I received an ARC of this great author's upcoming novel through NetGalley.

Author Fredrik Backman has written some of the finest novels I've read in the last 5-7 years. A Man Called Ove is a classic, a wonderful story with excellent humor. The Beartown trilogy was riveting, entirely different novels in tone, intense and suspenseful. This novel, My Friends, is more along the lines of A Man Called Ove. Lots of storytelling, lots of humor.

Ted is kind of the main character in this novel. He is 40-years-old or so. Much of this book is spent with Ted reflecting on his adventures with three other friends when they were 14 and 15 years old. He is telling these stories to a feisty 18-year-old girl who is escaping from a troubled youth, spent in one unhappy foster home after another. Ted and his friends also had their share of difficulties, growing up in troubled households.

Quite a few themes pop up through these stories. Loyalty amongst friends. Growing up amid domestic violence. The value of being "ordinary" versus being rich and famous.

One of Ted's friends became a famous artist. The artist died at an early age and chose, in an unusual way, to die broke. He left a famous painting to the 18-year-old girl. That's how Ted met up with the girl, as Ted was with the artist on his deathbed.

Much of the humor in this novel emanates from the author's frequent observations about the idiosyncrasies of human beings and from the antics of the 18-year-old girl and the young girl that was one of Ted's friends in his youth.

This is an excellent and suspenseful book. What happened to Ted's friends? Where are they today? How will the 18-year-old girl handle the famous painting, worth millions of dollars?

This book felt heavier than some of Backman's other work but in a very specific way. His particular gift, I believe, is to express humanness that every reader is able to relate to, hence affecting a wide range of emotions. When I read his books, I find myself laughing out loud, and then almost immediately tearing up. But this book evoked anger too. I quickly grew to love and become totally invested with these characters, almost protective of them. It is not an easy read, though. The level of conflicts that these friends face and eventually slug their way through, made it difficult to get comfortable even when something sweet or funny happened to them because it was impossible to forget that the big bad world was continuously awaiting them. The interactions between the characters are deeply thoughtful, but rooted in survival and I think that is on purpose. Sometimes the most beautiful things come out of survival. I think the prevalent theme with this book is about being different. But the price Backman demands for these "different" characters' survival through physical and mental and emotional cruelty is a tough one to read about. And yet, I think that is exactly his point. His books are full of lessons, if the reader lays down their own bias and allows all his nuances to take root in their thinking. He beautifully layers his writing....each page is full of powerful quotes that seem to sum up some of life's biggest moments. He truly "gets" people. This book moved me, taught me, and will stay with me for a long time. I absolutely devour anything he writes and this was no different.

My first 5 star of 2025! Poignant in a way that only Backman can accomplish, My Friends is another masterpiece from this amazing talent. Full of quotes that I will need to go back to memorialize forever, Backman has a way of writing lines that are so powerful that you have to stop to read them again and brace for impact.

When you read a synopsis of a Backman book, the premise always sounds intriguing, but it’s his masterful delivery that truly wows me every time.

Plus, this book has an epic shoutout to Millie Stewart…

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book by one of my very favorite authors. As always, Backman hits all the right touching, emotional notes with his writing and characters. It tells the story of childhood friendships and how art can mold and touch us and change lives. We have 2 stories told in past/present that intersect perfectly and in such a moving way. Another beautiful story by this author.

**Thank you to Atria Books and Fredrik Backman for the book, given to me in exchange for my honest review.**

I've been a Fredrik Backman fan for a long time. Longer than I've been reviewing books, that's for sure. So when I received this advanced reader copy, I was thrilled. I will try to go into this review unbiased for the sake of those readings this post.

The story follows a group of children who are growing up in a not so great part of town with varying not so great circumstances. Their story is told through the memories of those of were there from a future vantage point, looking backward.

THEMES: What does success look like when no one believes you have any potential? What does growth look like when you're expected to die before you're 30? What does it mean to love when no one deems you worthy? What is a friend and friendship and does it follow any rules or patterns?

LIT ELEMENTS: Of course Fredrik Backman is going to give you all of the character development that you need. You love/hate/relate all throughout this book. The imagery and plot pacing are immaculate. Much of this story revolves around a painting, and I can see that painting vividly in my mind as if I saw it in person.

