND THEY DO FALL APART. Louisa pieces together their past, but instead of closure, she finds something heavier: the realization that art is sometimes all that’s left of the people who made it.

this punched me in the gut but in the best way. it's about the kind of friendships that change you, even if they don’t last. it's about how time erases people, but also how art can hold onto them—just barely, just enough. and maybe that’s the saddest part: how easy it is to walk past a painting and not see the ghosts inside.

∞ stars. standing ovation. thank you for letting me experience this, it was beautiful.

Atria Books, i couldn't be grateful for this ARC.
Fredrik, please do not stop writing.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman
emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0

Wow.

This is one of those stories that is going to stay with you for the rest of time. It was so difficult to read because every page read was one page closer to the story being over-- and that was heartbreaking to me. My heart ached like Louisa's and I was terrified of the end. But the journey was full of heartbreaking beauty.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an ebook advance reader copy.

Fredrick Backman is skilled at describing both pain and trauma and the beauty of human connection. My Friends tells the story of friendship across two timelines weaving in the trauma of addiction and abuse, the importance of art and love, and the overwhelming power of connection.

A Masterpiece of Friendship and Art

This book absolutely deserves a million stars. From start to finish, I was captivated by the character-driven plot and the powerful bond between the four best friends, each of whom carries the weight of difficult childhoods but finds solace and strength in one another. The way they protect each other, no matter the cost, is truly moving and made me root for them from the very first page.

The artist, one of these four friends, knows that he must escape his small town to truly reach his potential, but it’s not until years later, as he’s dying, that Louisa, an artist in her own right, is discovered. She becomes part of their legacy, and his final wish is for his friends to protect her. This whole story had me completely immersed in the past and present, and I found myself loving the deep connections between these characters.

The plot twists left me both confused and intrigued at times, but it was almost like being Louisa, hearing these stories of the friends for the first time and slowly piecing them together. The narrative is written in a way that mirrors Louisa’s journey of discovery, and I think that was what made it feel a bit disorienting at times—but in the best way possible.

Fredrik Backman’s storytelling is as emotional as it is profound. His exploration of friendship, art, and the ties that bind people together is a testament to how transformative love and connection can be, even in the face of hardship. If you’re a fan of heart-wrenching, thought-provoking stories that will stay with you long after the last page, this is one you won’t want to miss!

I love Fredrik Backman's work, especially Anxious People. However, this book was a bit hard for me to continue, so I have came to the decision to softly DNF this. I was a bit confused most of the time in this novel. I am grateful for the publisher/author to allow me to receive a digital ARC. I will try to revisit this novel before the publishing date.

Such a great work! Loved, loved, loved all the characters and the real feeling of knowing them all by the time the book was finished. Brought me back to my childhood and the friends I made. What a gamut of emotions! Fredrik Backman is such an amazing storyteller. I find myself still thinking of Ted, Joar, Ali and the artist a week after finishing the book.

Thank you so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I’m going to call it now, this will be my favorite book of 2025. I know this because as someone who reads a lot, I’ve had very few reading experiences as rewarding, emotional, and impactful as this one. The first chapter grips you and from there, you know you are in for something special. Louisa, Ted, Joar, Ali, the artist…I loved them all! In a way, this book had glimmers of some of my favorite books, The Goldfinch, The Lincoln Highway, and A Little Life, but was still entirely and beautifully unique on its own. Thank you for this early copy, I am so grateful!

Fredrik Backman has a rare talent for capturing the quiet, ordinary moments that shape our lives, and My Friends is yet another testament to his gift for storytelling. This novel is a warm, deeply moving exploration of friendship—the kind that weathers time, distance, and the messiness of being human.

Told with Backman’s signature wit and emotional depth, My Friends introduces us to a cast of characters who feel instantly familiar. Their relationships are complicated, sometimes frustrating, but always full of heart. Through their triumphs and failures, petty arguments and profound acts of love, Backman reminds us that friendship is not about perfection—it’s about showing up, again and again, even when it’s hard.

As always, his writing is effortlessly charming, balancing humor with moments that quietly break your heart. One minute, you’ll be laughing at the ridiculousness of a decades-old inside joke; the next, you’ll be hit with a line so honest and profound that you have to pause and take it in.

At its core, My Friends is about the people who become our chosen family—the ones who stand beside us through life’s storms and celebrate with us in its sunshine. It’s a story of forgiveness, loyalty, and the small, everyday gestures that mean everything. If you’ve ever had a friend who feels like home, this book will remind you why.

My Friends will shatter your heart then mend it slowly as you turn the pages.

Two unlikely broken people consumed in grief find each other when it seems they have no one else. Backman has carefully crafted a story full of human nature and understanding. He takes us through the unfairness of life in these characters as we visit the past and the present.

My Friends reflects Backman's storytelling at its finest. This is truly a compelling story and incredibly memorable piece you won't forget anytime soon.

Can't wait to have this novel on shelf next to Backman's other works.

Thank you, Atria Books

This is a story of love and loss, growing up and growing old, failure and success. But above all else, it’s a story of friendship. Louisa has had a troubled life in and out of foster homes. She finds herself at a loss when her best friend dies. An artist in the truest sense of the word, she finds herself at an auction for a piece of art she’s obsessed about for years. One thing leads to another, and she eventually is enmeshed in the life of the artist himself. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that this book pulls at all the heartstrings. Another winner from this author!

It was kind of slow, but it was a good book. I needed to be in the right headspace for it, but the plots and characters were great.