Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, @StMartinsPress and Netgalley @Netgalley for this ADC in exchange for an honest review.

She bikes home from work at exactly 4pm each day, buys the same groceries for the same meals every week, and owns thirty-six copies of The Hobbit (currently arranged by height). The closest thing she has to a friendship is playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Gellar while watching Friends reruns.

I instantly feel in love with Lenny! I loved the author's description of her and her quirkiness. In recent years, there have been a quite a few books that explore neuro diverse characters and I think Kerryn does an exceptional job with Lenny! I was shocked to learn that Kerryn Mayne was a debut author while looking for other books by her. The entire story was engaging, funny, emotional, and mysterious. My only critique was the length in getting there. There were parts that were repetitious and while they may have been intentioned to demonstrate Lenny's neuro diversity, I didn't feel it was necessary.

This was such a good book! I loved the characters, and their story. The dialogue was realistic and enjoyable. I was very surprised by the ending!

This is such a great debut novel by Kerryn Mayne. I actually thought it was going to be a much lighter read than it actually was, but in the end I adored Lenny Marks. At the end of the book I still wasn't sure whether Lenny's quirks were just her, or if they were a result of the extreme childhood trauma she experienced, but they all made Lenny who she was. The beginning was a slow start, and with not understanding the history of Lenny and her family, it did drag a little. However it definitely picked up and I flew through the last half of the book.

I really enjoyed all of the characters we were introduced with the exception of Amy and Ashley. They felt more like caricatures than real people, however that also could be attributed to the fact that we are reading this story from Lenny's POV and this is how she sees them. I loved how Lenny had a great support system, even if she didn't realize it until the end. When each layer is peeled away and you see everything she had endured as a child, it was really amazing that she was any type of functioning as an adult. She had been through so much in her life, it was amazing to see her growth and where she ended up. I also really enjoyed the anagrams throughout the story and how they would appear any time Lenny was feeling anxious or uncertain to help ground her.

I do think the ending wrapped up a little too neatly, but I loved that Lenny ended up with her little version of a HEA. It was a little sunshine after A LOT of hearbreak. Overall it was such a lovely story that I'm so glad I read.

Thanks to NetGalley and SMP for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lenny Marks is a loveable quirky schoolteacher with a traumatic past. By sticking to her strict routines, she has managed to suppress the memories of her youth. When her past starts to catch up to her, her whole life starts to change for better and for worse.

Lenny is such an endearing main character and the main supporting characters are all equally loveable. While this book deals with heavy themes, there is also redemption and hopefulness. This book made me smile at times but also made me want to cry.

This book reminded me a bit of Strange Sally Diamond and Eleanor Oliphant but was not as dark and with a more loveable main character.

I highly recommend this debut and look forward to her future books. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy.

Highly enjoyable and captivating. I had actually picked it up because the title made me think it was a comedy but it definitely wasn’t. And for a character driven book with just a touch of mystery, this one still did so well at keeping my attention and I had a hard time putting it down, rooting for Lenny the whole way.

Lenny is well portrayed as someone with both a lot of trauma because of an abusive stepfather and also is somewhere on the spectrum, so it adds to the character development and interactions she has with others, trying to sort thru daily interactions and idiosyncrasies, filtered thru her devastating childhood.

I loved the themes of friendship vs self-protection, and how some things get translated in our heads negatively then how easy it is to snowball it when we isolate ourselves or stay silent. I thought the writing style was also really good and enjoyed it quite a lot.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

What a great read! Lenny Marks is a quirky, and often awkward, woman who lives a life dictated by routine and thrives on the comforts of the known. She has trouble reading social cues and prefers the company of the tv show Friends over raucous social outings. Lenny is also hiding in plain sight of her complicated past.
Don't let the fun cover art mislead you. This book has some serious depth and covers some hard topics but somehow still manages to be heartwarming. This is a fantastic debut by Kerryn Mayne!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received a free copy of, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder, by Kerryn Mayne, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Lenny Marks keeps to herself and stays under the radar, until she gets a letter in the mail, which can change her whole life. I found this book to be a little oft putting. Lenny Marks is something else, very odd. I still do not not know if I liked the book though.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. The title alone made me want to read it. Lenny is 37, lives alone, works as a teacher and has a very controlled life. That's all about to change as her past starts to catch up to her. Parts of this book are very funny and parts (child and partner abuse) are very sad and were somewhat triggering for me. Overall a good book, but be aware of your possible trigger points.

