Us Against You: A Novel (Beartown)

I really liked Us Against You by Fredrik Backman. I have read all of F Backman's books - I really loved A Man Called Ove and Beartown.

I didn't like Us Against You as much as Beartown. I was conflicted with this book - there were chapters I really loved and other chapters I felt like I was being manipulated. I didn't like Richard Theo - he represented what is wrong with today's society. He wanted to manipulate situations to suit his needs. He liked playing people against each other.

I really liked the female characters - Maya, Ana, Kira, Elisabeth Zackell. They were all strong in their own way and showed a sensitive side.

F Backman does an excellent job of developing an excellent plot & characters. I always recommend F Backman to readers looking for great fiction.

I would highly recommend Us Against You to readers who like: relevant subject matter, strong & well developed characters, previous F Backman books and great fiction.

book arrived ridiculously quick! ordered at 9 pm on a friday evening and received on sunday as noted in the purchase. this book is a sequal to "bear town" and did not disappoint. really enjoyed both books

My initial review is based on only the first 2 chapters. I am really disappointed. The first book sucked me in after the first few pages. This sequel really isn't pulling me in. I will finish reading it at some point.

This is the third book of his that I’ve read. The first was” a man named Ove”, second one was” Beartown” this is the best of the three. It dealt with some contemporary and important issues. I loved this book. Just gave it to my daughter.

I was thrilled that my long wait for the sequel to the wonderful Beartown had finally come to an end. After finishing Beartown, my favourite book of fiction in 2017, I was impatient to learn what was next for the town and its people. I felt a close connection with the deeply drawn characters. Love some and hate some; they were always intriguing and compelling. The author has a great understanding of human nature. Us Against You doesn’t disappoint. It was possibly even better than Beartown.

Fredrik Backman writes with emotion and is an exceptional story teller. His characters come to life on the pages and in our hearts and minds. There is humor but also great tragedy and passages of wisdom. At times heartwarming, but also heart wrenching and heartbreaking, I found it an intense reading experience as there was foreboding throughout which made me worry that something bad lay ahead on the pages.

This is the story of a small town in decline set in the Swedish forests. The people live for hockey and the local games are the highlight of the lives of players and their many fans. This should not deter any reader. I have no interest in hockey, but none is needed. It is about so much more: it is about the lives of people and the good and bad choices they make. It involves family connections, friendship, love, hate, rivalry, violence. Sometimes I had to interrupt my reading to wipe tears from my eyes.

I have heard there will be a third book and hope it is true. I want to know the future for Maya, Ana, Benji and his sisters, Ramona, Peter, Amat, Leo, Bobo, Zackell, Alicia, Teemu and all the others I have to come to know and love. Have already ordered a book as a gift and one for myself. Now for the long wait for the next book in the series!

Reading this was a roller coaster of emotions. I became so invested in all the characters. I love how this author reminds us that “good” people can do bad things and “bad” people are capable of good.

The only man who could make me care about hockey, Backman does it a again with Us Against You, his sequel to Beartown. We get a chance to pickup where Beartown left off and revisit all of our favorite characters. Benji!! Bobo!!

Backman will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering if the life of one of your favorites is going to end in tragedy.

Although so glad to be back in Beartown this sequel was a little less than perfect for me because there was more of a political focus and a lot of time spent on that rather than characterization of my favorite characters.

Nonetheless, if you loved Beartown you will love Us Against You and if you haven't read Beartown, go and get it RIGHT NOW!

A long book but I was sad to see it end. Told in the 3rd person, it allows Backman to show all aspects of his many characters. Had we seen only the outward behavior, we would not have understood the complexity in their lives. This is a continuation of Beartown with its quirky and lovable (and not so lovable) characters plus a few more added to the mix. Read the first book first, then this one. I love Backman's writing.

First of all, I loved Beartown. Yes, it was often a bit over-the-top and manipulative, but the characters and the settings were perfect in tone and execution. So I had to read this as many of the characters, and of course the setting, remained. But this book really felt like a sequel, much more filler, and fairly similar dramatic beats. Are there great moments? Yes. Will you laugh and cry? Probably, as I did. But the overall effect felt a bit rushed and a bit more conventional and I think Backman could have done a better job.

Backman does it again. In a book with realistic characters, decisions, and choices, the love of hockey shines through. I love how the characters from the previous Book developed, had different problems, and were still surviving . The writing was wonderfully heartbreaking, the politics were realistic, and I was transported back again to Beartown. Thank you so much to Backman for writing another continued love letter to hockey, community, and brotherhood.

*NOW AVAILABLE*

I have read all of Fredrik Backman’s books and Beartown was probably my favorite. I know I’m in the minority here but “Us Against You” just didn’t elicit the same emotions for me, it was a bit of a disappointment. After I read Beartown I felt as though it was complete story and so I was a little surprised that the author chose to revisit the town again.

The first 30% of the book dealt pretty much with getting the reader caught up with the characters from Beartown and what had happened the previous year. This part for me was a skip through because I already was knowledgeable about what had transpired. That said, Mr. Bachman’s writing was again outstanding as he summed up all characters and what they had gone through emotionally and physically the past Fall and Winter.

Now it’s summer and the kids are free to try to heal as are the parents. A new character, Richard Theo, a politician, is introduced and adds his twisted, manipulative narrative to this new season for the hockey team. A lot of time is spent on what he is doing, but not so much on why he is doing it? We are left with wondering if he is just incredibly selfish and wants notoriety for himself or if there is something else that is going on? I really couldn’t understand how someone could care so little about the people he was about to hurt.

A lot of time is spent on “The Pack” and it’s influence in the town. I felt myself growing tired of Teemu, Woody and Spider and the rest of the group. I have a hard time believing that such a small group of men could hold so much sway in the feelings of the townspeople. Not not only did they seem to control the hockey team’s endorsement but also the town’s feelings about the rape, the homosexual issues, the woman coach and how much violence was used to get what they wanted. I had had enough of them by the end of the book!

Benji and his sisters play a large part in this book and those moments with them are definitely some of my favorites. His sisters are committed to their brother and want so much to protect him from some of the things he is about to do, but he is almost a grown man and they are left with just loving and supporting him, which was a wonderful thing to see.

Hog is an amazing character and a great father. He is so supportive of Bobo and understands his son’s strengths and weaknesses. He wrestles with the loss of his wife but the family is a strong unit and seem to be able to survive this great tragedy.

I was disappointed that nothing was included about David and the boys who left to play for Hed, they are still residents of Beartown to my understanding and I would have liked to know what their thoughts were now that they decided to play for the opposing team. I’m sure it was not an easy decision for many of them.

As if there haven’t been enough changes in Beartown, a woman coach is hired to resurrect the Beartown hockey club. She is tough, skilled and treats all of her players equally. This is a woman I was glad to see introduced into the story. I also loved how the ending was pulled together with her and one of the other players.

In the end I was glad to have read this book but I don’t think it “measured up” to Beartown or “Britt Marie Was Here”, two of my very favorite Backman books. I’m sure many, many people will be glad to revisit the town but for me it was bittersweet and the ending still left with me with lots of unanswered questions. I will of course be on the lookout for the next Fredrik Backman novel as he has been added to my list of favorite authors.

ADDENDUM: Since I published this review yesterday it has come to my attention that there is to be a Beartown #3 and that the author always intended a trilogy. I thought it was interesting but I don't know that I need a third book, I'm not a series kind of person (with the exception of Harry Potter)

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

When I read Beartown last year I really got to know the characters in the book, so much so, that by the end I really didn't want to leave them. At that time I didn't know it was the start of a series (or possibly trilogy) so, when I heard there was a sequel I knew I had to read it. Although, strictly speaking, you don't need to read Beartown before this book, as the salient points are reiterated within, to really get the best from it, I would definitely recommend you do read it first. If you haven't yet read Beartown and think you might, please stop reading this review now as it might contain spoilers.
This book nearly broke me emotionally. Oh my, what the author puts this small town and its inhabitants through. The action begins where book one ended with the hockey team all but depleted player-wise. Most of the first team has jumped ship and gone to play for neighbouring team Hed, along with the coach. With the factory also in a bit of trouble, the town looks like it is on its last legs especially with the overseeing Committee favouring Hed for most things too. But, as with the events in book one of the series, there is always hope and that comes in the guise of a new coach. One that will shock most of the inhabitants. As the new team starts to take shape around this new coach, combined with the promise of more support from the new, and as yet secret, soon-to-be owners of the factory, could the team rise again and inject life back into the small town?
As with Beartown, this book is centered mostly around hockey, with a bit of politics thrown in for good measure. But, for those of a not so sporting nature, you really don't need to worry as it is not all sport. In fact, it mostly revolves around the people more than the sport. It's definitely very character driven. In fact, I rode the gamut of pretty much every emotion available whilst reading this book. Good and bad. I laughed, I cried, I sympathised and empathised along with the characters every step of the way.
The way the book is written, narrated by an unknown resident, means that certain things are introduced before they are explained and before you see them played out. This raised the level of tension for me throughout the book as I was anticipating certain things to happen, sometimes based on guesswork. Some played out as expected, others notsomuch. Sometimes I was relieved at what actually happened, given the hints, other times what actually happened was more shocking than I envisaged. This meant that my heart was in my mouth quite a bit along the way but, at times, the feeling of relief I got when it wasn't as bad as I though, was immense. When I eventually finished the book I was completely spent.
Backman has made, for me, a fictional town that feels so real. He has filled it with great characters, some good, some flawed, some somewhere inbetween, most of whom became my friends for the duration, all of whom were so credible. He's added a neat twist of politics and game playing both on and off the ice which just added a whole other layer of intrigue. There are also real life problems being played out, some so passionate that you just know it can't all end well. There are tough decisions to be made, some go well, others are a bit more tricky. But throughout it all, it's just a town fighting for its existence in the face of adversity. It's a story of hope against all odds, a tale of what can happen when people put things aside and work together. And that's what makes the book really shine. So much so, that Beartown is probably the first and only fictional place that I've read about that I really wish I could go visit.
So, with great sadness I finished this book. And now I feel a bit bereft. I'm going to miss some of the friends I have made along the way and I am really, really hoping that book three won't be long in coming. I need these people and this town in my life.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The backdrop of the story is hockey, but there is so much more to it than that. This is the second book in the Beartown series and it is best that you read the first one as everything that happens in this book is a result of the actions taken in the first one. Beartown is a small town in the forest. The factory is laying people off, many are unemployed, there are drugs, lots of alcoholics and hockey. Many of the players from Beartown hockey, switched to the team in Hed, Beartown's hated rivals, after the rape that occurred in the last book. In the sequel to Beartown, Fredrik Backman explores what happens as a consequence of this unspeakable act, how everyone involved tries to pick up the pieces of their lives: the boy, the girl, her family and the town. In this book, a sneaky, local politician, Richard Theo, has dreams of bigger and better things for his political career. He starts calling in favours to rebuild the team and buy the factory to bring back jobs. He brings in a female coach, spreads rumors to manipulate people, gets everyone upset with everyone else. The team pulls together, but will this save the town.

