Bee is a 7th grader enjoying a summer of fun with the new neighbors, especially Max the 7th-grade boy. Until Max's little sister goes missing while they are at the lake swimming. Life turns upside down for not only Bee and her sister, Audrina, but the entire small town. Bee and Audrina are your typical sisters, the best of friends and the worst of enemies. Bee is constantly envious of her sister's charisma. This book isn't just about the disappearance of Sally the neighbor girl, it's about sisterhood and the struggles of growing up not feeling like you are good enough and in the shadow of your sibling. The book kept me intrigued, but sometimes almost felt like a memoir and not a fictitious story. I had to remind myself that these characters were made up. The end had me for sure. 4.5 stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Karen Winn's debut novel Our Little World. This beautifully told story explores the tenuous relationship between two young sisters whose lives are forever changed when their four year old neighbor disappears during a trip to their local lake. As their small New Jersey town reels from the unsolved mystery of Sally's disappearance, Bee is faced with her own guilt over finding a piece of Sally's bracelet and hiding it from not only her family but the local police as well.

We find out from the very beginning that Bee suffers another tragedy when her sister Audrina dies, but it is still heart wrenching to watch Bee' unravel as she is faced with yet another devastating loss. Real and raw, Bee's journey through adolescence is marred by sorrow, uncertainty and guilt. You will root for her, cry with her, and celebrate her transition to adulthood

An alluring debut novel about sisterhood and what it means to be human! A beautifully woven coming-of-age tale that will stay with me for a long time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy!

Special thank you to the author, Penguin/Dutton and NetGalley for the review copy! This book was really good!

Imagine your little sister, she’s annoying right? But she’s your sister and a part of you. You fight but, you get over it because she’s your sister. Bee and Audrina, sisters in New Jersey are rocked one summer by the mysterious disappearance of a younger neighborhood girl, a girl they ended up at the local lake swimming with. Then suddenly everyone is running out of the water. Where did little Sally go? Audrina had given Sally her charm bracelet that Bee has always loved..now that bracelet is evidence of something evil lurking in that small town of Hammend. Everyone loves Audrina, she’s the star of the show and Bee finds herself trying to compete for that attention and affection. This is the story of Audrina and Bee, of sisters just trying to make it and the shocking story of what happened to little Sally. New Jersey summers are hot and dramatic.

This was a great story, well thought out and developed. The climax took a bit to get to, the story kept rocking in spite of the slowness but, it was a well thought out burn. It gave us a chance to truly get to know Drina and Bee, to see their thoughts and worries. Loved it and highly recommend! Four stars!

Our Little World takes place in the 80s in New Jersey. When neighbors children grew up together and life was slower. Borka aka Bee and her sister Audrina have an unspeakable bond. I can't believe this is a debut I loved it. Highly recommend for those who love a sisterly bond and how grief changes us and those around us.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this digital arc. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Karen Winn - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Bee (short for Borka) lives in a small NJ town with her one-year-younger sister, Audrina, and her parents. It's the summer of 1985, and Bee is a soon-to-be seventh grader, always feeling in the shadow of her prettier and more popular sister, even with her parents. When their next-door neighbor, 4-year-old Sally, goes missing when they are all at the nearby lake, no one's world will ever be the same. Families are scared and have lost trust in the community and its members. And the two sisters have secrets and their closeness feels far away.

This is an emotional coming-of-age story, exploring sisterhood, grief, and how each decision we make builds to change the course of our lives. I got pulled into this story from the beginning and couldn't wait to figure out all the storylines. In addition, get ready for some 1980s nostalgia back to when the world wasn't on instant access 24/7 and we felt safer. A beautifully written debut - I can't wait to read more from this author!

Our Little World by Karen Winn was a beautiful and heartbreaking story of sisterhood, guilt, grief and growing up. The setting will be extremely nostalgic for many- summers in the 1980's where there isn't much to do but go swimming, ride bikes, and hang out with your neighbors. The story's narrator, Borka (Bee) is so honest and relatable. She is growing up in the shadow of her younger sister Audrina. When their four year old neighbor goes missing at the local lake, the sisters are faced with the loss of their innocence as they face a huge strain in their relationship as they grapple with their guilt and grief in different ways.

I was so happy to have been sent an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review! Our Little World was a very complex and interesting novel. The book is strong on sister bonds and very 80's vibe which I love. This character driven novel takes us on a coming of age journey and it was a overall enjoyable read. The mystery is very low but there is a small level of it!

