I have so much love and respect for Fredrik Backman and his creative genius. If you share that feeling, please stop reading reviews an go pick up this book - you don't need to know anything more. The Beartown series will always hold a special place in my heart, but this is unquestionably my next favorite of his books, and truthfully the distance between Beartown and My Friends isn't letting much daylight through. I laughed, I cried, I ignored all of my adult responsibilities. Backman creates a singular reading experience where the real world around me just falls away and I am ALL IN and focused on his characters. My heart breaks with them, we all laugh together, and I walk away with lifelong friends held tightly in my heart. I'm so grateful that he continues to share his words with the world.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria, for allowing me this time with these people in exchange for my short but honest review.

I love Backman, he has such a unique style, it’s incomparable really, but this one was missing the grittiness I have come to love in his books and was far too sentimental for my taste.

I have no doubt this will be a popular book, it’s lovely and human and tugs at the heartstrings, it was a bit too much for me, I wanted more raw and less nostalgia bordering on fluffy. The main characters felt a bit too much like caricatures, I kept waiting for deeper emotions. This is all very much a personal preference and I remain a fan but this wasn’t my favourite.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I was so happy to have been granted an advanced reader copy of this book. I honestly love this author so much- and this book was no different. I don’t even feel I can come close to expressing how lovely this book was . But I will say it quickly became my favorite Backman book yet!!

It was so beautifully written. The characters were well developed I felt like they were actual friends of mine. I was so invested in knowing all of their stories. I laughed. I cried. I loved!!

Their friendships brought me so much joy. It had me remembering when I was 14 and how much fun I had with my friends. I think with life being so much heavy right now that it was just the escape I needed. It was a beautiful love story, with much heartbreak but so much strength and resilience.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Fredrick Backman for allowing me to read and review this masterpiece. It will be one of my top books of the year. Hands. Down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read. Has Backman written a bad book? The answer is no!

This was yet another winner for him. Highly recommend!!

Wow!

I have enjoyed many books by Fredrik Blackman over the years, but My Friends is my favorite, by far - which is impressive when you realize I gave two other Backman books 5 stars.

One summer, four teenagers spend their days laughing, swimming & farting together. An artist, a troublemaker, an intelligent, quiet boy, and a girl who never stays anywhere for long are each other’s refuge from the lives they’ve been born into and forge a friendship that is strong enough to span decades. Alternating between that defining summer and 25 years later, we see how the events of that summer affect the friends and ripple outward over time.

My Friends is about the indelible bond of childhood friends; your first found family who know and see all of you - your truths, your lies, your triumphs, your pain, your quirks - and who love you anyway. I was instantly in love with the characters in this story and their unfailing love for and support of one another. The journey that this book takes you on will inspire you, break your heart, and stitch it back together again page by page. I laughed out loud, I cried, I gasped in surprise… there is not a moment of this book that I didn’t love.

Not just about friendship - as if that wouldn’t be enough - My Friends is also about the beauty and healing power of art and how it connects people. Backman’s writing in this book is its own art - painting a vivid picture of each scene, the characters and their feelings. In some ways the writing reminded me of Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief; it paints a picture of a time filled with pain and it handles difficult subjects with beauty and empathy.

I found it impossible to read this book without thinking about my own childhood friends- those kids I spent 8 weeks with every summer at camp who, 40 years later, are still some of my favorite humans. Who would I be without them and our experiences together, after all.

Read this book. Thank me later.

Thank you to Atria Books, NetGalley and the author for the advance reader copy. My Friends will be published on May 6, 2025.

I was up into the wee hours of the night reading this book. This book had me smiling, laughing, it made me mad, I sobbed while laughing. It just hit me in all the feels. It's so beautifully written. I want to hug every single character in this book. If I could give it a million stars I would. This is my book of the year and I can't wait till I can purchase a physical copy. Please go buy and read this book. You won't be disappointed. It's perfection ❤️

Book Releases May 6, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Oh man, I cried, laughed out loud, and my heart was broken and pieced back together. This book hits hard.

