I liked the first book in this budding series, but wasn't as crazy about it as others were. I should have realized I would feel the same about the sequel! Not my favorite, but know lots of readers will enjoy it.

Molly Gray, from the book The Maid, is back in the Regency Grand Hotel as the Head Maid. When a well-renowned writer, J.D. Grimthorpe, comes to the hotel to make a big announcement, the hotel is ready. Well, until he drops dead, that is. Now there's another death at the Regency Grand and again, Molly is at the center of the investigation.

This sequel to The Maid is a fun follow up and takes us back into Molly's world. We also get a glimpse of Molly's past with her grandmother and gives us a little more insight. I enjoyed this book and like the first book, found it to be a fun mystery with a colorful cast of characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Randon House Publishing Group for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Available November 23, 2023.

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. "The Mystery Guest" is such a wonderful cozy mystery that is perfect for this time of year. I was happy to jump back into Molly's world and delighted to see that the book had the same similar charm as the first one. This isn't a jaw dropping thriller, but definitely kept me entertained and had satisfying story lines/characters. I am looking forward to others reading more from this author (hopefully with Molly the Maid as main character).

Molly the Maid I back and just as quirky and smart as ever. I loved learning more about her past in this book than we did in the first. She is such an interesting character and her attention to detail is astounding. Mr. Preston was just as lovable and Angela is basically me, a real true crime lover. I love the idea of a mystery in a hotel and this one checks all the boxes. I loved this one just as much as I loved The Maid. The story moved quickly and I was hooked from page one.

I was so excited for the opportunity to read this book! I loved the first which I picked up on a whim. Now that I have ready The Mystery Guest, I can say I loved it more than the first! I love the characters, especially Molly because of how genuinely happy she is with herself and her life.

I really enjoyed this sequel! Molly was portrayed in a less stereotypical manner which I appreciated since that was somewhat problematic for me in The Maid. (She's neurodivergent and that was the focus - she made her an extremely naive character in the first while in the second she highlighted her intelligence). Story is told from Molly's POV again but in 2 timelines - past and present. The past focuses on young Molly while the present involves solving a murder. The early days POV was much more compelling in my opinion. It was wonderful learning seeing her relationship with gran again while learning more about her past.

Honestly this book exceeded my expectations so much.

I loved the first book. It read it in a time where life was chaotic and thought the start was very slow. Looking back, I don’t think it was slow per say, but more in the sense of you had to take your time to really understand Molly and her thought process. I ended up falling in love with The Maid and think about the book often.

When I saw that The Mystery Guest was being released, I immediately jumped on it. I was slightly worried about it starting “slow” again, but ended up tearing through it like I never thought I would.

I loved the addition to the new characters, but also loved how Nita brought back the old ones too in all their glory. I LOVED the addition of 2 storylines switching from past to present. And I loved how comfortable Molly was in her skin.

This book has everything, mystery, thrill, family drama, and twists. It was honestly a perfect book. If anything, I missed Juan’s character, but I understand why he wasn’t really a part of the storyline. I really loved this book and think all mystery lovers (cozy and otherwise) will fall in love with Molly the Maid.

Thank you to Nita Prose and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I adored the first book, The Maid, so much. I LOVED the female main character and thought it was such a well written novel. I liked this sequel, but just didn't adore it the same way I did the first. I almost think I might enjoy this one more when it is an audiobook.

I think when it comes down to it I just wasn't as captivated by the plot in this book as I was The Maid. I felt like it was slower at times. I did enjoy the past pov chapters. I thought those were really fun and I wish we could have stayed in those ones a bit more!

Once again Molly the Maid is thrust into an investigation against her better judgment. This time, famed mystery writer, J.D. Grimthorpe, has come to the Grand Regency Hotel to make a big announcement. However, before he can make his speech, he drops dead onto Molly's maid-in-training, Lily. Molly must, once again, work to clear her name and LIly's from suspicion. Detective Stark is under immense pressure to solve the case of the famous author and is, of course, still making assumptions about Molly because she is different. However, she does come around and ends up trusting Molly. We also get a fair amount of background info on Molly's past while her Gran worked at the Grimthorpe mansion. A fascinating, fun murder mystery. Molly is a treasure and I do hope this series continues.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this e-arc.*

Loved Molly the Maid #2! Molly is such a great character! She is not your normal, run of the mill main character and I love that about her. She’s quirky, awkward and relatable. I love how this story followed two timelines and we got to see Molly’s childhood with her grandmother. I love their relationship. It’s so genuine, and their one liner pieces of advice are so good. I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone! Great cozy mystery!

