This entire series has been wonderful, I have anxiously awaited the 2 sequels. I was so thrilled to get and Advanced Readers Copy for this finale. ( thanks Netgalley)
I fell in love with so many different people in these books, for so many different reasons. The author truly has the knack of engaging his readers with his riveting characters. I was immediately drawn in and engrossed in the book. The pace is perfect, there is a rhythm to the writing that is very satisfying.
This book was a perfect ending to the series. And oh, did I cry ! I can see myself re-reading the entire series, because they are such a gloriously emotional ride.
Thank you, Mr.Backman, for another great read.

Backman does it again! What a wonderful conclusion to this series. It is heartfelt and heart breaking, hard and hopeful, If you have read the first two books, you knew really hard stuff would happen in this book. And while tragedy strikes, it some who ends on a hopeful note and I love it for that. I love how the characters really came full circle and all of the pieces laid out in the first two books were completed. I feel this is a perfect ending for the series and I am so grateful for this series, this community, the characters and the author and translator that made it all possible.

I love Backman and he can not write a bad book, Winners was not an exception. Backman writes compelling characters that make even a non-hockey fan enjoy hockey. He evokes such beautiful emotions that I did not know I was capable of feeling. That being said this book was too damn long. Forgive me fans, but did we really need a third Beartown book with almost 700 pages? I'm burnt out from this read.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for allowing me to review this arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon&Schuster Canada for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

The long awaited sequel to the Beartown trilogy that began with Beartown and Us Against Them brings us back to the towns of Beartown and Hed where hockey is king and an eager journalist is ready to bring down the Beartown hockey club. Like its predecessors, Fredrik Backman uses foreshadowing to string his readers along hinting that not all characters will make it to the end of the story.

Once I began reading, The Winners held me in the palm of its hands and I was its prisoner for most of my Thursday summer reading. Without giving away too much of the plot, I was satisfied with how Backman wrapped us his series while also feeling very emotionally drained by the ending. If you enjoyed the first two books, I am sure you will enjoy this one too!

Expected Publication 27/09/22
Goodreads Review Published 12/08/22

For the love of Backman! I am in awe of another beautiful masterpiece by this talented author.

This is the conclusion fans have longed for in this adored series. The story is relevant, meaningful, relatable and unforgettable, Backman is a master of his craft with lifelong fans, young and old.

The characters are written carefully and flawlessly. This story is real life, truth, sadness, elating and devastating, everything we see and feel day to day. Our stories are like these beloved characters, messy, traumatic and amazing at the same time. This book is light, love, growing and learning. A really great story will stay with you long in the future and this is one of those books. Forever a fan and forever a "bear from Beartown!"

Many thanks to Netgalley, publisher and, most of all, Fredrik Backman for the privilege to read this beautiful story!

This book is such a well written story that allows you to completely escape and lose yourself within it.
I finished this book and was left completely speechless. It was just an absolute masterpiece and the best - in my opinion - of the series.
It’s hard to say goodbye to characters you’ve become so attached to but I appreciate that Backman created such characters that we feel this deep in our core. He also was able to end this trilogy allowing us to know what has happened and what their futures hold. I felt as though I’m satisfied knowing that.
My only complaint with this book was the repetition. This book is a chunk of a book and I felt like there was parts that we didn’t need and it didn’t need to be quite as long.
However, I have loved everything Backman has written because the man is a genius with words and a masterful storyteller, and this is no different.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Atria Books for this ARC eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Backman spends the entire novel reminding me of how much I love these beautiful and complicated characters 😩 and then he rips my heart out. I am a mess…

The Winners is so cleverly written. Backman’s unique style captivates the audience by writing with a sense of urgency. He does a great job of refreshing readers on past events and igniting a whole new barrage of drama. Backman’s foreshadowing is masterful and commanding your attention the entire way through. He manages to bring back the favourites from Beartown and their rival town Hed. 🥰

“Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab and gun and walk towards the rink.” Someone is out to destroy Peter Anderson and the Beartown hockey club. A war has waged…

Thank you to @simonschusterca , @backmansk and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. 🙏🏻🥰

#bookadoration #beartown #thewinners #fredrikbackman #simonandschuster #bookstagram #canadianbookstagram #hockey

The Winners by Fredrik Backman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

From behind a veil of tears and with trembling hands I struggle to find the words to write a review that will do this novel — 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 — justice.

Fredrik Backman’s upcoming Fall release, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, is the vivid final instalment of three books comprising the Beartown series.

While these novels are seemingly situated in the tension between rival hockey communities Beartown and Hed, the series is propelled by forces far more powerful than hockey.

With thoughtful simplicity Backman tucks away exactly this message in chapter six of 𝘜𝘴 𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶:

“[𝘏𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺] 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘴…𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴.”

I’ve never read such an exquisite explanation of why sports are so much more meaningful than what transpires on the ice/field/turf/etc. This message carries through each book.

Poignant and profound, transcendent and transporting, like its sisters in this series, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 is a brilliantly and beautifully crafted reflection of humanity (family, corruption, loyalty, grief, success, redemption, tragedy, perseverance, identity, friendship, parenthood, abuse, connection, trauma, morality and more) exploring the capacities for growth, limitations of tolerance and strength for forgiveness within the human heart.

The characters (beloved old and interesting new), setting, plot and progress of the story are profoundly atmospheric, tragically intimate and wildly all-consuming in the best ways.

Concluding in 650+ pages this novel requires a passion and dedication to the Beartown series to adventure into its pages, but in a uniquely Backman way, you are HIGHLY rewarded for reading.

Final thought: is there anything more impressive than a Backman simile and metaphor? The precision, placement and poeticism are PERFECTION every dang time. 👏

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘬 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this wonderful book. I was so excited when my request was accepted that I let out a scream. Thinking I had suffered an injury, my son came rushing in from the next room. Backman presents a vivid sense of place with his atmospheric descriptions of two rival hockey-obsessed towns, Beartown and Hed, located deep in the Swedish forest. Although hockey games resonate throughout the book, the greatest emphasis is on its compelling and believable characters. Their stories are told with compassion. We understand their feelings. Even the most likeable ones have flaws, and the ones we regard as villains reveal hidden glimpses of goodness, or we can perceive the reasons they became so damaged.

Having loved the previous two Beartown books, I wondered if there was any more to add to the character's stories or to the toxic rivalry between Beartown and Hed, cumulating in acts of violence. I found this to be the most enthralling, moving book in the series and an emotional rollercoaster. Two years have passed since the conclusion of the previous book, and we are brought up to date on what has happened to our favourite characters in the intervening time. Some are struggling with painful memories, secrets, despair, a sense of failing to reach their potential, deplorable home lives, and guilt. Even with a charming love story and joyous occasions, there was a sense of ominous foreboding throughout.

I faced a whole gamut of emotions throughout the book. I rejoiced at their happy times, gasped in surprise at some startling turn of events, was spellbound by some unlikely friendships and alliances, and was in tears near the end. It is a story of parenthood, the growing independence of young people, difficult marriages, death, tragedies, personal challenges, rape, murder, the mourning for departed loved ones. It is the stories of families, the ones we are born into, or the ones we choose through friendship, trust, need, and kindness. It asks vital questions such as is forgiveness possible, and can there be redemption for wrongdoings and mistakes?

When the book was first announced, its original title was to be "Those Who Rush Towards a Fire." This was quite fitting as it describes people who hurry to save others without concern for their own safety. We observe some valiant examples of such acts. Among the intriguing new characters are a family in Hed, the father a fireman and the mother a midwife. Two sons are aspiring hockey players. My favourite new character was a man named Teemu, a Beartown hoodlum, the leader of a gang of Beartown black-jacketed toughs. Beyond his fearsome exterior, he displayed acts of kindness, trust, and compassion.

I won't summarize the story but will mention that it starts out with a raging, early winter storm causing human and property damage. It showed how the people in the two communities helped each other in a spirit of brotherhood. Unfortunately, the roof was blown off the hockey rink in Hed. Financial resources went into improving the Beartown rink, resulting in Hed's home games being moved to Beartown. This further inflamed the hatred between hockey fans, easily manipulated to anger. A local newspaper uncovered years of embezzlement, political corruption, and fraudulent, complex financial activities favouring Beartown. Would this scandal be revealed?

This was a lengthy book of 688 pages, but time passed quickly. Highly recommended for its story-telling, emotional impact, location, and splendid character development.

**I was excited to receive a complimentary copy of The Winners by Fredrik Backman from NetGalley. Opinions in this review are completely my own.**

May contain spoilers!

I read Beartown and Us Against You a couple of years ago and LOVED them both. I had been waiting for the end for this story. This book did not disappoint. This book continued the storylines of Maya, Ana, Amat, Benji, and other favourite characters that I met in the first two books, and we also met new characters like Mumble and Big City. Backman does a great job of developing his characters and making them likeable. Even the characters that have a darker side had redeeming qualities, like Mumble, Teemu, and Lev. His characters are well rounded and have so much going on under the surface that they become real to you.

