Overall Rating: 4/5
Short Chapter Rating: 3.5/5

I really enjoyed this debut novel from Nita Prose. It was smart and full of heart, and I felt like I was sitting on Molly's shoulder while she experienced everything in the book.
This is a story about Molly, who is a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. A pretty awesome maid too. And she gets herself into a bit of a tough situation.

Molly is genuine, honest and all together too nice to the people around her. Because she is a little different, it seems they want to take advantage of her. It reminded me a bit of the book The Last Chance Library that I read last month. The characters are similar in that they have lost their loved one (mom or gran) and are trying to navigate the world without them, but relied on them so much.

I liked the writing style, the way the story was told by day of the week and a few of the supporting characters - Mr. Preston, Charlotte, Juan Manuel.

This would definitely be a solid first read of the year as it's quick paced, full of heart and a good overall story length.

Is this book for you? If you like light mysteries, different storylines/characters than the usual, want to see the inside workings of a hotel, like lonely to fulfilled friendships, enjoyed The Last Chance Library or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely fine...then give this book a go.

4.5 stars

The Maid by Nita Prose is a mystery novel, with a loveable protagonist. 

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Penguin Random House and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Molly Gray is 25, and has been a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel for four years. Her grandmother died about 9 months ago, and Molly has no one else.  Her job is her life, and she loves it. She loves her uniform, she loves her trolley, and she loves doing things right.   She loves returning things to a "state of perfection", and thus she is very good at her job.

Molly, however,  struggles with social skills, and doesn't always "get" other people...their expressions, their actions, their intent.  Her beloved Gran had always helped her with anything that arose so that she would know how to handle things next time.  But Gran is gone now, so she is left to interpret people and events on her own.

But one day she goes to clean the suite of wealthy Charles and Giselle Black, only to find Mr. Black dead in his bed.  Molly tries to keep everything in perspective, but her demeanor sets off the radar of Police Detective Spark, and she quickly becomes their number one suspect.


My Opinions:   
This was really good, very entertaining, and Molly was such a dear.  Although it is not stated, I believe she may be autistic to some degree.  She is so naïve, so trusting, and so gullible, you can't help but love her.    The reader easily sees the extent of the deception around her, where Molly does not.  If you want to root for an underdog, you can root for Molly!

The plot was good, the characters interesting, and the twist at the end was actually a surprise.  I won't tell you who I thought did it...but just know that when an author can surprise me, it is a good book!

So, overall, although it wasn't deep,  it was a fast, light, and entertaining read.  For a debut novel, I was pleasantly surprised.  This was one of the best "feel-good" mystery books that I have read  in a long time.

This was a really great read. Not a thriller but felt like more of an old-school murder mystery, with a few twists. The main character Molly is very literal and blunt (which I loved) and some of her dialogue made me laugh out loud. It’s also very sweet and sad at times and she really appeals as the hero of the story. I found this a nice change of pace, check it out when it’s released in 2022.

Prose is a Canadian author who previously worked for many years as a book editor. This her debut novel. We are introduced to Molly, who is a maid at The Regency Grand Hotel. She is a socially awkward young woman and takes great pride in her work. She lives alone as her Gran (who raised her) died nine months ago and as a result has a hard time making ends meet. One day Molly finds a frequent hotel guest dead under suspicious circumstances and her unusual behaviour causes her to be a person of interest. It is only when she is in trouble that she discovers true friends and together they are determined to solve the mystery and protect Molly. The book is already being made into a movie by Universal Pictures and will star Florence Pugh in the title role. This is a fun mystery with wonderful characters and a great recommendation for fans of lighter (almost cozy) mysteries or Agatha Christie fans.

The Maid
Written by Cece M Scott www.cecescott.com

From the very first page of Nita Prose’s debut novel, The Maid, (Penguin Random Houses Canada), we are mini voyeurs sitting on the edges of Molly’s every thought as she weaves us through the extraordinary events that happened in her life over a tumultuous five-day period.

