I enjoyed this sequel to The Maid. The characters are rich and well developed. The story line was intriguing and kept me guessing. Thoroughly enjoyed this one!

this was a really cute cozy mystery, it was fun to return to Molly's world and I hope the hint at her becoming a detective means we are getting more in the series!

Nita Prose is absolutely a new favorite author for me! After devouring the maid i was so excited to get approved for this one!! Did not disappoint. Would absolutely recommend this for any cozy mystery lover. highly recommend!

The Mystery Guest (ARC)
Nita Prose
4.5⭐️

Pub Date: 11/28/2023

The Regency Grand Hotel, with all its glory, is back yet with another scandal. Another dead body in the new tea room. New head maid Molly is not the primary suspect this time but there are several poeple involved, some she cares for deeply. She must try to solve this post-haste! With her past entagled with the famous, now dead, author, Molly knows the answer to who the killer is lies within her memories. And is she really all that innocent as she seems? "Dirty secrets don't stay hidden forever."

Molly the Maid is back!
The synopsis said that this is a standalone novel however I personally don't think so. It's definitely related and much more fully enjoyable if you've read the first book The Maid. The character growth of Molly is so huge and I enjoyed it thoroughly. She is using figures of speech and modern abbreviations!!! 😱 I love it! The murder mystery itself is so good. And the history that came with it when Molly was reminiscing her past made it so much better! It made the plot whole. I practically inhaled this book.

There's still that similar cozy??? (I'm actually not sure how to fully describe it) feeling that I got from The Maid, and the rush and prickly cold sweats feeling from Molly and the rest of the staff getting in trouble is also there. The writing style is very unique and it's consistent with the first book. I really appreciated that. The only reason why I didn't give it a full 5⭐️ is because I thought there's a small hole in the plot. But don't let this discourage you from reading, friends! I still adored this book so much! Yay for more of Molly!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this one as much as the first one, but I couldn’t put it down. Molly is a hoot and so smart and I love her interactions with the other characters. The ending was a little too tied up in a perfect bow, but that’s okay for this style of mystery I think.

It's no mystery why Nita Prose wrote a companion to her debut novel The Maid. The Maid was a bestseller and reader's loved Molly, the maid, Prose's central character. Molly is the star of The Mystery Guest and many of her original friends and foes have returned. Hooray! This novel can stand on it's own, but it's an extra fun read for Molly's previous fans. Molly has been promoted to Head Maid at her beloved Regency Grand Hotel. When an illustrious author dies there in the midst of a fan event, Molly puts her detective skills to good use. Molly has previous history with the author and Prose does a good job of enticing her reader with this bait. Molly seems to have matured since we last saw her, but she still depends on her late Gran's witticisms. They Mystery Guest is a very entertaining read and would also make a great gift.

I was a huge fan of The Maid, and The Mystery Guest was just as good! The same cast of characters appear in this second installment, and relationships are further developed. I did think that the use of the cliche phrases, was a little overdone this time around (ex. they were used by all characters and not just Molly), but overall I really loved this book.

BOOK REVIEW ✨The Mystery Guest ☕️ Nita Prose's The Maid was one of my favorite reads last year. I didn't anticipate it being a series but when I saw the Mystery Guest I was excited to see what Molly has been up to. I don't think the Maid really needed a sequel but I enjoyed being able to dip into Molly's world again. Molly is one of my favorite characters and she has me laughing out loud at times. This book was no exception to that. Much like The Maid, this is a slow burn, but I found myself no where near interested in the mystery as I was in the first one. It took me a little longer than usual to get through and overall it was enjoyable but not my favorite. OUT TOMORROW, November 28th Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. #penguinrandomhouse #netgalley #themysteryguest #bookreview #bookstagram

If you loved The Maid you’ll love book 2! Learn more about Molly our favorite hotel maid. The same characters return and we learn more of Molly’s back story.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Molly the maid is back and every bit as charming as she was in her first mystery!

Set four years after the first book's events, Molly is now Head Maid at The Regency Grand Hotel and living with her beloved Juan when another murder turns her world upside down. A renowned mystery writer drops dead in front of a tearoom full of people. Molly knew the victim from childhood and must reach back into her memory to help figure out whodunit.

I fell in love with Molly in The Maid and was excited to see her story continue. And this one is as good as the first, maybe even better! Molly is such a refreshing and lovable character. Through dual timelines, we learn much more about Molly and her childhood in this book. We also get to know her wise and loving Gran, who passed away shortly before the events in the first book. This look back not only impacted the present-day mystery but was both heartwarming and heartbreaking, showing how beautiful Molly and Gran's relationship was. I loved this character arc for Molly, and Prose does a good job of sensitively showing Molly's strengths and challenges as a neurodivergent woman.