As well, The Winners has so many ideas and themes that leave you thinking long after the novel is done. For instance, I loved the idea that our inner child walks with us. This often has such an affect on who we are now, that the image of Backman describes really hit home. "The two young woment trample over the memories and two invisible little girls pad after them. Because they're always walking behind us: the children we were before the worst that has happened happened." I've been doing a lot of therapy the last couple of years to heal my inner child so I can feel worthy and enough in my life now. As well, he talks about childhood and how "We take happiness so easily for granted if we've had it from the start." There is definitely things that we learn in childhood and then continue them through our lives, passing them on to our children: traditions, relationship patterns, and ways of living. Throughout the novel, there is a running theme of belonging, the us vs. them mentality between Hed and Beartown. You can see how not belonging to something affects different characters. Lev is trying to fit into Hed and wants to make a better life for his immigrant family, Matteo wants to belong and have friends, Big City and Mumble start to feel that sense of team as a part of Beartown Hockey, and Benji is struggling with being gay. Backman says: "The biggest thing you can have is being part of something." In my experience as a teacher, every child wants to fit in. The picture he painted of children who don't broke my heart: "That's why it hurts to be a different child. The one whose name no one remembers when they look back at school photographs because that child was never part of anyone else's childhood except their own. It's so cold being outside other people that you freeze to death all by yourself." It can be so lonely when you don't fit in. Matteo feels that with his classmates, the people in town, and his family. After his one salvation, his sister, is gone, he becomes untethered. It is not hard to see how this plays out but it is heartbreaking. He also alludes to how we as society can view the "other" as different. How the worst things can be believed and possibly even generalized due to some "story we've heard from someone who heard it from someone else."

I would love to see this series made into a TV show or movie. I love this story, I love these characters, and I will definitely recommend it.

Excellent read.Conclusion to the other two novels in the series.Full of insights into family life, parenting and friendship.

This might just be my favourite in the Beartown trilogy and I loved the other 2 a lot! The story of Ruth and Matteo is heartbreaking, but many of the characters in this book will break your heart multiple times too. Frederik Backman just gets better and better.

Thank you to Fredrik Backman, Simon and Schuester Canada and Netgalley for the ARC copy of The Winners.

This was one of my most anticipated reads. I loved the first two books in the series and love the way Backman writes. I really liked this book a lot, the third in the Beartown series, but did find it a bit slow until about 60% of the way through. At about the 60% mark though, it did pick up and by about 80% it was hard to put down. I loved that this book still centred around all the same characters as the previous two books, because I love those characters. I also liked the new characters that were introduced. Backman does such a great job in the way he writes, as he gives some things away, but not enough that the story is ruined.

This book is long - over 600 pages. So getting to 60% took a while to get too, but if you can manage to stick with the book until that part, you definitely won’t be disappointed. This is also the finale in the series, and I thought Backman did a great job summing things up and giving everyone closure in some way.

If you liked the Beartown series, Beartown and Us Against You, I would for recommend this one!

The Winners will be released at the end of September 2022 so make sure you pick up your copy then!

I absolutely adore this trilogy!!! If you enjoyed the first two books, I think you will love this one as well. Fredrik Backman has a way of writing where each sentence is very minimal. It isn't overly flowery or descriptive and only says what needs to be said to get the point across. I connect with it so much! It is just enough to set the scene but lets me use my own imagination and experiences to fill in all of the rest. It makes me really feel the emotions so much more for some reason. I love his writing style!

This book is definitely 100% character focused. The author just really understands people and their minds. He is so good at writing so many different  characters and still getting them spot on. He understands what makes people tick and the emotions and inner thoughts that go through a person's head. He writes the most real and complex characters I have ever read. I love them all. The characters are such a mix of good and bad and real that's its very hard to predict what's going to happen. Every chapter you change your mind. And of course Benji is definitely my favorite. One of my favorite characters of all time.

Definitely recommend this series! If you haven't started with Beartown yet you need to give it a try.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a long book to get through, 650+ pages, but It didn't feel like it to me. So heartbreaking yet so beautiful at the same time. Once again it is Backman's writing that steals the show and really got to me. His characters stayed with me and I especially loved Benji. I was so absorbed in the story that it only took me a couple of days to read the whole thing. It was such another wonderful visit to Beartown and I enjoyed seeing old friends and new characters too, not to mention the occasional enemy. This series of books have had such an emotional impact on me, the way I felt through all three of them had my emotions all over the place, everything from devastation and anger to pure joy. If you want to read this one I implore you to read Beartown #1 and Us Against You #2 first, you will get so much from them and you won't regret it. All. The. Stars.