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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I received this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was pretty incredible. I know this is Karen Winn's first novel, but it her writing is absolutely amazing! I'm not sure how she did it, but this book was honestly better than I was expecting.
Our Little World is written in a past tense form; meaning the main character, Bee, is reflecting back on her life when she was about 12 years old and telling her story. Immediately, we know that two people have died in Bee's life that were close to her when she was younger, so this was basically her story telling what happened within the time frame of about two years.
The plot was actually really captivating. I was surprised that I wanted to know what happened to Sally and Audrina. I liked how the book was split into two parts: the first about Sally and the second about Audrina. The story describes how even what seems like a small decision at the time, can actually have huge consequences.
Bee... I hated Bee at times. But I feel like I was supposed to hate her at those time. It was weird reading from her perspective and learning what she was thinking when she took certain actions, but still hating her at the same time. Actually, most of the time I didn't like Bee... but occasionally I would like her. I actually think the author purposefully made me not like her, but I was still okay reading from her perspective... if that makes any sense.
Now the ending... here is the spoilers so stop reading here if you don't want to know what happens.
Overall, I would recommend this book to others because it was extremely fascinating, and the author is an incredible writer.
This book was pretty incredible. I know this is Karen Winn's first novel, but it her writing is absolutely amazing! I'm not sure how she did it, but this book was honestly better than I was expecting.
Our Little World is written in a past tense form; meaning the main character, Bee, is reflecting back on her life when she was about 12 years old and telling her story. Immediately, we know that two people have died in Bee's life that were close to her when she was younger, so this was basically her story telling what happened within the time frame of about two years.
The plot was actually really captivating. I was surprised that I wanted to know what happened to Sally and Audrina. I liked how the book was split into two parts: the first about Sally and the second about Audrina. The story describes how even what seems like a small decision at the time, can actually have huge consequences.
Bee... I hated Bee at times. But I feel like I was supposed to hate her at those time. It was weird reading from her perspective and learning what she was thinking when she took certain actions, but still hating her at the same time. Actually, most of the time I didn't like Bee... but occasionally I would like her. I actually think the author purposefully made me not like her, but I was still okay reading from her perspective... if that makes any sense.
Now the ending... here is the spoilers so stop reading here if you don't want to know what happens.
Spoiler
After I finished the book, I just kept thinking about Jimmy and Audrina. About how he supposably was there when they got the call that she was hurt. I feel like that wasn't an accident and maybe he had something to do with her death. I'm so glad that Bee's mom came home when she did because I think something bad would have happened to Bee if she didn't. While the ending left me with slightly more questions about Audrina, I was still happy with the way the book ended.Overall, I would recommend this book to others because it was extremely fascinating, and the author is an incredible writer.
The final chapter and epilogue were good but everyone in this book was just….so annoying. The most relatable part was everyone trying to gain clout for knowing the dead kid.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Growing up as a kid in the 80s my childhood was forever changed after the unthinkable happened, Jacob Wetterling an 11-year-old boy was abducted. Before this tragedy, parents didn’t have to worry about stranger danger and kids had the freedom to come and go as they pleased. But after his abduction children could no longer leave the safety of their parents. So when I learned about the premise of Our Little World, I knew I had to read this one to see how it compared to my experiences.
Set in New Jersey in the summer of 1985, the story centers around a soon-to-be seventh-grader Bee Kocsis. Her days are spent playing in the cul-de-sac with her neighborhood friends and her younger sister Audrina. A new family moves across the street, a boy Bee’s age named Max and a 4-year-old girl named Sally. Bee and Audrina instantly become friends with Max and Sally. The girls take a trip to Deer Lake with the new neighbors and their illusion of stability is forever shattered when four-year-old Sally goes missing.
Our Little World is a character driven literary take on the aftermath of a tragedy. The story delves into how an entire neighborhood and particularly one family goes on after the unthinkable happens. Karen Winn accurately depicts what it was like being a kid in the 80s and several parts of the story made me very nostalgic. I’m not much of a crier but this story tugged at my heartstrings multiple times. This poignant and emotional story is one that I will not be forgetting anytime soon. I see a bright future for Karen Winn and I look forward to reading what she comes out with next!
