The Winners is the third book in the Beartown series. I’d recommend reading the other two books and then read this one as there are several points that refer back to the other two books. The Winners explores social class, community, politics, and family. The book is a little under 700 pages and it took me almost a month to finish. I loved this book and it was a five star read. However, read this book with care. The author discusses a lot of heavy subjects: rape, alcoholism, abuse, suicide, gun violence, death, and so many other subjects. There were quite a few times I had to stop reading because it spurred all sorts of emotions. In terms of the writing style, this is a very character driven book. Sometimes it will feel like a slow build or it will feel repetitive in writing, but this all serves a purpose in the story flow. I really liked the multiple subplots going in within the community and the introduction to new characters interacting with beloved characters from the previous books. For those who love the Beartown series will really enjoy The Winners.

Backman has a way of examining the human condition, showing that it's not always about what happens but the journey there, how everyone is connected and how individual actions by one can have such an impact on others. I wanted so desperately to get my hands on this book for so long, not realizing how unprepared I was for the trilogy to end. Early on I began to see where the story was going, the whole way through I kept hoping I would be wrong. After finishing, I've found myself in mourning, not just from the losses in the book, but for the end of the trilogy and that there will be no more installments of this small forest town. Backman does a beautiful job of wrapping up all loose ends and leaves the reader feeling as if they have lived in Beartown and truly know these characters.

I’ve looked forward to reading “The Winners” since I first read Beartown in 2018. After falling in love with Benji, Maya, Amat, Ana, and Bobo, I steeled myself for the final chapter in this haunting and uplifting saga.

I knew going into this story that we would lose many of the characters that are dear to us, and boy did I shed some tears. But through the introduction of some new characters, readers gain even deeper understanding of the lives in Beartown and Hed. I really liked the additional storylines that Backman brought in, and I think he did a fine job of delivering a satisfying and heartbreaking end to this series.

This is the concluding book of a trilogy, and a very tough review for me to write. Once again we revisit the HED/BEARTOWN hockey rivalry in the small forest towns of northern Sweden. Hockey dominates,and with that as the background we get the things that Backman excels in-family, tragedies, loyalties, good and bad marriages, -in short everything that makes us human, whether in 2 small towns or anywhere in the world. Very few authors are better at describing and very few authors do it better. You will laugh, and cry along with the characters.
Having said that, the book is way too long, and even for anyone unfamiliar with the characters and events in the first two books, just too repetitious . In addition, the long complicated descriptions of the politics, the money laundering and the legal ramifications of such were just too complex and to me almost irrelevant to the main storyline.
So all in all a tough book to rate. There are sections you will read and reread, they are so cogent, and others you will just slog through. I’m glad I read it, if for no other reason to find out what happens to the characters in the first two books.

What a perfect conclusion to this trilogy!

Backman takes us back to Beartown, back to Hed., into the world of hockey rivalries, tragic secrets, love, and loss. He does not get in a hurry with this tale; be patient and the reward is great.

All of the familiar characters are here: Maya, Amat, Benji, Peter and Kira. There are some new faces, too. Backman weaves his story slowly and carefully, prodding and exploring every thought and nuance and when the big fight comes at the rink, as you know it will, we are there, hearing every sound, seeing every hit.

Well done! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The first half felt very slow and took me a long time to get through. I think this was because of so many story lines jumping back and forth (This shouldn’t have surprised me because I’ve read a lot of Backman’s books). Then I got halfway through and couldn’t put it down. Backman develops characters so well which is why the start felt so slow/disconnected. But all of that was necessary to understand the depth of the second half. I laughed out loud and also cried. Backman has a way of capturing your heart! This felt like great closure to this series and I loved it.