Prose has an engaging writing style, creating a captivating world that is fun to visit and full of interesting characters. The dual timeline was very well done and woven together in a way that made for an intriguing mystery, slowly dripping clues and uncovering secrets. It is a fast-paced story, and each chapter ends on a slight cliffhanger, making it tough to put down. So cozy and delightful, this was one of my most anticipated reads of the Fall, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Hoping we get more Molly soon!

Thank you to Random House Ballentine for the gifted ARC!

Having read The Maid fairly recently (like, was it a few weeks ago, right?), and now having read this one, I can say that I have had more than my yearly share of cozy reads. Those two have been slightly more than enough of coziness. I’d say the 2nd book is even cozier than the first one. It is cute. It is adorable. It is super cozy. Did I say it was way OTT cozy? Yeah, it was. So, so cozy.
Also, this one felt like almost a clone of The Maid, not like a sequel. It’s like I was reading the same thing, only with minor adjustments here and there. This one also had more glimpses into what made Molly the Molly it is today, what her life was like back when her Gran was alive and what was her Gran like.
If you loved The Maid, then most definitely go and grab this one – especially if you read The Maid a while ago when it was released. Also, if you enjoy anything cozy, this one is for you. If you like thrillers but prefer them to be super-lite edition, this will work like a charm for you. With a hefty dose of a super-lite murder mystery, with lots of cuddly emotions, this is such a cute feel-good read.
And now, I am, like, 100% sure I dislike cozy murder mysteries. Here. I said it. It’s me, it’s not the book. It’s all me. The book is well-written, and the story is good. It's just me, I'm not the cozy reader this book needs.

I was beyond excited when I was able to read the follow up to The Maid

I liked catching up with Molly again. I loved the flashbacks to Molly's time with her gran. For me they were the best parts of the book. I liked the current mystery that is happening in the hotel too, but was more captivated by the earlier time period.

The scenes when Molly is talking to the police are hilarious. I love how they came around to Molly's way of thinking eventually. So many people have underestimated Molly and clearly shouldn't have.

I hope we get to hear more about Molly in the future.

4.5 stars

Thanks to netgalley and Ballantine Books for the arc.

Molly Gray is a sweet, special 29-year-old woman who works as a maid in the five-star Regency Grand Hotel. She's always known that she was different. While growing up, her neurodiversity made her an outcast at school. Through the love and support of her grandmother, she was able to channel her differences into assets. Following in her "gran's" footsteps, she became a maid. Her need for order, cleanliness and following rules earned her the title of Head Maid at the hotel. When famous mystery Writer J.D. Grimthorpe is scheduled to appear at the hotel's Grand Tearoom to make a special announcement, his legions of fans are shocked when he dies at the podium before speaking. The police rush in to investigate what appears to be a murder. But Molly's special way of thinking enables her to analyze the situation and come up with her own investigation, even when she becomes an early suspect.

After I read author Nita Prose's debut The Maid, it was not apparent that a second adventure featuring this unique and appealing character was going to be developed. I was happy to learn that a second book about Molly had been written. While not a big reader of "cozy" mysteries, The Mystery Guest, like the first book, was very enjoyable. The story has some good surprises although this book isn't meant to shock or hold you on the edge of your seat. It's a perfect book to snuggle up and read with a good hot cup of tea. I suspect there will be a third book, which will surely make my list.

It is wonderful to find a book that celebrates people's differences.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I think I liked this book even more than the first as more of Molly the maid’s and her gran’s backstories are revealed and better understood by Molly in light of a new murder in the hotel.

It was so nice being back in Molly the Maid’s head and her world at the Regency Grand Hotel! I just adore her-she’s one of my very favorite characters and as much as I loved The Maid, The Mystery Guest definitely lived up to the anticipation for me as well!

I really enjoyed how the author tied Molly to the victim and through that gave us glimpses into Molly as a child, her past, and we got more Gran! I’m so glad we got to revisit Gran in this one. I’ve always really admired their relationship and it was nice getting to know more about Gran and her backstory along with Molly’s upbringing. I also really loved the familiar cast of characters that came back for this one-my favorite being sweet Preston, the door man!

The murder mystery was well executed and overall made for the coziest mystery, involving a famous author who dies right as he’s making a huge announcement. So grab your favorite tea cup, pour some tea, and get ready to revisit Molly the maid in The Mystery Guest! It’s an absolute must read, especially for fans of the first book!