I was emotionally moved while reading this story. There were family dramas, bullying, small town politics, gangs, homosexuality and its effects on self and others, dealing with loss, friendship and so much more. The characters or Benji, Bobo, Amat, Maya, Ana, Leo and even Teemu are very well developed. We find out more about their past and what makes them tick. The paths they take as they deal with what life has thrown at them and how they help one another are a major part of the story. The others in their families, Benji's sisters and Bobo's father are wonderfully supportive family members that are also dealing with major upheaval in their lives. When the hockey rivalry is rachetted up a notch the book takes on a life of its own. I do not want to give away the plot so will not describe any more than I have, but take my word for it.

Fredrik Backman has become one of my favourite authors. He shows his amazing talent as he moves from one character to the next, as he creates a suspense and drama, which has the reader waiting for something awful to happen. As we get to know the thoughts and feelings of the many characters, and listen to their simple phrases that depict their thoughts on unconditional parental love, the depth of friendship, marriage and ambition, expectations, rivalry, loyalty, love and hate it makes the reader think deeply. There are so many wonderful quotes that I love in this book, but I will leave you with this one: "It’s so easy to get people to hate each other. That’s what makes love so impossible to understand. Hate is so simple that it always ought to win. It’s an uneven fight.” The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

along comes Us Against You to let you know that recovery won't be that easy. I'll be honest, I thought this sequel was just way too relentless. Every single character is suffering from something, either on their own behalf, or on someone else's. I'm surprised they didn't all take a shotgun out into the forest. Even the little kids are being beaten up, or their mother is dying of cancer. Tragedy befalls even the crotchety old men who hang out at The Bearskin, not to mention the pub itself.

But the most annoying thing about Us Against You isn't that not a single one of the characters can catch any kind of a break. It's the constant lecturing and foreshadowing that goes on from the narrator, whoever s/he is. The book would be a lot more enjoyable if the reader could just shut off that voice. This is one of those rare novels that would actually be better made into a movie or a miniseries, though it's possible that then, the constant sturm und drang (Backman uses this phrase himself) would be even more painfully evident. There is absolutely NO comic relief in this story, and the narrator coming in occasionally to remind us that this is just how things are in Beartown, or this is just human nature, or whatever, is no substitute for some levity.

You'd never guess I am a big fan of Backman's novels. I enjoyed Beartown (4 stars.) But I miss the opportunity to get to love a quirky character and cheer their personal growth through the course of his earlier novels. In Us Against You, I didn't dare care about any of the characters, for fear (or foreknowledge) that I would then have to suffer along with his/her inevitable misery.

The residents of a small town must fight their egos and their loyalties to get past one of the biggest scandals in generations. As their local hockey team, the town’s only saving grace, prepares for the new season, people find new friends and disregard old ones as they decide individually and as a community where to draw the line between right and wrong. In his sequel to his previous novel, Beartown, author Fredrik Backman brings back beloved characters and continues a heart-wrenching story in the slow to start but excellent book Us Against You.

At one time every resident of Beartown held up his or her head in pride. Some considered the town a backwaters place on the verge of extinction, but no one could doubt the level of talent in the town’s junior league hockey team. The team had a shot at the national title, until its star player, Kevin, got arrested the night of the game that would decide the team’s fate. Accused of rape, Kevin and his family left town and everyone who stayed behind chose a side.

Peter Andersson, the coach who alerted the police to Kevin’s alleged crime, gets ousted by the board, leaving the team scrabbling for answers. Some players get recruited by the team for the nearby town of Hed, and the boys are happy to go. They idolized Kevin and don’t know what to think of the accusations against him. By going to Hed, at least they still get to play hockey. On the ice, life is blissfully simple.

No one can stay on the ice forever, however, and off it the players have to face their families and one another. Beartown still has plenty of boys who want to represent it. The departure of some key players means others get to move up in the ranks, and it also means a new coach has the opportunity to train the boys. With a new season comes key games between Hed and Beartown, and the rivalry rises to a new level. Players from both teams start playing “pranks” that escalate in their audacity. It isn’t until a resident ends up dead, however, that parents and players alike realize that what started out as a game has played with every element of their lives.

Author Fredrik Backman brings back all the characters from the heartbreaking Beartown and continues their story in Us Against You. Backman’s writing style and his depth of characterization, once again, hit the mark dead on. With every book he writes, Backman hones his art to a razor-sharp point that allows him to tickle his readers or prick their hearts—sometimes within the same paragraph. He balances the points of view of several characters, allowing readers to understand motivations and decide for themselves who’s right and who’s wrong.

The only distraction in the book comes in the pacing in the first third that could have moved a little faster. Perhaps, because this is his first sequel, Backman wanted to handle his readers with as much care as he does his characters and story. One thing is for certain: if a reader hasn’t found Beartown yet, he or she will know exactly what happened in that story because Backman gives it to readers in this latest book albeit in abbreviated form. While revisiting the previous book helped bring back characters and memories, from a mechanical standpoint it also takes up space that could have been devoted to more of the current story.

In his winning, charming style, however, Backman makes even the extensive back story engaging. He draws such a realistic picture that his target audience will want to spend as much time with the characters as possible. For those who wondered how Peter, his family, and their friends have fared since the end of Beartown, the extra time in Us Against You is precious and welcomed.

Also, in the greatest tribute to his talent, Backman doesn’t let the back story detract from the new tale he wants to tell. It’s just as appealing and surprising as his other books. Readers new to Backman’s work who choose to start with Us Against You should just be patient. It won’t be long before they get caught up in the characters and the story.

For diehard fans of Backman’s work, this is a must-read. I recommend all readers Bookmark Us Against You.

Following the revealing events in Fredrik Backman’s Beartown, Us Against You details the town’s struggle to come to terms with the inevitable backlash and ramifications of those events on the town and their hockey team.

In light of the actions of Beartown’s star player against the daughter of the hockey club’s general manager, the team’s future in Beartown hangs in the balance as sponsors and funding abandon the scandal-ridden team, and town, in favor of neighboring Hed. As the rivalry between Beartown and Hed is pervasive, the tension between the players and people of the two towns reaches a violent head as provocation from both sides, accompanied by the meddling of an ambitious local politician, needles these devoted people into committing fierce actions with lasting consequences.

Where the first installment in this series focused on Beartown and its hockey with the story and action presented as a boiling kettle, this installment is the whistle of that kettle as the tension finds outlets of escape, primarily in the form of various vicious and violent acts. Using the same narrative technique as Beartown with roving perspectives from the townspeople involved, the structure was familiar, but the text repeatedly reminds readers of basic, already established facts about each character throughout the narrative, which impacted my ability to connect with the emotional struggle of each of the characters as closely as I had in Beartown. There were quite a few new characters whose perspectives were gained that seemed to primarily be a vehicle to add political drama to an already powerful story, which weighed the narrative down with larger overarching schemes instead of the fascinating intimate tensions that made previous novel so incredibly strong.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

At times sad and depressing, and at other times filled with love, loyalty and friendship, Us Against You is destined to be another beloved book by Fredrik Backman. The pre-amble at beginning of Us Against You kept me on edge and turning pages. The story tension starts high and remains as taut as an over-tightened guitar string that is ready to break on the next hard strum.

The cast of characters is very broad, and Mr. Backman skillfully shows the breadth of the ripple effect from the traumatic events in his prior novel, Beartown. The Andersson family and Beartown are torn apart from the prior spring’s scandal. Us Against You is told in a third person narrative. The transitions between scenes within chapters are choppy. In some cases it felt like I was concurrently watching security footage from different cameras on multiple screens. However, those scenes are how we readers are able to see into the souls of many of the Beartown inhabitants.

Hockey and the feud with the neighboring town of Hed infuse almost every life, conversation, and relationship in Beartown. Hockey is the oxygen the townsfolk breathe; therefore it is easy to manipulate multiple groups with political promises and threats by intertwining sports, medical care and employment. In addition to a delivering a healthy cautionary regarding politicians, Backman passes along lessons on rivalry, surviving, perseverance, loss, loneliness, compromise, and responsibility.

Backman is a good storyteller. However, I did not feel that the level of emotional intimacy matched that of book one, Beartown.
While I was invested in this sequel from the first page, it wasn’t until the story was building up to crescendo that I decided I liked this book. Us Against You was not one of my favorites from Backman, but the power and worthiness of the story continue to grow on me.

This book is just as good as the first.

Us Against You is my most highly anticipated book of 2018, and I was SO EXCITED to read this.

It’s just as captivating as Beartown. This is a must-read for those that loved Beartown. And it definitely lived up to my expectations.

Backman’s writing is just stellar, and the best that I’ve ever encountered. He sprinkles philosophy on parental love, friendship, marriage, power, loyalty, love and hate throughout the book. Like Beartown, I found myself nodding and highlighting so many quotes because it was so darn thought provoking. Backman should write self-help books because he’s so insightful.

You don’t need to read Beartown to enjoy this book (however, I strongly recommend it!) because Backman does an excellent job of weaving in the backstory so that the reader understands it, without retelling it completely. I appreciated this because it made me recall parts of the Beartown plot without having to reread it.

I savored this book and didn't rush through it because I knew that it was going to be good. And I was in mourning when it ended, because I wanted it to go on.

Us Against You is an unforgettable sequel to Beartown and it’s just as good as the first. It has everything that you love about Beartown, and more. I think it’s incredible, and for me, I don’t think any book will be better than this one for 2018.

I received an advance copy of this book from Atria Books; many thanks for the privilege.

"...it’s a simple game, if you strip away all the c**p surrounding it and just keep the things that made us love it in the first place."

I loved BEARTOWN, the book this is a sequel to, and I wondered if this book would hold its own against it. It absolutely did.

What an extraordinary author Backman is! I would marry this man, have his children (well, maybe 30 years ago) just so I could read his grocery lists. He creates characters that live on in your imagination, that have deep feelings that leak off the pages, that makes the world a smaller place to live because you see that Sweden isn't much different to where you live than you might have thought.

Again this sequel is written around hockey but mostly around ordinary people that live their lives in ways that touch emotions on all levels.

I'm not usually one that enjoys politics in the books I read but in this case it's integral to the story being told.

The story starts right after the events in BEARTOWN and continues through the short summer and another hockey season.

I highly recommend this book and BEARTOWN. Even though I have a long list. of books to read, I'm off to read A MAN CALLED OVE and probably a couple more of Backman's books. He has become one of my favorite authors.

I received this book from Atria Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Us Against You by Fredrick Backman is the sequel to Bear town. It is about the aftermath of the rape of Maya and how Bear town and Hed become not just rivals, but enemies! This book really centers on the community and the way society changes. There are many well-developed characters in this, not just the hockey players. When the hockey coach takes most of his good players and plays for Hed instead, Bear town has to rebuild its team, starting with finding a new coach who is a woman! This second book shows how politicians use their power and comparisons are drawn between them and “the pack.” The characters feel like real people—both good and bad at the same time with real life problems.

This book started out pretty slow for me because I’m not into politics and wanted more hockey. The beginning of the book is spent on political deals and trying to build up a hockey team, but then the violence started and I began to get attached to the characters. I really liked Benji, the pack, Ramona, Vidar, Amat, Jeanette (martial arts teacher) and Elisabeth Zackell (hockey coach). This is mostly a sad story with a few bright spots. It is about loyalty and dynamics of friendships which I found interesting. If you enjoyed Bear town, I think you will also enjoy the sequel.

Beartown has suffered from a tragic incident that is tearing the town apart at the seems. Driven to succeed by their shared passion for Beartown Hockey, the star team player was accused of raping a girl in town. Everyone helped to cover up the incident to make their own lives simpler.

