Our Little World by Karen Winn is set in the mid 1980s in a New Jersey suburb- and it felt like a nostalgic walk down memory lane as I grew up in the 80s in a NY suburb. The author did an incredible job capturing sibling relationships and rivalries. I was completely invested from the very first page until the last. A fantastic novel, highly recommend!

"Audrina and I were partners in crime. The Hickory Place Sisters, the main characters in our own little world."

Our Little World was a moving coming-of-age story set in 80's suburbia told through the eyes of twelve-year-old Borka 'Bee' looking back at the tragic events that occurred and how they have shaped her adult world forever.

The story follows twelve-year-old Borka 'Bee' and her elven-year-old sister Audrina 'Drina' beginning in the summer of 1985 when twelve-year-old Max and his four-year-old sister Sally move-in across the street. Bee begins to harbor a crush for Max while Audrina begins to form a special friendship with Sally. Everything seems to be idyllic for the two sisters until a fun day at the lake turns tragic when four-year-old Sally vanishes without a trace. This shocking event effects their small town in a way nothing else had before. Bee is in awe of the way this tragedy seemingly makes her popular overnight as everyone wants to know what it was like to be at the lake the day Sally went missing.

"I was beginning to realize there was an unexpected power in being associated with a missing girl."

But with no new leads into Sally's disappearance the town begins to move on resulting in the loss of Bee's fleeting popularity. Now, Bee is back in the shadow of her perfect sister Drina which causes strain in their relationship. But when another traumatic incident occurs Bee must decide if her envy is worth the damage it is doing to her relationship with her sister.

Karen Winn did such an incredible job with this story. I loved the way the story was told and how there were other little stories woven into the main story that made the characters even more relatable and real. Our Little World is about innocence lost too soon, the pains of growing up, how little moments can end up making the biggest impact, and how tragedies change relationships in unexplainable ways.

I was in literal tears by the end of this and found it hard to let go of Bee and Drina and their little world that will never be the same.

Thank you to Karen Winn, Dutton and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, what attracted me to it was that it was set in NJ and it took place in the 80s.
I wasn't expecting this book to make me cry as much as it did and its hard to explain why I cried. I think it was the family ties, the closeness of the sisters and loss. Its also got some heart breaking moments such as forgiving each other and forgiving yourself which is hard.
I finished this in 2 days. I actually even woke up in the middle of the night, couldn't fall back asleep and started reading this which of course, kept me up the rest of the night. Sleep could wait!
Such a beautiful yet heartbreaking coming of age story. I related to the sisters a lot because I am a genxer. I grew up in the 80s and 90s so there was a lot of emotions for me.

Thank you #netgalley and Dutton for the ARC

This weekend, I finished Our Little World by Karen Winn and the story is still haunting me in so many beautiful and deep ways. This book is wonderfully evocative - I was taken back to the ‘80s, a very sheltered time for me, realities of the real world poking through only here and there, like when I’d see a missing child’s photo on a milk carton. This is the scene set in OLW, background to the complicated relationship between sisters Bee and Audrina, and how their dynamic is impacted by the goings-on in the family and their small community - their little world. As an only child, it was a wonderful study in sisterhood (when my daughters argue and I intervene, they tell me to relax - I don’t get it because I didn’t have a sister relationship growing up). I’m so grateful for getting an early read of this, and I’m so excited for it to be out in the world this coming May.

—Gripping plot? Check.
—Unforgettable characters? They're still living with me.
—Beautiful writing? BEAUTIFUL.
—Leaves you with insights into your own relationships? If you’ve ever had a sibling, a mother, a father, a first crush, an ex-friend, or neighbors, then yes.

This is a story about how the people in our worlds disappear. Sometimes it’s sudden, like 5-year-old Sally, who goes missing from the lake. And sometimes it’s gradual, like Audrina, beloved sister of our protagonist, who’s slowly drifting away. It’s a story of how we try to hold on to those people. But even more, it’s about the shocking things we do to assuage the pain of losing them.

This book is titled OUR LITTLE WORLD because by the end, it will be as much your world as the characters who live in its pages. A wonderful debut by Karen Winn.

Amazing! Loved it and will for sure be reading more by this author! Will make sure to tell others about it as well!

This story I think could satisfy lots of different audiences, it has a lot of great character elements and some mystery. This coming of age story is very relatable to any of us who grew up in the 80s. Great read!

This book was wonderful. I love anything that takes place in the 80s and this nailed every aspect. I would find myself reminiscing of my own childhood. As all kids do you get that sibling rivalry showcased. After the disappearance Karen Winn did a great job really exploring the impact the tragic event had on the whole community and how that experience ripples through time. I will definitely be rereading and recommending this boom to everyone.

I liked that the ending was wrapped up and Bee's reflections as an adult on her childhood. The friendships at that age were written in a way that felt spot-on. However, there were times the novel seemed slow or repetitive to me.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great page turner in the covid era... a great escape for an afternoon, a day at the beach, a vacation or plane read to divert ones thoughts from everyday life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book and provide a review.

