diff --git a/src/jsx_to_term.erl b/src/jsx_to_term.erl
index ad7aae0..5a628ea 100644
--- a/src/jsx_to_term.erl
+++ b/src/jsx_to_term.erl
@@ -172,10 +172,10 @@ start_array({Stack, Config}) -> {[{array, []}] ++ Stack, Config}.
 %%  return it if it is the root object
 finish({[{object, []}], Config}) -> {[{}], Config};
 finish({[{object, []}|Rest], Config}) -> insert([{}], {Rest, Config});
-finish({[{object, Pairs}], Config}) -> {lists:reverse(Pairs), Config};
-finish({[{object, Pairs}|Rest], Config}) -> insert(lists:reverse(Pairs), {Rest, Config});
-finish({[{array, Values}], Config}) -> {lists:reverse(Values), Config};
-finish({[{array, Values}|Rest], Config}) -> insert(lists:reverse(Values), {Rest, Config});
+finish({[{object, Pairs}], Config}) -> {Pairs, Config};
+finish({[{object, Pairs}|Rest], Config}) -> insert(Pairs, {Rest, Config});
+finish({[{array, Values}], Config}) -> {Values, Config};
+finish({[{array, Values}|Rest], Config}) -> insert(Values, {Rest, Config});
 finish(_) -> erlang:error(badarg).
 
 
@@ -185,9 +185,9 @@ insert(Value, {[], Config}) -> {Value, Config};
 insert(Key, {[{object, Pairs}|Rest], Config}) ->
     {[{object, Key, Pairs}] ++ Rest, Config};
 insert(Value, {[{object, Key, Pairs}|Rest], Config}) ->
-    {[{object, [{Key, Value}] ++ Pairs}] ++ Rest, Config};
+    {[{object, Pairs ++ [{Key, Value}]}] ++ Rest, Config};
 insert(Value, {[{array, Values}|Rest], Config}) ->
-    {[{array, [Value] ++ Values}] ++ Rest, Config};
+    {[{array, Values ++ [Value]}] ++ Rest, Config};
 insert(_, _) -> erlang:error(badarg).
 -endif.
 
@@ -212,10 +212,10 @@ finish({[{object, Map}|Rest], Config=#config{return_maps=true}}) ->
     insert(Map, {Rest, Config});
 finish({[{object, []}], Config}) -> {[{}], Config};
 finish({[{object, []}|Rest], Config}) -> insert([{}], {Rest, Config});
-finish({[{object, Pairs}], Config}) -> {lists:reverse(Pairs), Config};
-finish({[{object, Pairs}|Rest], Config}) -> insert(lists:reverse(Pairs), {Rest, Config});
-finish({[{array, Values}], Config}) -> {lists:reverse(Values), Config};
-finish({[{array, Values}|Rest], Config}) -> insert(lists:reverse(Values), {Rest, Config});
+finish({[{object, Pairs}], Config}) -> {Pairs, Config};
+finish({[{object, Pairs}|Rest], Config}) -> insert(Pairs, {Rest, Config});
+finish({[{array, Values}], Config}) -> {Values, Config};
+finish({[{array, Values}|Rest], Config}) -> insert(Values, {Rest, Config});
 finish(_) -> erlang:error(badarg).
 
 
@@ -229,9 +229,9 @@ insert(Key, {[{object, Pairs}|Rest], Config}) ->
 insert(Value, {[{object, Key, Map}|Rest], Config=#config{return_maps=true}}) ->
     {[{object, maps:put(Key, Value, Map)}] ++ Rest, Config};
 insert(Value, {[{object, Key, Pairs}|Rest], Config}) ->
-    {[{object, [{Key, Value}] ++ Pairs}] ++ Rest, Config};
+    {[{object, Pairs ++ [{Key, Value}]}] ++ Rest, Config};
 insert(Value, {[{array, Values}|Rest], Config}) ->
-    {[{array, [Value] ++ Values}] ++ Rest, Config};
+    {[{array, Values ++ [Value]}] ++ Rest, Config};
 insert(_, _) -> erlang:error(badarg).
 -endif.
 
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ rep_manipulation_test_() ->
             insert(value, {[{array, []}, junk], #config{}})
         )},
         {"finish an object with no ancestor", ?_assertEqual(
-            {[{a, b}, {x, y}], #config{}},
+            {[{x, y}, {a, b}], #config{}},
             finish({[{object, [{x, y}, {a, b}]}], #config{}})
         )},
         {"finish an empty object", ?_assertEqual(
@@ -347,16 +347,16 @@ rep_manipulation_test_() ->
             finish({[{object, []}], #config{}})
         )},
         {"finish an object with an ancestor", ?_assertEqual(
-            {[{object, [{key, [{a, b}, {x, y}]}, {foo, bar}]}], #config{}},
+            {[{object, [{foo, bar}, {key, [{x, y}, {a, b}]}]}], #config{}},
             finish({[{object, [{x, y}, {a, b}]}, {object, key, [{foo, bar}]}], #config{}})
         )},
         {"finish an array with no ancestor", ?_assertEqual(
             {[a, b, c], #config{}},
-            finish({[{array, [c, b, a]}], #config{}})
+            finish({[{array, [a, b, c]}], #config{}})
         )},
         {"finish an array with an ancestor", ?_assertEqual(
-            {[{array, [[a, b, c], d, e, f]}], #config{}},
-            finish({[{array, [c, b, a]}, {array, [d, e, f]}], #config{}})
+            {[{array, [d, e, f, [a, b, c]]}], #config{}},
+            finish({[{array, [a, b, c]}, {array, [d, e, f]}], #config{}})
         )}
     ].