This book follows Lousia and her journey to learn more about a painting. Lousia has grown up in several foster homes. She has loved and lost people in her mere 17 years. She has learned to take care of herself and is lost after the death of her best friend.

I put off writing this review because the book just hits you in a raw and deep place. It is heartbreaking and unbearable at times. The things so many people live through and survive amazes me. I can't begin to imagine the damage a person can do someone else. So many good lines in this book that I wish that I could quote.

Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity to read this book. It will stick with me for a long time.

this book felt like a cinematic masterpiece in my mind. The way the story was told interweaving the present day with ted and louisa while tying in to the original story about the painting was so well done and would work so well in a film. It almost felt like wuthering heights where it is two different stories and eventually you catch up with it and continue it. I thought it was such a captivating tale with characters you get so attached to (maybe too attached at times, I had to take some breaks when it got stressful) and incredible writing. the kind of book that makes you want to make an impact on the world.

Oh my heart…

I’m not ashamed to say that I wrote an email begging to read this as an ARC and the book fairies granted my wish!

Fredrik Backman makes you think…makes you feel all the feels…and makes you want to give someone a hug.

This centers around a small town with a group of friends that don’t fit anywhere but together. It touches on all the great tragedies of life and how the simplest thing can make life worth living. I have no idea how this author can weave a story together that will tear you apart and put you back together better than before in a matter of 400 pages.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read this early!

The premise of My Friends seemed so promising, but I could not get into this novel. Backman alternates between timelines, having the characters tell stories about the past and what happened with the friends that one fateful summer. This approach felt choppy to me and despite the humorous and heartfelt parts of the story, I just couldn't engage with the characters. Since the story is very character driven, it fell flat for me. I suspect I'll be in the minority on this one since he is such a popular author.

I have read all of Frederick Backman’s books. With each one , I say this is his best. I say now, that far and away, this is definitely his very best book.

"There is a time for everything. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn. A time to dance."

The way Fredrik Backman writes is unlike anything I've come across before. The depth and complexity he put in not only one or two characters but to every single character he writes amazes me. If you have ever loved a Fredrik Backman book, then "My Friends" will not disappoint. This story touched me so deeply, it's not only a story of hardship and loss but a story of friendship and trust. It shows that even in the weirdest of circumstance you can find friendship.

"I love you and I trust you."

Fredrik Backman has done it again with My Friends, delivering a story that is both deeply moving and beautifully written. The characters are richly developed, and their relationships feel authentic and profound. This book is a testament to the power of friendship, acceptance, and the courage it takes to truly connect with others.

Backman’s signature style—highly readable yet emotionally searing—makes this novel impossible to put down. The sensitivity with which he explores human relationships is remarkable, leaving the reader both heartbroken and hopeful. My Friend is a poignant reminder that love and connection require vulnerability but are always worth the risk.

I am an unabashed Backman fan, and I remain an unabashed Backman fan. Five stars, without hesitation.

This book is Backman at his very best. Equal parts laugh out loud funny and devastating, I didn't want to put it down. Backman touches a piece of the human soul that is so real, so vibrant, and so addictive. I want to go back in time to before I read this, just so I could read it for the first time again.

*My Friends* is everything readers love about Fredrik Backman—heartfelt, thought-provoking, and brimming with beautifully flawed characters. This novel masterfully intertwines past and present, following Louisa’s journey to uncover the story behind a mysterious painting and the friendships that shaped it. Backman’s signature warmth and wit shine through as he explores the deep bonds we form, the weight of memories, and the unexpected ways art connects us. With moments of quiet humor and poignant reflection, *My Friends* is a moving tribute to the friendships that shape our lives and the stories that live on long after we’re gone. A must-read for fans of character-driven, emotionally rich fiction!

