My Friends by Fredrik Bachman — Review
My Friends by Fredrik Bachman - Review Snapshot:
What mood is this right for: For when you need a big hug
Length: 436 Pages (13 hours, 7 minutes)
Genre: Contemporary Fiction | Literary Fiction
Source: Libro.FM (Self Purchased)
Where to Buy: Kobo | Bookshop.org | Amazon | Libro.FM
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Vibes Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
CAWPILE Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1 Sentence Summary: An author makes you cry a lot and feel things about art.
“Louisa is a teenager, the best kind of human. The evidence for this is very simple: little children think teenagers are the best humans, and teenagers think teenagers are the best humans, the only people who don’t think that teenagers are the best humans are adults. Which is obviously because adults are the worst kind of humans.
”
Synopsis:
Fredrick Bachman gives us another stunning, heartfelt tale. This time, it's about a young teen, Louisa, who has recently lost her best person. Reeling from her loss, Lousia travels to fulfill a dream of theirs: seeing their favorite painting in person. Through a series of events, Louisa stumbles upon the artist of the painting in an alley, nearing the end of his life. Wholly inspired by Louisa, the artist leaves the prized painting, of 3 boys sitting on a pier, to her. Ted, the Artist's best person, and Lousia end up on a cross-country journey to get the painting back to where it belongs and become unlikely friends along the way.
My Thoughts:
Usually, almost 500 pages is too long for a contemporary fiction novel. Sometimes when books are this long, they start to meander, but that is not this book. These characters could have taken me anywhere, and I would have happily sat and listened to their stories. The majority of this book felt like I was sitting on the train with Louisa and Ted, listening to them tell stories about the people they loved.
One night, almost a decade ago, a co-worker of my husbands came over. We sat in our living room as he told us the story of how he was basically a pirate who sailed a boat to Florida. We drank beers, laughed, and cried all night. This is what this book felt like to me, like being able to love that night over again. To really hear someone's whole story, the good, the bad, the ugly, and then want nothing more than to listen to it all over again when it’s finished.
“It might sound like an unhappy ending, but only if you forget how many times during this story we’ve told you that someone laughed. How many really good now’s is that?”
The CAWPILE Review of My Friends by Fredrik Bachman
Characters – 10
I loved every character in this book. Each character was so well-crafted and developed. Every Frederick Bachman book I feel as
Atmosphere/Setting – 10
There wasn’t much setting as the scenes were all on relatively small stages. However, each new scene felt like it transported you to each place. You could smell the sunscreen and salt air at the ocean, feel the grass on your skin as you lie down at the crossroads, smell the alcohol, and feel the bumps on the train. You get it, I’m being superfluous to make the point that this book made you feel like you were really in each scene.
Writing Style – 10
What’s there even to say - Bachman writes beautifully. The translator, Neil Smith, does a phenomenal job.
Plot – 8
Despite my absolute love for this story, I do still think it was a bit wandering. However, that’s literally the most minor, tiniest complaint ever.
Intrigue – 10
This story continually draws you in and keeps you turning the pages, desperate to know more about Louisa’s story and how Ted and the Artist came to be who they were.
Logic/Relationships – 10
This book is all about relationships of all kinds and the people who shape us. The relationships in this book were multifaceted, with the ups and downs of real life.
Enjoyment – 10
I absolutely loved this book with my whole heart. Reading it was the best time I have ever had, sobbing for 400 pages.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Final Score: 68 = 68/7 = 9.71 = 5 Stars
Final Thoughts
For me, this was a near-perfect read. I found myself completely lost in the story and endeared to every character.
This coming-of-age story is unlike any other. It will make you cry buckets of tears from both laughter and sorrow. By the end, you will find yourself as on the edge of your seat as Louisa, hoping that some stories do, in fact, have happy endings.
“Do you know what the biggest thread to women’s health is?’’
‘’Men,’’ Louisa says, because all women know that.”
My Friends by Fredrik Bachman FAQ:
Why do you have two different star ratings?
The vibes rating is always my immediate ‘this was probably X star,” the CAWPILE is after I have reflected, thought about it more in-depth. Sometimes the vibes are lower than the CAWPILE, sometimes it’s the other way around.
What genre is My Friends Fredrik Bachman?
My Friends is contemporary fiction with strong literary and coming-of-age elements. It’s a deeply emotional, character-driven story about friendship, grief, trauma, and the ripple effects of the people who shape us. It also weaves in some LGBTQ themes and a dual-timeline structure, which gives it that literary-fiction feel Backman does so well.
What is My Friends by Fredrik Bachman about?
At its core, My Friends is a story about the kind of friendships that shape — and haunt — a life. It follows Louisa, a grieving teen, as she sets out to fulfill a promise she made with her best person: to travel and see their favorite painting in person. That journey throws her into the orbit of the aging painter and his lifelong best friend, pulling her into a decades-long story of love, loyalty, art, and the scars we carry from adolescence into adulthood. It’s a novel about healing, chosen family, and the legacy of the people who make us who we are.
Who will enjoy this book?
Readers who love emotionally rich contemporary fiction, stories about friendships that carry you across decades, art+memory, and coming-of-age in atypical ways. If you like a book that’s more hug than thriller, this fits the bill.
Is the book My Friends LGBTQ?
Yes. LGBTQ themes and relationships are woven throughout the novel. Backman doesn’t sensationalize or stereotype; instead, these dynamics sit naturally within the emotional landscape of the story. The friendships and love between the boys in the painting, and the lives they build (and unravel) together, include queer subtext and openly queer elements that deepen the emotional stakes of the story.
What is the tone/mood of this book?
It’s a tender, emotional story about grief and redemption. If you need a big hug, something that will make you cry and laugh, this is it.
What are the major themes of My Friends by Frederick Bachman?
Friendship: the intensity of teenage bonds, chosen family.
Grief and loss: Louisa’s reckoning with her best friend’s death.
Art as legacy: the painting by the friends that ripples into Louisa’s life.
Trauma, memory, healing.
What is the main theme of My Friends?
The book’s central theme is the lifelong impact of friendship — especially the intense, formative bonds we make as teenagers. It also explores grief, trauma, art as both memory and legacy, and the painful, beautiful process of returning to the places (and people) who shaped us. Backman leans hard into the idea that the people you love at fifteen can still define who you are at fifty, for better or worse.
Trigger Warning for My Friends by Fredrik Bachman
Source: StoryGraph
Graphic
Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Alcoholism
Moderate
Death, Death of a parent, Suicidal thoughts
Minor
Rape, Sexual assault, Homophobia
My Friends by Fredrick Bachman Book Club Questions:
Art and legacy: What role does the legacy of the friends’ summer and the painting play in Louisa’s life? How does it change her relationship with art and self?
“Tomorrow” as a promise: In the book, the friends often say “Tomorrow.” What does that promise mean for each of them? How does it shift from teenage years to the adult timeline?
Personal connection: Did this book remind you of a friendship, a formative summer, an artwork that changed you? What moment came close to your own life? (This helps deepen the sharing.)
Hope, endings, and new beginnings: Without spoiling, how did you interpret the ending? Did you feel the “happy ending” was earned or ambiguous? What do you hope for the characters beyond the page?
Found family vs biological family: The friends on the pier become each other’s family. How does the book explore that idea? Are those bonds portrayed as stronger than “real” family?
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