What a wonderful conclusion to the Beartown series. The author is an excellent storyteller. I really liked how he added some details about characters and storylines from the previous book so that I could easily keep up with what was going on. Sometimes that is hard to do when I am reading a book in a series. I am normally a romance leader but this series has been one that I’ve really enjoyed.

This was just so good. There aren’t enough words to describe the vast array of emotions I felt while reading this book. Fredrik Backman’s craft of writing is truly of gift. His characters are unparalleled and his grasp of the complexity of humanity is astounding.
There’s a note from the publisher at the beginning of the book that states The Winners is the final book of the Beartown trilogy, but it can also be read as a stand alone. While I do think this book would hold up amazingly on its own, readers would really benefit from reading all three books in order to fully capture the depth and significance of these characters and events.
This book was highly character-driven and I think the greatest aspect of successful character-driven stories is the writing itself. You can’t write a compelling story like this unless the cast of characters is impeccable. Fredrik Backman did it perfectly. The writing is so great and insightful about how complicated people are.
I loved how information is granted. It feels like you have to work for it. Little pieces of foreshadowing are dropped here and there that just loom over you until they’re referenced again until later in the book and then everything explodes into a bigger plot point.
I definitely cried a couple times during this. It was so emotional. There were so many highs and lows and I was so happy to be along for the ride.
This trilogy was truly amazing. Every book that I’ve read by this author has been so good and I can’t wait to get to more of his backlist!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I’m so excited to share this one. Backman is my all time favorite. The Winners brought the Beartown series to a very emotional but satisfying end. I will be mourning this one for a long time to come.

This series will always have a special place in my heart. To say I was excited is an understatement as I literally screamed when the ARC was approved - my kids were literally concerned for me. In that same breathe, I was nervous to close my reading chapter on Beartown.

Needless to say, I finally read The Winners, and YES this girl wept over words spilled throughout its pages. The Winners is an emotional conclusion to the events of nearly two years ago in Beartown. We meet new individuals and families and our favorites are finally back home. BENJI

It is 684 pages of powerful reading.

Thank you Atria books for the complimentary copy to read and review.

I'll admit I was nervous going into this one. Not because I thought I wouldn't love it (this author never lets me down!), but because I wasn't willing to invest the time to reread the first two books in the series (I'm not a repeat reader), and I might not remember enough. I needn't have worried, and I should not have doubted the fact that Backman gives enough information that you could read this as a standalone novel and still love it. Would I recommend doing that? No. First, you'd be missing out on two fantastic previous books, and second, I definitely think I felt more immersed in the setting and characters having spent so much time with them in the past (which did come back to me very quickly). While this book has a lot going on with regards to plot, I definitely feel that it's the characters that make it shine! Also the writing, which is so eloquent that I found myself stopping to reread passages (that kind of rereading I will do) several times per chapter! Some may be put off by this series when they hear it's about a hockey town, but please do not be! It's about so much more! It's about community, loyalty, found family, the angst of youth, and some of the most memorable characters you'll ever read about (and yes, Benji still has my heart!). If I had any complaint to make it would be that it is just really long. As much as I loved it, any book that is over 600 pages is probably going to get that criticism from me.

While I'm super sad to be leaving this town, I felt this was the perfect concluding saga. Enjoy the gorgeous wring, relish the plot, but be mesmerized by the characters. Well done Mr. Backman, you have my heart (still

5 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


This is 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.

And here we are at the end of the story. A story we don’t want to end, really. Hockey is going on, as usual, but two towns are having to share a rink now. It’s the worst of situations for two groups of people that hate each other, if for no other reason than their parents did as well. There’s a chance for peace. But maybe peace can never be had between these two towns. A young girl will return home and get to be a young girl for just a short while longer. She will sleep back to back with her best friend. Laugh and drink in the forest with the young men who fight on the ice. She will write songs about all of them. Her parents will fight to save their marriage and their town.

I won’t give you any more details. You’ll have to read to find them. Let me just say that this three part novel, while painfully difficult at times, at the heart tackles one main subject - love. Frederik Backman, master of comical, true to life tales, writes a dark masterpiece in this series. It’s nothing like what we’re used to from him, which just goes to show what an incredible writer he is.

For those of us who grew up around and understand the love of hockey to no end, we can understand this story about how a hockey rink can be the center of a community. But for those who read this series who don’t know that, it doesn’t matter. These books are about so much more than hockey. They are about life, love, and what it means to have community. They may be about two small fictional towns in the heart of a great forest, but anyone can relate to them.

