🚲 What an amazing debut!!!

🚲 This book is nothing short of phenomenal. Every aspect of it, in my opinion, is flawless. Lenny, the protagonist, is exceptionally well-developed—one of the most memorable characters I’ve encountered in a while. Although I haven’t personally experienced what she goes through in the story, I felt a deep connection to her. Her struggles resonated with me, and I found myself enthusiastically rooting for her.

🚲 Lenny’s childhood traumas, some explicitly described and others subtly hinted at, have profoundly shaped her adult life, leading her to self-isolate and detach. If you’re sensitive to childhood trauma, consider researching trigger warnings before diving into this book.

🚲 The narrative takes unexpected turns—some heartbreaking, others uplifting, and a few downright surprising.

🚲 Witnessing Lenny’s transformation from the beginning of the story to the end was simply amazing. With the support of her found family (which is a favorite trope of mine), she begins to reshape her life. And the love story? It was so heartwarming that it brought tears to my eyes.

🚲 Lenny is a powerful character and this is an unbelievable debut. I can’t recommend this book highly enough!
 
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder is one of the most delightfully surprising reads of my year, and I just loved it.

I don't even know how to adequately describe this book - a bit of quirky character drama, a bit of mystery and a lot of heart for sure. You find yourself immersed in Lenny's world and Lenny is impossible not to love and to root for.

Having suffered a massive trauma as a child, Lenny is a slightly odd adult woman navigating her life and working hard to maintain order. I absolutely adored following along with Lenny as she went about her days with her own very specific way of seeing the world. And as her repressed childhood memories continue to try to surface, I was totally engrossed in seeing what had really happened and how it was going to explode in her present.

This is truly just a book that is fun, easy and satisfying to read. When you want something that feels comfortable and good this is the book you need to pick up. You will fall in love with Lenny and have some fun seeing how she course corrects her existence when things start to go a little astray.

Many thanks to the publisher for my copy.

I’m torn on this one - it’s definitely a 4, possibly 4.5 from me. Almost from the first page I found myself invested in Lenny - her quirkiness, her habits and her complete misreading of people. At first I had Eleanor Oliphant vibes and that never fully went away although Lenny is different. Her story is one of profound tragedy, masked by coping mechanisms that went too far until they couldn’t contain reality any longer. Her evolution and conclusion were truly remarkable and heart warming. You should always bet on Lenny.

I wanted to like this novel more than I did. The content was inappropriate frequently.
The plus about the story was that it represented a look inside the mind of a child who has spent time in foster care and has experienced trauma. I am glad that I read this book. But I cannot with a good conscience recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to preview this book

The story revolves around Lenny Mark, an unassuming man who becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation. The plot kicks off with the discovery of a body, and all evidence points to Lenny, who appears to have the perfect motive and opportunity to commit the crime. As the investigation unfolds, readers are taken on a journey through Lenny’s past and present, uncovering hidden truths and unexpected connections. Mayne’s skillful storytelling and unique blend of humor and suspense make this book a must-read for fans of the genre. Whether you are looking for a thrilling whodunit or a story with rich character development and engaging dialogue, this novel delivers on all fronts.

I made it about halfway though this and nothing had happened… I was so bored I couldn’t do it. I dnf this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great read. Lenny was an enchanting main character. The overall story was mostly sad but the feel was positive. All of the supporting characters were written well. The story flowed naturally and it made for an easy read due to comfortable writing.

4.5 stars rounded up.
Lennie Marks is one of those quirky characters that worms their way into your heart and soul over the course of a single novel. She absolutely broke my heart and made me want to scoop her up in a big hug (which she would have hated!). I started reading what I thought would be a light mystery, and was surprised by a much darker story of bullying and abuse and the effects on a child that continue during adulthood. Readers should be aware that Lenny's story features abuse, suicide, and bullying yet wraps these topics up in a resilient character's survival story. That said, Lenny and the family she has found in adulthood are some of the most loveable characters I have read recently. I was angry on her behalf, wanted to fight her battles for her, and was rooting for her throughout.

Comparable reads are Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne. The opinions in this review are my own.

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder seemed extremely slow paced to start for me. I had a hard time getting into the story and enjoying the characters. As the story progresses it does speed up a little and as the story provides more info it does become more interesting. It is worth the push if you are having a hard time getting into this one. While the ending seems a little unlikely as far as character reactions and decisions made, the personality and background of the FMC make it more plausible.

I have posted this review on Amazon, Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6627544232

And Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9S6zrQS_IF/?igsh=dmZhbDR3aXVvd2Qy

Elementary school teacher, Lenny Marks finds peace in routine, finding contentment in life rather than striving for happiness, a fleeting feeling, in her experience. She’s fine with coming home every day to her favorite show, Friends, and “playing scrabble with Monica”. However, when she receives a letter from the parole board her carefully constructed life starts to unravel. Flashes of her childhood start coming back, a different version than she’s allowed herself to remember.

I completely adored Lenny and her matter-of-fact way she approached life, but I did hope for more for her! I knew things weren’t quite the way she remembered them, and I was eager to find out what exactly happened in her past! Some of these revelations were heartbreaking! I was happy as Lenny started waking up, taking charge, and making changes. I was fully on board with Lenny’s unlawful activities, such as with Malcom the dog and well, other things best left out of this review.

I absolutely loved this story! It started out sedate and quiet and ended up with some twisty revelations. I rooted for Lenny throughout her journey and there was even a bit of romance by the end!

