A remarkable, touching, sad novel we can all learn from no matter the age. From young teens, adults, siblings (especially sisters), parents who have lost children to illnesses or crime. I am thankful to have been given the advanced copy of this and loved this book. I laughed, cried and learned about life, family & myself…all wrapped up in one beautiful book!

This is a beautifully written coming-of-age story set in the 1980s. Borka "Bee" and her sister Audrina are typical sisters enjoying their summer in 1985. They live in a tight knit neighborhood and spend a lot of time with the new family who moved in across the street. When their young neighbor goes missing at a local lake their small town struggles to understand how something like this could have happened. Bee and Audrina's lives instantly change and they begin to view everyone around them differently. They start to see cracks in their parents' marriage and struggle with losing their innocence and keeping their sisterhood bond strong and intact.

From the very first page of this book I was drawn in and loved Bee. Karen Winn did an excellent job with Bee's character and explaining exactly how someone her age would be dealing with all of the huge events happening in her life. From dealing with crushes, to mean girls, to death, I felt like I was experiencing it all. This story was both heartbreaking and inspiring and I would definitely recommend it!

Well, my first read for March set a high bar for those to follow. Karen Winn's Our Little World captured so much of what I remember from the 80s. It was filled with nostalgia that was actually named--from Cabbage Patch dolls to remembering the thrill of Mary Kay (and the pastel eye makeup) to remembering those rules for creating friendship bracelets.

It also captures so much of the conflicting emotions that comes from being a sister, or having a sister. As someone who has five of them, all younger, I really related on many different levels to the relationship between Bree and Audrina. The jealousy, the love, the fights, the forgiveness, it's all there. In fact, it's so much there that I'd say if someone came to earth from outer space and wanted to understand how complicated being a sibling is, this is the book I'd put in their hands.

Highly, highly recommend. If you are at all a fan of contemporary novels that address hard-hitting issues (and also want a good dose of nostalgia dropped in) this is the book for you.

A good read. The narrator is Borka ( BEE) Kocsis. Set in a small New Jersey town in the 80s, a pre-cell phone, pre-video game time when kids rode bike ,played outside , swam at the lake, and knew all of the children in the neighborhood, and “ spin the bottle” was in fashion. Woven within that scenario is a deeper one-sibling rivalry,an unspeakable crime, parental secret sexual relationships,type one diabetes and its effects on an entire family,friendship and its attendant shifting allegiances-in short all of the joys and traumas of early childhood and then early teenage years.
Winn conveys all of this in good, clear writing, but really outdoes herself when writing how these events effect Bee all through her life, especially when she becomes a mother herself.
The book takes us back to a time when life was “ simpler”, but yet reminds those of us who are nostalgic for that and preceding eras that it really wasn’t so “ simple”. Enjoyed it.

This book takes place in the 80's a time when I was in my teens. It is like a trip down memory lane of my own teenage years! No cell phones, outside until dark riding bikes and just a more innocent time. The book was an absolutely enthralling murder mystery read set in suburban New Jersey. Heartbreak and sorry as the narrator Bee divides the book in half to describe two tremendous losses in her life at a young age. I don't want to give any spoilers away just that this is Karen Winn's first book and I will be in line to purchase her next!

As a new mom this book definitely hit home for me. It really brought me back to a different time where things were slower and more thoughtful. I could totally feel all the nostalgia. However, it also kept me reading with the plot and the characters. I would recommend.

This debut by a very talented author examines the bonds between sisters who are just one year apart living in a small town in New Jersey. The author carefully delves into the psyche of the older sister as she tells the story of their childhood and the various relationships in that community. Love and jealousy are always apparent throughout their life. A tragedy occurs which strangles them and never lets go with more devastating results. Highly recommend this examination of human emotions and am definitely looking forward to more books by this author! #OutLittleWorld #KarenWinn NetGalley

Not familiar with this author but great domestic thriller! Took me a while to start it but the plot kept me guessing and I loved the characters. I love neighborhood drama! Super twisty! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

This debut novel by Karen Winn knocked it out of the park! A coming of age story set in the mid 80s, sisters Bee and Audrina are only a year apart and close friends. Bee, the smart older sister and Audrina, the younger, popular sister are enjoying their summer with their new neighbors when a 4 year old little girl goes missing. Over the next year the sisters will struggle with Sally’s disappearance, illness and family secrets.
The characters were so well developed and believable, I felt that I was right there with Bee and Audrina, feeling all of the emotions.
I loved this book and can’t wait to read what the author comes out with next.

This story is written very beautifully, in such a way that it is literary fiction...although coming of age is a better categorization for it. It describes with realistic perfection the heavy weight of expectations from parents, from yourself and of the lies one tells in order not to let down the people you love. From the beginning I did not want to stop reading. The characters are all complex and relatable. The dynamics of each and every family, the effect these dynamics have on each and every family member, I found extremely interesting. It felt so real, I did not want it to end. The portrait painted feels painfully real and stays in your mind for a really long time. I loved the mystery aspect and the surprise ending(s). Such a beautiful book. I recommend it highly and cannot praise it enough, what a fabulous debut! All. The. Stars.

