So glad I requested a copy of this ARC; I had totally forgotten about this author, after having read several of her books ages ago. What a welcome surprise, like reuniting with an old friend!
The storyline moved right along, the characters were engaging & I enjoyed this tale greatly. Thanks for this opportunity, Netgalley.

I had high hopes for this book, the description hooked me right away and the story took off like a shot. But about a third into it, I realized this book wasn’t for me. The protagonist is not someone I could ever root for, because her characteristics that caused her more problems (selfish entitlement, lying, etc) are never overcome or acknowledged. The plot we are presented is not the one that is in this book, it veers off into a million different things and I felt I was on a wild goose chase. The romance was forced, and there really isn’t one female relationship that is healthy. The only relationship I liked from this was the father/daughter one, their interaction is what kept me from putting this book down halfway. At the end of the day, I’m sure there is an audience for this book, but I cringed too many times to recommend it.

What initially got me interested in the book was the cover and then the description intrigued me even more. However,-- I know I'm in the minority here-- but I did not find this book all that interesting or funny and I really wanted too. I struggled to get into the writing and while I know Daphne is supposed to be kind of unlikable, I just didn't care too much about her or her life. I do think this was more of the case that the book was not for me rather than the fact that the book was bad.

Review based on ARC from Netgalley

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this Elinor Lipman book. This is a quirky romantic comedy, or maybe journey of self discovery filled up with some ridiculously funny situations. I am not sure I liked the main character, Daphne, but I guess the point is that Daphne is not so sure she likes herself. In discarding an old yearbook that her late mother annotated Daphne opens a can of worms that leads to discoveries that change not only her view of her mother, but also herself.

I love Lipman's books and was looking forward to this as one of the publishing highlights of 2019. However, it fell completely flat for me. At her best, Lipman's writing has enough heart to balance out the less becoming quirks of her characters. Here, that heart was missing. Instead, the book centers around an unpleasant, more than little self-obsessed young, aimless divorcee who is trying to make sense of her dead mother's past while remaining oblivious to everyone around her.

The supporting characters were wonderful but the plot felt a little aimless so, without a compelling protagonist, it was a sad letdown.

This is simply not my type of book. I just couldn't get myself to care about the characters or what they were doing. I see that some people loved it and that's great. If every book appealed to everyone, life would be boring. Maybe I'll try reading it again later. They say tastes change.

This was the first book I've read by Lipman and it was pretty good. Good riddance is a zany, entertaining read about how much trouble a yearbook can cause. Daphne's mother left her a 1968 yearbook, in which she had made all sorts of notations about the people. Daphne throws it out, only to have an enterprising neighbor retrieve it and the trouble ensues. THe neighbor uses it for her own selfish devices and adds to the mayhem, but Daphne gets the book back, but that's not the end of her plight. Eventually the yearbook leads to a closer relationship,with her family, a different hallway neighbor, and a career opportunity. A fun way to fill an afternoon and perhaps readers will think twice about writing in a yearbook.

This book is exactly what I have come to expect from Elinor Lipman, a fun, fast-paced romantic comedy filled with quirky characters. I think it is the perfect sort of book to pick up on a vacation or break, when readers are looking for something good but not too intense.

Loved it! Huge fan of Elinor Lipman and I love her books. This was no exception. I loved the characters, story and writing style. The whole book revolves around an old yearbook that belonged to Daphne’s mom. This yearbook causes many problems and eventually long hidden secrets are revealed. The yearbook ends up in the wrong hands because Daphne decides to declutter her apartment and recycles her mom’s beloved book. It took me a while to like Daphne, but I found her very funny, especially when she would describe her ex-husband and when she ran into Holdy at the restaurant. I loved Daphne’s dad, Thomas. They talked about everything and nothing seemed off limits. I wouldn’t mind Jeremy living next to me. Then there was Geneva. Her whole project seemed more like something you would read in a tabloid than a documentary.

I definitely recommend the book. The characters are witty and made me laugh many times. I can’t believe a yearbook would cause so many issues.

Thanks to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and the author, Elinor Lipman for a free electronic ARC of this novel.

Elinor Lipman's character driven style is reminiscent of Jane Austen. In Good Riddance she shares the story of a daughter who learns more about her mother than she beginners for.

Good Riddance was a fun romp with entertaining characters and story line. Taking place in NYC and rural NH made for a humorous mix of characters.

An enjoyable, light hearted read. Full of interesting and funny characters and is a real page turner. The writing was strong and the story interesting. A nice read for a holiday!

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I found this charming and funny. I'm not sure I like the aggressively honest neighbor who took the yearbook. I thought there was potential for entertaining stories coming from the yearbook. More to add as I continue to read!

This book was everything that I was looking for. A perfect palette cleanser, and a wonderful book for any sort of holiday - whether it be Christmas break, summer vacation, or a cozy weekend in the mountains, Lipman delivers a lighthearted and fun story with characters that you want to root for.

Thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book in advance in exchange for an honest review!

Daphne lives in NYC and is currently unemployed and divorced after a very short marriage. Her mother died a year ago and left her a yearbook which she threw in her building's recycling. A wanna-be documentary film maker on her floor found it and wants Daphne's help figuring out the importance of the yearbook. Daphne discovers some surprising info after attending a school reunion with her neighbor and tries desperately to keep it from seeing the light, enlisting the help of her across the hall neighbor.

It was an interesting and cute story. I was intrigued and kept reading to find out what would happen. Quite entertaining with a relatively happy ending.

