Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I needed to read this book. These characters have such a hold on me. The characters a 5/5 for me and the plot was a 3/5. Regardless this book left me wanting more. It was just that amazing

The third book in the Beartown saga did not disappoint. I won’t go through a lengthy synopsis because you really should read Beartown and Us Against You before reading this one to build a true connection with the story and characters. In short, The Winners centres on the long time rivalry between the local towns: Beartown and Hed. A local journalist begins to uncover some shady business, threatening livelihoods. Meanwhile, the locals are dealing with their own challenges and demons, as throughout, readers uncover how their stories intertwine.
I’ve mentioned many times what a huge Backman fan I am. I just love the way he puts relationships and life into perspective, always leaving readers with an emotional connection. The Winners was the kind of book I was able to just sit and savour slowly. I thoroughly enjoyed each page. There were no dull moments for me as I read it - and for a book that is almost 700 pages long, that’s amazing! It brings to light the importance of strong connections, family, belonging, a sense of place, and friendship.
I highly recommend this series!

The Winners by Fredrik Backman

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @simon for providing a digital copy of The Winners in exchange of a honest review.

Ok so it took me long enough to get to this one just because I needed to read the second book in the series first. I just sat there and read these 670 pages in two days because I couldn't stop. It gorgeous, amazing, it made me cry like the first two books and I just love everything about this series. Just pick it up (but be careful about trigger warnings since it is not easy going stories...).

This novel just felt like it was going on and on for too long in its stubborn hockey loyalty. Although I liked the premise it just was too long in everyone's crises to finally get going with all the characters. However, I do love the culture that the author describes in the deeply-rooted town hate between its adversaries.

There’s just something about reading this when there’s snow on the ground that really adds to the enjoyment!

I wouldn’t say I enjoyed everything about this book, as there are some themes that are quite tough, but I do have to say this trilogy delivers on character development, community, narration, and so much more.

The characters are fleshed out, the story has all the ups and downs that hold your interest throughout, and setting/hockey-talk is inviting.

It’s usually hard to wrap a story up this well, but Backman is a master of his craft. While this series is my first outing with the author it certainly won’t be my last.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fredrik Backman writes about love, life, family, and friendship like a modern day philosopher.

The third and final instalment of the Beartown series, The Winners is a chunker of a book that allows us as the readers to revisit the people and place that made the first two books so wonderful. Like all of Backman’s books there is joy, there is sadness, there is conflict, and there is resolution. The Winners is truly a reader’s journey to closure on their time spent in this fictional town.

“this hurts too much to touch with words.”

trying to put down my thoughts about the winners ended up being a lot more difficult that i imagined it would be. it broke my heart, a heart that managed to be put back together with a few smiles and laughs, only to be broken into a million more pieces short after. then, after the last word of the novel was read again and again and again, came the overwhelming feeling of emptiness that lasted weeks. how do you even begin to write about a book like that? even now, two months later, i still feel like there are no words that could do justice to what a perfect ending to this beloved trilogy it was.

through backman’s beautiful writing, we are transported one last time to beartown and heds, where old and new residents are reunited after a tragic event hits both towns. as we say goodbye to our favorite characters, questions are raised: what are we willing to sacrifice to protect those close to us? to move past all the corruption, abuse, hatred, betrayal and loss that has happened? can love, hope and community win in the end?

from the opening line, i could tell that fredrik backman gave everything he had to this conclusion and i applaud him for doing so with such care, love, empathy and respect. respect to his characters and their stories but most importantly, to all of us readers, who have grown to love them so much.

no other book has ever impacted me this much, which makes it all the more difficult to say goodbye. but in the end, i truly feel, with all of my heart, that this was the perfect time to end it and to give us the ending we all deserve.

lastly, to the one lying on his back looking at the stars: ily.


the winners is out now in the us and canada. if you haven’t read beartown yet, please do so, you won’t regret it.

thank you to simon & schusters canada and netgalley for providing me of an arc in exchange for a honest review.

