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My Friends: A Novel

Fredrik Backman

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#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.

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

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

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find.

Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

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Posts about this title from chronicallybookish

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jul 1

JUNE** reading wrap up

Ignore the eyebrows I just dyed them this morning they fade a lot after the first 24 hours #booktok #readingwrapup #fantasybooktok #romancebooktok #yesnomaybe

13 books

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jun 29

golden hour w/ my current reads ft. Comet & Donner

Golden hour w/ my current reads ft. Comet & Donner

I’m hoping to finish all three of these before June ends, but I’m not sure I’ll manage it. None of them are in my comfort zone genre-wise and I am busy as hell over the next few days, but so far I’m enjoying them!

#booktok #literaryfiction #bookstagram #currentlyreading

3 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Rachael's Reads\ \ Rachael\ \ • Jul 15

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June was WILD! It kicked off with Big Ohio Book Con where I did very little reading but met some of

June was WILD! It kicked off with Big Ohio Book Con where I did very little reading but met some of my favorite authors as well as some new-to-me writers. I also had such a good time hanging out with my Booksta-turned-IRL friends! Do I still need to publish all the content from that weekend? You bet!

My reading felt a little chaotic this month. I DNF'd two books in a row, bringing my DNF total to four for the year. DNFing always seems to throw me into a funk.

I Buddy Read three books: The Bright Years, My Friends, and The Last Letter. I definitely enjoyed this and want to make more room in my reading schedule to read with friends!

Romance remained my top genre, but not by any kind of landslide - I even snuck a memoir in there!

I'm back in class with the start of July, but I'm hoping to stay on top of my reading goals!

🗨️ What's the number one thing that will make you DNF a book?

🏷️ Monthly Reading Wrap Up, June Reading Wrap Up, Romance Recommendations, Fantasy Recommendations, Advanced Reader Copy, Advanced Listening Copy, ARC Reviewer, ALC Reviewer, LibroFM Influencer, Gallery Books Partner, BookSparks Ambassador, Bloomsbury Creator Circle

#SRC2026 #TheBookOdyssey

11 books

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jul 1

JUNE** reading wrap up

Ignore the eyebrows I just dyed them this morning they fade a lot after the first 24 hours #booktok #readingwrapup #fantasybooktok #romancebooktok #yesnomaybe

13 books

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jun 29

golden hour w/ my current reads ft. Comet & Donner

Golden hour w/ my current reads ft. Comet & Donner

#booktok #literaryfiction #bookstagram #currentlyreading

3 books

Stuff Celine Reads\ \ Celine\ \ • Feb 16

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26 books to read in 2026

"or how bookstagram got me again."

26 books

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Ezeekat Press\ \ Jaysen\ \ • Dec 28 2025

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My Top 10 Reads of 2025

What were your favorites this year? #booktok #top10 #books #manga #readingwrapup

10 books

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Ladybug Books\ \ Samantha\ \ • Oct 12 2025

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[Hello friends, and welcome to my first Bindery newsletter! I am hoping to post these once a week to provide a little recap of my reading week, along with some book recommendations and books on my priority TBR. If there is anything else you would like to see in these newsletters, let me know!\ \

Ladybug.books Newsletter (10/5/25 - 10/11/25)

9 books

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Alyssa’s Library\ \ alyssa\ \ • Sep 4 2025