A maid at the sumptuously elegant Grand Regency Hotel, Molly is well aware of the irony inherent in her name and the cleaning duties that the moniker ‘Molly Maid’ universally defines.

Molly is different — she is certainly identified as such by her cleaning peers who tend to make fun of her when her back is turned—but although she might appear slow, it’s actually more that she’s thinking hard on her responses before disbursing her thoughts on the topic. In fact, Molly is wonderful in her acceptance that she is offbeat —and not like everyone else—which she celebrates and uses to her advantage.

“I’m your maid. I’m the one who cleans your hotel room, who enters like a phantom when you’re out gallivanting for the day, no care at all about what you’ve left behind, the mess, or what I might see when you’re gone,” she shares with the reader.

Prose’s illustrative imagery paints a backdrop that is better than any photograph, describing mundane chores that Molly executes with precise and poignant intent: “tossing out the receipts you don’t want anyone to discover.”

Seemingly unworldly and naïve, with limited social skills, yet possessing a keen intuitive sense of observation, Molly lives with her Gran, who was, until her unseemly death, the most important person in her life. Along with their passion for watching ongoing episodes of the detective show “Columbo” Gran shares with her granddaughter untold golden nuggets and learnings on life, such as the importance of the three E’s: Etiquette, Elocution, and Erudition. Gran also teaches Molly the importance of having a Fabergé Egg savings plan, which unfortunately had (already) been pilfered once by a scallywag ex of Molly’s.

And while cleaning rooms might feel like a menial task to many, Molly takes great delight in returning guest rooms to a “state of perfection.” She revels in donning her crisp uniform every day, which hangs from her locker door, and celebrates filling her trolley cart with Crabtree & Evelyn soaps and shampoos.

Interestingly, while her level of sophistication is such that she sings happy birthday to herself three times to make sure that she’s brushed every last molar properly, Molly is also quite adept at making friends with an interesting cast of relatable characters, ones who the reader ends up either loving or hating.

These include Molly’s supervisor, Cheryl, who steals the other maids’ tips; the proverbial cad Rodney, who Molly has quite a crush on; the elusive Juan Manuel, a refugee with non-landed status, who is being manipulated by drug thugs; Molly’s boss, Mr. Snow, who describes Molly as being, “One of a kind in all of the right ways.”

There are of course two characters central to the plot that must be mentioned: Mr. Charles Black, a successful real estate tycoon, and his second wife, the young ‘kept woman’ Giselle, who Charles likes to abuse—that is, until Molly finds him ‘dead in bed’—an event that makes her a prime suspect in the eyes of one Detective Stark.

The subtle innuendos in Prose’s phrases shine with such symbolism that I found myself stopping mid-sentence to savour their details:

“His lock of hair wigs back and forth on his head.”

“Chattering on like a morning sparrow.”

“Hugging her was like caressing the wing of a butterfly.”

“Her voice was different, like a flat tire if it could talk.”

The wit that Prose gifts Molly with, and the investigative skills she attributes to her, while at the same time staying true to Molly’s different perspective and lens on the world, is both a twister of hidden and surprising nuggets, (you will identify with what I am talking about when you get to this situation, an event that elicited a spontaneous I-didn’t-see-that-coming WOW from me), as well as a gorgeous piece of writing.

“I am your maid. I know so much about you. But when it comes down to it: what is it that you know about
me?” cecescott.com

Oh, Molly maid I adore you! This charming and eccentric character pulled me in from the start. I loved the tidbits of wisdom sprinkled throughout. Fantastic characters and an interesting plot that kept me up reading far longer than I should have been. I am looking forward to reading whatever this author publishes. Highly recommended! A huge thank you to Ballantine Books and to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. Seriously one of my favorite reads in a long time.

