Louise, eighteen, is at an art action to see the painting from a postcard she carries around with her. When she is chased out, she meets a dying man, finding out he is the artist of the painting and has sold everything to pay for getting it back. The painting depicts C. Jat's friends growing up on a pier in a small town. Joar, Ali, Ted, and the artist are seventeen and come from poor, abusive homes. Their lives evolve around each other. After meeting Louise and seeing her paint, he believes she is one of them and instructs Ted to give her the painting and take care of her. Now at nearly forty, Ted has to take her with him on the train and sell the painting, giving Louise the money. Backman has the gift of storytelling. It is amazing how this book makes you laugh out loud and breaks your heart. Ted gives Louise experiences she has never had such as a train ride, riding in a cab, and swimming in the ocean. This book offers hope and illustrates what true friendship looks like. Great story and memorable characters.

My Friends is a heartwarming story about 25 years of friendship through thick and thin. Louisa, an artist, meets a famous artist at the end of his life and they share a moment of kinship. Through the famous artist's friends, Louisa learns about why the friends stuck by each other even when life got really hard.

There were surprise twists in the story but it's most redeeming quality is the way we feel like these are our friends, too.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman is yet another masterpiece from an author who can do no wrong. With his trademark wit, warmth, and heart, Backman masterfully weaves a tale that feels both intimate and universal. His characters are so vividly drawn, you feel like you’ve known them forever. The exploration of friendship, the quiet moments of connection, and the way he effortlessly blends humor with deep emotional truths is nothing short of brilliant. Backman once again proves why he’s a literary genius. This book left me laughing, crying, and reflecting on what it truly means to be human. A solid five stars—Backman knocks it out of the park every time!

What is your reaction when someone says," It's a long story?" Do you excuse yourself? Well, Fredrik Backman, in this novel, only tells long stories and if you love his writing as much as i do, you will settle in for a long, heartwarming read. It's a book about love, about philosophy, about poetry and most of all, about Art.

It begins with Louisa. a runaway from a foster home. She invades an auction where her very favorite painting is up for sale. She has carried the postcard of it almost her entire life. How she meets the artist, his other three friends, and learns all the long stories that tie them all together. It's pure Backman, with his oddball humor and the painful episodes he draws so well.

If you love Backman as much as I do you will pick it up for the long haul. If your patience for length and fart jokes is short, this may not be for you. But if life, friendship, death, parenthood are subjects you like read about, this is for you.

Thank you, Simon and Schuster, and Net Galley for an ARC copy to read and review.

Another 5 star amazing story from Backman! He has such a great way of making you feel like you're a part of the story! I could see so many people in my life in this story! So many great "nows" to remember! I was fully invested from beginning to end!!

When I received the ARC approval for My Friends I was ECSTATIC. I called my husband at work to tell him, and although he isn’t a reader he knew immediately when I said Fredrik Backman why I was so excited. I have raved about his books for years, he’s one of my all time favourite authors so to get the opportunity to read one of his books in advance was so special!

•This book was beautiful, Backman’s writing is so poetic and he writes his characters and their complex emotions & thoughts in a way that draws you in and leaves a mark on you.

•The book is essentially about friendship and found family and the ways we show up for each other & support each other. I loved the story telling aspect and humour between Louisa & Ted. My favourite character was Joar, part of him reminded me of Benji from Beartown and if you’ve read that trilogy you know how special that is!

•each character left a mark on me and I could see parts of myself in each of their personalities. It was sad at times but also very hopeful. This is the kind of book that you finish and immediately hug to your chest with tears in your eyes. I can’t wait to read it again when it releases on May 20th!

•Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! And thank you @fredrikbackman for simultaneously ripping my heart out and healing it with every book you write, “I love you and I trust you”

Wow! Wow! Wow!! This book is probably the best one that Fredrick has ever wrote. I went through an entire emotional rollercoaster! This is going to be a must read book for 2025!!!! Booktok is going to go crazy! Thank you for letting me read an advanced copy. This book is amazing!

