Fredrik Backman has a way of writing characters that will stick with you for a long time. Once again we are brought back to Beartown and the life of ice hockey. This time it seems like everyone is falling apart-or falling toward each other. Town lines are being crossed as new love, new friendship, and the threat of a new hockey club. The community of Beartown is at a crossroads. The question is, how much is the community willing to sacrifice for their own sake? Backman will have you crying, laughing, and hoping for the beloved people in Beartown. The Winners is the perfect ending for this trilogy.

Fredrick Backman is by far a favorite author of mine and being a part of experiencing his books is so touching. He knows how to write in such a way that is relatable.

The characters, the story, the personality. This is done so flawlessly. This book was intimidating due to length but surprisingly didn’t feel as long

4.5 Stars: The Winners is the third and final book in the Beartown series (at least I think it is). Before I go any further I need to say that if you haven't read the first two books in this trilogy, this one may leave you scratching your head as you won't have the necessary background to the story. Beartown is an isolated community in Sweden in the middle of the forest. They are a "hockey town". In the previous books we meet the Andersson family. After a disastrous event two years earlier, Maya and her friend Benji Ovich have left town, not planning to return. Maya to college, Benji to find himself. They return home for a funeral, as well as to see friends. Beartown is changing, with a new ice rink, a practice facility in the works and new hockey sponsors. Everyone is trying to move on, but can they. It turns out that there is some financial issues with the team, some illegal and Peter Andersson, Maya's father, is right in the middle. As people try to fix things, the troubles between the hockey teams in Hed and Beartown escalate and once again, end in tragedy.

Fredrik Backman's books may not be for everyone, but they sure are ones that I enjoy. The Winners is not really a hockey book, it is about rivalry, jealousy, family, friendship, secrets, power, prejudice, hate, loss, grief and growth. I do not want to say that hockey is not a large part of the book, but it is the actual game and having a team rather than a game being played. The Winners gives us stories about some of the characters that were on the periphery in previous books. We learn about their lives and what happens next, as well as giving closure to some others. As much as I enjoyed this book, the length (671 pages) and audio (21 hours, 22 minutes) might make this intimidating for many, but I found it zoomed by. With Fredrik Bakman's wonderful writing and the well developed characters and their stories made this an enjoyable read/listen for me. Unfortunately, it did end with another tragedy, but by the end of the book, there was hope. . This was another winner for me, even though it was not for others.

It’s Backman. Do I need to say anything else?! I’d read this man’s grocery list if he’d print it. I haven’t found one of his books not to be a complete work or art. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

Oh man. I'm so sad to say goodbye to these characters. Fredrik Backman did such an amazing job of world building with this one. I can picture this place and these characters living in it almost as if I've been there. The foreshadowing was perhaps a little heavy-handed, but it probably saved my sanity to be able to mentally prepare for some of what was coming. Backman is the master of writing wonderfully likable, flawed characters.

Wow. If there's ever a book 4, I'll be first in line.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an electronic review copy.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books and Fredrik Backman for free e-ARC of The Winners in return of my honest review.

I did not want to pick that book up because it was a farewell to Beartown and it’s inhabitants. Because it is the last book of the series and I was not ready to let it go. I read a long time, too long to prolong the pleasure of the writing. Unfortunately, even this huge book has ended. I am tremendously sad about it.

I loved everything about it - I think Fredrik Backman is a true magician of literature. He will let the reader know what happens pretty much on the first page and then takes time to create a narrative that will leave you in tears and heartbroken over fictional characters and fictional city and fictional lives. He doesn’t create anything new basically, however the way he spins the story is extraordinary.

I will miss Beartown, and mostly I will miss Benji, Alicia, Maya, Ana, Peter and Kyra.

Thank you, Fredrik Backman, for creating Beartown. From the bottom of my avid reader and hockey lover heart, for these three books. I will start to re-read the series soon.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Winners by Fredrik Backman.
A perfect conclusion to a great trilogy. Backman writes with emotion and feeling. He creates characters that you cheer for and settings you want to visit. A great ending to a great series!

The Winners was a great conclusion to the Beartown story, but honestly I think the first book could have stood on it's own and I don't think it needed to be continued. Reading this book kind of solidified that opinion for me. There was also so much filling in of previous books that I think was unnecessary in some instances and like it was more relying on the character arcs of previous books which I don't think it really needed to. Overall, it was nice to see the characters we love so much, but I wish I had liked this book more as it's own thing and less as just an extension of something I already liked.

