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Quick answer: If you loved Beartown, read Fredrik Backman's Us Against You and The Winners, then A Man Called Ove, Anxious People and Friday Night Lights. They combine small-town sports, secrets and a community tested by a crisis.
Backman's novel follows a hockey-obsessed Swedish town divided after a shocking event involving its star players. It explores loyalty, guilt and what a community owes to its young people. The books below share its emotional honesty and ensemble casts. Beartown deals with sexual assault, so some picks are heavy too.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Us Against You | Fredrik Backman | Adult | the sequel |
| The Winners | Fredrik Backman | Adult | the finale |
| A Man Called Ove | Fredrik Backman | Adult | gentler Backman |
| Anxious People | Fredrik Backman | Adult | funny and kind |
| Britt-Marie Was Here | Fredrik Backman | Adult | sports and heart |
| Friday Night Lights | H.G. Bissinger | Adult | sports and community |
| Mystic River | Dennis Lehane | Adult | friendship and crime |
| Big Little Lies | Liane Moriarty | Adult | community secrets |
| Olive Kitteridge | Elizabeth Strout | Adult | small-town portraits |
| Small Great Things | Jodi Picoult | Adult | justice and prejudice |
| Little Fires Everywhere | Celeste Ng | Adult | class and community |
| The Great Alone | Kristin Hannah | Adult | family under pressure |
| Defending Jacob | William Landay | Adult | parents and secrets |
| Everything I Never Told You | Celeste Ng | Adult | family grief |
| Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens | Adult | nature and mystery |
1. Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
The second Beartown book follows the town after the scandal as a rival club threatens its future. Tense and wise.
Best for: the sequel.
2. The Winners by Fredrik Backman
The final book in the trilogy brings the characters to a stormy end and a new beginning. Epic and moving.
Best for: the finale.
3. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
A grumpy widower is drawn back into community life. Funny, touching and Backman's breakout hit.
Best for: gentler Backman.
4. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
A failed bank robber takes hostages at an apartment viewing. Funny, kind and ultimately about human frailty.
Best for: funny and kind.
5. Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
A fussy woman takes a job at a rundown recreation center in a small Swedish town. Heartfelt with a football theme.
Best for: sports and heart.
6. Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
A portrait of a Texas town obsessed with high school football. Nonfiction that reads like a novel.
Best for: sports and community.
7. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
Three childhood friends are reunited by a murder. A dark and moving crime novel.
Best for: friendship and crime.
8. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Three mothers at a school are tied to a mysterious death. Smart, funny and serious.
Best for: community secrets.
9. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Linked stories about a retired teacher in a Maine town. Won the Pulitzer Prize.
Best for: small-town portraits.
10. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
A Black nurse is accused after a newborn dies under her care. A thought-provoking novel about racism.
Best for: justice and prejudice.
11. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Two families clash in a planned suburb. Thoughtful and tense.
Best for: class and community.
12. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
A family moves to Alaska in the 1970s, and the father's trauma shadows their lives. Sweeping and emotional.
Best for: family under pressure.
13. Defending Jacob by William Landay
A prosecutor's son is accused of murder, and the family begins to unravel. A tense legal thriller.
Best for: parents and secrets.
14. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
A Chinese American family tries to understand the death of their daughter. Quiet and devastating.
Best for: family grief.
15. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
A girl raised alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect. Atmospheric and popular.
Best for: nature and mystery.
How to Choose
If you want to stay in Beartown, read Us Against You and The Winners. For more Backman with humour, pick A Man Called Ove, Anxious People or Britt-Marie Was Here. For stories about sports and community, try Friday Night Lights. For books about justice and secrets, choose Small Great Things, Defending Jacob or Mystic River. Several of these books contain violence or abuse, so check content notes. Pace yourself with the heavier books and mix in Backman's lighter novels in between. If you prefer to avoid scenes involving assault, A Man Called Ove and Anxious People are gentler.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Beartown about?
A junior hockey star commits a terrible act, and the town splits over what to do.
Is Beartown a trilogy?
Yes, it continues with Us Against You and The Winners.
Is there a TV series?
Yes, a Swedish-language series was made for HBO Nordic in 2020.
Is it about hockey?
Hockey is the setting, but the story is about community and consequences.
Is it suitable for teens?
It contains sexual assault and is best for mature readers.
Do I need to know hockey?
No. The sport is a backdrop, and the book is mostly about people.
Who is Fredrik Backman?
He is a Swedish author known for A Man Called Ove and Anxious People.
Is there content I should know about?
Yes, Beartown includes a sexual assault and its aftermath, handled seriously and not graphically.
Is it suitable for book clubs?
Yes. Its themes of loyalty, guilt and responsibility make for strong discussions.
Which Backman book is best after this?
Us Against You continues the story, while A Man Called Ove is a gentler change of pace.
What is the best order for Backman's Beartown books?
Read Beartown, then Us Against You, then The Winners, since the story and characters continue across all three.