Readalikes for My Friends by Fredrik BackmanLike this list

20 items

• Horse

  Brooks, Geraldine

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  Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this work of historical fiction is a must-read (if it didn't already make the rounds in your book club!). Like My Friends, it is a split-timeline narrative following a modern-day protagonist uncovering the story behind…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Adventure Ends

  Mills, Emma, 1989-

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  Like My Friends, this novel follows a tight-knit group of friends and the protagonist's journey to solve a mystery centered on a very personal painting.

• Now Is Not the Time to Panic

  a Novel

  Wilson, Kevin, 1978-

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  Like My Friends, a story of the ramifications decades later of the art that emerged from a friendship formed one adolescent summer.

• The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes

  a Novel

  Hogan, Ruth, 1961-

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  A new friendship changes Masha's life twelve years after a tragic event in this "moving exploration of the simple human connections that unite us all."

• The People We Keep

  Larkin, Allie,

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  Like My Friends, this "raw, surprising and ultimately uplifting" novel follows a protagonist seeking connection through friendship and art as an escape from a difficult home life.

• Humor Me

  Shook, Cat, 1993-

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  A wry and witty balance of grief and humor, this novel "reminds us that friendship can emerge from where you least expect it and that shared laughter can ease some of the deepest pain."

• Attribution

  a Novel

  Moore, Linda (Fiction writer),

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  An art history mystery that shares themes of grief, uncertain futures, and unexpected connections with My Friends.

• The Last Romantics

  a Novel

  Conklin, Tara

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  A renowned poet reveals the sweeping story behind her most famous work in this "beautiful meditation on the power of stories—how they guide us through difficult times, help us understand the past, and point the way toward our future."

• Unlikely Animals

  a Novel

  Hartnett, Annie

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  "A lost young woman returns to small-town New Hampshire under the strangest of circumstances... Set against the backdrop of a small town in the throes of a very real opioid crisis, Unlikely Animals is a tragicomic novel about familial expectations,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Tell the Wolves I'm Home

  a Novel

  Brunt, Carol Rifka

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  "An emotionally charged coming-of-age novel, Tell the Wolves I'm Home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again."

• Happy

  a Novel

  Baljeet Basra, Celina, 1986-

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  A harrowing but hopeful tale of a Punjabi migrant to Italy told through a "comedic, poignant narration is often at odds with his reality."

• My Brilliant Friend. Book One

  Childhood, Adolescence

  Ferrante, Elena

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  A modern classic, this Italian novel follows childhood best friends Lila and Elena as they grow up amid poverty, violence, and tragedy in mid-20th-century Naples. Moving, emotional, and incredibly readable while packing a serious emotional punch.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Ensemble

  Gabel, Aja

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  "Forging a familial bond over their shared artistic talents and secrets, four young people navigate a cutthroat world and their complex relationships with each other, as ambition, passion and love reinforce and divide them throughout the course of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Wishing Game

  a Novel

  Shaffer, Meg,

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  This feel-good story of found family is more light-hearted than My Friends but shares a heartfelt yet whimsical tone.

• The Door-to-door Bookstore

  a Novel

  Henn, Carsten, 1973-

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  A charming and gentle but deeply-felt story of the unlikely friendship between an elderly bookseller and a young girl.

• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

  Honeyman, Gail

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  This novel centers a very different type of found family but is similar to My Friends in its off-beat, quirky-but-lovable characters and light-hearted style of dealing with difficult topics.

• This Tender Land

  a Novel

  Krueger, William Kent

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  In this novel set in the summer of 1932, "four orphan vagabonds journey into the unknown, crossing paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds."

• Never Let Me Go

  Ishiguro, Kazuo, 1954-

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  Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, this moving but impactful dystopian novel paints a gripping portrait of a group of childhood friends as they grow up and apart under extreme circumstances. Like My Friends, it explores themes of friendship, loss,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Summer Place

  a Novel

  Weiner, Jennifer

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  Looking for a little more romance? Try this "heartfelt and unputdownable novel of family, secrets, and the ties that bind."

• My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

  a Novel

  Backman, Fredrik, 1981-

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  What better readalike for Fredrik Backman than... Fredrik Backman? His wit and whimsy are present in all of his many works, but try this one if you're interested in another life-changing adventure set off by the wishes of the recently deceased.