The following review, which includes Our Little World, appears in multiple newspapers including The Cullman Times, The News Aegis and The News Courier in Alabama; and the Mountain Times news group centered on Boone, N.C. URL for Cullman attached.

International Standard Book Numbers, or ISBNs — those ubiquitous barcodes responsible for making books one of the earliest online commodities (and gifting Amazon an auspicious beginning) — are also useful in quantifying how many books a particular country the publishing world releases each year.

Recent statistics indicate that that number was nearly 3.5 million in the United States alone, and about 3.3 million more than its nearest competitor, the United Kingdom, which issued less than 200,000 ISBNs during a comparable time frame.

However you page through that data, that’s a lot of books — and enough that you might have missed some of the best from the past few months.

From Alabamian nonfiction to North Carolinian poetry; from thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy and old-fashioned storytelling, the following is a curated and publication-dated list of 15 books — including a notable work of poetry from the High Country — that might have missed your literary calendar. Now, as we move into high summer, it’s worth noting that any of these would be a welcome addition to your beach bag — ISBN, sand and all, which is timely, since a few have a next installment blooming this season, or as soon as fireplace weather begins to kick in.

‘When Light Waits For Us’ (Main Street Rag Publishing Company) by Hilda Downer, $14, softcover, 69 pages, May 6, 2021

Hilda Downer, a member of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative, completed her master’s work at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., and earned a MFA in poetry from Vermont College — all factors she weaves into deeply interior vignettes in “When Light Waits For Us.”

Like the best poetry, those scraps of life speak to each of us as individuals. “I know what it is / about the rain’s hard knuckles on the roof / before leaking down the chalky wall / that chills me more / than the risk of hypothermia: / It is the poverty of childhood,” she writes in “The Scamp.”

Accessible and touching, “When Light Waits For Us” began as a collaborative effort with a photographer — a relationship that fell into free verse. The aftermath, this solitary release, is better for that experience.

‘Miss Molly’s Final Mission,’ by Rick DeStefanis, $23.95, hardcover, 234 pages, Aug. 24, 2021

The subtitle of Rick DeStefanis’ most recent novel might read, “A Vietnam War veteran flies into Central American Revolution and finds love in the jungle” — and that puts it squarely in the writer's wheelhouse.

The author of three series — The Rawlins Trilogy, Southern Fiction Series and The Vietnam War Series — DeStefanis is a gifted storyteller who offers here a standalone military adventure, even as long-time readers will be rewarded with some familiar characters, such as Buddy Rider from the “Valley of the Purple Hearts.”

As always, the story is heavy on adventure and light on romance, as in this book, with echoes of DeStefanis’ “The Birdhouse Man.” As in that novel, Buddy is a lone Vietnam veteran and pilot who is pulled into a mercy mission to help save several Maryknoll Sister missionaries embroiled in revolution-torn El Salvador in the 1980s.

Meticulous research and credibility are hallmarks of "Miss Molly," and the author’s Vietnam series overall. A satisfying novel based on a war that reverberates through America today.

'Gated Prey (Eve Ronin Book 3)' (Thomas & Mercer) by Lee Goldberg, $9.99, paperback, 267 pages, Oct. 26, 2021

Lee Goldberg’s third Eve Ronin book almost didn’t make this list — but only because the fourth installment in the series, “Movie Land,” was recently released. Goldberg is a gifted television writer who knows how to keep the pages turning in his novels, and turn out bestsellers, which he does to myriad acclaims in his Eve Ronin series.

Ronin is a Los Angeles County sheriff’s detective who, in this third edition, is embroiled in high-dollar thefts and murder in gated communities with a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit hanging over her.

True to form, Goldberg neatly ties up multitudinous loose ends before setting up the next in the series. “Gated Prey” works as a series starter, but if you begin here, the recommendation is that you consume one and two before four. Continuity really isn’t the concern — Goldberg is fluent enough to drop enough details to make each a standalone — but series readers are rewarded with subtle Easter eggs as one novel builds into the next. "Movieland (Eve Ronin Book 4)," continues the suspense with a series of sniper attacks in California that echo real-life events from the past.

