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Goodreads Choice Award
Winner for Readers' Favorite Fiction (2025), Nominee for Readers' Favorite Audiobook (2025)„Лятото започна и завърши със смърт.
Но по средата?
По средата лятото успя да бъде и много други неща.
Успя да бъде любов и приятелство, чудотворно силен смях и великолепно глупави решения.“
Повечето хора дори не ги забелязват – три малки фигури в ъгълчето на една от най-известните картини на света. Повечето хора смятат, че са просто игра на светлината. Но Луиса, която рисува с лекотата, с която диша, ги вижда. И е решена да разбере кои са те и каква е тяхната история.
Двайсет и пет години по-рано няколко тийнейджъри търсят спасение от живота в своето диво и скъпоценно приятелство. Сред тях е един световноизвестен художник, за когото светът просто още не знае. И за когото всичко най-хубаво все още предстои, но всичко най-лошо също. В бъдещето всички, с които се среща, ще му казват, че го обичат, а почти никой не може да оцелее след такова нещо. Той просто ще иска да си върне летата от детството и да бъде един никой заедно с най-добрите си никои.
Те ще имат едно последно невероятно лято, а от него ще се роди онази картина, на която има море и разни други скрити неща. И тъй като изкуството е крехка магия също като любовта и тези две неща са единствената защита на човечеството срещу смъртта, никой не бива да се изненадва, че картината ще се окаже в ръцете на незабележимата като игра на светлината Луиса. И тя ще стане част от нейната невероятна история…
„Най-опасното място на света е вътре в нас.“
Но по средата?
По средата лятото успя да бъде и много други неща.
Успя да бъде любов и приятелство, чудотворно силен смях и великолепно глупави решения.“
Повечето хора дори не ги забелязват – три малки фигури в ъгълчето на една от най-известните картини на света. Повечето хора смятат, че са просто игра на светлината. Но Луиса, която рисува с лекотата, с която диша, ги вижда. И е решена да разбере кои са те и каква е тяхната история.
Двайсет и пет години по-рано няколко тийнейджъри търсят спасение от живота в своето диво и скъпоценно приятелство. Сред тях е един световноизвестен художник, за когото светът просто още не знае. И за когото всичко най-хубаво все още предстои, но всичко най-лошо също. В бъдещето всички, с които се среща, ще му казват, че го обичат, а почти никой не може да оцелее след такова нещо. Той просто ще иска да си върне летата от детството и да бъде един никой заедно с най-добрите си никои.
Те ще имат едно последно невероятно лято, а от него ще се роди онази картина, на която има море и разни други скрити неща. И тъй като изкуството е крехка магия също като любовта и тези две неща са единствената защита на човечеството срещу смъртта, никой не бива да се изненадва, че картината ще се окаже в ръцете на незабележимата като игра на светлината Луиса. И тя ще стане част от нейната невероятна история…
„Най-опасното място на света е вътре в нас.“
472 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2025
49939 people are currently reading
569698 people want to read
About the author
Fredrik Backman
35 books91.3k followersFredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove (soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks), My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, as well as two novellas, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and The Deal of a Lifetime. Things My Son Needs to Know About the World, his first work of non-fiction, will be released in the US in May 2019. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children. Connect with him on Twitter @BackmanLand or on Instagram @backmansk.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41,483 reviews
July 24, 2025
"Art is coincidence, Love is chaos."
I really needed to read this book.
It was perfect. I have no other words to describe this masterpiece. Like, what the hell was I doing all these years?? How had I never picked up a Fredrik book?!? Because honestly, this was so good. It hit me so hard, and it's the kind of book where you actually sit and contemplate, but it's also very easy to read and so enjoyable!! I'm so glad that this was my first book by him because it's the perfect book to judge him by. To be honest, I was a little hesitant about reading his books—I was excited, yes, but I was also scared because they are so well-loved, and everyone who reads his books ends up loving them. It's such a relief to love it as well. But honestly, it's such an effortless 5-star book for me because it just hooks you, grips you, and is sooo consuming. I will admit that the first 19% was slow, and it took me a little time to adjust to his writing style, but when I hit that mark and was fully comfortable with this book, I FLEW THROUGH IT!
"I love you. I trust you.."
I was reading this book like I normally read all other books (lol), but then there would come a point where I would stop and think, like, this is quite literally how most friendships go and is most likely how my friend group is going to be. It hurts so much to know that there will eventually come a point where we won’t be able to meet or hang out as we do now. All of us would be away in different places, and with the constraint of time and the burden of responsibilities, the interaction would be so limited, and we would just drift apart. And if that's not the case, we just don’t know how long we’re even going to live. To imagine a place without your friends—I honestly cannot. I hate this book for making me feel like that. Like?? There was no need to be that brutal, Fredrik. Also, this is easily my most highlighted ARC because his writing style was just sooo beautiful.
"I'm not your reason, no one is your reason, your art is your own."
The characters here were so precious, and I LOVE THEM.
Louisa - She was such a sweet character. She was seventeen, yes. Did she act like a seventeen-year-old? Nope. I didn’t mind that, though, because I feel like, given how she was raised and where she was raised—with such limited exposure to life and such a wild imagination—it fit her character. Whenever she talked about Fish and how much she missed her, it was so sad because I think everyone would be able to relate to the feeling of missing a friend when you're in a different country, and you can't meet. You just want to meet and talk, but you can't, and you miss them so much. But what made it so much more sad here was the fact that Louisa could never do that, and I wanted to cry. Her being so curious and listening to Ted's story made this story so much better. She was such a lively character!!
The chance to feel that he had stolen more moments from death than death had from him"
The Artist - MY HEART BROKE FOR HIM. He deserved so much more than he got. Imagine being so talented and different from other people that even your parents think that there is something wrong with you instead of being proud of you. Uff, I hated them. How can you treat your son like that? I can't even fathom how that actually happens. I would love my child no matter what. The artist was so precious; he was literally like Louisa—lively and cheerful. His laugh was so addicting and contagious. Honestly, I need a graphic audio of this book just to listen to the artist laugh. But deep down, he was so troubled and sad, but he didn’t show it. He was always happy and laughing, and it's amazing how someone who got so little love could share so much love. I ALSO LOVED THAT ONE PAINTING HE DREW SO BAAAD. His interaction with Louisa was so cute
"Children aren’t responsible for their parents' happiness, but they still try."
Joar - What would I give to get him out of his house :( His story reminded me so much of Joey, but it was so different at the same time. His relationship with his mother and his relationship with his friends were so good. I actually loved him so much because he was there for everyone and protected them. That one scene where his mother is crying on the floor broke my heart because of the lengths she would go to protect her son and the fact that Joar was willing to do the same thing for her. Joar's love was so immense, and I loved him so much. My heart broke hearing his perspective of the story near the end, and have you guys seen those memes where they just shut down the book when a sad/bad part’s about to come, and the caption says "The perfect end"? Yeah, well, this is exactly how my rereads of this book would go. I am shutting this book on that part.
"We all jumped off the pier. That was the last time I swam in the sea with my friends."
Ali - NO! I'm not ready to talk about her yet!!! You guys don't understand how much I loved her and how much I loved her with Joar. FREDRIK, THIS IS NOT FAIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
"It’s an act of violence when an adult yells at a child, all adults know that deep down because all adults were once little. Yet we still do it. Time after time, we fail at being human beings."
Ted - Yes, yes, I know it's getting repetitive—but I LOVED HIM!! If men like Ted exist, the question "Man or Bear" would never even be there because he was so pure, innocent, and lovely. I loved his story, and I loved how Fredrik tackled his story. I just love how he views humans and how all his characters are so deeply flawed. Because when I was reading Ted's story, I felt so bad for him, but then I read the part where his mom and Ali are talking, and I felt so bad for his mom, too. Ufff, I just don’t know how to put it into words, but wow, it was just amazing to read. His whole scene with his brother was so sweet, and the whole "how words can affect people" thing played out here with his brother, and how he got his life in order because of Ted—I LOVEEEEEED IT!
"Kimkim laughed, then Joar laughed, and then Ted and Ali laughed too, and perhaps that was the last time they all did that out loud, in such a liberating way, together."
The four most beautiful, loving, caring, precious, cute, lovable, amazing friends - Them together was the highlight of this book!! Sir, I need what they have. The way these four friends brought me to the verge of tears—how they cared for each other so much. They were the epitome of "die for each other" because I just know that they would die for each other. The way they loved so, so much but were never loved—it just hurt so much reading that because they were just kids, and they deserved so much better. I want someone to love me like Joar loved Ali and the way Ted loved the artist, also the way the artist loved all of them. It also shocks me how much happiness these kids could express while living under these circumstances because I am so sure that I could never. The little things in this book were so cute, like the part where Ted and Joar would bring cookies for the artist, the part where they would teach Ali how to swim, the part where Ali would give Joar the knife, the part where they would go back for the ashes, and the part where the artist drew them all together. It was all so good.
A very special thanks to Hoda, who's been nudging me to read Fredrik's books, and I am so glad she pushed me to read this as my first because I was going for Beartown, and I just know that it wouldn’t have hit as hard as this did. This was just amazing! I loved updating her at every scene, and her trying to make me cry and ordering me to blink a lot at every sad scene to force tears out of me. Also, loved her review... so check that out as well.
I think I wrote so much for this book, but believe me when I say this: no matter how much I praise this book, it will never be enough.
Some quotes/scenes that I love:
"Don’t cry for me, Ted. I got to experience everything. It’s been a long, long life, and at the end of it, I got to see something unbelievably beautiful”
“That girl’s paintings?”
“No. You. I got to see you.”
.
"My... birthday isn't until tomorrow," she says.
'I might not see you tomorrow,' the man whispers, with kind eyes."
.
"Is it a horrible thing being an adult?" the girl asked.
"Unbearable," the mother replied. "You fail with almost everything, all the time."
.
"Are you sure about that?" Louisa asks.
Ted raises his eyebrows, somewhere in the borderland between surprised and insulted.
"How do you mean?"
Louisa's shoulders bounce.
"I just mean... maybe you got the room in the basement so you wouldn't see how sick your dad was the whole time? And how sad your mom was? And maybe your mom was trying to protect you from your big brother?"
Ted stares across the sea, squinting at the sun, with shame washing through him. All these years, and he has never even considered that. It's hard to be little, hard to be big, hard to be everything in between. So he turns toward Louisa and says:
"It wasn't only bad. It was a love story at first, my mom and dad's marriage..."
Then her eyes grow wide in anticipation, because she loves love stories.
So he tells it to her the way it was once told to him."
.
"I could never have lived there without him. I would just have lain awake all night waiting for him to come home. I would have had to throw away all the eggs because he was the only one who ate them, but I would have forgotten not to buy them. I would have forgotten that he didn't exist, all the time. I would have gotten angry because the light in the bathroom was turned off, because I used to get so annoyed with him for always leaving it on. I would have saved all his shoes, all his shirts, and I would have been angry with the spring and hated flowers when they appeared because they drowned out the last smells of him. I would have always laid the table for two on the balcony. I would have had to eat all the popcorn myself. I would never have been able to pick a film."
.
"If anyone sees the painting, I don’t want them to know who I am. I only want to be who I really am...with you."
.
"Sometimes you don’t appreciate your own blessings until you see the envy in someone else's eyes."
__
I'm desperate for a five stars and while beartown was supposed to be my starting journey with Fredrik, Hoda's review and updates for this book got me so hyped up and excited that I can't wait to start this. So excited 🤭🤸🏻
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Atria for giving me an E-Arc.*
I really needed to read this book.
It was perfect. I have no other words to describe this masterpiece. Like, what the hell was I doing all these years?? How had I never picked up a Fredrik book?!? Because honestly, this was so good. It hit me so hard, and it's the kind of book where you actually sit and contemplate, but it's also very easy to read and so enjoyable!! I'm so glad that this was my first book by him because it's the perfect book to judge him by. To be honest, I was a little hesitant about reading his books—I was excited, yes, but I was also scared because they are so well-loved, and everyone who reads his books ends up loving them. It's such a relief to love it as well. But honestly, it's such an effortless 5-star book for me because it just hooks you, grips you, and is sooo consuming. I will admit that the first 19% was slow, and it took me a little time to adjust to his writing style, but when I hit that mark and was fully comfortable with this book, I FLEW THROUGH IT!
"I love you. I trust you.."
I was reading this book like I normally read all other books (lol), but then there would come a point where I would stop and think, like, this is quite literally how most friendships go and is most likely how my friend group is going to be. It hurts so much to know that there will eventually come a point where we won’t be able to meet or hang out as we do now. All of us would be away in different places, and with the constraint of time and the burden of responsibilities, the interaction would be so limited, and we would just drift apart. And if that's not the case, we just don’t know how long we’re even going to live. To imagine a place without your friends—I honestly cannot. I hate this book for making me feel like that. Like?? There was no need to be that brutal, Fredrik. Also, this is easily my most highlighted ARC because his writing style was just sooo beautiful.
"I'm not your reason, no one is your reason, your art is your own."
The characters here were so precious, and I LOVE THEM.
Louisa - She was such a sweet character. She was seventeen, yes. Did she act like a seventeen-year-old? Nope. I didn’t mind that, though, because I feel like, given how she was raised and where she was raised—with such limited exposure to life and such a wild imagination—it fit her character. Whenever she talked about Fish and how much she missed her, it was so sad because I think everyone would be able to relate to the feeling of missing a friend when you're in a different country, and you can't meet. You just want to meet and talk, but you can't, and you miss them so much. But what made it so much more sad here was the fact that Louisa could never do that, and I wanted to cry. Her being so curious and listening to Ted's story made this story so much better. She was such a lively character!!
