I am a big Joanna Cannon fan. Her writing is so descriptive making you completely visualise the characters and scenes. This book had some surprises and some real laugh out loud moments. I’d recommend especially if you want something easy and quick to read.

A Joanna Cannon book is always welcome in my reading list and this was a great read.
She has a way with the quirky ways and strangeness of people that is never parody or stereotype. All through the book I wondered about our narrator, Linda, and was hooked.
Linda and Terry have been married for several years and have drifted into a stale mundane relationship. Linda likes things just so, Terry couldn't care less about walking through the house in his work boots.
Girls' bodies have been found. People are scared to go out.
Part murder mystery, part character study this is my idea of a fantastic read.

I really love Joanna Cannon's writing and this latest one certainly lived up to my expectations. Linda lives a pretty ordinary life after moving away from Wales with her mother after a traumatic incident, which we find out more about as the story unfolds. Linda is married to Terry and works part time in a charity shop. When she opens some glossy brochures addressed to the previous occupant of her house, she decides to try to find her in the hope that she can be a part of a more exciting world. At the same time the neighbourhood is all concerned by the discovery of 2 murdered girls. Throughout the book Linda is portrayed as being a bit simple minded, so she is the ultimate unreliable narrator. There are some good twists and turns and you will be kept guessing to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

A perfect title for this book because that is exactly what this book has.
The final line sent a shiver down my spine.
I really enjoyed it and it truly is delightfully sinister.

I have adored everything Joanna has published (especially Three Things About Elsie) . I seem to have a natural affinity with her style of writing - possibly the fact we live in the same County helps? Whatever the reason, this is another must-read as far as I’m concerned.

Updated review 4/4/2022

I have adored everything Joanna Cannon has published (especially Three Things About Elsie). I love her style of writing and her background in psychology has obviously made her a very insightful observer of human nature and character.
In this ingeniously plotted novel, we are given a masterclass of unreliable narration, so that much ‘reading between the lines’ is required to navigate the author’s mis-direction and sleight of hand - emphasising our human tendency to be selective about the evidence we believe.
The ending is not just ‘tidy’ - it is totally unexpected until the very last stunning sentence …
and once you’ve read it, you will need to re-read the whole story to discover how it was done.

A fabulous novel - Joanna Cannon's amazing writing doesn't disappoint. The main character is a masterclass in the development of the unreliable narrator. Perfect for fans of 'Eleanor Oliphant' and Cannon's previous novels. I read this over two days as I couldn't put it down. Lots of twists and turns to keep the reader hooked. Thanks to Netgalley for a ARC.

The book was a great read and I could not wait to read the next chapters. The story revolves around Linda, a part time charity worker who appears relatively accepting of her life until she becomes obsessed by the former owner of her house and wants her life to change. Linda is a very well defined character with attention to detail. The author crafts everyday people and situations and as the title suggests the ending is a surprise. Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read and review.

@currentlyreading__
Book 24 of 2022

Thank you to @harpercollinsuk, @drjocannon and @NetGalley for the advanced e-copy of 'A Tidy Ending'.

Linda Hammett, 43, lives an ordinary life, as wife to the largely absent Terry, obsessively germ-conscious donning plastic gloves in her job at the local charity shop where she empties pockets of used tissues, train tickets and sweet wrappers. Linda is one who seems to not understand social cues despite her mother drumming countless pearls of wisdom into her over the years. Linda's voice is distinct and peppered with countless of her mother's idioms and superstitions; the tipping of the imaginary hat to the magpie for good luck being one of them.

It is at the charity shop that Linda gets to immerse herself in the lives of others, taking clothes and trying on the lives of others when they are not grey, beige or polyester. The previous inhabitant of her new house has not re-directed all of her mail and Linda finds herself becoming obsessed with Rebecca Finch's brochures and catalogues nestling at the side of the microwave. Rebecca Finch, she thinks, is the antithesis of the simple soul, unpopular, dowdy, suburban Linda. She would have a teal sofa with bright orange cushions and would be someone else altogether.

With a serial killer on the loose, her husband either keeping odd hours at work, on one of his fishing trips or picking his teeth in front of the TV, Linda decides to track down Rebecca Finch. Surely, life will become more exciting with the glamorous and popular Rebecca and as friend?

'A Tidy Ending' is to be published later this month and I urge you, get yourself a packet of Linda's biscuit (or is it cake?) of choice, Jaffa Cakes and get this downloaded onto your Kindle. It is a stunningly good book: full of twists and turns; and crafted ever so well with dark comedy and such memorable characters. I know it's a book I will look forward to revisiting when I discuss it with readers at the end of April.

#bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #book #booknerd #bookstagrammer #kindle #instabook #reader #bookobsessed #instareads #currentlyreading #bookchat #bookish #books #atidyending #joannacannon

An unusual read which did not grip me as much as her previous novel The trouble with goats and sheep..
I think that this because the narrator, Linda, was such a strange and unreliable individual and I could not connect to her at all.
I put the book down several times but realised that i actually wanted to find out what happened so did eventually finish it. I am glad I did .

A darkly comedic read, that is sly, domestic, with several laugh out loud moments, many WOW! exclamations, and a jaw dropping finale.
Linda, who is not a reliable narrator, works part time in a charity shop. Terry, her husband, appears average, annoying, leaves notes around the house for Linda saying where he is going/working, and otherwise ignores her. So, what is the purpose of Terry?
Well, dear reader, you will have to read right through to the end! I missed all the clues, so had to re-read the story, and it is brilliantly constructed, devious, scheming, but- you don’t see it, you are led astray by a very mischievous author.
I read Three Things about Elsie, got suckered into the gentleness of the story, and that punchline shook me to my core! This book, appears to be about a sad couple living together, making the best of everything, but appearances are deceptive. It is a very intriguing and rewarding thriller, and such brutal fun.
A cigar for the lady! She’s done it again!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers HarperCollinsUK, for my digital copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
A five star rating. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon later.

An excellent read! The detail in this compelling and original storyline makes this book impossible to put down until it was finished. The twists and turns of the story keep you guessing until the final chapter !

I read. this book through early review opportunity.

I didn't quite know what to make of this book or its main character, Linda, a strange 43-year-old woman who works in a charity shop and is married to Terry, who is not the most pleasant of husbands, Linda wishes she had a more exciting, glamorous life and becomes obsessed by the woman who used to live in her house. I don't mind unreliable narrators but I found Linda's thoughts and processes difficult to follow especially as the plot also focuses on a series of local murders upon which Linda also becomes fixated.

Many thanks to NetGalley and The Borough Press for the opportunity to read and review A Tidy Ending.

A slow burn novel told from Linda's perspective of her slightly awkward twist on her life. She works in a charity shop and seems to be totally inept about social occasions and when to keep her distance from people. She lives with her husband Terry who appears to annoy her and her seemingly controlling mother is a few streets away.
Young girls are being murdered streets away and it's all the neighbourhood can talk about. When luxury brochures appear belonging to previous hone owner Linda decides she wants to life her life.
If I'm honest I found this a very strange novel to read, I contemplated not finishing as I really didn't see what was happening in the storyline. I continued as I wanted to find out and I'm glad that I did because as the title suggests it has a Tidy Ending and not one that I was expecting.

Linda lives a small life working in a charity shop, haunted by her father’s disgrace when she was a child. She visits her mother is overbearing and obsessive. Her husband Terry is unpleasantly annoying, although he does very little. Linda becomes obsessed with the previous inhabitant of their new house, Rebecca. Tracking Rebecca down, we see a different side to the Linda we have come to know.
An ‘easy’ read with a clever premise.

“…we might not see the world how it really is. We might be mistaken about things and we need someone to help us who can see it all more clearly.’
‘But how do you know?’
‘Know what, Linda?’
‘Who are the people who are seeing the world how it really is and who are the people that are mistaken? How do you know which way around it is?’”

A Tidy Ending is the third novel by best-selling British psychiatrist and author, Joanna Cannon. Linda and Terry Hammett have recently moved to Cavendish Avenue from another house on their estate: this one isn’t so different, but it’s where Linda wants to live. She is dismayed to find that her life hasn’t improved: she’s still working her part-time job at the charity shop; her opinionated mother still criticises her every move; and Terry still ignores her efforts to keep everything properly clean.

Accidentally opening a catalogue addressed to the former resident, Rebecca Finch, she’s soon convinced that if this woman were her friend, her life would be so much better: perfect, in fact. Could she track down this potential friend?

But people on the estate are becoming uneasy: a young woman’s body was found by the canal, and this is the second one in just a few weeks. By the time a third body is found, people are talking about a serial killer, anonymous threatening letters are circulating, and Linda’s mother Eunice is getting anxious: the restlessness in the neighbourhood reminds her a little too closely of the reason she and Linda left Wales thirty years earlier.

Linda prides herself on being observant, on remembering details, and she’s noticed that Terry is departing from his usual schedule, one of several things that are suddenly out of the ordinary with her husband. And she’s surprised that no one else has noticed anything about the photograph shown in the police press conference, but the police, who can’t be trusted anyway, are repeatedly dismissive of anything Linda brings to their attention.