As they put together the pieces, the town had also decided to disband Beartown Hockey and focus their attention on another hockey team. A stranger arrives in town to help rebuild their lost hockey team and that's when everything gets interesting.

This town has been teetering on the brink of breaking apart and now they truly have. They're losing themselves in the desolation of lies and loss that surround their residents. Without finding some balance in their own lives, they will all be torn apart by sadness and hatred. Elegantly written from multiple perspectives, it starts out slow and focuses on the turmoil that each character is suffering from.
Atrocities have befallen the city of Beartown and the residents care more about protecting their precious hockey team than admitting what their children are capable of. When reading this story I found that it helps to have some hockey understanding of terminology. I've been a hockey fan for 12 years, and knowing hockey lingo such as power plays, etc was very helpful to keep up with the flow of the story, although it's not necessary.

This is a well written story about the darkness that lies within all of us and the lengths we will go to see success. As a town is torn apart, people are facing their darkest demons, how does one small town find the strength to overcome it and succeed.

Read it today to find out!

Advanced copy provided to me by Atria Books through NetGalley.

3.5 stars. The first half of the story is very slow. Backman not only rehashes the whole plot of Beartown, but then he also has to remind us relentlessly about the entire “moral of the story” from the previous book. I wish he trusted his readers more — just jump in and start the new story and let your readers decide for themselves what to think. SHOW us, don’t TELL (and re-tell) us.

But when Backman finally quits re-preaching the previous book and gets to the new stuff, his story takes off. There are some great twists and turns, and new political machinations overlap with the macho culture of winning at all costs. This book is actually deeper and more layered than Beartown. And, as always, Backman uses his asides to toss out some real insight to chew on, as in “The truth about most people is as simple as it is unbearable: we rarely want what is best for everyone; we mostly want what’s best for ourselves.”

And I like the ending. It is appropriate and does not solve all the problems of the world. At last, Backman lets his readers decide for themselves what it all means.

Us Against You is the second book in a series after Beartown, and as it stands alone, the story is perfectly understandable. I didn’t read Beartown…yet, but Us Against You impressed me to such a degree that I decided to read everything this author has in print. Fredrick Backman is a storyteller, and not just any storyteller but one who pays attention to characterization, relationships, and humanity’s hidden assets that can bond people and groups.

The game of hockey has to do a lot with the story; however, one can’t say that this book is only about hockey, as hockey serves as an important prop. What is at the core of the novel are its characters and relationships with one another and also the two similar towns, Hed and Beartown, with their own hockey teams, Bears and Bulls. The story successfully points out the animosity and violence that winning or losing a game can trigger between two very similar entities.

The story opens up with the possible closure of the Beartown’s only factory and the danger of Beartown losing its hockey team due to loss of financial backup, and as the result, some of the old Beartown players agreeing to play for Hed. Those remaining Beartown players are the best ones, but the team now doesn’t have the punch Bulls now have. Will Beartown be able to come up with its own good hockey team and face its future on better terms, is in the plot of the story that surprises the readers with unexpected twists a. In addition to this are the exquisitely drawn characters: a family with Peter Andersson, the general manager, his wife Kira the lawyer, Maya his daughter who was raped by an old Beartown player, Leo their twelve-year-old son; Ana who is Maya’s friend and her father; Ramona, the sage bar owner; the new Bears coach Elizabeth; a scheming politician who uses Peter for his own ends; Bears players, Benji, Amat, Vidar, Bobo. etc.

After its characters, what makes this novel a great one is the variety of themes running through it such as friendship, self-destruction, talent v.s character, heartbreak, heroism, courage, community, loyalty that is often tested, love, and redemption.

Although this story turns around the game of hockey, it is much, much more than that. I started reading this book without realizing that it was happening in Sweden. It might as well happen in the USA or in any other country. This is probably because its messages are universal.

I am going to make sure I won’t miss reading any book by this author as long as it is translated into a language I can understand.

"Hockey is a simple game if you strip away all the crap surrounding it and just keep the things that made us love it in the first place - Everyone gets a stick. Two nets. Two teams. Us against you."
This theme runs throughout the book, as Backman takes us back to Beartown. This book picks up where the book Beartown ended. It's summer in the town, and the town is coming to what it considers it's year end. September is the first day of the year in Beartown because that's when hockey starts. The town is moving on since the shocking events of the previous winter, but it hasn't healed and lives are still in limbo. This book gives the reader a look at a town that has died, and then started to try to live again, and then with further events, its recovery has stalled. After reading two books about this tiny town in northern Sweden, I feel like I really know the people. Backman has that effect with his characters. They are so real and so alive that it doesn't seem like fiction. We know and love Ramona, the owner of the Bearskin pub, the five grandfathers that spend most of their time in that pub, Bobo, Ana, Maya, Leo, and of course The Pack are all friends to me now. But most of all Benji. Make no mistake, all the characters are wonderful, but Benji carries this book as he did Beartown. Backman's writing style is hard hitting, compassionate and cerebral. I am so glad that he decided that Benji's story wasn't complete with Beartown. We are very lucky to get another chance to visit this wonderful little town. The people live hard, love hard, and most of all, everyone lives for hockey. There are some wonderful new characters as well - the new hockey coach, teachers at the high school, some people in the neighbouring town of Hed, to name a few. I cannot recommend both of these books enough. Fredrik Backman is one of the main reasons why I love to read.

After finishing this book, I felt compelled to write a review. I honestly didn't think that I would enjoy this book more than Beartown, but I honestly did.

Backman has a unique style of writing that truly makes you ponder the meaning of so many different sentences. I have been able to read through some of his books quite quickly, but not this time. I caught myself reading parts and just pausing to contemplate the underlying messages. His regular use of juxtaposition throughout the book is one of the reasons why he stands apart from other authors.

Characters from Beartown are reintroduced, and the story forges ahead right from the start. I should know better than to wear makeup while reading his works, since I caught myself crying on several occasions. It is rare to genuinely care for fictional characters and to lose yourself in the storyline, but Backman does just that. Us Against You has the perfect blend of hockey, family, love, and humanity in general. Each character is so uniquely different, and I found myself loving each one (except Theo) because they all had a part of them that made them human.

Again, I haven't written many book reviews, but if you want a type of a book that tugs at your heart, read any of Backman's novels. I started with A Man Called Ove (still my all time favorite novel), and had to read all of his works since then. Us Against You does not disappoint.

I am a huge fan of Fredrik Backman's books. His last, Beartown, was superb. (my review) I was thrilled when I found out there was a sequel - Us Against You. I wanted to know what happened next.....

Us Against You picks up where Beartown left off. After an unthinkable crime, can the hockey mad Beartown ever pick up the pieces? Their team is disbanded, their funding non existent, they have no coach and there are cracks in the town's support system. An unnamed narrator again guides us through the months after that event.

The basis of Us Against You is hockey, but it's the story of the players, their supporters and their plans, hopes, dreams and schemes. And it is this exploration that has made these two novels five star reads for me. The cast is large and diverse, with the young players affecting me the most. Their stories are poignant and so well written.

But it is also about hockey and how that desire to win and conquer rivals can also lead down some disturbing paths. (And really, it's not that far from the truth)

"In many years’ time we may not know what to call this story. We will say it was a story about violence. About hate. About conflict and difference and communities that tore themselves apart. But that won’t be true, at least not entirely. It’s also a different sort of story." And just like Beartown, it's a helluva story.

I chose to listen to this latest. The reader was Marin Ireland, a narrator I have previously enjoyed. She's chosen a voice that suits the unnamed narrator - the almost dispassionate tone of an observer, not a player. This was quite effective, lending more weight to the words themselves. That's not to say there isn't any movement to her voice - there is. She articulates well and her voice is pleasant to listen to.

Us Against You is storytelling at its finest. Absolutely recommended listening or reading, but make sure to read Beartown first.

When a town experiences winter for nine months of the year, it should be no wonder that its passion turns to ice hockey. Beartown sits in a forest far away from the cities; its nearest neighbor, Hed, is its biggest rival. They’ve long had an us-against-them attitude. Beartown recently endured a scandal that took a huge toll. Some people grew better from it, others learned nothing. Now, though, the looming loss of Beartown’s hockey club threatens more than just the sport going away. It means the glue that holds the community together will almost certainly break down.

Peter Andersson, the club’s general manager, is desperately fighting for their survival. Hockey is his life. Just ask his wife, Kira; she’ll tell you. She’s always put aside her dreams so Peter could follow his. Recently, their daughter Maya became the victim of one of the best player’s crimes, which transformed her into a pariah in the eyes of many locals. See, it was easier to blame her than their sports hero. Now the Anderssons’ son Leo, at only 12 years old, has taken up his sister’s cause. Leo wants to hurt the other side even though he can’t fully understand why. He simply knows that he and Maya stick up for one another. And that it’s Beartown versus the rest.

Much of US AGAINST YOU centers on the Andersson family, but the story is about the entire town. Maya was thrust into a horrible role, one that she neither welcomed nor could prevent. What she does about it, though, will shape her entire future. She’s learned to cull her true friends from those who join the herd mentality. She’s learned to cope. But her parents are the ones having trouble dealing with it. Unless Peter and Kira can find a way to recover and move on, they may lose everything they hold dear.

As I said before, Beartown has a passion for hockey. That’s why it comes as a stunning blow when the council votes to dismantle the club. They say it makes more sense to support one regional team --- in nearby Hed. The council didn’t foresee the level of outrage, anger and burning hatred they would unleash with that decision. So someone --- maybe someone with an agenda of his own --- sets out to save the Beartown hockey team. If his plan works, the team will need a new coach, presenting another road bump. The person who shows up for that job is a woman, which, in Beartown, is controversial on its own, but this is a woman who causes a stir far beyond gender. She’s someone who ignores nearly every traditional rule, shrugs off nearly every criticism, and seems not to care. But she does. Everyone does, in one way or another. Nonetheless, her implacable nature teaches the team more than any amount of lecturing could. Actions speak louder than words.

As for the team --- well, Beartown has some good hockey players, but tensions run high and old injuries are hard forgotten. While each player has his strong points, he also has his tipping point, and a dark side. This is a town that has seen more than its fair share of violence. It’s almost as though it cannot exist without it, but maybe it’s time to concentrate on more positive aspects. Maybe it’s time to focus on just the game and leave aside their personal feuds. Or is it too late? For at least one person, it is.

Readers, take a break from the heat this summer to visit the icy streets of Beartown. Immerse yourself in US AGAINST YOU, for once you open this book, you won’t be able to resist falling into the hockey town out in the woods. Live among the residents for a few days. I guarantee that it will be tough to say goodbye when you turn the last page. Fredrik Backman has a rare talent for reaching inside his readers and coaxing out their deepest emotions while weaving a riveting tale that stays with you for a long time. Don’t miss out on this phenomenal novel.

Reviewed by Kate Ayers

4.5★s
Us Against You is the second novel in the Beartown series by Swedish blogger, columnist and author, Fredrik Backman. It is translated from Swedish by Neil Smith. Midsummer in Beartown and there’s no ice hockey to be played, but the events of spring, “the scandal” as some referred to it, still looms large in the town’s collective consciousness. The (unpunished) perpetrator may have left town, but the victim still bears the blame.

