I read the book and it was good but I just finished listening to it and it was fantastic. The read made the story so much more engaging and enjoyable. I prefer the audiobook over the paper version.

I loved Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder! Primary school teacher Lenny Marks is perhaps a touch unusual by most people’s standards, but she likes it that way. Her routines, habits, and structured lifestyle work for her, and she sees no issue with that. Throughout the book. Lenny begin to branch out, finding friends in different forms, breaking some of her self-constructed molds, and healing herself and growing along the way.
I adored the way neurodiversity was presented in this novel, in an endearing, and honest way. The way in which trauma was represented was heartfelt, and as individual in its fictional form as it is in reality. As an adorable bonus, Lenny’s affinity for Friends made her a relatable, millennial woman that I would be friends with as well.
I listened to the audiobook version of Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder. The narrator had a great tone, and it almost felt like a friend telling me a crazy story. It was clear when she was differentiating between characters (without being a cheesy version of a female doing a male’s voice!). Overall, Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder was a very comfortable listen! Highly recommend!

4 stars

This is a great debut, and I'm already interested in reading more from this author. Also, the audiobook narration is excellent, so I recommend this version when and where accessible.

Lenny Marks, the titular m.c., is giving Eleanor Oliphant, Sally Diamond, and Molly the Maid in that she's a quirky individual with some heavy notes from the past. While there are dark elements of this novel, Mayne maintains a relatively upbeat tone throughout, and that's one of several ways in which this book departs from the aforementioned related examples.

Lenny's limited social prowess keeps her in more amusing than vicariously painful situations, and her lack of awareness in specific areas really does come off as authentic versus somewhat daft. Her bobbles, along with the inclusion of some worthy secondary characters, also make for a nicely paced effort.

I enjoyed this read and look forward to what Mayne offers up next.

Lenny is a quirky, single 37-year-old teacher, who suffers from childhood trauma.

When Lenny's stepfather is released from prison, dark suppressed secrets emerge from her past and her carefully constructed world falters.

Although this book received stellar reviews, it never resonated with me.

WHY?

1) I was waiting to be charmed by a Molly the Maid/Eleanor Oliphant-type character but that never happened.
😭😭😭
(I did love the references to the show "Friends", though!)
2) The pacing of the book was waaay too slow.

I listened to the audiobook read by Annie Maynard, who did a superb job with the narration.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.

I did listen to the audiobook and I liked the narrator! I thought the voice was clear and the tone was good.

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

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!

First of all, I’m giving this ten million stars.

When I was looking for a copy of the cover of the book, I came across a few reviews. I think the naysayers are missing the mark(s). (Dad pun intended.) For the record, I need to establish that Kerryn Mayne should not be pigeonholed as an Australian crime writer. Sure, she is a proud Aussie, but her book transcends continental divides. And, yes, there is a crime. As with geography, this text goes well beyond the shoot ‘em up, knock ‘em dead, run from the law tropes of that genre to be a book about a life defensively lived. As a teacher, I often wonder about the events that have shaped my students. Each action, each decision, each incident surrounding a child inevitably serves to scrape away at or add to the sculpting of their identities. Mayne has done a remarkable job of helping us to understand Lenny. The pacing was languid enough to help me understand the nuances of Lenny’s behavior while being engaging enough to keep me reading. There are plenty of comparisons to Rosie or Eleanor, but Lenny isn’t either of those characters. Mayne does a remarkable job of making Lenny uniquely Lenny. She also nails the impact of trauma on children. She takes many difficult moments and weaves them together in a way that brings a depth of understanding without being maudlin or macabre about the most important topics. (A little macabre never hurt a book.) I loved this so much that I’m going to go back and listen to it again.
Thanks, @netgalley & @kerrynmayneauthor

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.

I loved this book. It was such a quick listen and Lenny Marks is just the sweetest character. There was a lot going on in this book and then sometimes it felt like nothing at all, but I loved the pace and the whole vibe of it.
Lenny has come from trauma and her lifestyle shows it. She is very guarded and keeps to herself. Her best friends are chandler, Monica, Phoebe, Rachel, Ross, and Joey…if you catch my drift.
I honestly want to stop there because I don’t want to give any part of this enchanting story away.
It’s a good book. I feel like it has everything. Read it.
Thank you netgalley for the AAC!

So much more than a "mystery", this novel is an engrossing story with a unique and wonderful protagonist that I found myself rooting for more and more with turn of the page. I'm sure this one will be compared to The Maid by Nita Prose, and there are some similarities to be sure. But Lenny is a character all onto her own, and her backstory is both sad and compelling.