Fredrick Backman is one of my favorite authors and this book does not disappoint! The Beartown saga continues in this third book (which could be a standalone) so don’t be intimidated if you haven’t read the first two in the series. Hockey is everything in Beartown and its chief rival, Hed, which is a nearby town. The children, the adults, the politicians, and the businessman are all involved in hockey, and wheeling and dealing and scheming, each in their own way, legal or not. This gives rise to a sub plot that is in the background throughout the book about one of the characters that comes to a culmination at the end and helps to keep your interest throughout. The only caveat for me was the inclusion of some contractual finagling and underhandedness that bog things down for a minute. I feel the book would have done just as well if that part were left out. Nevertheless, I loved the book and gladly give it a five star rating. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

This book is THE ALL TIME WINNER!

Fredrik Backman ruined every book for me by creating this extra ordinary masterpiece that left me speechless ! This is dreamy reading journey for the bookworms who get used to lose themselves inside a well written story.

This book shattered me. It woken so many different feelings of me that I didn’t know I had them. But one thing I’m so sure: I haven’t cried so hard for a long time! Those characters Backman created will hold a special place in my heart forever!

Now I’ll compare the other books with “We are winners”and hardly enjoy any of them! I don’t have enough words to tell how much I love this book!

I was surprised when I found out third book of Beartown series was coming up! I thought all my favorite characters’ stories concluded including Peter, Ramona, Maya, Anna, Benji, Amat, Bobo, Kira… I couldn’t get so wrong!

There was more to tell! Especially that ominous opening informing us something extremely ominous will rip our hearts apart ! I just read the words ! And I started to scream: “No!!!” Those words are about the fate of one of my favorite characters in this book. Tears already started to drip down! My fists clenched! This is shocking! This is sad! But I couldn’t stop reading! I owed to my favorite characters to go on!

I kept reading because this book is not only about losses, grief, it’s about power of darkness! How it takes control of ordinary people, how the grudge, anger force people do things beyond their control. It’s about: good people can be capable of great evil and evil people can be capable of great good.

This book is about corruption, abuse, rape, politics, power, money, hypocrisy, pure rage! It’s also about eternal flame of friendship. It’s about doing wrong things to do the right thing. It’s about love. It’s about parenthood. It’s about the community. It’s about hockey. It’s about second chances. But mostly this book is about forgiveness, paying your dues, embracing your community, your family, your loved ones!

We think it was chivalry move that Peter has made by leaving his position at hockey club to work with his wife Kira. We couldn’t be so wrong! Peter struggles. Peter bakes breads to feed the emptiness growing inside of him. Peter misses to be someone. He misses the plays. He misses to be the manager. He even misses to be a father after Maya left the house.
Kira struggles, too… She works more, she has financial problems, she keeps secrets from her husband.
We thought Maya saved her soul with her music. Yes, she left the town two years ago. Just like her rapist left. Leaving town and memories behind to find a new home, studying music don’t fix Maya! She still suffers, she still lives that haunted night, she feels the pain Kevin gave her over and over again.

We thought Amat was over the moon after being the star of hockey team. Nope! He’s suffering. There are rumors that he failed at NFL meetings, he’s faking his injury and he is not gonna be a member of team any more. He’s an useless drunk who is hating himself.

And Benji… he left the town for good like Maya did. But is he having time of his life? He escaped to Asia because Asian people weren’t interested in hockey. So he aimed to be a nobody, getting skinnier, running away from attachments, drifting apart.

Bobo became assistant coach, still get his hopes up for Amat’s returning to the rinks, trying to allure a Hed girl with his cooking skills.

There are new characters we’re introduced :midwife Hannah, her idiot, emotional fireman husband Johnny, their daughter Tess, their hockey player sons Ted, Tobias, Ture. We also meet trash bandit Lev: a con man dancing in the thin line between good and evil, Matteo: 14 years old broken boy, who is missing his sister. And seven years old Alicia is taken away from her abusive parents, dreaming of being an aspiring hockey player.

All of those new characters are extremely important for the entire execution of the story.
So you just go with the flow and read their stories slowly, concentrating on the details and empathize with their predicaments just like you did for your favorite characters you’ve known from the previous books.

