Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder hit the mark for me. The story starts off getting to know Lenny Marks - a quirky teacher who bikes to work, goes to the grocery store the same days weekly, eats the same foods every week, plays scrabble by herself (with imaginary friend Monica from the show Friends), owns multiple copies of The Hobbit and is socially a loner.

The story evolves into so much more with Lenny’s childhood traumas arising and takes you on an emotional and tense ride. This book had many elements that I enjoy - interesting and likable characters, drama, mystery. I was engaged as the story unfolds and you understand more of what makes up Lenny.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early read of this e-book in exchange for my honest review. Publication date: July 9th 2024 #NetGalley #LennyMarksGetsAwayWithMurder

✨If you’re like me and thought from the cover that this would be a fun cozy mystery, then you should know that it is SO MUCH MORE. Yes, there is suspense, and yes, there are laughs. But this book is all heart, charm, emotion, heartbreak and healing.

✨It’s filled with characters you can’t help but root for. I have so much love for the quirky, clever, kind and so very witty Lenny Marks. We all need a Lenny in our lives. She’s unforgettable.

✨This book has lots of laughs and lots of tears. There are secrets and lies and heartbreak and grief and revenge and love and suspense in these pages. The author does a fantastic job at seamlessly weaving these elements together in this debut that has so much heart. I can’t wait to see what Kerryn Mayne does next.

🌿Read if you like:
✨ Neurodivergent rep
✨ Friends
✨The Hobbit
✨ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE
✨Molly Gray from THE MAID
✨Jolene from I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL

This was a great debut. It took a totally different direction than I initially expected, but I loved it.

It took me a LONG time to open this book, but a very short time to finish it. This book is about loss, grief, friendship, and trust. Lenny is kind, eccentric, and a bit neurodivergent. She’s a definitely a character worthy meeting. The book is well paced, the tougher moments of trauma, mental illness, grief, and loss were given plenty of time to be digested.

I initially thought Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne was going to be a cozy read, but it quickly became apparent that there are some very triggering parts. So, a word of caution: check the trigger warnings if you have strong feelings towards certain themes.

The story revolves around Lenny Marks. She uses her school address as her home address, so when she receives a letter at work from the parole board, it triggers a flood of emotions and memories that disrupt her meticulously structured life.

Lenny's character is quirky but not overdone, which is a refreshing change from some of the other recent books I've read with similar characters. Her friend Kirra at school is the epitome of what a true friend should be, offering unwavering support and loyalty.

The audiobook's narrator was a perfect choice; her accent added a lovely touch to the listening experience. I also appreciated the slow build of the romantic relationship in the story, which felt natural. One of my favorite parts was when Lenny saves a dog, which then becomes her best friend, adding a heartwarming element to the narrative.

Overall, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is an engaging read with well-developed characters and a compelling plot. Just be prepared for some emotional moments along the way.

I absolutely love books like this. This story had so many different layers, but they all tied together so beautifully. Lenny was such a sweet and resilient character. I couldn’t help but root for her as her journey unfolded. This book takes you on a roller coaster of emotions, and I am so happy I read it.

LENNY MARKS GETS AWAY WITH MURDER
Kerryn Mayne

In my mind, we’ve already done this.

Lenny is not the first person you invite to a party or the first person you think of when you imagine having a good time. She spends more of her time at home going through her days according to one well-planned routine after another.

Lenny is a 5th-grade teacher and homebody who prefers the planned to the unexpected. She spends most of her days grading papers and playing scrabble against imaginary opponents.

One day a letter arrives that sets Lenny on a perilous path that has us questioning why Lenny is the way she is. What happened to her to make her become the woman she is living the existence she does?

There is a word association game that Lenny is plagued with playing and as readers, we are also subjected to this quirk. That was unfortunate. It was extremely distracting and took away from my enjoyment of the book.

I cannot imagine this on audiobook!

Outside of that, I thought the storyline was basic and had been passed around quite a bit. LENNY MARKS GETS AWAY WITH MURDER was relatively unoriginal and Lenny as a character has been done a few times over. There really wasn’t much left besides the story and the characters, as the writing wasn’t that impressive either.

It didn’t do anything wrong and didn’t do much right. I ended up rating it right at a three and I think you will too.

“There must be more to life than this!”
Queen

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy!

LENNY MARKS GETS AWAY WITH MURDER…⭐⭐⭐

good mystery and i loved the friends too. I really enjoyed the romance and how it solved . I also loved reading this author. Really enjoyed her friends. Great book.

Lenny Marks transports you with her through a journey of hilarity, empathy, neurodiversity, and joy, like “Eleanor Oliphant” and “the Maid” but 10x more enjoyable! You won’t want to to put this down.

This is a very slow read, and sadly, that didn't really improve as the story unfolded. It was nice to see Lenny build her confidence throughout the story, but I did struggle to connect with her. I also did not feel that there was a need to couple her up. It truly is okay to have stories without that angle, especially when it feels forced. You can have a fulfilling life without being couple. The majority of the book was just observing Lenny's everyday life, and it just didn't keep my attention. I was quite surprised to find the murder happening extremely late in the story, so there really isn't any suspense to the story, in general.

In her late thirties, Lenny Marks is living a life of routine, biking to her job as a teacher, shopping for groceries. Her attempts to make friends as well as finding a canine companion show how she is determined to lead a more “normal” life. However, a letter from the Parole Board triggers repressed memories of what happened to her and her family when she was eleven years old. Alternating between Lenny's present adult life and her childhood, Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder tells how her past comes back to haunt her and how she responds. There are several unexpected twists in the narrative and the ending is a bit of a surprise, forcing you to suspend disbelief a bit. All-in-all, an engrossing story with an endearing main character.