Exceptional reads.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fredrik Backman’s The Winners is final book in his Beartown trilogy series. It has been several days since I finished reading. I had to catch my breath. New characters are introduced to the story line and just like all the former Beartown stars, they too will grab your heart and make you FEEL. This series is more than hockey. It’s about gain and loss, politics and community, rape, power, love, family, winning, power, hard choices, harder decisions and sacrifice, It cooould be a stand alone but Beartown and Us Against You builds the characters and background. Backman delivers a hat trick in this final book trilogy.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for ARC in exchange for my honest review.

All your favorite characters are back. Including the towns of Beartown and Hed with their rivalry. This story has it all: sports, humor, love, second chances, and goodbyes. Written as only Fredrik Backman can. You are faced with big issues like friendship, loyalty, loss, identity and much more as you delve into the lives of the characters. You hate to say goodbye to them at the end. You feel as if you are part of these communities.

I just reviewed The Winners by Fredrik Backman. #NetGalley

Thanks to Ariel Friedman, Atria Books, Simon & Shuster and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published September 27, 2022.

Fans of Beartown and Us Against You will be so happy to read this third and final volume. All of our favorite characters are back plus some new ones.

At its core it’s still a story about hockey.
Beartown verses Hed.
Us against them.
But it is SO. MUCH. MORE.

There is family and friends and enemies.
There is community.
There is politics.
And rage.
And deaths.

Fredrik Backman can tell a story like no other; the way he weaves dozens of storylines into a seamless finale is simply brilliant. His writing is beautiful and elegant. His story will make you laugh and cry.

I am a huge fan of his and this long-awaited finale to Beartown did not disappoint!

This is the perfect ending to the Beartown trilogy. Backman's unique writing style keeps readers on the edge of their seat throughout. The characters are already beloved from the first two books, and this was a fittingly emotional goodbye to all of them. Through the vehicle of two small towns built around the sport of hockey, Backman is adept at showing us the core of human behavior in any situation. We pit ourselves against each other, we elevate things that don't really matter while ignoring the things that do. Falling into the fictional worlds that Backman creates helps us all to examine our own reality and strive to make changes for the better.

In 2018 I read "Beartown". It was phenomenal. Then later that same year I read "Us Against You", and that actually managed to surpass 'Beartown'.  WOW!  So... you can imagine my excitement when I learned there was to be a final novel set in this tiny rural town in Sweden.
I don't really even like hockey, but, like the previous two books in the Beartown trilogy, it is much more than a book about hockey. It is a book about people, about a town, about the world.

I strongly urge anyone who is entertaining the idea of reading "The Winners" to read "Beartown" and "Us Against You" first.  In Beartown you will come to love the town and its inhabitants.  In "Us against you" the love will swell enough to break your heart.

Told over a period of roughly two weeks, the narrative of "The Winners" is a memorable one. Old favourite characters are revisited, lesser known characters become more well known. Storms, rivalries, social injustice, and loss change the trajectory of many lives.

With myriad themes running throughout this novel, Backman does what very few authors can claim to do. He makes you CARE about each and every character (even the hooligans and the corrupt politicians). He makes wise and astute observations about parenting, explores the perils of obsessive rivalry,  true friendship, responsibility, loss, loyalty, sacrifice, family, community, revenge, corruption, leadership, teamwork, violence, respect, courage, consequences, the human need to be 'needed, and the powerful feeling of 'belonging'.  Not bad for one novel - albeit a lengthy one at 688 pages.

With the overriding theme of the myriad aspects of what it means to be human, this novel is told as a epic story laced with pathos, wisdom, and sometimes humour.

With concise sentences Backman turns just a few words into moving and impactful observations.  I loved how he writes passages that allude to an outcome to be revealed further on in the book. This is a novel peopled by wonderful characters.  Ordinary people. I was reluctant to finish the book as it would mean I would have to leave Beartown...

They say that reading fiction generates empathy in the reader. Whoever 'they' are must have read Fredrik Backman. "What is life, other than moments?"

I really cannot recommend "The Winners" highly enough.

a beautiful, beautiful finale to my most beloved series. backman is back pulling heart strings. i laughed, i cried. i spaced out my reading for three months because i didn't want this to end. while i absolutely sobbed and felt broken and hollow (the way you do after a good book), i am so so grateful that i found this series. this series is so insanely special to me.

beartown is the first book i recommend anyone when they ask for a recommendation, and i am so so glad this book did not disappoint. one of my favorite books this entire year.