‘The Dangers of an Ordinary Night,’ (Crooked Lane Books) by Lynne Reeves, $17.49, hardcover, 288 pages, Nov. 9, 2021

Dark secrets propel the mystery of two 17-year-olds kidnapped and left to die. When one of the teens is found, dazed and disoriented, the story moves into a web of truth, half-truths and buried pasts that threaten family members and a detective scouring for clues in an affluent community. Personal redemption by that detective is possible, and needed on personally visceral levels, but only if all is revealed before the denouement.

Cinematic in scope, Reeves notes that “The Dangers of an Ordinary Night” is my love letter to the theater … (with a) setting central to both the way the story is conceived and in the dramatic themes the novel explores.” Those dramatic themes? Mental illness and addiction top the list — two dangers found in an “ordinary night.”

A self-assured novel, Reeves, a veteran school and family counselor, builds relationship upon relationship with a deft touch in constructing characters and story that will linger after the last page.

The author's next novel, “Dark Rivers to Cross” (Crooked Lane), is an origin story involving a mother and her two sheltered sons — and the past family connections she has sought to erase. “Dark Rivers” is scheduled to release Nov. 8, in plenty of time to first safeguard a bit of reading time for “Dangers.”

‘The Dark Hours: (A Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch novel, 4),’ (Little, Brown and Company) by Michael Connelly, $29, hardcover, 400 pages, Nov. 9, 2021

Another in a series on this list with a next installment in the works (“Desert Star,” Nov. 8), Connelly’s Ballard series are books that could be consumed alone, but most savored when read in order for the nuances of character development the author so ably constructs. Unlike his Bosch series, which runs now to more than two dozen books, now is a good time to get on the four-book and counting Ballard-Bosch bandwagon.

In “The Dark Hours,’ Connelly neatly twines a single bullet from a New Year’s Eve shooting-death case of LAPD Detective Ballard’s with an ancient case of Detective Harry Bosch’s. Tying in a pair of serial rapists, the Midnight Men, the story moves quickly toward plot connections only a master such as Connelly could devise. Set in near-real time, the global pandemic has altered the makeup and resources of the department, leaving Ballard and Bosch to recognize that the only way to solve both crimes is by again joining forces.

‘The Becoming: The Dragon Heart Legacy (Book 2)’ (St. Martins Press) by Nora Roberts, $28.99, hardcover, 448 pages, Nov. 23, 2021

After eons, the worlds of man and magic have been split and divided, but some, including Breen Siobhan Kelly, can move between both. Reading the second offering in Nora Roberts’ fantasy series, “The Becoming: The Dragon Heart Legacy,” gives you just enough time to get caught up on the series (“The Choice: The Dragon Heart Legacy,” book three is due Nov. 22), and if you do, you’ll find why November’s cliff-hanger resolution (the publisher isn’t quiet about labeling the series both fantasy and suspense) is so highly anticipated.

Perhaps more known for her romance novels — Roberts has published more than 220 of those — the author’s talents for fantasy are well-recognized and deservedly earned with the Dragon Heart series, a world-building series destined for the big screen.

‘Struggles of the Soul: Where to Now, Lord?’ (Legaia Books) by Hollis Arban, $7.95, paperback, 181 pages, Jan. 11, 2022

This touching, coming-of-age story, ‘Struggles of the Soul,’ by Hollis Arban, formerly of Athens in North Alabama, will appeal to teens — especially as the author adds a note of realism by inserting himself both into the story as the middle-aged Hal, and into the lives of a young family he befriends during a friendly game in the park.

As Hal’s life is revealed through stories, meals and outings, bonds deepen, boys learn to become men and a special young girl learns the value of friendship. Written from personal experiences, this short novel takes us to simpler times when learned life lessons lasted a lifetime.

And also on the subject of those simpler times, look also for Arban’s most recent book, “Short Stories for my Students” ($9.95, paperback, 175 pages, July 15, 2022). Written with middle- and high schoolers in mind, the 10 stories in this volume similarly come from the experience and imagination of earlier times — such as the story told to the author by his father, narrating the tale of a panther roaming the family’s Alabama farm in the early 1900s.

‘The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections’ (Poisoned Pen Press) by Eva Jurczyk, $26.99, hardcover, 336 pages, Jan. 25, 2022

An accomplished debut, “The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections” by Eva Jurczyk takes us with an expert’s pen into the world of rare books in a large university. Part mystery — and, as the title promises, one which centers on an irreplaceable ancient tome — and part relationship storytelling, the tale of a priceless book and the curator who’s told to keep the theft quiet is much more than it appears on the surface.

