Beartown was my favourite read of 2017 (and now on my short-list of all-time favourites), so I was THRILLED to receive a NetGalley copy of the follow-up, Us Against You. This sequel was, for me, highly-anticipated and it totally delivered. It felt like my favourite binge-worthy TV series turned into a book (almost literally - the small-town community that revolves around a sports team is more than a little reminiscent of Friday Night Lights). Compulsively read-able, with hard-hitting pearls of wisdom sprinkled throughout that had me highlighting like crazy. Backman effortlessly incorporates maxims that are so on-point - simple, memorable one-liners that had me nudging my husband every five minutes, saying "oh damn! listen to this one!"
My biggest wish is for this trilogy to be adapted into a TV series - but on the other hand, my biggest fear is that an adaptation wouldn't do it justice and it might tarnish my perfect love for these books. 10/10, absolutely will recommend to everyone I meet (to a probably annoying extent). Thank you, NetGalley & Atria.

Beartown is a town in Sweden dominated by hockey. Everyone lives and breathes hockey whether you are a player or not. This story is a sequel to “Beartown”, the first book. In Beartown, a terrible tragedy occurred, affecting everyone in various ways. In this sequel, the residents of the town try to pull together after the tragedy, but end up pulling everyone further apart. The competition between the players in Beartown and those in a nearby town was very fierce. I was moved to tears more than once, particularly for Benji, who was different but yet strong and compassionate and kind and everything you would want your son to be. This was such a beautifully written story, a story of families, of tragedy, of friendships and of love.

5 gut wrenching bang bang stars!!

I fell in love with Beartown last year by Backman and had the highest expectations for Us Against You. Well.. ..my friends I have to tell you... don't worry your pretty little heads because Backman delivers exceptionally well ONCE again.

Backman delivers a raw and beautifully well executed novel that makes you feel vulnerable in ways you can't imagine! Oh my gosh.... I was a sobbing mess with a SEVERE case of goosebumps upon the final page of this book. I will wear a bear on my sleeve eternally <3 <3.

The characters are what MAKES this novel. Backman is truly so talented and how effortlessly he allows his readers to see how complex, raw, and REAL the characters are. This book yet again is so much more then a story about hockey. Love, family, strength, courage, grief, and sadness can bring two worlds that seem miles apart together in an instant.

"Us Against You" is the sequel to Beartown. I would definitely say to read Beartown to get the full background of the characters. I do have to say that it took me awhile to get invested and it felt a little slow ... BUT, how dare I doubt Backman at ALL! Shame on me ;). I can't recommend this book enough... it took my heart and I promise you that it will take your bear heart too!

I'm not going to go into the details of the story since I don't want to give anything away but READ this book!!!!

"How can something that bangs away at us so horribly hard on the inside not show up on the pictures as black scars, scorched into our skeletons?"

"Bang, Bang, Bang."

HUGE thank you to Netgalley and Atria/Simon & Schuster for the advanced arc in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: 6/5/18
Published to GR: 5/6/18.

Love this author! He makes me feel like the characters will walk off the page and tell me a story in person. This book is the second in a series about a hockey town with a broken heart. Cannot wait for number 3.

As expected, Us Against You delivered an excellent storyline from an award winning author. This story extends the Beartown book, which contains the same characters and sometimes tough storylines. I can't recommend this book enough. It gave me a warm, sad, and loving feeling all at once. If you loved Beartown, this novel is a must read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher to give an honest review in exchange for a pre-publication ebook.

”In his final season, on his final night
Buddy and a Finn goon were pegged for a fight
Thirty seconds left, the puck took a roll
And suddenly Buddy had a shot on goal

“The goalie committed, Buddy picked his spot
Twenty years of waiting went into that shot
The fans jumped up, the Finn jumped too
And coldcocked Buddy on his follow through
The big man crumbled but he felt all right
'Cause the last thing he saw
was the flashing red light
He saw that heavenly light
-- Hit Somebody!(The Hockey Song), Songwriters: Warren Zevon / Mitchell David Albom

”It’s going to be someone’s fault”

”Have you ever seen a town fall? Ours did. We’ll end up saying that violence came to Beartown this summer, but that will be a lie, the violence was already here. Because sometimes hating each other is so easy that it seems incomprehensible that we ever do anything else.”

There is no anonymity in Beartown for the people who live there. Everybody knows not only each other’s names, but also what they do, who their parents, or children, bosses, coworkers are, how many generations their families have lived there. They know who is trouble, and those who run the town. There is no hiding their flaws, their secrets, or the secret of who they really are. Not forever, anyway. People are born there, very few move away, but it is even more rare for someone to move to there.