I am not sure I could say that I enjoyed this book but it was an excellent finish to the trilogy. Backman‘s repetitive style is extremely unusual, but I love it. Unlike some other books in a series, I do not feel this book could be a standalone in any way, shape, or form.

It took a really long time to read this because I was purposely parceling it out as rewards for myself. Knowing it was the final book in the series, I wasn’t to savor every word, every moment. And I was still very, very sad when it was all over.
The writing is gorgeous, the story heart-breaking yet uplifting. The characters are like old friends that I fear I’ll never see again.
You don’t necessarily have to read the first two books, but you should. You should have the pleasure of hearing the story from the beginning and falling in love with the characters and the towns, rather than just getting the information as recap and references. Live it with the characters, you won’t be sorry.
Winners not only doesn’t disappoint, it actually exceeds expectations - something very hard to do with much beloved series.
I’m definitely going to be suffering from PTBS (post traumatic book syndrome) and a long, hard book hangover for the next few days. I’ll be mourning the loss of these friends, and these towns. But, it was well worth the journey.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Holy crap! This was my first book by this author and now I can’t wait to read more of them! I loved this one.

I love Backman's writing style and if you have already read Beartown and Us Against You, then you should definitely read The Winners.

I highlighted so many lines, but here are 2 that demonstrate the simplistic beauty of Backman's writing:

When describing Kira and Peter's marriage (and long marriages more generally): "We aren't freshly blooming flowers, we're two trees with intertwined roots, you've grown old with me."

On motherhood: "Mothers have no armor to get them through life because they give every last bit to their children, by the end of their teenage years there isn't even any skin left, so every feeling of loss cuts right into her flesh now."

Having said that, this book was long. There were several new characters introduced and weaving those into the existing story felt a little cumbersome at times. I did, however, appreciate the parallels of the new storyline and Beartown's. I thought the different outcomes helped emphasize the themes of family and friendships.

My other critique, which I think added to the problematic length, was the repetition of details from Beartown and Us Against You. I recognize the need for a book in a series to operate as a standalone book, but it was a lot, and sometimes I felt like it was a disservice to those who had been more loyal readers of the entire trilogy.

As with all of Backman's books, I feel like this will stay with me for a long time. I just think it could have been considerably shorter and achieved the same results.

Thank you so much for this ARC! Beartown is one of my all time favorite books and this final installment in the series does not disappoint. I loved being in the same world as all my favorite characters- Benji, Amat, Bobo, Ana, Kira- again. And some interesting new characters, as well. The book is LONG and although it did drag through some storylines, I still didn't want it to end. I think that even if you didn't read the first two books in this series, The Winners can be enjoyed. The back story gets explained when necessary. The foreshadowing is done perfectly, and it tugs at your heart strings just the right amount. I loved this book!

OMG! ncredible conclusion to the trilogy. Well worth the wait. Love all the characters and the writing style.

Don't want to write more for fear of giving too much away..

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Words alone are not enough to describe the emotion and intensity of this story. So many honest words and truths about the world we live in.. Extremely thought provoking and full of take home messages. You will be left to ponder long after the end of theis phenomenal finale to the Beartowm series.

#thewinners
#beartown
#fredrikbackman
#netgalley
#5starread

Is anticipatory FOMO a thing? Allow me to elaborate.

THE WINNERS, the final installment of the Beartown trilogy has been a buzzy anticipated release. I thought Beartown and Us Against You were fine but they didn’t land with me in the same way that they did with many enthusiastic 5 star readers.

Despite my lukewarm experience with the first two books in the series, I see one glowing review for THE WINNERS and I’m done for. I knew full well that THE WINNERS was a nearly 700 page tome and yet, yet…..I took a chance because I thought this would BECOME a buzzy book that I would later experience FOMO for. It wasn’t even buzzy yet. Anticipatory FOMO got me good.


I appreciated that Backman provided ample backstory from the previous books, but he took his sweet time getting into the new story. Backman makes astute observations about human nature and I can see why people enjoy his writing style. He also provides a steady sense of foreboding that kept me wondering what was going to happen in this hockey town….

…..But he kept me wondering, and wondering….for nearly 700 pages that truly could have been 300. When the action finally picked up at the 95% mark, my attention had waned and the ending felt anticlimactic for such a long build-up. For a book about hockey, there wasn’t much hockey going on amidst the town politics.

I’m certain I will be in the minority with this opinion. If you’re not expecting an entirely new story and just want to immerse yourself back in the Beartown community for a very long time, this one may work for you.

RATING: 3/5
PUB DATE: September 27, 2022

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks in advance of publication date.