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it’s time to talk about all the books i read in august! i read a total of 12 books and so many of them were amazing so let’s get into it:\ \ TOP THREE READS:\ \ Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (5⭐️) -> this is one of my new ALL TIME favourite books ever. i think this book is so important to read (especially now) because of the themes surrounding oppression, resistance, protests, and the state of the world as a whole. this is one of the best dystopian books i’ve read and this will stick with me for a long time (probably forever).\ \ My Friends by Fredrick Backman (5⭐️) -> WOW. this book put me through all the emotions and i haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since i finsihed. the way fredrick backman created such a layered story with discussions surrounding life, death, mental illness, and friendships was absolutely spectacular. this was funny, heartwarming, and absolutely devastating all at the same time. highly recommend this one!\ \ Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone (5⭐️)-> one of my new alllll time favourite romance books! sometimes with romance i have a hard time not getting bored throughout if nothings happening lol BUT THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE ROMANCE!! the tension, the yearning, the ACTUAL SLOW BURN friends to lovers??? absolutely ate this up. the exploration surrounding grief and loss was spectacular. definitely a new fav!\ \ EVERYTHING ELSE:\ \ An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson (3.75⭐️)-> this was my first book by this author and definitely not my last! this was the perfect dark academia, spooky, creepy read that i was looking for and i adored those aspects of the book! the only issues i had with this was the pacing (sometimes sooooo many things happened and sometimes nothing happened) and the romance. i didn’t feel connected to the characters enough to care about it but overall i enjoyed myself!\ \ Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (4.5⭐️) -> i don’t read a lot of literary fiction but this book was absolutely spectacular! i felt so deeply for cyrus and his story, and i was hooked from the first page. i can see why this book is so loved in the book community, it was so beautiful and definitely one i’ll be thinking about for a long time.\ \ Between Broomsticks & Beating Wings by Marissa Serrao (4.25⭐️) -> this is an indie sapphic fantasy book that absolutely delivered! in this book we follow a human witch and a valkyrie where they strike a deal and have to venture into the underworld together. i thought the romance was so sweet and i loved the two characters individually and together. my favourite character was definitely the ghost cat tho :)\ \ The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas (4.5⭐️) -> after reading the vampires of el norte, i knew i had to read this one and i loved it even more! this one was definitely more focused on the horror aspects than the romance but i thought both were so well done. the yearning was impeccable and i was so scared throughout most of the book lol. loooved this one sm!\ \ Blood Moon by Brittany S. Lewis (3.75⭐️) -> this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and i had a fun time with this one! this one felt so nostalgic and it very much reminded me of twilight lol. i thought the plot was so interesting (even though it was a little predictable) but i wasn’t invested in the romance that much. hopefully book 2 is even better!\ \ An Unlikely Coven by A. M. Kvita (4.5⭐️) -> this debut cozy fantasy was SO ADORABLE! this is one of my new favourite cozy fantasy books with such an adorable cast of characters! joan was such an intriguing character to read from and i loved her little found family that she found <3 i HIGHLY recommend you get this one when it comes out in October!\ \ Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R Weaver (3⭐️) -> unfortunately this was my least favourite book of the month. this is a scifi thriller that started off so strong but the farther i got into it, the less i started caring about the characters. i felt that this was very predictable and i wasn’t connected to anyone in this book. i was sad this didn’t work for me but you may enjoy it more than i did!\ \ I, Medusa by Ayana Gray (4.5⭐️) -> one of THE BEST medusa retellings i’ve ever read! the writing was absolutely phenomenal, and i felt so much for medusa as a character. it was so interesting to see how she went from maiden, to mistress, to monster, and finally to myth. this was so hard hitting and I can’t recommend this one enough! definitely buy it when it comes out in October :)\ \ Climate of Chaos by Cassandra Newbould (3.25⭐️) -> i’m so sad i didn’t like this one more. this is a YA dystopian that follows a disabled protagonist (AMAZING!!) where she will do anything to get her sister back. i loved the representation in this, but i thought the plot was lacking. i also was not a huge fan of the romance lol because its lowkey second chance (ish?) but the mmc was not justifying cutting off the mmc. unfortunately this didn’t work for me :/

AUGUST READING WRAP UP

12 books

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Kirstyn's Bookshelf\ \ Kirstyn\ \ • May 30 2025

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absolutely feral for these books rn \ \ What’s onyour priority tbr? \ \ #bookrecommendations #books #boo

absolutely feral for these books rn

What’s onyour priority tbr?