First of all I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC and the opportunity to read/ review it!! My Friends by Frederik Backman is a story about loss, hope, friendship, and childhood. It follows a group of friends who I cannot get my head off of. The story is beautifully written, and the way the author describes and narrates the story made it impossible for me to put it down until I knew what happened. This book made me laugh, and it also made me cry. It is very rare when a book gets me to experience polar opposite emotions. I would like to see this adapted into a movie in the future (fingers crossed). If I could describe this book with only one word I would say it's nostalgic. I can feel the nostalgia through the pages as Louisa hears the story unfold. Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Upon the death of her friend, Louisa runs away from her group home to see in person a painting that she has treasured for years. An artist herself, Louisa understands the beauty of art and how it can pull you out of the darkest of places. When she see the painting at auction and how the rich merely want to add to their investment portfolios Louisa finds herself in a state of rebellion. After fleeing the auction house she bumps into who she thinks is a homeless man, but who is, in fact, the artist, of the painting. This begins a tale of fated paths and the intersections of story and friendship across a span of 25 years. Friendship, love, the beauty and wonder of art, and its purpose in a world that can be cruel and heartless.

Fredrik Backman is at the top of his game as you will gasp and laugh out loud. This is heart aching, heart breaking, and heartwarming. Deeply touching and moving as you devour this book. If you have trigger warnings please read up on the subject matter as issues happen on and off page.
A definite 5 star read!

There was no question about whether I'd be reading this book. I'm a huge fan of Fredrik Backman's writing and I've read almost everything he's published. There were a lot of things I loved about this book and a few things that I think might turn some people away from it. It is a difficult book to read in that the kids have all had hard lives and some have been abused. But the power of friendship and connection is vividly shown and it would be difficult for readers to not get caught up in the characters.

Fredrik Backman did it again!
Louisa is a 17 year old, who wants to see her favorite painting in person. She grew up in foster care, bounced from house to house, and the only person who cared about her was her friend Fish, who passed away shortly after she turned 18. Louisa literally runs into The Artist of her favorite painting after she breaks in to see it and he notices that she is "one of them".
Louisa then goes on an adventure with The Artist's friend Ted. Throughout the adventure Louisa learns all about the painting and the summer that it was painted when Ted, Joar, Ali, and The Artist.

Wow this book. It was amazing, heartfelt, and made me reflect on my friends past and present. I was so excited when I learned that Fredrik Backman had a new book coming out and it exceeded my expectations!

Thank you Fredrik Backman, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reading Fredrik Backman always leaves me appreciating the smallest things around me. He is an excellent storyteller, using the simplest of languages to talk about miraculous things. His writing style, for lack of a better word, feels so accessible. I felt like “art” was the center of this story with people from different times finding it and passing it on to each other.
I would say that there were some times in the middle where I felt a little lost as to where the story was headed, but something in the plot kept me hooked to see what would happen next. There were tiny surprises in between with plot twists which I did not expect. Overall, I feel so warm inside - I just finished the book and I can't wait for the next one.

Tomorrow!

The Beartown books remain my favorite of all his work, but where those are about sports, this is about art, and it was immensely beautiful. Although I will say that Fredrik Backman's writing style is as familiar to me as an old friend, and I felt slight differences in this. I believe this is the first book he wrote originally in English, and it was interesting to see how his writing style changes when he's writing in his native Swedish versus translating himself.

Fredrik Backman has done it again! If you are already a fan you will find all the things you love about Backman books in his new one. The best characters, all the feelings (happy and sad), and a story that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

"𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃. 𝐼𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒯𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓁𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹, 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑔𝓇𝑜𝓌 𝓊𝓅 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓉𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓎𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓁𝓊𝒸𝓀."

"𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓵𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓼. 𝓞𝓱, 𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓲𝓽 𝓵𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓼."

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 𝔸𝕃𝕃. 𝕋ℍ𝔼. 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕊. ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

Truthfully, I have no idea how to even give a quick summary of this book. It feels almost impossible because this book is SO much. I sat here and sobbed and laughed my ass off through each chapter of this book. It was such a damn journey and I loved it so freaking much. An instant forever favorite. I'll carry this book in my heart.

