I’m a little sad because I just finished listening to “My Friends.” It ended far too soon - I wish it could have been hours longer. I loved the characters, the heart and the emotion in this novel. I wanted to be one of the friends on the pier because I could imagine them all so well. Another beautiful book by Fredrik Backman and another superb narration by Marin Ireland. Sometimes I select a book just because she’s narrating it. I highly recommend this one; it’s a gem!

I’m possibly a little bias on this book because Fredrik Backman is my absolute favorite writer. I love how he writes. I find it brilliant. It resonates with me. He creates characters so well and he weaves stories together in a way that very few (in any) others do. He brings together tales from two different times and tells the stories of relationships, love, connection, how hard times can bond people together. He brings humor as well as serious topics all together in this brilliant book. Marin Ireland reads the story so well. She narrates so well. I personally love her voice and interpretation of the characters she just rounded out this whole experience for me. I’m m glad I own this so that I can revisit it and listen to it again someday because I am sad that it is already over. I highly recommend getting this book and meeting a set of fun, interesting, and good, if not slightly misguided, kids…and some adults. I like how Fredrik Backman can see the potential in people and how he realizes that their unpleasant actions are just a product of pain. This is something all of us could do a better job realizing. I highly recommend the book.

Easy to follow story with beautiful, colorful characters you can't help but fall in love with. I hope there will be a movie :)

Loved it almost as much as BrittMarie ... he is a fabulous author but this book was the best I have listened to in awhile and I am always listening. A must!

Great book! Touching and funny. I also wished it wouldn’t end I was enjoying it so much!

I really dislike the book and narrator

Excellent story. I have yet to read a book by this author that was not wonderful. I will remember this one. Great read.

Good friends are ️ o

One of my new favorites. Loved it.

Amazing writing. The story unfolds beautifully.

Oh how I wish my brain worked the way Fredrik Backman writes! He can take the most mundane event and write circles around it and it becomes more than just a passing sentence. The narrator was absolutely perfect for this book. Cheers all around!

Cliched portrayal of artists. Predictable conversations and events. Sophomoric.

this is art

I absolutely loved My Friends! The writing style is wonderful and so much fun! The characters were so lovable & well written. Fredrik Backman is an amazing author. I have loved all the books I have read or listened to by him. Marin Ireland does a fantastic job narrating. I highly recommend this book!

Boring . Disappointing. Drags too long. Characters, particularly Louisa are very annoying. I went half way and abandoned this book. It didn’t possess the ability to keep me interested .

Good but not great

Didn’t want it to end.

Just loved it, I love everything Backman write, he is amazing in his writing, you just got immerse in his books and you can never get out. LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT!

Brilliant book. Excellent writing. The story is fascinating, his views on life brilliant and his metaphors are hilarious. One of my favorite books.

This book surprised me. It felt a bit uninteresting at first, but I really loved the narrator, so I stuck with it. It’s definitely not a fast-paced story, which might be off-putting, but the depth of the characters and the incredibly brilliant metaphors told by a magnificent narrator suck you into an almost dream-like narrative. And the narrative mirrors the centerpiece of the story, an unexpectedly stunning painting created by an even more unexpected artist. The ending was a bit rushed, but necessary, since the reader really does want to find out how everyone ends up. I will definitely be looking forward to more books by this author and narrator!

Amazing book! Could read it again and again.

I bought the audio book. The writing was so descriptive that I kept a picture in my head. I was engaged the entire time. The author’s description of the characters and the story caused me to shed some tears.

Love this!

I am already recommending this book to others. Highly recommend

read the book last year and listened to the audio version with a friend on a road trip! even better the second time around. might be my favorite book ever

Great audio!

It was OK, it took me a month to listen to it and it definitely didn’t keep my interest and wanting to get back to it.

Great book! Great story. Loved it and would recommend to others. If I had a physical library, I’d want this book in it.

This book is so down to earth. It's filled to the brim with the annoying, tearjerking love of friendship and life changing quotes.

I have enjoyed the stories of Fredrik Backman since I first read A man called Ove. His stories are never lacking on characters that you bond with and feel real. I enjoyed My Friends especially since the ending was a happy twist. I do not know how he is able to write books that grab you so you do not want to stop reading. A must read for his followers that will not disappoint.

I loved this book. I think the narrator did such a good job, I can’t imagine just reading the book would be nearly as satisfying.

Superb read.

Really enjoyed this book. Such a great story about friendship with all the feelings the narrators were fabulous.

Great book

My favorite author right now and this is why. Storytelling talent is five stars. Such a beautiful story about real friends and the strange love of art.