So many things have changed during two years.
Only thing didn’t change is lifelong rivalry and hostility between Beartown and Hed.

The main thing that has changed is the financial balance between the teams. Beartown is the winner now! It was on the brink of collapse when a stubborn local business tried to save it with more money and new sponsors with the help of an opportunist politician. And Hed’s coach signed for a larger club, taking his best players with him. Now Beartown is stronger with the unconventional methods of Coach Zackell. As Beartown rises from its ashes, Hed is on the brink of financial collapse.

Then the storm came…Anna; crazy, relentless, brave forest girl drives her father’s car to help a midwife from Hed to save a woman who is giving birth, stuck in the forest in the middle of the storm that terrorized the townies! But this is just the beginning of the chaos! After the storm, a funeral changes entire balances in Beartown.

The council wants to close both teams and merge them into new one! A reporter snicks around to write about the corruption of Beartown Hockey! And she already chose her scapegoat! Someone we love. Someone who doesn’t deserve it!

The tension builds… The animosity between Hed and Beartown escalates as hooliganism and violence beat the fair game. Trash bandits are all set to fight with black jackets!

But those problems are least of both of townies’ worries. Because the darkness is coming out to threaten the peace they’d hardly built over the years. When the tragedy hit their homes, nothing will ever be the same!

Dear Backman saved the best for last! I tried to read as slow as possible because I didn’t want to say goodbye to those amazing characters! I think it’s not only the best book of the series, it’s also his best work and it’s also guaranteed its place at my all time top five reads! It’s not fair to rate this book with five stars! It deserves at least fifteen gazillion stars!

Millions of thanks to Ariele Fredman, NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this AMAZING digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

5 ⭐️ for the Winners

Pages: 688 (book 3/3)
Pace: steady
Genre: contemporary fiction
Pub day: Sept 27, 2022

Themes: team mentality, community, family, heroism, giving back, hate that drives violence, breaking the cycle, fighting for change, redemption, forgiveness, loss

My thoughts: this is the third book in the Beartown trilogy, and if you know me at all, you know that Beartown is one of my favorite books EVER. We’re talking top 10 here, people. So needless to say, I was emotional when I received the advance reader’s edition of this book. I was both honored to have the opportunity to read the finale of one of my favorite series, and sad to see it end. And the emotion didn’t end there—I was an emotional wreck throughout this entire book. Nobody writes human beings like Backman. Nobody captures feelings and society and relationships like him. I highlighted so many quotes, embarrassed myself by ugly crying on the airplane while reading, and was absolutely blown away. If you haven’t already read Beartown, and the sequel, do it NOW! You don’t want to miss the third and final book when it publishes this September.

Who should read: fans of Beartown, 13 Reasons Why, Night Swim, Firekeeper’s Daughter, Nineteen Minutes

Thank you @atriabooks for this advance reader’s edition in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolutely epic novel/series! The Winner is the 3rd and final installment in the Beartown series and I couldn’t have ever imagined how brilliantly Fredrik Backman would round out this journey! I am blown away how fantastic the storyline is and how eloquently it’s conveyed—so many beautiful and memorable quotes throughout this gem! Fredrik has always masterfully written characters and their complex emotions and this series is the perfect example of exactly that! It’s been a long time since I felt so emotionally invested in a series and I know that these characters will stay with me! The Winner is a 5++++ star read that will be one of my top books for 2022! If you have not gotten a chance to dive into this series, I highly recommend you put it at the very top of your reading list! I want to send my sincerest gratitude to Fredrik Backman for giving us such a phenomenal series—truly one of my favorites ever!

Thank you for the opportunity to review The Winners (part of the Beartown series) by Fredrik Backman. I'm not even sure where to start- I was THRILLED to be able to review this arc as the Beartown series is one of my favorites of recent years. Backman, to put it lightly, does not disappoint. This is an excellent addition- well written, compelling, and hard to put down. A solid five stars.

