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.

4.5 stars

Lenny Marks is such an interesting main character. She has her preferred way of doing things and living her day to day life with her routines, and she is not interested in straying from them. However, she doesn’t have any memory of what happened when her mom and stepdad disappeared when she was a little kid, and to this day she blames herself.

One day, a letter from the parole board is delivered and she tries to ignore it, however she’s forced to face it one day and everything she has always known is turned upside down. Nothing is going to be the same, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be bad as long as she is able to adjust. Lenny meets new people, needs to change her routines, and overall go out of her comfort zones. It’s a remarkable story and shows a lot of character growth.

If you liked Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Neugent then I think you would like this one! Check trigger warnings though because it does have darker elements and themes than it would seem!

Thank you St. Martins Press for my copy of this!

Lenny Marks is one of the most uniquely fascinating characters I’ve read in a very long time. The author brings you into the world of Lenny slowly, awakening your understanding of her awkwardness as she at first ignores and then ultimately faces head on the roots of her personality quirks. At times funny and heartwarming and at others a solid emotional punch, the author creates for Lenny seemingly inescapable social gaffs as her internal war between needing to be a loner conflicts with a deep, mostly unconscious desire to belong. Lenny’s strict routines, complicated moral code, and connection to fictional characters start to give way as she is forced to face what happened in her past. Perfect pacing. Perfect supporting characters. Perfect character evolution. It is cliche to say I couldn’t put this book down, but I could NOT put this book down. I read into the wee hours of the night, until I could no longer hold my kindle, and then finished as soon as I woke up after a few zzz’s. This is a substantive and powerful genre-bending story that is a must-read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this outstanding book.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC of "Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder" in exchange for an honest review.
While the title might promise a thriller, I'd consider this book more of a heartfelt journey out of terrible darkness for its title character. By the time neurodivergant schoolteacher Lenny Marks reaches a reckoning with the horrors of her past, readers will have already fallen for her and be cheering her on.
Lenny (who prefers that name to her given one, Helena), survived a childhood so traumatic, it's warped her memories of it. In addition to her viewing the world from a distance in a methodical, precise way, her horrific past has rendered her even more cut off from people and human contact. But yet she's willing to struggle to establish friendships with her school associates and the manager of her favorite grocery store, a painfully awkward process for her. And then her world upends with a single, piece of news related to the nightmarish childhood she'd mostly suppressed up to this point, with only three words staying with her...."you did this'. The past is coming back for her, daring her to survive it again.
The story becomes sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes harrowing and yes even humorous in the ways Lenny copes with the world at large. But I found myself riveted as she overcomes her fears, wrestles with her demons, and deals with stunning surprises as the reality of what she endured finally comes into sharp focus. Lenny Marks proves a force to be reckoned with and takes readers right along with her., which is why found myself racing to reach the final chapters.
Not a thrill ride, by any means, but you'll want to experience the emotional impact of a main character who's determined to end up as the hero of her own story........which, by the way is a 5 star read.

I love everything about this book and am so thankful for Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy. This book is so heartwarming and well written I didn’t want it to end. The story of Lennie Marks is about a woman who thinks she’s perfectly content to work, go grocery shopping for the same exact meals, and stay home and play Scrabble with her imaginary friend, Monica. When a letter arrives from the parole board Lenny’s world starts to unravel and she realizes maybe what she thought was enough wasn’t living at all.

I love the characters in this book from Lenny, to Maureen and Ned. I loved how Kira knew not to push Lenny but still wanted to be her friend enough to keep trying to help her. This is one of the stories that’s going to stay with me for a long time.

Thank you Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing f me to read this advanced copy.

I guess I didn't pay much attention to the synopsis for this one because going in I thought this was going to be a cozy murder mystery. It's definitely not, so don't pick this one up if that's what you're in the mood for. But keep it on your list because I ended up loving it so much. I feel like a bad book reviewer for not describing much of the plot but I really enjoyed how the story unfolded for me without having prior knowledge.

