I consider Fredrick Backman one of my favorite authors. He writes like poetry. A Man Called Ove is on my favorite books of all time lists. I adored Beartown. I was awed that a man could write so convincingly about a woman’s reaction to rape. Anxious People was one of my favorite books I read in 2020. But for some reason, I found Winners tedious. I stopped reading it at about 60 %. I don’t why. I found the book to be long and I just wasn’t invested in the characters. It lacked the humor that I enjoyed in Ove and Anxious People. I’m glad that The Winners is the end of a trilogy. I look forward to Mr. Backman’s next book.

"This hurts too much to touch with words."

You're telling me. Whew! Fredrik Backman is such a talented and beautiful writer. I savor his words and observations of life, people, and human emotion. For some silly reason, I always forget what a brilliant writer he is and then I pick up one of his books and I am blown away. Over the course of these books, he has given us characters to fall in love with, to shake our heads at, to cry for and with, to be upset with and to root for both on the ice and off. There are some characters we feel for more than others. The characters are flawed, they are raw, they are beautiful, they feel real, and they all evoke emotion both positive and negative.

Talk about wanting a book to end and wanting a book to end so you learn all that you can. This book picks up two years after Us Against You. The town is still coming to grips with all that has happened in the last two books. People are trying to move on, some have moved on, but the one constant is hockey. The two teams are still rivals and emotions still run hot.

This one left me gutted.

My only issue with the book is its length. It did feel long at times. Having said that, I see myself reading this again - heck I might just start at the beginning with Beartown and read all of the books over again because it's hard to say goodbye.

In the first book we learn about Beartown and the passion for its hockey as well as the generations long rivalry with the neighboring town Hed. We learned about the townspeople and even fell in love with some of them. We can’t understand how a town can put hockey before the words of a young teenage girl. But this is Beartown.if you have read the previous two books in the Beartown series, your heart will already belong to Benji. you will know the boy with the sad eyes and the wild heart. you will know the kind of person he is. As the third and final book of the Beartown series. In the first book we learn about Beartown and its passion for its hockey. And we learn about the generations long rivalry with the neighboring town Hed. Mostly we learn about the people. We fall in love with some of them. We can’t understand how a town can put hockey before the words of a young teenage girl. But this is Beartown.The second book, Us Against You, reminds us of the simple game that hockey is. A couple of sticks, a puck, a goal. How simple hockey is compared to life. Beartown vs Hed, Us against you. A young man’s secret is spread when a young girl’s heart is broken. Violence and shame erupts. People get hurt. Lives change forever. But hockey in Beartown and Hed lives on.A whole lot of pain is packed into this story but we also get glimpses of how some things will work out for a few. How the good parts of Beartown might continue, maybe differently than before and helped by those who you'd least expect to make a good difference. It's going to take me a while to work through this story and let my thoughts and feelings settle but I enjoyed the story even if I wish I could stop some of it from happening.

I was so excited to read part three of this series. I loved "Beartown" and "Us Against You" and all other Backman books I have read.

I enjoyed this one and was glad to get some closure on several storylines. I loved catching up with Maya and Benji and the rest of the crew.

My biggest criticism is that this book is too long and there is too much repetition. We know they towns are mortal enemies and have known this since the first book. It was almost like this missed the final edit. Although the towns dislike each other over a game (hockey) the level of violence/hatred seemed blown out of proportion to me and the conflict became too much of the storyline.

Backman is a brilliant storyteller and the way he wrote the two parallel stories of both girls (and their brothers) was SO well done and so very sad. I kept hoping someone would notice the kid and intervene. That the home owners would see that someone had been in their basement. My heart was broken at the end of this one (no spoilers here) but Alicia ends the book with some hope so that made it bearable.

Would love to give it five stars and may read it again down the road and change my rating. For now it is a four star book because it was long and repetitive at times.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

The final story in the Beartown trilogy is everything you expect from Backman. Love, loss, anger, evil, grief, family, and hope. It’s brilliant and beautiful and you should read it.

