The Winners is a beautifully written conclusion to the Beartown series. Fredrick Backman is a very talented storyteller. While tackling difficult topics he leads us back into the lives of his characters. I really enjoyed this book, and even though quite lengthy there were no wasted words.

I dreaded reading the final book in the Beartown trilogy, not willing to say goodbye to the characters and the small town on the edge of the dark forest. For better or worse, they had become friends and frenemies. I tried to read slowly, to savor each line and each page, but the characters wouldn't wait. Thank you, Fredrik Backman, for an absolutely perfect farewell. Readers will not be disappointed.

I received a temporary digital advanced copy of The Winners by Fredrik Backman from NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A funeral brings the Beartown community back together, but because it is Beartown and the beginning of hockey season, naturally everything will fall apart again.

I found the third installment of Backman's Beartown series extremely difficult to rate. I loved parts of it and could barely read others. What I loved--the growth of Maya, Ana, Benji, Amat, Bobo, and Big City's friendship. I wish there was more of these moments than anything else. The dialog between the friends led me to laugh-out-loud more than once. Alicia, I loved her persistence, innocence, and love for her Beartown hockey family. What I could not stand--the repetition. This is a huge problem. If the editors cut 300+ pages of The Winners, they would 1. Still have a 300+ page book and 2. The reader wouldn't experience what some reviewers are calling Beartown Burnout or Beartown Boredom. I found reading the same sentences from the first and second book dozens of times was absolutely infuriating, hence the three stars. If Backman solely focused on writing a continuation of the series rather than repeating thought, feeling, and action of the characters and of hockey itself, I could have easily given The Winners five stars, but alas, here we are...

This is a nice conclusion to the trilogy. It took a little while to get going, but had all the classic Backman emotion at the end. I found the final 40% to be the most gripping, the first 60% was a lot of review and build up. The review was needed, but it took too long and meandered a bit too much.

These series has been incredible. I am not a huge hockey fan but this book was about much more than the sport. I loved the characters and the narrative. Just a win-win book!!!!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I love the Beartown series as many do. It's a series I will gift to friends and family. I just want to share the beauty of Fredrik Bachman with as many people as I can. Not just this series but all his books.

This third in the series was everything I wanted it to be and more.

I finished 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙒𝙄𝙉𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙎 weeks ago, but have struggled to gather my thoughts into any semblance of coherence. The final installment of Fredrik Backman’s 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 trilogy was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year, and with two caveats, it did not disappoint.⁣
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𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 takes place two and a half years after 𝘜𝘴 𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 ends. In that time the balance of power has shifted. Beartown is excelling both on and off the ice, as Hed is in rapid decline. It begins with a massive storm that cripples both towns, and puts them further at odds. Over the ensuing two weeks, Backman brings back the most beloved characters from the previous novels and introduces us to a few new ones to love. ⁣
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I reveled getting back into Backman’s writing. He’s still a master of foreshadowing, drawing you deeper and deeper into the story. He also writes about family and relationships with a wisdom and authenticity unrivaled among today’s authors. And, dang! He knows how to pull at your heartstrings.⁣
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Now for the caveats. First, the vitriol and just plain hatred between the rival towns, especially in the beginning, almost made me stop reading. (Though I’m glad I didn’t.) Next, at 680 pages, I think the book was too long. I could have done with fewer political, legal and financial parts which really slowed the story. A lot of repetition from the previous books added to the length and could have been cut. I think it would have been a stronger book at 500 pages.⁣
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Still, what I liked was much greater than what I didn't. It’s wise to keep in mind that 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 is not a book about hockey, but instead one about love in many forms, and nobody does that better than Backman. Any book that can make me cry like a baby has to have a lot going for it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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Thanks to @atriabooks for an ARC of #TheWinners which releases on 9/27.

4.5 stars!

Backman is my favorite author and this is my most anticipated book of the entire year.Benji is one of my favorite characters in literary history and I just adore all of the characters in Beartown/Us Against You - Peter, Kira, Maya, Amat, Bobo, Ana, Ramona, and Zackell. I was desperate to find out what happens to Benji's character and his searing foreshadowing/prophecy. I recently reread Beartown and Us Against You in preparation for The Winners and love this series and this community so much. Fredrik's writing constantly has me sobbing, feeling so much joy for his characters, empathizing with their pain, and I feel very passionate about where they are in their journeys.

I read the first two chapters, sobbed, had to put it down for awhile, and then plowed through this 800 pager. I love so many of these characters and loved being part of their world one more time. I only knocked it down half a star because politics was such a major focus and the addition of a couple newer characters took away from older favorites. I also would have loved a tiny bit more glimpses into where characters ended up in the future but I know that is just wishful thinking

A few especially wonderful scenesI loved:Very sweet scenes with Benji and Maya and their friendship.Benji, Bobo, Amat, and Mumble skating together one more time.
Loved seeing Bobo and his developing relationship!
Zackell and her insight into the characters and hockey. 
Benji and Alicia's best friend relationship!

Backman is an incredible story teller and captures so much so well and articulates it in a highly profound way - motherhood, loss, friendship, marriage, connecting with your kids. I adored some of the new characters in this final chapter and loved how they weaved in with our other favorites. I was absolutely sobbing in the final chapters and moments with this group

Hands down my favorite series of all time!

The "Beartown" series is one of my all-time favorites, and this newest addition holds up just as well as the other two. We get to catch up with our old friends Peter, Kira, Benji, Sune, Alicia, Ramona, Maya, Ana, Bobo, and so many others plus new, just as lovable characters.

