My Friends cover art

My Friends

The INSTANT Sunday Times Bestseller and Goodreads Choice Awards Fiction 2025 winner!

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My Friends

By: Fredrik Backman
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
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About this listen

 The beautiful new novel that will make you laugh and cry, from the global bestselling author of Anxious People and A Man Called Ove.

‘A stunning, sweeping, extraordinary story of connection, love, and the unbreakable bonds that guide and shape us. Full of humour and heart, My Friends is simply wonderful’ Chris Whitaker

* AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *
* WINNER OF GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST FICTION 2025 *
* SHORTLISTED FOR AMAZON'S BEST FICTION BOOK OF 2025 *
* AN AUDIBLE BEST LISTEN OF 2025 *
* A BARNES AND NOBLE NATIONAL BOOK CLUB PICK *

You have to take life 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.

In the corner of a world-famous painting, three tiny figures sit on the end of a pier, a secret hidden in plain sight.

Twenty-five years ago, a group of teenagers found solace in each other during one unforgettable summer. Their friendship inspired a transcendent work of art, a painting that now mysteriously belongs to eighteen-year-old aspiring artist Louisa.

Driven to learn the story behind its creation, Louisa embarks on a journey to the seaside town where it all began. But as she gets closer to the painting’s birthplace, Louisa learns that happy endings do not always take the form we expect.

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 years later.

Readers can't get enough of My Friends . . . (***** five star reviews)
'It was perfect. I have no other words to describe this masterpiece. Like, what the hell was I doing all these years??'
'I haven’t read a friendship story this genuine, heartfelt, clumsy, straightforward, smart, sentimental, shocking, and emotionally resonant in a very long time.'
'Is it too early in the year to pick my favourite read of 2025? I think not, as this will be hard to beat.'
'Backman remains my absolute favorite.'
'Absolutely brilliant and beautiful ... I loved, loved, loved this book.' Best of 2025 Contemporary Editors Select Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Funny Feel-Good Heartfelt Tear-jerking Witty

Editorial Review

Uncontrollable tears and laughter at the same time
Sometimes the bonds we make when we’re young stay with us for a lifetime. In My Friends, Fredrik Backman weaves a dual-timeline narrative centered on a group of four teenagers: Joar, Ted, Ali, and a boy simply known as “the artist.” Twenty-five years ago, they found escape and comfort in one another during long days on a forgotten pier in a quiet seaside town. In pure Backman form, the messy parts of being human are front and center—simultaneously ugly and beautiful and so true to life. He explores the meaning and impact of art, how it can connect us as well as change us. Those days on the pier are captured in a painting—one that would go on to become a masterpiece and, unexpectedly, change the life of a girl named Louisa decades later. I could listen to narrator Marin Ireland’s retelling of the old stories and Louisa’s new adventures on an endless loop! As always, Backman has left me wrecked and rebuilt in the course of one novel.—Tricia F., Audible Editor

All stars
Most relevant
Such fabulous characters and dialogue. So realistic. I'd love friends like this. Enriching and believable.

A beautiful story.

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Oh wow! This book is one of those books, it will stay with me. I will think about it often, perhaps forever. It is beautiful. It is real. It is perfect. It perfectly portrays how it feels to be a teenager, when your heart is too big for your body and you don’t know how to express all the feelings that want to burst out of you. I don’t know how he did that. How did he create those characters? I loved them all! I feel like I KNOW them all! This author knows people, he understands the human condition like most other people never will. And he has SUCH empathy for people. It’s gripping, surprising (you think you know what happens, you don’t!) and just utterly wonderful. “I love you and I believe in you”

“I love you and I believe in you”

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A story of the impossibility of saying you love someone, childhood, and redemption. The book will have you laughing and crying in the same 5 minutes.

Excellent narration of a wonderful story

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Biggest takeaway… farts are funny!
This was my second Fredrik Backman book, and while it didn’t grab me quite like Ove, it was still moving.
It gave me that nostalgia ache and made me reflect on my own life, childhood, and friendships.
Backman’s writing feels instantly classic—warm, familiar, and timeless.
He has a rare gift for blending grief, love, connection, and humor in such a meaningful way.

farts are funny

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I absolutely loved this book. The imagery - the smiles - the sadness all so beautifully put together.

Wow!

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