I alternately listened to and read the story and I can recommend either version. Annie Maynard’s performance was fantastic, her Aussie accent wonderful and she brought Lenny’s quirky personality to life! I listened at my normal 1.5x normal speed.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne. A delightfully engaging, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story all in one. A well-written debut that I absolutely devoured from start to finish. A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and the author for the advanced digital copy of the book. Lenny Marks is a quirky, lovable character who will be long remembered well after you have finish reading the book. Lenny is a young woman who likes to live her life by orderly routines. But when her repressed childhood trauma resurfaces she starts to come undone. She will have to step out from behind the protective comfort of her structured life to deal with the past she buried so long ago. Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder is an amazingly charming story that will evoke all the emotions. It will have you cheering out loud for its main character to win with every turn of the page.

📱 Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder 📱⁣
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⁣Length- 352 pages. ⁣
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⁣Genre- Mystery Fiction. ⁣
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⁣My thoughts- Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is the debut novel of Kerryn Mayne and completely charmed me! Lenny is a 37 year old, neurodivergent, teacher who lives alone and likes her very routine life. She watches the same meals each day, loves watching Friend’s reruns, and plays Scrabble with an imaginary friend. As we learn more about her traumatic childhood, Lenny’s reluctance to warm to other’s becomes more understandable. ⁣
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⁣This book is well-written, thought provoking and quirky. I really enjoyed Lenny’s personality; she’s such a kind, strong person who really embraces personal growth. The novel is both heartbreaking and full of humor all at once. ⁣
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⁣If you enjoyed the Molly the Maid series, I think you’ll really like this book! Four stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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⁣Thank you to @Netgalley for an ARC of Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder. This book is available now!

In spite of the sobering events that happen in Lenny’s life, this was an enjoyable and heart-warming read. It reminded me of a couple of books I have read in the past, but the book still had its own unique story.

Lenny suffered a severe trauma as a child and has grown into an adult with OCD tendencies and lives her life trying to limit her contact with others as much as possible. She mistrusts others and has been working hard to get over her hangups and make friends.

Lucky for Lenny, she has her foster mother Fay, her neighbor Maureen, and a few women from her job as a teacher that really care about her. Lenny has also developed a friendship with Ned from her local market. Lenny is a kind soul with a big heart and a character that is easy to love.

My only qualm with the story was wondering how in the world Lenny managed to get through college and acquire a job teaching children when she suffered so much from anything unexpected or any situation where she was in the spotlight.

Many thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I really enjoyed the story and am happy to give my honest review and recommend this to other readers.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder was an absolute delight to read. Lenny is a character similar to Ove or Eleanor Oliphant, but with her own quirks. She is a teacher that grew up in a foster home, she enjoys Scrabble, and watching Friends. When she tries to make friends with co-workers, she finds that not all of them are as friendly as she thought they would be. Lenny has a past that begins to intrude in her current life, and she finds out that what she remembers might not be completely accurate. Kerryn Mayne did a great job letting the reader get to know Lenny. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital arc of this title.

This is an emotional read but it is also cute in places. I love a good book which takes you through a roller coaster to get to the ending.

Lenny is a character you do not want to miss. She is probably on the autistic spectrum, but, it could be the trauma from her childhood. Lenny is holding in all her memories. She has completely blocked out everything that happened to her. Then one day she receives a letter from the parole board. Her step father is about to be released from prison. This triggers something in her. Her memories gradually start to come to the forefront of her mind and she slowly falls apart.

Lenny weaves herself into your heart! And she is much stronger than she looks. This is where the reader is deceived! Not everyone is who you think they are!

Need a rollercoaster ride you will not soon forget…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Oh, how I loved this book. It was one heck of a wild ride! It was everything from a heartwarming to heartbreaking read; a story of friendship, family, grief, loss, serious trauma, fear, death, healing, and love.

It almost felt as if it was 2 or 3 books rolled into one, but in the best way. This book made me feel light and warm, it made me laugh (repeatedly), yet it also brought me to tears and had me sitting in my sadness and feeling reflective. It takes a LOT for a book to make me cry, but this one tore my heart in two.

It had unexpected and shocking twists that I never would've expected based on the story leading up to that point. This book defies being pigeonholed into one genre and instead covers multiple genres. It's unlike anything I've read and I absolutely loved it.

Lenny Marks is an unforgettable character and I'll be recommending this book to everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the complex character Lenny. I was invested in her journey from the beginning. The mystery kept me guessing. The plot moves swiftly. The ending was perfect. I would absolutely read this author again.

2024 seems to be the year of some very excellent debut books and LENNY MARKS GETS AWAY WITH MURDER is a top ten so far. Kerryn Mayne's debut gave me some of the same emotional ups and downs as Fredrik Backman's stories always do. Lenny Marks with get along very well with Eleanor Oliphant or Ove.
Lenny finds comfort in the routine of her life. She neither wants nor needs the disruption caused by an official letter. As her world is defined more each day by the "before" and "after" the letter, readers are drawn into Lenny's dilemna, watching her bewilderment become courage to face her past and her future.

So I originally picked this book up based on the title alone so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a story filled with this mystery of what had happened when Lenny was a child.

I had a sinking feeling in my gut the more I read and my heart was hurting when we finally get the full picture. Lenny is an odd person but I loved her. I wanted to yell at her a few times when she didn’t pick up on the fact the two women she desperately wanted to be her friends wanted nothing to do with her. She really grew a lot as a character during the book and I thought the ending was perfect!

I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my early e-arc copy!

This book very much felt like I was going to walk into a cozy mystery, however it was not quite that. It also was not really a thriller. This book felt more like a cozy coming of age story, even though Lenny is not a teenager. However, we get to watch Lenny develop and learn new things about a world that can often times be over-stimulating.

I am loved this simply for the Neurodiverse representation, which made me love Lenny so much more as a character and made me so much more invested in her story. I would recommend!