Long anticipated follow third book in the Beartown series did not disappoint. Dives into the action with a freak windstorm impacting the towns, told through multiple key character’s perspectives. Can Hed and Beartown survive this disaster?

While I acknowledge his appeal, this didn't do it for me .. the chummy voice, and perhaps that is a late book in the series put me off. Not for me ..

It’s hard to express the wonderful feelings that I have towards this series. I think each new book has made me feel so many emotions, that I truly feel like I am part of the story. The way that Fredrik Backman writes is basically incomparable. There is so much heart and truth thrown into his storytelling that I feel everything that these characters go through. I yearn for more and more.

We are the Bears! The Bears of the Beartown!

Fredrick Backman drew his epic conclusion to the Beartown trilogy with The Winners. I found myself satisfied, although sad, with The Winners. I'm sad to see the end of the stories of these characters I've grown to love over three novels. There are some new characters that are introduced in The Winners, but they help to draw the narration of the conclusion of the story.

My only complaint about The Winners is that I found the last portion of the novel very redundant where Backman is talking about the future of the characters. I know that is something Backman does fairly often in his writing style, but it got overly taxing in this portion of the novel. Regardless of that minor complain I still loved this story and the conclusion to his tale of Beartown.

Beartown is struggling to recover from past events. While everyone is desperately trying to move forward things are happening that will link past incidents with the present. Current circumstances will eventually bring a conclusion to the hateful and hurtful affairs that have threatened the families and the communities of both Beartown and Hed.

This third book in the series brings back many of the characters from the previous books. Peter struggles with his decision to leave hockey. Maya suffers from the memories of her rape but returns to Beartown. Amat must face his failed hockey career and reach for a new future. Benji is haunted by his past in Beartown but in spite of it returns for a funeral.

In addition to the familiar characters from the past books, many new characters populate the pages of this book. A few of the newcomers who play an important role in the book’s plot are Hed residents Hannah and Johnny and their daughter Tess, as well as, their sons who play hockey.

Things are topsy turvy in this book. Beartown has come out on top while Hed is struggling for success. And now the council wants to merge the two teams into one. Even the mention of such a venture is certain to lead to turmoil and increased animosity leaving the people in both towns on the verge of violence and chaos.

As the story progresses the plot is augmented with more than hockey. Corruption, politics, scheming, dysfunctional family life, tragedy and loss, and more. All of this follows on the heals of a considerably large winter storm.

Backman ends this trilogy by once again immersing the reader into the lives of the residents of the two hockey towns. He immediately captures the interest of his readers with his engaging storytelling style and his beloved characters, and then, continues to hold them captive in the snow laden forest until the very conclusion of the tale.

This review is written courtesy of the ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Atria Books.

Is there anything Backman writes that isn't pure perfection? The Beartown series made me ball my eyes out. I felt so close to the characters and I grieved with them and loved with them and lost with them.

This third book was equally heavy to all the other ones, and the ending just shattered me in the most beautiful way. Backman gave me all the closure that I needed. Highly recommend!

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I just cannot get enough of books by @backmansk . The Winners is the third book in the series about the Beartown. This series is full of heartbreak, love and second chances. In this installment, everyone returns to Beartown following a storm to say good-bye to someone they have a connection. It tackles issues of mental health and addiction that we see in the other books. Everyone has imperfections, but it’s amazing how they all blend together to become one powerful community

The way Backman writes is poetic and thought provoking. Just with you think you might hate a character, you love them. You feel the heartbreak from each of the characters and the connections. I wasn’t ready for the end of this series.

5 Stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #atriabooks #thewinners #fredrikbackman #ltbreaderteam

Backman's writing is heartfelt and evocative, perfectly capturing the emotions and struggles of the characters. The character development is excellent and I found myself fully invested in their journeys. The supporting characters are equally well-written and add depth to the story.

One of the standout aspects of "The Winners" is the way it tackles issues of mental health, addiction, and the power of community in a nuanced and thoughtful manner. The themes of the novel are universal and timeless, making for a poignant and thought-provoking reading experience.

Overall, "The Winners" is a beautifully written and emotionally satisfying novel that I highly recommend.

What a great end to our Bear Town trilogy. Picking up with the aftermath of the rape and dissecting the turmoil and aftermath, will Bear Town hockey ever recover? Will its people?

And what about their rivals? Will both hockey teams survive?

This book had all the feelings and definitely covers what happens to our heroes. How will this motley crew come together ; how will their
Stories end or continue—-how will they coexist?

Unbelievable ending. Enjoy and feel!

Thank you for this ARC NetGalley and Atria books ❤️

This is the third and final book in the Beartown series. I am am sad to be done. You do need to read the others in the series for this to make sense.

This book was amazing and heartbreaking. I wasn’t ready for it to be over, but it ended well. I loved this series more than I ever thought I would. You don’t have to enjoy hockey to love this book. This book has way more to it than hockey. I loved the characters in this book, I felt like I really go to know them as the story went on, and had to remind myself they aren’t real people. If you haven’t read this series yet, I highly recommend it!