Lenny is very set in her ways and has trouble fitting in with her fellow teachers at school. She's a bit socially awkward and at first I thought that was just how she was, kind of like Molly from The Maid. But we slowly find out that much of what makes up Lenny's behaviors and personality stems from childhood trauma. She has repressed many memories so at the beginning we know as little as she does since the story is her perspective. But as Lenny starts to remember her past, we can also put the pieces together of happened and why she behaves as she does in present day.

While Lenny's past was heartbreaking, I was left feeling hopeful instead of sad because it's also a story of found family, friendship, love, and self-discovery.

This is a good drama that is told in dual timelines from the main characters perspective. Lenny Marks has a lot of solitary tendencies. The plot of the story is interesting and has many surprises. It moves at a decent pace and keeps the reader intrigued. The characters do not use a lot of dialogue as the main character mainly internalizes her thoughts. This still makes for a good reading of the story.

Reading challenge category - 2023 Booklist Queen: Red cover

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC ebook.

"Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder" is a solid debut that shows Kerryn Mayne’s potential as a storyteller. It offers a compelling protagonist and tackles important themes such as mental health, trauma, and resilience. However, issues with pacing and predictability prevent it from being a standout in the mystery genre. Readers looking for a character-driven story with a focus on personal growth might appreciate this novel more than those seeking a tightly woven, unpredictable mystery. I personally appreciated all of the references to "Friends," Scrabble/words, and other pop culture (Buffy, literature, etc).

The title is misleading, so this book was something I wasn't expecting. I was pleasantly surprised by the story. The author seemed to handle the subject matter in a delicate way, but also conveying Lenny's upbringing. We slowly start to see the story unfold and piece everything together. The characters throughout the story were well written. Lenny comes to have several characters who love and protect her.

Check TW. Death of a child, abusive step parent/husband, and child abuse.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book more so than I expected. It was quirky, funny and interesting all in one. It was definitely good for a palate cleanser in between some more dense reads.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this novel. I honestly wasn't sure whether to request this one. The synopsis sounded like Eleanor Oliphant or Strange Sally Diamond. I loved both of those books but was afraid this would be derivative. However, like those two books, Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder took the genre in a new direction. I love how Lenny gets to show her agency, and I love how she becomes so unapologetically herself. Her home and her friends and family are wonderfully described, and she gets many points from me for stealing a guard dog. Well-played Lenny. Well-played all around.

There is nothing remarkable about Lenny Marks, AKA Helena Winters. Her life is set by routines, what she eats, what time she leaves work and rides her bike home, watching Friends, playing Scrabble with her “roommate” Monica, and let’s not forget her 36 copies of The Hobbit arranged on her bookshelf by height. Lenny is quirky, not in a bad way, she doesn’t go out, doesn’t have friends, and when she’s feeling uncomfortable, she plays a game in her head picking a word and trying to make as many words as she can from that word as a calming mechanism, she is a neurodivergent character. But Lenny is also a survivor. Her childhood was awful, her mother and stepfather left her, at eleven she went to live with her grandmother, then she’s pulled from there and sent to live with a foster family, who really turn out to be the only stable people in her life. Also with her, her imaginary friend, Malcolm. The problem is, Lenny’s childhood wasn’t exactly how she remembers, honestly, she doesn’t remember any of it at all.

When Lenny receives a letter at work from the parole board asking her for a victim statement in advance of the release after 25 years of her stepfather, she does what she does best, forget about it. As far as Lenny is concerned, she’s not the victim, so out of sight, out of mind, but that’s not going to work now. When her past catches up with her, she is faced with the truth of what really happened two decades before, and it is not what she’s believed all this time.

The first half of this book is slow, it seems to drag out and could possibly be shortened. But the second half definitely picks up speed. We start to understand just how terrible of a childhood Lenny had. This novel has a hint of everything, it’s heartbreaking, romantic, a thriller, twisty, revengeful and heroic. Lenny is a really great character that I would love to give a big hug to.

