Picture your favorite summer in childhood. This will bring it all back for you. My Friends by Fredrik Backman is beautifully written. I have never saved as many quotes as I did while reading this story. My Friends is a book that you will hear about throughout 2025. If you are looking for a sweet drama, then this story is for you.
5/5 stars ★★★★★
You can read what it’s about at: https://amzn.to/4eix15k
Published: May 06, 2025
From The Publisher:
“#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.“
What I Liked About My Friends:
I read this book a while ago, but I needed to let it settle in my mind before writing the review. Truly, my favorite part of the book was the nostalgia. There is nothing better than hanging out with your friends on a summer day. This book brings it all back and then some.
The main story line of Ted and Louisa and how one painting brought them together was masterful writing. Told from two different time periods and different points of view, the reader is shown what true friendship is about. Backman does a wonderful job of characterization in the book. I loved all of the characters, but especially Louisa. Louisa is in the present tense of the story; she is a woman who just “aged out” of being in foster homes with nowhere to go. It was a certain painting that kept her hopeful.
As she meets the artist and his friend, she learns the backstory of the painting. It was the friendship of 5 childhood friends that kept the story moving. It was through this characterization that Backman shows that family isn’t always created through blood, and that your childhood friends become just as much a part of your story too.
This is my first book by Backman. Can you believe it? I know I will read more now. Which one is your favorite; I need a good recommendation.
Quotes From My Friends: (It was hard to pick my favorite top three):
** “Our teenage years have to be simultaneously the brightest light and the darkest depths, because that’s how we learn to figure out our horizons.”
I loved my teenage years, but those years definitely put you through the ringer. As someone who has taught teenagers for most of my life, I saw them on their brightest and darkest days. I wanted to save each and every one of them, but I knew they needed to navigate life on their own,
** “I’m worried about being alive without you.”
Ugh. This brought on so many tears and feelings. I’m not scared to die, but I am scared to live life without the people that I love the most. I’m sure this line hit home with many people.
** “When you think about summers growing up, it feels like the sun was always shining, there’s never any wind or rain in nostalgia.”
This is so true. Even as an adult, my memories of summer will never have wind or rain in them, even though it’s raining today. Most of my childhood memories consist of swimming in a pool with my best friend, or waterskiing on a lake with my family. It’s funny how memories work.
Something To Think About:
This is not a fast read. It is a long book at over 400 pages, so you have to be ready to settle in. In order to appreciate the story, make sure to take some time to appreciate the beautifully written lines. At times, I wish it moved a little more quickly, but I’m not sure what I would take out either.
Extras:
You can buy My Friends: https://amzn.to/3G7VCx2
*If you want to read more of my book reviews, you can find them at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/
*If you missed my post about my Top Books of 2024, you can find it at: https://judiholst.com/top-20-books-that-i-loved-in-2024/
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Fredrik Backman for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.
