Beartown by Fredrik Backman

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The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream—and the price required to make it come true.

People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world. 


Source: advance e-galley provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review


Beartown takes a look at the dynamics of a small town and its residents who live in the woods. The town's entire culture and psyche is centered on that of the junior hockey team. Their identities along with their goals, their economics, their purpose in life are tied up in it. Think Friday Night Lights but more intense. Backman introduces us to several people  - adults and teenagers - who are directly or indirectly involved with the hockey team and shows us how their lives are impacted by it. It takes a few pages to meet all of them but as soon as he's set that up he's the director having the camera slowly pan out, giving us a wider scope of the town. The result is that we see what hockey means to these individuals, what they've done for it, sacrificed for it and ultimately created because of it. Beartown is another testament to Backman's amazing ability to write about people's flaws and strengths, bringing their humanity to the forefront. What he's done here is show us that sometimes that thing that unites a community can also be something that pits one against the other. In this case, it's a sports culture that makes celebrities out of those who aren't ready, and how bringing them to cult-like status can create heroes and villains.

The beauty of Beartown is that we get to be inside the minds of all the characters and see how they affect one another. It's such a lovely advantage as a reader to be able to have that within reach but it's also an imposing thing as the story takes on a dark turn. You're an eyewitness to these events as the chips fall into place, coming to a climax that you're anxiously awaiting. Backman lays it out perfectly, weaving together their histories and keeping you guessing as to what's next. All the while, these characters feel real and their struggles or insecurities are relatable. You can recognize those things in them which makes this story an interesting study in human psychology and relationships.  

I'm not going to delve into plot specifics because the effect won't be as impressive if you're not watching it unfold yourself. The first page did startled me. It had me wondering as I continued when Backman would bring me back to that very moment on that first page. The anticipation gave me a rush! Because there are so many characters, there are a several storylines and for the most part they do intersect. By the way, there are some triggers but in order to avoid spoilers I've included them in the labels so please refer to them if you'd prefer to know ahead of time. 

I've wanted to read Beartown for months ever since I saw it was out in Backman's native Sweden. Sadly or rather inconveniently, I don't speak Swedish so I've had to wait patiently for it to be released in the US. As I've come to expect it's another outstanding novel from a master storyteller. The surprise though was the type of story this was and how serious it became. But it's the various twists and revelations that make Beartown a must-read now and a must-have addition to your bookshelf!

~ Bel

The Distance From A to Z by Natalie Blitt

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This full-length novel by debut author Natalie Blitt is a pitch-perfect blend of Stephanie Perkins and Miranda Kenneally that proves the age-old adage: opposites attract.

Seventeen-year old Abby has only one goal for her summer: to make sure she is fluent in French—well, that, and to get as far away from baseball and her Cubs-obsessed family as possible. A summer of culture and language, with no sports in sight.

That turns out to be impossible, though, because her French partner is the exact kind of boy she was hoping to avoid. Eight weeks. 120 hours of class. 80 hours of conversation practice with someone who seems to exclusively wear baseball caps and jerseys.

But Zeke in French is a different person than Zeke in English. And Abby can’t help but fall for him, hard. As Abby begins to suspect that Zeke is hiding something, she has to decide if bridging the gap between the distance between who she is and who he is, is worth the risk.

Two reasons I picked this book: the adorable cover and French. It’s that simple!

Abby is anxious to get away from her sports-centric family to escape to a summer program where she can indulge herself in the love of her life: the French language. See, her parents and older brothers are obsessed with everything baseball and the Cubs (well after last season, who can blame any Chicagoan?) Anyway, Abby needs a break and to establish her own identity far removed from all that incessant baseball chatter. What better way to do that than to immerse herself in a completely different culture!

She meets Zeke on her first day there and it’s not exactly love at first sight. Unfortunately, Abby has very high standards and if a guy shows any sign of being remotely interested in sports, baseball especially, then she’s out. Zeke is charming, pretty laid back and interested in Abby, and even though she’s made up her mind to be off limits. Though she can’t help but be into him, too.