A bit too wordy. Loved the characters

This is one of the most beautifully written books. I laughed, cried, and was sad it ended. Narration was great as well! Highly recommend!

My top book of the year. I have recommended to everyone. READ THIS BOOK!

I loved this book. The characters were well developed and a story well told. Fredrik Backman never disappoints.

I loved everything about this book. The characters, story and narrator were top tier. It took me on an emotional roller coaster. I laughed and cried. I will definitely be reading more books from Fredrick Backman.

This book was a great reminder of how our friends are important at all stages of our life.

Loved this book

A Beautiful Meditation on Friendship, Art, and Connection Fredrik Backman has done it again. My Friends is the kind of book that reminds you why you fell in love with reading in the first place—it's warm, achingly human, and impossible to put down. The dual timeline structure works brilliantly here. Following Louisa's present-day cross-country journey to uncover the story behind a mysterious painting, while simultaneously watching four teenagers forge an unbreakable bond on that abandoned pier twenty-five years earlier, creates a narrative tension that kept me completely engaged. Backman has a gift for making you care deeply about his characters, and these lost souls—both past and present—are no exception. The teenagers' story is particularly compelling. Their friendship feels authentic and vital, born from shared pain but sustained by genuine love and those small moments of joy they create together. Backman captures that intense, world-defining quality of teenage friendships with such tenderness and truth. And Louisa's journey to understand their story is equally captivating—her determination, her nervousness, her growing understanding of what this painting represents. The resolution is deeply satisfying without being overly neat. Backman understands that the best endings honor complexity while still providing closure. The way he weaves together themes of art, friendship, and how we impact each other's lives—often without knowing it—is masterful. This is one of those books that makes me wish Goodreads had a 4.5-star option. I tend to reserve five stars for books that fundamentally change how I see the world, but My Friends comes very close. It's a beautiful reminder of how we save each other, often in ways we never fully understand. Highly recommended for anyone who loves character-driven fiction with heart.

Unbelievable! One of my favs

Good characters and lively narration. If you liked the Goldfinch you will probably like this one as well. I enjoyed it.

Amazing book- beautifully written and performed. Original plot. Probably my favorite book of the year.

Very good story, didn’t want it to end.

dark childhoods relieved by bonds of friendship and humor

Amazing book; incredibly moving.

I loved this book. I laughed out loud, cried, and yelled "noooooo" numerous times. The writing is excellent. The narrator is phenomenal and really brings Louisa and Ted's banter to life. Can't recommend this book enough.

I enjoyed this book and found myself wanting to keep listening. Things I like: descriptions; acknowledgement of difficult homes/ relatives; beauty of nature; trust in relationships. Less believable: such appreciation of art in a teenager; the ending. Sadness: life experiences, aloneness, substances, harsh language, homosexuality. Difficult at times going back and forth from the two main time periods. Overall engaging story.

My aching heart. Such a great book with so many feelings and so much depth. Loved every second of it

Beautiful story telling! I was emotional during the whole read.

Good story with some interesting twists

Such a thoughtful story about childhood friends. Funny and emotional!

Loved it! Story kept pivoting once I thought I knew where it was going!

I haven't felt so much listening to a book in a very long time. I was so invested, and emotional, it made me feel so many things. I can't even express how much I love this. Narration is beautiful too.

Wonderful book. I loved it

I enjoyed the book. However at times I found it hard to follow.

This was a terrific book. I laughed out loud and I cried. I loved it. The narrator was wonderful. I am looking forward to reading more of this authors books and listening to this narrator

Very intense and very beautiful story. I relistened to many parts just to enjoy them - and the writing - again.

I absolutely loved this book. Some of Backman's writing just made me cry because the sentiment was so beautiful . He is a brilliant writer. I love all of the character development and was so sad to have this story come to an end.

I’d give this 10 stars if I could! There are no words to describe the myriad of emotions in this complicated, beautiful love story. I didn’t want it to end and can’t stop thinking about it. And the unexpected ending was all I had hoped for! ‘The best way to know God is to love many things.’

The story is touching, truly Backman-style. I loved the narrator!

Great read, and the narrator is wonderful.

i loved the weaving of the storry.The narrators character voices were mostly great and gave the characters life.

Such an endearing story with a fabulous narrator taking on many different voices and inflections. You may take your time reading it just to savor the characters.

Great book. The author really knows how to tell a story well.

Such a moving book I am amazed that these come through so beautifully, even with translation

Nice story with lots of personalities.

Phenomenal characters and dialogue!