Beartown is Hockey. The lives of those who reside there celebrate this, their lives revolve around it, the games, the practices, it is where they belong. Even the conflict between Beartown and Hed, the neighboring town that views Beartown as being inferior. A case of the haves vs the have-nots, but throw in some politicians with questionable motives and things threaten to become volatile. As the town sees its way of life – hockey - being threatened, as they come to terms with the possibility of their hometown hockey team being disbanded unless something changes, their fears and pain unravel for us to see.

And then, a potential new coach, a surprising choice, surely, and a new team will have to be formed, so many players lost to Hed, already. But will they be able to really form a team, bond together as they will need to do, in order to win?

If you’ve read Backman’s Beartown, then you’re familiar with this town, and most of the people who live there, but some new characters are introduced, as well. Peter and Kira Andersson, their children Maya, 16, and Leo, 12. Benji, who has some secrets to share, and Bobo and Amat, then there’s Ana who is best friends with Maya, and Vidar, who has a short fuse, but also a protective love of his brother, Teemu. The parents are struggling with their own problems and their children’s, and these young people, struggling to figure out who they are under all the expectations of the parents, the school and the town. Maybe they will eventually find out what they’re made of.

This wasn’t the kind of book where I instantly fell into the pages and was Calgon’d away, it crept up on me slowly, stealing a little bit more of my heart away as I read on, but I was still interested, just not living inside the story – yet – but soon enough I was wishing there were more pages ahead. I loved how introspective this was, how we learn the story of this town and the people through their thoughts and feelings, their frustrations, their concerns, the hurt and shame and anger some carry with them. I loved, love, this town and these people, loved their loyalty to this place and when it came down to it, their loyalty to each other. I hurt when they hurt, and rooted them on in their journeys.

”Bang. Bang. Bang-bang-bang.”



Pub Date: 05 JUN 2018


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Atria Books

Another excellent book from Fredrik Backman! This is a sequel to Beartown, picking up shortly after that story ended. Backman writes with such depth and perception about the little things that make a man, emotions and intent, and the things that can change your life in an instant. Beartown is struggling to save their hockey team, and the residents of Beartown all have their own battles as well - to save their marriage, their families, their town, to be a man, to survive. Each story is compelling in it's own right, and together they weave together to tell the story of their town, with hockey at it's center. Foreshadowing is a little heavy in this one, and the pace is rather slow at times, particularly at the beginning, but I loved it anyway - these characters are all so real, and the story is so compelling. It's just another heartbreak waiting to happen, written as no one but Fredrik Backman could write it. Many thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for the e-arc. 4.5 stars!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I discovered Fredrik Backman last year when I recommended his book My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry to my book club and quickly devoured all he had written! His insight into the human condition is uncanny and Us Against You is no exception. This is a follow up to last year’s, Beartown and you definitely must read that one to be able to understand and appreciate this wonderful book of grief, secrets, and redemption. Following closely on the heels of Beartown, a town is left reeling after what happened in the winter. But this hits just keep coming, The local hockey team is to be disbanded and what’s a town to do? Enter, seedy politicians, mysterious supporter, a new hockey coach. But can Beartown and Hed survive the mounting tensions, the not so innocent pranks and all that goes with it? But more importantly, can the families we cared so much for in Beartown survive? If you’re looking for something to make you feel deeply I highly recommended this book!

** spoiler alert ** I really loved Beartown, and it was one of my favorite books of 2017. Beartown was a great stand alone novel, and I was a little anxious about the sequel. Although I enjoyed "Us Against You" and returning to Beartown to some of my favorite characters, this book seemed a little disjointed and anti-climatic to me. It felt very much like a dashed together "middle book" of a trilogy. Finishing the book left me with many questions about where the characters are going, and why they are making the choices they are - Benji especially. After building up to the Hed versus Beartown rematch - you don't find out the final score, and Benji opts not to show. I did not get it. Interesting writing style of Backman to kind of give you a bit, and then explore more within the chapter. Absolutely hated the career politician Richard Theo, and thought that both parents (Peter and Kira) totally ignored their son Leo, despite warnings that he had issues dealing with Maya's rape and his inability to protect her. Disappointed in the manipulative emotional impact and the lack of growth in Peter's character. If there is a third installment, I will read it just to find out what happens to Benji. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Beartown, the precursor to this book and also surprised how little I liked this novel. I felt it didn’t add much to my understanding of the characters and was far too preachy throughout. I just did not care for the narrative perspective and was impatient with the storyline. You really could see how it would all play out. I think Backman should have left those story where it ended in Beartown.