Look beyond the cover, Jurczyk tells us, and we’ll find the substance of a woman struggling to move past the shadows of the powerful men who loom over her. A heartbreaking twist infiltrates this story in a novel that teaches us about the transformational power of books in our lives.

‘The Silent Sisters’ (Charles Jenkins Book 3)' (Thomas & Mercer) by Robert Dugoni, $24.95, hardcover, 400 pages, Feb. 22, 2022

Those who have read Robert Dugoni’s past books would purchase anything, sight unseen, with the author’s name on it. Were he to publish his grocery list we’d still press “buy” because readers know even that would be laced with suspense and story.

And so we come to the third book in Dugoni’s Charles Jenkins series — a story we desperately need today.

Set in Russia, Jenkins is a master spy who thinks he’s done with his craft until the final two of seven sleeping American assets, women under decades of deep cover and dubbed “the sisters,” drop all communications from their contacts.

By this point in the series (preceded by “The Eighth Sister” and “The Last Agent"), Jenkins is on a Russian kill list, leaving him what he believes no moral option other than infiltrating the country in disguise — made harder since Jenkins is a Black man in a sea of white — to either save the Russian counter spies or determine if they’ve been turned against America as double agents.

Layering Russian organized crime into the story, Dugoni weaves a Russian spy story where, beyond all odds, the underdogs might just have a chance to win. Begin with the first two books in the series to capture shades of story, or dive into No. 3 for a solid summer read.

‘Girl In Ice’ (Gallery/Scout) by Erica Ferencik, $27.99, hardcover, 304 pages, March 1, 2022

A most strange novel, the setting of Erica Ferencik’s “Girl In Ice,” the Arctic Circle, is beautifully drawn and rendered, painting with words what is perhaps the most rural and inhospitable place in the world — making it, of course, the idea setting for a thriller that is at once both physical and psychological.

Linguist Valerie Chesterfield is trained in dead languages, which is fortunate as she travels to a remote science station off the barren coast of Greenland in search for answers to what appeared to be her scientist twin brother’s suicide. At the station, the discovery of a young girl frozen in both ice and time — the reason why the small team there wanted Valerie to join them — is a seemingly medical impossibility: the girl has been unfrozen, thawed out alive and speaks a language no one understands. Strange indeed, but as Valerie gets closer to comprehending the language of the girl, in addition to unraveling the circumstances behind her brother’s death, the ending comes with answers that are just as unexpected.

Ferencik works hard to put a lot of moving pieces together in this novel, but too hard in places. There’s an awful lot going on in terms of text and subtext and those, mixed with the austere climate, at times trip over one another. Still, the author earns high points for crafting a credible world inside an incredible story. You won’t soon read another book such as this.

‘The New Neighbor’ (Poisoned Pen Press) by Carter Wilson, $16.99, paperback, 400 pages, April 12, 2022

Carter Wilson writes tough, muscular novels and his particular brand of psychological thrillers grab you by the throat from page 1. To wit, the opening of his latest, “The New Neighbor”:

“I thought I couldn’t handle another minute in the funeral home, but this church is worse.

“My wife doesn’t belong here.

“Thirty-four years old and and the count stops there. Her biological clock runs backward now, ticking decomposition. ...

“‘Daddy, your tie,’ … Maggie points at my neck, her fierce, blue eyes gift-wrapped with streaks of red. Easy to tell when she’s been crying.”

Tough indeed. And it gets worse, much worse, way before the story even hints at getting better.

On the day of his wife’s funeral, Aidan Marlowe learns he’s holding the winning Powerball numbers — he’s superstitious to a fault and his same weekly numbers are on autoplay — manufacturing phenomenal wealth and unbearable loss at the same time.

But while the loss is inconsolable, the wealth can buy Marlowe and his two children a fresh start, which they do by purchasing a mansion in Bury, N.H. (a crossover town from Wilson’s “The Dead Husband” in this standalone story).

Because he’s won in one of the few states that allows lottery winners to remain anonymous, Marlowe is hoping for a complete, fresh start. And this he has — until mysterious notes appear, letting him know that someone is watching his family, very, very carefully.

Building toward a denouement that is both solid and satisfying, “The New Neighbor” constructs collective consciousness fears made fresh under Wilson’s pen. The author has eight standalone thrillers in his canon to date, with each one a worthy successor.