I'm not a big fan of black comedies, and this book reads like a black comedy. Because of that, I wasn't as interested in the main storyline of the book, but really enjoyed the side stories, which had more of a romantic slant. The main character, Daphne, is a little scattered and I'm not sure I would want her as a neighbor. I loved hearing about her relationship with the father that raised her and would have liked to have known more about her relationship with her mother, given the basis of this story.

This is a well written book, although a little too quirky for me. It was entertaining and a quick read. I can definitely see it appealing to readers.

Daphne has received her mother's 1968 yearbook (from her will) which was updated and maintained through the years by her mother. Her mother loved to attend class reunions and wrote comments about everyone who attended. Daphne did not see that it was something that she needed to hang on to so she put it into the recycle bin at her apartment building. A quirky neighbor who loves to scavenge the bin finds it and refuses to give it up. The neighbor sees herself as a documentary filmmaker and wants to use it as the basis of a film. Elinor Lipman is a good writer, I just found this book to have little substance with a plot that was not really something that I liked.

Good Riddance by Elinor Lipman will be available February 5, 2019 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

This was my first Elinor Lipman book I've read and I can understand the attraction to her characters and her writing. She puts together a nice and light hearted story that I would classify as a good palate cleanser. Nothing too serious, but entertaining.
Daphne Maritch is a small town girl living in NYC. Her mother passed away about a year ago, she is recently divorced by a man that is a serial cheater and she now is becoming a chocolatier. When her mother leaves her a prized possession in her will, her yearbook, Daphne has no clue why she would leave this to her and gets rid of it to declutter her small NYC apartment. What happens after is full of fun, laughs and some light entertainment. And perhaps a bit of a love story thrown in for some well-deserved characters.

An enjoyable, quirky, summer read type book. Nothing too intense, but fun and entertaining with characters that you want to root for. Even the villain isn't so villainous, but you definitely want to stick around and see what happens next. Fast paced and loved the headings to each chapter. Original storyline that will leave you feeling good when all is said and done. 3.5 stars

Thank you #Netgalley for my ARC

Daphne Maritch, finally free of Pickering, New Hampshire and stupid mistakes made even here in NYC, has read that book about decluttering your home and hugging your stuff to see if they bring you joy or hate or painful memories that may lead to eating a pint of ice cream with a half cup of bourbon on top. This will then lead you to the trash or recycle bins in the basement of your apartment building to throw out all the meaningless stuff you’ve collected, including the yearbook your mother left you in her will, God knows why, of the Class of 1968 from Pickering NHHS, her first teaching job right after college, that they dedicated to her, their yearbook advisor!
Worst are the notes and comments she added over the next 30 years after going to every one of the class’s reunions. Included within is a system of letters by each person’s picture indicating Marriage, Divorce, Skinny, Fat, Bald, etc. I mean, who does this?!
Satisfied with the free, clean space in her tiny apartment, Daphne’s bliss is ruined several days later by a note slipped under her door from a neighbor she hardly knows. Some Geneva person, retrieved, no stole her mother’s yearbook out of the recycle bin and now wants to discuss with Daphne!
The foundation of, “Good Riddance” is the sweet story above, told to the reader in snarky, funny and often snorting good laughter, (as in piggy laugh) dialog. Geneva Wisenkorn, is the neighbor from down the hall, whose social boundaries do not exist. Daphne’s responses to her are priceless and the sort you want to remember for when you are in any situation with an aggressive, no-nonsense person. (I bet one pops to mind right now!)
The only tidbit I’ll tell you now is that Geneva wants to make a documentary about the people in the yearbook, especially Daphne’s mother. Oh, and Geneva will not give Daphne the yearbook back; employing grade school rules: say it with me, “Finders Keepers.”
If I say any more, I would ruin three-fourths of the book for you. I can’t do that, really it gets better and better. You’ll meet Jeremy, an actor who lives across the hall from Daphne, and is sympathetic to her cause with Geneva. Also, her father, Frank Maritch, now a widow, all around good guy and former HS principal at that HS in Pickering, NH. He moves to NYC and starts phase two of his life as well. Think of him as the Tom Hanks of this book.
Those are the main characters, but you’ll meet a few more who will play some surprising roles in our funny little story. The plot is very good, all characters well developed, very well developed; and I was never bored.
I recommend this book for a lively, enjoyable read!

Thank you NetGalley, Houghton, Mifflin Harcourt, and Elinor Lipman

I received an advance ebook copy from NetGalley.

Other reviewers have provided fairly detailed synopses, and I will not repeat their efforts here.

The book is well-written and has enough unusual characters and situations (I don't believe I've ever read a novel with a Montessori teacher in it) to keep me turning the pages, or, rather, swiping the screen. The plot got more and more absurd as it went along, and like some other reviewers, I had difficulty rooting for any of the characters, except perhaps the piano teacher. The protagonist trashing--and then trying to retrieve--the one thing her late mother specifically wanted her to have did not endear her to me at all. Yes, I understand the challenges of a small living space, but really, how much space does an old high school yearbook take up?

Perhaps I've grown into too old a fogey to appreciate a story such as this. Even in my younger days, this protagonist would not particularly have resonated with me because she and I do not have a single thing in common. And even though they offer absolutely no mystery or intrigue and surely everyone pictured in them is dead by now, I have not gotten rid of my own mother's high school yearbooks.

Whether any given reader will find this book appealing is strictly a matter of taste. I appreciated the opportunity to read and review it, but it will not go onto my list of all-time favorites.