Publisher: Atria Books, September 27th, 2022

Format: ebook

Pages: 671

Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it. The residents continue to grapple with life’s big questions: What is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect them?

As the locals of Beartown struggle to overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink.

So what are the residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home?

My Review:

Thank you Atria Books for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: character-driven stories.
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Well, this book just ripped my heart out. Backman is such a skilled writer. Not only are his descriptions beautiful, but the characters he creates are also superb and he connects the readers to every single one.
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This is the last book in the Beartown series and even though it is a big, thick book, I was fully immersed on every single page. I am usually a pretty quick reader but I found myself slowly savouring every page. It was just that good!
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CW: sexual harassment, assault, rape, violence, workplace accident, death of a baby, death of a loved one, childbirth, injury, gun violence.