I enjoyed this book, though it was a little silly and predictable at times. The writing, still, was strong and the characters well illustrated. I would read more by this author in the future..

Elinor Lipman writes great young female heroes. I liked the characters and the urgency of the story, and I felt Lipman built up her writing style a lot in this book. I think I'd recommend to teens who like love, romance, self-sufficiency, and great writing.

This book, which I got as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review, was a light and unmemorable read – mostly fluff and silliness with a totally unlikable main character – definitely chick lit for the modern generation. It was well written in that it kept my interest and kept me reading.

There were aspects that didn’t make any sense at all such as the revelation of the newly elected state senator after silence for however many years. I didn’t care for the total disregard by our protagonist of her dead mother’s wishes and gifts. I guess it was a generational thing.

I’m giving 3 stars because it was well written – I just didn’t like the story or the main character.

This book isn't for me! But I'm sure there is an audience for it. I was drawn to the description but the book didn't hook me like I hoped it would.

This book was not at all what I expected it to be, but I still enjoyed it. The yearbook issue was a bit random as was the wacky neighbor.

I am a huge fan of Elinor Lipman, but I don't think this book is her best work. It's pleasant and well written, but never deeply engaged--for me. Under the fluff is a story of a woman who is discovering the reality of her parents' lives and navigating her own adulthood. Any book by Elinor Lipman is worth reading and so is Good Riddance. It felt like "chick lit" with the daffy Daphne and her romantic interest, but there is humor and subtle depth. The relationship between Daphne and her father was the most fully realized.

This was a funny, light and entertaining read. I loved the whole premise surrounding the year-book and the reunion. Lots of quirky characters!

Thank you Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with an egalley.

Writing: 3 Plot: 3 Characters: 3.5

Daphne Maritch inherits one thing from her recently deceased mother: a 1968 High School Yearbook with regularly updated snarky marginalia. Newly divorced and living in a postage-stamp sized apartment in New York City, she tosses the tome and focusses on her “recovery project” — a course in chocolate making. However, thoroughly obnoxious neighbor, Geneva Wisenkorn, has another plan. Purporting to be documentary film maker (her main claim to fame is a Matzoh docudrama), Geneva has latched on to the yearbook (procured through dumpster-diving) as her path to fame and fortune. Thoroughly horrified, Daphne spends the book alternating between the shocking discoveries unearthed and trying to keep those discoveries quiet. She is helped by her father — whose move to New York fulfills a life long dream — and hunky across-the-hall neighbor, Jeremy, who plays a small part in the successful series Riverdale.

Entertaining and reasonably well-written with great humor. The plot is a little thin, and the characters are a little too stereotyped for my taste. We find out at the end that it’s really a (happy) love story though it doesn’t read that way from the start. I would have been a little happier if our heroine found something she actually wanted to do with her life rather than just find a boyfriend … but that was not to be.

I'm so torn here. On the one hand, I love the concept. It's unique, it's interesting, and the book is well-written.

On the other hand...it's really hard to care about Daphne. She threw the yearbook away when it was the one thing she got from her dead mother, and she did it barely a year after Mom passed. That's pretty cold. I'd have liked the book infinitely better if the yearbook were lost due to carelessness or thrown out by a friend by mistake or something. I hated that Daphne threw it away - partly because she completely loses the moral high ground by doing that. Most of her tension with Geneva comes from wanting the yearbook back, but she really didn't have any right to it.

<spoiler> The fact that she destroyed the yearbook at the end? UGH. No matter what Geneva did, Daphne's mom deserved better. I also kind of hated that, after all her fighting with Geneva over making a documentary or podcast, she creates her own one woman show. Especially when the acting classes were Jeremy's idea. He basically manipulated her. And I loathe that she lied to Peter at the end almost as much as I loathe the fact that he apparently believed her with no proof at all.</spoiler>

I liked the subplots with Jeremy (mostly) and Daphne's dad. Dad is probably the best character, especially at the end. The book was an enjoyable read. I just spent too much of it annoyed with Daphne, so I'm not sure I really could recommend it. I started out thinking 3 stars, but the more I type all the things I didn't like, the more I wonder if it should be 2. I wish I could give 2.5 stars.

**Review based on ARC from Netgalley**

As I have been working through this author's backlist, I was excited be granted this ARC. This premise is SO fun! A yearbook inherited by Daphne, thrown out by Daphne and rescued by wannabe documentary filmmaker Geneva starts all the chaos and tension of the wild ride.
The yearbook was dedicated to Daphne's mom June, the yearbook advisor, by the class of 1968. June seemed obsessed attending every reunion and writing snarky comments in the yearbook.
Madcap, slapstick are the adjectives that come to mind. I kept picturing some scenes as a movie and casting actors in my head.
I love these wackadoodle characters because they were multi dimensional, not one was 100% good or evil. And the situations the author drops them in provide hilarity, painful glimpses and an eye roll or two. Just like real life.
This one releases February 2019. If you are not fond of waiting, check out some of her backlist in the meantime.

