“This hurts too much to touch with words.”

The third and final book in the Beartown series. That is all that is needed to be said.

Backman dedicated this book “to you who talk too much and sing too loud and cry too often and love something in life more than you should.” So basically it’s dedicated to me! But damn you Fredrik Backman. I knew this book was going to rip my heart out. I knew it would be a mix of wonderful and heartbreaking in the most perfect way. In that sense, it did not in any way disappoint. Doesn’t mean I am not still a bit upset with you Mr. Backman! If you loved the first two in this series, you will love this book, but have tissues at the ready!

Will the citizens of Beartown ever catch a break?
Not if this author has any say about it.

Like books one and two, tensions in the town remain high. Following a brutal storm, the town is now grappling with recovery and opening their beloved hockey rink to the enemy, Hed. On top of that, two of the town's former residents have returned to say goodbye to a prominent town member.

What makes this series so fascinating is how each character handles the drama around them.
Endless puck shooting.
Consuming alcohol and/or drugs.
Writing songs.
Violence.
Whether this is part of their recovery, or if it defines who they have become, every character has their own demons (public or private) that they are working through. As the reader, it was painful to witness their struggles, but rewarding when one escaped their demons at last.

I'll be honest, the author did gut me with one tragedy and I'm not sure I can forgive him for it. However, despite my anger, the decision to include this did not impact my overall rating, as I realize it fit in line with the ongoing tension that befell this town, and ultimately led to some positive change.

This is the last book in the series, it is time to say goodbye to characters I have grown close to over these three books. Big shoutout to Maya and Bobo, I love how far both have come.

The Winners is the third book in the Beartown trilogy written by Fredrik Backman, a Swedish author whose novels have been translated into English. Beartown is in my top ten all-time favorite books, and the author himself has produced some amazing work. I've absolutely loved all but one of his releases, and that was because of the style in which it was written -- from someone with an erratic personality, and it was difficult to understand reality vs. fantasy (which I don't usually read). When this one was announced, the possibilities thoroughly thrilled me. I was lucky enough to get an ARC through NetGalley, and I try to read books a few weeks before their official release so that I can promote the work for other readers who might be on the fence or unaware. Set to release next month, it was time to dive in last weekend... and while being so close to all the dynamic characters was wonderful, the plot failed to capture my attention. Thankfully, the writing style was epic, so I still enjoyed the book but it was my least favorite of the three in the series.

Let's get the not-so-great out of the way. After two stellar storylines, it would be hard to recreate a third with the same type of style and energy. I'm not a sports fan to begin with, and the exact elements I worried might not keep me intrigued in the first book (which were amazingly not present earlier) showed up in this last one. The fight was gone from most of the characters. Everyone had become a less-real version of themselves, and there really wasn't a strong plot to show readers the power of a small town constantly fighting for something to hold dear to their hearts. A death brings everyone together, and it was very sad, but it could've been much more powerful. It also was hinted at for 50% of the book, then revealed in a quiet manner. My favorite characters were backseat this time, and the new ones felt weird and useless to the history of the book. All that said...

Backman is brilliant at creating reader connections and imagery in his work. I turn the pages because the words flow easily off the pages (for us, probably not him while writing it all the time) and the scenes are mind-illuminating. To think this is a European city, not an American, is a contradiction on so many levels. It feels like the US Midwest. It feels like a foreign culture. It's representative of everything, and that's why readers find it so appealing. The way in which the story is told unfolds in an addictive manner. Just a teaser in each chapter but not in a painful way. It urges me to keep of reading and learning, and for that, I will always pick up a Backman novel when a new one is published. I am still ecstatic over whatever his new books focus on.

To me, The Winners is the best in the series. It has all the aspects of the first two, but with richer character development and it pulls on ALL the heartstrings. You do need to read the other two first to fully appreciate this, so get on that ASAP!!

Book: The Winners
Author: Fredrik Backman
Series: Beartown #3
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Small Town Drama
Pub Date: September 27, 2022
My Rating: 3 but planning to re-read so will probably change my rating!

This is my 8th Fredrik Backman novel. My fav is still "The Man Called Ove"].

However, since I grew up in a small town in West Virginia and “sports” especially football was king. “Friday Night Lights” were a tradition. Practically the whole town followed the high school marching band & cheerleaders down our main street to the football stadium ~ where our town’s high school played against another local high school team. SO YES! I was a Beartown fan!

Although the sport in this series is hockey ~ I can totally relate.
Story was a bit long for me ~ not a fan on reading long novels but I am okay with listening.
Struggled with staying focused soooo I am going to try the audiobook.
I will post that review later!

Want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 27, 2022

Wow! I first read beartown a couple years ago and can't believe we're now on the finale. This book was long. Very long but the storytelling makes up for it!

I'm a cryer. But this just made me sob and FEEL. I loved the addition of the new characters while also being able to follow along with our old favorites. For all my complaining about how long the book was, I was so sad when it was finally over and found myself savoring the last couple of chapters.

Fredrik Backman is on my list of immediate reads.

This book broke me. I knew it was going to because this is Fredrik Backman and his books breaks me, but this series in particular went deep with how the high and lows of humanity. Then on the first page, he warns that Benji is going to die. I thought I was prepared because there were plenty of warnings of when it was going to happen. But there I was in a waiting room for a blood test, willing myself not to cry because it still hurt.

A beautiful conclusion to a series that is painful in its realism.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

So so good. While I’m a huge fan of Backman’s writing style and books, i somehow missed the Beartown trilogy. So I started at the beginning and and by the time i read The Winners, I didn’t want the book to end and have to say goodbye to the characters I had come to love. As a huge hockey fan, i adored these 3 books, but love all the other multi -layers of themes and stories being told. I recommend it to everyone.

Oh my
another Fredrik Backman book that took my breath away on the first page and I did not breathe until the final word! He is an amazing author, and this series has blown me away! I own the first two books and have pre-ordered this one-- this from a librarian who does not need to buy books as I get access for free!
I am now trying to buy the series and am not able to find it... help?!

The town residents grapple with .... What is a family?
... What is a community?
... What are we willing to sacrifice to protect them?

You must read this book; you want to read this book/this series!!!

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.