This story starts as a mystery a young girl goes missing at the lake. But it is not a whodunnit? The story is told from a 12 years old perspective who is coming of age.. The story is in a small town in New Jersey and is written so well you feel the nostalgia described in the story.

But, the story is about two sisters who go to the lake with the new kids across the street . A boy Max and his sister sally but she goes missing. But, the story touches how the tragedy effects the sisters, the families and friends and school kids. Such that it effects their personality development.

The bond of sisters is taken thru the mill of emotions, giving examples of parent preference, hate, love, rivalry, forgiveness, ownership, popularity and loss.

The story is a good read and an emotional up and down but in a good way. Some of them are a personal look back. I would recommend it.

This novel follows two sisters who are given a dose of tragedy from the first chapter - their close friend is declared missing one day while they are all out having fun at the lake. This will change their lives forever. This book follows the intricacies of their lives and how each person makes different life choices and how that impacts each other. I usually don’t like books like this and was literally captivated until the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

things that most struck me about our little world;
-the 80s period details and the particulars of a small NJ suburban town-- strange if you grew up in this era that it's historical fiction now, but the pop culture and historical details were just the right balance
-the dark subject matter--I can always get into stories with dark subject matter more/not feel overwhelmed, if they're put front and center and don't ambush you--our little world handled this really well, so you felt empathy and fear and sadness, but never that bad-surprise feeling
-more than anything, the narrator was my favorite part--she is a balance of a future version of her, though she's still steeped in/trying to figure out/forever changed by this time, and her voice is always grappling with that--not easy to pull off.
-my most recent missing girl story I read/watched before this was mare of east town, and i think fans of that show would love this book--small town details, the dark story at its center, the roles of family dynamics within a tragic story

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

This was a really enthralling, heartrending, coming of age story/murder mystery set in a small NJ town in the 80s. I thought the nostalgia was so well done here. I grew up in the 80s and the way it's portrayed here really brought me back to those days. The author did a great job of pulling you into this world, family, and neighborhood.

Bee and her sister Audrina used to be so close. Now they are drifting apart. They are excited to be heading to the lake to spend time with their friend Max and his younger sister Sally. Then while there, Sally goes missing and is never found. After this, you read how families, neighbors, and sisters deal with the effects of such tragedies.

Ultimately, this is a study of sisterly bonds, family dynamics, and how childhood adversity effects people. I was so immersed in this story. I cannot wait to see what Karen Winn comes up with next!!

This is a beautifully-written book that pulls the reader right into the character’s “little world” which is a small town in New Jersey in the mid-1980’s. It is narrated by the main character, a 12 year old girl, and I thought the author perfectly portrayed the perspective of a tween, with all the doubts of developing identity. It was both a coming of age story, as well as, a mystery, and also heavily explored the roles of family, sisterhood and community, I’d recommend it!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I was absolutely captivated by this book. Most of the story is told through a pre-teen girl’s perspective and paints the picture of her small town world, while examining all the challenges that we face while growing up. It just rang so true and believable, a not forced perspective at all. Tragedy befalls this small town when a local child goes missing, and Karen Winn does an amazing job of making the minor tragedies that Bee faces just as large, just like how the feel when you are a 12 year old.

The epilogue absolutely destroyed me. This is just great writing and amazing story telling,

Thank you NetGalley, Karen Winn, and penguin Random House-Dutton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I started this book by Karen Winn and was unable to put it down. Winn does an amazing job of showing us how one seed of guilt or one seed of doubt can alter the course of our lives and persona. Told through the eyes of a child, Our little world, shows us how the small things are always the biggest consequences.
Thank you so much for the advance copy of this book - I will definitely be lookout for future titles from this author.

I was given an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a warm, gentle story. I really enjoyed spending time with these characters. Despite their challenges and the realistic feel of these families, it was definitely a satisfying ending . Definitely recommend as a thought provoking emotional novel

Thank you to NetGalley for this read. Our Little World hit a sweet spot between book club fiction and mystery. It’s character driven but also has this intriguing mystery subplot. Definitely a page turner and very well written. Loved the 80s references. Highly recommend!

This is an emotional story about the ups and downs of sisterhood. The time period and setting are beautifully crafted for us. I would have been the age of these sisters during the time this story took place. The nostalgia was strong! The author cleverly weaved in major news headlines along with toys, books, movies, shows, fashion, and singers that were popular during the eighties. You really got a sense of the time period.

The sisters’ relationship was complicated and true to that age. All of the pre-teen and young teen characters were realistically written with all the drama and angst of those early teen years. To me, this was more of a well written YA, coming of age story than an adult novel. The story focused around the life, relationships, and trauma of young Bee from the ages 12-14. Then the author summed up her life to date in the last chapter and epilogue.

The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the prologue. It seemed out of place and I didn’t think it was necessary. I would recommend this book to both adults and older teens who enjoy emotional coming of age stories, Or if you grew up in the eighties (especially in a small town) because this book will bring you back!

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Group, Dutton for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

#NetGaley #OurLittleWorld