There were two things that I wrestled with as I read this. One, I felt that Abby’s instant repulsion to baseball was exaggerated. I mean, I’m not a football fan but I don’t think I’m anywhere as violently opposed to it as she is to baseball. On the flip side, I get it that when you’re bombarded with something 24/7 and there’s no refuge from it, it can become a negative in your life. However, I also felt her very vocal negativity about it hindered honesty in her brewing friendship with Zeke. Here’s what really irked me, and it’s not just this thing between Abby and Zeke because anyone is capable of it, and it's this: accusing someone of not being truthful with you when in the first place, you yourself have not created a sense of acceptance. It may not make a whole lot of sense now but when you read the story, you’ll get what I mean, hopefully.

Despite that part of the story, I enjoyed everything else. I majored in French in college (though don’t ask me to speak it because I’ve not used in since) and it was such a treat to return to the language. I liked how Abby studied it and tried to live it as much as possible. Her love of the language and the culture is evident through the writing. It’s as if you’re inside her head as she’s absorbing and processing everything. Another highlight is Abby learning to help her roommate who suffers from social anxiety. I think it was a good lesson for her to see how people adapt to the hand that they’re dealt. Abby matures a lot by the end.

The Distance From A to Z is one of the cutest reads I’ve experienced. It’s sweet and funny with some challenges along the way. Abby is your typical teenager so this summer program is very much a learning curve for her in multiple ways. I say definitely give it a go!

~ Bel

Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

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From Simon Pulse:

The first novel in a brand-new series—from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Abbi Glines—about a small Southern town filled with cute boys in pickup trucks, Friday night football games, and crazy parties that stir up some major drama.

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go… 

Until Friday Night was my first Abbi Glines novel.  I love sport's romances, so it seemed like a perfect fit, and it was, but UFN was definitely not the book I was expecting.  I expected a football novel, what I got was a heart-wrenchingly beautiful tale of loss, healing and first love.  

West broke my heart.  I actually cried.  Me.  I don't cry.  He's like the little brother I want to hug and make feel better.  And he loves Maggie like crazy.  It's pretty common knowledge that I love the bromances and UFN gave me more to love.  I love West and his teammates.  I love their dedication to one another and how they come together, not just for West, but for Maggie too.  

I've definitely added more Abbi Glines to my tbr and I really hope she takes us back to Lawton, I think there's a lot to see there.  :-)

~Shel

One Night by A.J. Pine

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When she lost it all, Jess decided to cope by living a lie. 

But you can’t keep on pretending forever…

Twenty-one-year-old Jess used to have everything—a loyal best friend, a boyfriend she loved, and a future that was right on track. But in a single night, her whole world changed.

Now, Jess lives for the impersonal connection of drunken hook-ups and to-go coffee cups in the morning. All she needs is one night to pretend everything is fine…until she meets Adam.

Thanks to a sports injury, gorgeous, charming basketball star Adam Carson is stuck in physical therapy at the hospital where Jess interns—giving her the perfect opportunity to see his sweet, considerate nature and making her realize that maybe she does want something more.

But while Adam might be the best thing that’s happened to Jess in a long time, letting him past her carefully constructed walls means letting him know what happened...and why he'd never want her for more than one night.

One Night poses an interesting situation, how does someone overcome a terrible loss and learn to forgive themselves and move on?  Jess gets through the day by keeping to herself, going through the motions at school and at her physical therapy internship and especially with guys, preferring drunken one-night hook-ups to relationships.  Which is why she has Carson firmly in the friend zone.

Basketball god, Adam, is drawn to Jess during his physical therapy for a knee injury, but she is clear that they are just friends.  She's clearly been through something awful, but she's not talking.  

Adam, despite being the popular jock, is the epitome of a good guy.  He's patient, kind and caring with Jess.  Jess, for her part, is a mess and is completely lost.  She's full of self-loathing, depressed and angry, very angry. These themes can be a little difficult at times, but it's an interesting story, with some twists and turns thrown in to keep you interested.   

~ Shel