This book at times made my heart soar, and at other times broke it into a million pieces. Backman's writing is as beautiful as ever, and as per usual with his work, I felt all of the emotions and came out feeling like a better person because of it.

5 enthusiastic stars.

I love every book by Frederik Backman and the Beartown series has been so influential.

That being said, I wonder if this book was one too many; while I devoured the other two in this series, I found this one really hard to get into. It may have been that I wasn’t ready to read it and need to try it again another time, but this book just wasn’t for me.

I can’t wait for the next book by Backman, he always develops such interesting characters and original storylines.

Backman has a way of writing characters that live in your mind forever and this title is no different. The vulnerability and strength of the characters. Just bravo.

This was a difficult book for me to read, (I read more and more slowly as the book progressed) as Backman kept forewarning us of the death of a beloved character. Beautifully written, as all of his novels, with rich characters and strong sense of place. In many ways, I felt that this was a novel of redemption, as characters returned to their hometown and, in many cases, their core beliefs. While i felt bereft, the ending nevertheless was hopeful for the future of the two towns and the assembled characters. Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read the eARC..

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an advanced copy of this novel. I have loved the Beartown series since I read Book 1 in 2020. I was hooked from the start. Fredrik Backman writes in a way that the reader feels they are on the ice with the hockey players, with them during school and work, and through it all. The Winners is an incredible final novel in the three book series. You reconnect with beloved characters from the earlier books and meet new characters too. But the most clever part of Book 3 is how Backman plays with time. He effortlessly weaves the past, present and future into the narrative in an easy to understand way for the reader. This allows the reader to get snapshots of what life will be like for the characters long after the book ends but also foreshadows things to come. This book is long so it did take me a few days to read but do not let the length scare you away. This is by far my favorite book series and one that I continue to recommend when friends ask what they should read when they are in a book slump. I am so grateful to Fredrick for giving us these characters and for telling their stories in such a powerful and empathic way.

This is the book everyone in the world should read. It’s life as it is. Corrupt and the results of that corruption. It’s about hatred and love. And a little about hockey. Amazing.

This is less about the hockey but about the love of community and family. It’s very long and a lot of stuff could have been cut but still an amazing book about the love of community and the love of family. What families will do to make sure all are safe and successful. That family isn’t always biological

Another winner from Backman. I knew this would be good, but man did I enjoy it. Probably my favorite of the three Beartown books. I just LOVE Backman's writing and this book was no exception.

The Winners is the third and final book in the Beartown trilogy.

A terrible storm hits both Beartown and Hed, causing the destruction of Hed's hockey rink. Those in charge of the Beartown hockey rink, offer to let the Hed teams practice at their rink. Of course, the town of Hed takes this as an insult. When a beloved barkeep dies during the storm, her loved ones come together for the funeral. This includes Maya, who went off to music college, Benji, who left town broken, and Amat, the former NHL hopeful who returned a humiliated recluse.

A journalist tries to get to the bottom of corruption within the hockey board of directors, a couple tries to save their marriage, and an angry young boy wants to avenge his sister's death. Will these two towns come together to save their beloved hockey?

Both towns in this series are filled with interesting and unforgettable characters.

I enjoyed how Mr. Backman brought all of the unfinished pieces together in this satisfying read. Let's just say I'll be first in line to buy any of his books.

So first off, I love all of Fredrik Bachman's books. This one was no different. It evokes all the emotions and by the end, I had to sit with what I had just read. The Winners, like with most of Frederik Bachman's books, takes an inherently difficult and sad topic and somehow manages to turn it into a story of hope. There are a lot of topics addressed in this book including corruption, murder, depression, alcoholism, rape, and death. It is a lot to get through and some of it does feel a little unnecessary. But, somehow it doesn't matter, because by the end of the book all I can remember are the feelings and the characters. Contemporary fiction is not my genre of choice, but I am always waiting for the next Fredrik Bachman book and haven't yet been disappointed.

The Beartown series culminates with The Winners. This book made me laugh, think, gasp and cry…good grief the tears I cried during the final chapters.

Two years after Maya and Benji leave Beartown in search of healing, they are drawn back after a death. The find the town both the same and different. For the last time the young characters in the town spend time reminiscing and working out what’s next in their lives.

But violence is never far from Beartown. This time the violence comes from new sources and forever changes the characters and community.

I love how Fredrick Bachman creates this community. It makes me feel as if I am part of it even though I am thousands of miles away. I was totally invested in all the characters and storylines. I wept like my friends had been hurt. Like my family was torn to bits. The Winners is a wonderful finally to this trilogy.

The whole Beartown series is amazing, and this did not disappoint! In my opinion, Backman can do no wrong! Definitely read the first two books in the series before you read this one.

Thanks to Atria Books for the copy of this ARC.

"This hurts too much to touch with words."

The Winners is an absolutely beautiful finale to the Beartown series. I read the first two chapters, cried, and put the book down for months. I wasn't ready. I finally picked this back up and savored it slowly, drinking in all the emotions and laughing at all the moments with the characters I've grown to love so much, while anxiety sat in the back of my mind with the ominous foreshadowing of events to come. Backman is such a careful crafter of words - even in this almost-700-page book, I highlighted so many moments about motherhood, marriage, parenting, love, loss and friendship. It's a book about hockey, but it's so much more than hockey. The interconnectedness of all the characters and events was pure beauty, and I cried in the end as the story culminated and Backman ended our time in Beartown. This will remain one of my favorite series, and I highly recommend it if you haven't had the chance to visit.