With a gentle May rain falling in my little town, I spent the day reading Karen Winn’s wonderful debut novel , Our Little World. Love the setting and characters. It is 1985. Located in a small town in New Jersey, Bee Kocis and her younger sister Audrina meet the new family in the neighborhood. Max is in the same age range as the Kocis girls. Sally is his four-year-old sister. In 1985, I was a young mother of five children, and my youngest was two. I loved the memories of all the toys that were mentioned. And, of course there was no internet or cell phones. The moms take turns taking the kids to the local beach during the July heat. Sally is playing on the beach and the older kids are swimming. The fear that most parents have happened this particular day. It is so scary. Sally is missing. (I had this happen to me one time.) Fortunately, my little boy was found quickly. Not so for Sally. As the story unfolds, we see sibling rivalry, one keeps a secret about what was found on the beach that day. The story moves slowly at times much like summer days. For a debut novel, I felt Winn’s writing was engaging. I think it would make a good book club read. I look forward to more books from this talented writer. My thanks to Penguin House Dutton and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

OUR LITTLE WORLD
by Karen Winn
PENGUIN GROUP Dutton
Pub Date: May 3

Karen Winn's debut novel is an absorbing coming-of-age tale about two sisters growing up in New Jersey in the mid-80s. I remember that era well, and find Winn has captured it beautifully.

This is a strong character-driven story that also includes a mystery involving the disappearance of a young neighbor at the nearby lake. The tragedy has a lasting impact on the small town, and on the sisters and their family, which also deals with illness, death, grief, and secrets.

Although slow-paced at times, OUR LITTLE WORLD especially impresses as a debut. I'm looking forward to reading more by the author.

Thanks to by Karen Winn, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#OurLittleWorld #KarenWinn #NetGalley #PenguinGroupDutton #comingofagenovel #impactofdeathonsmalltown #mysterynovel #storyofsisters #familysecrets #childsdisappearance #bookstagramcommunity

4.5/5!!! Ok I literally couldn’t read this one fast enough. This story gripped me from the very first chapter. The characters were very well developed and the plot just was so descriptive and intriguing. This book will bring you back to your childhood, teenage years and sibling rivalry. I will say I was nervous going in because of the description talking about sisterly bond, and being an only child, I felt maybe I wouldn’t connect with the storyline and enjoy it. But I’m so glad I did! This one tugs at your heartstrings for sure. It has everything packed in -heartbreak, first kiss, sibling relationships, family drama, grief, murder/crime, death—just overall a well written story that I SUPER recommend!!

I started just skimming this book after about 20%. It just wasn't for me. I found it boring and there didn't seem to be much payoff in my opinion. Just a case of 'not for me'.

I have to admit, this is the first novel I’ve read where a good portion of the story was focused on a young character with diabetes. It was really refreshing to see that kind of representation in a book.

Bee and Audrina had a pretty normal childhood. It was 1985 in the suburbs of NJ, and their summers were spent swimming at Deer Chase Lake and playing with the other kids around the neighborhood. Everything changed when Max and his sister Sally moved into the house across the street, though. Bee and Audrina quickly befriended the new kids, and after spending a day at the lake with them, little Sally suddenly went missing. Thus began the unraveling of a close-knit community, putting strain on their home lives and revealing secrets that could’ve ultimately torn them apart.

The story then segues to focus mainly on Audrina being diagnosed with diabetes, and how it further changes the family dynamic. While it seemed like a bit of a random redirection, I liked that this was included in the story. Bee and Audrina’s relationship as sisters was already strained, especially after the disappearance of Sally, but this seemed to both bring them together and, at the same time, cause a further divide.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I thought the story flowed pretty well and found the characters to be unique yet relatable. The struggles they went through were typical of most pre-teens and teens, so it made their feelings that much more authentic.

Definitely recommend this book, but more so as a YA read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4701410637

Tragedy and the Tension Between Sisters

It’s 1985 in a small town in New Jersey, a time when kids spent the summer swimming or wandering in the woods; a simpler era when parents weren’t so worried about what could happen that children had to always be supervised.

Bee and Audrina are sisters. Bee, the older, is a straight A student and spends time riding her bike. She’s not really a tomboy, but since Audrina inherited the family beauty she feels she has to do something to validate her identity. Audrina is confident and a bit self-centered. She’s the girly one, dressing up and sneaking in to use her mother’s makeup.

The summer progresses normally until the sisters along with Max and his sister Sally go swimming at the lake. Sally, four-and-a-half, is wading in the shallow water while the older children swim, so no one notices she’s missing. The search ends in tragedy when Sally’s body is found in the woods.

Years pass with more growing pains and the tragedy of Audrina’s diabetes. It’s and emotional story of coming of age that’s easy to relate to, particularly those of us who grew up in the eighties or earlier. The author describes the time period perfectly. It made me nostalgic for a simpler time.

The characters in the book are well developed. I could relate to Bee and her struggles with being the plain, smart one. The pace is rather slow in the beginning keeping with the slower pace of life in a 1980’s summer. However, it picks up once Sally goes missing.

I received the book from Dutton for this review.

