I really wanted to like this one but the characters felt flat to me. The premise is good but the execution needs a bit of work.

I loved this debut novel from Kerryn Mayne. It was well written and so interesting right from the start.

Revolving around themes of trauma and healing, resilience, friendship and kindness and personal growth - I love Lenny Marks and felt so many feelings for her and her life.

It was probably a tad too long for me and of course I loved the dog character a ton!

Definitely worth the read!

Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley

This book builds very, very slowly. As other reviews have stated, it's hard not to bring up Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and being compared to such a successful book doesn't do Lenny Marks any favors. I didn't connect to Lenny and the true mystery portion of the book comes way too late into the book, about halfway. By the time you're in the thick of the story you start to wonder, what was the point of the first half? I did like the overall plot.

Mayne pulls you in from the very beginning with the random letter from the probation office and Lenny's overall personality. There were chunks that were difficult to get through (and I def cried at least once) so please know there will be mention of physical abuse, child abuse, child death, neglect.

Lenny is quirky and righteous and kind but also brutally honest and doesn't fully understand social norms. She's very introverted, but she's promised her mom that this is the year she gets a life. To get a life, she'll have to face her fears and other things that she's tried to leave in the past.

I won't add any more details beyond that, but omgggg I 30/10 recommend.

3.5 rounded to 4 of 5 stars
Lenny is a creature of habit. She is a teacher, and a bit of a loner. She has a crush on Ned the shopkeeper. She makes up imaginary friends. She has been advised to get some real friends. Then, one day, a letter arrives from the Parole Board for her, and Lenny is terrified that Fergus is back in her life. Fergus was her stepfather who treated her very badly.
This novel shows Lenny's growth in her relationships. It highlights people that are willing to stand by her and protect her.

I appreciated the sensitivity and thoughtfulness in creating and fleshing out Lenny’s character. I also really enjoyed watching her self-growth and journey. Lenny reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant at times (another book I loved).

I loved Lenny Marks. Her way of looking at the world was funny and touching. However, something terrible happened to Lenny when she was a child. The mystery is finding out what because Lenny’s mind is protecting her from the pain by lying about the events of her childhood.

I enjoyed Lenny’s journey to unearth her past but I did feel that it took a little long to get there. I enjoyed the diverse characters and Lenny herself.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder!

Lenny is a quirky school teacher who's social life leaves much to be desired, but hints at the hard times she's been through in the past. The book opens with a letter from the past crashing into the life she's built today. She is set out to understand where she came from to better handle the life of her present.

I loved the quirky main character and the strength and growth she showed over her character arc. Be prepared to shed some tears in addition to laughs while reading this one! As an added bonus there's an adorable dog as part of the plot and dynamic side characters to keep things interesting.
Definitely a fun read for sure.

Lenny Marks is a hero! I was under the impression this book was more chicklit and put off reading it for a long time...I wish I hadn't because I thoroughly enjoyed it. To be honest, the first half is a bit slow but then comes a somewhat unexpected turn of events leading to a deeper and more meaningful plot. There are definitely events in Lenny Mark's past that greatly affect her life and these are revealed as the story unfolds. This is a brilliant debut and I hope we see the return of this quirky but lovable character. My thanks to Bantam Australia Publishing for providing a digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a god story, its title is very misleading. It was what I consider to be women’s fiction. There was a slight mystery but it was more so just about Lenny a neurodivergent lady and makes anagrams randomly from words whose is super cool. Come to terms with a really unstable and harmful childhood.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder was a 5-star read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the female protagonist and was pulled into the story from the beginning. I found it to be an adventurous read with a surprising and satisfying ending.

This book was a dnf for me at around 35%. I found it slow for my taste. I don't mind a more character driven book, but I unfortunately couldn't connect with the character Lenny either.

2.5 stars rounding up

Synopsis
Lenny Marks is pretty sure she wants friends, but not just any friends. She longs to be gal pals with the young, smartly-dressed, pretty teachers at the school where she also teaches. She just does not quite know how to connect with people. When a curious letter is delivered to the school addressed to her, the repressed childhood trauma that stunted her social skills all these years starts bubbling to the surface disrupting her regimentally scheduled life.