Everyone we love is back! We have the next adventure for Molly, Mr. Preston, Detective Stark, and the rest of the hotel staff, with a new addition, Lily, who I also grew to love. We have a dual timeline, with flashbacks to Molly’s past. I loved getting to know more about her as a child, and I loved that her Gran was able to be a main character because of that.

This mystery surrounds Grimthorpe, a famous and reclusive best-selling author who dies suddenly while making a public announcement at the hotel. And, once again, we have our loveable brilliant maid who gets roped into helping to solve the case.

Y’all… Molly is one of the most iconic characters ever. She’s quirky and fun and wholly unique. These books are fun, fast-paced, easy, and enjoyable reads.

I love what these books teach about kindness, the treatment of others, and its lessons on being a good person in this world.

This second book has the same cheeky voice and writing style that I loved so much in the first one. It has the perfect mix of plot and character development. Piecing the clues together is so much fun, and Molly is truly the reason I continue with this series.

I could absolutely see this series made into a show.

While I didn’t love this one just quite as much as I totally adored the first book (the twists were a bit predictable), it was still so freaking good and I’m so happy.

Really hoping we get even more installments in this series in the future. No spoilers, but there’s some stuff that is said at the end of this one that makes me think it’s super likely that we will and if it goes in the direction I think it might then OMG I can’t freaking wait!

Highly recommend this series!!!

Molly, the maid, is back! I loved the first book mainly because of the writing style from Molly's perspective. I think this was even better than the first one.
It alternated between 2 timelines. The present, where Molly is now the 'Head Maid' at Regancy Hotel. She's living her dream, until a nightmare happens at the hotel. They were trying to come back from the bad publicity that happened because of a murder. So, they invited a famous author at the hotel and as he was about to make a big announcement, he drops dead.
In the past timeline, Molly is a child standing at her grandmother's side while she goes and works as a maid.
Now, Molly is stuck in a big challenge where she needs to solve the mystery in the present which is connected to her past.
The final moment of how she solves it, is great! I loved this one. Molly is incredible!

✨ Review ✨ The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose, Narrated by Lauren Ambrose

The second book in the Molly the Maid series this book delivered an enjoyable though not breathtaking read. The book traces two parallel timelines -- a murder mystery in the present at the hotel that again locates Molly in the center of the story, and a story of Molly in the past joining her grandma at work in the home of the famous author murdered in the present.

For much of the book, I think the storyline from the past was more interesting, though eventually the stories come together. I think perhaps the present seemed less interesting because of how it mirrored the previous book (a lot of the jokes and silly points had been used before, and I'd love to see Molly in a different context to stretch the mileage here).

As mystery/thrillers go, I didn't find the reveals all that surprising, but I still enjoyed the listen. As an audiobook, it's fairly short (in the eight-hour range) and makes a nice, quick, easy listen!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5)
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Length: 8 hours 23 minutes
Reminds me of: The first Molly the Maid book, grown-up Amelia Bedelia
Pub Date: 28 Nov 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ light mysteries with some laughs
⭕️ stories about weird authors and the people that surround them
⭕️ Molly the Maid

Thanks to Ballantine Books, PRHAudio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

The first book of this series, The Maid, was a 3 star read and the last line of my review was "A fun read for sure but this one didn't live up to the hype for me." When I saw book two come out, I wanted to give it a try, but at 44% I am calling it and marking as a 'did not finish'. I forgot how Molly's personality mades for a slow plot and it isn't working for me this time around. I'm not invested in the characters or the storyline enough to keep going to see how the story comes together in the end.