The chance to feel that he had stolen more moments from death than death had from him"
The Artist - MY HEART BROKE FOR HIM. He deserved so much more than he got. Imagine being so talented and different from other people that even your parents think that there is something wrong with you instead of being proud of you. Uff, I hated them. How can you treat your son like that? I can't even fathom how that actually happens. I would love my child no matter what. The artist was so precious; he was literally like Louisa—lively and cheerful. His laugh was so addicting and contagious. Honestly, I need a graphic audio of this book just to listen to the artist laugh. But deep down, he was so troubled and sad, but he didn’t show it. He was always happy and laughing, and it's amazing how someone who got so little love could share so much love. I ALSO LOVED THAT ONE PAINTING HE DREW SO BAAAD. His interaction with Louisa was so cute
"Children aren’t responsible for their parents' happiness, but they still try."
Joar - What would I give to get him out of his house :( His story reminded me so much of Joey, but it was so different at the same time. His relationship with his mother and his relationship with his friends were so good. I actually loved him so much because he was there for everyone and protected them. That one scene where his mother is crying on the floor broke my heart because of the lengths she would go to protect her son and the fact that Joar was willing to do the same thing for her. Joar's love was so immense, and I loved him so much. My heart broke hearing his perspective of the story near the end, and have you guys seen those memes where they just shut down the book when a sad/bad part’s about to come, and the caption says "The perfect end"? Yeah, well, this is exactly how my rereads of this book would go. I am shutting this book on that part.
"We all jumped off the pier. That was the last time I swam in the sea with my friends."
Ali - NO! I'm not ready to talk about her yet!!! You guys don't understand how much I loved her and how much I loved her with Joar. FREDRIK, THIS IS NOT FAIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
"It’s an act of violence when an adult yells at a child, all adults know that deep down because all adults were once little. Yet we still do it. Time after time, we fail at being human beings."
Ted - Yes, yes, I know it's getting repetitive—but I LOVED HIM!! If men like Ted exist, the question "Man or Bear" would never even be there because he was so pure, innocent, and lovely. I loved his story, and I loved how Fredrik tackled his story. I just love how he views humans and how all his characters are so deeply flawed. Because when I was reading Ted's story, I felt so bad for him, but then I read the part where his mom and Ali are talking, and I felt so bad for his mom, too. Ufff, I just don’t know how to put it into words, but wow, it was just amazing to read. His whole scene with his brother was so sweet, and the whole "how words can affect people" thing played out here with his brother, and how he got his life in order because of Ted—I LOVEEEEEED IT!
"Kimkim laughed, then Joar laughed, and then Ted and Ali laughed too, and perhaps that was the last time they all did that out loud, in such a liberating way, together."
The four most beautiful, loving, caring, precious, cute, lovable, amazing friends - Them together was the highlight of this book!! Sir, I need what they have. The way these four friends brought me to the verge of tears—how they cared for each other so much. They were the epitome of "die for each other" because I just know that they would die for each other. The way they loved so, so much but were never loved—it just hurt so much reading that because they were just kids, and they deserved so much better. I want someone to love me like Joar loved Ali and the way Ted loved the artist, also the way the artist loved all of them. It also shocks me how much happiness these kids could express while living under these circumstances because I am so sure that I could never. The little things in this book were so cute, like the part where Ted and Joar would bring cookies for the artist, the part where they would teach Ali how to swim, the part where Ali would give Joar the knife, the part where they would go back for the ashes, and the part where the artist drew them all together. It was all so good.
A very special thanks to Hoda, who's been nudging me to read Fredrik's books, and I am so glad she pushed me to read this as my first because I was going for Beartown, and I just know that it wouldn’t have hit as hard as this did. This was just amazing! I loved updating her at every scene, and her trying to make me cry and ordering me to blink a lot at every sad scene to force tears out of me. Also, loved her review... so check that out as well.
I think I wrote so much for this book, but believe me when I say this: no matter how much I praise this book, it will never be enough.
Some quotes/scenes that I love:
"Don’t cry for me, Ted. I got to experience everything. It’s been a long, long life, and at the end of it, I got to see something unbelievably beautiful”
“That girl’s paintings?”
“No. You. I got to see you.”
.
"My... birthday isn't until tomorrow," she says.
'I might not see you tomorrow,' the man whispers, with kind eyes."
.
"Is it a horrible thing being an adult?" the girl asked.
"Unbearable," the mother replied. "You fail with almost everything, all the time."
.
"Are you sure about that?" Louisa asks.
Ted raises his eyebrows, somewhere in the borderland between surprised and insulted.
"How do you mean?"
Louisa's shoulders bounce.
"I just mean... maybe you got the room in the basement so you wouldn't see how sick your dad was the whole time? And how sad your mom was? And maybe your mom was trying to protect you from your big brother?"
Ted stares across the sea, squinting at the sun, with shame washing through him. All these years, and he has never even considered that. It's hard to be little, hard to be big, hard to be everything in between. So he turns toward Louisa and says:
"It wasn't only bad. It was a love story at first, my mom and dad's marriage..."
Then her eyes grow wide in anticipation, because she loves love stories.
So he tells it to her the way it was once told to him."
.
"I could never have lived there without him. I would just have lain awake all night waiting for him to come home. I would have had to throw away all the eggs because he was the only one who ate them, but I would have forgotten not to buy them. I would have forgotten that he didn't exist, all the time. I would have gotten angry because the light in the bathroom was turned off, because I used to get so annoyed with him for always leaving it on. I would have saved all his shoes, all his shirts, and I would have been angry with the spring and hated flowers when they appeared because they drowned out the last smells of him. I would have always laid the table for two on the balcony. I would have had to eat all the popcorn myself. I would never have been able to pick a film."
.
"If anyone sees the painting, I don’t want them to know who I am. I only want to be who I really am...with you."
.
"Sometimes you don’t appreciate your own blessings until you see the envy in someone else's eyes."
__
I'm desperate for a five stars and while beartown was supposed to be my starting journey with Fredrik, Hoda's review and updates for this book got me so hyped up and excited that I can't wait to start this. So excited 🤭🤸🏻
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Atria for giving me an E-Arc.*
December 21, 2025
Before I declare this the best book Fredrik Backman has ever written, let me admit that I’ve lost count of how many times I cried, laughed too loudly (scaring the pets), or whined and howled while reading it. Nothing I say—no word I write—can adequately capture my feelings or do justice to this incredible book, even if I endlessly repeat the word "amazing" over and over again. My best advice? Don’t just read it and marvel at Backman’s brilliance. Instead, prepare to wipe your tears after finishing, and if you’re lucky enough to have people in your life like the characters in this book, call your best friends—the ones who helped shape you—and tell them, “I love you and I trust you.” If you can, visit them and give them the longest hugs, which is exactly what I plan to do.
This book is about an endless sea, a profound friendship, and a true love story. It delves into grief, sacrifice, fart jokes, uproarious laughter, spontaneous adventures, learning to trust, and protecting loved ones at all costs. It’s about the serendipity of art. It’s about finding your own pearl in an oyster shell and learning to let go, even when it feels like shards of glass stabbing your heart.
I haven’t read a friendship story this genuine, heartfelt, clumsy, straightforward, smart, sentimental, shocking, and emotionally resonant in a very long time.
Joar: A “big little man” with the sharpest sarcastic humor, a kind heart brimming with love for his mother, a fighter, protector, and a sailor with a penchant for perfectly timed swearing anecdotes.
Ali: Tough as nails, quick-witted, and fiercely independent, she uses her sharp tongue and street smarts to shield herself from the harm of violent men. She’s the creator of the worst ideas, a good runner, and a terrible swimmer.
Ted: A mostly introverted, bookish soul who collects words like treasures, using them to craft brilliant stories. He’s caring, quirky, smart, and sensitive, learning to honor the ghosts of his past by saying goodnight to them—just like his father once did.
The Artist (KimKim): A prodigy who sketches the laughter of his friends while embodying the vastness of the sea and sky. A man of few words, he battles his depression by embracing his uniqueness, just as his mother taught him, and prepares himself for his long-short journey through life.
These four vagabonds met nearly a decade ago when they were just 15, united by their desire to help the artist attend a painting competition—even though he couldn’t afford supplies like paint, brushes, or canvas. Despite their own struggles and the harsh hands life had dealt them, they were resourceful and unstoppable as long as they had each other.
Two decades later, the artist literally bumps into young Louisa, a quirky, awkward, fiercely intelligent girl raised in foster care, as she flees the church where his painting was auctioned. Realizing her obsession with seeing the painting in person, he instantly recognizes her as one of them. He devises a plan and enlists Ted to carry it out before he leaves this earth. That’s how Louisa becomes intertwined in their love story and discovers the real meaning behind the painting, On the Sea—a work that isn’t about the sea at all but about the depth of friendship and, yes, a funny fart!
I won’t spoil more of the story. This is a tale where every character shines as the hero in their own right. While you might love one or two of them a little more, none of them feel insignificant.
It’s a masterpiece. I’m calling it now—the best fiction of 2025 and my favorite Fredrik Backman novel to date. (It even made me wonder if parts were inspired by his own childhood memories.) I cannot recommend this book highly enough—it’s the kind of story that makes you want to shout your love for it from the rooftops and applaud for ten minutes straight like you’re at a Cannes Film Festival premiere.
Endless gratitude to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this AMAZING WORK with me as a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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This book is about an endless sea, a profound friendship, and a true love story. It delves into grief, sacrifice, fart jokes, uproarious laughter, spontaneous adventures, learning to trust, and protecting loved ones at all costs. It’s about the serendipity of art. It’s about finding your own pearl in an oyster shell and learning to let go, even when it feels like shards of glass stabbing your heart.
I haven’t read a friendship story this genuine, heartfelt, clumsy, straightforward, smart, sentimental, shocking, and emotionally resonant in a very long time.
Joar: A “big little man” with the sharpest sarcastic humor, a kind heart brimming with love for his mother, a fighter, protector, and a sailor with a penchant for perfectly timed swearing anecdotes.
Ali: Tough as nails, quick-witted, and fiercely independent, she uses her sharp tongue and street smarts to shield herself from the harm of violent men. She’s the creator of the worst ideas, a good runner, and a terrible swimmer.
Ted: A mostly introverted, bookish soul who collects words like treasures, using them to craft brilliant stories. He’s caring, quirky, smart, and sensitive, learning to honor the ghosts of his past by saying goodnight to them—just like his father once did.
The Artist (KimKim): A prodigy who sketches the laughter of his friends while embodying the vastness of the sea and sky. A man of few words, he battles his depression by embracing his uniqueness, just as his mother taught him, and prepares himself for his long-short journey through life.
These four vagabonds met nearly a decade ago when they were just 15, united by their desire to help the artist attend a painting competition—even though he couldn’t afford supplies like paint, brushes, or canvas. Despite their own struggles and the harsh hands life had dealt them, they were resourceful and unstoppable as long as they had each other.
Two decades later, the artist literally bumps into young Louisa, a quirky, awkward, fiercely intelligent girl raised in foster care, as she flees the church where his painting was auctioned. Realizing her obsession with seeing the painting in person, he instantly recognizes her as one of them. He devises a plan and enlists Ted to carry it out before he leaves this earth. That’s how Louisa becomes intertwined in their love story and discovers the real meaning behind the painting, On the Sea—a work that isn’t about the sea at all but about the depth of friendship and, yes, a funny fart!
I won’t spoil more of the story. This is a tale where every character shines as the hero in their own right. While you might love one or two of them a little more, none of them feel insignificant.
It’s a masterpiece. I’m calling it now—the best fiction of 2025 and my favorite Fredrik Backman novel to date. (It even made me wonder if parts were inspired by his own childhood memories.) I cannot recommend this book highly enough—it’s the kind of story that makes you want to shout your love for it from the rooftops and applaud for ten minutes straight like you’re at a Cannes Film Festival premiere.
Endless gratitude to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this AMAZING WORK with me as a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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May 20, 2025
I actually am not articulate enough to explain or describe how Fredrik Backman’s writing makes me feel, but I’ll try my best 🫡
You know the storytelling is good when you think you know everything, but the author not only continuously surprises you in the most gut wrenching & also witty way - (which how can you mix the two? No idea, but fredrik backman excels at it) - but also give you chills SO MANY DAMN TIMES!!!!!
I want to protect Louisa with everything I have, she was so annoying but in the most endearing way possible. Her & Ted’s dynamic was absolutely perfect - seeing them (with complete opposite personalities + a big age difference might I add) connect on such deep levels truly was amazing
The 25 years ago storyline portrayed the most wonderful depiction of childhood friendships, with not just the loyalty these kids had for each other, but the TRUST when literally no one around them has ever given them a reason to do so
Anyway I love this book, I love the writing, I love the storytelling, and I love Fredrik Backman ✨
“Because art is a fragile magic, just like love, and humanity’s only defense against death. That we create and paint and dance and fall in love, that’s our rebellion against eternity. Everything beautiful is a shield.”
“It’s a funny thing. The person we fall in love with, we hardly ever call by their name. Because it’s somehow just so obvious that it’s you who I’m talking to, that it’s you I’m always thinking of. Who else?”
“I love you…and I believe in you”
You know the storytelling is good when you think you know everything, but the author not only continuously surprises you in the most gut wrenching & also witty way - (which how can you mix the two? No idea, but fredrik backman excels at it) - but also give you chills SO MANY DAMN TIMES!!!!!