4 stars

I have complex feelings about this book. First of all, it really didn’t need to be as long as it was; I think some of the repetition could’ve safely been cut out without damaging its overall impact. As with the first two books in the trilogy, I enjoyed this one more than I initially expected I would; it has a mix of intriguing plot lines, the usually complex group of characters, and some fun new additions to the world of Beartown. It was dramatic, suspenseful, and captivating. The ending, though…I was prepared for the story to be building up to something tragic, but I wasn’t ready for the emotional destruction caused by the death of a specific major character. He died in a heroic way, but his death was still needless and senseless, and it really didn’t have to be *him* who died. It wasn’t necessary, nor were the repetitive homophobic slurs (and yes, I know, it’s supposed to illustrate the toxic, misogynistic hockey culture that makes up much of the two towns). In general, I enjoyed the book and the author’s writing style, but I didn’t appreciate everything about it, the ending hurt. Ugh.

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Winners by Fredrik Backman

I’m sad to see the end of this heartbreaking and heartwarming trilogy. Us Against You is one of my favourite books, the sequel to Beartown. It’s been a few years, but I was absolutely thrilled to read this highly anticipated conclusion. Fans of Backman will recognize and enjoy his emotional storytelling in The Winners.

While there were passages and chapters that kept me glued to the pages, I did find this book to be too long. It was too much of a good thing for me, and distracted from the plot. There was a lot of repetition, as is the authors style, but it felt too heavy handed for me. The book sits around 700 pages, and while I’m not one to shy away from a thick read, this felt totally dense. I seem to be in the minority on that though, there are plenty of readers who felt there could never be enough pages.

Overall, I did enjoy much of this conclusion, and realistically, I had to complete the story. If you read & loved the first two, you’ll likely have your heart broken and knitted back together multiple times in this finale.

FYI there are many content warnings for this story so please inquire as needed.

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and to NetGalley for access to an e-arc of The Winners. All opinions are my own. It is available now!

This was such a good ending to this trilogy. I enjoyed the first two books better, this one felt a bit too long for me with the introduction and build up of new characters, but what a fitting and heartbreaking end!

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada, Atria Books for the egalley. All opinions my own.

Contemporary | Adult
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I started reading this third installment in the Beartown series just as the Hockey Canada scandal was reaching its peak, as news of a secret fund to pay off sexual assault victims leaked while at the same time the board refused to step down or accept any responsibility. It made my reading of this emotion-packed novel even more difficult. In this final tale in the Beartown trilogy, Backman continues to examine the impact of one player’s sexual assault of a teen girl in a Swedish hockey-obsessed town. It’s been two years since the assault, and still it reverberates, as residents of both Beartown and fierce rival Hed struggle with questions of who holds responsibility, what are the limits of ethics, what is family, what is love, and what is justice. Amat, Benji, Bono, Alice, Peter, Ramona, Maya, Sune, Ana and so many others stumble their way toward a life of meaning and contentment, setting events in motion that they never foresee or intend. This is a LONG book, at over 600 pages. As with the first two, it’s a slow burn, as Backman carefully builds suspense and story, threading plotlines into a complicated, beautiful and tragic tapestry. Despite the slow start, I grew steadily invested in these people’s lives, aching at their losses and cheering their moments of joy. Because, as Ramona says, “… what the hell is life, Peter, other than moments?” Indeed. I’m particularly struck by Backman’s keen and compassionate understanding of the impact of rape. In our home’s discussion of the Hockey Canada scandal, I commented at one point that I wondered why some men (such as those on the board) truly failed to understand why victims of a sexual assault cannot simply shrug it off, which is what they seem to expect. Backman is not one of those men. Along with an empathy for Maya’s pain, he shows a remarkably deep and nuanced understanding of all aspects of human nature as he continues to shine a light on our darkest aspects. Neil Smith’s translation from the original 2021 Swedish release is superb, once again. As with books one and two, this is ultimately a hopeful story of resilience and strength, and a strong conclusion to a story that is all too relevant here in Canada. My thanks to Atria Books for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Grand Forks (B.C.) & District Public Library has a copy in its adult fiction collection.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60209470

The Beartown series is an emotional rollercoaster and this book took me on a ride. There are so many characters that at first it felt like I wouldn’t be able to get invested in any of their stories but even with the introduction of some new people in this book, I was all in.