When the Regional Councillors decide that the Beartown Bears Ice Hockey Club will be liquidated, a hearty cheer goes up from their rivals, the Hed Hockey team, while the blame is placed firmly on the shoulders of the team’s manager, Peter Andersson and his daughter, Maya. One councillor, however, has plans of his own: a stranger arrives in Beartown on a mission from this politician. His plan brings hope, but is he to be trusted?

In this sequel, all the characters from The Scandal (Beartown #1) feature, but with their backstories expanded, their futures speculated upon and their present reactions to events explored. “Inside every large story there are always plenty of small ones.” Some new and interesting characters also appear. As with the first book, there is a lot of Ice Hockey in this story, but it could actually be centred around any team sport in a remote town to the same effect.

There is quite a long and slow build-up to the climax, which may be frustrating for some readers, but patience is rewarded. Backman presents moral and ethical dilemmas in a realistic fashion, there are some lump-in-the-throat moments and many wise words: “Men are busy, but boys don’t stop growing. Sons want their fathers’ attention until the precise moment when fathers want their sons’.” Moving and thought-provoking.

Last year I read “Beartown“. It was phenomenal, so I was super excited to learn that there was going to be a sequel. Well folks, this time the sequel surpassed the first. WOW!
I don’t really even like hockey, but, like Beartown, 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 “Us against you” to read “Beartown” 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.

Beartown is recovering from the scandal that rocked the town to its very foundations. Some people were more affected by the scandal than others, yet all bear the brunt of what happened.

“It’s hard to care about people. Exhausting, in fact, because empathy is a complicated thing. It requires us to accept that everyone else’s lives are also going on the whole time.”

We reunite with the Andersson family, Peter, Kira, Maya, and Leo. This family has been broken by the events in the previous book. Now they are each struggling to live – to put one foot in front of the other, to soldier on.

Many more beloved and familiar characters make a second appearance: Amat, Benji, Sune, and Ramona to name just a few.

“The complicated thing about good and bad people alike is that most of us can be both at the same time.”

We meet new characters that will write indelibly on our hearts. Alicia, a four-and-a-half year old who is in love with hockey. Bobo, a young man who learns the lessons taught by loss and responsibility. The ‘Pack’, a group of hooligans with hearts of gold hidden behind a violent reputation. A young man named Vidar who loves as strongly as his fists have become.

We experience the hurts and betrayals of these characters in such a profound way that it feels personal.

“Love is like leadership. Asking for it doesn’t help.”

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, friendship, responsibility, loss, loyalty, sacrifice, revenge, power, bureaucracy, leadership, teamwork, violence, respect, courage, consequences, and the powerful feeling of ‘belonging’. Not bad for one novel.

With concise sentences Backman turns just a few words into moving and impactful observations. This is a novel peopled by wonderful characters. I was reluctant to finish the book as it would mean I would have to leave Beartown…

I really cannot recommend “Us against you” highly enough.

”In his final season, on his final night
Buddy and a Finn goon were pegged for a fight
Thirty seconds left, the puck took a roll
And suddenly Buddy had a shot on goal

“The goalie committed, Buddy picked his spot
Twenty years of waiting went into that shot
The fans jumped up, the Finn jumped too
And coldcocked Buddy on his follow through
The big man crumbled but he felt all right
'Cause the last thing he saw
was the flashing red light
He saw that heavenly light
-- Hit Somebody!(The Hockey Song), Songwriters: Warren Zevon / Mitchell David Albom

”It’s going to be someone’s fault”

”Have you ever seen a town fall? Ours did. We’ll end up saying that violence came to Beartown this summer, but that will be a lie, the violence was already here. Because sometimes hating each other is so easy that it seems incomprehensible that we ever do anything else.”

There is no anonymity in Beartown for the people who live there. Everybody knows not only each other’s names, but also what they do, who their parents, or children, bosses, coworkers are, how many generations their families have lived there. They know who is trouble, and those who run the town. There is no hiding their flaws, their secrets, or the secret of who they really are. Not forever, anyway. People are born there, very few move away, but it is even more rare for someone to move to there.

Beartown is Hockey. The lives of those who reside there celebrate this, their lives revolve around it, the games, the practices, it is where they belong. Even the conflict between Beartown and Hed, the neighboring town that views Beartown as being inferior. A case of the haves vs the have-nots, but throw in some politicians with questionable motives and things threaten to become volatile. As the town sees its way of life – hockey - being threatened, as they come to terms with the possibility of their hometown hockey team being disbanded unless something changes, their fears and pain unravel for us to see.

And then, a potential new coach, a surprising choice, surely, and a new team will have to be formed, so many players lost to Hed, already. But will they be able to really form a team, bond together as they will need to do, in order to win?

If you’ve read Backman’s Beartown, then you’re familiar with this town, and most of the people who live there, but some new characters are introduced, as well. Peter and Kira Andersson, their children Maya, 16, and Leo, 12. Benji, who has some secrets to share, and Bobo and Amat, then there’s Ana who is best friends with Maya, and Vidar, who has a short fuse, but also a protective love of his brother, Teemu. The parents are struggling with their own problems and their children’s, and these young people, struggling to figure out who they are under all the expectations of the parents, the school and the town. Maybe they will eventually find out what they’re made of.

This wasn’t the kind of book where I instantly fell into the pages and was Calgon’d away, it crept up on me slowly, stealing a little bit more of my heart away as I read on, but I was still interested, just not living inside the story – yet – but soon enough I was wishing there were more pages ahead. I loved how introspective this was, how we learn the story of this town and the people through their thoughts and feelings, their frustrations, their concerns, the hurt and shame and anger some carry with them. I loved, love, this town and these people, loved their loyalty to this place and when it came down to it, their loyalty to each other. I hurt when they hurt, and rooted them on in their journeys.

”Bang. Bang. Bang-bang-bang.”

Pub Date: 05 JUN 2018

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Atria Books

Us Against You is a difficult book. Maybe because of the inflated egos reaching for power and not concerned who they step on. Or maybe it’s because of the powerless who can’t help themselves. Or perhaps it’s due to the repetition of themes that hammers in the points. It is, admittedly, an effective story of two towns in conflict, ostensibly over hockey, but actually over so much more.

I think my sadness on reading this book is not only from the book but from the life of the world around me that it represents, where emotions are manipulated by those in a position to do so, communities are set artificially against one another so they won’t notice that the powers that be are plotting against both. If real life were not so difficult at the moment, would I have tolerated the harsh realities of this world better? Would the moments of redemption worked better? I don’t know. And I’m not sure Backman intends them to. Life is often unjust. We learn that throughout our lives.

Other than the relentless emotional pull, my quibble with this novel has to do with style: there is a repetitive technique used throughout that at times seemed very effective and at others, annoying. I like all that I have read from Backman. His ability to capture the variety of human emotions, behaviors and rationales is spot on for all age groups. This is the sequel that Beartown needed. But I wonder if it could have been better. Or perhaps I wish for something merely different, nicer, more pleasing.

Another thought I had since I finished reading is to wonder if I might have liked the style of the book better if I had read it more quickly. Would what I found to be repetitive be instead flowing connections between sections of the story? Would they read like a chorus, a Greek chorus observing all that is happening just as the narrator is both of and separate from Beartown? This thought is causing me to rethink some of my concerns mentioned above. Oh the world of books. It keeps us pondering even when we finish reading.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman is a very highly recommended novel about a town, its citizens, and a game. This is an excellent novel - absolutely outstanding. It will be on my list of top ten novels of the year.

Us Against You is a sequel to Beartown, but it can be appreciated on its own. Personally, I would read Beartown first because it is an exceptional novel. "Try to make it sound like it’s just a sports club collapsing, even though sports clubs never really do that. They just cease to exist. It’s the people who collapse." This isn't just a novel about hockey, although the game plays a large role in the narrative. Even if you don't know anything about hockey, keep reading because there are insights into much larger truths.

"[P]eople will always choose a simple lie over a complicated truth, because the lie has one unbeatable advantage: the truth always has to stick to what actually happened, whereas the lie just has to be easy to believe... [M]any of our worst deeds are the result of us never wanting to admit that we’re wrong. The greater the mistake and the worse the consequences, the more pride we stand to lose if we back down. So no one does."

Beartown is a small down-on-its-luck Swedish town home to hardworking people who are obsessed with hockey and have always taken great pride in their team. Now it looks like their team might be eliminated. It's bad enough that many of their senior players are now play for Hed, their rival. Feelings are still raw across the town after the crisis from last year. A surprising new coach has come to Beartown who plans to build a winning team, and the team is going to be built on the talents of four untested teenagers. A despicable politician is manipulating people behind the scenes. The situation is complicated. All of the people involved are imperfect. "It's just a game, two teams, sticks and pucks. Us against you, doesn't that say it all?"

Backman's writing style always makes me think of a fable, a folk story. I've said it before and it still stands. The writing is rich, masterful, and admirable. There are moments of great failure and overwhelming compassion, scenes of desperate cruelty and sly humor, and people with a malicious bent and others with a quiet wisdom. The empathetic narrative explores love, personal sacrifice, and the vital importance of family and friendships. This exceptional novel is part character study, part morality tale, part coming-of-age story, part family drama, part redemptive tale and totally wonderful. All of Backman's novels would be wonderful for book club discussions.

"Our spontaneous reactions are rarely our proudest moments. It’s sad that a person’s first thought is the most honest, but that often isn’t true. It’s often just the most stupid. Why else would we have afterthoughts?"

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria Books via Netgalley.

I had such high hopes for this book, but after the end of “Beartown”, I thought the story was over. A finality, of sorts, was given for each main character and you knew in vague terms where each of their lives had ended up. So when Fredrik Backman started this book on the tail end of the last, I was confused. Is he not telling a story when we already know the end? This was a strange diversion, akin to those movies where they show you the end first and then rewind to show how they got there. Not a tactic I enjoy.

There are a couple of new characters, and how they interact with the original cast, but I was not as invested in them or their oily maneuvers. Maybe he piqued my interest in how they interacted, but not enough for me to give up on those that I knew, and each time they were the center, I wanted to skim to get back to what I considered the important parts.

Beartown, an economically depressed town in the middle of nowhere, continues to struggle with both its people, and its hockey club. This gritty town finds a way to come together when every force comes at them. With most of the previous year's team pulling up and moving over to their rival, Beartown does the unthinkable and hires a woman coach. With her strange ways and three remaining players, she builds not only a team, but also a presence that is stronger than those who are trying to destroy it.

This is a slower book. If you had loved “Beartown”, you will not find the same anticipated drama in “Us Against You”, this is a slower meandering through the remaining parts of their lives kind of story. Though I am not looking forward to it, I have read there will be a final book three to this story somewhere in the distant future. I hope that Backman will bring back the passion and drama that had first brought me to this series, or at least put Beartown to rest.

