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welcome back to Booklicious the show
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where we dive deep into the heart of
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great books i'm your host and today
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we're exploring My Friends by Frederick
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Bachmann a novel that's been hailed as
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his most emotionally powerful yet
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published May 2025 My Friends tells two
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interwoven stories in the present we
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meet Louisa a talented foster kid artist
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obsessed with a painting of a pier and
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three tiny figures 25 years earlier on
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that very pier four teenagers Jor Ted
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Ellie and the artist known as CJ
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discover refuge from difficult home
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lives in each other's friendship the
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narrative shifts between Louisa's
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journey coming to terms with grief and
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the teenager's summer of bonding
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creativity and rebellion frederick
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Bachmann is unmatched at blending humor
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with gut-wrenching emotion reviewers
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describe the novel as both unforgettably
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funny and deeply moving friendship is
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the beating heart here four troubled
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teens unite to form a bond that becomes
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art and later connection for Louisa
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grief and loss run deep louisa mourns
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her best friend Fish and the teen
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characters carry hidden trauma abuse
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absence depression art as redemption the
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pure painting becomes a vessel for
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memory and healing capturing hope joy
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second chances why is My Friends
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resonating so much reviewers report
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highlighting hundreds of passages one
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said they marked over 350 quotes a sign
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of the novel's emotional punch bachman's
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signature wit remains quirky narration
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sharp hyperbole and humor amidst
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heartbreak characters feel raw and lived
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in unsophisticated teens from rough
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places brought to life by friendship and
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survival instincts the dual timeline
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builds tension louisa's present-day
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quest slowly refracts back into the
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summer of youth revealing how the
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painting and friendships intertwined
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it's not flawless some readers find the
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shifting timelines a bit disjointed and
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the novel leans heavily on
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sentimentality especially towards the
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end if you prefer plot- driven
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narratives you might find its emotional
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pacing slower it's more mood and
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connection than suspense and action this
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is the perfect pick for readers who love
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character-driven fiction emotional depth
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and the nostalgic paying of youth if
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you've ever wondered how friendship
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shape us or felt art speak when words
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can't this resonates deeply final rating
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i join many reviewers in giving it a
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solid 4 and a half to five out of five a
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testament to Bachman's growth as a
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storyteller let me leave you with this
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line used by one reviewer to capture
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Bachman's depth he would often try to
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think that perhaps that has to be the
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case that our teenage years have to
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simultaneously be the brightest light
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and the darkest depths that duality joy
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and pain all in one summer echoes
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throughout the entire novel if you've
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read My Friends hit us up on social what
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emotions hit you hardest and if you
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haven't this might be your next read get
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tissues ready thanks for tuning in to
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Booklicious until next time may your
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next book leave your heart a little