There was a lot happening in this book. It was really long and there were so many conflicts that came up and were then resolved. I felt like the most important plot centred around Matteo and his sister Ruth, as it was developed throughout the whole book. Unfortunately for me, this book felt so unnecessarily long that by the time we got to what actually happened with Ruth, I was losing interest.

Overall, this was a very thorough ending to the the Beartown series and I liked how Backman gave small insights into how the characters’ futures would ultimately turn out!

Read this if you:
- Are able to keep track of multiple characters and plots
- Know how deep a small town rivalry can run
- We’re okay with having your heart town to pieces

The people of Beartown have spent the last two years trying to move on from the conflict they had to face. With a funeral in town, those who thought they had escaped the small town’s clutches have returned and so has the rivalry that almost tore the whole place apart.

The truth is, I knew this book was going to be a hard read for a multitude of reasons, one being that it is a literal monster coming in at a whopping 700 pages but mostly because this book serves as the final farewell to a story and characters that I have grown to love so much.

Like his other novels, Backman has managed to capture our hearts through his poetic and intentional style of writing combined with his incredibly thoughtful observations of what it truly means to be human. What it is to fall in love, to fall out of love, to grieve, to feel alone and misunderstood, to find your place in this world, to fight, to lose and to win.

Every once in a while you come across a story that changes you as a person.
A story that has the ability to make you think a little deeper, love a little harder and live your life a bit more compassionately.
That is what this series has been for me.

I will be forever grateful to Backman for creating something that makes saying goodbye so hard, but for also making that goodbye absolutely perfect in every way.

If you haven’t read this series, please do.

Normally I find reviews easy to write. I make notes and have so much to say, but this one was different. This book was a challenge for me, but in the best way possible. I felt so many emotions and was so invested in the story that I got to the end and was trying to find the right words to convey how truly incredible this story is. Backman has been gifted with a special way of writing, and I was so excited to return to Beartown. It has been a little while since I read the first two books, but the first couple chapters do a phenomenal job of reintroducing us to the characters and town of Beartown. I found that the way questions are embedded in the story create this foreshadowing that fills with you with dread. You know the pieces of information being fed to you are leading somewhere, but you don’t know where. It all sounds so ominous, so you try to get there as slowly as possible.

This is a beautifully crafted and emotional conclusion to the trilogy. It is quite a long story, and the first part feels like it moves slowly, but it allows you a chance to perfectly savour it. As you move through the chapters, every emotion will be thrown at you – love, anger, disgust, hate, disappointment, sadness. It is hard to know how to feel. Some will say that this is just a story about hockey, but it is so much more. It is at its core about people. Our favourite characters return, and we are introduced to some new ones. We learn how people interact and deal with trauma or happiness. How living in a small town means that the decision of one affects the lives of many and how all these lives intersect. It reads like non-fiction. When you hit about sixty percent through, the intensity increase. Everything is coming to a head and the clues dropped along the way are coming together. I won’t say much, but even with the clues, this book still surprised me.

It is so hard to describe this story – this series. It has compelling stories and people, and you are quickly endeared to this town and its people. It highlights the complicated nature of our interactions and the resiliency of people. It shows how the same event happening to two different people can result in very different outcomes when one has support, and the other does not. At times, I set it down and just sat with my thoughts. This book will break your heart and you may need tissues nearby.

The wrap up of this series was every hit as perfect as the series itself. It’s never an easy read and always worth it with Backman. Reading Backmans conclusion of the tour thoughts on this book just made me 🥹 I am so grateful for this series and Backman as a human it’s hard to articulate how I felt reading the last of it.

Every review will probably mention the length but seriously doesn’t phase you whatsoever when reading it, this book was a continuation of my life mantra which is “I would read Backmans shopping list”. The characters the plot everything. I just can’t even say more.

A fantastic way to end off the Beartown series. As always, wonderful character and plot development. My one complaint is that it is a little long, the first half dragged a little for me. But the ending/wrap up was definitely worth it. May have shed a tear or too. A must read if you've already started the Beartown series!

