I really enjoyed Karen Winn' debut novel, Our Little World. Having grown up in the 80's I could relate to a lot of the nostalgia that was presented. Such as small towns, everyone knowing each other, kids playing outside with one another, car pools and then all of the decade reference whether it be food items, popular toys, vehicles, and pop culture references. The story itself revolves around a small town and the disappearance of one of the neighborhood children. I won't divulge too much into the story and to not ruin it for others. But I really enjoyed it and if you grew up in the 80's I think this is something you'd enjoy.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced readers copy in exchange for my review.

This is a book that will transport you back to your childhood. It explores so many nuances of family and of growing up that we all deal with. It will also resonate with you. Bee is a middle schooler growing up in the mid 1980s in New Jersey. It's the summer and her sister and their neighbors, Max who is in the same grade as Bee and his four year old sister, Sally, all go to the lake to hang out. They are having a nice time on the hot summer day until they all realize that Sally has gone missing. Everyone's world has just been turned upside down. What follows is a story about family, loss, growing up, and the human spirit.

I never had a sister but I could feel Bee's pain and turmoil as she loves her sister Audrina, but feels inferior to her as well. Being a child of the eighties, the setting of the book brought me back to my own childhood so I could connect with the characters and what they were going through. There was also a mystery happening so while I was reading about the different family dynamics I was trying to figure out what happened to Sally. I will also admit that I did shed a few tears from this book. It was beautifully written and I guarantee it will tug at your heartstrings. It is definitely a novel that will stay with you!

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton books for this advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I did not expect the book to go this way. It was a pure surprise. I knew it was about a disappearance but didn’t think it would go into a sister bond. I loved the 80s references and it brought back a lot of good memories of my childhood. It reminded me of a Cathy Lamb novel. Thank you again.

3.5 stars for this small-town family drama.

A tiny tight-knit New Jersey community is rocked by the disappearance of a young girl on a perfect summer day. Simmering beneath the surface in the months that follow are gossip, lies, and secrets among neighbors and families.

The author does an excellent job of transporting you right there, using rich descriptions that quickly bring back nostalgic childhood memories. Layered with complex characters and a struggling narrator, the tension is steady throughout.

A beautiful finish with a heartfelt reflection on the difficult relationships we can have with the ones we love the most.

Our Little World by Karen Winn Set in a small town during the 1980s. Interesting to read about the news, fashion, fads, movies, stars from that era, a small trip back in time. The story revolves around the emotional childhood of Bee and her sister, Audrina. The narrative is mainly Bee's thoughts and perceptions of events, friendships, parents and small town life in general. Bee reading Audrina's diary is when the reader gets insight into Audrina's thoughts and emotions The story evolves and shows how small incidences can be misinterpreted and negatively color one's life and outlook.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I finished this book in less than 24 hours. It had me hooked from the first page. Borka, or Bee as she's called, is growing up in New Jersey with her sister Audrina. Audrina and Bee are typical sisters, fighting a lot while also envying each other's strengths, fighting and making up as sister's do. When a new family moves in across the street, the paths of their lives are changed. When the youngest of the new neighbors goes missing during a summer day at the lake Bee and Audrina each handle the tragedy in their own way while trying to navigate growing up, sisterhood, and the trauma of being so closely related to a crime. This story captures the 80's perfectly and was like being wrapped in nostalgia.. It's beautiful, and tragic, and a stunning debut by Karen Winn.

Conceding that the novel evokes emotions with its nostalgic look back to 1985, it pretty much left me cold. Two young people die in the novel, and those deaths are major plot points. I had a general dissatisfaction with the narrator, and the death of these two left me generally dissatisfied with author Karen Winn. Neither death seems bolted in reality, but contrived to make the book interesting. Because the characters in Our Little World are rather boring, something had to juice it up. The epilogue on one death seems really cheap.
Knowing that I am in the minority here, I simply thank NetGalley for the ARC.

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>Our Little World</i> from NetGalley and Penquin Random House in exchange for an unbiased review.

Karen Winn's debut novel, <i>Our Little World</i>, reveals the types of secrets that sisters share and then, equally, use as a weapon against the other. Readers will know that there is tragedy ahead - a neighbor's little girl will disappear and one sister will die far too young. Even knowing the inevitability of the sadness to come, there is a tendency to hope that there must be a mistake, that little Sally will be found and that Audrina will live.

