Lenny Marks teaches students in fifth grade and has had a fairly content life since going to college. After the upheaval of her childhood, that is how she prefers it. Get up, ride her bicycle to work, and then ride back to her quiet house. After she receives an envelope from the parole board that she stuffs in her bag to ignore, Lenny tries to go on with her life, but things keep happening to disrupt her normal routine. The story started out slow, got more interesting, and then took a turn that I was not expecting.

I struggled to stay interested in this book while reading the digital ARC. I also received an audio copy so I switched, hoping it would hold my attention. I stopped at 44% and have no desire to return to the story in either format. Sadly, this is a DNF for me.

A difficult journey for a damaged young woman but such a meaningful statement on the power of the mind. I don’t want to give anything away, but I think you’ll love Lenny’s inner monologue, the incredible sense of family, and growth of her character. Quirky, challenging, and beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

This was an interesting one. Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the early copy to read and review.

I found the premise intriguing, and I always enjoy a quirky character who is learning and realizing things at the same time as the reader. It felt a little slow to me at times, like we were going in circles rather than building suspense.

Overall, it was enjoyable! And different from a lot of books I have read, which is always something fun.

I just loved “Lenny Marks gets away with murder”.

Lenny is 37 and single, and she loves and needs order and routines in her life. She works as a school teacher, comes home at the same time every night, eats the same meals every week, doesn’t have many friends, plays scrabble with the imaginary Monica from her favorite TV show “Friends”.

She moved from place to place growing up, as the people that cared for her, left her life for various reasons. She cannot remember what happened the day that her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was young, but she has a sense that she had done something wrong.

Her routine life changes when a letter comes from the parole board – her stepfather is up for release from prison. As Lenny is forced out of her comfort zone, she learns what really happened in the past, and who the people around her truly are. As her life spirals out of control, she learns what really matters and who to trust.

This was such a heartwarming story, with some unexpected twists. I loved Lenny’s character, and was rooting for her through the whole book.

There were shades of “The Maid” and “The Rosie Project” in this book – both of which I had really enjoyed too. Lenny will stick with me for a while.
This is the author’s debut book, but didn’t feel like a first book. It was very well written.

I am so impressed that this is a debut book! Lenny Marks is a character that is impossible to not love. This whole story was engaging and the inclusion of anxiety really spoke to me. The writing is so strong and I would love to read more about Lenny.

Lenny is a 37 year old teacher with a very routine and controlled life. She's considered odd by others. As the story unfolds, the reader learns about her terrible childhood and the disappearance of her mother and brother at the hands of her evil stepfather. After she receives a letter from the patrol board about his imminent release, things start to unravel. This is when Lenny loosens up and opens her life to other people. Quirky characters are having a moment, aren't they? Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder is a wonderful read about a damaged woman who finds her way. I absolutely loved this story.

This book was such an interesting read. Lenny Marks is a 5th grade teacher who thrives on routine. She rides home every day at 4 pm, eats the same meals every week, and sticks to wearing only 4 colors of clothing. All is going fairly well in her life until her foster mother tells her she needs to find some friends and get out more. So, Lenny tries really hard to chat with people at the grocery store, and work, but getting out of her routine and reading social cues is exhausting to Lenny. Then things get even worse when she gets a letter from the parole board. The letter sits like a ticking time bomb in her purse and is a catalyst for her life starting to unravel as memories from her traumatic past resurface. The first half of the book was a little slow as we try to figure out what happened to Lenny Marks, but the second half was full of exciting twists and turns and plot twists that kept surprising me. This book was beautiful, and at times quite heartbreaking. Lenny Marks is a character that will stay with me for a long time. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

THIS BOOK. I can't pinpoint it exactly, but this book was just delightful. It had Eleanor Oliphant meets The Maid vibes and I just could not put it down. It addresses trauma and loneliness and what it feels like to be a little "different". It was more heartwarming than you would expect with the title.

HIGHLY recommend.

From the title of the book I thought this was going to be a cozy mystery book. I wouldn’t list it under that category.
Lenny was a quirky MC and at times you just feel so bad for her and how she doesn’t seem to fit in with her peer teachers.

I did feel that there was too much into her day to day and not enough on the murder. The murder was only like 15% or less of the story.Some may say it dragged but it wasn’t too bad for me. The author did well with the story so I kept reading.

Overall I would recommend it to someone looking for a light read with a quirky character.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

LENNY MARKS GETS AWAY WITH MURDER by Kerryn Mayne is ultimately about a woman who very much sticks to herself and her routines while blocking out a traumatic event that happened to her years and years ago.

I found this story to be just fine (very similar in vein to ELEANOR OLIPHANT), and was hoping it would have more Molly the Maid vibes, but, unfortunately, I found the mystery to be lacking and the suspense non-existent.

While this book was an interesting character study into Lenny Marks and the beginning quarter of this novel set her up quite nicely, I did find myself rather bored with it by the end.

I can see others enjoying this one, but it wasn’t for me!

Publication Date: July 9

I found this an easy read that had a corky, somewhat strange MC named Lenny. This was a lot like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. This story was a mystery sprinkled with a traumatic event that the writer slowly unravels. It’s not written like a true crime but more like a cozy mystery. I read some of it and listened to most of it. The narrator was Annie Maynard and she did a great job.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press and McMillan Audio via NetGalley.