I want to protect Louisa with everything I have, she was so annoying but in the most endearing way possible. Her & Ted’s dynamic was absolutely perfect - seeing them (with complete opposite personalities + a big age difference might I add) connect on such deep levels truly was amazing
The 25 years ago storyline portrayed the most wonderful depiction of childhood friendships, with not just the loyalty these kids had for each other, but the TRUST when literally no one around them has ever given them a reason to do so
Anyway I love this book, I love the writing, I love the storytelling, and I love Fredrik Backman ✨
“Because art is a fragile magic, just like love, and humanity’s only defense against death. That we create and paint and dance and fall in love, that’s our rebellion against eternity. Everything beautiful is a shield.”
“It’s a funny thing. The person we fall in love with, we hardly ever call by their name. Because it’s somehow just so obvious that it’s you who I’m talking to, that it’s you I’m always thinking of. Who else?”
“I love you…and I believe in you”
September 24, 2025
there is no world in which this book does not get a 5 star rating from me and anything i say about it will not do it justice. my annotation tabs were working overtime, so many quotes that i want to remember forever. i fell in LOVE with Fredrik’s writing through this book and will absolutely be reading Beartown this winter!
Want to read
September 4, 2024fredrik backman writes = I read
November 23, 2025
Look, no one is more surprised than me at this rating. I am an avid fan of Fredrik Backman’s work. I even read his Instagram captions and chuckle occasionally. All the same, I have ambivalent feelings about this one.
My Friends is a story about art and belonging. It's about a young girl, Louisa, and her adoration of a famous painting. The story of this famous painting, and its famous painter, are told in this book, along with Louisa's experiences in the present. The stream-of-consciousness prose is immersive and easy to read, and the plot unfolds slowly and intentionally. Sadly, I couldn't deeply connect with any of these characters, nor the plot, so the book fell a little flat for me.
Backman's typical life-affirming style is present throughout this novel, but this is him at his most verbose, meandering, and saccharine. Some chapters, some characters, and some ideas were beautiful, so I did enjoy those. This novel hinges on the nostalgia of childhood friendships, and that does feel like a warm hug in this form of words. I chuckled at some jokes and cringed at others.
2.5 stars rounded up. That said, I would still recommend this to Fredrik Backman fans, and literary fiction enthusiasts. I suspect this will end up being an outlier review.
—————————————————————————
The book gods over at Netgalley (and Atria Books, of course) have blessed me with an ARC 😭
I cannot overstate my excitement and I am going to find it very hard to be objective about a new Fredrik Backman book!!
My Friends is a story about art and belonging. It's about a young girl, Louisa, and her adoration of a famous painting. The story of this famous painting, and its famous painter, are told in this book, along with Louisa's experiences in the present. The stream-of-consciousness prose is immersive and easy to read, and the plot unfolds slowly and intentionally. Sadly, I couldn't deeply connect with any of these characters, nor the plot, so the book fell a little flat for me.
Backman's typical life-affirming style is present throughout this novel, but this is him at his most verbose, meandering, and saccharine. Some chapters, some characters, and some ideas were beautiful, so I did enjoy those. This novel hinges on the nostalgia of childhood friendships, and that does feel like a warm hug in this form of words. I chuckled at some jokes and cringed at others.
2.5 stars rounded up. That said, I would still recommend this to Fredrik Backman fans, and literary fiction enthusiasts. I suspect this will end up being an outlier review.
—————————————————————————
I cannot overstate my excitement and I am going to find it very hard to be objective about a new Fredrik Backman book!!
May 22, 2025
The five stages of reading this Fredrik Backman novel:
Stage 1: feasting
It starts off really good. The way he depicts the superficial art buyers scene of the super rich is truly great and greatly true. What a great novel this will be!
Stage 2: denial
Still good, but something is starting to annoy me. Can't lay my finger on it.
Stage 3: the turning point
This is not writing! This is constantly trying to score!
Why does every single metaphore has to be grand, every point sharp, every pun as witty as possible? If someone is desperately going for 'epic' it turns everything to flat.
Stage 4: in comes the sarcasm
Oooh Fredrik, you're sooooo deep. How incredibly deep you are!
Seriously, how hard can someone try to get their book posted by teenage girls on insta and tiktok with the caption: "OMG you guys, this novel totally gets me! It just knows how impossible it feels to live in an adult world. Be yourself! Be brave! Be!"
Hands down this will end up in the top 3 fiction on Goodreads for 2025.
Stage 5: utter vile (and bile)
At a certain point the avalanche of desperately wannabe quotable oneliners became this annoying that I not only vomited in my mouth several times but swallowed it as a welcome compensation for all the sticky sweetness.
The end
Ps. It's good YA though.
Stage 1: feasting
It starts off really good. The way he depicts the superficial art buyers scene of the super rich is truly great and greatly true. What a great novel this will be!
Stage 2: denial
Still good, but something is starting to annoy me. Can't lay my finger on it.
Stage 3: the turning point
This is not writing! This is constantly trying to score!
Why does every single metaphore has to be grand, every point sharp, every pun as witty as possible? If someone is desperately going for 'epic' it turns everything to flat.
Stage 4: in comes the sarcasm
Oooh Fredrik, you're sooooo deep. How incredibly deep you are!
Seriously, how hard can someone try to get their book posted by teenage girls on insta and tiktok with the caption: "OMG you guys, this novel totally gets me! It just knows how impossible it feels to live in an adult world. Be yourself! Be brave! Be!"
Hands down this will end up in the top 3 fiction on Goodreads for 2025.
Stage 5: utter vile (and bile)
At a certain point the avalanche of desperately wannabe quotable oneliners became this annoying that I not only vomited in my mouth several times but swallowed it as a welcome compensation for all the sticky sweetness.
The end
Ps. It's good YA though.
December 8, 2025
“because in an ugly place, he was born with so much beauty inside him that it was like an act of rebellion. in a world full of sledgehammers, his art was a declaration of war.”
this quote is describing the artist. but it also shows how fredrik backman uniquely perceives the world and tenderly sees the people who live in it. i think, if i could slightly tweak his own words to describe FB himself, it would go something like this:
because in such a hateful place, he was born with so much love inside him that it was like an act of rebellion. in a world full of vitriol, his writing was a declaration of war.
this story is a war against harsh judgement. a war against fathers who parent with their fists. a war against stolen childhoods. a war against feeling alone and inadequate.
and its a battle to save the innocence of children. to save someone who has given up on themselves. to save human connection. to save everything good and precious in this world.
this is a book any reader can read and, after turning the last page, will confidently say that FB “is one of us.” because who else is able to understand just how valuable each persons story is and how it deserves to be told, if not a reader? FB is one of us and he is the best of us.
↠ 5 stars
this quote is describing the artist. but it also shows how fredrik backman uniquely perceives the world and tenderly sees the people who live in it. i think, if i could slightly tweak his own words to describe FB himself, it would go something like this:
because in such a hateful place, he was born with so much love inside him that it was like an act of rebellion. in a world full of vitriol, his writing was a declaration of war.
this story is a war against harsh judgement. a war against fathers who parent with their fists. a war against stolen childhoods. a war against feeling alone and inadequate.
and its a battle to save the innocence of children. to save someone who has given up on themselves. to save human connection. to save everything good and precious in this world.
this is a book any reader can read and, after turning the last page, will confidently say that FB “is one of us.” because who else is able to understand just how valuable each persons story is and how it deserves to be told, if not a reader? FB is one of us and he is the best of us.
↠ 5 stars
May 1, 2025
"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 his words. 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.
"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 his words. 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.
May 3, 2025
My Reviews Can Also Be Found On:
The Book Review Crew Blog
Is it too early in the year to pick my favourite read of 2025? I think not, as this will be hard to beat. You’d think that a book of nearly 500 pages would be too mundane or drawn out, but it isn’t so where Backman is concerned. Not only is this 2025’s best book, but it’s also the author’s, in my humble opinion.
Backman has insight into the human condition. Whenever I read anything by this author, it always delivers plenty of emotions. This one is a love letter to friendship. It’s about a friend group who spend the summer together that reverberates years later via a painting. Joar, Ted, Ally and the artist form a close-knit group where they can abandon their terrible homes if even for a little while. This just goes to show how important friendships have an impact on our lives.
The characters are complex, and Backman doesn’t shy away from hard topics. I especially love that he doesn’t write endings where the resolutions are nice and easy and tied up in a neat little bow. His books are raw, realistic, and dramatic. He also writes realistic dialogue with humour, but it can also be very moving at the same time. Backman simply writes about life in all its messy and beautiful glory. His writing is simple, but it touches me every single time. I have high expectations of this author, and Backman didn’t disappoint with this one. A poignant tale of friendship, trauma and healing that deserves All. The. Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The Book Review Crew Blog
Is it too early in the year to pick my favourite read of 2025? I think not, as this will be hard to beat. You’d think that a book of nearly 500 pages would be too mundane or drawn out, but it isn’t so where Backman is concerned. Not only is this 2025’s best book, but it’s also the author’s, in my humble opinion.
Backman has insight into the human condition. Whenever I read anything by this author, it always delivers plenty of emotions. This one is a love letter to friendship. It’s about a friend group who spend the summer together that reverberates years later via a painting. Joar, Ted, Ally and the artist form a close-knit group where they can abandon their terrible homes if even for a little while. This just goes to show how important friendships have an impact on our lives.
The characters are complex, and Backman doesn’t shy away from hard topics. I especially love that he doesn’t write endings where the resolutions are nice and easy and tied up in a neat little bow. His books are raw, realistic, and dramatic. He also writes realistic dialogue with humour, but it can also be very moving at the same time. Backman simply writes about life in all its messy and beautiful glory. His writing is simple, but it touches me every single time. I have high expectations of this author, and Backman didn’t disappoint with this one. A poignant tale of friendship, trauma and healing that deserves All. The. Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
December 30, 2024
" That's all of life. All we can hope for. You mustn't think about the fact that it might end, because then you live like a coward, you never love too much or sing too loudly. You have to take it for granted, the artist thinks, the whole thing: sunrises and slow Sunday mornings and water balloons and another person's breath against your neck. That's the only courageous thing a person can do."
Deeply moving story of friendship and art and everything in between. A few shortcomings (too much telling in the first half rather than showing is the major thing) but it is more than made up for with the gorgeous tale.
This is the story of four friends. And one girl who needs to connect with them. Twenty-five years ago, four teenagers forged a bond that circumstances can never break. One of them goes on to become a famous artist, and the first painting he created serves as a catalyst for what happens in the future.
I think it's best to just go with this story. You really don't need to know what it's about, because Backman's writing stands on its own regardless of the subject matter. His words paint a picture of flawed people looking for connection, looking to find their true selves. I know there are readers who just don't connect with his writing style, but I'm not one of those. I love the stream of consciousness writing, where I get to know the thoughts of the characters despite how broken they might be, and I am able to join them in their journey.
I think his characters are so viscerally real because he puts himself into them. His writing is raw and vulnerable and incredibly meaningful due to that vulnerability. His writing makes me think and feel and that's exactly what I want a book to do.
Backman remains my absolute favorite.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
Deeply moving story of friendship and art and everything in between. A few shortcomings (too much telling in the first half rather than showing is the major thing) but it is more than made up for with the gorgeous tale.
This is the story of four friends. And one girl who needs to connect with them. Twenty-five years ago, four teenagers forged a bond that circumstances can never break. One of them goes on to become a famous artist, and the first painting he created serves as a catalyst for what happens in the future.
I think it's best to just go with this story. You really don't need to know what it's about, because Backman's writing stands on its own regardless of the subject matter. His words paint a picture of flawed people looking for connection, looking to find their true selves. I know there are readers who just don't connect with his writing style, but I'm not one of those. I love the stream of consciousness writing, where I get to know the thoughts of the characters despite how broken they might be, and I am able to join them in their journey.
I think his characters are so viscerally real because he puts himself into them. His writing is raw and vulnerable and incredibly meaningful due to that vulnerability. His writing makes me think and feel and that's exactly what I want a book to do.
Backman remains my absolute favorite.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
June 20, 2025
this book made me thankful that, someone who sees the world through a lens like this; & had the talent to share that view with the most beautiful story telling & prose - exists in the world
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 stars!!!!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 6 stars!!!!
May 18, 2025
i think coming of age books will always hold a special place in my heart.
playlist for my friends: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ry...
a painting including four friends, and a teenage girl discovering their backstories. what could she possibly learn?
this novel was undoubtedly admirable, as is fredrik backman’s propensity to captivate and immerse me—making me resonate with his characters that felt incredibly real once again. it is an earnest and luminous exploration of grief, friendship, angst, the plights of being human and the quiet miracle of finding connection, the silent artistry of living, and all the moments in between, as the story oscillates between the present and past. it also reminded me of how narrow-minded i can be!! backman very much has a penchant for gently reminding us of the simple things we so often forget.
i’ve always liked how frederik backman depicts grief. what happens when we lose the physical presence of our person? we see them in everything. indeed we feel hollow, but there’s also a quiet beauty in that hollowness—as we see them through other people, places, and objects, ultimately we can learn to appreciate those and feel somewhat whole again as we grieve and learn. this novel illustrates that duality, which is devastating but strangely heartening. this genuinely felt like one of those hopecore videos.
