This one sneaks up on you. You might think you have it all figured out… but you don’t.. This plot is far more clever than you think.

A bit slow at times. I liked it overall but was also disappointed a bit that the ending kind of left you hanging. There's this subtle reveal but I'd have liked a bit more conclusiveness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an E-ARC of A Tidy Ending, scheduled for release on August 2nd.

After a shocking event has ripple effects for Linda and her mother, they're forced to leave Wales and move somewhere no one knows their history. Decades have passed since then and the days have remained quiet, leaving Linda to wonder if this is all there is. Constantly tidying up after her slovenly husband. Preparing a routine of mundane dinners. Bus rides to visit her passive-aggressive mother. She can't help but think about a different life every time a glamorous magazine addressed to the former tenant is placed inside the mail slot. If she could just track down that tenant, maybe she too could have that lifestyle. Maybe, if she had that lifestyle, she wouldn't have to answer questions about her husband in conjunction with the missing women..

Reading this novel and Hurricane Girl back to back, I couldn't help but think about the similarities between the two narrators. Both incredibly perceptive individuals, filled with delightfully dark comedic thoughts that kept me invested and turning the pages to see how things would unfold. Two endings that made the payoff worth it. I couldn't help but smile at the end of A Tidy Ending. While it was initially slow to get off the ground, the threads came together neatly.

A story filled with wonderfully unconventional characters who seem to fit a bit outside of the box, but live a quiet and relatively conventional life in a relatively small and quiet suburban community until news breaks about what they will soon come
to believe is a serial killer. Thank to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy really enjoyed this one

A terrific read. Totally unputdownable with an amazing ending. Very well written and filled with interesting characters. Another Net Galley book for my Book Club. Thank you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a formulaic thriller with a seemingly harmless, unreliable narrator? Do you like a slow book that reliably builds to a single conclusion, but peppers in red herrings?

Pre-reading:
I know nothing about this book, but my mom picked it at random off my to read shelf. Ooo Samantha Hunt read her.

Thick of it:
People picking their own versions of facts is part of the reason America is such a mess right now. Who has an egg and fries for dinner? If they have identical handwriting and they’re trying to make Terry suspicious, she’s obviously the murderer and is gonna frame him. Kinda bored by this book. I normally like unreliable narrators, but this one’s just kind of cuntish. Why do old people always describe it as being lost in a computer screen, or a phone, or something? It’s not lost; you’re actively doing something, usually learning something, and getting more than you would just sitting there in person. Feel like leather wouldn’t really crash on concrete. Okay girl, that’s a UK 9. I’m a US 10. Lemme tell you about boat-feet. I mean bins are almost $20 at Walmart. It’s not that I’m attached; I just don’t want the hassle or expense of buying another one. I’m so tired of reading about other women judging each other’s makeup and how it’s always superior to wear less. Fuck off. This book is so slow. It’s impossible to suspend disbelief when people guess other people’s passwords when in real life, there’s usually a number involved or a special character to the point that the creator can’t even guess it anymore. I am halfway through and painfully bored. Are we not supposed to assume Rebecca is the girl her dad raped? Bc I’m boredddd. The Ford Fiesta is some serious dystopian naming. I’m so confused if I’m supposed to like her as a narrator or not see this coming? It’s not even satisfying to “be right” when I had to wait this long for the confirmation. You’ve got maybe two chapters to tell me whether I’m right or put me onto another theory before it’s painful to read.

Post-reading:
I fundamentally do not understand how you don’t see this ending from a mile off. It’s so formulaic that they tell you in the third chapter. That’s gross. And yeah, I feel like the general public is going to read this and rave about it just like they did The Silent Patient. I don’t like when I know the ending immediately and then have to suffer through a book to be told I’m correct. I don’t think it’s clever. I think it’s extremely far-fetched as a concept, not in that the ending doesn’t make sense with the rest of the book, but just what evidence is created/cited within the book. The book practically spoonfeeds the “twist” to you. This book doesn’t have a single likable character. And dear god, it’s boring, and it drags. It’s extremely repetitive. Being what it is I like the cover and I like the title; they’re very fitting to the concept. I don’t like the book. It’s not that the book doesn’t fit together. It’s that I want the book to be something else entirely. If you boil the book’s concept down to a maid frames others for her murders, then it’s a good concept, but I don’t like the direction that the author took. Somehow the writing isn’t offensively bad or anything, but at no point did I ever want to be reading this book.