The narrator, older sister Borca (Bee), demonstrates all the bumbling awkwardness and the emotional roller coaster that is middle school adolescent. Her slightly younger sister, Audrina, just seems to have it easier, almost effortless in comparison. The sudden disappearance of four-year-old Sally is presented with equal parts horror and excitement. Rumors abound and Borca and Audrina are part of the story. The close proximity of the missing girl to the sisters provides Borca an unexpected avenue to popularity. Winn's take on middle school girls - their cutting cruelty and their exclamations of undying devotion - are spot on.

Borca's emotions toward her parents and sister run the gamut from jealousy to love, concern to disdain, with a teaspoon of betrayal and selfishness. Thus Borca's characterization is on point. Contrast the awkward Borca with the lithe, talented Audrina whose diabetes diagnosis causes upheaval in the household. Audrina treats her diabetes as an inconvenience instead of a potential medical disaster. And always there are the parental exhortations to "take care of each other" while marital discord simmers.

Any reader with a sister will recognize the dichotomous nature of the sibling relationship between Borca and Audrina. Emotions like love/hate, concern/disdain, pride/jealousy, affection/resentment, and so much more play out daily. <i>Our Little World</i> is a wonderful read.

The nostalgia! Oh the nostalgia! What a truly different time that was. Set in a small suburban town in New Jersey in the 80's, this Gen Xer felt right at home in the little world created by Karen Winn. 1985 was a life of cul-de-sacs, no electronics and a much freer time for play.

The stars of the story, sisters Bee and Audrina ,used to be close. Bee, age 12 is the elder of the sisters, but the beautiful 11 year old Audrina glides through life in a way that Bee never can mimic. As they mature, Audrina leaves Been behind in her wake. In this coming-of-age novel it is shared from the start that Audrina will die.. She leaves Bee behind again, alone in her thoughts. This is a novel you won't soon forget as Bee works her way through the world.

This book is for every 80's girl, nostalgic readers, lovers of sad stories and of course great writing. #OurLittleWorld. #penguingroup #dutton #netgalley #Netgalleyreads

“Our Little World” is a debut novel by Karen Winn. This is a coming of age book about two sisters - Bee and Audrina, whose lives are (mostly) told over a few years. There’s a lot of 1980s small town nostalgia - where call waiting is a new thing, leaving answering machine messages is commonplace, and VCRs were often used. It’s both a simpler time and also, in this book, a bit more of a complicated time.

I liked the character development of Bee and Audrina. I also liked how Ms. Winn told the story through a tween’s perspective - hurts are hurts, sisterly bond only goes so far, first crushes are real, being popular is a desire, and grown-ups are, at times, confusing people. While a child disappearance is every parents’ nightmare, this was presented quite well with Sally being there one moment and then not the next, though coloring the rest of the summer (and book) with the mystery of her disappearance. While Audrina’s death is mentioned from the beginning, I was pleased that she didn’t disappear like Sally, but had her own heartbreaking storyline - and one handled so well, capturing the frustrations of dealing with the illness.

I liked how Ms. Winn’s writing sucked me into this story - there are a number of layers as this isn’t just a mystery of what happened to Sally, but also what is a family, what is a friend, what is happening behind closed doors, and how does one manage to find a place in life that feels okay - what is truth, what truths are told, what truths are covered with lies or not spoken - and what does it all mean?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bee leads us through her own story but also the stories of her neighbor, Sally, who went missing and all the ups and downs of sisterhood with her sister, Audrina. It was a town and time of life where they felt invincible and yet the unthinkable still happened.

Still thinking about #ourlittleworld by #karenwinn a few days after finishing, especially because I have my own kids.

Thank you to @netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

#netgalley #netgallyreviewer #netgalleyreader #netgalleyarc #fiction #booklover #bookreviews #whatimreading #whatiread#bookish #bookstagram #bookworm #booknerd #bookaddict #bibliophile #bookgram #bookstagrammer #instabooks #bookreviewer

Nostalgic and heartbreaking, Our Little World is a coming-of-age story centered around two losses. The first loss drives the narrative: the disappearance of a four-year-old girl from Bee Kocsis’s New Jersey hometown. The second looms over it: the death of Bee’s sister, Audrina, which we know is coming from the first line: “I see whispers of my dead sister.”