This is not a light read and includes several heavy subjects. If you liked Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng and/or What Comes After by Joann Tompkins then you would definitely enjoy Our Little World.
Set in New Jersey in the summer of 1985, the story centers around a soon-to-be seventh-grader Bee Kocsis. Her days are spent playing in the cul-de-sac with her neighborhood friends and her younger sister Audrina. A new family moves across the street, a boy Bee’s age named Max and a 4-year-old girl named Sally. Bee and Audrina instantly become friends with Max and Sally. The girls take a trip to Deer Lake with the new neighbors and their illusion of stability is forever shattered when four-year-old Sally goes missing.
Our Little World is a character driven literary take on the aftermath of a tragedy. The story delves into how an entire neighborhood and particularly one family goes on after the unthinkable happens. Karen Winn accurately depicts what it was like being a kid in the 80s and several parts of the story made me very nostalgic. I’m not much of a crier but this story tugged at my heartstrings multiple times. This poignant and emotional story is one that I will not be forgetting anytime soon. I see a bright future for Karen Winn and I look forward to reading what she comes out with next!
This is not a light read and includes several heavy subjects. If you liked Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng and/or What Comes After by Joann Tompkins then you would definitely enjoy Our Little World.
It's 1985 and Bee is basically living the parallel to my own 1980's childhood. She spends all her summer days and nights running with the kids in the neighborhood, going swimming and dealing with her annoying older sister. It's all so normal and so reminiscent of that magical childhood time, but we know from the beginning, the magic isn't going to last forever. And it all comes to a startling halt the day Sally goes missing.
Wow, just wow. Our Little World was all the 80's nostalgia, drama, sadness and mystery for this true crime/mystery junkie. It was a book that really has an atmosphere about it, if that's the right word. Winn did an amazing job portraying the true emotions that live inside every 12-year-old girl. This one was a true treat to read, I almost wish I could go back and read it again for the first time.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced egalley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now.
Wow, just wow. Our Little World was all the 80's nostalgia, drama, sadness and mystery for this true crime/mystery junkie. It was a book that really has an atmosphere about it, if that's the right word. Winn did an amazing job portraying the true emotions that live inside every 12-year-old girl. This one was a true treat to read, I almost wish I could go back and read it again for the first time.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced egalley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now.
Thank you Dutton Books & NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
We follow Borka (Bee) in her family in 1985 in New Jersey with a splash of an opening. Their 4 year old neighbor Sally has gone missing from Deer Chase Lake on an idyllic summer day. Bee's sister Audrina & Sally's brother Max are at the lake as well when tragedy hits. Nobody saw her vanish. Bee and Audrina's sister relationship is put to the test & the story follows the relationship between sisters and family.
There was all the Now & Then nostalgic vibes with a hint of The Lucky Bones. However, I was expecting something a little bit more fast paced. I really wasn't a fan of the main character and it was hard to relate to the sister relationship between the two of them (which is the focal point of the book-- with Sally's disappearance just simmering in the background). I think this book could have been about 100-150 pages shorter.
The ending and the epilogue, however, were really great. I even teared up a little. I felt like she wrapped the story up well and we got all the answers we needed.
FINAL THOUGHTS: A slow paced nostalgic read about the intricacies of a being a sister while dealing with trauma. Not as much of a thriller and more a coming of age.
We follow Borka (Bee) in her family in 1985 in New Jersey with a splash of an opening. Their 4 year old neighbor Sally has gone missing from Deer Chase Lake on an idyllic summer day. Bee's sister Audrina & Sally's brother Max are at the lake as well when tragedy hits. Nobody saw her vanish. Bee and Audrina's sister relationship is put to the test & the story follows the relationship between sisters and family.
There was all the Now & Then nostalgic vibes with a hint of The Lucky Bones. However, I was expecting something a little bit more fast paced. I really wasn't a fan of the main character and it was hard to relate to the sister relationship between the two of them (which is the focal point of the book-- with Sally's disappearance just simmering in the background). I think this book could have been about 100-150 pages shorter.
The ending and the epilogue, however, were really great. I even teared up a little. I felt like she wrapped the story up well and we got all the answers we needed.