I absolutely loved the Maid which publishes on January 4th and think you should pick it up if you love an entertaining, funny, mystery, thriller, whodunnit type book. It was a quick fast paced read that you won't want to put down until you know what happened. Then even when you know what happened Molly still surprises you with even more. Hard to believe that this one is a debut. Can't wait to see what prose comes up with next

I adored the main character Molly, her story and adventures though out the book. Molly was such a unique character that really added to the plot.

A great read!
Molly is an eccentric but charming maid who, although struggles with social norms, is a highly skilled maid. When she discovers a dead body one day cleaning a room she finds herself in the middle of a police investigation.
A great read that kept me interesting right from the beginning. Fabulous character development. Definitely recommended.

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Viking in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast and easy read yet managed to keep me engaged - both in the story itself and the characters. This book, especially the main character, Molly the maid, is truly heartwarming. I cannot go too much into the details of the book without spoiling the book for those that are yet to read it.
A short summary: Molly, a young woman who struggles with social skills and reading social cues, works as a maid at the Regency Grand and is extremely dedicated to maintaining the hotel's rooms cleanliness. Her orderly life veers off course the day she enters the suite of the wealthy Mr. Black to find Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's demeanour, which is seen as unusual by most, has the police interrogating and targeting her. How she finds her way out of this and helps track down the true culprit forms the bulk of the story. As a reader, you really want to get in there and protect Molly and help her figure out who's mainly out there to use her. There were many times throughout the book where it really highlighted how society (and even the justice system) truly (mis)treats those that are seen as different - Molly ends up alright but not everyone who is different does in real life. While the mystery itself was (slightly) disappointing to me, I really enjoyed this book for its character study of Molly.

Thank you to Netgalley, who provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Maid is a funny, smart and kind-hearted read—much like it’s heroine. The main character, Molly, is both sweet and painful to behold. I was initially put-off by her seemingly simplistic point of view, which is the only lens the reader has to view the tale, but as I read on the author reminded me that different does not equal wrong, or stupid. Just different.

A fun, who-dunnit mystery that put me in mind of an Agatha Christy novel, if it was told from the perspective of a smart suspect on the spectrum.

Molly Gray is a maid at a boutique luxury hotel. She is meticulous and excels at her work, but is less than stellar at perceiving the world around her for what it really is...

Things start to go sideways for Molly when she stumbles across a dead body at work. From there, Molly takes the reader through a quirky murder mystery.

What I liked about this book was the consistency in the characters and the way the story kind of unravelled around Molly instead of directly through her. It took me a minute to understand Molly's quirky and unique charm and the more I got to understand her, the more the pieces of the story connected together for me. I also enjoyed that Molly remained true to who she is despite less than pleasant things happening all around her. Although being naive isn't always practical, as we learn through Molly, it does have a certain charm and often left me wondering what lens I see the world through...

What I liked less was that at times, it felt a little cheesy. I know that was the point, but that's how it felt nonetheless.

Overall, a decent, unique murder mystery that was quite good for a debut novel. I read it while on vacation from work and think it's a great vacation read. I read it in 2 sittings and the style of writing was fast and easy to follow.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Molly the Maid was such a fun, endearing, heartwarming story of Molly Gray, a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly hasn't met a speck of dirt she couldn't conquer, a surface she can't make sparkle - she excels at her job and restoring all she cleans to a state of perfection. While she finds great success in her role at the hotel, she struggles interpersonally - she doesn't always pick up on social cues, is sometimes a little too honest in conversation, a little too trusting and sometimes takes actions and words too literally. As a reader, I found this to be part of her charm, but, following the death of her dear Gran, Molly finds herself struggling in life and the chief suspect in a murder investigation. Author, Nita Prose, makes the reader fall in love with Molly and the supporting characters, making this début novel from my fellow Canadian unforgettable, a must read, and soon, a must watch as it is being maid into a movie! (see what I did there!). This book will make you laugh out loud, smile and make your heart burst just a little. It hits the shelves on January 4th.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nita Prose and Penguin Random House Canada for an e-arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I loved it and can't wait to see what this author writes next!

