This was a fun novel, with lovely prose. The voice of the narrator was reminiscent of omniscient narrators in films like Stranger Than Fiction, and ultimately felt like it could have benefitted from being shorter.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I think this novel will be compared to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine very often. I have to say that I liked this book more. I found it easy to connect with the main character. As Lenny developed more and more friendships, I found myself cheering for her. As the truths of her traumatic childhood, and her family were slowly revealed, I felt al of her emotions. The twists and turns weren’t so much shocking, but were emotional, and added to the story.. I liked the fact that there wasn’t a major reveal at the end that changed the entire story. Everything was revealed over time, and the ending was perfect for Lenny’s character. I actually think it’s written so there can be a follow-up.

I absolutely loved Lenny and the story about Lenny! I truly cannot wait to read more by this Author. This story will stay with me and I do see myself reading it again.

When I finished this book, I thought of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and thought of how long it had taken me to get to read about a main character with autism again. I was able to empathize with Lenny and it was really nice to get to go inside her head when I can only imagine seeing her in person, we wouldn’t know what she’s thinking at all. I was so heartbroken for Helena and her family, in the wake of so much tragedy, she was able to reinvent herself and forget many traumatic things in order to survive.

Having to relive the nightmarish reality and hearing about Fergus’s release must also have made her fall into a depression even though it’s not expressed overtly. The community around handles her so beautifully, it’s amazing to see the support she has even though she doesn’t see it at first. Lenny really comes out of her shell and this is something to be proud of: in spite of tragedy, knowing when to move on with help is essential to surviving.

Lenny Marks was an amazing read that I will be diving into for years to come when I want to be convinced to read The Hobbit or when I want to see the romance brewing between Ned and Lenny. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Kerryn Mayne for the ARC.

I am a sucker for a neurodivergent character and Lenny may be my new fav! She is 37, single and addicted to Friends and very much likes her life to stay in her routine. She shops on her certain days at certain stores and eats the same meals every week in order to maintain simplicity in her her life. But don’t let that fool you. Lenny is quirky but she is also funny and dealing with a lot of past trauma that makes you just want to reach through the pages and give her a hug and be her friend.
But this book is so much more than just Lenny, because her childhood comes back to the present, and it becomes a detective, rom com mixed bag cozy mystery that takes you on an emotional and heartbreaking ride.
This was the debut work of this author and I can’t wait to see what she writes next! Thanks to St. Martins press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

The bones of this book were good but there was a lot of filler that if trimmed out would have made this a better read. I didn't like the Amy storyline nor the little word game Lenny played with herself throughout the book. I did a lot of skimming through the middle. Had the book focused more on Lenny's past and the situation with her stepfather I would have been more invested in the character.

This book looks like it would be a rom-com and a fluff read but it is anything but that. I wouldn't necessarily call this a thriller either or a mystery more of a quirky fiction.

I did enjoy the main character of Helena (Lenny) and how she pulls apart the pieces of her past to recall what happened.

I didn't quite see the ending coming in terms of Fergus and Maureen but the lake scene did make sense in the grand scheme of the story.

This book reminded me a lot of The Maid series. I liked Lenny Marks and thought the story overall was really interesting but it felt like too much was crammed into it. It couldn't fully decide whether it was a murder mystery or a story about a woman coming into her own. Overall, a cute read but not sure it will stick with me for the long term.

Don't let the cover art and the marketing fool you. This is not the cozy mystery that it appears to be. It is more the life story of a unique woman name Lenny.

Lenny Marks is one of those quirky characters that you can't help but love. I was rooting for her throughout the book. There is a lot more to her than you would expect at the beginning.

Both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. I felt everyone of these things right along with Lenny.

A much more serious book that I expected, and much better than I expected too.

Thanks to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

This title is a tad misleading - when I saw this book, I figured I was in for a cute, cozy mystery and this was SO much more than that! Lenny Marks is an unforgettable character - I can't believe this is the author's debut novel because of how developed and well written this character is! I l just wanted to hug her!

I wish this were marketed a bit differently or titled differently because this book is funny, quirky, emotional and even heartbreaking at times.

In this story we learn about the very routine life of Lenny Marks - She is in her 30s, single, is a school teacher and is incredibly comfortable in her every day routines of biking home at 4pm, watching her favorite TV show "Friends" while having Scrabble matches with her closest imaginary friend, Monica Gellar. She has over 30 copies of her favorite book "The Hobbit" and as we learn of Lenny’s childhood and past trauma, we begin to understand why Lenny has so many routines and is comfortable being alone.

Her BEST coping mechanism which I found delightful and endearing (and impressive!) is rearranging the letters of words into as many anagrams as she can come up with - “Parole Hearing: orangerie, orphanage, helping, reaping, roaring…”

As the story unfolds, we learn more of her past and I just wanted to reach into the pages and hug her and some of the cast of characters that come into her life throughout the novel. This is a book about grief, loss, family, mental health, friendship, and yes maybe a little bit of murder.