Lenny Marks is a single teacher nearing 40 who prefers routines and her own company. She struggles making friends and understanding why others behave the way they do. The author slowly uncovers Lenny's past and everything starts to make sense why Lenny is the way she is.

I loved this book. Lenny is a great character who in many ways is very relatable, especially in regard to trying to become friends with other people. I loved her outlook and dry sense of humor. Definitely looking forward to more books by this author.

Such an interesting, deep, and captivating story. The heroine has suffered a traumatic childhood but as an adult, tears through the layers of long buried memories to find her true self. Parts are shocking and parts are gratifying which meld together for an awesome read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy.

This is an impressive debut that felt both familiar and new at the same time. It's easy to compare this to other books about socially adverse women trying to get out there but this one has a darker layer to it. The ending twist is upsetting and heavy for this type (and I'm not talking about the murder getting away the title clearly spoils). The book however never loses it's lighthearted humor. It's not so much focused on the mystery as on Lenny's character growth. Lenny and her cast of side characters are charming. I was rooting for Lenny to figure it out the whole time while watching her make cringe inducing mistakes.

Charming story. Solid debut.
4 stars.

Lenny Marks is a woman who is very awkward and routine driven. She has a bad past that she has blocked out. She starts to slowly come out of her shell and live her life.

This book reminds me of books like Elenor Oliphant is completely fine and Cassie in Reverse. And unfortunately, I wasn’t a huge fan. I was just bored honestly. If you like those mentioned books, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

I don’t think the writing was bad or anything but not much was happening. I thought it would be more of a cozy mystery or something but it wasn’t.

I did like Lenny and there was some humor sprinkled in. I was just a bit bored and probably won’t remember much of this book.

Thanks so much to netgalley and St. Martins Press for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

LENNY MARKS GETS AWAY WITH MURDER is cute, engaging mystery that will have you rooting for the protagonist from the very beginning. It's fairly obvious to the reader from early on that Lenny's memory of why her mother left her is not the truth (and there were moments when her denial felt a bit overwrought), but Lenny is an anxious, damaged, lovable protagonist. Readers won't want to put it down!

Lenny Marks was such a delightful and innocent character despite the trauma and challenges she faced as a child. I would characterize her as “neurodivergent” despite never seeing that label, or any label, placed upon her.

As an adult, Lenny is a teacher and enjoys her solitary life watching Friends at the home she referred to as “The Treehouse.” She lives by schedules and routines because they soothe and calm her - something that deeply resonated with me.

Part of her routine is shopping at the same place for her groceries where she developed a relationship with Nate. They share many interests making it easier for Lenny to talk to him.

At work, a few fellow teachers invite Lenny to a trivia night at a bar and Lenny hesitantly agrees to go. Frequently she uses her “roommate” and “friend” Monica to get out of plans or to make it seem like she has someone to hang out with on the weekends.

While at trivia night, Lenny learns Nate is the boyfriend of one of her coworkers which then makes Lenny question her growing friendship with him. Perhaps her coworker will be upset with her and Lenny would never do anything to intentionally to hurt someone else.

Lenny’s past catches up with her as she receives a letter asking her opinion of the impending release from prison of the step father whom was the cause of her trauma.

With her growing number of friends, Lenny is finding confidence she didn’t know previously possess. Will that allow her to face her past? Or will the trauma of her past cause additional trauma in her future?

I feel this really should have been called Lenny Marks the Brave or Lenny Marks the Warrior.

This was much more serious than I had expected and I absolutely loved it! I truly hope to read more about Lenny Marks in the future! I highly recommend this for those who enjoy books including neurodivergent characters, characters who overcome challenges, and those who enjoy domestic dramas and mysteries. A solid four star read which, for me, means I HIGHLY recommend checking it out!

I’m appreciative of being able to both read and listen to the story! The narrator really brought the story to life and brought a wonderful voice to Lenny!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoys this book. It was wonderfully written, made me cry a couple of times with compassion and empathy and yet had some underlying humor written in the intricacies of the interactions between characters. Lenny Marks gets away with murder is a completely different story, but has very similar vibes to Gail Honeyman’s “Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine”. There are twists and turns, and surprises woven throughout to keep you engaged and entertained. This continued my interest growing and I fell in love the realistic characters displayed in the pages.

Very well done book and I thoroughly enjoyed this read! It’s a great summer read for sure!

Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder is not a light story as the cover may portray. Lenny Marks is 37, single, and a schoolteacher. We learn early on that Lenny is neurodiverse. She struggles with social interactions and is happy living her very controlled, routine life. As the story progresses we learn about Lenny's past and the trauma she endured. While at first, Lenny appeared to me to be floundering. However, I came to see how strong, resilient, and how far she had come in creating her security. There are moments that are hard to read. Her co-workers do not treat her well and it really highlights how people treat those who are different poorly at times because they do not understand them.

Kerryn Mayne is a debut author and I am incredibly impressed with her writing. I will be watching for what she writes next.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you to @macmillanaudio for the ALC, and @stmartinspress for the eARC and physical ARC of Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder!

This novel was not at all what was I expecting, but it absolutely blew me away. Instead of a thriller this is a literary fiction (with a bit of mystery) that delves into one woman’s grief, mental health, and neurodivergence.

Lenny is such a great character, the references and way her brain operates were comforting, delightful and relatable. The side characters were incredibly well-done and I was so interested in Lenny as a character and even more than the central mystery, Lenny coming to terms with what happened/discovering it for herself.

With a blurb from Sally Hepworth and vibes of Emily Austin, this book is a must-read. The audio was wonderful, and this book was simply magnificent. I didn’t want it to end. I’ll certainly be reading the next outing from Kerryn Mayne.