I absolutely loved this book, it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! It definitely won’t be my last book by Karen Winn!

Two sisters, close in age and both on the cusp of adolescence, find their relationship changing after a tragic occurrence throws their community into turmoil.
This was one of those books that I was sad to finish, even though it was so sad. It was no secret that it would be; the author let us know what was coming in the first paragraph, but I still couldn’t help hoping for a different ending. Despite this, I found this poignant story totally engrossing and thought the author hit the heartache of growing up on the head.
Thanks to #netgalley and #duttonbooks for this #arc of #ourlittleworld by #karenwinn in exchange for an honest review.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

This story definitely held my attention from the first page! I really like the coming of age pretense of two sister, their family dynamics, and their younger neighbor who disappeared one day they were all at the lake together. It was all so sad and intriguing, and read a lot like it could’ve been a memoir even though it’s historical fiction. The writing is excellent and I loved the authors writing and development of characters. I would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a well written fiction book that also has a touch of suspense.

This took me back to my teenage self. This book was a great trip down memory lane. I love a great coming of age story, and this was a great one about friendship and sisterhood.

Our Little World by Karen Winn is an intense small town mystery that shows how things can change in an instance. It's also an exploration of trauma. A good read for fans of Celeste Ng.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

It was the summer of 1985 and the only concern was hanging with friends and catching fireflies but that all changes in an instant when young Sally goes missing at the lake. In this small, charmed town everyone becomes suspicious of one another. This is a story that is part coming of age, whodunnit, sisterhood and how the trauma can change your entire life.

Thank you #Dutton and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was completely enthralled with this book! Anything set in the 80s — my childhood — hooks me in. All in all, a fast-paced page-turner that will leave you speechless.

This was a different kind of thriller/ suspense and in a good way. I thought it was a quick read and would recommend it

An engrossing read about a family in crisis. The interesting dynamics between the sisters moves the story through one, fraught summer when a little girl goes missing. This is a slow burn. A small town mystery that affects all of the characters. I had expected a fast-paced thriller, so the book came as a surprise but I still enjoyed it.

This book made me feel all the feelings. There were times I wanted to cry with the characters and times I got so mad at them that I wanted to throw my kindle. It was a great story that was neatly wrapped up at the end.

Book Review: Our Little World by Karen Winn

Our Little World is a coming of age novel about a New Jersey girl in the 1980’s. It also has elements of mystery after a neighborhood girl disappears from the lake in broad daylight.

Bee (Borka) Kocsis is about to start 7th grade in 1985 when a normal summer day at the lake turns tragic. While Bee, her sister Audrina and neighbor Max were playing in the water Max’s little sister Sally disappears. Over the next few years Bee will worry about Sally, battle with her beautiful and popular younger sister, and discover the moral failures of the adults around her. When Audrina has a health crisis that requires her older sister’s help Bee will be drawn into a complicated new relationship her sibling and discover that they both are keeping secrets.

Our Little World is full of historical detail about the life of teens and tweens and the mid-80’s. Through Bee’s eyes we see the darker side of small town and suburbia and the push/pull relationship between sisters. It is very evenly paced and never boring despite the often mundane details about the life of a teenage girl.

Overall, this will be a relatable novel for a lot of women who came of age in the 80’s, have sisters or struggled fitting in and finding their way.

4 stars

“A missing child brings together parents and neighbors and search parties and hot casseroles. It’s an ongoing story, with characters and plots and subplots, grief and faith in equal proportions.” ~ Karen Winn, Our Little World.

I was glued to the pages of the wonderful coming-of-age book set in the mid-80s. I remember being in seventh grade hanging out at the beach with my friends a decade earlier (even more likely at the Brookview Golf Course pool) and it was a time of fun and innocence. Not so much for Bee and Max.

July 1985. It’s a normal, sweltering New Jersey summer for soon-to-be seventh grader Bee Kocsis when her friend Max Baker’s four-year-old sister, Sally, goes missing at Deer Chase Lake. Bee looks on helplessly as people search everywhere for the little girl.

Life in the community becomes tense as parents become protective and children are scared. Things are even more strained at home, most of all with her 11-year-old sister, Audrina, who dazzles wherever she goes.

Remember what middle school was like? I don’t know anyone who liked it. They should pay teachers double to deal with all the hormones. Like I did, Bee struggles with self-esteem issues, anxiety, and her feelings for Max (well, not the Max part). When a shameful secret surfaces, her world is upended again.

Author Karen Winn does a masterful job capturing teenage angst and the complicated relationship between sisters. Told in first-person, it is a haunting work of psychological fiction. Perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Kristen Bird. 4 stars.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book. The opinions are my own.