Backman’s characters dig themselves into my heart. It feels so good to love them. He writes the tender moments of love in ordinary lives. There is also pain. The way Kira and Peter grow apart in their grief. The devastating violence and heartbreak the kids suffer. Maya, Ana, Benji, Bobo and Leo. The depth of feeling. Hockey is central to the story but it is the people I will not forget. Bang. Bang. Bang. #usagainstyou #fredrikbackman#netgalley

Old characters reappear and new characters are introduced in this book, the follow-up to last year's phenomenal hit, Beartown. There's drama, marital difficulties, bullying, rivalries, political machinations, and heartbreak. This book may not have the impact of Beartown but fans will have much to enjoy with this new novel. Backman excels at insights into human nature and writing characters that are easy to care for.

The writing is beautiful with excellent character development. Many passages made me pause to savor his words. I didn't really care about the political maneuverings, which slowed the story down for me a bit, and I have a lot of difficulty understanding sports culture/rivalries. Even so, Backman delivers a poignant read that will satisfy his many fans.

* review will post on Amazon on June 5, 2018

The magic continues, as Fredrik Backman pens the second book in the "Beartown" trilogy, "Us Against You." Hockey, the product that brought everyone together in the last book, tears them apart in this one. As a new politician enters the town promising to save the club, the team, even the factory and jobs, his words sound hollow.
"Some people think violence came to Beartown that summer. But they didn't realize the violence was already there." (paraphrasing mine)
Benji thinks he's found love but only to be betrayed by a confused friend. Peter and Kira's marriage is tested beyond the strains of what love and loyalty can hold. Ana and Maya's friendship fall under the same stress. Old characters play bigger roles and new characters emerge to find their fit in this small but volatile town.
All the emotion and wonder Beartown brought us last year is compounded and magnified in "Us Against You."
This is a must read!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books; and most of all to Fredrik Backman

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for an ARC of this sequel to one of my most favorite books of 2017. This is a 4.5 star read. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is I felt the story really didn’t get going until 30 percent in. I was getting a little lost following Richard Theo’s political wheeling and dealing. Otherwise, I believe I enjoyed this book even more than Beartown. The author is masterful at multidimensional characters. Although I would say in this book, I had a harder time feeling engaged in Peter’s character. Overall, highly recommend and of course I can’t wait for the final installment in the trilogy.
30 📚✔️

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read Us Against You, by Fredrick Backman. When I first started reading, I thought it was just another hockey story. Boy, was I fooled and pleasantly surprised. I couldn’t put this book down. Besides the struggles Beartown faces with the possible downfall of their hockey team, the reader is involved with issues of small town life, prejudices, violence, love, family, and character development that will keep the reader pondering for a long time. We cheer the hockey players as they strive to develop character on and off the rink; the families as they start to fall apart, but come together again; and the town, as it is divided on different issues, but comes around to unite and grow strong again. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to Fredrik Backman’s next novel.

If you read Beartown, you will be compelled to read this one. I was not sure if I was ready to re-enter the small northern town of Beartown, to relive the heart-wrenching yet incredibly heroic tale of a culture that turned its back on a vulnerable girl and her family. Yet I also wanted to know...what next? This book picks up at the end of a tragic loss for the Beartown hockey team after a young girl's story of rape sidelines the star, and forces his friends to become heroes or villains. Once again Backman is able to take our hearts and wrap them around his characters: the new female hockey coach who says she only cares about hockey but gives chances to kids who never had them before; the head thug who loves his brother and his hockey team with a purity that defies reason; the two best friends who must re-find how friendship should be defined; the star who is outed, and must find his place in the hockey stadium and the world at large; the mother and father whose life ambitions pull them apart; the politician who is willing to sacrifice them all for power; and the crusty old bartender who holds the town together. As I turned the final page, I felt bereft, as if I had lost a town of friends, people I cheered for, yelled at, shook til their teeth rattled, and ultimately drew into my heart. Yep, I loved this book; I loved it because Backman reminds us that humans are complicated, not perfect, just complicated.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of Us Against You. This is the follow up to Fredrik Backman 's Beartown, something I have been waiting for since reading the last page of Beartown The story begins three months after the end of Beartown following many of the same characters.
Backman begins by saying
We’ll end up saying that violence came to Beartown this summer, but that will be a lie, the violence was already here.
It is a story of love and hate, of who belongs and who is the stranger--who is worthy of love and who is different from us and so can be worthy of our hate.
Backman has an incredible ability to point out how people make choices and how these choices determine the person the character will become :
At some point almost everyone makes a choice. Some of us don’t even notice it happening, most don’t get to plan it in advance, but there’s always a moment when we take one path instead of another, which has consequences for the rest of our lives. It determines the people we will become, in other people’s eyes as well as our own.
Us Against You is the story of these choices. It is a story of hate at times but it is also a love story. There were many times that I cried and almost as many where I laughed out loud. It is a story most of all of family: The chant chosen by the Beartown supporters is '“We’ll stand tall if you stand tall!" And essentially the people of this town are those who are taught that they are 'not the type who let other people down'. In difficult emotional times this can lead to a real roller coaster ride of a story, but it's worth every minute!