“We aren’t kids anymore.”
i still find myself mourning childhood—perhaps an unhealthy amount—while being submerged in my teenage years. i always yearn to go back—to when joy was instinctive and imagination was endless. it felt like time moved slower and seemingly, grass was greener—colours were more exuberant. yet somehow, this book gently encouraged me to seek presence. there is happiness here, now, in obscure and fleeting places, i’m just too clouded by nostalgia. it’s comforting to look back on those days, however, i shouldn’t linger there for too long. i am, by nature, a pessimist, but maybe it’s time i start realizing that beauty and contentment can arrive in the most unassuming forms.
the characters:
ted:
"Sometimes he imagines that mankind invented God just to have someone to be angry with, because you can't be angry with a dad who's dead, not even a little bit. Ted was most angry with God because he didn't get more memories. All he could remember of his dad's voice was: "Good night, ghosts."
honestly a real guy. quite the guarded introvert—he longs not solely for what was lost, but for what was never fully his to begin with. if you’re a yearner/you long, you immediately intrigue me.
louisa:
"But there she had stopped, just for a few minutes, to listen for the train to disappear. It was stupid, but being stupid is human, and today she was extra human."
representation for apprehensive, annoying teenage girls who miss their best friends and feel lost/never know what to do (me!! i miss my childhood friends.)
kimkim “the artist”:
"The artist was an observer, he couldn't bear to be observed, the world always gets those mixed up."
"If anyone sees the painting, I don't want them to know who I am.
I only want to be who I really am.. with you."
a charming artist, most himself in silence and brushstrokes. he wants to be known—but only by those who truly see him. him resisting exposure while aching to be understood is so real. i also love how his painting signature was his friend's names put together.
ali:
"I got into a fight with a boy in gym class because he said I threw the ball like a little girl."
she’s always a woman to me. (yes, that was a billy joel reference)
joar:
“Do you think you can learn how to live without Ali and Kimkim?" she asks as they're slowly walking back to Joar's place.
Joar just grins and points to a large house.
'We aren't without them. Kimkim lives over there. And sometimes he lives there. And Ali lives there, I see her every day when she's taking the trash out."”
a very silly guy, yet supportive and surprisingly insightful. i think we could all use a joar in our life.
i also appreciate the donna tartt mention: "'Where do you want your ashes scattered, then?'
Ted thinks for a good while before deciding:
Ted looks sadly at the cigar
'In a library. You don't have to put up with reality there. It's as if
thousands of strangers have given away their imaginary friends, they're
sitting on the shelves and calling to you as you walk past. There's an
author called Donna Tartt who describes why a person falls in love with art: 'It's a secret whisper from an alleyway. Psst, you. Hey kid. Yes, you 'That’s what libraries feel like to me'"
real!! libraries are not merely about escapism—it’s also about recognition. stories find us and see our inherently complex nature. there’s something reverent about being known like that. i wholeheartedly believe that to be loved is to be known. thus, who needs a romantic relationship when you have books that know you? (i might be still trying to convince myself that being single forever is okay, so i digress.) but this book made me feel seen!
and then there’s the plethora of mary oliver quote mentions:
"tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
which kind of left me floored. because yes, what am i going to do with it? i’m not sure. but like everyone in the novel, i'll figure it out—it’s a process, we’re all continuously grasping life—still getting used to it. in a way, it reminded me of an apprenticeship, or the book of pleasures by clarice lispector. in here, we are also reminded that while life brings an immense amount of pain and uncertainty, we live despite it and find hope through relationships with others, experiences, and the way we keep moving forward (i pretty much copied it from my review, but honestly, there’s really no other way i'd put it).
happy release day to my friends! the biggest thank you to simon and schuster for providing me with a beautiful physical copy of this book ❤️. i’m glad my first physical arc was one that i enjoyed! now i shall go sonder (as i usually do after reading a fredrik backman book) and read the poems of mary oliver soon!!
other quotes:
"Yet the most remarkable thing about losing a parent is that you don't even need to miss them for their loss to be felt. The basic function of a parent is just to exist. You have to be there, like ballast in a boat, because otherwise your child capsizes."
"That's all of life. All we can hope for. You mustn't think about the fact that it might end, because then you live like a coward, you never love too much or sing too loudly. You have to take it for granted, the artist thinks, the whole thing: sunrises and slow Sunday mornings and water balloons and another person's breath against your neck. That's the only courageous thing a person can do."
"It’s art that helps me cope. Because art is a fragile magic, just like love, and that's humanity's only defense against death. That we create and paint and dance and fall in love, that's our rebellion against eternity. Everything beautiful is a shield. Vincent van Gogh wrote I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things."
"Don't cry for me, Ted. I got to experience everything. It's been a long, long life, and at the end of it I got to see something unbelievably beautiful."
Ted nods disconsolately. "That girl's paintings."
"No. You. I got to see you."
"You have to know all this about Louisa, otherwise you can't understand what a painting can mean. That there is a speed at which a heart can beat that you can't remember when you've stopped being young. There is art that can be so beautiful that it makes a teenager too big for her body. There is a sort of happiness so overwhelming that it is almost unbearable, your soul seems to kick its way through your bones. You can see a painting, and for a single moment of your life, just for a single breath, you can forget to be afraid. If you've ever experienced that, you know how it feels. If you haven't, there probably isn't any way to explain it."
"Time is a strange concept once you've been abandoned. If you're five years old when your parent leaves you, the leaving didn't happen on one particular day, it happens every day. It never stops."
"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."
"It's a funny thing. The person we fall in love with, we hardly ever call by their name. Because it's somehow just so obvious that it's you Im talking to, that it's you I'm always thinking of. Who else?"
-
aww, this is precious!! RTC
-
HELP I JUST REALIZED THIS COMES OUT TOMORROW. gonna lock in!!!
-
update: it arrived today!!
GUYSS??? MY FIRST PHYSICAL ARC IS BEING SENT TO ME RN!! maybe life is worth living?? thank you joni for inspiring me to send emails to publishers ily
playlist for my friends: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ry...
a painting including four friends, and a teenage girl discovering their backstories. what could she possibly learn?
this novel was undoubtedly admirable, as is fredrik backman’s propensity to captivate and immerse me—making me resonate with his characters that felt incredibly real once again. it is an earnest and luminous exploration of grief, friendship, angst, the plights of being human and the quiet miracle of finding connection, the silent artistry of living, and all the moments in between, as the story oscillates between the present and past. it also reminded me of how narrow-minded i can be!! backman very much has a penchant for gently reminding us of the simple things we so often forget.
i’ve always liked how frederik backman depicts grief. what happens when we lose the physical presence of our person? we see them in everything. indeed we feel hollow, but there’s also a quiet beauty in that hollowness—as we see them through other people, places, and objects, ultimately we can learn to appreciate those and feel somewhat whole again as we grieve and learn. this novel illustrates that duality, which is devastating but strangely heartening. this genuinely felt like one of those hopecore videos.
“We aren’t kids anymore.”
i still find myself mourning childhood—perhaps an unhealthy amount—while being submerged in my teenage years. i always yearn to go back—to when joy was instinctive and imagination was endless. it felt like time moved slower and seemingly, grass was greener—colours were more exuberant. yet somehow, this book gently encouraged me to seek presence. there is happiness here, now, in obscure and fleeting places, i’m just too clouded by nostalgia. it’s comforting to look back on those days, however, i shouldn’t linger there for too long. i am, by nature, a pessimist, but maybe it’s time i start realizing that beauty and contentment can arrive in the most unassuming forms.
the characters:
ted:
"Sometimes he imagines that mankind invented God just to have someone to be angry with, because you can't be angry with a dad who's dead, not even a little bit. Ted was most angry with God because he didn't get more memories. All he could remember of his dad's voice was: "Good night, ghosts."
honestly a real guy. quite the guarded introvert—he longs not solely for what was lost, but for what was never fully his to begin with. if you’re a yearner/you long, you immediately intrigue me.
louisa:
"But there she had stopped, just for a few minutes, to listen for the train to disappear. It was stupid, but being stupid is human, and today she was extra human."
representation for apprehensive, annoying teenage girls who miss their best friends and feel lost/never know what to do (me!! i miss my childhood friends.)
kimkim “the artist”:
"The artist was an observer, he couldn't bear to be observed, the world always gets those mixed up."
"If anyone sees the painting, I don't want them to know who I am.
I only want to be who I really am.. with you."
a charming artist, most himself in silence and brushstrokes. he wants to be known—but only by those who truly see him. him resisting exposure while aching to be understood is so real. i also love how his painting signature was his friend's names put together.
ali:
"I got into a fight with a boy in gym class because he said I threw the ball like a little girl."
she’s always a woman to me. (yes, that was a billy joel reference)
joar:
“Do you think you can learn how to live without Ali and Kimkim?" she asks as they're slowly walking back to Joar's place.
Joar just grins and points to a large house.
'We aren't without them. Kimkim lives over there. And sometimes he lives there. And Ali lives there, I see her every day when she's taking the trash out."”
a very silly guy, yet supportive and surprisingly insightful. i think we could all use a joar in our life.
i also appreciate the donna tartt mention: "'Where do you want your ashes scattered, then?'
Ted thinks for a good while before deciding:
Ted looks sadly at the cigar
'In a library. You don't have to put up with reality there. It's as if
thousands of strangers have given away their imaginary friends, they're
sitting on the shelves and calling to you as you walk past. There's an
author called Donna Tartt who describes why a person falls in love with art: 'It's a secret whisper from an alleyway. Psst, you. Hey kid. Yes, you 'That’s what libraries feel like to me'"
real!! libraries are not merely about escapism—it’s also about recognition. stories find us and see our inherently complex nature. there’s something reverent about being known like that. i wholeheartedly believe that to be loved is to be known. thus, who needs a romantic relationship when you have books that know you? (i might be still trying to convince myself that being single forever is okay, so i digress.) but this book made me feel seen!
and then there’s the plethora of mary oliver quote mentions:
"tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
which kind of left me floored. because yes, what am i going to do with it? i’m not sure. but like everyone in the novel, i'll figure it out—it’s a process, we’re all continuously grasping life—still getting used to it. in a way, it reminded me of an apprenticeship, or the book of pleasures by clarice lispector. in here, we are also reminded that while life brings an immense amount of pain and uncertainty, we live despite it and find hope through relationships with others, experiences, and the way we keep moving forward (i pretty much copied it from my review, but honestly, there’s really no other way i'd put it).
happy release day to my friends! the biggest thank you to simon and schuster for providing me with a beautiful physical copy of this book ❤️. i’m glad my first physical arc was one that i enjoyed! now i shall go sonder (as i usually do after reading a fredrik backman book) and read the poems of mary oliver soon!!
other quotes:
"Yet the most remarkable thing about losing a parent is that you don't even need to miss them for their loss to be felt. The basic function of a parent is just to exist. You have to be there, like ballast in a boat, because otherwise your child capsizes."
"That's all of life. All we can hope for. You mustn't think about the fact that it might end, because then you live like a coward, you never love too much or sing too loudly. You have to take it for granted, the artist thinks, the whole thing: sunrises and slow Sunday mornings and water balloons and another person's breath against your neck. That's the only courageous thing a person can do."
"It’s art that helps me cope. Because art is a fragile magic, just like love, and that's humanity's only defense against death. That we create and paint and dance and fall in love, that's our rebellion against eternity. Everything beautiful is a shield. Vincent van Gogh wrote I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things."
"Don't cry for me, Ted. I got to experience everything. It's been a long, long life, and at the end of it I got to see something unbelievably beautiful."
Ted nods disconsolately. "That girl's paintings."
"No. You. I got to see you."
"You have to know all this about Louisa, otherwise you can't understand what a painting can mean. That there is a speed at which a heart can beat that you can't remember when you've stopped being young. There is art that can be so beautiful that it makes a teenager too big for her body. There is a sort of happiness so overwhelming that it is almost unbearable, your soul seems to kick its way through your bones. You can see a painting, and for a single moment of your life, just for a single breath, you can forget to be afraid. If you've ever experienced that, you know how it feels. If you haven't, there probably isn't any way to explain it."
"Time is a strange concept once you've been abandoned. If you're five years old when your parent leaves you, the leaving didn't happen on one particular day, it happens every day. It never stops."
"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."
"It's a funny thing. The person we fall in love with, we hardly ever call by their name. Because it's somehow just so obvious that it's you Im talking to, that it's you I'm always thinking of. Who else?"
-
aww, this is precious!! RTC
-
HELP I JUST REALIZED THIS COMES OUT TOMORROW. gonna lock in!!!
-
update: it arrived today!!
GUYSS??? MY FIRST PHYSICAL ARC IS BEING SENT TO ME RN!! maybe life is worth living?? thank you joni for inspiring me to send emails to publishers ily
September 7, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Had to take my time with this one because it demanded to be felt. Loved.
Had to take my time with this one because it demanded to be felt. Loved.
May 11, 2025
Too often I walk around with a heart that isn’t really feeling. This book cracked my chest open and let my heart take in everything. I felt grief and hope in equal measure, and just so happy to be alive. And the characters in the book. Well, they will stay with me and point me in the right direction. Towards humans, towards art. Towards meaning.
If you want to feel something as well, there is one sure way to go about it. Read. this. Book.
If you want to feel something as well, there is one sure way to go about it. Read. this. Book.
June 1, 2025
4.5 stars
I don’t really know how to explain what this book did to me. I finished it and just sat there, staring into space, feeling full and hollow at the same time. My Friends isn’t just a story you read—it’s something you carry. It moves into your chest and settles there. It’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming, joy and grief tangled so tightly that you can’t separate one from the other. And somehow, that’s what makes it so achingly beautiful.
This book slowed me down. It made me breathe differently, more gently. Like I’d stepped out of the noise and into something still and honest. I’ve been stuck in a rhythm of fast-paced, twist-heavy stories lately—books that chase chaos and reward you with adrenaline. My Friends was different. It made me pause. It made me think. About the friendships I’ve had. The ones I’ve lost. The grief I’ve carried. The small, quiet ways contentment can slip into your life without asking for attention. I didn’t know I needed that reminder until this book gave it to me.