At the beginning of the book, Bee is a soon-to-be seventh grader and experiencing all the discomfort and uncertainty that goes along with that age. Bee’s younger sister Audrina is beautiful and well-liked and commands attention in a way that Bee does not, and the two are starting to drift apart. Karen Winn portrays their relationship so well, and she does an amazing job bringing small-town New Jersey to life. I loved it!

Sometimes a book is so well written, filled with so much nostalgia, the setting so fully all-encompassing …. the story also all-encompassing …. a reader has to gulp it in one or two sittings.
After only 5% of this story ….I immediately sent a text to my Bay Area/Goodreads friend, Lisa ….and told her it’s a ‘must read’ for her to add. Then I sent a text to ‘Lisi’, best friend of more then 50 years.
I know my close friends - they know me > we know when to put a ‘must read’ in each other’s hands.

I read the last 95% of this novel….while soaking in our warm pool ….my kindle on a towel….(that one gulf urgency)…
Every time, Paul came by, (who was playing in the garden) I responded — “dinner can wait, right?” …..
Yeah….we ate dinner a few hours later …

THIS REALLY IS A CAN’T STOP READING type-of-novel.

….Summer lazy days stood out for me:
We meet two families- [the Kocsis family and the Bakers]-
There is tragedy for both families- suspense- death - love - loss - and - grief …. everyone is growing up in “Our Little World”. ….both adults and kids.

We are given an exceptional intimate story about two sisters…..
….their differences and behaviors, their closeness, their squabbles, their secrets, their desires, the ways in which they do and don’t resolve their conflicts….

There are memorable scenes of old fashioned clean cut wholesome fun —
The descriptions could not be any more vivid, in small town New Jersey in 1985/1986…..rural living — simpler days before social media.
There’s Deer Chase Lake, a tennis/ pool club for the community.
It was a time of VCR’s, station wagons, a Porsche for the wealthier new family from Boston, Hide-and-Seek, Hopscotch, Kickball, Formica countertops, Mustard carpeting, Glass octagonal Coffee tables, Star Wars figures on pillow cases,
Diaries with a little gold lock and key, Cabbage Patch Kids
Lite-Brite, Shrinky Dinks, Betty Crocker Easy Bake Oven,
Colored string to play cat’s cradle, Friendship bracelets, charm bracelets, sipping ice tea on the back porches, Board Games,
Risk, Scrabble, Mother’s trunk of old fancy dresses, 8-track cassette tapes, TV dinners, JanSport backpacks - to updated Esprit bags.

“There was a comfort and history in the feel and manipulation of these old toys, even the way some of them smelled, like my Strawberry Shortcakes”.

“Summer was in all of us and all around us; we played kickball, TicTacToe, hopscotch, and sometimes we even made a makeshift shuffleboard with chalk and a marble, other times we just twirled around on our bikes until the sky began to darken and fireflies started to appear”.

A four-year-old girl, named Sally disappeared at Deer Chase Lake during the summer of 1985. It was the first time in Hammend history. There were no leads. Later, she was referred to as the ‘Lake Girl’.
Police would conduct an investigation.
When all this first happened —
Bee (nickname for Borka, a Hungarian name), our narrator, was swimming in the lake.
When she popped her head out from the water….
“There was a frantic energy in the air. Some parents were reaching for children and picking them up, like they were toys. Others were whipping their heads left and right, frazzled. The older kids were running around or bundled in towels, hopping from foot to foot. Everyone was the moving; it was as if we were all still swimming but without any water”.

As the story unfolds ….kids move from one summer to the next - move from playing kick ball to spin-the-bottle — watching ABBA in ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Like a Virgin’ MTV music videos- munching on Doritos, Cokes, Twinkies, and sucking on Jolly Ranchers, while developing teen crushes.

Sally’s missing was no longer in the news.
Life kept moving forward…

We get a great inside look at the way two very different types of families live - parenting differences- marriage differences - wives judging other wives - (wives being a prime funnel for local gossip),
parents secrets and their behaviors….as well as delightful insights the children are teaching us.