Fredrik Backman does it again with his gentle yet powerful insights into the human psyche. His observations are so empathic and the way he transcribes everyday people and events onto the pages of his books is breathtakingly authentic. Us Against You is the follow-on to the totally amazing Beartown (published as The Scandal in some countries). At first I thought I was going to be disappointed as I loved Beartown so much, but as usual Backman won me over within just a few pages. He manages to create an incredible sense of foreboding, so that I was desperately worried for the characters I’d come to know and love. He very cleverly tells his readers what’s going to happen long before it does (or does he?), in a way that totally messed with my mind. And at times he tells the story from the point of view of the whole of Beartown, which I found unique and wonderful. We meet most of the same characters we did in the first book, and follow their lives after the scandal that rocked the town. Backman certainly knows how to create characters that stay with you. On the surface, this is a story about ice hockey, the one thing that unites and inspires the people of this downbeat town. But it’s far, far more than that. It’s an amazing story of human nature, anxiety, politics, hurt, loss, love and unity. If you like your stories interesting, but slow to unfold as they expose human nature in all its frailty, courage and complexity, you’ll love this book. Neil Smith, who translated both this and Beartown, deserves huge credit and must be a brilliant writer in his own right. I also loved the chapter headings, which included such gems as ‘The Same Blue Polo Shirt’ and ‘Violence Against a Horse on Official Service’. If you haven’t already read Beartown, you really should before you read this.

I would give Us Against You (Beartown, #2) ten stars if I could; I have never read anything quite like it. Somehow, I am among the seemingly few that not only didn't read Beartown, but have not read anything by Fredrik Backman before. What an amazing gift Backman has for making his characters so full and rich the reader feels they could jump off the page at any time! His capacity to convey emotions and write realistic dialog, to capture the duality of good and bad in human nature, all while dropping profound one sentence pearls throughout, is truly remarkable.

A continuation of the book Beartown, there was enough background given that this reader had no problem getting onboard with past events and, while I definitely plan to read Beartown, not having read it first didn't diminish my enjoyment of Us Against You at all.

Beartown is a town in a forest in Sweden, and Hed is a town nearby. They each live and breathe hockey and are arch rivals, not just the team players, the townspeople too. Hockey is life in these towns. Beartown, is close to losing its team, but is given another chance, thanks to politics. They have a new General Manager, a new (female) coach, and a hardscrabble team who wants to win more than anything. Nothing comes without costs though, and costs there are aplenty.

Backman writes in such a warm, folksy way, as if just telling a neighbor a story, yet somehow he keeps building suspense that makes the pages fly by. There are many wonderful, strong characters within these pages, each having their own story; Maya, Ana, Leo, Ramona, Teemu, Zackell and (my personal favorite) Benji just to name a few.

Become a fellow virtual resident of Beartown, as I did. You'll never regret it!!

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read this amazing book in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Us Against You
Author: Fredrik Backman
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

Beartown lives and breathes hockey. Always has, always will. Last year, after the unthinkable happened and tore the town apart, the team split, with most of the players leaving Beartown for neighboring Hed. The rivalry is real—and vicious.
Peter Andersson, GM of the Bears, spends his days—and his nights—focused on the team. Word that the club is closing rips his world apart, but when a new sponsor steps in, Peter will do anything—even risk the support of those who have always been by his side—to keep his team alive.

Now a new coach is in town, putting together a team of misfits in an effort to rise to greatness—again. Beartown residents might not support an outsider—especially a woman—coaching their team, but they do support the team. No matter what. As conflict with Hed grows from harmless pranks to malicious acts, tensions rise in the two towns, until one person dies and the entire community trembles on the brink of bursting into flames.

Us Against You is the sequel to Beartown, and takes readers back to that hockey-obsessed, small town home of bitter rivalries. This is a continuation of the story, an answer to what-happened-next-? Just as well-written, engrossing, and immersive as the first novel, Us Against You will leave the reader flying through the pages to find out which beloved character will die. I loved this—and Beartown—and I’m not even a hockey fan! If you love realistic, flawed characters and compelling storylines, this one’s for you!

(Galley provided by Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.)

*3.5 stars rounded up.

"All sports are silly. All games are ridiculous. Two teams, one ball, sweat and grunting, and for what? So that for a few baffling moments we can pretend that it's the only thing that matters." That's how I feel about sports--I mean, if a game like the Super Bowl is so important, why do they do it all again the next year?

But the people of Beartown feel that hockey does really matter, not for a few 'baffling moments,' but above almost all else. When a young girl is raped, they are more concerned that their best player is removed from an important game and causes them to lose! And the girl must either be a liar or a whore!

Now, in the sequel to Beartown, Mr Backman explores what happens as a consequence of this unspeakable act, how everyone involved tries to pick up the pieces of their lives: the boy, the girl, her family and the town.

And can there be a hockey team in the town without a sponsor? If not, it might kill their impossible dream for their sons, that they might make it big someday and be picked by the NHL, like the general manager, Peter Andersson. What is Peter willing to do or who will he betray to see that doesn't happen?

As always, I enjoyed Mr Backman's endearing characterizations, his witticisms about life and human nature, but truthfully, I was a little bored through most of this book and the total immersion in hockey.

I was also a bit shocked by the lengths the townspeople of both Beartown and Hed were willing to go for their team. How did everything go so wrong? I do admit to shedding a few tears in the last 15%.

We’ve read the entire Backman bibliography now, less one novella – and especially the novel to which “Us Against You”, namely “Beartown”, is a sequel. Maybe an even better declarative description is “continuation”, as it seems the writer never put his pen down after the first book, proceeding directly to the first chapter of this one with so little back story that we suspect to read “Us” without having read the earlier novel would make no sense. As it was, we were disappointed that this plotless, very unhappy tale merely dabbles in brief philosophical discussions about things like:

• Appointing a female hockey coach, a lesbian no less
• The new team captain is outed as gay
• Best girlfriends barely surviving their differences
• A mother who can’t seem to pursue the career of her own choosing
• A new love that affair ends in tragedy
• The town’s only bar being burnt down from hate
• And for good measure other unhappy events

To sum up, uncharacteristic of our feelings about an author we loved after “Ove” and several others, we found it dull, undeservedly too long, and accomplishing little than making us, well – completely unhappy. And – we’re unhappy to be at such odds with the bevy of 5-star reviewers. Who needs that? {2.5}

US AGAINST YOU by Fredrik Bachman is the moving story of Beartown, where hockey reigns supreme and everything thing seems to revolve around the hockey rink. The first story in the Beartown series reverberates throughout this book and sets the scene for what becomes an even murkier future for the town. In the aftermath of last hockey season, a new team is born and spirits are lifted, but new issues arise around every corner and in the end, the idealist picture of a hockey town is something Beartown will perhaps never be.
After reading BEARTOWN and US AGAINST YOU, I feel like a member of Beartown and my emotions are rising and falling along with everyone else in the town. Backman really creates characters that are beautiful , flawed, and real. Good choices, bad choices, and all those choices in between make everyone so likable. And even the most wholesome person in Beartown makes a bad decision and the most loathsome individual occasionally reflects goodness in them too. Heavy topics like rape, homophobia, and gang violence are covered with a careful hand, without each issue losing it's realism and seriousness each topic needs.
I hope Backman keeps writing about the people of Beartown, because US AGAINST YOU made me like those people so much more and I want to see how each and every one of them turns out. A moving book that shouldn't be missed!
Thank you to Atria Books, Fredrik Backman, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[4.5 stars]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

Let me start by saying that Us Against You is the sequel to last year’s Beartown (one of my favorites of 2017) and I highly recommend you read Beartown before reading Us Against You. The minute I picked up Us Against You, I breathed a sigh of relief to be back among these people in this town. Like in Beartown, Backman masterfully plunks the reader right into the center of things and makes him/her feel deeply for these characters and the town. But this time around, Beartown has lost its innocence. The story is even darker, more sinister, and more focused on the adults and the politics of sports (a very real thing). The town is reeling amid the wreckage of what happened in Beartown (the book) and trying to find its way forward. Like in Beartown, the story is about far more than hockey…friendship, rivalry, marriage, parenting, power, sexuality, and violence. Backman captures general human nature and its basest elements beautifully. While I didn’t love Us Against You quite as much as Beartown, I was still completely engrossed in the emotion of sports, which Backman captures better than anything save Friday Night Lights (and if you’re missing FNL, these are the books for you!).

Check out my blog, Sarah's Book Shelves, for more reviews.

I want to thank, Netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book. It has in no way, influenced my opinions, just saying!

I was very excited to get a copy of this! I LOVE Backman and Beartown is my second favorite book by him. I was a little nervous because the book ended perfectly and this is a continuation. I know a lot of people haven’t been sure about Beartown because it’s about hockey. I can assure you, it’s about so much more than hockey.

If you haven’t read Beartown, it’s a must before cracking this one open, in my opinion. It takes place after the events in the previous book. You need this background to understand where the town and people are at, emotionally and mentally. Us Against You, is basically about the good vs. evil, love vs. hate and the decisions that follow. The choices that these characters make that ripple into the life of everyone around them.

Backman, has an amazing way of storytelling. From the very beginning he tells you something is going to happen. Throughout the whole story, I was wondering, is this it? There are so many times, I thought I knew what was going to happen but wasn’t even close. He had me nervous and scared. I love that it’s not predictable! I swear, you will feel EVERY emotion possible with his books, this one included. I would laugh out loud and cry on various occasions.

He makes you fall in love with every character and you can’t help feeling what they feel. I love them all. Benji, Amat, Bobo, The Andersson’s, Ramona, The Pack and even the very small supporting characters. Everyone’s story is important and they all interweave with each other. Bobo is one character that really bloomed in this book. His story just hit my heartstrings the most. Everyone is fighting to stand up for what they believe in. Will they let their differences slide when the community needs to come together? You will have to read and find out! ?

This one starts off a bit slow, it took a while for me to get into the story. Once you get about 1/3 of the way into it, it really picks up. A lot of his books are that way. I always encourage those who stop to keep going, it’s so worth it. He talks about a lot of relevant issues today- sexuality, gender and politics. The conflict that ensues about each of these issues. He really makes you think. How would I act in this situation? Would I be different or would I follow the crowd?

Overall, it’s a great book. I did prefer Beartown a little more. What I got from this book and I hope many others do is HOPE. Hope that good will outshine evil, Hope that people can forget their differences and come together, Hope that we can make the world better. Be good. Be kind.

Fredrick Backman in addition to being an amazing writer, is someone who has a gift for observing people and creating characters that readers see themselves in.  I can relate to every single one of his characters--whether it's that they remind me of what it was like to be young or parents in whom I see myself now.  There is such hope, such resilience, such faith in these characters.  Backman has a way of showing us ourselves and reminding us that we share this experience and as bruised and raw and emotional and upset we are, it's ok, because we are ultimately all in this thing called life together.

Us Against You  is a continuation of Beartown.  We get to catch up with Bobo, Kevin, Amat, Ana, Benji, Maya and Ana after Beartown.  This working class town is still in trouble, but they have a new coach, many of their best hockey players have transferred to Hed and there is a new politician in town who has an agenda that is not necessarily in Beartown's best interest.

I kept thinking something bad was going to happen and that was what kept me reading, I wanted to find out what it was.  Although I really liked this book, I didn't love it as much as I loved Beartown, I felt like some of the new characters were not as well developed and I found the whole politics and sports thing to not be an escape from life, but a reminder of some of the more annoying aspects of reality.

I GIVE THIS BOOK 10 STARS!!! LOVE LOVED IT!!!

There is a story about us, before this one...we lost our way...when two of our children said different things, we believed him because that was easier. This is a story of what happened afterwards.
Who is right?
Who is punished?
Who won?
How does that feel?
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

To know the story you have to listen to the smaller stories.

If you are an addict to competitiveness- can't stop trying to win/can't live with that rush. If you are a town with its foundation built on the Hockey team- what happens when that is gone?

Mysterious strangers all around Beartown.
some dressed in black - are they criminals- the wolves -
or are the wolves in the government and town council.

When you strip away all of the nonsense- the game is simple:
everyone gets a stick, there are 2 nets, 2 teams. US AGAINST YOU
People in Beartown know how to work, they need somewhere to do it.
People in Beartown know how to fight, they need something to fight for.

Silence- where you hear a blade of straw land on cotton.

I absolutely loved this book! I have already recommended it to many.

At times, I was holding my breath as I turned pages as fast as I could

Atria Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Us Against You. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Us Against You directly follows Beartown, a novel in which a town becomes polarized after a member of the beloved hockey team commits an unspeakable crime. This novel shows what happens when an unresolved issue festers and is allowed to grow without measure. The book is narrated in a way that gives the reader a birds-eye view of the town and its inhabitants.

The biggest problem that I had with Us Against You was its repetitiveness. The author takes too much time describing the violence and the subsequent retaliation, as the plot would have had more of an impact with less. The conclusion wraps everything up too neatly, as no stone is left unturned. I almost would have rather the author kept Beartown as a standalone book, as the author did not go far enough in Us Against You to distinguish it from its predecessor. I enjoyed Fredrik Backman's earlier books for their quirky characters and depth of story, but the same cannot be said for Us Against You. Readers who liked Beartown may enjoy this novel, simply because it does give the conclusion that was lacking in the previous book.

I finish reading Backman's latest novel about Beartown and am both exhausted and rewarded. I'm somewhat ravaged by the emotions that run through this story of a community that is at once damning of the mob like human condition and uplifted by various individual's actions and dives into communal core values. The rape of Maya has far reaching consequences for Maya, her family and the town that continue to unfold. Familiar protagonists are encountered in the aftermath. New charcters bring new challenges.
I try to slow my reading but I can't. I am driven by the pace of unfolding events to consume the story at an ever increasing rate of knots. The personalities I encounter are awesome.
I stand tall with the Black Jackets , flinch with Maya, am appalled at the exposure of Benji, am confounded by Ana's actions in a moment of rejection--a new moment that changes lives, am caught up by Vida, and feel the silent rage of Leo. I could go on. Everywhere are ordinary people who are extraordinary in their every day lives, their love of their town, all held together by their insane dedication to hockey. There's a wide spectrum of people and emotions, a community that's ugly at times, sensitive and forgiving at others.
And bubbling beneath flows a wisdom thst speaks loudly to our times. Another 'no punches pulled' gift from Backman!

A NetGalley ARC

I struggled in the beginning because it seemed to be rehash of Beartown, and then suddenly I was completely caught up and read the second half in an afternoon. What a brilliant story of complex emotions, conflict, bullying and loyalties. I stuck with it initially because I was frustrated by Maya’s abandonment by everyone including her parents. As the mother of a date-rape victim daughter I couldn’t imagine my daughter being left alone like that and then being blamed for getting raped. It seemed to me that everyone had gotten lost in the contest and winning the game meant more than people.

This is my fifth book by Bachman and I think it’s probably his best. I was angry at the parents and the way their children and teens were left to violently sort things out. I don’t know what it’s like to live with such long dark days and I wondered how this story could have played out in Anaheim or Las Vegas. Politicians and business played everyone against each other, using the hot emotions of two local towns and teams fighting to win the high stakes of economic security. I wondered if there would ever be that “triumph of the human spirit” moment and while it’s not a happy-ever-after ending, it’s a good and realistic one.

“Beartown Ice Hockey no longer exists.”
Us Against You is gut-wrenching, real and a story a reader will never forget. Fredrik Backman is a fascinating storyteller as he places you right in the center of Beartown and all its glory. I loved how rich and fulfilling Backman’s writing is as you experience the raw circumstances of rape and how it can affect a small town.
Backman’s take on darker tones of fighting for what you believe in and accusations that can ultimately not only ruin a family or friendship but also a person’s life. The characters are raw, real and extremely human as the writer not only digs deep but also shows the human side to every situation, from hell and back.

“Have you ever seen a town fall? Ours did.”

I would definitely recommend this book to those who love a great YA story. You don’t have to like Hockey to enjoy this story because well, that’s only part of the journey that Backman takes us on with his writing. From Maya and Ana to Peter and Benji, you will fall in love with the witty and relatable characters as you devour this book and fall in love with Backman’s writing all over again from Beartown.

5 gut wrenching bang bang stars!!

I fell in love with Beartown last year by Backman and had the highest expectations for Us Against You. Well.. ..my friends I have to tell you... don't worry your pretty little heads because Backman delivers exceptionally well ONCE again.

Backman delivers a raw and beautifully well executed novel that makes you feel vulnerable in ways you can't imagine! Oh my gosh.... I was a sobbing mess with a SEVERE case of goosebumps upon the final page of this book. It's contagious.... I'm telling you!! I will wear a bear on my sleeve eternally <3 <3.

The characters are what MAKES this novel. Backman is truly so talented and how effortlessly he allows his readers to see how complex, raw, and REAL the characters are. This book yet again is so much more then a story about hockey. Love, family, strength, courage, grief, and sadness can bring two worlds that seem miles apart together in an instant.

"Us Against You" is the sequel to Beartown. I would definitely say to read Beartown to get the full background of the characters. I do have to say that it took me awhile to get invested and it felt a little slow ... BUT, how dare I doubt Backman at ALL! Shame on me ;). I can't recommend this book enough... it took my heart and I promise you that it will take your bear heart too!

I'm not going to go into the details of the story since I don't want to give anything away but READ this book!!!!

"How can something that bangs away at us so horribly hard on the inside not show up on the pictures as black scars, scorched into our skeletons?"

"Bang, Bang, Bang."

Us Against You takes us back to the small-town of Beartown where the fate of the Bears is now looking grim, a scheming politician has a hidden agenda, families are still struggling to recover from the violence that shattered their sense of security, and residents are still reeling from the sex scandal that tore their community apart and took down their shining star.

The prose is vivid, lyrical, and eloquent. The characters are fragile, tormented, and raw. And the absorbing, astute plot takes us on a heart-wrenching rollercoaster ride of love, loss, friendship, family, rivalry, fear, hope, loyalty, resilience, economic uncertainty, political ambition, violence, hockey, and the weight of responsibility.

Us Against You is a poetic, gritty, philosophical tale that reminds us just how delicate the line between love and hate and right and wrong can truly be. It’s dark, poignant, and touching and with the incredible depth, authenticity, superb character development, and exceptional insight into human frailty we’ve come to expect from Backman it’s not just a good novel it’s great!

"Us Against You" by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith, Atria Books, June 5, 2018, 448 pages.

This is the sequel to "Beartown.," and the books should be read in order. While both books appear to be about hockey, they are really about small towns, with people seeking glory through hockey.

"People driving through say that Beartown doesn't live for anything but hockey, and they may be right."

After the crime that occurred in "Beartown," residents of the town learn that their beloved hockey team is being disbanded. The former hockey team players are now playing for their worst enemy, Hed.

Maya and Ana are 15 and are best friends. They are in the forest. One is holding a guitar and the other a rifle. Maya's dad is general manager of the Beartown hockey team.

A stranger comes to town and is silently observing young men. Soon there are plans to build a new team around Amat, the fastest player the town has ever seen. Is Beartown going to make a comeback?

I am not a sports fan, but "Beartown" was one of my favorite books of 2017. While the books are set in rural Sweden, they could as easily been set in the U.S. The only problem with "Us Against You" is the vast number of characters that make it harder to keep track of who is who.

But the stories are excellent, the characters are rich with strong bonds of family and friendship. If you haven't read any books by Fredrik Bachman, you are in for a treat.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the Advanced Readers Copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“It’s so easy to get people to hate each other. That’s what makes love so impossible to understand. Hate is so simple that it always ought to win. It’s an uneven fight.”

I hadn’t read Beartown, so the beginning of this book threw me because I didn’t realize it was the second in a series. Once I got into the characters that make up the town and the hockey team that the town revolves around, it stood on its own just fine. For much of the last fifth of this novel, I had tears in my eyes.

Beartown is a small town, and their biggest rival is another small town, Hed. After Beartown is divided because an evil act of violence, many of the best of their hockey players leave to play for Hed. Beartown gets a new coach, who’s ready to rebuild the team.

We watch as families and towns fracture and repair. Individuals who are ostracized find a way to survive and thrive.

“The complicated thing about good and bad people alike is that most of us can be both at the same time.”

This is another wonderful read by Frekrik Backman (I’d previously read A Man Called Ove.) Highly recommend.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Simon and Shuster for the opportunity to review this book

Backman's prose is eloquent. I have never read another author whose fiction contains such truth. His words flow, and he is an artist at foreshadowing. You do not have to read BEARTOWN first; you find out what happened in this book. However, if you enjoy the beauty of the written word, then I suggest that you do so. Backman describes the human condition, our strengths and weaknesses. Life in a small, isolated town, its politics, gossip, and public opinion, is described magnificently. There are multiple POV, not in the characters' own words, but in 3rd person omniscient. (DISCLAIMER): Please do not assume that I consider corruption to be part of every small town--I do not; however, the public opinion in Beartown is manipulated by a corrupt politician and a non-existent "Pack, and the townspeople just follow along out of fear or ignorance, never questioning what they read or hear, never worrying about whose lives will be impacted. But there is a wonderful, redeeming moment when they come together, symbolizing the best of humanity in the midst of tragedy. This is the first Backman book that I have read, and I plan to go back and read others. I highly recommend this book.

I always look forward to Frederik Backman's books and they never disappoint. The author seems to top himself with every book he writes. I love them all! Backman's style of writing takes a little time to get used to but then the reader easily slips into the rhythm of exceptional writing.

Yes, this is a story about hockey players in a town where hockey is practically a religion. But one doesn't have to be a hockey fan to enjoy this book. The story is about so much more than hockey. It's about people and families and marriage and politics and loyalty and friendship . Backman drops little nuggets of suspense in the story so I found myself holding my breath waiting for the worst and sometimes gasping at the twists that come instead. Sometimes better, sometimes as expected, and sometimes worse. Just like life.

I loved this book and can't wait for Fredrik Backman's next masterpiece.