This book was great. I read it in a day and a half because after I got passed the first 50 pages I could hardly put it down, I just had to know what was next. The writing was intriguing, fast-paced, and was able to provoke emotions in me, like rage for the main characters. The main characters voice was similar to that of 'Convenience store woman', as she was different than most people and people found her hard to understand, and to her the world around her is the thing that's hard to understand, it is also similar in the main characters absolute devotion to her job and the things she's been told, even when it costs her.

This book caught my attention in a sneaky way - we learn little bits of Molly’s personality and relationships here and there throughout the narrative and you just want to keep reading to learn more! I really enjoyed this read

I received an advance read copy of The Maid by Nita Prose from NetGalley. Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for giving me the chance to read and review this lovely book.

The Maid is a debut novel and I am sure there will be more books in the future for Nita Prose. What I noticed in the writing is the pure consistency of the main character, Molly Gray. Molly is a most delightful and insightful character. The novel is written in Molly's eyes and the reader is allowed into her life in a unique way.

Molly has a strong connection to her "Gran" who raised her and was her constant companion. After her Gran's passing Molly is in a time in her life where she is alone and navigating a difficult world.

In this story, as we are getting to know Molly, there is a "cozy" murder mystery with twists and turns also going on. The mystery is important and well crafted yet it is far from all this book is about.

I believe there is something in this novel for anyone who chooses to pick it up. Pick it up and you won't regret the experience.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the eARC.

After Molly the maid stumbles upon a dead body when she goes to clean the hotel room of a high profile guest, she quickly becomes entangled in a murder investigation and discovers new friends and enemies along the way.

Molly was a very unique and delightful character to read about. She is very naive, lacks understanding of social cues, and is extremely dedicated to her work. It was interesting to not only see how she perceived the world but also how the other characters perceived her and in turn treated her. The cast of side characters is excellent as well and offered everything from a loveable doorman to secret criminals and more. There were many loveable characters (and a few very hateable characters) that really added to the story and intrigue.

I really enjoyed some of the reveals and aside from one (which I'm pretty sure you are meant to figure out) I never saw them coming. At certain points I was sure that I knew where the story was going only for something completely unexpected to happen and entirely change my point of view. The writing is excellent and the story was different from anything I have read before.

Overall, this was a great book with amazing characters and an excellent mystery. The ending was very satisfying and wrapped up the story well. I really enjoyed reading the Maid and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries or is simply intrigued by the synopsis!

What an unexpected great quirky story. I truly enjoyed reading this one. It is very reminiscent of characters like Eleanor Oliphant who don’t quite fit into societies notions of a normal personality. MollyMaid is just that a maid in a hotel that gets caught up in the murder of a hotel guest. The story has some great characters and unexpected twists. I found the book to be a quick and easy read and I enjoyed the writing style. I would recommend this book to my friends and book club.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was fun, mysterious and thrilling to read. I loved the character of Molly and found her very charming and easy to connect to. I would highly recommend checking this one out and can’t wait to see what this author brings next! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: January 4, 2022

SUMMARY:
This is the charming story of Molly, the maid who struggles to read signals and understand the people around her. But she knows how to clean, and how the rooms at the beloved hotel she works at should look. One day during her usual rounds she encounters a dead body in the bed of a room she is cleaning, and her whole world becomes even more complicated. With her beloved Gran recently deceased, she has no one to rely on to tell her the risks of the situation - and how to protect herself.

PROS and CONS:
Molly is naive, a bit robotic and very literal. She’s also endearing, meticulous and appreciative of feedback. You can’t help but cheer for her as her life begins to unravel, and hope she will find a way to solve the mystery before it’s too late for her.

READ IT?
I read this one on vacation and it is the perfect easy vacation read!

4 Stars

Molly is a very lovable quirky character, reminiscent of Temperance in Bones. I'll be it not so brilliant. Everyone is black and white and very literal and then she is charged with murder. It is very clever in the way that it is written. Keeps us guessing with who done it and why to the very end.