This is a new age book that would be very appealing to people born in the 80s. It’s about 2 sisters very close in age so there is sibling rivalry especially since the younger one got more attention. They have a loving bond most of the time. One day they go swimming with the neighbor at the lake and the little 4 year old girl that was with them disappears. This changes everything for everyone. There are secrets everywhere.in this small town in New Jersey. I have mixed feelings about this book because I am so much older. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

Let me first start out by saying, EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK.

I won't keep you waiting until the end of my review to tell you that this is hands down one of the best 5 star books I have ever read.

This book touches on every single emotion. This book is set in the 80s in a small New Jersey town. Now, I was born in the 80s and spent my entire life in NJ. So this was one of those books that I attached myself to early on. I think I will spend the rest of my life recommending this book to everyone I speak to .

The nostalgia was real folks.

Two sisters, once inseparable, have now grown distant. Excited to be meeting up with friends at the lake an unexpected tragedy takes place. Their good friend, Sally, has gone missing. Sally was never seen again....

How does one cope in the aftermath of tragedy? You are going to have to pick up this book on August 2, 2022 to find out. This is a story of family bonds with some murder mystery! You all are going to love it, I know I did !

Tragic and deeply complex, Our Little World tears apart the universe of sisters, Bee and Audrina. Part mystery, part coming-of-age mixed into a time frame of the mid-80's and a small town everyone assumed was safe. The sisters are caught in a bitter rivalry for their parent's and friend's affection while remaining deeply rooted in their love for each other. They are confronted with a possible crime that further pits them against one another while yet leaning on each other to get through it all. With yet another twist that places Audrina into the forefront of attention, the sister's relationship will be devastatingly tested.
Our Little World is emotionally engaging and will leave the reader examining their own memories of their youth and what decisions might have resulted in a completely different life outcome.
Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton for my early copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Our Little World was an enjoyable read by debut author Karen Winn. She did a beautiful job depicting the love/hate relationship between sisters, family secrets, as well as growing up in the 1980's. This coming of age story is a reminder to watch your words and your actions with loved ones....we never know when our days will be gone. Thanks to NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am an only child. I have never had a sibling, let alone a sister. When I hear from friends that they aren't on speaking terms with their siblings, I just can't understand it. That's why I was so drawn to this novel.

Central to this story is the relationship between Bee and Audrina, two sisters. The complex love/hate relationship that they have is key to this story. When a child from their New Jersey community goes missing, this affects the sisters greatly. There are secrets withheld from one another. There is glorious angst. And there is tremendous heart that lasts from beginning to end.

Karen Winn has constructed a brilliant novel filled with emotion. Her character development is superb. This was her first novel and one can only hope there will be many more. I loved this book and strongly recommend it.

This was a slow burn; a little too slow for me. I loved the twist at the end. I think I thought it was more of a thriller and would focus more on Sally, rather than the sister bond. I felt like too many details were trying to be introduced at times and it bogged down the story. It was a good read but not great in my opinion.

I enjoyed this book a lot, I am a big fan of stories with strong family dynamics. The story follows sisters, Bee and Audrina, in a small town in New Jersey in 1985. I enjoyed the time period since I was a child around the same time, so that was enjoyable while reading. There is an interesting dynamic between the two sisters in regards to harbored jealousies and resentments, and that is tested further once tragedy strikes the seemingly perfect neighborhood where they live. The story itself was strong, although the end falling a little flat for me. Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and as I said, really enjoyed the strong family dynamic and strong character development. Thank you Netgalley and Dutton Books for this ARC!

A mystery coupled with family dynamics made for an interesting read. I enjoyed this one very much. I read that there is an audiobook version of this one and I can imagine that will make it even more entertaining. For those seeking a book to keep them up at night, this may be the one for you.

Hammend, New Jersey, could be Anywhere, USA, and Bee, Audrina, Max and the neighborhood kids could be you, me, anyone. I believe the ease with growing up in a tightknit community is what makes Karen Winn's novel, Our Little World, so hauntingly beautiful and so unnervingly believable. A lot happens in Hammend...but a lot happens everywhere. No matter your upbringing, no matter your childhood experiences, we all have a story to tell, and memories to relive. Our Little World pays tribute to the beauty of life and gives us pause, and a deep sense of gratitude, if we have been raised without such unimaginable tragedy and sadness. Bravo, Ms Winn, for creating a story that is relatable, nostalgic and effortless in its familiarity.

Gotta love a book with SECRETS!
If you read this story you're going to get nostalgia especially if you're an 80s baby like me. The story of the disappearance of Sally woven throughout the book is told in a manner in which you truly can imagine being there. Sally was Bee's bestie's sister and we're taken on this trip through Bee's eyes and her sister Audrina. We learn so many things across the course of the story that keep you entertained.