Once again, Fredrik Backman continued his characters' stories and development so strongly it’s hard not to feel a connection to some of them. The feelings and emotions expressed through them, you can feel it as you read. The introduction of new characters was once again integrated so seamlessly, everyone is connected in one way or another, somehow. I love how he shares a little sneak peek into the characters' futures, the incredible things they have to look forward to. Throughout the story he builds on that, shares a bit more here and there, so you know that they will be happy, in the end. However, not everyone gets the ending they should have, because that is how life is for some. And it will break your heart.

Thank you to Fredrik Backman for giving us everyone had in these books. You created something not many authors can create and you gave us so much.

Netgalley ARC Review

I do not remember the last time a book broke me to the degree this book has. I cried so much and probably will start crying again as I write this.

The Winners takes place two years after the second book in the series. Beartown is bracing for a storm and loses a dear member of the community. Maya and Benji come home for the funeral and while they are there a lot of the problems from the previous two books come to a violent head.

I loved seeing Maya and Benji's friendship in this book. They are the ones who were hurt the most by the things going on in this town and I loved seeing how they have come together. I don't want to speak of the ending because of spoilers, but I don't remember ever crying so hard over a book in my life. Fredrick Backman's writing is beautiful.

Rating: 5 Stars

I will wholeheartedly read anything Fredrik Backman writes but I think this final book in the Beartown series just might be his newest masterpiece!

So much more than a book about two feuding hockey towns, this hefty book, is a profound look at the flawed yet wonderful nature of people - both as individuals and communities and the ways we can band together when times get tough.

Infinitely quotable, Backman has such a special knack for writing poignantly about marriage, parenthood and coming of age. Some of my favorite quotes included:

“Being married is easy. You just pick an argument you’re really good at and repeat weekly for all eternity.” (p.25)

“No one tells you before you procreate that the hardest thing about being a good parent is that you never feel like one.” (p.79)

“Our children never warn us that they’re thinking of growing up. One day they’re just too big to want to hold our hand. It’s just as well we never know when the last time is going to be or we’d never let go.” (p.88)

If you haven't yet read a Backman book, or dismissed this series because you aren't a hockey fan, I urge you to reconsider! I cannot recommend this series and Backman's writing enough and these books are particularly amazing on audio narrated by Marin Ireland, who truly astounds at her ability to voice the giant cast of characters so superbly!

Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I just finished The Winners by Fredrik Backman and here are my thoughts.

Maya and Benji both feel the pull to leave beartown in their rearview mirrors. Beartown is back on top and the town feels optimistic. The ice rink has been rebuilt into something amazing and the town is finally back to normal.

It’s 2 years since us against you and the rivalry between Hed and Beartown comes back in full force after a devastating storm destroys Hed’s ice rink.

Peter, having quit as GM to beartown 2 years previously, is still somehow caught up in an investigation into the hockey club's finances. Amat riding low after the debacle at the NHL draft is barely hanging in there.

A 14 year old with nothing to lose after his sister passes, has a plan and that plan includes a gun and revenge.

The one thing that always stands out for me in this series is the friendships that are forged and how much they impact the lives of the people around them.

Benji and Maya both return after the death of someone the town loves, to attend the funeral. Seeing how they have changed and grown is quite inspiring. They still have heavy burdens that weigh on them but it’s hard not to adore both of them.

I found the pace of this book was pretty even for the most part but did lull in places but it actually worked for the book. I usually don’t like books that pick up on a different character during a chapter but the author weaves such a clever tale that it feels like it flows perfectly.

I also really enjoyed the depths of some of the more unsavory characters and the idea of the pack in hockey was marvelous. You can see why the pack acted the way it did and it wasn’t for barbaric reasons even though it looks like that on the surface. It was a very interesting way to write and I loved every single second of it.

This series will teach you how to love without boundaries and how to rise up from rock bottom. No one gives up, no one is the victim and that is a powerful message.

Beartown is so much more than a hockey team, it's a family. This book is more than just hockey, its life lessons through the eyes of teenagers. Beartown has been carved into my heart and I am so glad I got to go through the journey with them all.

5 stars. If you love general fiction that will draw you into a world you won’t want to leave, then this series has to be on your list.

Thank you #netgalley and #simon&schustercanada for my review copy