The story follows Louisa, an almost-eighteen-year-old aspiring artist who becomes transfixed by a famous painting—not the sea it depicts, but the three tiny figures tucked into a forgotten corner of the frame. Most people don’t notice them, but she does. And she becomes determined to uncover their story. Her search takes her on a quiet, cross-country journey that mirrors her internal one: a search for meaning, for connection, for a way to make sense of her own sorrow.
Decades earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers with difficult home lives found refuge on an abandoned pier—telling jokes, sharing secrets, surviving in the only ways they knew how. That summer, and the love they found in each other, inspired the painting that now rests in Louisa’s hands. What begins as a mystery becomes something deeper: a meditation on growing up, on memory, on holding grief and joy at the same time.
Louisa is at the heart of it all. A young artist, on the brink of adulthood, aching with loneliness and wonder. Her grief is so raw it becomes a character in itself. I wanted to reach through the pages and hold her. She reminded me of parts of myself I’d forgotten—so full of longing and imagination, trying to make sense of a world that won’t stay still. Her quiet resilience, her banter with Ted, her need to listen deeply… she was luminous.
Ted- A gentle man weighed down by decades of loss, still managing to love with his whole heart. He collects words like heirlooms and slowly, painfully, learns to live beside his ghosts. Watching him connect with Louisa—two people from different generations, meeting in the liminal space where grief and love coexist—was something sacred. Their bond wasn’t traditional, and that’s exactly what made it so unforgettable.
The artist- His laughter. His sadness. His brilliance. He reminded me how some people can shine so brightly even if they’ve never been truly seen. The way his parents treated him was gutting. How does someone so full of life end up feeling like a burden? He was just a kid, sketching joy into a world that had no space for it. Like Louisa, his pain was hidden beneath a kind of wild liveliness—but it was there, pulsing beneath every brushstroke.
Joar shattered me. His sarcasm. His loyalty. His quiet, immovable love. He was the anchor for everyone else, holding things together even as he unraveled. He gave endlessly, never asking for anything in return. I don’t think I’ve ever read a character who so perfectly embodied the quiet heroism of someone who would die for his friends. And the way he loved his mother... it broke me.
Ali was fire. Stubborn, sharp, wild. She was the protector—the one who knew how to fight, how to run, how to make you laugh when everything else hurt. Her strength came from pain, her humour from survival. She taught her friends how to live like they meant it. But inside all that fire was a softness—a vulnerability she rarely let anyone see. She wasn’t just tough. She was profoundly, painfully human.
Together, these four—Ted, Joar, Ali and the artist—were everything. They were the kind of found family that makes you believe in the goodness of people, even when the world is unkind. Their bond was childhood at its most fragile and most powerful. They lived through things no child should have to endure—and still, they found ways to love, to laugh, to hold each other up. Their love wasn’t just beautiful. It was devastating. Because they deserved more. And they didn’t get it.
There’s something quietly brutal about the way this book confronts what it means to grow up. How people drift. How the ones we once swore we’d never lose slowly fade into the background of our lives. And sometimes you don’t even realise it’s happening. One day you just… stop talking. And you don’t know why. And you don’t even have the energy to be sad about it. But then a book like this comes along and suddenly you do feel sad. Nostalgic. A little broken. A little grateful. My Friends gave language to a grief I didn’t know I was carrying. It made me mourn people I haven’t even lost yet.
But it’s not just a sad book. It’s not a wallow. It’s also hopeful—quietly, genuinely so. It reminded me that connection doesn’t vanish. It changes, it shifts, but it doesn’t disappear. That grief is just love without a place to go. And that art, whether it’s a painting, a story, or a shared memory—is a way to hold on. To say, you mattered to me.
Fredrik Backman has this rare ability to write stories that feel like living things. Tender without being sentimental. Honest without being bleak. Before reading this book I had only read Beartown, and to be honest, I didn’t love it—not because it wasn’t brilliant, but because it met me at the wrong moment. I wasn’t ready for what it asked of me. But My Friends? This one met me exactly where I needed it to. It cracked me open. And then it stitched something back together.
I’m giving it 4.5 stars—not because it wasn’t worthy of five, but because it took me a while to find my way into it. The first half felt slow. But the second half made me ache in all the best ways. Maybe I’ll come back to this review and realise it was a five-star book all along.
This book made me miss people I haven’t lost yet. And the ones I’ve already let go. It made me want to hold my younger self. It made me want to reach out to old friends. And it reminded me that there’s beauty here, now, even if I can’t always see it.
Highly recommend!
“That’s all of life. All we can hope for. You mustn’t think about the fact that it might end, because then you live like a coward, you never love too much or sing too loudly.”
I don’t really know how to explain what this book did to me. I finished it and just sat there, staring into space, feeling full and hollow at the same time. My Friends isn’t just a story you read—it’s something you carry. It moves into your chest and settles there. It’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming, joy and grief tangled so tightly that you can’t separate one from the other. And somehow, that’s what makes it so achingly beautiful.
This book slowed me down. It made me breathe differently, more gently. Like I’d stepped out of the noise and into something still and honest. I’ve been stuck in a rhythm of fast-paced, twist-heavy stories lately—books that chase chaos and reward you with adrenaline. My Friends was different. It made me pause. It made me think. About the friendships I’ve had. The ones I’ve lost. The grief I’ve carried. The small, quiet ways contentment can slip into your life without asking for attention. I didn’t know I needed that reminder until this book gave it to me.
The story follows Louisa, an almost-eighteen-year-old aspiring artist who becomes transfixed by a famous painting—not the sea it depicts, but the three tiny figures tucked into a forgotten corner of the frame. Most people don’t notice them, but she does. And she becomes determined to uncover their story. Her search takes her on a quiet, cross-country journey that mirrors her internal one: a search for meaning, for connection, for a way to make sense of her own sorrow.
Decades earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers with difficult home lives found refuge on an abandoned pier—telling jokes, sharing secrets, surviving in the only ways they knew how. That summer, and the love they found in each other, inspired the painting that now rests in Louisa’s hands. What begins as a mystery becomes something deeper: a meditation on growing up, on memory, on holding grief and joy at the same time.
Louisa is at the heart of it all. A young artist, on the brink of adulthood, aching with loneliness and wonder. Her grief is so raw it becomes a character in itself. I wanted to reach through the pages and hold her. She reminded me of parts of myself I’d forgotten—so full of longing and imagination, trying to make sense of a world that won’t stay still. Her quiet resilience, her banter with Ted, her need to listen deeply… she was luminous.
Ted- A gentle man weighed down by decades of loss, still managing to love with his whole heart. He collects words like heirlooms and slowly, painfully, learns to live beside his ghosts. Watching him connect with Louisa—two people from different generations, meeting in the liminal space where grief and love coexist—was something sacred. Their bond wasn’t traditional, and that’s exactly what made it so unforgettable.
The artist- His laughter. His sadness. His brilliance. He reminded me how some people can shine so brightly even if they’ve never been truly seen. The way his parents treated him was gutting. How does someone so full of life end up feeling like a burden? He was just a kid, sketching joy into a world that had no space for it. Like Louisa, his pain was hidden beneath a kind of wild liveliness—but it was there, pulsing beneath every brushstroke.
Joar shattered me. His sarcasm. His loyalty. His quiet, immovable love. He was the anchor for everyone else, holding things together even as he unraveled. He gave endlessly, never asking for anything in return. I don’t think I’ve ever read a character who so perfectly embodied the quiet heroism of someone who would die for his friends. And the way he loved his mother... it broke me.
Ali was fire. Stubborn, sharp, wild. She was the protector—the one who knew how to fight, how to run, how to make you laugh when everything else hurt. Her strength came from pain, her humour from survival. She taught her friends how to live like they meant it. But inside all that fire was a softness—a vulnerability she rarely let anyone see. She wasn’t just tough. She was profoundly, painfully human.
Together, these four—Ted, Joar, Ali and the artist—were everything. They were the kind of found family that makes you believe in the goodness of people, even when the world is unkind. Their bond was childhood at its most fragile and most powerful. They lived through things no child should have to endure—and still, they found ways to love, to laugh, to hold each other up. Their love wasn’t just beautiful. It was devastating. Because they deserved more. And they didn’t get it.
“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’s something quietly brutal about the way this book confronts what it means to grow up. How people drift. How the ones we once swore we’d never lose slowly fade into the background of our lives. And sometimes you don’t even realise it’s happening. One day you just… stop talking. And you don’t know why. And you don’t even have the energy to be sad about it. But then a book like this comes along and suddenly you do feel sad. Nostalgic. A little broken. A little grateful. My Friends gave language to a grief I didn’t know I was carrying. It made me mourn people I haven’t even lost yet.
But it’s not just a sad book. It’s not a wallow. It’s also hopeful—quietly, genuinely so. It reminded me that connection doesn’t vanish. It changes, it shifts, but it doesn’t disappear. That grief is just love without a place to go. And that art, whether it’s a painting, a story, or a shared memory—is a way to hold on. To say, you mattered to me.
“Because art is a fragile magic, just like love, and that’s humanity’s only defense against death. That we create and paint and dance and fall in love, that’s our rebellion against eternity.”
Fredrik Backman has this rare ability to write stories that feel like living things. Tender without being sentimental. Honest without being bleak. Before reading this book I had only read Beartown, and to be honest, I didn’t love it—not because it wasn’t brilliant, but because it met me at the wrong moment. I wasn’t ready for what it asked of me. But My Friends? This one met me exactly where I needed it to. It cracked me open. And then it stitched something back together.
I’m giving it 4.5 stars—not because it wasn’t worthy of five, but because it took me a while to find my way into it. The first half felt slow. But the second half made me ache in all the best ways. Maybe I’ll come back to this review and realise it was a five-star book all along.
This book made me miss people I haven’t lost yet. And the ones I’ve already let go. It made me want to hold my younger self. It made me want to reach out to old friends. And it reminded me that there’s beauty here, now, even if I can’t always see it.
Highly recommend!
May 13, 2025
this is super weird and sad because i adore frederik backman but i just did not like this book. it felt like it was trying so hard to be this profound thing and like sure some of it was but a lot of it just had me extremely cringed out. i will not be letting this change my opinion of his other books especially beartown but unfortunately this book was kind of worse than socks in a toaster.
September 21, 2025
4.5⭐️ such an incredible discussion of grief, self identity and friendship that it consistently took my breath away.
July 26, 2025
5 stars ⭐
⤷ spoiler-free review!! ౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
“Art is coincidence, love is chaos.”
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ my thoughts
this novel wrecked me in the best way possible.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman is a deeply moving story that captures the beauty of art, the quiet power of friendship, and the profound depths of love and grief.
Backman’s prose is achingly beautiful, and he has this remarkable ability to weave sorrow and humor into his writing effortlessly—one moment i was holding back tears, feeling the characters’ pain, and the next, i found myself laughing at something silly they said or did.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ characters
♡.ᐟ the artist
⤿ “He was good at seeing beauty in everything, that happens if you’re no good at seeing it in yourself.”
of all the characters, the artist resonated with me the most. i saw myself in him in a way that made my heart physically ache. his passion for art was more than just a talent—it was his way of making sense of a world that so often felt cruel. he was so misunderstood, and he deserved so much better. they all did.
♡.ᐟ joar
⤿ “I’m going to have a normal life. I’ll work in the harbor. Get up every morning and feel like shit, be angry all the fucking time. But every so often, on a fucking Sunday, I’ll go to some museum somewhere. And deep inside, there’ll be a painting by a world-famous artist, and it’ll be so beautiful that I can cope with being alive for one more week.”
joar was far too mature for his age. he carried so much anger, yet underneath it all was a boy who loved so fiercely. he was brave and selfless to his core—always putting others’ wellbeing before his own and fighting for those he loved.
♡.ᐟ ted
⤿ “The worst thing about Ted isn’t that he seems kind but might be mean, it’s that he might be kind for real.”
oh, my sweet ted. there was something so quietly aching about him. he didn’t speak much, but his silence spoke volumes. he was gentle and tender in a way that made you want to wrap him in warmth and keep him safe, and his longing was understated but deeply felt.
♡.ᐟ ali
⤿ “All of the best and worst ideas we ever had came from Ali.”
ali was fire. fearless, wild, and so incredibly strong. she wore her strength like an armor, not just for herself but for those she loved too. she was a protector and a fighter.
♡.ᐟ the artist, joar, ted, and ali
⤿ “I love you and I believe in you.”
their friendship was the heart of this story—so pure and wholesome. they were just four broken kids, each carrying burdens heavier than anyone their age should bear, who found each other in a world that hadn’t been kind to them. who found joy, solace, and love in one another. the way they understood each other without always needing words, never stopped showing up for each other, and always had each others backs made me so emotional. that kind of bond is rare, and their friendship was, simply put, everything. (just thinking about them as i write this review is making me tear up again 😭)
“Tomorrow.”
♡.ᐟ louisa
⤿ “Louisa is a teenager, the best kind of human.”
louisa was passionate, impulsive, and honestly so annoying, but i say that with love. she was so real—a grieving teenager trying to find her way in a world that no longer made sense. her grief was so raw and palpable, my heart ached for her.
