This was such an incredible, emotional, heartbreaking book. I loved the way the story was told and the way the two timelines were woven together. They blended in a way that made me not want to put the book down because I needed to know what was happening in each storyline.
There was so much depth to the characters and their lives that by the end of the book I was happy they were happy and I was sad when they were sad. I felt so connected to them, as if they were real people that I knew. They all experienced so much hardship in their lives and I just kept hoping for something good to happen.
Even though this book was really sad and heavy at times it was also ultimately hopeful. This book is about love and hope and the people who shape you when you’re young and I felt like overall this book really showed the good side of people. The roles that people played in the four friends’ lives, and that they in turn played in Louisa’s life, was so real and raw and beautiful. I loved the way they all looked out for each other and showed that they cared.
I really dont have the words to sum up the depth of how this book made me feel but just know that I absolutely loved it.
Thank you endlessly to Atria for the ARC!

Thank you for letting me read this book by Berkley publisher. It was the hug. I needed Fredrick Backman is an awesome author. I love it writing it is his perfect for the summer. Friendships that develop in a teenage year and last a lifetime. People will love this book. It was so hard to choose my favorite character.

This book was lovely, although not my favorite Backman book. .Using a dual timeline to tell the story, Backman tackles trauma and grief but ultimately winds up with a hopeful read. I found it to be a bit maudlin and tool long, but otherwise enjoyable.

I don't even have the words to describe Fredrik Backman's ability to write and capture my heart with every single word. He is, hands down, my all time favorite author, and this book is another breathtaking testament to his genius.

The story weaves together the past and present in a way that only Backman can - deeply, beautifully, and with an emotional pull that lingers in my mind forever.

It's about four lost teenagers who find solace in each other, creating a friendship that transcends time. Their shared moments on the pier, their struggles, their dreams - it's all painted so vividly that you can feel the salt in the air, hear their laughter, and ache with their heartbreak.

And then there is Louisa, on her own journey to uncover the mystery behind a painting that holds their story. As she searches for answers, she finds herself - proving once again that art and human connection have the power to change lives.

This book made me laugh, cry, and sit in complete awe of Backman's storytelling. The depth of emotion, the way he captures the human experience - it's simply unmatched. I felt everything. Absolutely everything.

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars! Backman has a gift at weaving his characters into your heart and mind, and he's done it again. However, I feel that even while I have loved so many of his books this one may become my favorite. Not only for the storytelling, and it is divine, but for the way Backman has written the way we connect and care about our friends. By pairing how we feel about our closest people to how art can make us feel it takes human connection to another level. Beautifully crafted, and I absolutely never wanted to put this book down. I could feel what it was like to be a child with your best friends back before we become adults. I knew the sounds of laughter and felt the new intertwining that happens when you find someone who becomes your own "one of us".

Powerful, moving, and altogether beautiful.

If you didn’t know already, Fredrik Backman is one of my absolute favorite authors. His books and his writing style are always such a wonderful combination of being both profoundly intense, but also humorous and lively. Plus he always creates such memorable characters that stick with you. (Benji forever!)

His latest is no different and it is so unequivocally Backman from the thought provoking life metaphors to using signifiers instead of names for characters to the laughable moments and to the depiction of the ups and down of life and to the resiliency of the human spirit. MY FRIENDS is a story that touches on well… friendship the importance and long lasting impact good friends will have throughout life.

While it did take me a few chapters to find the rhythm of the story and really understand what was happening, However, once I settled into the plot, I became invested in the two stories at hand: the one in the past about four friends and how it played a pivotal role in the making of a world famous painting— and then the story in the present about a teenage girl with no family or friends who’s lifeline for the longest time was a postcard of that painting who happens to have a chance encounter with a stranger that changes the course of her life.

I found myself equally intrigued with the timelines because the one in the past was so slowly unraveled and I enjoyed learning about the teens and their friendships and the things they did for each other. Each one seemed to have a troubled home life in their own way (some more disturbing than others), but it was so tender reading about their love for one another. And then in the present, I also loved seeing the unlikely friendship(s) form and tie the pat and present together to create such a wholesome story.

There are some pretty grim topics covered in this story as well such as physical abuse and sexual assault. And while the situations are heartbreaking, I truly appreciate how Backman shows how cruel things can be but also shines a bit of light on things.

All in all enjoyed this and think fans of the author will love it as well!

Fredrik Backman does it again. Few authors can craft characters so vividly that you feel like you’ve known them your whole life—but Backman’s gift is exactly that. In My Friends, he delivers a story about friendship, resilience, and how the past echoes into the present. The way he parallels the struggles of a present-day character with the hardships of a friend group 25 years earlier adds a powerful layer of legacy and healing that left me deeply moved.