FINAL THOUGHTS: A slow paced nostalgic read about the intricacies of a being a sister while dealing with trauma. Not as much of a thriller and more a coming of age.
Unfortunately, this one was tough to finish for me. I have never found a main character less likeable. While it hit some very sensitive topics and dealt with triggering subjects with delicacy, I could not get over the discomfort it caused me to read through the sisterly dynamic. I understand that there are situations like this and relationships that do actually have this sort of dynamic but it was very hard to read.
One of my most anticipated reads, and Our Little World did not disappoint. I flew through it in a day.
At its heart this was the story of the bond between two sisters, aged only a year apart, one that was often tested, was not always easy – where love and rivalry were interchangeable. Narrated entirely by Borka (Bee) Kocsis who constantly felt overshadowed, inferior, and jealous of her seemingly perfect, popular, beautiful, outgoing younger sister, Audrina, a name I haven’t heard outside of a V.C. Andrews novel.
It was also a mystery. We were first introduced to 12-year-old Bee and 11-year-old Audrina in June of 1985, to their carefree summers days spent playing with their new neighbours across the street, Max (12) and Sally (4), in their small, close-knit, insulated town of Hammend, NJ – a suburban paradise where nothing bad ever happened. Until it did! All summer, the four children had been swimming at Deer Chase Lake on the Jersey Shore, until the fateful day in July when Sally goes missing without a trace. But, don’t be fooled into thinking this was a story involving the investigation into Sally’s disappearance, as the main focus was on the effect such a devastating, life-changing event had on Bee and Audrina.
Out Little World was also a coming-of-age story showcasing the developmental milestones, social and emotional changes, and rights of passage associated with adolescence in the transition from pre-teen to teen. Given the age of the protagonist, and the majority of the supporting characters, and given there was no graphic content, I would catorgorise this one as suitable for a teen audience – it definitely had a YA feel.
And, who doesn’t love nostalgic 80’s? I definitely felt as if I was revisiting my youth in this one, with different yet similar experiences of course, and definitely without the tragic event of a playmate going missing. But, I was the same age as Bee in 1985, have a sister close in age (although we didn’t have as many up’s and down’s as these sisters, but like them our personalities are very different), and I grew up in a cul-de-sac where all the neighbourhood kids played together. Furthermore, I could definitely relate to Bee’s references to jelly shoes, and beaded friendship safety pins, as well as all the other 1980’s memorabilia.
This little gem was a definite hit with me. What an amazing debut!
At its heart this was the story of the bond between two sisters, aged only a year apart, one that was often tested, was not always easy – where love and rivalry were interchangeable. Narrated entirely by Borka (Bee) Kocsis who constantly felt overshadowed, inferior, and jealous of her seemingly perfect, popular, beautiful, outgoing younger sister, Audrina, a name I haven’t heard outside of a V.C. Andrews novel.
It was also a mystery. We were first introduced to 12-year-old Bee and 11-year-old Audrina in June of 1985, to their carefree summers days spent playing with their new neighbours across the street, Max (12) and Sally (4), in their small, close-knit, insulated town of Hammend, NJ – a suburban paradise where nothing bad ever happened. Until it did! All summer, the four children had been swimming at Deer Chase Lake on the Jersey Shore, until the fateful day in July when Sally goes missing without a trace. But, don’t be fooled into thinking this was a story involving the investigation into Sally’s disappearance, as the main focus was on the effect such a devastating, life-changing event had on Bee and Audrina.
Out Little World was also a coming-of-age story showcasing the developmental milestones, social and emotional changes, and rights of passage associated with adolescence in the transition from pre-teen to teen. Given the age of the protagonist, and the majority of the supporting characters, and given there was no graphic content, I would catorgorise this one as suitable for a teen audience – it definitely had a YA feel.
And, who doesn’t love nostalgic 80’s? I definitely felt as if I was revisiting my youth in this one, with different yet similar experiences of course, and definitely without the tragic event of a playmate going missing. But, I was the same age as Bee in 1985, have a sister close in age (although we didn’t have as many up’s and down’s as these sisters, but like them our personalities are very different), and I grew up in a cul-de-sac where all the neighbourhood kids played together. Furthermore, I could definitely relate to Bee’s references to jelly shoes, and beaded friendship safety pins, as well as all the other 1980’s memorabilia.