Who should read this:
People who like “twist” endings. Quotation marks there for a reason.
Formulaic thriller fans

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides-red herring formulaic thriller with a “twist” ending
* The Guest List by Lucy Foley-red herring formulaic thriller with a “twist” ending
* The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman-older narrators, red herring thriller, “twist” ending
* The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn-unreliable narrator, character’s hidden past trauma impacts perception
* Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-unreliable narrator triggers the twist ending

Not what I was expecting at all. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though I was expecting a bit more of a thriller. The great part about Cannon's writing is the characters. Each is unique and intriguing and you want to get to know them just a bit more.

5/5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Linda is a simple, unassuming suburban wife who passes her days thumbing through catalogs addressed to her home’s previous owner - a woman apparently more glamorous than Linda - picking up after and cooking for her husband Terry, and working at the local thrift shop. When a killer begins murdering young women in Linda’s neighborhood, it does insert a bit of commotion into Linda’s otherwise dull life because the entire town is buzzing about who the perpetrator could be and where he might strike next. So what is Linda, a woman who notices and catalogs even the most minute details, to do when she begins to suspect her husband of something nefarious? He is keeping odd hours, showering immediately when he gets home, and discarding some of his most favorite possessions - is it possible he is the killer?

Joanna Cannon’s A Tidy Ending is an unusual story filled with unconventional characters, reminiscent of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Convenience Store Woman. Linda is a quirky, awkward lead, and is the type of person who doesn’t pick up on rather obvious social clues, leaving her behaving badly in a variety of situations. Threaded throughout this narrative of Linda’s mundane days is a murder mystery, which begins to consume Linda and her neighbors’ lives. Linda distracts herself by tracking down her home’s previous owner and inappropriately inserting herself in her life … which is where this story really gets interesting. Is the lonely Linda off her rocker or is she just desperate for friendship and distraction?

A Tidy Ending is for readers who enjoy a story that feels “different,” with characters who are not mainstream or even arguably likable. While the novel does move slowly at times, plodding through Linda’s every errant thought, the payoff is big at the end, with some twists that you may or may not see coming depending on how observant you are and how well you string clues together.

This book is about a couple and their issues with the outside world and hoarding. If you like the shoe hoarders read this book

Thanks so much to the publisher and Net Galley for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Quirky story about Linda a frumpy lonely woman in midlife who is the “Queen of Denial” despite having some rather sharp observations about life. Linda is married to Terry who either ignores her, mansplains her or demeans her. Her mother does likewise. There is some complicated history there, as a major traumatic incident in her childhood with her father led to shame and exodus.
Currently, Linda works at at a charity shop for something to do, besides housework where she imagines she might one day make a friend.

Her life changes dramatically when she begins receiving junk mail addressed to the previous occupant of her house, who lives a much more glamorous life. She imagines that she and Rebecca “will get on like a house on fire” so she stalks her until she meets her. They develop a relationship, but not the one one Linda imagines.
The other plot thread is a serial killer on the loose attacking young women, and Linda’s husband starts acting suspiciously.
Despite all this, tTe pacing was a bit slow for my taste, with Linda alternating between pitiful and infuriating. Though it is obvious pretty quickly that Linda is the classic unreliable narrator, there is a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. However. after plodding along for 95% of the book with obtuse Linda who interprets nearly every social interaction confidently AND incorrectly, it feels forced and unlikely.

This was a hard book to rate. I think it deserves 4 stars for very talented, clever writing but I wouldn’t say I got 4 stars of enjoyment out of it. It took me awhile to get into it, partly because the characters are difficult and not especially likable (though we’ll-written). I guessed part of the twist pretty early on but I was still surprised by the ending and Cannon did a great job of setting everything up.

Linda is a GREAT character. Is she a villain? Is she a victim? She’s written with such skill. This is another book that would be great for a book club discussion.

Interesting Story! I thought the writing was great and it kept me engaged enough to follow the story. It sense a twist coming up, but I didn't guess the ending so that's a plus! I would recommend to pick up!