I'm going to be honest here. I didn't know there was going to be a third Beartown book. I was disappointed that the author's next book was another Beartown book. I ADORE Backman's books, but the Beartown series is my least favorite. I don't like hockey in any way. Yes, I'm aware that these books are more than hockey, but still...I was annoyed.

I kind of didn't want to read this one, but felt obligated because 1) It's Fredrik Backman, and 2) the publisher sent me a copy without me even asking for it, so I chose to buckle down. I was waffling back and forth about finishing it until about 75% of the way in (yes, really. It didn't fully grab me until the last quarter.) Here's my pros and cons list (spoiler free)

Pros:
I adore Ana. Did from the first book. She's hilarious and loyal and the kind of person I would want on my side. I adore her and Maya's friendship. So it was nice to see them together again.

Backman really seems to get women and why it's really hard to be one, particularly in a sports town.

The setting is as gorgeous as always. I really felt like I was there in the storm that opens the book.

Backman's writing is gorgeous. Always.

Cons:
WAY. TOO. LONG. Seriously, this book could have lost half of itself and it would have been even more compelling than it was.

Did you know that Hed and Beartown hate each other? No? Don't worry, it will get shoved in your face about a thousand times.

The plotline about the corruption and the council and politicians and Tails felt unnecessary, confusing, and didn't seem to add anything to the story.

In summary, if you liked the first two, you'll like this one. I liked the first, was meh about the second, was mostly ok with this one, but I'm glad the trilogy is over.

This is a good book! I did not know this third book was in the works and based on my love of the first two books I did not want to rush through so did all I could to drag out the reading experience and fully savour the old characters and the new.

In preparation for reading this book I re-read Beartown and Us Against You. The magic of the two books held up and prepared me for the emotional journey ahead. Backman adds several new characters that keep the story fresh and evolving while continuing with the lives and loves of those from the first two books. There is a great deal of foreshadowed sadness throughout the story that sits uncomfortably in the back of your mind during all the funny and touching moments, adding a sense of dread to every piece of conflict.

This is a story about friendship and family, and how the lines blur between those two groups of people. I love how Backman gives us glimpses into the future about where these characters will end up. I have said before in Backman reviews, I wish I could write like this, but since I can't I will continue to wait for each new book of his with anticipation.

'But this town can be both the most beautiful and the most repulsive.' A fitting line for all the wonderful and awful parts of the towns of Beartown and Hed that are full of flawed people we have come to love.

'His skeleton creaks, his body aches, love never has enough space.'

'His shoulders ached every morning, at first from the exertion of training, later from the weight of expectations.'

'Where you are born and who you become is a a cruel lottery.'

'He's sweating, hyperventilating, wants to open the window but is scared all the secrets inside the car would just fly out.'

'We're your mothers. We loved you first. Maybe everyone else loves you now, but we loved you first.'

'This hurts too much to touch with words.'

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Atria books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb for The Winners states "Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about." Except, in reality, four years or more have passed since the second book in the Beartown series. I loved Beartown and was surprised because I'm not a hockey fan, but I felt that Us Against You didn't add much of anything to the story. I found more of the same with The Winners. I'm not sure if my reaction to the book was due to the story itself, or the (probably unavoidable due to covid) four-year wait for the conclusion of the trilogy. Yes, the story gets wrapped up and you'll find out the fates of Maya, Ana, Bobo, Amat, Leo, and of course Benji, but I grew tired of the corruption, violence, dirty business dealings, and everything else I felt I had to wade through to find out about the people I cared about. Fredrik Backman can tell a great story, but it could have been a lot tighter and better edited in this book.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

So hauntingly beautiful. The final installment of Beartown and Hed is not to be missed. Most certainly you need to read in order to get the full impact. I loved Beartown, then thiught Us vs Them was even better. But this is truly Backman at his most wonderful to date as we follow our beloved hockey towns two years after the initial events in Beartown. I will be sad to leave these characters.