♡.ᐟ ted and louisa
i truly appreciated their moments together. their banter offered moments of levity that made the heavier parts of the novel easier to bear. there was something quietly healing in the way they interacted—two people who didn’t always know what to say, but still managed to give each other exactly what they needed.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ overall
My Friends is a reminder of what it means to be truly seen, to be loved not in spite of your brokenness but because of it. these characters—their pain, their joy, their loyalty—will stay with me forever. i know i’ll carry them in my heart and think of them every time someone asks me what real friendship looks like.
no words can fully express how much this novel means to me or do it justice. all i can say is that this is another one of those novels you truly have to experience for yourself (please check the trigger warnings beforehand though. this novel tackles some heavy themes that may be difficult for some readers).
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ other quotes
“Surely taking life for granted is the whole point of being here, because what else are we doing? We’re a bunch of lonely apes on a rock in the universe, our breath consists of eighty percent nitrogen, twenty percent oxygen, and one hundred percent anxiety. The only thing we can take for granted is that everyone we have ever met and everyone we have ever known and everyone we have ever loved will die. So how great must our imaginations be for us to even summon up the enthusiasm to get out of bed each morning? Endless! Imagination is the only thing that stops us from thinking about death every second. And when we aren’t thinking? Oh, those are all our very best moments, when we’re wasting our lives. It’s an act of magnificent rebellion to do meaningless things, to waste time, to swim and drink soda and sleep late. To be silly and frivolous, to laugh at stupid little jokes and tell stupid little stories. Or to paint big paintings, the biggest you can manage, and to try to learn to whisper in color. To look for a way to show people: this was me, these were my humans, these were our farts. These were our bodies, and they were small, far too small, because they couldn’t contain all our love. That’s all of life. All we can hope for. You mustn’t think about the fact that it might end, because then you live like a coward, you never love too much or sing too loudly. You have to take it for granted, the artist thinks, the whole thing: sunrises and slow Sunday mornings and water balloons and another person’s breath against your neck. That’s the only courageous thing a person can do.”
"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 in dark alleys alike."
"He would often try to think that perhaps that has to be the case: that our teenage years have to simultaneously be the brightest light and the darkest depths, because that's how we learn to figure out our horizons."
"It's all too heavy, far too heavy for some of us, but we carry on anyway."
"He's thought so many times as an adult that it's a lie that people are scared of being alone, because what we fear is being abandoned. You can choose to be alone, but no one chooses to be left."
"It's hard to be everything."
"Ted explains that children know hardly anything about their parents, even if they live with them their whole lives. Because all we know about them is as moms and dads, nothing about who they were before that. We never saw them young, when they still fantasized about all the things that could happen, instead of regretting all the things that never did."
"The biggest threat to men's health, statistically, is heart disease," Ted says thoughtfully at the kitchen table. "Do you know what the biggest threat to women's health is?"
"Men," Louisa says, because all women know that.
"Is it horrible being an adult?"
"Unbearable. You fail with almost everything, all the time."
────────── ⋆⋅end⋅⋆ ──────────
pre-read 🫂
i feel like this book is exactly what i need right now
⤷ spoiler-free review!! ౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
“Art is coincidence, love is chaos.”
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ my thoughts
this novel wrecked me in the best way possible.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman is a deeply moving story that captures the beauty of art, the quiet power of friendship, and the profound depths of love and grief.
Backman’s prose is achingly beautiful, and he has this remarkable ability to weave sorrow and humor into his writing effortlessly—one moment i was holding back tears, feeling the characters’ pain, and the next, i found myself laughing at something silly they said or did.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ characters
♡.ᐟ the artist
⤿ “He was good at seeing beauty in everything, that happens if you’re no good at seeing it in yourself.”
of all the characters, the artist resonated with me the most. i saw myself in him in a way that made my heart physically ache. his passion for art was more than just a talent—it was his way of making sense of a world that so often felt cruel. he was so misunderstood, and he deserved so much better. they all did.
♡.ᐟ joar
⤿ “I’m going to have a normal life. I’ll work in the harbor. Get up every morning and feel like shit, be angry all the fucking time. But every so often, on a fucking Sunday, I’ll go to some museum somewhere. And deep inside, there’ll be a painting by a world-famous artist, and it’ll be so beautiful that I can cope with being alive for one more week.”
joar was far too mature for his age. he carried so much anger, yet underneath it all was a boy who loved so fiercely. he was brave and selfless to his core—always putting others’ wellbeing before his own and fighting for those he loved.
♡.ᐟ ted
⤿ “The worst thing about Ted isn’t that he seems kind but might be mean, it’s that he might be kind for real.”
oh, my sweet ted. there was something so quietly aching about him. he didn’t speak much, but his silence spoke volumes. he was gentle and tender in a way that made you want to wrap him in warmth and keep him safe, and his longing was understated but deeply felt.
♡.ᐟ ali
⤿ “All of the best and worst ideas we ever had came from Ali.”
ali was fire. fearless, wild, and so incredibly strong. she wore her strength like an armor, not just for herself but for those she loved too. she was a protector and a fighter.
♡.ᐟ the artist, joar, ted, and ali
⤿ “I love you and I believe in you.”
their friendship was the heart of this story—so pure and wholesome. they were just four broken kids, each carrying burdens heavier than anyone their age should bear, who found each other in a world that hadn’t been kind to them. who found joy, solace, and love in one another. the way they understood each other without always needing words, never stopped showing up for each other, and always had each others backs made me so emotional. that kind of bond is rare, and their friendship was, simply put, everything. (just thinking about them as i write this review is making me tear up again 😭)
“Tomorrow.”
♡.ᐟ louisa
⤿ “Louisa is a teenager, the best kind of human.”
louisa was passionate, impulsive, and honestly so annoying, but i say that with love. she was so real—a grieving teenager trying to find her way in a world that no longer made sense. her grief was so raw and palpable, my heart ached for her.
♡.ᐟ ted and louisa
i truly appreciated their moments together. their banter offered moments of levity that made the heavier parts of the novel easier to bear. there was something quietly healing in the way they interacted—two people who didn’t always know what to say, but still managed to give each other exactly what they needed.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ overall
My Friends is a reminder of what it means to be truly seen, to be loved not in spite of your brokenness but because of it. these characters—their pain, their joy, their loyalty—will stay with me forever. i know i’ll carry them in my heart and think of them every time someone asks me what real friendship looks like.
no words can fully express how much this novel means to me or do it justice. all i can say is that this is another one of those novels you truly have to experience for yourself (please check the trigger warnings beforehand though. this novel tackles some heavy themes that may be difficult for some readers).
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ other quotes
“Surely taking life for granted is the whole point of being here, because what else are we doing? We’re a bunch of lonely apes on a rock in the universe, our breath consists of eighty percent nitrogen, twenty percent oxygen, and one hundred percent anxiety. The only thing we can take for granted is that everyone we have ever met and everyone we have ever known and everyone we have ever loved will die. So how great must our imaginations be for us to even summon up the enthusiasm to get out of bed each morning? Endless! Imagination is the only thing that stops us from thinking about death every second. And when we aren’t thinking? Oh, those are all our very best moments, when we’re wasting our lives. It’s an act of magnificent rebellion to do meaningless things, to waste time, to swim and drink soda and sleep late. To be silly and frivolous, to laugh at stupid little jokes and tell stupid little stories. Or to paint big paintings, the biggest you can manage, and to try to learn to whisper in color. To look for a way to show people: this was me, these were my humans, these were our farts. These were our bodies, and they were small, far too small, because they couldn’t contain all our love. That’s all of life. All we can hope for. You mustn’t think about the fact that it might end, because then you live like a coward, you never love too much or sing too loudly. You have to take it for granted, the artist thinks, the whole thing: sunrises and slow Sunday mornings and water balloons and another person’s breath against your neck. That’s the only courageous thing a person can do.”
"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 in dark alleys alike."
"He would often try to think that perhaps that has to be the case: that our teenage years have to simultaneously be the brightest light and the darkest depths, because that's how we learn to figure out our horizons."
"It's all too heavy, far too heavy for some of us, but we carry on anyway."
"He's thought so many times as an adult that it's a lie that people are scared of being alone, because what we fear is being abandoned. You can choose to be alone, but no one chooses to be left."
"It's hard to be everything."
"Ted explains that children know hardly anything about their parents, even if they live with them their whole lives. Because all we know about them is as moms and dads, nothing about who they were before that. We never saw them young, when they still fantasized about all the things that could happen, instead of regretting all the things that never did."
"The biggest threat to men's health, statistically, is heart disease," Ted says thoughtfully at the kitchen table. "Do you know what the biggest threat to women's health is?"
"Men," Louisa says, because all women know that.
"Is it horrible being an adult?"
"Unbearable. You fail with almost everything, all the time."
────────── ⋆⋅end⋅⋆ ──────────
pre-read 🫂
i feel like this book is exactly what i need right now
May 14, 2025
❤️🩹” I love you. I trust you..”
Oh how I love this book..
I’ve read almost every book by fredrik And I’ve fallen in love with all of them. There’s just something about his writing that makes u feel all warm from the inside once u start reading.The amount of emotions i felt while reading this book ( i still feel right now ) is criminal! My chest aches with invisible pain even tho it was happy ending but i just can’t get over this story and I literally can’t stop crying 😭 Fredrik doesn’t only like write the words so u can just read no he writes the words so u can feel them!! I felt like someone with holding my heart and squeezing it all the time! I was hurting every-time they were hurting! Just tell me how someone can write the most beautiful story about friendship that i’ve ever read but still make it this damn painful!! Ugh I’m crying again bye!!
❤️🩹” It’s a funny thing. The person we fall in love with, we hardly ever call by their name, because it’s somehow just so obvious that it’s you I’m talking to, that it’s you I’m always thinking of. Who else?”
This story effected me a-lot! Every character in this book touched me deeply even the ones who showed up only in one chapter and left! I felt so envious of ali,the artist,Joar,ted friendship and love for each-other! You don’t understand how strong it was! The things we do for our friends! These 4 teenagers were so selfless in a town everyone around them was so selfish! I saw myself and my friends in them sometimes! I cried when they cried. I laughed when they laughed. The plot kept surprising me like because every time i thought this book was gonna go in a certain way Fredrik proved me wrong and went with the plot in the other way. I love the way he tells his story and make u think that u know how the end is gonna be only to surprise you in the end.
characters
❤️🩹”life is long, his friend had said in a hospital, but he didn’t mention the fact that almost every moment hurts when you have to live it alone”
lousia🤍: oh my… she got my crying from the second chapter! Reading about her pain hurts so bad and it keeps hurting because u keep discovering new stuff that happened to her you keep discovering new trauma! I just wanted to hold her and hug and tell her I’m sorry because everything she lived felt so real and it hurts so bad!! I was so proud of her at the end. And i loved every second of her banter with ted and how the bounded over their trauma! It was so heartwarming to see them both change and open up from each-other!
❤️🩹” don’t cry for me,Ted. I got to experience everything. It’s been a long,long life, and at the end of it got to see something unbelievably beautiful”
“That girl’s paintings?”
“No. You. I got to see you”
Ted🥹 : if there was more people like ted in the world the world would’ve have been a-lot safer and more more beautiful!! Because ted loved so much! He loved more than anyone could every love. He cared so much too!! The love i have for him is so much it’s bigger than my heart!! The world had been so unfair to him snd his family too. I was so proud of him at the end and of what he become I’m sure the artist is proud of him too 😭🫂
❤️🩹”the only story Joar would ever have wanted to hear was of course the one about the artist and the painting about a happy life and dreams coming true, because the only dreams Joar had were for someone else.”
Joar🫂: * deep breath* it’s so hard to talk about him without crying not because anything happened but just because that was his effect on me!! Joar touched me so deeply with his unmatched and unlimited selflessness and love for his friends and his mom! Everyone who has a Joar in their lives is so damn lucky!! The things he did for his friends without brought tears to my eyes because he is just so beautiful 🥹 u rarely find this type of people in your life! Joan thought of everyone he loved as his
Responsibility!! He put them all first and himself last!! He is the literal definition of “ he would die for his friends”!! I’d die for him no question. My love for him is bigger than the whole galaxy! I will never ever forget him ( them)🤍
❤️🩹”children aren’t responsible for their parents happiness, but they still try”
ali💔 oh ali 😭 she also touched me so deeply and i admired how strong she was and how she loved her friends! How crazy she was. She deserves the world. All of them actually deserve the world. I love them so much and i will never ever forget them! They impacted my life a-lot with their stories🤍
❤️🩹” in a world full of sledgehammer, his art was a declaration of war”
the artist 🫂🤍 the most precious person ever! How can someone be so vulnerable and forgiving. And how the world can be so cruel to people like him! I was hurting literally sobbing if the unfairness of the whole thing! Of how the the town and school and even his parents played apart in breaking him!! I love his relationship with Joar and everyone how they all cared for him and agreed on one thing that they protect him!! I can’t even describe what I’m feeling for him because I’m feeling to much right now ! It’s been hours since I finished and everything is still row and intense inside! But i love him so much!🤍
Over all i can never ever do this book justice with my words you need to read it maybe then you’d understand what i really feel! It’s my favorite book by Fredrik so far and one of the best books i read this year 🤍
more quotes❣️
❤️🩹“ disappointing is a powerful thing. Used correctly, it is stronger than fear, more terrible than physical pain, if you see it in the eyes of the one you love, you’ll do almost anything to make it stop.”
❤️🩹“ it’s an act of violence when an adult yells at a child, all adults know that deep down because all adults were once little. Yet we still do it. Time after time, we fail at being human beings”
❤️🩹“If anyone sees the painting, I don’t want them to know who I am. I only want to be who i really am.. with you.”