My Overall Thoughts
If you’ve read Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, you will notice some similarities. By some, I mean many. Too many. It really does not begin differentiating itself in any significant way until about eighty percent through the novel. Even then, it is just by the type of severity of the heroine’s childhood trauma.

What I Didn't Love
Aside from the plot being heavily borrowed from Eleanor Oliphant, the supporting characters are poorly developed. It felt like a checklist of modern stereotypes.

Potentially Offensive Content
Adult Situations
Language
Graphic Violence
Child Abuse
Child Neglect

What I Loved
Lenny is a well-developed interesting character in her own rights. She’s raw. She’s intense. She’s damaged but resilient. She’s a true innocent. I had someone to root for, to champion, all the way through. She tugged at my heart. I just wish she were a little less familiar.

This was just okay for me. It reminded me of The Maid, Isadora Bentley, and Eleanor Oliphant…so if you have read and liked those, you will enjoy this one as well.
Following Lenny Marks past, present, and hinting toward her future - with mentions of child abuse, death, grief, and trauma, we get to see Lenny come to terms with her past, grow and learn, and become an active participant in her future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Kerryn Mayne’s debut novel, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder, is a brilliant and poignant exploration of trauma, memory, and the long-lasting impact of secrets. The story follows Lenny Marks, a woman whose life is defined by meticulous routines and a carefully structured existence, all of which she clings to in an effort to avoid confronting the haunting memories of her childhood. Lenny’s mother and stepfather vanished when she was young, and though the event has been buried deep in her mind, a mysterious voice whispers, You did this, leaving her tormented by guilt and uncertainty.

Lenny’s life is predictable: she bikes home from work at exactly 4pm, shops for the same groceries each week, and even plays Scrabble with an imaginary friend while watching reruns of Friends. Her life is quiet, uneventful—and safe. But when a letter from the parole board arrives, threatening to open the door to her long-forgotten past, Lenny’s carefully constructed world begins to unravel. As buried memories resurface, Lenny is forced to confront the truth, leading her to engage with the world and people around her in ways she never has before.

Mayne masterfully balances moments of heartache with bursts of warmth and humor, crafting a protagonist who is both relatable and deeply complex. Lenny’s journey of self-discovery and healing is at the core of the novel, and as she begins to form new, unexpected relationships, the story becomes as much about finding connection as it is about uncovering dark truths. The tension between Lenny’s past and her present creates a compelling narrative that keeps readers hooked until the very end.

What makes this novel particularly special is Lenny herself—her quirky, lovable nature, and her determination to keep moving forward despite her inner turmoil. Mayne’s writing is sharp and empathetic, capturing the complexity of memory, guilt, and redemption with grace and authenticity.

In short, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is a heartfelt, beautifully written story that blends mystery, humor, and emotional depth. Kerryn Mayne’s debut is a must-read for fans of character-driven stories about forgiveness, personal growth, and the search for truth. Lenny Marks is a heroine readers won’t soon forget.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne. Pub Date: July 9, 2024. Rating: 2 stars. I hate to say this, but this novel was not in my wheelhouse. I thought I would find it intriguing with the main character being neurodiverse, but I really struggled to connect with the story and found it to drag on and on. I love that the author wanted to highlight a character trait that most books don't, but I found this one difficult to read and get through. Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

An endearing novel that is as much full of mystery as it is humor, tenderness, and introspection, leading readers to think about their own lives and the human condition.

Lenny Marks has a very structured and ritualistic approach to her life. It’s how she copes with the fact that she was abandoned as a child. She keeps people out of her life and hides from the reality of her circumstances. She doesn’t want to remember. She doesn’t want to contemplate what happened. After all, the voice in her head tells her “you did this”. Her emotional pain is acute. But despite her best efforts, there are people around her that want to be in her life. They work at the fringes without her even registering their influence. At least they were on the outside until she receives a persistent request for response from the parole board. Slowly walls of her self-protection begin to crack as she engages with her neighbor, her colleagues and the kind man at her grocery store. Even the person trying to reach her from the parole board wants to ensure Lenny is shown care and compassion. An unraveling that leads to healing and self acceptance.

Such a wonderfully creative and heart warming story of how a woman’s community can patiently support and care for someone despite that person’s best attempts to be left alone.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this wonderful book.