I couldn’t wait to get back to these characters that I fell in love with in Beartown and Us Against You did not disappoint. Rarely do I highlight a novel as much as I highlight Backman’s novels. I love how real his characters are and how he can tell a page turning story while at the same time giving me so much to think about.

Where does one begin when it comes to describing an author whose books constantly amaze you to the point you cannot easily put them down for any reason other than an emergency? Fredrik Backman has struck gold with the second book in the Beartown series, Us Against You. After I survived a book daze last year with the series debut, I read another of his works which catapulted Backman into my top 5 of favorite authors. Once I learned he had written a second book in the Beartown series (they are all translated from Swedish) recently, I had to read this next one... and his publisher, Atria, contacted me to see if I was interested. How lucky can a guy get? When I finished it, Backman is now sitting pretty, completely unreachable for a good while, in my top 3 all-time favorite authors.

At first I was a little worried, I must admit. I'm not a big sports fan, and while I loved the first book, could I really become immersed in hockey again? I worked at Madison Square Garden for 10+ years and spent many a night with NY Rangers fans and players. Once I started reading the new book, I also realized the first 15% was a re-hash of the earlier book. It's extremely well-written, so it was easy and smooth, but what did that mean for the rest of the novel? Well that concern quickly disappeared because enter a smooth-talking politician playing games in the background to re-ignite the flames between Hed and Beartown all in the name of getting himself more power. All the earlier characters are back in action, fighting to save the Beartown hockey team, protect Maya AND Kevin (her rapist). What??? What's wrong with people is all I have to say. The words on the pages truly push readers to ask a simple question. Is the attack of one girl worth losing someone who could save an entire town from bankruptcy and possible dismay. Hopefully we all think FIRST about poor Maya, but then you wonder: Do you allow 1 person to keep suffering all in the name of saving the rest? Should the Anderssons just leave Beartown and start over, despite never having done anything wrong? It's questions like this that plague you as you read the book -- yet never ONCE does any character actually ask that. It's all subtle. And I'm not weighing in with my opinion as it's fiction... all meant to transport us to a world of torment and shock.

Enter my favorite character, Benji. He's tragic. He's powerful. He's weak. He's lost. He's yearning for something he can't control. He is trapped between right and wrong. The story focuses on him this time in the same respect as it did Maya last time. While he's not attacked in the same way as she was last time (as he'd kill anyone who tried to hurt him), Benji is abused on so many more levels. But don't worry, he gives back just as much as he gets, and that's why I adore him. He makes mistakes, but he fixes them. He hides, but he's got a plan to emerge more victorious. He loves his sisters and is an honorable man (boy? he's 17/18) we all should respect. But he's gay, and well, you know what that means: Beartown can't support him. Hed will do everything to hurt him. They constantly chant "Fags. Whores. Rapists." Yet deep down, you know they all want to support him. I'm not giving away any spoilers, as we learned he was gay in the first book. I just didn't expect the second to focus on him.

Yet Backman nearly killed me about 2/3 through when disaster happens and I thought for a moment, I can't finish this book. After what he's done to Benji, I'm just done. But I trudged on and I'm so glad I did. I can't think of another author right now who can let me down and build me up so many times in a book... to the point where they could be talking about hockey or pencils and I still feel a passion I rarely feel in life about most things outside of books. I want Beartown to win. I want Peter to get his dignity back. I want the new coach to prove women can be better than men at things. I want it all... and Backman delivers it all -- just never in the way I expect.

Someone loses. A few people actually. And it's harsh. You will cry. You will throw the book. But you will pick it up again because it's become part of you. This must become a movie. I will be the first in line to watch it, and I don't often go to the movies.

There's very little to dislike in this book. You may hate certain characters, but they make you love the story all that much more. You might disagree with a plot line, but it will lead you to the right ending. You may want to strangle a few teenagers, and honestly, it may be okay in this instance. I'm not advocating killing kids, but there are just some people who need to be punished for the things they say or do . (Don't quote me on that!!!)

I'm really left with... PLEASE give us a third book of equal power and humility. I will do anything.