❤️🩹“Stories are complicate, memories are merciless, our brain only store a few moments from the best days of our lives, but we remember every second of the worst”
❤️🩹“ but there is no harder person on the planet than a romantic with a broken heart”
❤️🩹“Sometimes you don’t appreciate you own blessings until you see the envy in someone else eyes.”
Oh how I love this book..
I’ve read almost every book by fredrik And I’ve fallen in love with all of them. There’s just something about his writing that makes u feel all warm from the inside once u start reading.The amount of emotions i felt while reading this book ( i still feel right now ) is criminal! My chest aches with invisible pain even tho it was happy ending but i just can’t get over this story and I literally can’t stop crying 😭 Fredrik doesn’t only like write the words so u can just read no he writes the words so u can feel them!! I felt like someone with holding my heart and squeezing it all the time! I was hurting every-time they were hurting! Just tell me how someone can write the most beautiful story about friendship that i’ve ever read but still make it this damn painful!! Ugh I’m crying again bye!!
❤️🩹” It’s a funny thing. The person we fall in love with, we hardly ever call by their name, because it’s somehow just so obvious that it’s you I’m talking to, that it’s you I’m always thinking of. Who else?”
This story effected me a-lot! Every character in this book touched me deeply even the ones who showed up only in one chapter and left! I felt so envious of ali,the artist,Joar,ted friendship and love for each-other! You don’t understand how strong it was! The things we do for our friends! These 4 teenagers were so selfless in a town everyone around them was so selfish! I saw myself and my friends in them sometimes! I cried when they cried. I laughed when they laughed. The plot kept surprising me like because every time i thought this book was gonna go in a certain way Fredrik proved me wrong and went with the plot in the other way. I love the way he tells his story and make u think that u know how the end is gonna be only to surprise you in the end.
characters
❤️🩹”life is long, his friend had said in a hospital, but he didn’t mention the fact that almost every moment hurts when you have to live it alone”
lousia🤍: oh my… she got my crying from the second chapter! Reading about her pain hurts so bad and it keeps hurting because u keep discovering new stuff that happened to her you keep discovering new trauma! I just wanted to hold her and hug and tell her I’m sorry because everything she lived felt so real and it hurts so bad!! I was so proud of her at the end. And i loved every second of her banter with ted and how the bounded over their trauma! It was so heartwarming to see them both change and open up from each-other!
❤️🩹” don’t cry for me,Ted. I got to experience everything. It’s been a long,long life, and at the end of it got to see something unbelievably beautiful”
“That girl’s paintings?”
“No. You. I got to see you”
Ted🥹 : if there was more people like ted in the world the world would’ve have been a-lot safer and more more beautiful!! Because ted loved so much! He loved more than anyone could every love. He cared so much too!! The love i have for him is so much it’s bigger than my heart!! The world had been so unfair to him snd his family too. I was so proud of him at the end and of what he become I’m sure the artist is proud of him too 😭🫂
❤️🩹”the only story Joar would ever have wanted to hear was of course the one about the artist and the painting about a happy life and dreams coming true, because the only dreams Joar had were for someone else.”
Joar🫂: * deep breath* it’s so hard to talk about him without crying not because anything happened but just because that was his effect on me!! Joar touched me so deeply with his unmatched and unlimited selflessness and love for his friends and his mom! Everyone who has a Joar in their lives is so damn lucky!! The things he did for his friends without brought tears to my eyes because he is just so beautiful 🥹 u rarely find this type of people in your life! Joan thought of everyone he loved as his
Responsibility!! He put them all first and himself last!! He is the literal definition of “ he would die for his friends”!! I’d die for him no question. My love for him is bigger than the whole galaxy! I will never ever forget him ( them)🤍
❤️🩹”children aren’t responsible for their parents happiness, but they still try”
ali💔 oh ali 😭 she also touched me so deeply and i admired how strong she was and how she loved her friends! How crazy she was. She deserves the world. All of them actually deserve the world. I love them so much and i will never ever forget them! They impacted my life a-lot with their stories🤍
❤️🩹” in a world full of sledgehammer, his art was a declaration of war”
the artist 🫂🤍 the most precious person ever! How can someone be so vulnerable and forgiving. And how the world can be so cruel to people like him! I was hurting literally sobbing if the unfairness of the whole thing! Of how the the town and school and even his parents played apart in breaking him!! I love his relationship with Joar and everyone how they all cared for him and agreed on one thing that they protect him!! I can’t even describe what I’m feeling for him because I’m feeling to much right now ! It’s been hours since I finished and everything is still row and intense inside! But i love him so much!🤍
Over all i can never ever do this book justice with my words you need to read it maybe then you’d understand what i really feel! It’s my favorite book by Fredrik so far and one of the best books i read this year 🤍
more quotes❣️
❤️🩹“ disappointing is a powerful thing. Used correctly, it is stronger than fear, more terrible than physical pain, if you see it in the eyes of the one you love, you’ll do almost anything to make it stop.”
❤️🩹“ it’s an act of violence when an adult yells at a child, all adults know that deep down because all adults were once little. Yet we still do it. Time after time, we fail at being human beings”
❤️🩹“If anyone sees the painting, I don’t want them to know who I am. I only want to be who i really am.. with you.”
❤️🩹“Stories are complicate, memories are merciless, our brain only store a few moments from the best days of our lives, but we remember every second of the worst”
❤️🩹“ but there is no harder person on the planet than a romantic with a broken heart”
❤️🩹“Sometimes you don’t appreciate you own blessings until you see the envy in someone else eyes.”
September 3, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(⭐️)
It's difficult to write a review for a book when even thinking about it reduces you to tears, but I'll attempt it anyway.
This was AMAZING. Fredrik Backman has such a way with words: description, storytelling, his ability to perfectly examine, pick apart and display characters... that makes me so thankful to be a reader. My Friends is a story of loss, infatuation, friendship, childhood and on moving on. It carries flaws (characters, never in writing), that make you feel as if the characters are standing right in front of you, and my gosh are they real in my brain. The plot, as heartbreaking as it was heartwarming, examines what it means to live on the fringes of society and find the joy in what is left. This book is human at its core.
I'll recommend this forever!
It's difficult to write a review for a book when even thinking about it reduces you to tears, but I'll attempt it anyway.
This was AMAZING. Fredrik Backman has such a way with words: description, storytelling, his ability to perfectly examine, pick apart and display characters... that makes me so thankful to be a reader. My Friends is a story of loss, infatuation, friendship, childhood and on moving on. It carries flaws (characters, never in writing), that make you feel as if the characters are standing right in front of you, and my gosh are they real in my brain. The plot, as heartbreaking as it was heartwarming, examines what it means to live on the fringes of society and find the joy in what is left. This book is human at its core.
I'll recommend this forever!
June 5, 2025
A painting and friendship; Or a painting of friendship.
This magnificent story is told by only one of them to a new one. Through the eyes of an adult reflecting back on a summer that was both the best and the worst.
What brought these 4 teens together were the very things that kept them from wanting to be at home. Broken children just trying to survive; just wanting to be loved and accepted. They became their own family; their own humans.
Backman’s characters are our friends; our family; our neighbours. They are authentic in their flaws- compassionate in their friendship. His humour resonates throughout what is also heavy and dark with themes of loss, grief, violence and identity. But there are also glorious moments of joy - as beautiful as wings.
They say a picture is worth 1000 words. Sometimes it’s worth a lifetime. Sometimes that lifetime, is a summer.
Cheers to C.Jat
And to Backman: this is the chef’s kiss 💋
5⭐️
A superb Buddy read w Tracy 📚👯
This magnificent story is told by only one of them to a new one. Through the eyes of an adult reflecting back on a summer that was both the best and the worst.
What brought these 4 teens together were the very things that kept them from wanting to be at home. Broken children just trying to survive; just wanting to be loved and accepted. They became their own family; their own humans.
Backman’s characters are our friends; our family; our neighbours. They are authentic in their flaws- compassionate in their friendship. His humour resonates throughout what is also heavy and dark with themes of loss, grief, violence and identity. But there are also glorious moments of joy - as beautiful as wings.
They say a picture is worth 1000 words. Sometimes it’s worth a lifetime. Sometimes that lifetime, is a summer.
Cheers to C.Jat
And to Backman: this is the chef’s kiss 💋
5⭐️
A superb Buddy read w Tracy 📚👯
July 6, 2025
(1.5 stars) In this book, a girl named Louisa runs into her idol, the world famous artist who created her favorite painting. The artist dies and sends his lifelong friend Ted to give the painting to Louisa. For the rest of the book, Ted explains to Louisa the story of his teenage years, his friends, and how the painting came to be.
I started hating this book about a third of the way into it, and then hated it more and more until it was over. At the beginning, it felt like the story might actually go somewhere, but then Louisa and Ted get on a train and it’s like the story stops. The next 300-ish pages is just Ted recalling memories over and over. He thinks about the same memories like three different times, and then he realizes he never told Louisa about them so he tells them AGAIN to her. This book is 70% boring repetitive flashbacks and 30% an insufferable teenager and middle aged man trying to speak philosophically with each other. Nothing even happens in this book. Once I decided to skip a chapter to see if I would actually miss out on anything and I didn’t.
The characters were horrible. It says Louisa is freshly 18 but I think she’s either 11 years old or autistic, because no 18 year old acts the way she does. Ted is 39 but acts like he’s 87 (if your bladder is THAT worn out at 39 years old, go to the doctor). Everyone in his friend group from the flashbacks has exactly one superficial personality trait: Joar can’t have a single interaction with fighting someone. The artist (he doesn’t even get a name until the end) does art to cope with his severe incurable depression. Ali is crazy, and Ted is scared of everything.
The book was also incredibly cheesy and just weird. I feel like the author was trying so hard to be deep and profound and sentimental but he failed epically. I read a review that described this book as “over saturated” and I think that is very accurate.
I also believe someone should take away this man’s figurative language privileges… here is some evidence as to why:
- “his voice nervous now, like when you see a monkey carrying a bomb”
- “While putting her foot down on the accelerator as if it were trying to steal her breakfast”
- “An anxious and overwhelmed man with skin as soft as room-temperature cheese”
- “It looked like a teddy bear made of flesh”
- “Joar just stared at it as if it were unicorn poop”
Also, every character in this book laughed too damn much (why does everyone laugh so hard that they practically cause a natural disaster every time someone makes a joke?). They farted way too much too, what was up with that??
It was bad enough having to hear this author narrate the entire story, but when the characters spoke, they all spoke in the author’s voice too. NO ONE ACTUALLY TALKS LIKE THAT. I think Fredrik Backman needs to invest in a diary, where he can write all the ridiculous metaphors and weird “inspirational” one-liners he wants without trying to cram them all into some shitty novel.
I have an issue with books that seem to be written with the idea that the more trauma and depression you can stuff into each character, the better the book will be (*cough cough* A Little Life *cough cough*) and this seems like one of those books.
I was going to give this book 2 stars but after writing this review, it seems like 2 stars would be a little too generous.
I started hating this book about a third of the way into it, and then hated it more and more until it was over. At the beginning, it felt like the story might actually go somewhere, but then Louisa and Ted get on a train and it’s like the story stops. The next 300-ish pages is just Ted recalling memories over and over. He thinks about the same memories like three different times, and then he realizes he never told Louisa about them so he tells them AGAIN to her. This book is 70% boring repetitive flashbacks and 30% an insufferable teenager and middle aged man trying to speak philosophically with each other. Nothing even happens in this book. Once I decided to skip a chapter to see if I would actually miss out on anything and I didn’t.
The characters were horrible. It says Louisa is freshly 18 but I think she’s either 11 years old or autistic, because no 18 year old acts the way she does. Ted is 39 but acts like he’s 87 (if your bladder is THAT worn out at 39 years old, go to the doctor). Everyone in his friend group from the flashbacks has exactly one superficial personality trait: Joar can’t have a single interaction with fighting someone. The artist (he doesn’t even get a name until the end) does art to cope with his severe incurable depression. Ali is crazy, and Ted is scared of everything.
The book was also incredibly cheesy and just weird. I feel like the author was trying so hard to be deep and profound and sentimental but he failed epically. I read a review that described this book as “over saturated” and I think that is very accurate.
I also believe someone should take away this man’s figurative language privileges… here is some evidence as to why:
- “his voice nervous now, like when you see a monkey carrying a bomb”
- “While putting her foot down on the accelerator as if it were trying to steal her breakfast”
- “An anxious and overwhelmed man with skin as soft as room-temperature cheese”
- “It looked like a teddy bear made of flesh”
- “Joar just stared at it as if it were unicorn poop”
Also, every character in this book laughed too damn much (why does everyone laugh so hard that they practically cause a natural disaster every time someone makes a joke?). They farted way too much too, what was up with that??
It was bad enough having to hear this author narrate the entire story, but when the characters spoke, they all spoke in the author’s voice too. NO ONE ACTUALLY TALKS LIKE THAT. I think Fredrik Backman needs to invest in a diary, where he can write all the ridiculous metaphors and weird “inspirational” one-liners he wants without trying to cram them all into some shitty novel.
I have an issue with books that seem to be written with the idea that the more trauma and depression you can stuff into each character, the better the book will be (*cough cough* A Little Life *cough cough*) and this seems like one of those books.
I was going to give this book 2 stars but after writing this review, it seems like 2 stars would be a little too generous.
October 10, 2025
Fredrik Backman is 1 of the few writers I truly admire. His novels feel like mirrors that reflect the softest, most fragile, and most honest parts of myself. His magic isn’t in big, dramatic plots- it’s in how he turns the quiet, everyday moments into poetry, how he wraps silent pain in something gentle, something warm.