’Strangers We Know’ (Thomas & Mercer) by Elle Marr, $15.95, paperback, 283 pages, May 1, 2022

Suspense and thrills in one package, Elle Marr’s “Strangers We Know” offers a fresh approach to the “FBI needs my help in tracking down a serial killer” motif.

Ivy Hon was adopted as an infant and so knows little of her family history. When a mysterious illness necessitates a genetic test, the results are unexpected. According the her DNA, she’s related to the Full Moon Killer, a serial murderer who has been stalking the Pacific Northwest for decades.

A fast, engaging read with well-drawn characters and credible story, Marr is showing herself to be a true working author, offering here a strong complement to her previous offerings, “Lies We Bury” (April 2021) and “The Missing Sister” (April 2020).

‘Our Little World’ (Dutton) by Karen Winn, $26, hardcover, 352 pages, May 3, 2022

Karen Winn’s “Our Little World” is poised to be the sleeper hit novel of 2022. To date, the attention it’s earned — despite strong critical reviews — pales with the depth of emotion and gravitas of the story.

Bee Kocsis has come of age. Encapsulating the story that is to unfold, she says as much in the first pages of this masterfully precise debut — a remembrance tale of two sisters growing up in Hammond, N.J., on the cusp of first love, loss and depths of turmoil that belie their young ages.

The remembrance year is 1985 and Bee’s sister, Audrina, is alive. It’s no secret that Audrina is dead when the novel opens — “My sister isn’t the only dead girl I’ve known, and not the first either,” Bee tells us — but it is a poignant set-up for secrets to come and the soul-crushing actions that will define not only the sisters, their friends and their families, but a community.

Bee and Audrina live in the type of upper middle-class block where moms take turns on summer days carpooling and chaperoning the neighborhood children from one activity to another. At Deer Chase Lake on one such outing, Sally, the preschool sister of a young, teen friend, Max, goes missing. Max unfairly takes responsibility after a community search proves futile, and so sets up one of the prominent parallels throughout the novel. Max’s misguided ownership of his sister’s disappearance will echo the responsibility Bee will ultimately feel for Audrina — although the sisters’ narrative is much more complicated.

Winn chronicles well the growing distance between the siblings even as Bee longs for a deeper relationship with the younger, but more socially adept Audrina: “Our fights were Cold War epic. When she hugged me, it was a Supreme Court ruling. We were hot and cold, and both at once. Sin and virtue, virtue and sin. An entire world occurred within our small, confined existence. Sisters were we.”

What comes of this wonderfully drawn period piece is this: the most self-assured kids can be the most self-tortured, teenage angst is not the sole privilege of teens and secrets will eventually out.

“Our Little World” is an encompassing look at small town American, circa mid-1980s, when the world felt different because it was. With a technological revolution still on the horizon — the first commercial mobile phone had launched two years earlier, but the iPhone and social media were a brief generation away — the pure unconnectedness of society parallels the impending unconnectedness of family relationships. Winn captures this beautifully.

‘The Local: A legal thriller’ (Doubleday) by Joey Hartstone, $28, hardcover, 320 pages, June 14, 2022

Joey Hartstone is a gifted screen- and television writer (“LBJ,” “Shock and Awe,” “The Good Fight,” “Your Honor”) and offers in “The Local” a fast-paced, well-executed legal thriller on par with anyone writing such fare today (looking at you, John Grisham).

James Euchre is a patent lawyer living in patent lawyer Mecca, the town of Marshall, Texas, when a beloved mentor and judge is murdered. The person accused of the crime turns out to be the man Euchre is already representing in a patent lawsuit. That the client is wealthy and arrogant adds to building a deep internal conflict over Euchre’s defense of a man who could be the killer of a man he considered a father. Second chances factor deeply into this narrative, but Hartstone tangles those well with grief and addiction before unraveling the final mystery.

‘The Force of Such Beauty’ (Dutton) by Barbara Borland, $27, hardcover, 383 pages, July 19, 2022

Barbara Borland has been more than once in serious contention for major writing awards — an Edgar best novel finalist, a peer contest, among those — and her most recent novel, “The Force of Such Beauty,” is a case in point. Her third novel, a “phantasmagorical fable of love and marriage,” tells the story of Caroline, a princess who longs to break the confines of royal isolation — and attempts to do so, more than once.