A fun, fast-paced romantic comedy filled with quirky and eccentric characters.

Daphne Maritch's mother, Jane, has always had an inexplicable attachment to the 1969 Pinker High School graduating class. As the school's yearbook teacher adviser, Jane has gone to every reunion for the last three decades and when she dies, she explicitly wants Daphne to have her marked-up yearbook.

Daphne, seeing no value in the yearbook, promptly throws the book out but when an eager wannabe film maker finds the yearbook and wants to make a documentary film about Daphne's mother and the yearbook, Daphne is forced to look more closely at the significance of her mother's life-long obsession. Why was her mother so preoccupied with this specific graduating class and what do all the markings she made about the students mean?

What ensues is a comedy of errors starring a lovable but foot-in-mouth Daphne (think Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the BBC comedy Fleabag) and an equally delightful supporting cast of interesting characters that really enrich the story. While sometimes the writing seems a bit clunky and the ending felt a little rushed after a whirl-wind adventure, Good Riddance was a very enjoyable read for fans of Eleanor Oliphant by Gail Honeyman, Matthew Quick, and Plum Sykes.

I have to confess, Elinor Lipman has always been one of my favorite authors. In 1990 I read “And then she found me”, I have followed her since that time. In her latest, Daphne, an unemployed citizen of Hell’s Kitchen, is clearing out her tiny apartment. She comes across her mother’s 1968 high school yearbook and pitches it into the recycling. Unfortunately, it is claimed by a nosy neighbor/documentary filmmaker. The book covers the hilarious struggle to reclaim the yearbook in order to protect her father from the revelations about to be aired publicly. I always enjoyed Elinor Lipman’s books and can easily recommend all of her titles.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in return for an honest review.

Once again Lipman writes a novel unlike any other. How she finds her subject, decides on a plot—her motivation is wonderous. Although the novel wasn’t thrilling, crime filled, whatever her insight into characters is astounding. Great ending
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for giving the pre-publication opportunity to read for an unbiased review

Another wonderful Elinor Lipman novel ,had me laughing out loud and tearing up emotionally.When Daphne’s mother dies she leaves her a yearbook.Daphne throws it away not interested.Her neighbor notices it in the garbage looks through it and decides he wants to make a documentary out of it.Daphnes mother’s secrets will be revealed and the story& the fun. begins #netgalley #hmh #goodriddance.

Engaging and fun, Elinor Lipman does it again! Her heroine Daphne will have you laughing and tearing up all at once. With a unique premise and truly clever writing, this is one not to miss.

I've always wanted to read Elinor Lipman, since her books often come up on my recommended lists. I can say that after reading , Good Riddance, I could read her again. This book is quite simply a good vacation read. It's just light with a fun premise.
Daphne's mom has died. She was one of the most popular teachers in their small town in NH. Daphne has moved to NYC and in the process of decluttering , pitches her mom's prized yearbook from her first year of teaching. The yearbook reappears when a neighbor/filmaker finds it and wants to make a documentary based on the notes her mom has written in the yearbook after attending the reunions from the class of 1968s. Well , needless to say havoc follows and secrets unfold.

This book almost feels like a modern Jane Austen with the various social and family misfortunes. I would recommend this to someone who likes light, beach reads or just needs a break from the heavy stuff.

When Daphne’s mother passes away she leaves her a book that will lead her on an incredible journey. Her mother’s much beloved high school yearbook is a chronicle of her students, who got married, divorced, stayed single. Daphne has no idea of who exactly her mother was but she is on path to finding out. On the way she finds herself, and her father falls in love again. I love Elinor Limpan stories because the characters have such relatable reactions. I loved that Daphne was growing into an adult relationship with her father. It’s something that gives such insight into a character. Messy, insightful, and interesting.

I liked this book, however it was a bit repetitive at times. It did have a pretty good twist with her mother's beau at the reunion. Great women's fiction. I'm sure a lot of book clubs will be picking this one up!

This book was wonderful at first and then just lost its momentum. It became hard to read because nothing seemed to be happening. Normally enjoy this author but this one fell flat.

Meh. I didn't think it was nearly as amusing as other reviewers. The main character is pretty unlikeable (she is so rude for the majority of the story) but the book is compulsively readable. You could find a lot worse, but you could also find a hell of a lot better.