So many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House and Ballantine Books for this #gifted eARC!

The follow-up to The Maid, Molly is back and there's more trouble in her hotel, but this time, she might have a connection to the victim... It was really fun to read through this mystery, including the flashbacks, and connect the dots as Molly did. Some of the detective's actions seemed a little far-fetched, but I feel like by the ending it was more believable. I definitely liked this one more than the first, and I'm looking forward to more from this series and author!

Molly the Maid has now the become Molly the Head Maid, with an energetic but shy trainee named Lily. When a famous writer is killed in the hotel, Lily and Molly both become suspects, and the hotel team (minus Molly’s lazy and dishonest nemesis) rallies to their support. Molly knows better than to trust the detectives to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, and she is determined to protect the traumatized Lily. She investigates on her own and ends up making some unlikely alliances. The story moves between past and present, as we learn how Molly knew the victim when she was a child and her beloved grandmother used to work for him. There are a few amusingly meta comments from the fictional famous writer on what is is like to write a second novel after a hugely successful first. This charming novel shows off Molly’s recently developed self-confidence and ends with the tantalizing suggestion of a possible new career path for her.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for a digital advance review copy.

4.5 stars, rounded up!
The Mystery Guest, by Nita Prose, is the second entry in her delightful “Molly the Maid” cozy mystery series. The first book, “The Maid,” was one of my favorites from 2022, introducing the endearing, quirky Molly Gray, who works as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel in NYC and who grieves for her Gran, who had been the beacon in Molly’s life. This next story finds Molly four years older, age 25, and the Head Maid at the Regency. Again there is a murder to be solved and Molly, with her extraordinary powers of observation, aids the local police detective to identify the murderer and the motive.
This sounds like a tidy little whodunit, but it is really so much more! Molly’s intellect and observations are blessings and also challenges as she navigates a world often not kind to outliers. There is humor and pathos, especially regarding Molly’s yearning for a real family, now that Gran is gone. Her romance with Juan Manuel shows a lovely, maturing side to the ever-practical Molly. The story is narrated by Molly, really drawing the reader into her inner world and perspective. The alternating timelines of Now—involving the Regency Grand and the murdered guest—and Then—Molly’s childhood at Gran’s side—enhance the reader’s understanding of Molly’s quirks and her often unusual views of ordinary situations. The cast from the first book return—Hotel Manager Mr. Snow, Doorman Mr. Preston, snarky maid Cynthia, Juan Manuel, and Detective Stark—as well as some fresh characters, like smart, inquisitive bartender Angela and new maid Lily.
There are serious and sad scenes, but the overall themes of this story are hope, tolerance, and the wisdom of finding one’s own happiness, whether embracing the status quo or stretching for a change. I enthusiastically recommend this novel, and the first one, for readers who look for humor, as well as sentiment and wisdom in their cozy mystery reading. Molly Gray continues to be a character for whom we cheer as she grows in wisdom and independence!

Thank you to Ballantine Books/Random House and NetGalley for an early read of this wonderful novel. This is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc!

Molly Gray returns with a new mystery to solve at the Regency Grand hotel. When author J.D. Grimthorpe comes to the hotel to make an announcement, fans of the author flock to see him, hoping he will be announcing a sequel to one of his bestselling novels. However, the author never gets to make an announcement- after he drinks some of his tea, he falls off the stage right to his death.

Detective Stark is called to the scene, and is once again suspicious of the maids- Molly, and more specifically, Molly’s maid in training, Lily. Poison is immediately what is suspected for how the author died, and the most likely suspect is always who prepared it..

As Molly and the Regency Grand team uncover more details, it continues to be unclear who could be behind the crime, or why. The detectives are sure it must be someone who works at the hotel, but who could possibly be a killer?

I enjoyed reading about Molly again, as she is such a unique and refreshing character. Her attention to detail is unrivaled, and it was nice to learn so much about her past in this book.

If you’re looking for a fun, entertaining whodunnit mystery, you definitely need to pick this one up! (Make sure to read The Maid as well!) I really hope there will be another book in the Molly the Maid series!

I’m not sure why, but the author’s previous work was a 5 star for me. Maybe it was that I listened to it on audible? The narrator was so great. I read this sequel. Molly was so quirky.

She has lost some of her quirkiness in this book. I really didn’t care for the storyline. I had no desire to see what Happened. I barely cared. I just like Molly and her love for the Olive Garden.

I preferred the flashback story much more. More of Molly and Gran. Less of this riduculous writer murder. This book will still do very well. And I would read a third installment. This is the type of book I prefer to listen to.