Looking at reviews, I am seeing many people loving Lenny Marks Get Away with Murder. Unfortunately, this was a DNF at 26% for me. I think it was a combo of the writing style, the tone, and the main character just not being a right fit for me. The 26% I did read/listen to seemed familiar to me too. Lenny Marks is a character who has a very predictable and lonely life but she begins to branch out, socialize, and challenge herself. She also receives a letter from the parole board that brings up unfavorable memories of her past. While I was curious to see the parts of her past that would be revealed, the current timeline wasn't enough to keep me interested in Lenny's day to day life. The narration on audio was wonderful though!!

Lenny Marks Get Away with Murder is out July 9th. Thank you St Martin's Press and Netgalley for me e-arc, sorry it didn't work for me!

Very emotional story

Lenny (Helena) is suffering from PTSD, severe introversion and likely OCD from a terribly abusive childhood experience. She's a teacher, but other than school and her beloved home, she has little life or interaction with others. As a reader, I felt so terrible for her and what she has gone through.

As the story enfolds, the reader learns the full story via flashback-type reenactments. Characters are introduced into present day and their role in her past is explained. There are some new characters that she manages to get past her defenses and become part of her present, but not many.

I feel like this book is very heartfelt, the author must have had some experience with PTSD or did some really intensive research, the feelings seem so realistic. I found myself rooting for Lenny whenever she stood up for herself or had a good day.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This was just not the book for me. I like Lenny well enough but there wasn't enough suspense or tension or murder, at least until more towards the end. Like the last third or so. The rest of the book is just a snippet of the life of Lenny Marks while her life as she knows it slowly unravels after receiving a letter from the parole board regarding her stepfather. I was just bored for like 90% of this book. There is a part with a dog that I really liked, and I think had what happened at the end happened more like halfway through the book I would have found myself more interested in what was going on.

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio, for my free audiobook for review.

What initially sounded like a read about a quirky character has evolved into something much deeper. Our heroine, Lenny, is someone I found myself wanting to give a comforting hug. Beneath her unconventional exterior, she is filled with unresolved trauma, and the narrative skillfully explores the lengths the mind goes to suppress a painful and tragic past. I enjoyed the unexpected curve balls that emerged throughout the story, keeping me engaged and invested.

As the story progresses, I witness Lenny finding her voice and cultivating the courage to come to terms with her past, correct her misconceptions, and move toward a more hopeful future. This multifaceted character development was highly compelling and resonated with me.

Pairing the book with the audiobook provided the perfect medium to experience Lenny's journey. Annie Maynard's narration gave me a richer, more immersive understanding of Lenny as she gradually unravels and shares her story. I particularly appreciated how the narrator captured Lenny's deep-seated love of reading - she epitomizes the notion that you can never have enough editions of a beloved book.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started this book but what I got was completely different. From the blurb I thought the main character was OCD, perhaps on the spectrum, running away from her memories.

I was partially correct. Lenny is actually Helena, but prefers to go by Lenny. The story very slowly reveals a past that the reader does not expect. Poor Lenny is very damaged and she doesn't even know how damaged. She keeps to herself, but at the same time, she tries to lead a “normal” life as a teacher with a nice home.

There are hints throughout the book, I had different ideas of what the truth might be. My thoughts kept changing. I was pretty close to getting it right, but not completely. And then there was an abrupt right turn. To me, it was surprising but very welcome.

Lenny is such a sweet but vulnerable character. She is very careful with trying to do the right thing at all times. She is very likeable, I can't help but cheer her on! Her memories are overwhelming at times, but she does not know precisely what they are. Quite contradictory! Lenny has a very complex backstory which she has completely (and unconsciously) blocked.

Great book, well written. It's classified as a thriller. I'm not sure I agree with that. But it is suspenseful. I tend to separate those two.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

I absolutely loved this book. I went in pretty blind and thought I was going to get Finlay Donovan but instead I got something more like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

Lenny Marks is a 5th grade teacher who loves her routine of buying the same groceries, making the same meals, playing scrabble alone, and watching Friends. She has absolutely no memory of what happened when her step father and mom disappeared when she was 11. She gets a letter from a parole board, and a whole bunch of secrets start coming out.

I related to Lenny and my heart went out to her. This book was nicely paced and had really well done reveals.

From the beginning, Lenny Marks is a character you want to get to know. It's clear she has some childhood trauma, and it's also clear that friendship is a hard concept for her. Over and over, you find yourself wanting to be Kirra, a woman who teaches at the same school as Lenny, and who shows her what friendship can be.
Most of the characters in this book are well developed, albeit from Lenny's POV, so we're certainly missing some important details and understanding.
The way the author brings you into Lenny's world, from her viewpoint, letting you discover the story of her life as SHE discovers it, is so well done. This book broke my heart and put it back together again more than once.

This book read as if Sally Hepworth wrote Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Seriously -- total love child of the two! It was good, if predictable and the title is a bit misleading. But I loved the ending and how it got there. Definitely add to your TBR!

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder comes out next week on July 9, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!
Pretending there were people in her life seemed to quell the concerns of others. She'd noticed many times that being alone was akin to having a medical condition, especially once she was over thirty. Well-meaning people wanted to offer solutions or anecdotes on a regular basis.

Have you tried internet dating?

My sister thought she'd be alone forever and now she's married with three kids. You just never know when it will happen.

You just haven't met the right person yet.

You're still young, don't worry.

She wasn't worrying, not in the least. She was actually happy being alone. Not to mention, people put too much stock in being happy. Happiness was immeasurable and moveable. That sort of instability was fraught with hazard. Lenny was a functioning, contributing member of the community who abided by the rules with a recent exception-and was not a burden on anyone. That, in her books, was a definite marker of success. And she only answered to herself-well, and Fay, if she was completely honest so if she wanted to sleep on the couch in her clothes with a stolen dog she could do just that.