I love, love, love the Beartown Trilogy and Fredrik Backman’s The Winners is another masterpiece. I am sad this is the end of the Beartown/Hed story as I have grown so attached to the characters and themes of the books. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys realistic fiction.

There were several typos in this ARC that will need to be corrected prior to the book’s release. For example, ‘felling trees’ instead of ‘falling trees’ and ‘Anna’ for ‘Ana’.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my opinions.

I am SO thankful to Atria to be one of the first to read The Winners in English! Getting that Netgalley widget was such a surprise! This is the third and final book in the Beartown series.

It's taken me a few days to think about this review and how to digest everything that happened in The Winners. I will warn you it's long - at 688 pages is 200 pages longer then the first two books. I was a little worried that reading The Winners might change how I felt since I listened to the first two books (twice) but I couldn't wait for an audiobook! But I absolutely loved The Winners.

It might have been a hard read at times since so much of the book is about serious topics and from reading the synopsis you know something bad is going to happen so I was anxious all book waiting for it to happen.

It's now two years later and the events that happened and Beartown & Hed are still fresh.. the book synopsis perfectly describes this and the questions that Beartown & Hed are grappling with. What is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect them? And that's what this book is about.

The middle drags on a little with the corruption and political parts but ultimately it all comes together beautifully. While the ending was hard, I loved it. This book is the perfect ending to these characters we love and it's his wonderful writing and way he captures the human spirit and the people of Beartown.

Absolutely loved and of you haven't read the first two books yet do it.

True to the Beartown Trilogy. This followed the characters through a believable arc while introducing new conflicts. At times, I grew a bit impatient with the revisiting of past events in the extended exposition, but the narrative voice and subtle foreshadowing kept it interesting. While I didn’t love it as much as Beartown, I was compelled to finish it within 3 days.

In this hockey-obsessed town, I discovered some raw, complicated, and very real characters.
I adored these characters, the setting, this town.
The entire Beartown Series would make an amazing tv series. And I would totally watch it.
This writing style is one of the best I've ever seen or had the pleasure of reading.
Fredrik Backman is one of the most talented storytellers I have ever read.
He delivers a raw and beautifully well executed novel that makes you feel thing's in ways you can't imagine! 
His writing is so rich and full of life, it's hard for me to describe. He perfectly captures what it means to be human and the complexity of human relationships.
This book absolutely blew me away.
The Winners is the absolute best book I've ever read! Period!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Atria Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Wonderful conclusion to the Beartown trilogy picks up the story 2 years on as Maya returns home to join the whole town for the funeral of a much loved resident in the aftermath of a terrible storm which has devastated both Beartown and it’s neighbouring “arch enemy” Hed. Although it could be read as a standalone novel as we are reminded of events in the previous books which have led us to this point, I’d strongly recommend you read the others first if you haven’t done so.
As always the book, like the lives of its characters, revolves around ice hockey and the struggle for people to live the best life they can in the harsh environment in which they live. When I first read Beartown I struggled a little with this as it seemed so alien to my way of life but underneath the characters could live in any poor towns and it’s easy to see parallels in our own society with Bachman’s keen eye for human frailty and social justice. What I really love is the way the characters look out for each other and the lack of judgement for different lifestyles. Some people appear to be good, some people appear to be bad, but as we get to know them we see the reasons they behave the way they do. Now the rivalry between the towns intensifies as Hed’s hockey pitch has lost its roof in the storm which means both teams will have to play under the new roof of Beartown’s pitch. A roof paid for by the council at Hed’s expense. Interwoven with the buildup of tension between players and fans are the stories of all our favourite characters as corruption and unexpected criminal activity is revealed and a terrible denouement is foreseen. In a less skilled author’s hands the final chapters would have been too saccharine to read but as it was I cried over and over as some characters were lost and others were given a chance to redeem themselves. My only criticism is that this is probably the last time I’ll be meeting the people of Beartown.