I really liked this. All of Backman's books make me cry. But I do feel like this one was a bit longer than it needed to be. There was a lot of repetition of things from other books

This book was a great conclusion to the Beartown series. While the book definitely felt longer than it needed to be, Backman’s writing has the ability to draw you back in so easily that you forget that.

THANk YOU Fredrik Backman for bringing this amazing story back to us. I was concerned with the length but it ended up not mattering at all! I loved and anticipated every word.
Having Maya and Benji back in my imagination made me so happy.
Coming back to Beartown with Maya and Ben worked so well. Readers of this series...ENJOY!

Wow! That is the first thing that comes to mind after reading The Winners. I never expected to feel so many different emotions as I read this book, but that is the beauty that Fredrik Backman brings to all of his writing. Understanding human nature, and bringing characters to life, where you really do feel a genuine connection and emotions to them. This entire series will stick with me long after I've moved on to reading other novels. I won't forget this series.

I adore the Beartown trilogy by Fredrik Backman. He creates such an intricate universe to step into and introduces you to characters you will never forget. I remember stumbling upon Beartown before it seemed to be everywhere and I was excited about a story about a town that was obsessed with hockey. I didn't even know what I was in for, and how lucky we all were to get 2 more books in this setting.

It has been a while since I read Beartown, then Us Against You, and I was worried if I remembered enough of the details to appreciate the whole story. Backman does an excellent job reminding us of where we left off while introducing us to the new characters in this story. The first 200 pages are about a windstorm that set up the events of the novel are a touch slow, but sit back and relax into the story.

Throughout the book Backman tells you exactly what is going to happen, and I spent the whole time wishing he was wrong, but the series ends as it should. The Beartown trilogy is incredible, and everyone should read it.

I enjoyed reading this novel like I do with all of Backman’s books. Normally, I might consider this book to be a bit too dark for my likening. However, I was invested enough in the storyline to continue reading. I enjoy the author’s description of people and events.

Fredrik Backman is hands down one of the best writers around. He simply has a way of crafting a story that is unparalleled. If an author can make me interested in a story about hockey, then I know he is a gifted artist.

The Winners is the final book in the Beartown trilogy and to say I eagerly awaited this book would be an understatement. While I was sorry to see this story end, and there were parts that were hard for me to read, I thought it was a fitting conclusion to the series.

If you haven't read Fredrik Backman before, do not waste another minute. Each and every word he writes is amazing and beautiful. You won't be disappointed.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this Backman’s best in the trilogy? I think it may have been. He ended STRONG with this book.
I loved Beartown. And then I thought how wonderful it was that I loved Us Against You even more! Now, Backman has completely gone above his own work and written one beautiful, heartbreaking story with The Winners. The style of writing is the perfect way to lead us on, keep the reader on the edge of our seat, and remind us how every single story and person is connected the entire time. A truly immersing read. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time after.

This was a great story. Backman writes these characters that just feel so real, and the reader can't help but get incredibly connected to them!

3.5 stars. It took a long time for me to get into this novel. In fact, I almost gave up several times due to its disjointed approach to storytelling, the flash forwards and overlapping plot lines that lacked cohesiveness, etc. But I finally got into the groove of it about 70% in. And then I could see the endearing traits of some of the main characters.

Oh, Backman does it again. I could not stop crying at the end of this book, even though I just knew Benji was going to die. The character development, the realism, it all just tugs on my heartstrings. I usually have issues with the way that men write female characters, especially adolescent female characters, but I feel like Fredrik Backman can do anything. The section from Ruth's POV (chapter 99) is 100% accurate. We focus on the victims being to blame - what did she do wrong, boys pull pigtails because they like you, etc. EVERYTHING that Ruth wrote in her journal was how I have felt at some point in my life as a sexual assault survivor. I will always recommend this book and series to fellow readers.

The ending tying everything together and giving the full circle picture of where each character went in his/her life was perfect. How Alicia used the last name 'Ovich' on her jersey. Maya is a superstar. Ana is saving lives. It's all a beautiful amalgam of life and death.

I loved the first two books. This one I hard time connecting to but not sure why. It was a little long winded for my taste. Overall a good read. Looking forward to more from Backman as usual.