This is a story within a story- about 4 epic amazing friends and the summer when they were 14 years old and an art competition.

It's a story about love, loss, friendship, found family, heartbreak, self-identity, and so so much more. It is not for the weak of heart and may be triggering for some. Please check the trigger warnings if needed.

There is SO much packed in these pages and I took my time and just savored each page - Backman's prose is so poetic and beautiful, you have no choice but to take your time with them. Roll them around a little bit, sit and think on them.

You simply can't read his words and be done. You have to sit with them, break them down, say "wow" to yourself when you figure out what it means to you, and then repeat the process. How this man can weave humor, hijinks, laughter, sadness, depression, and utterly gut-wrenching scenarios and ideas, sometimes all of the latter in one paragraph, is truly beyond me.

The story is so multifaceted - just layers upon layers of goodness, of sadness, of truly scary revelations and realities. There were times when you could feel the darkness billowing from the pages... I was so anxious about flipping the pages because I had no idea what was going to happen. I feared for these characters, I mourned for these characters, I laughed with them, related to them.

I just want to squeeze them and tell them all I love them. I honestly don't have the words to express just how beautiful and amazing this book was. THIS is one of those books that will have you staring at the wall for a while after you finished it. Because did you finish the book, or did the book finish you?

Don't worry, Backman will give you your heart back in one piece.

Future generations will read Backman's books and discuss them in class, and really talk about what his words mean, just as we do with Bronte, Austen and many other classic author's. I have no doubt.

This story will beat you up, tickle you, crush you, warm your heart and change you. I can't recommend it enough!

╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ Expected Release Date - 05/06/25

"𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒹𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒 𝑜𝓃 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒽 𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝓊𝓈."

"𝐹𝓇𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓈 𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓅𝒶𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀 𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒.."

"𝒢𝓇𝒾𝑒𝒻 𝒾𝓈 𝒶 𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻𝒾𝓈𝒽 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒶, 𝒾𝓉 𝒹𝑒𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃."

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the complementary advanced digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

Be sure to have a box of tissues next to you before you open this book. And I mean BEFORE YOU OPEN IT. Because this isn’t a let’s build up to the tears kinda book, it’s a you’re going to be crying throughout the whole thing kinda book.

This book is about love, loss, friendship, found family, heartbreak, self-identity, and so so much more. It is not for the weak of heart and may be triggering for some. So feel free to ask if you want my help with some trigger warnings.

I’m still new to the world of Mr. Backman, I’ve only read one other book by him (even if every book he’s written is on my TBR). I knew he writes tear jerkers, but his writing still surprised me with just how beautiful it is. I was highlighting something in almost every single paragraph while sniffling and wiping away tears. I will definitely be buying myself a copy when it’s released!

Fredrik Blackman is always an amazing writer. This book definitely showcased his talent. However, the story wasn’t much of a page-Turner for me. It took a long while for me to get through it. It wasn’t a bad story, but it was kind of long and boring. The ending was really great and this makes it worth reading. I really appreciated the opportunity to read My Friends, and I look forward to Backman’s next book!

Backman has done it yet again. Not that I expected this book to disappoint. They never do. Somehow it makes you laugh and cry at the same time. Your jaw will drop. But best of all, your heart will feel like it’s getting a big, warm hug. It’s almost like a form of therapy, showing the other side of tragedy and sadness, the hope, the light at the end of the tunnel that always appears, the love. The characters are perfect and easy to cheer for. And the way with words. So many quotes I wanted to rip off the pages and hang on my walls so I could read them over and over again. I’m so glad this book exists. I’m so glad a read it and highly recommend you do the same.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and of course, Fredrik Backman.

Both hopeful and heartbreaking at the same time. Bacman is a master storyteller who excels at making readers feel the emotional experience of his characters and this book is no exception. I became absorbed in the world he built and didn’t want the story to end.

I love Fredrik Backman’s books and have read everything he’s written. I enjoyed this book so much. I felt all the feels and fell in love with each character! I enjoy Backman's quicky writing style too.Thanks to NetGalley, and the publisher for an arc!