I still can’t believe that OUR LITTLE WORLD by Karen Winn is her debut! What a fantastic read and I can tell you, Karen must be a Jersey girl because she describes life in New Jersey in the 80’s perfectly! This delightful and mesmerizing story takes place just when I was a fresh graduate from high school. It brought back so many memories and had me longing to go back to Jersey one more time. That’s how descriptive Ms. Winn’s writing is!

Bee and Audrina have a fabulous sister bond. Audrina is the golden child, the one that can do no wrong, while Bee is the one left in the shadows and at times is jealous of Audrina. But they have always had each other’s backs. Things change when their next door neighbor, Sally, goes missing one day while they’re swimming at the lake. Sally is only four and a half years old. As the years go by, the sisters lose the bond that they had. They say things that can never be taken back or forgotten. OUR LITTLE WORLD had me waiting for the other shoe to fall! It hooked me from the very first page and never let me go.

OUR LITTLE WORLD is very well written and captures what is every parent’s worse nightmare! I was holding my breath when the mystery was finally solved and was shocked by who dun it! The story of Bee and Audrina really pulls at the reader’s heart strings and they just might need a tissue or two like I did. Its a very emotional story and it really makes you think about what you would do if you were in the same situation. I cried while reading and also found myself angry. How does a family survive and go on after something like this? I can not wait to see what Karen Winn writes next!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was so bored by this book and didn't care what happened. 😞 I didn't feel like it held my interest to what happened.

Family drama, the eighties, missing people, it really hits all the popular storylines of the day. Friendship was another major theme. Really more complex than most coming of age crime stories.

It's 1985 and Bee is basically living the parallel to my own 1980's childhood. She spends all her summer days and nights running with the kids in the neighborhood, going swimming and dealing with her annoying older sister. It's all so normal and so reminiscent of that magical childhood time, but we know from the beginning, the magic isn't going to last forever. And it all comes to a startling halt the day Sally goes missing.

Wow, just wow. Our Little World was all the 80's nostalgia, drama, sadness and mystery for this true crime/mystery junkie. It was a book that really has an atmosphere about it, if that's the right word. Winn did an amazing job portraying the true emotions that live inside every 12-year-old girl. This one was a true treat to read, I almost wish I could go back and read it again for the first time.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced egalley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC of Our Little World by Karen Winn. This novel is about what happens when a child's perceived world of stability suddenly isn't so. Main character, Bee is at odds and somewhat jealous of her younger sister Audrina, while also developing a friendship with Max, who has moved in across the street. This story begins as a typical coming-of-age story until Max's sister goes missing. Everything Bee thought she knew and had built her life around suddenly is up for question. This book does remind me of several I have read over the past few years, but it still is one I would recommend.

Our Little World is a little novel that I won't be forgetting anytime soon! It is the best combination of family drama, mystery, and 80s nostalgia. Though I'm more of a 90s kid myself, the small town setting where everyone knows everyone and kids can play outdoors all day long took me back to my childhood. I loved reading about the sisterhood of Bee and Audriana, how it changed and grew over the events of one summer in particular. There was so much sadness in this novel, but also so much joy. It was very well written with great pacing to draw you in. Well done. I especially appreciated the epilogue and its reflection on the past. Lovely.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Our Little World is Karen Winn’s remarkable debut novel, she is definitely an author you want to keep on your radar.

Our Little World takes place in 1985 in Hammend a small community in New Jersey. The story revolves around the Kocsis family and their new neighbors the Bakers who have recently relocate from Boston. On July 25th Hammend is about to get rocked when four-year-old Sally Baker vanishes while swimming at the public Deer Chase Lake. This event is the catalyst for what of what is about to happen to the two Kocsis sisters, Bee and Audrina. .. two sister that do but don’t get along, two sisters that are in competition for attention from their family and friends, there is jealously, sibling rivalry, bitterness, guilt and secrets .. but in the end the bond of sisterhood these sisters love each other.

Our Little World is a coming-of-age novel that is emotional and a heartbreaking journey to watch both these dysfunctional families cope with losing a child, watching another child suffering from a terrible anxiety and parents that love their children but ignorant to what is happening within their family. A reminder that life can come to a sudden abrupt end and hateful words cannot be taken back.

For a debut novel Karen Winn’s demonstrates her command of great storytelling and knows how to keep you engaged in a story with realistic and well develop characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton and Karen Winn’s for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Release date for Our Little World is May 3, 2022.

Oh the emotions you’ll have while reading this book! You’ll feel it all. This was a wonderfully crafter emotional ride. A tad slow in parts but hang in there for the ending. The nostalgic 80s was the perfect t setting for this 5 star read!