Linda relates her story from within some sort of care facility, six weeks after everything happened, but it’s soon apparent that she’s an unreliable narrator. She presents as naïve, a bit simple, and is used to people underestimating her, doesn’t mind that, in fact. Those who are aware of her history might put it down to a traumatic childhood experience…

From keenly observed human traits and behaviours, Cannon crafts characters familiar to us all from everyday life: the gossipy, hygiene-obsessed mother, the ever-vigilant, self-appointed street monitor, and the lazy, unappreciative husband, among others.

Linda’s inner monologue is filled with insightful observations: “There are certain people who make you start to worry when they say there’s nothing to worry about. Doctors, for example, and often accountants. But especially police officers. When a police officer tells you there’s nothing to worry about, you know it’s time to be concerned” and “Because when something extraordinary happens, if you concentrate on the ordinary things instead, it stops you from having to look at it all too closely.”

Cannon has a talent for descriptive prose: “Mother has always been very good at spotting untruths and scooping them out of their shells, like whelks. Even when I disguised a lie in a wide avenue of truth, she could still manage to find it, because all she had to do was stare at me for long enough and out it would pop and wave at her” and “My mother is a surrogate for other people’s lives, stacking the empty shelves of her mind with nonsense” and “She said it kindly. Not like most people. Not like Mother’s words with their serrated edges.”

This is a story so cleverly constructed that even the most astute reader is unlikely to see the full picture before the jaw-dropping reveal. With red herrings, twists and distractions, and a chilling last line, Cannon’s latest novel is brilliantly plotted and deliciously dark.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins.

I loved'The Trouble with Goats and Sheep' and had high expectations for this book; I wasn't disappointed. The style of writing is such, that it's like spending time in the company of an old friend. Linda could live on your street, she could be coveting your lifestyle, but you would never know because, outwardly, she appears just like any other neighbour - keeps herself to herself and doesn't go out of her way to attract attention. Until she meets Rebecca..

There are many strands to this plot, running through different timelines, which all add to the mystery of Linda and which eventually, and seamlessly come together to culminate in a (surprisingly) tidy ending.

Joanna Cannon is an astute observer of people and habits and this is what makes her writing so entertaining. After all, who doesn't like people-watching?

With thanks to NetGalley for this ARC

It took me a little time to get into Joanna Cannon's new book A Tidy Ending. I wasn't sure if it was me or the book. (Having COVID probably didn't help!). About a third of the way in it really picked up however and I was keen to find out what would happen.
I felt sympathy for Linda, a woman who had a very difficult childhood and whose world revolves around her job in a charity chop, a critical mother and an uninterested husband. She is desperate for friends but has no social skills and very little insight. I did wonder if things were exactly as they seemed however, and this was where the book really came into its own. With a build up of tension and a number of subtle reveals - it was clever and unexpected.
Thank you to the author and her publishers for the opportunity to read an early copy and to provide this review via #NetGalley.

I wasn't wholly enamoured by The Trouble With Goats & Sheep, but loved Three Things About Elsie, and it's safe to say Cannon has absolutely maintained her pace and style in this new novel - trust, me, you will love this book. Keeping you gripped till the final sentence, it’s never entirely clear who is the heroine and who the villain. A masterpiece a dark humour, Joanna Cannon draws you slowly into the backstory that influences everything, revealing piece by piece a tragedy with repercussions nobody could have predicted. Central character Linda is unlikeable, yet she will tug on your heart-strings as her story is offered up, in her own words, till you are desperate to turn that final page – and then...oh my! Cannon is truly a master of her art.

Out of the four books Joanna has published, I unfortunately couldn’t get into “The Trouble with Goats and Sheep” or “Three Things About Elsie” (I am aware I’m in the minority here), but I did love her memoir “Breaking and Mending” even if I didn’t realise it was the same author.

This book is very much a cosy crime x murder mystery x psychological thriller. It really has a little bit of everything to keep its reader enraptured. You really start second guessing yourself and the characters with the turn of each page.

For me, this book is very about the human psyche and that really appeals to me, it makes it more personal and relatable; it asks you the question: what would you do in this situation?

The characters are very well rounded, very 3D. I didn’t 100% like anyone, and I didn’t 100% dislike anyone, they all had light and dark parts of them, which really messes with your head. Joanna has written little bread crumbs, littered throughout, teasing you, whetting your appetite until the very end.

You’ll find you have it all worked out and then in the last few pages, it’s all blown wide open, and you’ll be left, mouth agape, trying to settle your thoughts. It is a stunning exploration of the frivolities and the seriousness of human nature.

I didn't like this book. I found the pacing to be off. It was stultifyingly slow for a lot of the time, so it was dull to read. The story was told from the first person viewpoint of Linda, a 43 year old Welsh housewife, living a very boring, mundane life who starts to open mail for the preious occupant of her house against a background of a murder in the locality.. Linda is an unreliable narrator and not a nice person - I didn't really want to spend time in her head.