Backman seamlessly moves between timelines, weaving together past and present in a way that reveals how the bonds of friendship endure—even through hardship, poverty, trauma, and loss. Each character feels unique and fully realized, and yet they’re all connected by the invisible threads of shared experience and loyalty.

One of the most striking elements is how Backman portrays growth and healing. A present-day character, hardened by a difficult childhood in the foster system, mirrors many of the same challenges faced by the group of friends decades earlier. Watching her slowly learn to trust and to grow into her own strength feels like witnessing the full circle of a legacy unfolding.

The writing is beautiful—at times raw, at times lyrical—and perfectly captures the spectrum of human emotion. It made me laugh, cry, and reflect deeply. While the pacing dips slightly around the two-thirds mark, it never loses its emotional pull.

Ultimately, My Friends is a powerful reminder of how the connections we forge—even in the toughest times—can leave a lasting impact. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates character-driven fiction rich with empathy, depth, and hope.

Backman’s work is just magnificent and My Friends is no exception. This story explores youth, art, and the power of adolescent friendship. I cannot recommend it enough. Just gorgeous.

This one was a little slow at the start for me, but by the end I adored it. I laughed, I cried. I highlighted over and over. Love, love, love. What a gifted storyteller Backman is.

I believe there will be a buzz of excitement when readers get their hands on this book. It has happy and sad with a series of real-life stories from start to finish.

It takes place in a small seaside town with four teenagers who were clinging to each other for support. Joar identified his buddy as a genius artist at 14. He was convinced that someday his young companion would be famous with his exceptional talent for painting pictures.

This group of friends loved hanging out together at the pier. But outsiders had to watch out as they would recklessly steal things and get into fights to survive.

Twenty-five years later, Ted reluctantly found himself in a situation with Louisa, a foster girl at 18, who desperately needed a helping hand. He told her a series of stories from his childhood which included art, philosophy and religious thoughts.

There were several lines I wanted to write down. One of my favorites was from Vincent van Gogh: “I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things.”

I thought it was odd that “the artist” wasn’t identified with a name for the longest time. It kept me in suspense always wondering about this person.

There was a conversation about how wealthy people would buy art only for investments. It was noted that some of the pieces they acquired were so valuable that they were sadly hidden away in vaults.

The author, Fredrik Backman, clearly is a deep thinker who downloaded so many of the thoughts stored in his brain to write this remarkable book. It’s easy, enjoyable reading with much to digest about relationships with friends, siblings and parents. It’s one that will stay with you and share with others.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of May 6, 2025.

My Friends by Fredrik Backman was a gut punch I should’ve expected. Very few books, and I mean possibly two, have forced me to set a book aside and process the way My Friends did. In typical Backman fashion, My Friends takes an effortless tour through all of the human emotions as the subjects of death, love, abuse, and legacy are explored through the delicate lens of childhood friendships.

The story revolves around a painting done by a character known only as the ‘artist’. We switch between present and past to learn about the bond of four young friends and the impact one particular painting will have twenty-five years later. Fredrik Backman ruthlessly examines what it means to transform from the innocence of childhood into the often harrowing journey of adulthood.

While this book emotionally destroyed me, there is also a part of me that feels stronger within the hope Frederik Backman displayed within My Friends.

“The most dangerous place on earth is inside us.”

Fredrik Backman is (perhaps my only) must-read author: if he publishes a book, I will be reading it no matter what. And, in classic Fredrik Backman fashion, My Friends did not disappoint in any aspect. I have never come across another author who writes human emotions so beautifully - equal parts raw and poetic, and always, always touching. I loved being immersed in the stories of boyhood of the past and the girlhood of the present, the two weaving together to create a wonderful new family of characters.

Great book. Ted befriends a young woman who is a gifted artist. While traveling together, Ted recounts stories of his childhood revolving around his three friends and their last summer together.
Laugh out loud and yet, heartwarming story.

Fredrik Backman shows off his literary prowess in his latest novel, My Friends. Four friends met as teenagers one summer and formed an unbreakable bond that kept them connected two decades later. An artist named Louisa is an 18-year-old who has just escaped the foster system. She ends up meeting two members of the foursome in her search to see a famous painting in person.