I alternated the ebook with the audiobook and found the narration excellent -- very in keeping with the tone of the book. Highly recommended.

Emotional and funny novel about a neurodivergent woman coming to terms with her traumatic past. “The Maid” and “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” come to mind and fans of those books will definitely want to check this one out. Lenny is a great character and I was definitely rooting for her the whole way.

What a wonderful debut novel! I found this book to be well written and thought provoking. Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder also evokes emotion. I could not help but root for Lenny the entire book. This book was equal parts entertaining, captivating, and hard to put down. I love having a character to root for and Lenny fits the bill!

Lenny Marks is such an interesting character. She is a teacher who enjoys solitude, order, and routine. She has things she enjoys doing such as watching Friends, playing Scrabble, and utilizing self-soothing word games/anagrams in times of stress. When a letter arrives from the parole board addressed to Helena Winters, Lenny's life of order begins to get messy.

"You did this."

As the plot unfolds, more and more of Lenny's past comes to light. Lenny was raised by foster parents after she suffered loss and trauma in her childhood. As Lenny tries to make changes in her life, I cheered her on with a smile on my face. This book had me thinking of the quote from Winnie the Pooh “You’re braver than you believe and stronger and smarter than you think.” It is hard to make changes, begin relationships/friendships, and Lenny made a tremendous effort in her own unique way while memories of her past began to surface.

As I mentioned, I did a lot of feeling and cheering for Lenny throughout the book. I enjoyed her journey and growth throughout the book. There were some twists and turns along the way which made for an enjoyable read. If you enjoy books where characters grow, overcome, and are resilient, then this book might be for you!

I'll say it again, this was a wonderful debut novel which had me feeling all kinds of emotions. I look forward to more books by Kerryn Mayne in the future. I also appreciate how the author tackled difficult subjects in this book.

*I had both the book and audiobook version of this book and thought the narrator of the audiobook did a great job bringing this book to life.

Unfortunately, this audiobook missed the mark for me. I also tried reading the ARC and couldn't finish it. The writing felt a little fractured and I just didn't really care about any of the characters, which is unusual for me. I may revisit this book when I am in a different head space to see I change my mind. Thanks to NetGalley and the author!

This is a VERY solid debut novel. It is well written and has an excellent cast of characters. I really enjoyed Lenny as a character and I think would be perfect for fans of Finlay Donovan or the Thursday Murder Club which are in the cozy mystery genre. It's a book with a mystery that is interesting, but also is pretty character driven as we learn more about Lenny and what has lead her to make certain decisions in life. I definitely enjoyed her character arc.

I'm hoping this is a successful book and becomes a series! Definitely would love to read more about Lenny!

Lenny Marks is a fifth grade teacher, a rule follower, and a bit of a loner who likes to watch episodes of Friends. She likes her life and keeps a bit of distance from others until one day she steps out with fellow educators for a Trivia Night. She enjoys her evening and helps the group knowing so many answers. She even rescues a dog she sees being abused. Life is good for Lenny, until... she finds out her stepfather is being released from prison. Muddled memories start to come back. She begins to question what is real and what isn't. The reader doesn't fully know what is going on but the writing compelled me to keep reading to know what happened in Lenny's past.

As I read this, I thought of fellow Aussie Sally Hepworth's books; and as I read the Author's Note, I learned that Sally encouraged author Kerryn Mayne to write this book! It was a story that kept me turning the pages (and listening to the wonderful Australian narration) to figure out what happened.

I learned about this author from author Emma Grey (The Last Love Note) who shared in an author chat other Australian authors she recommended. A great debut from Kerryn Mayne!

My thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillian Audio for advanced copies of the e-book and audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC of this title in exchange for my honey review.

To be honest I accidentally requested this audiobook when I was late night looking for a few audio books to set me up for a few days, but I am glad I did.

The narration was well delivered. I always enjoy International (to me) books where so can hear other accents. It really adds to the enjoyment when reading a book outside of my country (US) and allows you to be present geographically.

It took me a bit to full start paying attention as the beginning was slow. A lot of the book is just describing Lenny’s day to day as her life. While it never says it outright, she is written as an autistic individual and the plethora of stereotypes that go along with it. I’m not sure how I feel about using neurodivergency as a literary trope as it gives a very skewed picture of an individual. But I guess at least there is representation?

Over all the book was enjoyable. There are some possible triggering topics as she unfolds her past.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

This is the story of Lenny Marks, a school teacher who had created a very small world for herself with her routines. Why she is this way is told throughout the novel. Don't let the name and the cover fool you; this is a serious book with a character to root for. If you liked Elinor Oliphant, you my love this one.