His characters are never perfect - they’re lonely, angry, confused. But they’re kind, resilient, and deeply lovable. He makes me believe that even the most overlooked person has their own heroic journey. His humor isn’t there to mock - it’s there to heal. He writes heavy stories with a light touch, and somehow, I always end up laughing through tears and crying through smiles.
And his words - feel like a whisper from a good friend: “You’re not alone.”
If you loved Beartown or A Man Called Ove, you’ll see a deeper, more layered Backman in this novel.
If Ove made me want to be a good, ordinary person, Anxious People and Beartown made me want to be a better friend, a better sibling, a better human. My Friends made me want to stay in this world, and make it better, make “me” better.
I really can’t explain the way the coincidences in the book hit me. Because in Backman’s world, nothing is random. Everything “should” happen. He’s writing his life, his version of how the world “could” be. And maybe that’s why this novel feels like his last book, because he wrote “himself” into it. And you only get 1 life - once it’s written, it’s done.
The story folds in on itself, like circles within circles. A quiet, ordinary life, layered and unregretful, leaving its mark. Backman isn’t just the storyteller - he’s the main character. He tells “their" stories, but in this one, his friends are the heroes. Their small shoulders carry enormous weight. But he’s still the heart of it all - the hero in his own story, and in theirs. And now, they can walk their paths without him. That’s why this book makes sense. Or maybe that’s why he wrote it.
This novel is about friendship, art, growing up, and the things we don’t talk about enough. It talks about domestic violence - not just the victims, but the deafening silence and guilt just beyond the wall. It talks about friendship - not just in words or gestures, but in the kind of people who stay, who walk beside you no matter what. Because walking together is what makes it feel like "coming home". It talks about art. not just the moment you grow wings, but the cosmic alignment of everything that leads to it. The kind of beauty you hold onto when you’re staring down death.
There were so many moments I loved. When Christian’s mom and the priest quietly divided flowers at dusk for the artist’s grave - that’s when Backman’s worldview became real to me. When Louisa offered to make a plaque for Joar, and his only request was: she couldn’t stay. That’s when the character stood up and became someone. When I finally understood the layers of legacy - whether it’s “one of us,” a book, or a sadness passed down - each one keeps moving, keeps changing hands.
Toward the end, I didn’t want to finish. It was too much. Too beautiful. Too overwhelming. I might forgot half of the details now - probably escaped with every sarcastic line Ali threw out. But I remember the feeling. Every sentence hit me right in the soul. Every word - I couldn’t skip it. I kept rereading, whispering them to myself like a prayer. And I couldn’t tell - was I looking at the stars, or were they looking back at me?
After all these years reading Backman, I think I finally get him. At first, I didn’t understand why he quoted so many famous lines in this novel. But now I do - because every book is a life. Every character was once someone’s kid, someone’s hero. Each 1 carries dream, starlight, summer, ocean waves, and the scent of cigarettes.
Backman said this might be his last published novel. Not because he’s done writing, but because he’s stepping away from publishing. So this book feels heavier. More raw. It’s about the cracks in friendship, the cost of growing up, the ache of goodbye. It reads like a letter. to his kids, his friends, and maybe to himself.
A letter about love, loss, and holding on.
But to me, it’s not an ending. It’s a deep breath. A gentle pause.
And if My Friends really is his farewell, then it’s the softest kind of goodbye - full of tears, gratitude, and the words he didn’t say out loud:
“Thank you for walking this path with me.”
5 / 5 stars
His characters are never perfect - they’re lonely, angry, confused. But they’re kind, resilient, and deeply lovable. He makes me believe that even the most overlooked person has their own heroic journey. His humor isn’t there to mock - it’s there to heal. He writes heavy stories with a light touch, and somehow, I always end up laughing through tears and crying through smiles.
And his words - feel like a whisper from a good friend: “You’re not alone.”
If you loved Beartown or A Man Called Ove, you’ll see a deeper, more layered Backman in this novel.
If Ove made me want to be a good, ordinary person, Anxious People and Beartown made me want to be a better friend, a better sibling, a better human. My Friends made me want to stay in this world, and make it better, make “me” better.
I really can’t explain the way the coincidences in the book hit me. Because in Backman’s world, nothing is random. Everything “should” happen. He’s writing his life, his version of how the world “could” be. And maybe that’s why this novel feels like his last book, because he wrote “himself” into it. And you only get 1 life - once it’s written, it’s done.
The story folds in on itself, like circles within circles. A quiet, ordinary life, layered and unregretful, leaving its mark. Backman isn’t just the storyteller - he’s the main character. He tells “their" stories, but in this one, his friends are the heroes. Their small shoulders carry enormous weight. But he’s still the heart of it all - the hero in his own story, and in theirs. And now, they can walk their paths without him. That’s why this book makes sense. Or maybe that’s why he wrote it.
This novel is about friendship, art, growing up, and the things we don’t talk about enough. It talks about domestic violence - not just the victims, but the deafening silence and guilt just beyond the wall. It talks about friendship - not just in words or gestures, but in the kind of people who stay, who walk beside you no matter what. Because walking together is what makes it feel like "coming home". It talks about art. not just the moment you grow wings, but the cosmic alignment of everything that leads to it. The kind of beauty you hold onto when you’re staring down death.
There were so many moments I loved. When Christian’s mom and the priest quietly divided flowers at dusk for the artist’s grave - that’s when Backman’s worldview became real to me. When Louisa offered to make a plaque for Joar, and his only request was: she couldn’t stay. That’s when the character stood up and became someone. When I finally understood the layers of legacy - whether it’s “one of us,” a book, or a sadness passed down - each one keeps moving, keeps changing hands.
Toward the end, I didn’t want to finish. It was too much. Too beautiful. Too overwhelming. I might forgot half of the details now - probably escaped with every sarcastic line Ali threw out. But I remember the feeling. Every sentence hit me right in the soul. Every word - I couldn’t skip it. I kept rereading, whispering them to myself like a prayer. And I couldn’t tell - was I looking at the stars, or were they looking back at me?
After all these years reading Backman, I think I finally get him. At first, I didn’t understand why he quoted so many famous lines in this novel. But now I do - because every book is a life. Every character was once someone’s kid, someone’s hero. Each 1 carries dream, starlight, summer, ocean waves, and the scent of cigarettes.
Backman said this might be his last published novel. Not because he’s done writing, but because he’s stepping away from publishing. So this book feels heavier. More raw. It’s about the cracks in friendship, the cost of growing up, the ache of goodbye. It reads like a letter. to his kids, his friends, and maybe to himself.
A letter about love, loss, and holding on.
But to me, it’s not an ending. It’s a deep breath. A gentle pause.
And if My Friends really is his farewell, then it’s the softest kind of goodbye - full of tears, gratitude, and the words he didn’t say out loud:
“Thank you for walking this path with me.”
5 / 5 stars
Want to read
March 18, 2025will come back to this when i can give it the attention it deserves 😔
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yeah life sucks sometimes but i’m just feeling so incredibly blessed to read a new book from my fav author when i need it the most 🥹🤍
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yeah life sucks sometimes but i’m just feeling so incredibly blessed to read a new book from my fav author when i need it the most 🥹🤍
March 22, 2025
Fredrik Backman has such a unique writing style, with an ability to tap into the human existence with just the right phrase or two. I can always count on many laughs and quite a few tears whenever I read one of his books. When I read his books I know I’m going to be highlighting multiple sections. This was no exception.
This one does get off to a slower start than some of his other books. Louisa is an 18 year old who has just lost her best friend. Having just reached the age when she’s passed out of the foster care system, she literally has no one she can turn to or rely on. One night she meets a well known artist and in a fluke, he ends up bequeathing her his most famous painting, created twenty five years earlier. He created the painting when he was 15 and it covers his best friends from that time, one of whom has seen him through his final illness. Louisa and that friend, Ted, will embark on a cross country trip returning to the town where it all began.
The book is deeply philosophical and thought provoking. It covers creating art, grief, love, obviously friendship, but mostly the willingness to live life to the fullest. This work shows us the best and worst of humans. Backman’s writing is so realistic it made me want to hug some characters and throttle others.
I’m often not a fan of dual timelines, but here, the method worked perfectly. And that was down to caring just as much for Louisa as the earlier friends. Not to mention, getting to see how Ted had turned out. The ending was perfect and wasn’t at all what I was expecting.
I highly recommend this as a perfect choice for book clubs.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.
This one does get off to a slower start than some of his other books. Louisa is an 18 year old who has just lost her best friend. Having just reached the age when she’s passed out of the foster care system, she literally has no one she can turn to or rely on. One night she meets a well known artist and in a fluke, he ends up bequeathing her his most famous painting, created twenty five years earlier. He created the painting when he was 15 and it covers his best friends from that time, one of whom has seen him through his final illness. Louisa and that friend, Ted, will embark on a cross country trip returning to the town where it all began.
The book is deeply philosophical and thought provoking. It covers creating art, grief, love, obviously friendship, but mostly the willingness to live life to the fullest. This work shows us the best and worst of humans. Backman’s writing is so realistic it made me want to hug some characters and throttle others.
I’m often not a fan of dual timelines, but here, the method worked perfectly. And that was down to caring just as much for Louisa as the earlier friends. Not to mention, getting to see how Ted had turned out. The ending was perfect and wasn’t at all what I was expecting.
I highly recommend this as a perfect choice for book clubs.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.
March 24, 2025
Absolutely brilliant and beautiful. My friends, I encourage you all to grab a copy of My Friends and enjoy it in your favorite reading spot! I loved, loved, loved this book. All the stars and then some! I love books about found family, underdogs, and flawed individuals. I also love with books with beautiful writing and Fredrik Backman out did himself with My Friends! Every single page of this book was a gift. This book evoked emotion, had me rooting for the characters, feeling their pain and their joy. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and there is so much beauty in this book. Beauty in the friendships, beauty in the artwork, beauty in found family, and beauty in the kindness of strangers. There is also love. Love for friends, love for those who are not related to us but become our family, love for family (even if they are horrible) and love of art.
It is a piece of art but it also so much more. It is the embodiment of a bond, it was their life, it was their friendship, it was a found family, it was a summer day, and it was everything to the group of teens who were painted by their friend, the artist. Louisa, a young artist herself, sees what the artists intended while looking at the artwork at a museum while others only see the Sea.
A chance meeting with the artist in an alley will change Louisa's life. He sees in her what she can't see herself. He sees her beauty, her perceptive eye, her loss, her grief, and her love of art. He bequeaths her the painting and unknowing/knowingly gives her so much more. Ted, the artists childhood friend and one of the teens in the painting, gives Louisa the painting and along their journey together shares with her the story behind the artwork.
What a joy this was to read. It is brilliant, and beautifully written. I found myself highlighting section after section. My Friends is now my favorite book by Backman. This book gives all the feels while also giving some humor, some smiles, some tears, and some hope. I loved his flawed characters and how they came together and became each other's family. The friendships of our youth are special and life altering, and Fredrik Backman captured that beautifully. Plus, the ending - priceless.
Told in two timelines, My Friends is a masterpiece itself. Beautifully written, evoking emotion well thought out, and moving. Highly Recommend.
*A Wonderful Witches words buddy read with Brenda, Norma, and Dorie! Please read their reviews as well to see what they thought of My Friends!
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
It is a piece of art but it also so much more. It is the embodiment of a bond, it was their life, it was their friendship, it was a found family, it was a summer day, and it was everything to the group of teens who were painted by their friend, the artist. Louisa, a young artist herself, sees what the artists intended while looking at the artwork at a museum while others only see the Sea.
A chance meeting with the artist in an alley will change Louisa's life. He sees in her what she can't see herself. He sees her beauty, her perceptive eye, her loss, her grief, and her love of art. He bequeaths her the painting and unknowing/knowingly gives her so much more. Ted, the artists childhood friend and one of the teens in the painting, gives Louisa the painting and along their journey together shares with her the story behind the artwork.
What a joy this was to read. It is brilliant, and beautifully written. I found myself highlighting section after section. My Friends is now my favorite book by Backman. This book gives all the feels while also giving some humor, some smiles, some tears, and some hope. I loved his flawed characters and how they came together and became each other's family. The friendships of our youth are special and life altering, and Fredrik Backman captured that beautifully. Plus, the ending - priceless.
Told in two timelines, My Friends is a masterpiece itself. Beautifully written, evoking emotion well thought out, and moving. Highly Recommend.
*A Wonderful Witches words buddy read with Brenda, Norma, and Dorie! Please read their reviews as well to see what they thought of My Friends!
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
June 15, 2025
the amount of times i cried?!?!
i don’t even need to write a detailed, long review. this book speaks for itself.
i present to you — a masterpiece. 🩵 6 stars.
◤──•~❉᯽❉~•──◥
book club read!
read with us here ♡
◣──•~❉᯽❉~•──◢
i don’t even need to write a detailed, long review. this book speaks for itself.
i present to you — a masterpiece. 🩵 6 stars.
◤──•~❉᯽❉~•──◥
book club read!
read with us here ♡
◣──•~❉᯽❉~•──◢
May 12, 2025
3.5 stars - I’m on Outlier Island again, and feel like I just read a completely different book than other reviewers!! And I did like this book okay, but damn, it was a hella LONG read!! Plus I also had to force myself to pick it up again, and when I read, I was quite distracted and looking at other stuff on my iPad. Also it's really, really heavy at times and I'm adding a big, huge Trigger Warning for anyone who’s grieving that it might not be for you. Just okay for me and pretty disappointed TBH - feel like I musta totally missed something based on all the 5-star reviews?? 🤷🏻♀️
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December 16, 2025basically therapy
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