There’s a powerful - inspiring Father/daughter talk one evening …
Bee had made a mistake…..one that ‘might’ have been useful information to report when Sally went missing. Months later, after the truth comes out….
Bee asked her father if he had ever made a mistake when he was younger.
“Well, one time I stole a loaf of bread, when I was a boy in Budapest”… (a little more about this tale - associated with hard times, hunger, struggles for all families during communist strife)…
‘The Talk’ was an outstanding substantial ‘example/lesson’ for parents and adults to effectively handle situations when a child makes (even a serious) mistake.
The daughter was left to face her own shame without being made to feel unloved, frightened, or unforgiven.
“We all Make Mistakes”….was not just a philosophy- rather a ‘real’ compassionate understanding.

As long as this review is — I’ve stayed away from main plot …spoilers. I’ve also stayed away from sharing the depth of our protagonist’s inner voice - but they are both elements that enhance this novel.

Bee had been dealing with her own sense of worth - measuring herself against Audrina (one year younger, physically beautiful and popular), all her life.
Bee’s thirst to understand ‘sisterhood’ love and complexities — made her more proficient in understanding the the world around her.
She became aware at a still tender impressionable age ….
that “Relationships between adults appear to be just as complicated as those between siblings—perhaps more so”.

I love this except:
“The more memory bricks your amygdala builds, the longer you believe the event lasted.
It’s also why time appears to speed up when you’re older—as a child you are building a brand-new brick house of memories, each one fresh and original, but as an adult your house is already built, and it just occasionally needs some new bricks”.

I Highly recommend this book. It’s one to cherish, and reflect….
….The nature of childhood, with our young cast:
Bee, Audrina, Max, and Sally, (I kid you not), adds meaning and fulfillment to our own busy-modern-day lives.

Something about an 80’s story really takes me back! Two sisters that will catch you in the feelings hard and you won’t be able to put it down! Absolutely beautiful coming of age story that will rip your heart out and the character development is raw and real. This is an engrossing tale of loss and it’s so beautifully told that you’ll remember this book for years to come.

As soon as I read the description of Our Little World I needed to read it right away- and now less than 24 hours later here we are!

Our Little World is a gorgeous book about two sisters in a small town in NJ in the 80s. It is slightly reminiscent of The Lovely Bones, which is one of my all time favorites. I loved the descriptions of being a young teen and how heartbreakingly spot on it was.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

11 year old Bee and her younger sister Audrina are looking forward to summer. It's 1985 in the suburbs of New Jersey and days at the lake, riding bikes, and playing ball is what is on Bee's mind. When Max and his little sister Sally move into the cul de sac, Bee is excited to become friends with Max. One afternoon Max's mom takes them to the lake and 4 year old Sally disappears. This is not supposed to happen in their small town! As the town tries to figure out what happened to Sally, Bee grows up quickly. This is a beautifully written novel of sisters, love, loss, and how one summer can change your life. I loved the setting being in the 80's it brought back so many wonderful memories. I felt so connected with Bee that she will live in my heart forever. Thank you so much to the author for an arc. All opinions are my own.

Frack Sakes & Jelly Cakes 😳😯🥺

Wow. This one got me in the feels hard. I felt every emotion during the entirety of it and I'm absolutely spent! My heart truly went through the wringer with this one. This coming of age story, takes place back in the 80's focusing on a missing little girl, Sally, younger sister to Max and friends of Bee and Audrina. This is told from Bee's perspective and what happened leading up to and after and growing up, what happens in a tight knit community, and how secrets can cause irrevocable riffs between the two sisters and what happens as they grow older. How tragedy and life can change, morph and grow. Be prepared to be shaken and stirred like a dirty martini after reading this novel. 🥺

I give this 4.5 / 5 snowflakes! ❄️

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC.
Release date: February 14, 2022

Our Little World is just that, a slice of life for a family in a small New Jersey town rocked by the disappearance of their four year old neighbor.

