I received this book and started reading it before realizing it was part of a trilogy. Luckily, there is enough information that you don't have to have read the other two books to understand what is going on, but I did go back and read the first two after I finished The Winners. This book was a winner and another great story that will break your heart by Fredrik Backman. I much preferred his writing style in this trilogy to Anxious People and enjoyed the story and the characters in this book.

My heart, will I ever recover from The Winners? Backman has me in a chokehold with this series, knowing it will rip my heart out and me picking the book up anyways. Bring the tissues.

As a reader, it has been a true pleasure to watch the characters grow and change throughout this trilogy. Any new characters introduced in this last installment only add to the richness of Beartown and a story that needs to be told. Like the two books before this, it is a roller coaster of emotions that will leave the reader feeling like the Beartown story is both complete and ongoing.

Not sure how this happened, but I managed to get an e-galley of the third book book before reading the second one. I read Beartown years ago, and was a huge fan of Anxious People when it come out. However, if you would’ve told me I would cram in Us Against You and The Winners in just a few weeks—I would’ve called you crazy! But I did! And I loved it.

While my favorite of the three was Us Against You, The Winners was the best way to wrap up the series. Backman is so talented and his writing is so full of wisdom. I had not really envisioned how he planned to end these characters’ stories, so I felt shocked at several moments, yet I cannot imagine a better execution.

There was definitely some heartache, lots in fact, so be sure you have tissues handy.

Obviously if you’re reading this, most likely you’re planning to read it after loving the other books. And if you’re like me and had previously only read Beartown, I definitely recommend continuing on with the books as there’s so much more to love about the writing, the characters, and their stories.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the advanced e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Backman, Backman, Backman. My heart!!! Why do you do us like this!

We are thrown back into the Beartown and He'd world here and it's such a ride.

In his signature move everyone thing in this book is a flawless, in depth character. Even the surroundings. I literally never have thought of snow being a main character, but here we have it.

Flawless!

Thank you so much Atria for the advanced copy!!!!!

5 Stars!!

I LOVED this book. I've enjoyed the Beartown series but this is definitely my all time favorite from the series and from Fredrik Backman.

Again I was lucky to have both audio and ebook and it was great being able to switch back and forth between them. 671 pages seemed like a lot but in the end I wanted even more.

I love the way Backman writes. His characters are always so well written, the stories entertaining and compelling.

"The Winners" was an excellent story about love, family, friendship, loss and so much more. Emotional and impactful. I am sad that the series has come to an end but happy with how it all came together.

I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this very talented author.

I’M WRECKED 😭

I finally finished. I had stalled for months at the 60% mark in fear of finishing a series that I’ve felt so invested in. It’s as if Beartown and Hed were real places with these real people and I don’t want to forget them. Benji is my favorite fictional character (replacing Francie Nolan from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn…maybe they should tie).

Saying I have a book hangover is an understatement. I am sobbing. Sobbing for this story and the end of the series. My heart aches and all I can say is that Backman is the most beautiful writer. He can pack a simple sentence with the strongest punch. While his stories often make me cry, I can’t sing his praises enough.

If you’re about to embark on the last of The Beartown series, The Winners, I’m sending you so much love.

I started the ebook via NetGalley thanks to Atria then had to buy the printed copy from my local indie bookstore

Fredrik Backman can do no wrong. Love this series so much. This book is a bit too long, pacing wise, but I'ts hard to complaiin about that because I just want eternity with these characters! I just have a short attention span so I had to take my time with this one.

Starting with "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry", I've read and loved Backman's work. "Beartown" was one of his best books. So it was with some trepidation I started to read this third installment.
As others have commented, the book is too long and I really struggled to engage with the first half. In his attempt to provide backstorys and updates on characters, we just meandered too much. Once we hit the actual storyline though it became a real page turner and I once again found myself sucked into Beartown.
This is still a story of family, community, trauma, hate, prejudice and love. And the exploration of the events of the first book a few , and then many, years on was well done. We don't often think about how small acts can have huge ripples and Backman has done this perfectly over three books.

If you enjoyed Beartown, I still recommend this one, but be prepared to stick with it and you will find it worthwhile.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Backman is a literary genius and I believe will be one of the greats of our time. Every thing I’ve read by him I have been so in love with! Beartown is one of my all time favorites and the sequels have been absolutely amazing! The Winners was fantastic and I was so appreciative of the opportunity to read it. I love going back to the characters of Beartown and I always love to revisit them.

“Never trust people who don’t have something in their lives that they love beyond all reason.”⁣
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It’s a quote from Beartown, the first book in Fredrik Backman’s trilogy about a hockey town and its inhabitants.
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I love this town. I love these characters. I feel their heartbreaks, and I feel their wins. Backman is an expert at writing characters who never feel fictional. For the third book, he could have written Amat and Benji’s name over and over and over again for the 700 pages, and I would give it 5 stars because the love I have for them is irrational.⁣
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But the story gave me more than I could have imagined up until the very end, which felt fitting and provided enough closure that I’m not going to start a petition for a fourth book (even though I’d definitely read one).⁣
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So many moments in this third book – good and bad – destroyed me and will stay with me forever.