#bookrecommendations #books #booksbooksbooks

7 books

The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • May 29 2025

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My Top 5 of the Month \ \ ⭐ 4.50 - The Grace of Kings (Ken Liu)\ \ I finally picked up The Grace of Kings this month after years of having it on my TBR and was NOT disappointed. The first book of the Dandelion Dynasty series, TGoK is a silkpunk fantasy tale of rebellion, treachery, sacrifice, and dynamic politics. One of my favorite things about this book was the minor characters - even though you don’t necessarily spend that much time with them, they all feel so three-dimensional, with rich lives of their own that piece together into the greater tapestry of the story. The book also featured exciting action sequences, fascinating biomimetic technology, and complex relationships that really brought the tale to life. I think this series will likely become one of my all-time favs, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the books!!!\ \ ⭐ 4.50 - House of the Beast (Michelle Wong)\ \ I’m always on the hunt for a good standalone fantasy, and House of the Beast is the latest gem I wanted to share. Full of morally complex characters and set in an Asian-inspired world with an anime vibe that I really enjoyed, this was a captivating dark fantasy tale of revenge, codependency, and obsession that I could not put it down. The book also features illustrations done by the author herself (she was the illustrator of The Legend of Korra graphic novels!), and they were such a delight to look at throughout the course of the story. \ \ ⭐ 4.50 - The Devils (Joe Abercrombie)\ \ The Devils by Joe Abercrombie is now what I would consider the best starting point for readers new to Abercrombie’s works, and is a delightful story of found family and adventure that somehow managed to be tragic, hilarious, and thought-provoking all at once. It’s grimdark fantasy, so yes, there is the violence, the brutality, the futility, but Abercrombie does a fantastic job amping up the humor and wit without losing the core of the story, which in The Devils, is about finding self, belonging, purpose in a cruel and chaotic world. Additionally, the book delves into the hypocrisy of the Church, the blurred lines of good and evil, and concepts of damnation and redemption. One chapter in particular, “A War in Miniature,” stood out to me as especially well-written, and it’s one of the most memorable chapters I’ve read in recent years. \ \ ⭐ 4.25 - Coldwire (Chloe Gong)\ \ I grew up during the peak era of YA dystopia (YA books in the early 2010’s just hit different), and Coldwire was a book that felt conceptually fresh, but also nostalgic of that time. Given the rise of AI, this book felt particularly fascinating and relevant, and my favorite thing about it was the premise of the world being separated into “upcountry” and “downcountry” - those with financial resources can escape the economic and environmental catastrophes of “downcountry” by living almost entirely in a virtual reality known as “upcountry”. I am eagerly awaiting book 2 of this series, because man, there were so many twists and turns in the last 30% of the book and I need to see how the full story plays out!!\ \ ⭐ 4.25 - Royal Assassin (Robin Hobb)\ \ Robin Hobb sure knows how to write a compelling character-driven story, and I enjoyed this second leg of Fitz’s journey. This series has such a classic fantasy feel to it, and while I’m slightly terrified to see where this story is going (must protect Fitz at all costs), I am excited to see how this trilogy concludes in the next book!\ \ Other May Reads & Ratings \ \ ⭐ 4.25 - A Treachery of Swans (A.B. Poranek) \ \ I grew up doing ballet and am a sucker for Swan Lake retellings, so I was super excited to pick up this book. The writing was so lyrical and lush, and the gothic atmosphere was perfect for the story. I loved this sapphic twist on the Swan Lake tale, and thought the writing was engaging throughout. I do wish this had been a duology rather than a standalone, because there was a lot of potential at the end to expand the story, rather than force a conclusion, but overall, I enjoyed my time with this one!\ \ ⭐ 4.00 - A Forgery of Fate (Elizabeth Lim) \ \ YA books are a hit or miss for me these days, but this was a hit! I loved how Asian folklore was woven into this undersea Beauty and the Beast retelling, and really enjoyed the enchanted, aquatic vibes. This is a super-digestible, action-packed book and is very suitable for those looking to get more into the fantasy genre.\ \ ⭐ 4.00 - The Incandescent (Emily Tesh)\ \ The Incandescent features an older FMC (late 30’s), a highly detailed and well-developed magic system, and sapphic relationships all tied together in a story of self-discovery, belonging, and power. I have never read a dark academia fantasy book told from the perspective of the faculty, rather than the students, and I really appreciated this fresh perspective - if you're a teacher, I think you will especially like this one! \ \ ⭐ 4.00 - My Friends (Fredrik Backman)\ \ This was a beautiful story about how special childhood friendships are, and the beauty and power of art. I particularly loved the dedication of the book, so I wanted to share it below:\ \ "To anyone who is young and wants to create something. Do it."\ \ ⭐ 3.75 - Behooved (M. Stevenson)\ \ I was devastated when My Lady Jane was canceled on Prime Video after one season, but this book slightly eased the pain (yes, there is somehow another fantasy in which the MMC turns into a horse after sunset). Wish there was a little more depth to the story, but overall, this was a delightful romp of a story, and I had a lot of fun reading it!\ \ ⭐ 3.75 - A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman)\ \ Stories about the elderly always wreck me, and this was no exception. That said, I didn’t find this one quite as moving as And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer, another one of Backman’s books about an elderly man, but thought it was still beautifully written overall.\ \ ⭐ 3.75 - The Summer Palace and Other Stories (C.S. Pacat)\ \ This was a collection of short stories set in the same universe as the Captive Prince series, and I enjoyed getting to learn more about some of the side characters from the original trilogy, as well as glimpse the lives of Laurent and Damen following Kings Rising.\ \ ⭐ 3.25 - A Song of Legends Lost (M.H. Ayinde)\ \ This book had a really intriguing magic system centered around ancestral summoning and featured a cool sci-fi element called techwork, but I had a difficult time getting emotionally invested in the story because of how flat the characters felt. That said, if you’re more of a plot-driven reader, you may still really enjoy this one!\ \ Join for free or login

May Reading Wrap-Up (Reviews & Favorites)

Reviews and ratings of the 13 books I read in May - quite a few that I enjoyed this month!

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Kirstyn's Bookshelf\ \ Kirstyn\ \ • May 13 2025

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every book on my priority tbr + the insane arcs I recieved 📚

I haven't been this excited about reading in so long. When I'm not reading, I'm thinking about reading these books. Which one should I read next?

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