Highly recommend and the audio was fantastic! Thank you to @netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

Lenny Marks reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant from Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine or Molly Gray from The Maid. She is a profoundly introverted woman who survives by the grace of her strict routine, "which had served her quite well up to and into her thirty-seventh year." When a letter from the parole board arrives at the elementary school where she teaches, it's only the first intrusion from the childhood that she has repressed in order to cope. Other coping mechanisms include a one-eyed teddy bear named Errol, a collection of various editions of The Hobbit, rewatching episodes of Friends, and playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Geller. An unreliable narrator, Lenny is a delightful character with a tragic past that she has kept from herself, just as she has kept herself from making personal connections with real friends. As charming as Lenny is, she is dealing with the not-at-all-charming horrors of childhood trauma, domestic violence, and workplace bullying. We grow to care for her even more deeply as her truths are revealed, some of which she was burying and some she never knew. This is a debut novel by an Australian author -- a working police officer, no less -- whose work I will follow from this book forward.

[Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

I really didn't know I was going to like this as much as I did. It was heart-wrenching at times, to the point that I had to skip through some pages because I knew they were going to be too agonizing for me to read. Check content warnings - but this is truly a great book!

It's one of those books that make you want to hug a character and never let go!! Lenny is a deeply traumatized woman living a shallow existence trying to get by.. and the ending is something I didn't see coming, but when I did, I felt an extreme sense of justice. A great all-around read to remind us to be compassionate to one another. You just never know what people are going through.

Content Warnings: Child Abus3, Trauma Repsonses, Suicid3 attempts etc.

**Thank you to St.Martin's Press & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

I absolutely adored this book. Lenny's quirky whit and had be giggling out loud. I was taken through a variety of emotions with this book as some of the content was a bit heavy (trauma, death, etc, so I personally appreciated Lenny's more silly moments. This book was so well written and engaging. I had a hard time putting it down when I had to. I paired my reading with the audiobook and it was so well done and her accent really brought the characters to life! I look forward to reading more from Kerryn Mayne as she knocked this one out of the park! I couldn't recommend this book enough! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't really know what to expect when I ventured into the world of Lenny Marks. The first thing I notice is the she's neurodivergent and I think that this book seems like it will be a solid rep. But then, so many things start happening and it quickly becomes clear that Lenny has so much more going on. She has endured some horrific experiences in her past and they've definitely changed her. She seems to suffer from a form of PTSD and it's heartbreaking. Even sadder is watching her try to fit in with her co-workers and seeing how they treated her. Granted, you only need one or two solid friends but she deserved better than the treatment she received at the hands of some of these people.

Seeing how Lenny comes to terms with some forgotten memories as the book unfolds really is touching and heartbreaking. It's almost unimaginable to picture dealing with the things she's survived. Yet she keeps moving forward and trying to do better each and every day.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audio was really amazing. It pulled me into the story and I was engrossed. I flew through this story in just a little over a day. The narration truly was quite well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the audiobook and ebook.

Lenny Marks is a socially awkward teacher who thrives on routine. She enjoys things like buying the same groceries every week, riding her bike home at the same time every day, and watching Friends on TV.

One day, a letter from the parole board arrives at Lenny's work, and she slowly starts remembering her traumatic past. As she works to untangled suppressed memories, Lenny also finds herself making connections and navigating new relationships in her life.

Lenny was an interesting character. She's been through so much, and it was easy to root for her. The plot was slow, but the little clues about Lenny's past throughout helped keep me interested. I did think the ending was pretty unrealistic, but that didn't detract from the overall story and emotions.

The narrator did an excellent job portraying Lenny’s character and kept me engaged throughout the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I was instantly drawn to this book by its cover! Lenny is in her 30s, a bit awkward and a teacher in Australia. Her life changes when she Receives a letter from a parole board. She has to face traumas from the past and I couldn’t help but be lennys cheerleader. Such a great that I will be recommending all year long!

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder was a little slower for me. There was definitely a lot of character building around Lenny. I did appreciate that. I do think some could have been condensed.

This is more of a personal journey type novel vs a suspense/thriller in my opinion.

Overall this was a good book especially for a debut author!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Oh how I adored Lenny, and reading this book! Lenny was such a fun character, and I was drawn in from the very beginning. The author did such a wonderful job with this character and her story. I laughed many times as I read this one and love the Characters! I look forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you, NetGalley and McMillan for the ARC of this book.

I loved Lenny and felt this story was a thoughtful, depiction of a person living with long-held trauma. She functions well as a teacher by day, then retreats to a solitary life in a remote home, seemingly content with her own company. When a letter arrives in the mail from the parole board, everything begins to change and shake up her sheltered existence. Lenny is an astute observer (beyond her own life), and managed to surround herself with many caring individuals, who she finally recognizes along the way. This is one of those special books that made me better, and more empathic, for having experienced the story.

Themes:
Found family
Otherness/never quite fitting in
Vengeance
Overcoming childhood trauma

Most of the time I go into a book cold. Even though I knew what I was adding to my TBR by the time I read it I forgot all that so I go into it not knowing what to expect. At first meeting with Lenny Marks I thought she was quirky, very into routine, shopping twice a week, buying the same foods and not able to read social cues but I didn't find her as endearing as Molly Gray or Eleanor Oliphant but by the end of the book I loved her. She had a brutal childhood and spent time in foster care with a lovely family. She was convinced that her mother and stepfather had left her to live with her grandmother, Zanny. She tried hard to make friends at the school where she was a teacher but she was picking the wrong people. When a letter arrives from a parole board reporting that her stepfather was being released from prison blocks in her mind start tumbling into place. There were some lovely characters in the story. Ned works in the grocery store where she shops and is always engaging. Her neigbor, Maureen, is a lovely older woman who befriends her and, of course, her foster mother, Fay.

This is the author's debut novel and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.