3.5. If you loved Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine you will love this book as well. A somewhat socially awkward woman is a teacher who spends much of her time alone watching reruns of Friends and sticks to a routine. She was put in the foster system as a young child after her step dad kills her mother. The first part of this book was a bit slow for me and redundant at times but it really did pick up toward that latter part and became a very enjoyable book so rounded up. Some of the quirks this gal had drove me crazy though I have to say and I'm not a fan of the title.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kerryn Mayne and St Martin’s Press for the ARC.

I love this character so much. I enjoyed her voice and mannerisms and her view on the world. The pacing of the story was good as it revealed layers of the story a bit at a time, not unlike Lenny herself.

I enjoyed this so much I plan to read the other book by Kerryn Mayne.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.
It was a quick read for me; engaging and interesting. I really did t find it to be much of a mystery, but it definitely held my attention.

98% of this book i couldn't get into UNTIL THE BITTER END! So i leave with mixed emotions because i had wish there was a little extra spark in the middle of the book.

What can I say about Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder? I loved it. Once I had a chance to really sit down and read, I couldn’t get enough.

We follow Lenny as she hides from her past and is stuck in the monotony of her predictable life.

Lenny had the best character growth I’ve read in recent history. I really enjoyed her point of view and kept wanting to give her an air hug.

I’ll be honest, the resolution for Fergus rubbed me the wrong way because it didn’t make sense to me. But it’s a great book anyway.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

As a fan of Eleanor Oliphant, this had a similar vibe that was sweet and not patronizing. Lenny Marks was endearing and a dynamic character. The book definitely kept me interested, and I really was rooting for her by the end. The loose strings and questions that were introduced throughout the story was tied together really well, but I didn't love love the ending. It was definitely enjoyable, quirky, and interesting throughout. I would recommend it!

Thank you Penguin Books Australia and NetGally for providing me with a free copy of this book to review!

This was written in a stilted way that I think was supposed to be evocative but really read as condescending. I found it tedious to read despite the story being fairly interesting. It felt like it was written to cash in on the popularity of books with neurodivergent main characters to me, it felt flat and kind of glib.

I loved every minute of reading this book! I highlighted many passages with words of wisdom to live by. The book was similar to Elinor Oliphant, but fresh enough to distinguish itself. Lenny's story of resilience was powerful and heartwarming.

Lenny Marks is a tough character to bond with. Her violent childhood has left her quirky and isolated at 38. She copes by rearranging letters in a word when stressed and creating a fictional history including her new name. She functions as a grade school teacher with a well planned, well laid out schedule. Her contact with Ned at the grocery store is her twice weekly attempt at socializing. When her step-father is released on parole after 25 years, Lenny has to face her past if she hopes to improve her future.

This novel is well-written, and flows smoothly. It is set in Australia.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This book initially sounded very interesting to me, however I had a hard time getting into it.

This book was quite unexpected. It started off kind of slow, and Lenny is not normally one that I would be drawn to. She reminds me too much of myself when I was younger - putting up with almost anything to be liked, and ignoring all signs that you really aren't. As the book continued though, Lenny started growing. She opened herself up to new people and experiences, and really put herself out there.

Of course, when you put yourself out there, you may find yourself in odd situations - such as animal abuse, stalkers, and even murder. You might find that memories you long ago buried slowly come to the front of your mind. You might find that things in your past that you thought happened didn't really happen. Lenny encounters all of these things and many more.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, though it did take me longer to get into it than it usually does. The story is interesting and so are the characters. There are a lot of applicable trigger warnings for this book, mostly along the lines of abuse, violence, and animal abuse. Good news though - the dog doesn't die!

If you liked Eleanor Oliphant or The Maid you'll enjoy this story. It is very long and very detailed and you will get to truly live out Lenny's life with her. At times it feels to drag on and at other times you think you've reached the climax only to realize there is much more to this story. I was drawn to Lenny and felt protective of her. I was saddened by the events she had to endure. She felt very human and very real which is a testament to the writing for sure. It's not a lighthearted read despite the moments that make you giggle. Overall, I enjoyed it.