VIBES: This book give you all the feels. I am about to be 40 on Thursday, and I was right there with these kids - wasting the days away in the ocean, falling in and out of love, realizing that yours is not the only perspective that matters. Despite their poor circumstances, these kids were still able to find joy in being fifteen. It made me want to be fifteen again, see my friends from those years again, and fall in love for the first time again.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of well written contemporary literature, who is looking for a nostalgic experience, or who enjoys a hard earned happily ever after.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Louisa, a foster care kid and budding artist meets a homeless man on the street and they paint together. Hours later, Louisa learns the homeless man was not homeless, but rather one of the most famous artists of the time. When he leaves her one of his most valuable works, Louisa embarks on an adventure with quirky school teacher, a friend of the artist.

The book jumped around a lot, from past to present, to multiple characters, which I had a hard time connecting with at times.

Overall, enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Fredrik Backman, and Atria Books for the Advance Reader Copy of My Friends.

This book was a nice read. I have read most of Fredrik Backman's books. If you like his works, you will like My Friends. Compared to other Fredrik Backman's this would be in the middle. It did not have the details I enjoyed in previous books like a Man Called Ove or Britt Marie was here. I did like the character development and the relationship between Louisa and Ted and the concept of being "one of us". I also liked how the book had a concrete ending and it looped back to the beginning with Louisa finding someone she could be a mentor to.

One of the parts I did not like was how long the train ride was. Being from the United States it is hard to determine how long a train ride is, to be considered long as it is not the most popular means of travel. Is 8 hours a long train ride? 4? It also seemed that they got off the train and easily got another one. Fredrick Backman doesn't typically give location descriptions which made this particular timeline a little harder to follow.

Another hit for Fredrik Backman. He is a master storyteller. I loved how it tied the story up at the end. Wonderful.

Rating: 5 Stars

I don't know what to say here. I am speechless. I am so glad I started 2025 with this book.

A few of my friends and I received this ARC from NetGalley, and we knew immediately that we wanted to buddy read it for the beginning of the year. I don't typically read ARCs so ahead of their due date, but I couldn't hold on to this one.

So glad I didn't because the group chat was wonderful.

There was a moment towards the beginning of this book where I texted them and said, "How does Backman use all of the same letters and same words as the stupid stuff coming out of my mouth and turn them into art?" and that feeling lasted the entire novel.

He is SO GOOD at unpredictability, slight of hand, making you look one way while doing something the other. I was consistently surprised from start to finish, and the characters in this novel were warm and wonderful.

Truly, I don't have enough praise for this one. Preorder it, and prepare yourselves for May 20.

This is only my third book by Fredrik Backman but each time I read his words I get completely lost in his storytelling. He has such a beautiful way with words.
My Friends is about a famous painting, the friends and story behind the painting, and a child who falls in love with the painting while living in foster homes. I loved the characters in this book and the beautiful story of friendship, hope, and loss.
Backman writes with such beautiful imagery, subtle humor and deep emotions.
I loved this story. It had me laughing and crying throughout. My Friends will be released on May 20th by Atria Books. Thank you to NetGalley, Fredrik Backman, and the publisher for this ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this-- devoured it in one day. The characters are classic Backman style, you can't help but love them and all their neuroses. It's a lot of flashback and storytelling, but the author is gifted at not allowing it to become boring. Although boring is the right word to describe what life feels like while awaiting the next Backman novel.

Backman is seriously a literary treasure. This man uses his words to make me feel every emotion I have throughout every page. This book so beautifully portrayed love and friendship to its very core. I loved every single character and was so invested in them I felt like I was reading about people I have known my whole life. This is just a masterpiece.

If I could give 6 stars, I would. This is a story that’s going to be engraved into my head. I believe this will be a must read in 2025. I love every character and learning each and every one of their stories. I also love the humor back in forth with Louisa and Ted. Also despise “long story.” Every adventure. Every disastrous horrible thing. Every loving memory. Everything about friendship and art. The power of it all. I sobbed a lot in this book and kept a lot of the quotes from this book. I hope to own a physical copy when this book comes out.