Most people never see the three boys sitting in the painting, they just see the sea. Louisa however, sees what many miss, and wants to know the story behind it. When it was painted, 25 years earlier, the teenagers found refuge from their unhappy homes lives in their friendships. Friendships that created this famous painting. Somehow this painting is now in Louisa’s care, and she spends the book on a journey across the country to learn the story behind the painting.

GAH. Backman just has a way of writing that is unmatched. From the first sentence I could not put this book down, I just needed more. I don’t even know how to review this one, but if you have enjoyed Backman in the past, do not pass go, do not collect $200, just read this book, you will love it! I loved every second, and the worst part of this book is that it’s over!

do have to say I hope my girl Millie is getting a cut from these sales for the line “I love you and I trust you.” IYKYK, but if you don’t message me and I will send you the cutest video ever from @arielestewart

Thank you to @atriabooks for my gifted copy of this book!

"Adults always think they can protect children by stopping them from going to dangerous places, but every teenager knows that's pointless, because the most dangerous place on earth is inside us. Fragile hearts break in palaces and dark alleys alike. "

This book was something special; heartwarming despite so much tragedy just like real life can be. This story is about friendship and found family written in the most beautiful way, with art at its core. Louisa is a budding artist, and by chance meets the artist who has inspired her in an alley. He sees something in her, and with his dying wish gives her the painting through his friend Ted. We get to hear more about the artist's life and the fateful summer where the painting was created through stories Ted tells Louisa on a long train ride.

From the very first pages, My Friends establishes itself as something special. The story of a painting—what it means to Louisa and the way it ties past and present together—immediately signals Backman’s signature blend of heartache and hope. At its core, this is a novel about friendship in all its messy, beautiful, complicated forms. Through Louisa, an 18-year-old who has aged out of the foster care system and is grappling with profound loss, and Ted, a man carrying the weight of a decades-old bond, Backman crafts a narrative that is once more "all the feels". Their journey, both in words and events and emotions, is one of healing, connection, and the power of creativity, of art and expression to heal and to offer hope. The novel’s quiet simplicity allows its depth to unfold gradually, a pacing that works as the story continues to expand.

Backman’s storytelling is as masterful as ever, weaving humor with heartbreak, wisdom with wit. His writing, deceptively simple, carries an emotional confidence, phrasing that makes me go back and wonder at how words are also feelings. The novel explores grief, love, and the courage it takes to truly embrace living, even when things are hard, while offering moments of levity that contrast meaningfully with the grief. The dual timeline, which I often approach with hesitation as I tend to get lost in one POV and feel disconnected from the other, works seamlessly here: instead of feeling I was going back and forth I felt more that I was seeing how the past and present story were clearly all one bigger story, I I felt the chapters were paired effectively and seamlessly, My Friends is not just a book—it’s a testament once more to human connection, a reminder of the beauty in friendship and how relationships, art, and the simplicity of finding moments of being understood all matter deeply. Classic Backman emotionally resonant, uniquely insightful, and timeless

This book was definitely not what I thought it would be. Thoroughly implausible, tons of flashback, a lot of yelling. Even though implausible plots normally drive me wild, this one did not. I wish that things like this really could happen. That an 18 year old aging out of the foster system could find a welcoming family. That she would have a practically priceless painting given to her by the artist who recognized a kindred spirit. I wonder what the author was feeling as he wrote this? Was he focused on showing that a harsh world really has kindness moments? If so, goal accomplished.

At this point, it should probably be assumed that a new Backman novel will make you cry. Fredrik really outdid himself with My Friends because this had me pretty much sobbing in public at 10% in.

This is the story of a painting. It's about how the painting came to be, the person who painted it, and the friendships that made it possible. It's also about art and belonging and so many beautiful ideas in what can often be an ugly life.

I really loved this one and know that it is a book I will have to read again. I can't recommend it enough for both fans of Backman's work and those who haven't given this author a try yet.