This little gem was a definite hit with me. What an amazing debut!
The publisher sent me an ARC of this book and it's not my typical genre. The book starts off with a 4 year old girl going missing, which isn't the easiest subject to read about. When I started to read it, I wasn't too excited about it but then quickly changed my mind. This book really surprised me and I think I'll think about it for a while. This is a beautiful debut. The writing was excellent. This book takes place in the mid-80's and I loved the nostalgia of the era. This book also has so many layers - I really loved how the author wrote about the relationship of the sisters. I have one sisters so found it pretty relatable. This book is a coming of age story, dealing with first love but it also is sort of a mystery/suspense. It sort of reminded me of the 1991 movie The Man in the Moon with Reese Witherspoon.
It's heart-wrenching and beautiful. I really enjoyed the journey the author took us on. A slight spoiler but the book deals with Type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed in 1993 so reading about someone diagnosed in the mid-80's was so fascinating and exciting. I've never read a book that dealt with diabetes the way this book did. I felt like I was reading about my experience. It didn't feel too clinical or out of place in the story and I just loved how seamlessly and accurately the author was able to include this in the story. It really touched me.
This is a slow, character-driven story but I really enjoyed it. There are some trigger warnings for this book - death of a small child being one of the biggest ones but while it was a big theme of the book, it wasn't that big of the book if that makes sense. The focus is more on the coming of age story for Bee.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.
It's heart-wrenching and beautiful. I really enjoyed the journey the author took us on. A slight spoiler but the book deals with Type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed in 1993 so reading about someone diagnosed in the mid-80's was so fascinating and exciting. I've never read a book that dealt with diabetes the way this book did. I felt like I was reading about my experience. It didn't feel too clinical or out of place in the story and I just loved how seamlessly and accurately the author was able to include this in the story. It really touched me.
This is a slow, character-driven story but I really enjoyed it. There are some trigger warnings for this book - death of a small child being one of the biggest ones but while it was a big theme of the book, it wasn't that big of the book if that makes sense. The focus is more on the coming of age story for Bee.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.
The publisher sent me an ARC of this book and it's not my typical genre. The book starts off with a 4 year old girl going missing, which isn't the easiest subject to read about. When I started to read it, I wasn't too excited about it but then quickly changed my mind. This book really surprised me and I think I'll think about it for a while. This is a beautiful debut. The writing was excellent. This book takes place in the mid-80's and I loved the nostalgia of the era. This book also has so many layers - I really loved how the author wrote about the relationship of the sisters. I have one sisters so found it pretty relatable. This book is a coming of age story, dealing with first love but it also is sort of a mystery/suspense. It sort of reminded me of the 1991 movie The Man in the Moon with Reese Witherspoon.
It's heart-wrenching and beautiful. I really enjoyed the journey the author took us on. A slight spoiler but the book deals with Type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed in 1993 so reading about someone diagnosed in the mid-80's was so fascinating and exciting. I've never read a book that dealt with diabetes the way this book did. I felt like I was reading about my experience. It didn't feel too clinical or out of place in the story and I just loved how seamlessly and accurately the author was able to include this in the story. It really touched me.
This is a slow, character-driven story but I really enjoyed it. There are some trigger warnings for this book - death of a small child being one of the biggest ones but while it was a big theme of the book, it wasn't that big of the book if that makes sense. The focus is more on the coming of age story for Bee.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.
It's heart-wrenching and beautiful. I really enjoyed the journey the author took us on. A slight spoiler but the book deals with Type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed in 1993 so reading about someone diagnosed in the mid-80's was so fascinating and exciting. I've never read a book that dealt with diabetes the way this book did. I felt like I was reading about my experience. It didn't feel too clinical or out of place in the story and I just loved how seamlessly and accurately the author was able to include this in the story. It really touched me.
This is a slow, character-driven story but I really enjoyed it. There are some trigger warnings for this book - death of a small child being one of the biggest ones but while it was a big theme of the book, it wasn't that big of the book if that makes sense. The focus is more on the coming of age story for Bee.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.