Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is such a complex and beautiful representation of friendship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cancer, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My friends will transport you back to your childhood, to your first group of friends who you promised you would be friends forever. It is funny, and charming, and heartfelt. I absolutely loved this book and I wish I could read it again for the first time!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Addiction
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It always takes me a while to acclimate to a Backman book, and this one was a bit of a rough ride. đ Truthfully, it wasnât until about the halfway mark that I began to care for its characters. I found myself wishing that Ted would just tell Louisa his story chronologically alreadyâthe walk down memory lane was more of a dizzying maze than a nice stroll. Funny enough, Louisa started getting mad at Ted for this, too! That said, the novel deals with many difficult topics which I thought were handled beautifully. Overall, a sad book, but I just wasnât SAD, you know? Get your notebook out because there are a lot of characters to keep track of. Oy vey!
âItâs a funny thing. The person we fall in love with, we hardly ever call by their name. Because itâs somehow just so obvious that itâs you Iâm talking to, that itâs you Iâm always thinking of. Who else?â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Grief
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
The way that Fredrik Backman writes characters and relationships feels so special to me. I feel like he has an understanding of humanity that he is able to express so incredibly well in his writing & I rarely read other books where the characters feel so intensely human and real.
This might be my new favorite of his books, though I'm always partial to stories that highlight the importance of art and friendship, so I was absolutely the target audience for this.
Also idk why this isn't marked as lgbtqia+ but one of the main characters is achillean, so if you're looking for more books with queer characters this fits that bill as well (though it isn't an excessive part of the plot, it still felt important to the story to me). Also, I believe at least one of the characters is strongly implied to be autistic.
This might be my new favorite of his books, though I'm always partial to stories that highlight the importance of art and friendship, so I was absolutely the target audience for this.
Also idk why this isn't marked as lgbtqia+ but one of the main characters is achillean, so if you're looking for more books with queer characters this fits that bill as well (though it isn't an excessive part of the plot, it still felt important to the story to me). Also, I believe at least one of the characters is strongly implied to be autistic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence
art, friendship, fame, grief
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book, perhaps a new favorite. Backman captures the human spirit so beautifully. This is a story about love, friendship, art, and what connects us. Just beautiful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There's a song Only The Wind by Ălafur Arnolds. When I listen to it, I feel somehow like I'm soaring and I'm falling all at the same time. I can't decide if I'm laughing or if I'm crying. Maybe it's both together. All I find myself thinking is how human I am, we all are, and how complicated that is.
This book is that song in written form. And it is etched in my bones now.
This book is that song in written form. And it is etched in my bones now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Solid 5âď¸ for this one! My Friends will rank in my top faves from Backman with Beartown!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Alcohol
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It took me a while to actually write a review of this because it honestly overwhelmed me a bit. Backman has a way of making you believe in people, and I really can't remember the last time a book made me cry this much, probably not since reading Anxious People in 2021. I literally got teary eyed reading other people's reviews just now. Don't get me wrong, it's not a sad book, it just moves you and makes you feel just about everything. I fell in love with every single character, they're so complicated and tangible, and really capture the human condition. The plot was lovely, but I would follow these characters through any story, the plot wasn't as important, I kind of just appreciated being along for the ride. This is a story about real pain, people who got so much less than they deserved, and how they dealt with it.
My first five star read of 2025, totally worth the wait, and maybe one of my favorite books I've ever read.
My first five star read of 2025, totally worth the wait, and maybe one of my favorite books I've ever read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse