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4.37 AVERAGE
4.37 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beartown is a powerful and emotionally resonant novel set in a small, hockey-obsessed town deep in the Swedish forest. The story follows a junior ice hockey team on the brink of national success, and the weight of expectation they carry on behalf of the entire community. But when a traumatic event shatters the town’s fragile unity, long-buried tensions rise to the surface. It’s a story that challenges assumptions and explores the complex moral terrain of loyalty, silence, and identity, showing how a single moment can divide or define a community.
This book completely captivated me from beginning to end. The prose is both lyrical and unflinchingly honest—so addictive and immersive that I found myself lingering over sentences just to experience them again. Backman has a rare gift for weaving life’s harshest truths into moments of quiet beauty. The characters felt painfully real, and the emotional depth of their struggles often left me reflecting on my own life. There were so many quotes that stayed with me—lines that felt like they were written just for me, full of insight, heartbreak, and hope. Beartown isn’t just a story about hockey—it’s a story about people, choices, and the gray spaces between right and wrong. I gave it five stars without hesitation, and I know it’s a book that will stay with me for a long time.
This book completely captivated me from beginning to end. The prose is both lyrical and unflinchingly honest—so addictive and immersive that I found myself lingering over sentences just to experience them again. Backman has a rare gift for weaving life’s harshest truths into moments of quiet beauty. The characters felt painfully real, and the emotional depth of their struggles often left me reflecting on my own life. There were so many quotes that stayed with me—lines that felt like they were written just for me, full of insight, heartbreak, and hope. Beartown isn’t just a story about hockey—it’s a story about people, choices, and the gray spaces between right and wrong. I gave it five stars without hesitation, and I know it’s a book that will stay with me for a long time.
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Review to come…
For the trigger warnings, there is an on-page rape that occurs during chapters 21-22. While it isn’t the entirety of the chapters or extremely graphic, it does happen. The rest of the book deals with the aftermath of it.
For the trigger warnings, there is an on-page rape that occurs during chapters 21-22. While it isn’t the entirety of the chapters or extremely graphic, it does happen. The rest of the book deals with the aftermath of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault
Moderate: Homophobia
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 ⭐️
only thing is that i was sometimes confused with the characters but overall its a really good book!!
only thing is that i was sometimes confused with the characters but overall its a really good book!!
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Complex, thought-provoking, full of emotion. Loved it all.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m not going to lie to you guys, I almost DNFd this book a couple times. Once at like 15% and then at around 30%. But I knew this was a super beloved book and I hadn’t really ever heard anything bad about it so I pushed through and I’m so glad I did.
To start off with this book is about hockey. There’s so much hockey. I don’t care about hockey. It’s also about how close and loyal these hockey teams are, how passionate people can be about their hockey teams and how much a star hockey player can get away with because he’s a star hockey player. To start with I didn’t care about the hockey and I was frustrated with these douchey teenage boys and how they were allowed to act however they wanted and the violence even seemed to be encouraged, on or off the ice. But then I realized that’s sort of the point.
There’s an inciting incident that happens at about 40% into this book and I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t say what it is but do check triggers if there are things you don’t want to read about. That sort of gives it away but if it’s something that’s going to trigger you, you should know about it ahead of time. The vibe of the book changes quite a bit after that. It becomes more about the community and how unwilling people are to believe that their precious star athlete could do something wrong. About how people are able to convince themselves that they must be mistaken and he could never have done that. And even if people believe that he did it, is it worth destroying his hockey career over?
This is such a heartbreaking and beautiful look at something that unfortunately happens too often and with similar results. It’s about how a community can come together, either for good or evil and how a few brave people can stand up for what’s right even if no one else seems to agree with them. There’s a quote from the book that spoke to me so much that I’m going to paraphrase because I don’t remember the exact wording but it was something along the lines of “When so many people are silent, the few people who aren’t are screaming,” There were so many people in this book who kept quiet because it was easier than arguing.
By the end of this book I was so surprised by the characters I ended up loving and feeling so much for. A couple of the boys who at the beginning of the book seemed like bullies, by the end of the book were some of the few defending people who couldn’t defend themselves. The people who were willing to stand up and say something were so interesting to me. I’m so ready to continue on with this series and see what else the community of Beartown gets up to.
To start off with this book is about hockey. There’s so much hockey. I don’t care about hockey. It’s also about how close and loyal these hockey teams are, how passionate people can be about their hockey teams and how much a star hockey player can get away with because he’s a star hockey player. To start with I didn’t care about the hockey and I was frustrated with these douchey teenage boys and how they were allowed to act however they wanted and the violence even seemed to be encouraged, on or off the ice. But then I realized that’s sort of the point.
There’s an inciting incident that happens at about 40% into this book and I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t say what it is but do check triggers if there are things you don’t want to read about. That sort of gives it away but if it’s something that’s going to trigger you, you should know about it ahead of time. The vibe of the book changes quite a bit after that. It becomes more about the community and how unwilling people are to believe that their precious star athlete could do something wrong. About how people are able to convince themselves that they must be mistaken and he could never have done that. And even if people believe that he did it, is it worth destroying his hockey career over?
This is such a heartbreaking and beautiful look at something that unfortunately happens too often and with similar results. It’s about how a community can come together, either for good or evil and how a few brave people can stand up for what’s right even if no one else seems to agree with them. There’s a quote from the book that spoke to me so much that I’m going to paraphrase because I don’t remember the exact wording but it was something along the lines of “When so many people are silent, the few people who aren’t are screaming,” There were so many people in this book who kept quiet because it was easier than arguing.
By the end of this book I was so surprised by the characters I ended up loving and feeling so much for. A couple of the boys who at the beginning of the book seemed like bullies, by the end of the book were some of the few defending people who couldn’t defend themselves. The people who were willing to stand up and say something were so interesting to me. I’m so ready to continue on with this series and see what else the community of Beartown gets up to.