Thank you, thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read early! I LOVED The Maid and could hardly believe it when I saw this approval email!
The Mystery Guest was another 5 star read for me. Molly the maid is just such a lovable character. This book has plenty of Molly and Gran's catchphrases like, "The dream of clean works best as a team" and "tea cures all ills". In this novel, we get to experience Molly's life as Head Maid at the Regency Grand and see flashbacks to her as a child growing up and cleaning house with Gran for a famous author. I always love a good dual timeline and the flashbacks were a fun way to tie Molly to her current mystery. I don't want to say much more and accidentally give anything away, but I really hope there will be a third! Who else thinks Molly is going to become a detective?!

I really enjoyed the first book of this series but, I can’t say I was as invested in this one as I was in the first one. I did enjoy this one overall.

The Mystery Guest is book 2 in the Molly the Maid series by Nita Prose.
Just like The Maid this was a compelling cozy crime mystery.
The mystery itself is well-plotted and very entertaining.
And the story is unputdownable thanks to the fabulous cast of characters
I found this story to be unique and well written. The characters are intelligent, strong and so brave.
A gripping and compelling mystery that once again held my attention from start to finish!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House & Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

I liked The Maid but didn’t love it - maybe because by the time I read it, it was so hyped up and I had expectations. However, I really loved this next installment.

The Mystery Guest included a mystery, but I felt like Molly and Gran’s relationship was at the heart of this one (despite Gran having passed). I loved reading the flash back chapters and seeing the anecdotes that connected Molly’s past with the murder and who she is at present.

I felt like I really understood Molly and was rooting for her even outside of the mystery. The clever twists and turns and the elegant writing had me hooked, and I tore through this one in a day in between work and errands. I can’t wait to see what Nita Prose has coming up next for Molly. Highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine and Nita Prose for the ARC.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is an engaging tale takes the readers on an adventurous ride through the life of Molly Gray, the headmaid at the Regency Grand Hotel. When the celebrated author J.D. Grimthorpe is found dead, Molly finds herself in the middle of a whodunnit investigation once again. The Mystery Guest is an excellent sequel to Prose's The Maid and keeps you on your toes with its suspenseful plot, well-drawn out characters, and smart twists.

Prose has done a remarkable job of pacing the story in The Mystery Guest. The plot takes the readers through a rollercoaster of emotions, with an even balance of light-hearted moments and tense situations. From the first chapter itself, you are thrown into a world of mystery and intrigue, and it's hard to put the book down. There were points where I felt that I had figured out the murderer, only to be taken in by surprise with the actual revelation.

Molly Gray's character is well-developed throughout the story. As the headmaid, she is portrayed as a no-nonsense woman who always follows the rules. However, as the investigation proceeds, we get to see a more vulnerable and personal side of her. The flashbacks to her past, working at Grimthorpe mansion with her grandmother, gave an insight into her character and upbringing. These backstories added an extra layer to the characters, making them feel more real and fleshed out.

The Regency Grand Hotel's setting adds to the story's charm, with its luxurious atmosphere, and the behind-the-scenes look at the workings of a five-star hotel. Something we got a bunch of in The Maid. The descriptive nature of the book sets a perfect scene, with the author's attention to detail adding to the experience.

If you are a fan of cozy murder mysteries, The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is an excellent read - after you have read The Maid. This book's smart twists, well-drawn-out characters, and engaging plot keep you hooked till the very end. Prose does an excellent job of pacing the story, and the Regency Grand Hotel's luxurious setting adds to the charm. The book adds a personal touch to Molly's character development, adding a deeper layer to both the character and the story's overall narrative.

The Mystery Guest lives up to the wondrous first installment, The Maid, adding to the Molly The Maid character which we all fell in love with in early 2022.

The Mystery Guest hits bookstores everywhere on November 28, 2023. We highly recommend the audiobook. Additionally, you can grab The Maid now in print and audiobook format.

I loved Nita Prose’s first book the Maid was SO good! Now this sequel, good but not as good! I felt like this story was rushed more so than the last and felt short. I felt that we were in more of her past (which was important don’t get me wrong) than the actual story itself. While it happened over days, it felt like one day. But, overall, still a really great mystery story from Molly and I loved the continuation from the last. I loved that Mr Preston is her grandfather (spoiler) and I really hope her and Juan get married!

I really hope this doesn’t mean this is the end of Molly’s story! If I could, I would give this 3.5 stars! Still great writing from Nita Prose and still a good sequel, just could use some more storyline!