I loved Beartown, have suggested it to so many people, especially to those that have kids in high school. I loved Us against Them, but I didn't feel the same moral outcomes to discuss. My heart was aching, while I was reading this, for Maya, Ana and Leo, along with the hockey boys. I wanted to shake Kira and Peter. A sign of my favorite type of books is when I feel for the characters so much, I have angst until I can read the book. I still have angst for these characters that lived on the pages and in his imagination

If you are a Fredrik Backman fan you will love this sequel to Beartown. Hockey is the center of this story and the residents of Beartown are devastated that most of their town's players have transferred to Hed, the town's biggest rival. Forming a new team with a very unlikely new coach the town once again comes together to cheer on the local boys. The rivalry gets heated with practical jokes and some heavy duty pranks. By season end the locals wonder if the extremes they have scaled are hockey fans or obsessed monsters. This can be a standalone read because Mr. Backman uses the beginning of the book as fill in and background. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Talk about a writer that can manipulate and pull at your heart strings! But absolutely in the best way possible. I want to mention that you do not need to love hockey, or even sports for that matter, to fall head over heels in love with this story. This is such a complex and rich tale, with characters you will never forget. It’s almost like a fable. Bachman has an unusual writing style. He builds the story layer by layer so that before an incident even plays out you have formed an opinion about it. You feel directly smack dab in the middle of it all. Like a small boat on a stormy sea you are emotionally whipped about this way and that. Sometimes it’s a fake out and the dreaded event never plays out in the way you think it will. Thank goodness. Once you get comfortable with this feeling, you better watch out. It will twist again. Than you will genuinely wish it hadn’t. Ughh, I feel so manipulated, Lol! I can’t remember laughing and crying so much while reading a novel. It has everything you want from a great story. It’s a mystery, a drama, a comedy, and an insightful, character rich study. Philosophically it tackles the big issues of our modern world, but also of human nature in general. There is no black and white. It’s all a million shades of grey. We are imperfect. We are all human beings. You realize the big stuff and the small stuff are one and the same. It’s an unusual experience to feel you have left a book at the end of the story a better, wiser person than you were when you walked in to it. A novelist who can do that is rare indeed. I should mention that this is part 2 of the story. To get the full understanding you should really read “Beartown”first. This book starts exactly where the first ended and the two can be read as one extended novel. Bachman is truly one of the great novelists of our time!

. Fredrik Backman returns to Beartown in his novel titled, Us Against You, and the ensemble cast from the previous novel set in this rural Hockey town in Sweden face new challenges. Events from the first novel led players to leave the Beartown team to skate for the team in the neighboring town of Hed. A new coach for Beartown changes the dynamics, and a politician knows just what it will take to feather his own nest. What Backman does so well in this novel and others is lead us to insights about people, from their good and bad behaviors. Packed with love, friendship and loyalty, this is a story of survival, for a town and for its people.

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

As expected, Us Against You delivered an excellent storyline from an award winning author. This story extends the Beartown book, which contains the same characters and sometimes tough storylines. I can't recommend this book enough. It gave me a warm, sad, and loving feeling all at once. If you loved Beartown, this novel is a must read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher to give an honest review in exchange for a pre-publication ebook.

“The first time Peter realized that the tiny person was sleeping soundly in his arms. What are we prepared to do for our children at that moment? What aren’t we prepared to do?”

Us Against You is the second in book in the Beartown trilogy. My thanks go to Net Galley and Atria for the invitation to read and review. This book will be available to the public tomorrow.

Beartown is in crisis. The hockey team has been undone by the arrest of their star player for rape, and Maya, his victim, has been harassed endlessly as if she were the perpetrator. Resentments simmer. There are anonymous callers. A new coach is hired, not only a woman—but a lesbian. Chins wag. New owners roll into town, friendly and treacherous, generous and oily. Violence hums beneath the surface as the town polarizes between the hometown hockey team and that in the neighboring town, to which some Beartown citizens have decamped.

Fredrik Backman, who is possibly the finest male feminist novelist in the world, is on a roll here. It’s interesting to note that although the hockey players in this story are men and boys, the best developed, most complex characters are the women. I like reading about Peter, Leo, Amat, Benji, and Teemu, but the characters that keep me coming back are Kira and Maya, Ana and Ramona. More than anything I want Kira to pack her bags and seize the opportunities presented to her, with or without Peter. Just go, woman, go. But it’s always easy to suggest that someone else should leave a troubled marriage behind, and the way that she deals with this problem—and the role that her daughter plays in the decision—is thought-provoking.

Meanwhile there are about a dozen other small threads here, and again, Backman is among the best writers when it comes to developing a large cast of town members without dropping anyone’s story or letting the pace flag. His use of repetition as figurative language is brilliant, and he is unquestionably the king of the literary head fake. If I taught creative writing to adults, I would assign my students to read his work.

I have some relatively minor quibbles here, although I know so little of Swedish culture that they may or may not be valid within that framework. I would dial the sentimentality and drama down twenty to twenty-five percent; clearly most readers love this aspect of these novels, but I would argue for a smidge more subtlety. There are occasional exaggerations that remind me that the characters are fictional. When the entire town is economically depressed, and yet everyone shows support for something by showing up in matching jackets, and when a preposterous amount of spare change goes begging in the kitty at the local bar, I wince. But then I am quickly drawn back in by the complex, compelling characterizations.

If you’re a fan of Backman’s, you won’t be disappointed. If you have never read his work before, don’t start here. Read one of his excellent stand-alone novels, or begin with Beartown, the first in this series. Recommended to those that love fiction that features excellent, complex characters, particularly female characters.

Let me start by saying, Beartown was my #1 book of 2017, hands down. Soon after finishing, I heard a sequel would be coming and that absolutely terrified me - would it ruin the magic of Beartown, which I thought was absolutely perfect?!? How much more could these people take? But, of course, the minute I got my hands on a copy, I had to stop everything and read it immediately. From the first page, I felt like I was back home with these characters and enjoyed being welcomed back into their lives. I thought the story was an absolutely perfect follow up and as I turned the final page, my first thought was, I hope there is going to be a third!

I received an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

If you haven't read this book, go out right now and get "Beartown" by Fredrik Backman and get this book at the same time.  You will not be sorry.  

Beartown is a little rural community not nearly thriving - but they LOVE hockey.  When they play their rival Hed team, it's always the biggest game of the season.  It's too bad that there is always some controversy between the two towns that seems to threaten the two towns, their way of life, and the lives of their people.

Andersson is afraid their little A-Team will not exist this year due to the unfortunate events of the last season (Read Beartown!) Lucky for him, there is a local politician who would like to see Hockey continue in Beartown and will manipulate an entire community to see that happen.  I did not like Richard Theo - but he saved Hockey (and jobs)in Beartown. 

"Us Against You" is heart-wrenching! You can feel the pain in each character.  It seems everyone is going through something and you WILL identify with at least one of his characters.

I had several moments of near-heart attack in this book.  I genuinely don't want anything to happen to any (ok, most) of my friends in this book!  Backman did a good job of building the characters in the first novel and reminds us of what they are made of in this novel. I did find it a bit tedious, but trust me, it is necessary.

I just cannot explain how this will touch you.  Backman has the ability to introduce you to his friends and make them a part of your life too!

Last year, Beartown became one of the best things I ever read. Which honestly, shocked me since I am not a sports-er. This year Backman does it again with Us Against You, a book about people, motives, relationships, brothers, enemies, love, survival...and oh yeah, hockey. I am fascinated by Backman's ability to take any character and show the spaces between the actions and the words, to make things a little less black and white. People are not good, or bad, they are people. They make choices and do things because of the million moments that came before this one. Each one of us is only a step or two from greatness or disaster. And love, love, love weaves through it all - through the grief, through the pride, through the pain. We are the bears. The bears of Beartown.

Backman has an incredible way of making me feel so much for each and every one of his characters because he described them so evocatively that empathy, even for characters who should be unlikeable, is impossible to withhold. In US AGAINST YOU, Backman carries forward the story he started in BEARTOWN, which was also amazingly excellent. The worst part about US AGAINST YOU is that it ends even though you wish that it would just go on and on. Backman has a real gift for creating a community that is believable and his prose is painfully honest. Just a magnificent read.

I don't think I can adequately convey my feelings about this book. I had a bit of trouble getting into Beartwon so was a bit worried about this. Needless. It takes off immediately, and never stops. I found myself wanting to underline passages, due to their relevance.
The characters are very well-defined, the plot moves quickly and there are some unexpected twists.
The timeliness of the political statements is perfect. I highly recommend that you buy this book, read it, and keep it close by. You will want to read it again.

A worthwhile sequel to a much beloved Beartown

For the first 1/3 of the book I was not convinced that there was a story to tell. It felt as if the author wrote this because the fans demanded to know more. It felt like the book was just stating the obvious aftermath of how Beartown ended. I was worried that this book is going to be a huge disappointment. Its a lot of pages to be unsure of a book and that's why I initially only wanted to give this 3.5 stars

Yet now that I have finished I have to admit that there was indeed another story to tell. And one that was definitely worth the read.

Like with the first book I loved and hated this community in equal measure, I cared for and wanted to thump the characters on the head at the same time.

New characters like Zackell, Vidal and The Pack (what Pack?) breathed life in to the story and old favourites like Benji, Bobo and Amat made my heart constrict a bit.

I am not going to unpack the plot because if you have read Beartown and loved it I am sure you are going to want to read this too.

I LOVE Fredrik Backman and have read every single book he's written. This was the most recently released and I signed up for it before it was even ready for release. It did not disappoint. You need to read Bear Town before you read this one, but even if you don't...there is enough backstory to catch you up...just without all the details. His characters are engaging and mostly likable, but a good story has to have people you basically hate. But...Backman manages to give you some underlying history of those characters that even though they are not liked...they are at least understood. I hated having to put this book down...but then all of his books are this way. I love his stories...the lives of his people and it is nice to catch a glimmer of his genius, creativity and maybe his own ghosts as you read his books.

This sequel was even better than the first book. I hope there is another one written in the same vein. Backman hints this when he says that Leo has a story to tell too, and I hope he decides to tell it! His characters show so much depth, and he is so good at exploring both the good and the bad in people. I hated this book to end, and found it interesting that he was able to continue developing characters right to the last page. Kudos also to his translator who does a marvelous job interpreting Backman's thoughts!

A remarkable follow up story to Beartown, by the same, author, which I recommend you read first. In a small hockey town (Beartown) the coach's daughter is raped at a party by his very best player. On the day they were playing Hed in the hockey finals, his daughter finally told her father and he pulled Kevin off the team, hence they lost. Many of people did not believe the story, but Kevin's best friend had witnessed it and told the truth. The town is torn apart. His Daughter is ostracized and he almost loses his job,
Us Against You involves the politics, emotional reactions and bullying that results from the losing of a hockey game and their best player. Kevin is never punished, but leaves town. How do the inhabitants cope with what they consider a disaster? The insights, emotions and actions of the inhabitants are Incredibly well written and, I believe, give us an insight on how intense competition can affect our lives and the lives of our children.. Highly recommended.

Oh my word! If you would have asked me about a sequel to Bear Town, I would have said “what”? I never even dreamed that there would be a sequel, and if there was how could it even come close to being as good? Backman has done it again, he is a truly gifted writer! There is a strong aspect of foreboding throughout the entire book and the ending, oh the ending!! A story of retaliation, a story of loss, a story of love, of heart AND a story of redemption. Absolutely perfect! Bang.Bang.Bang.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for an ARC of this sequel to one of my most favorite books of 2017. This is a 4.5 star read. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is I felt the story really didn’t get going until 30 percent in. I was getting a little lost following Richard Theo’s political wheeling and dealing. Otherwise, I believe I enjoyed this book even more than Beartown. The author is masterful at multidimensional characters. Although I would say in this book, I had a harder time feeling engaged in Peter’s character. Overall, highly recommend and of course I can’t wait for the final installment in the trilogy.

The second book is a follow up to Bear Town. Although I did not like it as much as the first I still loved it. In Bear town there was mainly one story. In this one there seem to be a few convoluted ones. The strength is still the people in it and the challenges they face. I cried more in this one. My heart strings were being pulled in many directions. In the end we are hopeful in one aspect, we are sad in another and dreading what may come. I still say give it a chance

Two months before the Kavanaugh nomination, I listened to Fredrik Backman reading his book, "Us Against You." It is absolutely one of the 2 best novels I've read or heard as an audiobook in the last year. The story starts with the consequences of a high school rape by a star hockey player: consequences for the boy, the girl, their families, their friends, their town. Emotional, short-term, and life long consequences. It thoroughly and engrossingly delves into the subject matter so that it haunts your mind for weeks. It shows how those with malicious intent deliberately fan any and all flames of divisiveness in order to come into possession of power and authority. It speaks directly to our times.