This was a really great book. I found the story to be really enjoyable and I had a great time reading it. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.

This review is hard for me to write because I'm still not sure exactly where I fall on this story. The main character, Linda reminds me of a mix of Eleanor Oliphant from "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" and Molly from "The Maid". It also gave me tiny hints of Finlay Donovan is Killing It vibes based mostly on the cozy mystery aspect.

Linda is a very unique and quirky character with quite a lot of baggage from a previous life she escaped in Wales. She now lives in a small town with her husband where murders start happening out of nowhere. Everyone is a suspect and everyone in the town seems a little mysterious and shady.

I do think parts of this story were overly convoluted and wish some things were left out. The ending wasn't wrapped up in a nice bow, which is usually fine, but I'm still a little confused and I had to focus really hard. The last line did blow my mind though, so take that for what it's worth.

I expected to love this one and am bummed I didn't enjoy it was much as I wanted to. If you've read this, please reach out to me to talk about the ending! Because it was not "A Tidy Ending" LOL

Thank you so much to Scribner for the chance to read and review this book prior to release. It will be available for purchase on August 2, 2022!

3.5 Stars rounded up for GR

A tidy ending was a wonderful book that Joanna Cannon wrote, to really engage her audience and make them feel more than the average novel would. I enjoyed it and know others will too!

This book was received as an advance review copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Seldom does one find a not-so-typical protagonist that keeps you wondering whether you like their character or not. Linda Hammett belongs to this group in this mystery whodunnit tale with a not-so-tidy ending.

Synopsis
Linda Hammett lives in a small town with her husband Terry. She works in a charity shop and loves to keep things clean. Trying to come to terms with a troubled childhood, she still misses her father and feels misunderstood by her mother. Asocial by nature, she struggles to make friends and tries really hard to understand social cues that might help her blend in.
Her monotonous life is changed when she sees the glossy magazines meant for the previous tenant of her house. Looking at a life very different from her own on the magazine’s pages she starts wondering about the previous tenant and her life. She hides all this from Terry, whom she is not particularly fond of. When another girl goes missing in their town where a previous murder has recently happened everyone’s life in the quiet neighborhood is affected as rumors and gossip run rife.
As she starts noticing things out of ordinary about Terry, the townspeople realize they possibly have a serial killer among them.

What’s to like
Linda’s character is an interesting one. As the story progresses, we get to know more about her and about things that make her different. She is not always likable, but the reader sympathizes with her. While the book has some parts that make you want to skim quickly, the story keeps you wanting to know what happens next.
The ending makes this book a great read and surprises the reader when you finally connect the dots.

What’s not to like
The novel like most books has a few pages where the story seems a bit of a drag and you need to push yourself to keep reading, but it is worth it in the end. Everything does not come together neatly in the end. The reader must think back to the story and make sense of the whodunnit part which has its charm in a mystery novel but can seem a bit annoying at first.

Rating:4.5

Linda has an ordinary life, on an ordinary estate. But when young women start being murdered locally, her life is upended.

It’s incredibly difficult to review A Tidy Ending without giving away spoilers, so I’m going to keep this short. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Also yes. I found some of the early chapters slow going but the pay off is more than worth it. Overall 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Two stars is for books I didn't enjoy reading. I wanted to give up several times, because Linda's musings and what Mother might make of it... it just wasn't for me. Would something significant happen? Something that would lift the socially awkward or socially challenged Linda from her drab existence?

The thing is, dear reader (if you read the book, you'll understand this), trying to finish this book felt like doing homework. I kept hoping for a dramatic surprise making it all worthwhile. Yet the somewhat surprising twist in the end could not convince me. Flimsy, loose ends, inconsistencies... not for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

If you can imagine Gone Girl with an English middle aged suburban socially awkward woman replacing the glamorous New Yorker then that will give you an idea of what to expect from this novel.

It’s an absolute gem. We suspect from the start that the narrator isn’t entirely reliable but are sweat along with her nonetheless and the book is darkly hilarious. Recommended.

This was a quick, fun read! There were quite a bit of slow parts and there were times where I was bored, but the twist at the end solidified me enjoying the book overall.