I would like to thank Netgalley, St Martin’s Press, and Kerry’s Mayne for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Lenny reminded me of Gail Honeywell's Eleanor Oliphant. This novel is equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. Lenny Marks is a teacher and she's quite good at not really living her life. She has a strict routine and doesn't deviate from it; until the day a letter arrives from the Parole Board. This throws Lenny off her game and forces her to comet o terms with things that happened to her as a child. It forces her to remember how she was left behind by her mother and stepfather. She even winds up "rescuing" (liberating) a rottweiler from his terrible home and naming him after her imaginary friend. It looks like Lenny is about to get a life if her past doesn't catch up with her first.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

Lenny Marks likes her routine and likes sticking to it. Her bike ride to and from work. Check. Stopping at McKnight’s for groceries. Check. Knowing exactly what’s she’s going to eat for dinner on a given night every week. Check. Watching Friends and playing Scrabble with Monica. Check. And then the letter from the parole board arrives destroying Lenny’s carefully plotted routine. Suddenly she has more people in her life. Then there are memories that keep wanting to surface, despite her. In Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder Kerryn Mayne has crafted an indelible novel of one woman’s effort to forget trauma in order to live, and survive.

Honestly I would never have guessed that Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is Kerryn Mayne’s debut novel. The plotting, the twists, the characterization are all just so very good. While the reader probably intuits the events that Lenny is trying so desperately to forget, the manner in which the story is told is so adept that the “knowing” never takes away from the intrigue.

Lenny Marks goes slightly beyond being a classic introvert, which I put down to multiple occurrences in her past. She believes that those she’s loved in the past have left her. Her parents. Her grandmother. So she doesn’t try very hard to make new friends and the ones she chooses, very young colleagues, Amy and Ashleigh, are not suitable friend material for Lenny. In Lenny’s characterization, Mayne creates some early scenes that are rife with cringy moments making the reader feel bad for Lenny but also tremendously embarrassed. Having experienced those moments makes the ones where Lenny triumphs even sweeter.

In some ways Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is as much of a character study as it is a mystery/thriller, and perhaps the best thrillers are. By the end, the reader, me, felt a great deal of satisfaction having gone on this trip with Lenny Marks through her past and present. A smart, enthralling debut.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a copy.

I really enjoyed Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder. I think it’s Lenny’s inner voice that entertains me. Her inner dialogue is a hoot. I love how her mind works because it totally makes sense to me.

Kerryn Mayne layers in trauma, mystery, humor, and real-life situations seamlessly. Lenny is plucky even though she doesn’t know it. Mayne gives us a heroine to root for as do the friends she doesn’t know she has. The secondary cast is good and bad as it should be.

There is a sweet clean romance that even Lenny doesn’t know she is in (chuckle). I just love how this mystery is laid out. It fluctuates back and forth from the past to the present.

I will say that there are some dark moments in the story. They are necessary to the plot and to explain Lenny’s outlook. Be prepared.

The title of the book got me to pick it to read. It made me interested enough to read the book. I’m not a huge fan of the cover. It is Lenny, but the cover would not have grabbed my interest.

Inside the pages though? The book has everything you want. I just love this book. Mystery. Murder. A sweet romance. Friends. Found family. A heroine to root for. Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is the beach read for the summer.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
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This was not what I was expecting at all and definitely in a good way. Don’t go into this one thinking that it’s going to be some kind of a cute cozy mystery because this book is filled with some deep issues. I really enjoyed this one!
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This is told in the first person, through the eyes of Lenny, who is neurodivergent. I love Lenny; she is so charming and so innocent. I love how much she as a character grew throughout the entire book. I love love love the deep dive into Lenny’s past and really uncovering all of the trauma of her past and her facing her deeply buried issues.
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I would say that this is more of a slow burn. There is still some little bit of a mystery element to this one as well and as everything begins to unravel the pacing does pick up a bit.
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I listened while reading along with my eARC and Annie Maynard was phenomenal. She really brought Lenny to life and the audiobook was absolutely superb!
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Overall, this book was cute and cozy while also having some suspenseful moments; it was intriguing and heartbreaking but also so encouraging and empowering. I was totally caught of guard with what I thought this book was going to be vs what it was, but I loved this.
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Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder releases on 7/9, be sure to check it out! Huge thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, MacMillan Audio and Kerryn Mayne for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder introduces us to a compelling and unusual heroine. An elementary school teacher, Lenny Marks is a solitary creature who seeks comfort and security in structure and organization. She has many characteristics that people associate with neurodivergence. She turns her tea cup three times. She eats the same meal on the same day of the week. She misses social cues, not recognizing the condescension of some co-workers or the friendly overtures of another. She has her life structured just so, but when a letter from the parole board arrives, the walls she has constructed start to crumble.