Bee is a character who really resonated with me, and her struggles, relationships, and emotions seemed real. She was a fantastic protagonist and her story was solid from beginning to epilogue. The depiction of sisterhood is so powerful, and the writing style augments this as it fits the mood of the plot and each character. The one thing I didn't like is that the 'villain' could have been pulled out of a hat of townspeople; the story wouldn't have changed too much if it were any other supporting character. Overall a strong 5/5.

Note: I received a free eBook copy of Our Little World from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

OUR LITTLE WORLD is a beautifully written, gripping, and poignant coming-of-age novel. Winn’s lyrical and nostalgic storytelling earnestly captures a bittersweet essence of girlhood, sibling rivalry, and the nuances of both unbreakable and fragile family bonds. Set in a close-knit suburban neighborhood in ’80s New Jersey, the story follows twelve-year-old Bee Kocsis as she navigates the trials, insecurities, and discoveries of her youth—all while feeling overshadowed by her popular, prettier younger sister. When the community is rocked with a missing child, Bee finds her world unravelling. Tested by the tragedy, she must face not only the consequences of her choices, but those out of her control. A tale of loss, hidden secrets, and shames, OUR LITTLE WORLD is a heart-wrenching and gripping portrayal of how one’s traumatic adolescence can shape them forever. A superb debut by Winn that moved me to my core.

OUR LITTLE WORLD
BY: KAREN WINN

About 4 solid stars

I gave this 4 stars because of how well written it was and how adept Karen Winn is of plumbing the spectrum of the emotions of human suffering. This was very hard for me to read as I felt and still feel a sick feeling in my stomach while writing this review. I could feel like the small town in New Jersey of 5,000 people--the isolation and a it felt self contained or cut off from the rest of the world. This novel hurt me to read. I also lost my sister tragically and the missing of her has never ceased. She was my only sister and I think about her everyday. So I may be somewhat scarred emotionally and therefore possibly I felt more sensitive to these issues and themes. It wasn't drilled into us at a young age to be close, although when we young adults my mother thought and voiced to both my sister and I that we should be very close and we were. The parallel between the the parents in this novel and my mother encouraging closeness was so similar that it resonated with me.

Loss is a central theme in this novel along with many secondary themes of uncomfortable emotions. I have to be honest that I had to try very hard to keep reading this, so I am feeling grateful that I was able to force myself to stick it out until the very end. I read the Author's Acknowledgements and I am also familiar with Boston and the Grub Street organization for their writing program. It is evident that this Author has received a positive experience by mentioning it. This is a debut and I wish the Author, Karen Winn, all the success in the world with this narrative. I found it to be very sad and extremely difficult to read and its not that I fail to see the beauty in heartbreaking scenes written in books. There has to be some uplifting moments of inspiration to balance out the sadness. This was filled with gut wrenching sadness without any redemptive moments. I think the writing is powerful but it is one that if I wasn't required to finish and write an honest review because that is part of the arrangement I would not have pushed myself to the point of an upset stomach to finish. 4 stars!

After giving myself some time after finishing this novel, I realized that there was a double whammy for me to also may have contributed to this novel and my discomfort. I realized that my oldest son developed Type I Diabetes out of the blue when he was six years old. This could have contributed to my high level of feeling that this was so hard to read because what transpires in this novel. So to be fair to this Author I have come back and updated my review to rise my rating to four solid stars, instead of the 3.5 stars I originally designated.. I am willing to own my difficulty with reading this book to something that perhaps the subject matter hit a little too close to home for me and was therefore emotionally difficult for me because the fictional events and tragic circumstances in this novel closely mirrored my sad circumstances. I want to be fair to Karen Winn so I am upgrading my review to a solid four stars. I still feel this made for very grim reading, but there is talent when an Author can make you feel so deeply as she did. I would have awarded a full five stars if there was some upbeat scenes along with the profound painful ones that permeate this entire novel. I would encourage people to read other reviews and not just base your decision to read this based on my thoughts. The writing is well above average and I was never bored so I must credit this Author for that aspect. This was just a painful experience for me and I have to be honest about my thoughts. I also owe it to this Author to be fair, thus my upgrade.

Publication Date: May 3, 2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Karen Winn and Penguin Group Dutton-Dutton for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and *honest* review. All opinions are my own.

#OurLittleWorld #KarenWinn #PenguinGroupDuttonDutton #NetGalley