Fredrik Backman ends his Beartown trilogy with The Winners. A storm threatens, and the impact ripples through the two towns; a truce has been intact but is threatened, and violence simmers at regular turns. Hockey appears to be the focus, but there's more underneath. Who has power? Who has control? Who is allowed to orchestrate the decisions? Who are the scapegoats? Who gets to escape for a new, different future of their own choosing?

Backman is a genius at nuanced repetition, cleverly building insight and revealing more history with each instance. Everyone is an imperfect version of themselves -- there are no saints, no villains, all simply a blend of the range of human nature. Do we succumb to temptation, wither within ourselves, seek help, give of ourselves, allow others to see past our carefully curated persona?

Backman writes beautifully and has his pulse on the core of human nature, and readers can't help but be drawn into the world of his characters and root for these beautiful, imperfect people.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

What an absolute piece of ART the Beartown series is. Fredrik Backman has given us a story so powerful with characters that are going to endure the test of time. I want to see more books like Beartown being taught in classrooms. The character development, the amazing nuggets of wisdom, the setting. . . .everything is absolutely top-notch. Is this final installment about 200 pages too long? Yes, but I will always forgive Backman for writing a little too much!

If you go into this one, be prepared for a bit of a beginning that drags, but that's a little par for the course with these books. However, it will still be one of your favorite of the year.

RATING 🔽
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫/5

I absolutely loved the first two books in the series. Reading the last in the series was a wonderful check-in with friends and maybe some not so loved members of the community. But as always, there are bumps in the road of life to be crossed and passed. But I love these people of Beartown and how they care for each other even in unexpected ways. I also love the voice the Bachman used to write the books. I will forever recommend this series to everyone!

Fredrik Backman has become an author I truly enjoy, and The Winners is another wonderful book. It was wonderful to see the characters of the Beartown series again.

This wasn’t my favorite from Backman unfortunately. I couldn’t get into this trilogy as much as I wanted to. I look forward to his next book though!

I took so long to read this book because I didn’t want the series to end. Backman is a genius. The way you feel connected to each and every character from Beartown and Hed is like no other writer can do. Highly recommend this 3 book series to ANYONE, even if you don’t like or know anything about hockey!

Loved this so damn much. Backman can do no wrong. I am so sad that this series is over but this book did it justice!

There aren't enough stars for this book or this series. I cannot believe how much I came to care about these characters and a sport I don't even enjoy. Backman's writing is perfection and this was an emotional and beautiful way to end a truly special series. I have no doubt this will end up one one of my top three books of 2022.

Thanks to Atria books for the copy to review.

—t h e w i n n e r s— ⁣
whats your go-to sport to watch? ⁣
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The Winners, the final book in the Beartown trilogy, was at the tippity top of my TBR list for 2022. I am so glad I got a chance to read it. It nicely completed the moving stories of all my Beartown faves. That said, the book took a while to get into and added some interesting but sometimes slightly unnecessary characters and plot lines. But it was a treat to revisit this town, revel in their lives, and close the series. ⁣
—⁣
Like all his books, Backman’s writing is profound, wry, and clever- delivering punch after punch. I would read a million more pages about Beartown. ⁣
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I am grateful to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the copy! I had to get it on audio too because Beartown isn’t Beartown to me without Marin Ireland! ⁣
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#bookreview #netgalleyreview #books #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #booksaremagic #littlebooknook📚

I love Fredrik Backman and have read everything he has written!! I loved “Beartown” and enjoyed it immensely, I thought it was a complete book on its own. Then I read “Us Against You'' and it was just alright for me, there were some new highlights and I was good with it.

When I saw that Mr. Backman had a third book out, of course I grabbed it. I wish I would have checked the length of the book first, at 688 pages this is a LOT of book to get through.

It took me a while to catch my breath in the end, to absorb all that happened in this third and final book of the Beartown series. If you are a fan of the first two books, I suspect you will want to know what happened now that two years have passed since what happened to Maya, what happened in this town, to these families, to these characters - Benji, Ana, Ramona, Maya, Bobo, Peter, Amat, Sune and others and you will welcome the new characters. I had to know and for me this is the best of the three.

d I’m not even a hockey fan, but these stories are about so much more than hockey . These stories are about family, friendships, community, about people’s flaws and strengths. They are about tragedies, about loss, about the ties that bind people during hard times, about tough politics, about some bad actors, too . They are a slice of life in small Swedish towns, near the forest, where hockey reigns and shapes daily life. But the things that happen here can happen anywhere - drugs, alcohol , deaths, rape and sexual violence, dysfunctional families, troubled marriages. This is not an easy book to read. I was gutted at times. Thankfully, there are genuine friendships, and love and even though that doesn’t erase the pain, it somehow makes it a little easier to bear.

I can’t say that the book was perfect. The parts about the corruption, the politics, the sponsors, the schemes to save the teams, the towns was a bit much at times and honestly confusing. Having said that, the strength of this story lies in Backman’s keen observation of human nature, his empathy for the human condition and in creating characters that I loved. I was grateful to know what happens to them and how their lives will be in the future. I didn’t realize how much I missed these characters until I started reading this book . Now that the Beartown trilogy has ended I miss them even more. It’s hard to say goodbye to characters that you love, but it won’t be goodbye because they will be with me for a long time. That in itself is worthy of all the stars.