My Friends Review

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Fredrik Backman is one of my all-time favorite authors, and My Friends (4.75/5 stars) is a beautiful reminder of why his stories hit so deeply. This book took a few tries for me to get into, but once I switched to the audiobook, everything clicked—and I’m so glad I stuck with it.

As always with Backman, this story is layered, quiet, and emotionally rich. I laughed out loud. I cried real tears. And more than once, I had to pause just to sit with the weight of a moment. His writing has a way of sneaking up on you—one minute you’re smiling at something small and human, and the next your heart is breaking wide open.

The storytelling is classic Backman: nonlinear, character-driven, and filled with unanswered questions that slowly unravel. He keeps you guessing the entire time, trusting the reader to stay with him through the uncertainty—and the payoff is absolutely worth it.

What I loved most is how deeply human this book feels. It’s about friendship, grief, memory, and the quiet ways people save each other without ever realizing it. No one writes about ordinary people with extraordinary empathy quite like Backman.

A few quotes that stayed with me long after I finished:

“Some people carry their childhood with them like a wound that never fully heals.”

“We don’t remember everything, but we remember how people made us feel.”

“Friendship isn’t about being perfect for each other—it’s about staying.”

“The bravest thing we do is let someone see us when we’re not okay.”

I gave My Friends 4.75 stars only because it took me a little while to settle into it—but once I did, it was unforgettable. This is a tender, heartbreaking, hopeful story that will stay with me for a long time.

If you love Fredrik Backman’s signature blend of humor and heartbreak, this book will absolutely feel like home.