It’s not all bad. She goes to trivia night with her co-workers and even helps them do relatively well. That was a huge step for her. She rescues a dog. She befriends her neighbor. She might be making another friend. But, she is also becoming unnerved. A woman from the parole board keeps calling and leaving messages. She starts seeing things, worrying that she is losing touch with reality when she sees a young girl who disappears when she tries to talk to her. She’s hearing voices.

As the story unfolds with short intervening chapters from her past, we begin to realize that what appears to be symptoms of neurodivergence are actually coping mechanisms to deal with the pain and trauma of her childhood, a childhood that was full of loss. We first get an inkling when we learn she was raised by foster parents. So who is being paroled and what can Lenny do about it?

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder has a fascinating main character, one I wouldn’t mind spending more time with though Kerryn Mayne didn’t set her up for a cozy series. So, I guess this is it with Lenny and that’s okay.

This is not a story that asks for detection. The mystery that needs unraveling is Lenny’s past and most readers will figure it out before Lenny does, but then we don’t have her reasons for avoiding the truth. Lenny’s story is tragic and some might find it too grim, but I appreciate how Lenny, once she allows herself to remember, recognizes her need to heal. She does a lot of growing in the story and it’s wonderful to see.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder will be released July 9th. I received an e-galley from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder at St. Martin’s Press | Macmillan
Kerryn Mayne author site

This was an interesting about an adult woman who is a neurodivergent school teacher that is slowly realizing that she has untreated issues from childhood trauma. The premise is new and different, but there are some plot holes that left me confused, and some characters that were just okay, and needed a bit more development. I was expecting a bit more mystery and a bit less chick lit. Still, 3 stars and not badly written if this genre interests you. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

Lenny Marks is an odd duck. Socially awkward, somewhat introverted, odd. A good person, as far as we can see, a schoolteacher for grade 5. She’s set her sights on befriending the two new prep teachers who are not only besties, but also the epitome of mean girls.

Lenny used to be another person. A person she’d rather forget, and mostly has. Her foster father called her Lenny, so she kept it. She also took their last name. Lenny Marks is who she is now. That’s what’s important.

But Lenny’s world is being turned upside down when she receives a letter about her former stepfather. Buried memories, long since compartmentalized and stored away, are coming back. Her foster mother Fay is still insistent that Lenny try to get a life, a real life, with friends and maybe a bit of therapy. Always though, Lenny insists she’s fine.

Until she’s not. And that is when the story gets really good. Throw in a cute grocer, a stolen dog, long lost family members, and a bit of criminal mischief and you have yourself one heck of a good story. Lenny will warm your heart.

Loved it. If this really is a debut novel, bravo. Written with so much humor even in the midst of reality, it is such a great read. Highly recommend it.

Levity to Gravity
Lenny Marks used to be Helena Winters and the parole board needs to talk to her.
Well-crafted writing by Mayne starts with what could be a hard situation. Then, she truly introduced me to Lenny. Careful, routine, and intentional, she turns down all social functions and outside influence with humor and skill. Lenny has to protect herself- but it's all her fault.
Lenny's past crashes into her present and brings with it real need for facing facts.
I loved being one of Lenny's cheerleaders as she navigates unthinkable hurt with the help of her loving foster mom, mysterious neighbor, and people she can't quite love.