A wonderful fulfilling reading experience for Beartown/Fredrick Backman fans. You will remember parts of the first two books you forgot and think through them all over again as the characters develop and wrap up their stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

What do I do with my life now? This is a perfect book and the end of a perfect collection. I laughed and cried in equal measure. I honestly don't know what to do with myself now. I can't possibly pick up another book because this one is demanding a reread already.

The Winners is the final book in the trilogy of Fredrik Backman Beartown series! The story is set in the same familiar Swedish Forest town of Beartown and with almost 700 or so pages, it is quite a ride into the lives of people who we have come to love and cherish from the first two books!

The book opens up to where the story has moved on 2 years but it’s hard for the people to move on. It is such an incredibly written masterpiece that once I was immersed in the storyline, 688 pages just breezed through. I would want to reread this book again to re-live and enjoy the characters and more importantly Fredrik Beckman’s writing!

Thank you Atria books and NetGalley for the gifted galley of this masterpiece that was published on Sept 27, 2022

Absolutely gutted. At the end of Us Against You Backman tells you how this is going to end. He tells you repeatedly throughout this book, but still you read and hope for a different ending, because as he quotes in the book “ This hurts too much to touch with words.”

Backman has such insight into relationships and how they shape us. He delves into that all important topic about privilege and how it’s used and what a difference it can make, not in a negative way, but in a let’s look out for each other kind of way. This trilogy has to be one of the best I’ve read.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Winners by Fredrik Backman.

Oh my heart! This series! Does it really have to end? I want to live in Beartown forever. Not for all of the challenging things that this town has endured, but for it's heart, soul, lungs, and breath. I fell deeply in love with this town.

If you've read Beartown, then you need to read Us Against Them, and if you read that, than it's time to pick this one up! The story continues, and it will continue to absolutely gut you. This hockey town, with it's loyal culture, especially when the chips are down, comes through once again. I'm not going to go into the story, just...bring tissues my friends.

What an excellent conclusion to a great trilogy! I loved catching up with old friends and meeting the new residents. The author has an amazing talent to bring his characters to life, complete with emotions and motivations. Exploring group dynamics and small town interactions reveals the dark underside of life. But, just as happens so often in real life, the goodness and generosity of people also shows itself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Simon & Schuster for the ARC to read and review.

I can not believe the Beartown saga is over 😢 These three books have such a place in my heart. Thank you @atriabooks for the gifted copy of The Winners, by @backmansk Fredrik Backman. This book is available now.

The third and final book, The Winners, is a chunky read, with many characters and sub plots. But Backman works his magic, and everything weaves together to lead to one place, one end point.

We have the continuation of the stories of characters we've come to love - Maya, Benji, Amat, Kira and Peter, and others of course. We have the end of the stories of others, and introductions to newer characters that we don't really know yet - but will alter the course of the plot and the lives of our beloved favorites.

There are some parts that get a bit tedious, such as the parts with Tails and the contracts and reporters. I found myself glossing over some of that, even though it's important...it's just not a plot point that interested me.

Get the tissues ready. That’s all I can say.

I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

I am officially deceased. Fredrik Backman has killed me with his words. The Winners was the gut-wrenching, heart-breaking conclusion to his Beartown trilogy. I don't know how he manages to blend tragedy and hope so seamlessly together, but my red-rimmed, watery eyes were accompanied by a gentle yet undeniable smile as I closed the book.

We have a two year time jump from the end of Us Against You, and our erstwhile characters are reuniting after another death rocks the tightknit community. Old friends reconnect; new alliances are formed; and there's a simmering rage that is about to reach its boiling point. The Winners, like the two books that came before it, is expertly plotted. All the intricacies are woven together brilliantly. Everything--and everyone--in Beartown and the neighboring community of Hed is connected. Red and green. Bears and Bulls. Us and You. Who is the winner when it seems like everyone has lost what matters most?

Backman made me care about hockey, which is a huge feat. But more than that, he made me care for an entire community of broken and flawed humans, trying to carve out a life for themselves in a tiny backwoods town in Sweden. Bravo, Mr. Backman. You are an absolute genius. Your books are treasures that I revisit whenever I need to remember that despite all our flaws, there is hope for humanity yet.

An enormous thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for my advance review copy.

Backman has such a unique way of writing, especially in this series.

This was a lovely final book in the Beartown series. It was wonderful to be back with the town and the community.