Wow, what a debut! I devoured this is on sitting. I loved all of the raw emotion of this one, and the throwback to the 80’s. Very well written, I couldn’t get enough.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I love a good coming of age story with complicated family dynamics, which Our Little World delivered in spades. Our protagonist Bee needs to deal with growing up, a little sister that she feels overshadows her, and the disappearance of a neighboring child. I think I am in the minority that found that this book moved rather slowly for me, but I was drawn in enough to keep going. Having my fair share of toxic family behavior in my house growing up, what really compelled me was adult Bee's promise to her own children to do differently. While this definitely has the whodunnit mystery of Sally's disappearance, I wouldn't call this a true mystery.

The mystery of a young girl who goes missing caught my attention, but the relationship between sisters Bee and Audrina is what compelled me to finish Our Little World in one sitting. Their relationship tugged at my heart because I can understand the complicated bond that sisters share, especially when growing up together.

This.is a story about sisters, families & small neighborhoods. I grew up in a small neighborhood like the one where Audrina & Bee lived. There were groups of kids riding bikes or playing ball in their yards. Everyone knew everyone. I also have sisters but mine were older by over a decade. So what I'm saying is this book had places that felt like memories.

Bee is the older of the two but in some ways feels less than Audrina. Audrina is prettier & more popular. One year they get new across the street neighbors. They have 2 children also, Max who is Bee's age & his little 4 year old sister, Sally. Bee thinks Max is kind of cute. During the summer the two families take turns taking the kids to the local lake to swim. During one of these trips, Sally disappears. Over the next year the relationship between Bee and her sister has its ups and downs. Then Audrina is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.. Then Sally's remains are found.

The story takes you from a kid's point of view while dealing with sisterly jealousy, a missing child, trying to figure out the adults around you to dealing with death. It describes your memories as a house you add bricks to as a child or how certain memories are slow motion during the event but afterwards feels different when you remember that event. How certain things that happened in childhood dictate other things in adulthood.

Towards the end of the book, Bee the narrator, is an adult, married with two daughters and describes how that time period of her childhood still affects her. She wasn't sure she even wanted children, much less daughters but actively tries to do some things differently. She is openly affectionate which her parents were not. She also has never been happy that Sally's murder hadn't been solved. (There author doesn't leave us hanging-its solved in the epilogue).

The more I think about this book the more I'm sure its going to stay with me for awhile--in a good way.

Wow, just wow! I have to admit, when I first starting reading this book, I thought it sounded familiar and thought I already knew the ending, so I felt disappointed. I quickly realized that I was wrong and I was so happy that I was. After plodding slowly and reluctantly through the beginning, I found myself anxiously turning page after page quickly until I reached the end. I read this book in less than two days! I am drawn towards books with familial psychological drama and issues and this one is brimming with them. My heart went out to little Bee early in the novel when she wore her jerseys and cut her hair short just because her sister was “the pretty one”, and it only intensified as she grew older and tackled event after event, regardless of the size or importance in the eyes of others. She suffered the usual adolescent angst, confusion, and stress, but struggled with how to deal with these feelings, resulting in even more issues. I was drawn to her, her life, her story. I was so impressed with the talent this author had and how well this as written. It truly was so much better than I thought it would be and I am thrilled that I gave it a chance. This was not a whodunit, it was so much deeper than that. It was deep, moving, and heartbreaking, and its unexpected twists and turns kept it lively and intriguing. I could easily relate to that awkward tween and teen days, and I loved, appreciated, and welcomed the 80’s references sprinkled throughout the book!

This was just SO GOOD!

This book is such an excellent example of raw human emotion. Karen Winn doesn’t shy away from honestly writing the cruel and self-centered thoughts of a young child, even though they are obviously not acceptable to an adult reader.
We listen to Bee as she describes her emotions toward her parents and her jealousy toward her sister, Audrina, who is more popular. They're invited to join their neighbors, Max and his little sister Sally, on an outing to the local lake. Audrina has given Sally her charm bracelet, which really irritates Bee. She wanted it, especially one charm in particular, but Audrina gives it to this little girl without even asking.
Everyone’s enjoying the day playing and swimming when suddenly Max’s mother realizes Sally has disappeared. The afternoon quickly turns into a crime scene, with law enforcement searching in and around the lake. As Bee is ambling around feeling lost, she comes across something on the ground, and instead of reporting it, she sneaks it home.
We follow Bee and her relationship with her sister through the aftereffects of the tragedy, and as each of them ages and develops, there seem to be small cracks in their facades. The author’s depiction of Bee, her character’s thought process that we’re privy to, brings her to full life.
What sounds like a mundane story with no singular highlight is a true testament to the thoughts of a child, feelings we, as adults, can regretfully remember: self-centered, spoiled, conniving, but also lonely, confused, and eager for acceptance from peers and family alike. This is a beautiful story.
Sincere thanks to Penguin Group, Dutton for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is May 3, 2022.