Turning upside down the typical girl-prince dichotomy, Caroline is certainly no passive princess in this thriller masquerading none-to-subtly as a deep introspective on our notions of privilege, station, womanhood and marriage. The messages are not lost, but enhanced in this haunting, smart satire.

Tom Mayer can be reached at tmayer@cullmantimes.com.

A good but sad book. Read in several days. Couldn’t hardly put it down because I wanted to know who done it.

okay, so i really wanted to enjoy this book. but it did not work for me. it was way too much and just not what i was looking for. i might come back to it in the future to try again. thanks so much, netgalley!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for an arc copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and didn't expect the story to move along like it did. I thought I would be reading a typical story about sisters , but very quickly I learned this was actually a bit of a mystery/crime story as well.
I felt like the characters in this story were likable and had depth to them, making me more and more interested in the story. In summary this book is a reflection of our MC looking back on her childhood and inciting how things may have been different but more so how little things would not have changed much. It gives a perspective of both the child as she sees it and the adult looking back. Overall an interesting and thought provoking story about a young girl and her sister during their childhood, and the little girl in their neighborhood that goes missing.
Good for fans for mystery, crime, contemporary and sibling stories.

To quote Elin Hilderbrand, “‘Our Little World’ will transport & transfix you.” Part mystery, part memoir-like, this work of fiction follows the folks living in a fictional New Jersey town.

Sisters Audrina & Bee navigate their complicated relationship as they grow up on a cul-de-sac in a tight-knit neighborhood. One summer, their new neighbors’ young daughter Sally goes missing, rocking the town & its residents. As they await word on the whereabouts of the toddler, Audrina is diagnosed as a diabetic and struggles to cope with the disease. Meanwhile Bee is caught between caring for her sister & trying to break free into the world of junior high. One day before winter break, Audrina doesn’t return home & she’s eventually found dead in the town’s library, the result of an apparent hypoglycemic episode. Bee’s life has now been rocked twice and she is forced to live with the guilt her actions played in both Sally’s and Audrina’s deaths.

As the fallout from Audrina’s passing takes center stage in the book, the reader is left wondering if there will be closure in Sally’s disappearance. Winn once again shocks us in the epilogue with the news that the small town’s well-liked cop was actually responsible for the toddler’s death. DNA evidence helped police find the killer more than 30 years later, which was a very well-done & timely conclusion to the entire book. Easy to give this one five stars!

I enjoyed the way Winn was able to capture the feeling and relation between sisters so close in age. As an only child I am always intrigued in the way the sibling dynamics are captured. Winn does well establishing the innocence of childhood during the 1980s. This was well written and held my attention to the very end.

I'm in the minority on this one, but I was not "gripped" by it like many . It was just an ok slow burn. Lotta stereotypes in this 1980s teen angst tale.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)

“This waiting that occurred, during appointments and in waiting rooms. The uncertainty that therapy, or pills or tests could make you better. The unknowing of how long we had to live. Hopefulness, combined with hopelessness, in a single straight line”.

Oh my goodness. If ever a single line from a book could take my breath away, it’s THAT line.

Where to even start here? This book has so many themes. Family. Sisterhood. A side order of murder? Chronic illness. Mental illness. Is it a thriller? Young adult? Contemporary fiction? I don’t care. I LOVED it.

I don’t know if the author is someone with a disability or has loved and cared for someone with a disability, but she captured it perfectly from both sides. Deep down, we all just want the same thing that everyone else does; to be treated as whole and complete human beings, despite our illnesses.

I cannot say enough good things about this book, so I’ll stop here. Just know that this book would have gotten more than five stars if possible, and every last one of you should read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dutton Publishing, Penguin Books and Karen Winn for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Our Little World is available now.

Our Little World by Karen Winn

This is a coming-of-age novel, complicated by a tragic & untimely death. A novel about two sisters that’s you will never forget.

This novel took place in the 1980’s. A girl goes missing. Teenagers and their siblings. Very emotional. Good character base. Well;-written plot. It holds secrets right up to the end. I enjoyed reading this book.

The vibes here were just spectacular. This book made me miss something that I've never experienced myself, even though it wasn't a happy story at all. I was initially drawn to this because of the cover, as I love neighborhood settings, but this book was so much more than just that. I love reading about sisterhood in all its messy glory. I was glued to the screen of my e-reader the entire time. Highly recommended.