The whole time I knew something bad was going to happen. And I was not prepared for it. All the feelings.

All the love to this story and these characters. Loved seeing how everyone’s story evolves and ends.

Pros: My favorite thing about this book was revisiting the characters I first met in Beartown and learned more about in Us Against You. I am not sure Beartown needed to be a series, but I enjoyed reading its sequels. I thought this book might be a slow read because it is over 600 pages, but the short chapters kept the pace moving along.

Cons: The use of foreshadowing throughout the book felt too heavy handed. Although I liked learning about characters’ futures, it sometimes took suspense away from the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Welp. I am not ok. I am a puddle. It’s over. My favorite series is over and that last 8% of the book just broke me. I need a hug.

The Winners is the third book in the Beartown series. The final book. Welp. The story of Maya, Peter, Kira, Amat, Bobo, Tails, Ana, Sune, Mumble, Johnny, Hannah and Benji, of course Benji, in the aftermath of Maya leaving town after the rape, Peter stepping down from the club, Amat and Benji quitting hockey. All while a journalist is investigating the Beartown hockey club While rumors are circulating Hed and Beartown have to merge.
So much happening, so many story lines, so many characters and yet these characters have become family after all these years and their struggles and emotions feel so real. Words cannot describe how this book impacted me. The stories of love, grief, resilience, family, community and friendship. The Backman writing is second to none with such relevant words of wisdom peppered throughout the beautifully crafted storyline. The flawed, relatable and lovable characters make my heart full. Was it too long at 684 pages? Probably. Did I love every minute? Yes. Am I wrecked from it? Most definitely.

When I think about thick books I often get intimidated. This is perhaps the first thick book that I was so excited to see because it meant I got that many more pages with the crew from Beartown.

At the start of the book I was a little bummed it was focused more on the older generation of Beartown and less about the kids, but as it progressed it just meant I was caring more deeply for more characters. The inclusion of Hed was also something that took me some time to appreciate but by the end I had a new appreciation from the former "enemies".

Backman just has a way to make you feel so deeply. To laugh and to tear up alternately throughout. I had tears in my eyes at so many points throughout this one which makes me appreciate the writing so very much. One of the quotes I marked was "This hurts too much to touch with words" which accurately describes my feelings to this series being over.

You most certainly want to read Beartown and Us Against You before jumping into The Winners to get a full appreciation.

Well Fredrik Backman does it again. Here is a man whose characters have such depth, whose pain, isolation, disappointments so palpable you are in lock step with their journeys. The cold and the isolation of an all or nothing hockey town, the rivalry, the individuals that are but commodities, all of it is engrossing and beautifully told. This is a continuation of the stories he first told in BEAR TOWN, but can stand alone. My only regret with THE WINNERS is that I failed to note that it is a PART ONE. So when the book ends in a moment where the community is bubbling with change- and the possibility that the hockey clubs become one, it ends. I wasn't expecting that and am hopeful that PART TWO will come out quickly.

If you enjoy broad novels set in a cold dark environment with several characters, The Winners is for you. If you are a hockey fan and have read Beartown, you will have trouble putting down this book.
At 688 pages, Bachman does not spare any details. The novel does occasionally get bogged down by detailed explanations of the characters behavior, rather than letting the action move the story.
The last chapter provides a thorough recap of all the characters, and stays true to their nature.

I have loved this series since Beartown was first published and am now heartbroken that this beautiful trilogy has come to a close. However, I think Fredrik Backman did the best possible job wrapping up the stories of all of our beloved residents of Beartown and Hed.

My one critique- this third installment was about 100 pages too long, which unfortunately made the pacing of the book a bit of a struggle. However, it did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Initially, I was confused by the introduction of new characters when there are already so many to keep track of. However, the way Backman wove them into the story ultimately made so much sense. I truly feel like their involvement added another layer of depth to the overall experience.

This story is not for the faint of heart. The emotional turmoil (yes I know it sounds dramatic but JUST YOU WAIT) I felt after finishing was intense. How these fictional characters have meant the world to me is a testament to Backman’s beautiful storytelling. 5 stars- I will never fully recover after reading this series and will sing it’s praises to all who will listen!