One of Fredrik’s best, from the writing to the story line, I loved this book. I’m so glad I got to read it..

Thank you so much @atria for this advanced copy. I will start out by saying wherever Fredrik Backman goes I will follow. This book is like all the rest a masterpiece and a lesson in love and humanity. Louise a artist who’s bounced around foster homes loses her best friend to an overdose so decides she needs to break in to an art auction to see her favorite painting that’s up for sale for her and her friend. It all goes south and she’s on the run from the police hidden by a man she assumed was homeless but is actually the very ill recluse painter himself. As they create a mural together he realizes her talent is undeniable and begs his best friend to track her down once he passes away and give her the painting he sold everything he owned to get back. This begins a cross country trek with stories of the origin of the painting love loss and friendship. In his standard whimsical style Backman makes you laugh and cry every other page. Wonderful read. 5 ⭐️

"Stories are complicated, memories are merciless, our brains only store a few moments from the best days of our lives, but we remember every second of the worst."

There is a painting of the sea, you see the long pier, but most people miss the three tiny figures sitting at the end of it. Louisa, like most, has admired this painting, but she's stared at it for years on a postcard and is determined to find out the story of the three people on the pier. 25 years earlier, a group of teens spend an unforgettable summer together as they try to escape their lives at home. Out of that summer, an artist and painting emerges and connects with Louisa in ways she can't imagine yet.

This is unlike and most like Backman's other works. It reminded me of "Britt-Marie Was Here" with the calamitous lives of Ted, Joar, Ali, and the artist. As I got deeper and more invested in our teens, their homes seemed to scrape my heart ceaselessly. But the friendship between them fastidiously sewed it back together. In a weird way, please bear with me as this is a high compliment. It reminded me of the story of the teens from "It." A clumsy, affectionate, and unfortunately nostalgic account of friendship that only Backman could tell.

And our Louisa, my sweet girl. Bruised by life so early, cut by the passing of her best friend, but still so tenderly open to the kindness of others and longing for connection. She was so funny and real and whimsical. As classic Backman, it hinges on the parts of our life that define us, but we can not change, but understanding how we take a step forward when we meet the right people.

I loved these characters. They will stick with me for a long time, as Backman's characters so often do. He's the artist at crafting human connection, idiosyncratic life events, and found families. I feel so honored being able to read an early copy of this. This was the best and worst way to start my year because how is anything going to top this?????

Thank you, Atria books and NetGalley, for an advanced copy!

Is Fredrik Backman capable of writing anything less than excellent? No, of course not. This is another heartwarming read from a wonderful author. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys fiction!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book.

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

A wonderful book about acceptance and the power of love. Another enjoyable book from Fredrik Backman.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be similar to the series Beartown. There is lots of character development and the relationships between the different characters is important.

One of the characters, Louisa, is looking to be an artist. She finds herself in possession of a picture of three people and wants to find out the story behind the painting. This is the story of Louisa’s journey as well as how the painting came to be.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

I’ve been a fan of Fredrik Backman since I first opened Beartown. I cannot believe my first ARC was written by him! Dreams do come true! 📚

My Friends is the story of four best friends from the past and a young girl in the present who gets drawn into their world because of a painting.

What I Loved:
🎨 The pairing of Ted and Louisa was perfect. From the instant they met on the page, they had the best character chemistry. Every time I thought I might cry in this book, they also made me laugh. They were complex and broken, witty, full of banter and sarcasm. They were loveable yet so alone until they found each other.
🎨 Every line and word has purpose and beauty - but not in a pretentious way that would be over my head! And as always, each detail weaves together perfectly by the end, even if it doesn’t connect in the way it initially seems.
🎨 Backman is the master of moving from past to present without using a single date or obvious transition. Moments from the past align so perfectly with moments in the present. Everything is seamless.
🎨 This was a story of friendship, love, endurance, trust, and the profound impact that a chosen family can have on a person’s life. You will cry and laugh in equal measure.

I am so glad I was able to read this at the same time as my ultimate book bestie @michaelbereading He beat me to the end so I could text me my every thought as I wrapped up. Thank you, Friend ❤️

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for (my first) eARC. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.