Young adult friendly, but so powerful for us all.

I strongly recommend it.

{Thank you to Atria Books for a free copy of Us Against You.} I wasn't ready to let this one go! I love Backman and I love Beartown. The story picks right up from where we last saw all our fave bears (Benji! Sune! Ramona!) and I felt like I had never left in the first place. It was a beautiful story with plenty of quotes to mark and new characters to fall more in love with. If you loved Beartown, you're safe with this one.

My son-in-law gave me a copy of this book knowing how much I liked "Bear Town." It did not disappoint. Mr. Backman certainly has his own style, filled with author comments and thoughts as the story proceeds and somehow it's okay. Lots about hockey again but more about how people react to stress and while what we do doesn't always fit the characters in the book, often they do. Enjoyed this a lot and recommend it.

Ok I simply adore Fredrik Backman's books!!! I love his style of writing and each book is fun and unique. But for the love of all, how did I miss who of the four boys.. Zacharias, Bobo, Benji, or Amat died? At the end of Beartown it said one will be a dad, Bobo...two will be professional, Zach and Amat, so are we to just assume Benji is the one who dies? That seems to be what everyone thinks. ?????????

This was a hard book for me to read because it was filled with violence and sadness and hatred. This was also a wonderful book for me to read because it was also filled with hope and love and a reminder that there really is good in people, but it just has a hard time coming out sometimes because of their environment. If you liked Beartown you will like this one too!

Slow start but grabs your attention. The character development is outstanding. For me I was glad I had read "Beartown" as this book is a continuation of that story. There is a lot to say about this book and I believe each reader will have different things to say. Which is what makes it such a good book. Mr Backman is a great writer in my opinion.

Oh how I love Frederik Backman's writing! This novel does not disappoint if you are already a Beartown fan. It's edgy, layered, and filled with fantastic (yet sometimes hard truths) statements about life and living that extend far beyond just hockey. I devoured it just as I did the first in this series, and like Beartown, this novel will stick with me for a long time.

I originally gave this 4 stars because I started and couldn’t get into the story...starts out slow. I read and loved Beartown, so knew the characters and the writing style. I came back and am so very glad I did. Every chapter goes deeper into the people and the characteristics that are woven together to make this such a unique place with bonds that can’t be broken. Although you could probably read this as a stand-alone, I think you are missing out if you don’t start with Beartown.

The follow-up to Beartown is just as beautiful and real and heartbreaking as the original novel. Fredrik Backman’s writing is some of the most genuine and heartfelt I have ever read. This novel continues the story of your favorite characters from Beartown and all that life throws at them. Wonderful book. I will miss these people.

For me to give this book a 5 star rating means that it was something special. I had received this ARC before I read Beartown. Once I realized it was a sequel, I quickly ordered and read Beartown. Both books were amazing. The character development was spot on and I feel emotionally attached to each character. I am the daughter of a football coach and sports can be both beautiful and ugly. Backman captured both sides of sports. I was sad that this story came to end for me. I am hoping that there will be another one.

Very well done sequel to “Beartown” with lots of well developed characters. Well worth the read but I’m advising to fully understand the plot to read Beartown first. My wife read this without knowing Beartown as a back story and seemed not as engaged as I might have thought when I asked her opinion of how she liked this book.

I read this book and BEARTOWN on audio. The narrator is excellent. Well done. I never cease to be amazed at all the tidbits of life and living that Backman puts into his books. I will eagerly look for the next one and thoroughly enjoyed this return to BEARTOWN and its people. Plus, it ain’t a book about hockey, folks.

There is never a Backman that I can anticipate what is going to happen! His insight into human emotions is so perceptive - the good and the bad. I recommend reading "Beartown" first to get to know the characters. Don't be turned off by it being about an ice hockey team - it is so much more than that! I won't miss one of his books!

During training for my line of work, I had a supervisor who was notorious for leaning back in his chair, with an air of nonchalance, as we took turns sharing cases we'd struggled with; suddenly, and without warning, he would casually impart a few words, maybe a complete sentence, of the type of wisdom I'll likely never possess. We named these moments "zingers." Fredrik Backman knows how to lay down a zinger.

"Everything has a breaking point and even though people always say that 'a joy shared is a joy doubled,' we seem to insist on believing that the opposite is true of sorrow. Perhaps that isn’t actually the case. Two drowning people with lead weights around their ankles may not be each other’s salvation if they hold hands, they’d just sink twice as fast."

If you haven't read Beartown, you could read Us Against You without it; however, I wouldn't recommend this approach. Thankfully, for those of us with limited book memory, Backman weaves the narrative from Beartown into this second installment but, without that foundation, you'll miss out on so many of the details that create such a powerful backdrop.

"People driving through say that Beartown doesn’t live for anything but hockey, and some days they may be right. Sometimes perhaps people have to be allowed to have something to live for in order to survive everything else."

Backman picks up where he left off; I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who have not yet experienced the events that occurred in Beartown but, suffice it to say, those of you who thought the story wrapped up nicely are in for a treat. There's always more to the story, right? Always.

"They used to be so in love that they hungered for each other, her dad’s fingertips brushing her mom’s bangs, her mom who could raise the hairs on her dad’s arms with a single glance. Children have a purely biological reaction against their parents’ love for each other, but when it disappears they hate themselves."

The writing will hit you unexpectedly, like a wayward puck, just as it did in Beartown; once again, I've highlighted numerous passages and found myself pausing to reread sentences and sections over and over to allow them to fully sink in. Even though you'll want to fly through it, I'll hope you'll savor every word. As I have stated on so many occasions about its predecessor, Us Against You is not a story about hockey; it's about all of us.

There is not a make you feel good sequel. Most of the book focuses on disfunction and turmoil for all the main characters. If I had not read Beartown I may not have finished this sequel.. It is well written and I wanted to finish it because of my attachment to the characters.

This is a sequel to Beartown. It is as good if not better than the first book. I enjoyed the characters and think it was well written.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

O thought that everyone was good... This book blows that one out of the water because of all the themes. I am so thankful that Beckman writes so well. beartown or hed.. Which side do you choose? Beartown of course. Newtown against the rest!!

Sequels can often be iffy - will they stand up to the original, should there even have been a sequel, etc. But Us Against You stands up just fine! There was so much more story to tell of the town of Beartown. And Backman is a master of the one liner that breaks you or makes you smile or etches a moment in your memory. A great follow up novel that I was thrilled to read.

I loved this sequel to Beartown, which was my favorite book of 2017. So far, this one has been my favorite of 2018. The writing style is so alive and moves with ease from the thoughts of one character to the next. Great sequel to a great first book.

I was patiently awaiting the release of this book - it did NOT disappoint. Hoping there is a third book. Rumor has it there is a tv series being created around this. I absolutely LOVED this - if you enjoyed Beartown you will LOVE this book. BUY IT.

I didn’t like this book quite as much as Beartown, but I appreciated the chance to follow these characters a little farther. The constant foreshadowing and observational statements on the contradictory nature of life got a little old this time around, but the authenticity of the characters made up for it.

Backman created a pair of villages with enough characters to fill two books. The characters will always be with me now. The philosophy inscribed at the introduction to each chapter was fun to look forward to and gave the story a broader purpose: even though the story and authors intend changed direction in mid-stream.

Best Book of 2018. I wish it never ended. It's the sequel to Beartown so if you've not read that book yet, do so. I envy you because you now have two great books to read! PLEASE turn this into a TV show; it'll be as great as Friday Night Lights was.

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. It starts a bit slow, but then GRABS you. I feel like I know these characters, all my old friends from Beartown. Is this book about hockey? Yes and no. It's about a town. It's a love story. It's about friendship. It's about loss. It's about growing up. Absolutely amazing. I laughed, I cried. One of my top 5 reads for 2018.

While I did read though this book pretty fast, my overarching question was why? Beartown was just stunning and to me, unexpected. I don't think this sequel was needed. I feel like I don't learn anything new about the characters or the town, other than people are the worst (which i already got from the first one). Backman's writing is great, and although the style is a little off-putting (lots of foreshadowing and deliberately making things vague) it is a quick read.

I received this book for free via NetGalley

Fredrik Backman writes the novels that you read in one sitting because you don’t know how to put them down. Us Against You is one of these novels. He takes another look at Beartown in this novel and further explores what happens to a community after tragedy. Backman finds the human in everyone while revealing truth in places no one else seems to look.

I just finished my advanced copy of Us Against You while sitting in the waiting area of a car dealership trying to not cry my eyes out. Such an amazing book. Fredrik Backman continues to be a genius. I thought I loved Beartown but this 2nd book about the town, the people, and hockey just blew me away. When this book is released on June 5 you have to read it. In the meantime read Beartown if you haven’t already.

This is most powerful yet of Fredrick Backman's novels. A story of two rival teams, two rival villages, two rival tribes - yet set in Sweden. This is foremost an expose on the repercussions of the actions of fanatical sports fans, not just hockey fans, with other heartrending themes on the side.

Beartown ruined me and so did Us Against you. Backman's ability to write and configure human emotions is mind blowing. I went through a range of emotions reading this book and now I'm gonna go suffer from the biggest book hangover ever. MUST READ

I struggled to stay interested in this story. The characters weren’t very developed and not at all about a hockey town. Characters were forgettable after I finished the book. Too heavy in metaphor and simile.

I didn’t think that I would be at all interested in a book about hockey, but this author manages to draw you into his story by his amazing characterizations. This book made me laugh and brought me to tears and I didn’t want to say goodbye to the characters when the book ended.

To be fair, I did not finish this novel. I read Beartown and A Man Called Ove, but I just couldn't get into this one. It was just sad, and as much as I loved Beartown, I just didn't want to read more about sad lives, and continue a story that I thought ended great in Beartown. I didn't want to know what happened after... I liked how Beartown ended and was hoping for a new story by Backman.

It can't be put down, I sobbed at the end of beartown. And could not wait for Us Against You. I will finish this book later today, and I'll start it again today. You'll love characters you didn't love the in the first book and you'll hate characters you thought were the greatest.

Beartown is one of my favorite books and I was glad to re-visit the town. I enjoyed catching up with new characters and meeting new ones. Beartown is still all about hockey! I laughed and cried while reading and thought it was the perfect followup to Beartown. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books. All opinions are my own.

I LOVED all Fredrik Backman's books until today. I told everyone I know to read them. I was anxiously awaiting this one, and I knew it wouldn't be light and fun because of Beartown, but WOW it's awful. Sad, sad, dark, and dreary. I'm depressed just thinking about it. I bought this on Audible, and I found it hard to force myself to listen after a few minutes. The narrator was fine and I think she may have been the only thing pleasant about this experience. I kept going, thinking the book would lighten up, but it just kept getting darker and drearier. No sign of light, no transition to healing or talk of friendship, no character to focus on, just sad, sad, sad. I had to give up and return it to Audible because I couldn't even bear the idea of forcing myself to listen. Now I have to go find something funny to read because I'm just so depressed from a few hours of this book.