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4.42 AVERAGE
4.42 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fredrik Backman just gets people.
Like Beartown, this book isn’t just about hockey—it’s about love and loyalty, grief and rage.
Every emotion, every character, every heartbreak feels real.
He doesn’t just write about people; he sees them, flaws and all, and somehow makes you love them even when they’re at their worst.
I loved this just as much as the first one. The writing is fantastic- full of those quiet gut-punch moments that sneak up on you.
One minute you’re turning pages, and the next, you’re sitting there, staring into space, feeling everything. Whoof.
The rivalries, the friendships, the pain of wanting to do right but not knowing how—it’s just so human.
So far in 2025, no one writes about the human condition better than Backman.
Translated lit for the win!
Like Beartown, this book isn’t just about hockey—it’s about love and loyalty, grief and rage.
Every emotion, every character, every heartbreak feels real.
He doesn’t just write about people; he sees them, flaws and all, and somehow makes you love them even when they’re at their worst.
I loved this just as much as the first one. The writing is fantastic- full of those quiet gut-punch moments that sneak up on you.
One minute you’re turning pages, and the next, you’re sitting there, staring into space, feeling everything. Whoof.
The rivalries, the friendships, the pain of wanting to do right but not knowing how—it’s just so human.
So far in 2025, no one writes about the human condition better than Backman.
Translated lit for the win!
3.75 stars but I'm feeling generous today.
I continue to love Backman and his prose. Oh how I wish I could read it in it's original Swedish. I bet his books all sound lovely and poetic. He is one of the few authors who can write in present tense and not send me up a wall...usually it doesn't work, but for Backman it does.
Welcome back to Beartown - a town with triumphs and flaws. We are back a few weeks after the completion of the first book and everyone is kind of living with the fallout from their choices in the previous book. Though, beautiful, I thought this book got bogged down a bit in the details, especially the political stuff and the foreshadowing. It was just too much for me. And then when the foreshadowed event came to pass I found it slightly anti-climatic. Sad, but not shocking.
Despite these qualms, I still love Backman and Beartown.
Recommend for people who need a good cry, love pretty prose, or want a book about deeply flawed individuals.
I continue to love Backman and his prose. Oh how I wish I could read it in it's original Swedish. I bet his books all sound lovely and poetic. He is one of the few authors who can write in present tense and not send me up a wall...usually it doesn't work, but for Backman it does.
Welcome back to Beartown - a town with triumphs and flaws. We are back a few weeks after the completion of the first book and everyone is kind of living with the fallout from their choices in the previous book. Though, beautiful, I thought this book got bogged down a bit in the details, especially the political stuff and the foreshadowing. It was just too much for me. And then when the foreshadowed event came to pass I found it slightly anti-climatic. Sad, but not shocking.
Spoiler
I think this is in large part because Vidar wasn't really a main character. We knew his brother loved him. We knew he was a good goalie. And we were just starting to get bits and pieces of his and Anna's love story. But he doesn't make an appearance until well into the second half of the book. We only have a few back stories. I just didn't understand him like I understood Benji, Maya, Peter, or even Tema. So when he died it was sad, but I was not yet fully invested in the character. So much of the first half was about Leo and then he kind of drops off to make way for Vidar. I think Vidar should have been introduced sooner.Despite these qualms, I still love Backman and Beartown.
Recommend for people who need a good cry, love pretty prose, or want a book about deeply flawed individuals.
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I still love all of the characters. The character development is still extraordinary. Heavy storyline but not as heavy as the first one. On to the third book.
I finished this book about an hour ago and I’ve just been laying in my bed, looking up at my ceiling, and thinking about it ever since. The amount of times this book gave me chills shocks me, I never wanted to put it down. Fredrik Backman created a town with true passion and drive for something as simple as hockey. The relationship between the characters has honestly changed some of my own relationships for the better. This book, as well as Beartown, has taught me how to fight and not give up. I will never forget this book.
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
I enjoy some elements of the story, but the writing style annoys me too much.
I felt ike it was too long, because of the constant, try-hard, pop ups from the narrator, it's truly insufferable. Way too many characters and almost all of them are passing through the story in a very superficial way.
I liked Bakmans previous works, I truly don't know why this trilogy just doesn't work for me at all. And I feel so sad because I like the setting, the story is interesting, I wish he focused more on the story and the characters, and less on the "wise", relatable and quotable sentences every other page.
I won't be reading the third part, I'll just look up the summary as it's too long and I have no interest in Bakman eating up all my happiness and will again😊
I felt ike it was too long, because of the constant, try-hard, pop ups from the narrator, it's truly insufferable. Way too many characters and almost all of them are passing through the story in a very superficial way.
I liked Bakmans previous works, I truly don't know why this trilogy just doesn't work for me at all. And I feel so sad because I like the setting, the story is interesting, I wish he focused more on the story and the characters, and less on the "wise", relatable and quotable sentences every other page.
I won't be reading the third part, I'll just look up the summary as it's too long and I have no interest in Bakman eating up all my happiness and will again😊
I have been on hold at the library for MONTHS waiting for this book! I finally got it and totally devoured it. "Beartown" was by far the best book I've read in 2018, and I absolutely couldn't wait for this book to come out so I could jump right back into the story. I absolutely adored Beartown, so I think that the reason for my 4 stars for Us Against You is simply that I don't know that anything could have equaled or beat Beartown for me. Sequels are tough! However, this book was still unbelievably good-- so hard-hitting, so emotional, so suspenseful! Couldn't put it down. Just like last book, I adored Benji, Bobo, and Amat, and can now add "The Pack," especially Vidar and Teemu to my list of misunderstood but lovable favorite characters. I did struggle with Peter in this book. Despite what happened at the end, he was so unbelievably selfish! I though Backman did an amazing job showing how trauma sometimes can lead to awkwardness, like it did with the Andersson family, but in Peter's case he was just as selfish as the last book, and even more out-of-touch with Kira's needs and goals. While part of the family's silence and tiptoeing was a way of dealing with what happened to Maya, I just couldn't get past how negligent Peter was, especially of Kira. I loved the female hockey coach, and of course Ramona!