Through masterful storytelling, Louisa learns all about the four friends' history in a way that is poignant and deeply moving. In his characteristic style of vulnerable, raw, and emotional writing, you are giggling one minute and grabbing tissues the next when another philosophical statement is made on what it means to be human. Themes include the joy of friendship and how it can sustain us through the toughest of times, the frailty and resilience of the human spirit, and the universal longing to have human connection and to be loved. Humans are flawed, and Backman expertly demonstrates that even the most imperfect people can find love and connection and that it transcends Earth to approach heaven. I loved everything about this book, and these characters will stay with me for a long time. This will be one of the top books of 2025, and I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Fredrik Backman for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

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This book has some really poignant moments blended with Backman’s typically brilliant dialogue. Unfortunately, his efforts to blend together 2 timelines 25 years apart labors quite a bit and disappoints for me in the end. The first half of the book often feels like it is trying to be a poignant young adult book that is failing to deliver. By the time the book finds its rhythm and depth, the novel has grown up much like its characters to be something else. Backman thrives in the depth of simple tales but this one wanders a bit too much.

THIS BOOK WAS SO AMAZING. I usually judge a book by how quickly I read it (at least partially), but I was savoring My Friends. It was so beautiful in so many different ways, dealing with grief, found family... It was lighthearted at times too! I've already pre-ordered it and told everyone I know that it will be one of the best books of 2025.

My Friends by Fredrik Bachman
Publishing date - 05/06/25
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.
Backman has done it again! This is one of my top reads of 2025. I loved this book so much — I laughed, I cried. The characters are memorable Highly recommend this one when it releases on May 6th!!

It's so nice to be back in the world of Backman!
Thank you, Atria Books, for the gifted copy of My Friends {partner}

Genre: Fiction
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date:  5.6.2025
Pages: 448
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

"Our teenage years have to simultaneously be the brightest and the darkest depths, because that's how we learn to figure out our horizons."

Fredrik Backman has an extraordinary gift for making his characters feel as real as those in our lives. Every time I finish one of his books, I feel like I've just spent time with people I know intimately—like family or lifelong friends. His ability to find beauty in the most ordinary moments is nothing short of magical, and it's a powerful reminder not to take a single second of life for granted.

My Friends is no exception. I was completely captivated by Louise's journey—both the literal and emotional one—as she unravels the mystery behind one of her favorite artists, C.JAT. Her hopes of uncovering the truth as to the life of the artist before he created her favorite piece of art was both heartwarming and inspiring. There's something unique about how this story unfolds, especially compared to other road trip tales I've read. While many take place in the usual cars, My Friendsveers off the beaten path, with its characters traveling by car and train (but never by plane!). This gave the story a wonderfully different vibe, one I found refreshing and thought-provoking.

However, what stayed with me was the breathtaking ways this book explores life itself. I was tabbing every single page with something profound that I wanted to remember for a later date.

CW: assault, domestic violence, alcohol abuse

Read if you enjoy:
📖Character-driven stories
🥰 Life lessons
🫶🏼 Found family
🎨 Art

I highly recommend adding My Friends to your summer reading list!

This is the story of a world-famous painting of the ocean—or at least, that’s what most people believe if they’re lucky enough to see The One of the Sea. But Louisa knows better. An orphan on the cusp of adulthood, she has cherished the painting her entire life, looking at it every day in the form of a postcard her mother once sent her. An artist herself, and someone that’s never felt like she had people who loved her, she recognizes what few others do: the true subject isn’t the sea, but the three friends sitting on the pier, almost always overlooked by viewers. When Louisa unexpectedly inherits the priceless masterpiece, she sets out on a journey to uncover the story that led to the painting’s creation, including the lives of the friends who inspired it and their struggles, that fateful summer.

I’ve loved every book Backman has written, and this one was no exception. Within two chapters, I was already in tears—and it took even less time to fall in love with the characters. They’re so richly developed that it felt like I had known them for years. The story is heartbreaking, yet it also fills you with gratitude for the little things we often take for granted. It’s reflective, hopeful, and deeply moving. I couldn’t put it down but never wanted it to end. Like all of Backman’s books, this one made me feel the way art makes his characters feel—and that’s something truly rare.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this masterpiece with me in exchange for my honest thoughts!

5 stars. Easiest five stars ever.

Fredrik Backman’s My Friends, is a heartfelt and honest exploration of friendship, art and love. The novel follows four friends during childhood, primarily focused on the summer that ended in a world famous painting that is nothing short of nostalgic. Twenty something years after the fact, a curious 18-year old aspiring artist, Louisa, is bringing the past and the present together as she hears how her favorite painting was created for the first time.

With a memorable cast of deep rooted friends and a narrative that balances emotional depth with lighthearted moments, My Friends is a beautiful captivating story through dual timelines that expresses how art can heal and one kind deed can be a ripple effect.

Can’t wait for this one to hit the shelves, Fredrik Backman is truly one of my favorites!