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC of Our Little World by Karen Winn in exchange for my honest review. This is Winn's debut novel and I am looking forward to more books from her. She grabs your attention from the first page and doesn't let it all completely unfold until the very end. There is a child disappearance, lies, adultery, sibling rivalry and love, first kisses, jealousy, struggles for popularity and attention, trichotillomania and so much more. There wasn't much that was predictable about this novel. I had plenty of guesses about who took Borka's four year old neighbor from the local lake when no one was paying attention but I didn't have an inkling of suspision about the real culprit and neither did any of the characters. From the very beginning we know that Borka's (Bea for short) neighbor, Sally disappears and that her sister Audrina dies but we don't know how until much later. We get a clear picture of the unique love/hate relationship that sisters can have before it sadly is taken from Bea. In the end, her sister is still a big part of her life, even though she is physically gone from this world. She can feel her and see her in her own children. Beautfiul story about the hardships in this world that we live in and the unique bond that sisters can have.

Bee is an 8 year old who lives in a pretty New Jersey neighborhood. A new family moves in across the street which bring new children to her circle. When one of the children goes missing, it shatters their safe existence. There are family secrets, and those secrets are no longer safe. It changes Bee's relationship with her sister. The community becomes protective, but is it enough?
This story grips you from the first chapter. It's difficult to put down one you start reading. Don't miss this one!
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an hones review.

This was a very emotional read that I was not fully prepared for. I think the main message is to never take anyone in your life for granted.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Very character driven but very good story line and there was plot. I wish some things would have been more resolved but overall a very good story.

A tight-knit community and a missing child. Nothing pulls you in quicker than a highly-emotional read. Our Little World was just that. Excellent work!

This is a masterfully told story of life in a small town in New Jersey in 1985. Borka is the narrator. Her father is from Hungary hence the hated name Borka. She much prefers Bee. Her younger sister is graced with the beautiful name Audrina. The writing is so perfect it drew me in as the four year old Sally disappears one day at the lake. She never went deeper than her knees but the male swimmers repeatedly dove down in the lake looking for her. They also searched the nearby forrest. There is no sign of the beautiful little girl. Life goes on.

I received an advanced readers copy from the Penguin Group in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
#OurLittleWorld #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley. I really enjoyed this story and the friendships. The narrators were on point and kept me listening.

NetGalley ARC | Unfortunately, I just couldn't get past the first chapters of this book. The writing style, narration, and story weren't catching my attention - at all. I just had to close it for good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for providing me a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I could not believe how well written this book was since the author is a debut author, but this is one for the record books that is heart-tugging and memorable. Set in the 1980’s this is a nostalgic book that reminded me of my children’s childhoods, when times were considered safer for children to just be children. That’s what Bee, Audrina, Max and Sally are, just children, enjoying their lives until tragedy strikes when Sally disappears one day at the lake. No one is the same afterwards, but Bee seems to be most affected, probably because the entire novel is told from her adolescent point of view. The characters are well developed and each has his/her own personality. Bee is a tomboy that really wants to be more girlish but doesn’t know how. Audrina is an extrovert who demands and gets attention because she is pretty and popular. Max and Sally are the next door neighbors who move into the quiet cul de sac from Boston and are still adjusting to live in a more rural area when Sally disappears. As Audrina and Bee mature, they grow further and further apart, probably as a result of early sibling rivalry and complicated by Sally’s disappearance. Since Bee is the one telling the story, at times the novel seemed like a memoir or a diary, and their was a lot of teen angst and emotion throughout. The plot was engaging, but the central focus of the story was the characters and their relationships to each other. With a mystery and themes of family secrets, sibling relationships, childhood innocence destroyed, and death, this book was one that I would recommend to anyone looking for a domestic drama that not only entertains but makes you remember how things used to be.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

A coming-of-age story of two sisters. Innocence, family, heartbreak and loss. The story takes place in New Jersey in 1985. A time when life was simple. Kids played outside in the streets without supervision. Then one day their four-year old neighbor just disappears from plain sight.

As the story progresses, Bee struggles with some mental health issues and has other struggles when she learns her parents and other people in her life aren't who she thought they were. A very emotional and beautifully written book. I highly recommend this read.