Backman just has this way of writing that reaches into my mind and repeats back to me the thoughts I've been thinking but too afraid to articulate. I love this series- and I say this as a non-series reader. I'm glad the book the way opened it did, to prepare us. Beartown forever.

Fredrik Backman wraps up his big-hearted emotional Beartown series in The Winners. So much has happened to the people of Beartown, from the first book to the last. Tragedy after tragedy is a recurring theme with humor and heartfelt themes of friendship, family, and community, as Fredrik Backman captures the complexities of human behavior and connections. His writing is simple and uncomplicated yet compelling as he explores loyalty, loss, group thinking, competition, rivals, regrets, missed opportunities, and themes for social change, toxic masculinity, sexual assault, and homophobia. He uses foreboding and chapter cliffhangers that had me reading just one more chapter.

The story’s heart is the characters who are easy to fall in love with, cheer on and even yell at. It is a joy to see them grow over the events in the books.

The Winners is one long book at almost 700 pages, with a lot going on for one book. The story begins with a storm two years after Us Against You and takes place in two weeks. It took me longer to read it. Fredrik Backman takes his time getting to the meat of the story while giving us some insight into past events and characters. In each thread of the large cast of characters, we see bits and pieces of them, and when they are mentioned again, I had to think about who they were. I liked the foreboding messages; however, they are repeated a little too often, making me frustrated and taking away from the tension and tragedy that was driving the story forward. However, this did not take away from how much I loved this series and its characters. Even though it’s time to say goodbye to these characters, I will miss them.

While this one is not perfect, you have to appreciate that Backman has put so much love and passion into his stories and characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

I can't get enough of this series. I was excited to pick up Us Against You again to revisit the events of that book in order to have a better reference point for this book. Rereading any of the books in this series is a welcomed activity for me.

Once again, Backman packs a punch after punch with the profound statements disguised as simple sentences. Again and again, I wanted to stop and highlight the sentence in order revisit it again later or put it on my bulletin board as an inspired quote.

The characters are all there, plus a few new ones we didn't know in the first books. They are simple and yet undeniably complex. There was so much in this book and it was a wonderful way to complete the series.

In my eyes, Fredrik Backman can do no wrong. I love his writing and I love his books. Let me start by saying that I do not love hockey. You do not need to like hockey to read this trilogy. It will tear your heart out with its beauty and raw emotion.

In this epic conclusion to the Beartown trilogy, it is two years later. The peace the characters find at the end of the last book is short-lived.

The book starts with a storm which is the perfect way to foreshadow the upheaval of the lives of everyone in this book. There is a little bit of everything in this book from corruption and pain to rape and abuse (content warning). It is a conclusion worth waiting for.

I have read everything Backman has wrote, but the Beartown series is by far my favorite. Beartown and Us Against You were 5 star reads so this was a highly anticipated book. Here is where I have to say that The Winners unfortunately was repetitive and coming in at about 700 pages that made for a long book.
That being said I did love spending time with these amazing characters once again. Backman has a way of making them come alive and I've become invested in their stories. In true Backman form my heart was shattered yet again. Farewell Beartown.

The Winners tore me apart from the inside out. I "ugly cried" at the end and had a headache for the rest of the day. I grieved with Beartown and felt like I too had lost a treasured friend and kind spirited soul. This series is a must read for everyone. I cannot believe the plethora of emotions I felt, from happiness to sadness, anger to pride, and joy to disgrace. My heart has been ripped apart, but given hope for a better tomorrow. I do not know how I will choose what to read next for it will most likely not compare. The Winners is an amazing ending to a trilogy worth its weight in gold.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Format: Audio/Physical

5🌟 - I loved it!

Gosh this series 😭😭😭! I have loved it so much, and I’m so sad it’s over.

Immersive, propulsive, and emotional, there is so much I love about this series! It’s character-driven, has coming-of-age themes, handles complex issues, and has superb writing.

There’s so much heart from this small town. The way the characters developed was done perfectly. There were so many touching moments and so many heartbreaking and difficult moments to read.

This felt like the perfect ending to round out the series even if it made me emo 😭.

I highly recommend this series on audio done by the incredible @marinireland!

Fredrick Backman does it again. Although this third instalment of the bear town series drove me a bit batty in the beginning and took longer to have me hooked, he always gets me right in the feels at the end. This series is so important and so relatable as a Canadian, especially considering the current Hockey Canada scandal. We need more stories like these that illustrate the far reaching multi generational impacts of such heinous acts we too often turn a blind eye to. I loved this series and if this is the final instalment it is fitting as such.

Many thanks for Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy.

Fredrick Backman does it again! The Winners was just as magical but heartbreaking as the rest of the Beartown series. I will miss this place and these people and the feeling that they are my family. FB is for sure one of my top authors and I can't wait to see what is next. Highly recommend this series!