What’s the go-to excuse for being caught having sex high up on a building’s open patio? Jane Morgan is incredulous to find out the police are as prudish as her nosy neighbor spying on her with binoculars. Soon enough Jane is sentenced to house arrest and her legal license is suspended. All is not lost when she meets fellow house arrest felon Perry Salisbury who also messed up at his job at an art dealer. The pair discover they have more in common that ankle monitors but will a full romance develop? Jane’s twin sister calls the shots from off-stage but what about that snooping neighbor? There’s more here than a typical girl meets boy rom-com and the pacing is fast marked with witty dialogue and just a bit of skullduggery.

This was my first Lipman book and it was a fun ride!
I absolutely adored the twin dynamic. Having a sister, who is only 10 months younger, we arent quite twins, but we're as close as you can get. I think Lipman NAILED the sister bond and I love love loved this aspect of the book.

This had total wit and fun humor throughout the book and the premise was incredibly original and unique!

Elinor Lipman has always been on my radar, but never on my must-read list. With Ms. Demeanor, Ms. Lipman graduated to must-read. Lipman's comic tale of a lawyer who takes a chance, makes a poor decision, and is busted by a nosey neighbor with her butt hanging out (and much more) is funny, awkward, surprising, and sympathetic. Protagonist Jane Morgan finds herself on lockdown, penalized by her law firm and by the Law, she scrambles, improvises, hides, and tries to roll with the punches. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Lipman does it again, No other author achieves her exact blend of good humor without cliche, readability without excess indulgence. Yes, the story is light, even silly, and fairytale in its conclusion. Yet no one is offended or patronized. Good for her.

After Jane Morgan has impromptu sex on her dark patio one night a neighbor calls police and she is sentenced to house arrest for 6 months. Her law firm has suspended her ( of course did nothing to the guy) so her twin sister helps out asking her to cook recipes that will help the skin, and she meets another building resident who happens to also be on house arrest. Quirky, romantic and enjoyable fast read by Elinor Lippmann

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher for an honest review. I have read quite a bit of Elinor Lipman in the past but sort of fell away from her books after a few recent ones that felt....out of touch. And to be honest, books about smart, sarcastic educated New Yorkers can sometimes be out of touch. That said, I really enjoyed this story-it felt refreshing to read about mature people figuring out complicated relationships and situations. This book is a great read for people who want a smart romance full of great characters, although I am sure the publisher isn't marketing it that way!

I'm looking forward to doing this in my book club next year, I think it will make for a great discussion with my ladies.

Charm and wit is what one expects from Elinor Lipman, and her newest novel, Ms. Demeanor has it in spades. Due to a moonlit rooftop tryst, Jane Morgan goes from being an admired member of her law firm to an unemployed offender on house arrest. With six months of aimless detention looming ahead of her, and at the insistence of her twin sister, Jane begins channeling her time into cooking and creating videos that track both her culinary adventures as well as her sentence. When Jane finds out another tenant in her building is also on home confinement, the two strike up a friendship based on their mutual plight. It is interesting to see how deftly Lipman introduces the tertiary characters and plots all while confined, just like Jane, to one setting.

Jane finds herself with her law license suspended and under house arrest, wearing an ankle monitor for six months. Why? Because she was having consensual sex (while naked) on her apartment building's rooftop. How will she ever fill her days? Her sister decides Jane should cook and blog about these recipes. The building doorman lets slip there is another tenant under house arrest and he always orders out. Jane ends up preparing meals for Perry. Jane's sister keeps her well-supplied with only the best ingredients and she and Perry eventually start sharing these meals.

Meanwhile, Jane tries to solve the problem of the snooping neighbor. Turns out there are issues galore in that apartment.

Can Jane solve her problems by cooking and blogging? Can she and Perry discover they have more in common than meals? Can Jane discover what the 9-1-1 snoop was really trying to do?

I LOVE THIS BOOK! Jane is such a lovable character and her ordeal is a fun journey with her twin who is so unlike her apart from being identical. Throw in Perry who is the perfect love interest, and a nosy do-gooder/tattletale neighbor who ends up dead and you have this charming tale that is one of my top favorites of the year!

Jane Morgan is a partner in a New York City law firm and lives in a very nice building. One night, she has consensual sex with a junior member of the law firm. A nosy neighbor across the street (using binoculars) turns her in, she's arrested, and is sentenced to six months of home confinement. She loses her job, too. A helpful doorman reveals there is another building resident on home confinement -- one thing leads to another and Jane's life changes dramatically. This book is fun, smart and beautifully paced and written. I look forward to recommending it.

Much like Elinor Lipman's other novels, this is a fun, delightful story. When Jane is under house arrest for public nudity and suspended from her law firm, she begins to meet her neighbors, one of whom is also under house arrest. Quirky characters that readers will love combine with romance and other hijinks to make this a fast, exciting read. I began reading this as a break from a more serious/difficult literary work with the intent to go back and forth between the two, I couldn't put it down. It was meant to be a treat I sipped, but it ended up being the dessert I wolfed down like I was starving.

Basically, I love everything Elinor Lipman writes. Ms. Demeanor was a welcome and enjoyable story, well-told. Recommeded to all her fans and to new readers as well.

Let me start by saying that I love Elinor Lipman. Every book she has written has brought me happiness. I first discovered her when I read Then She Found Me and I’ve been devoted since then. I was at the film on the day it opened, at the Sunshine Theater on Houston Street.

I’m not disappointed, Ms. Demeanor is another delightful winner. When Jane finds herself under house arrest, the author manages to inject her into a romance, madcap comedy and family drama. Yes, she even becomes a TikTok celebrity. I found Jane engaging and entertaining.

Without a doubt, everyone I know will enjoy this book. I know it won’t be published until 2023, so I predict it will be be a huge bestseller and enjoyed by dozens, no hundreds, of book groups.

Thank you, thank you, Netgalley for giving me the joy of reading and reviewing this new novel by one of my favorite authors.