Amazingly, Fantastically – Beautiful

The Maid is an easy to read, humorous and captivating book and should be on your list of reads for 2022.

Molly the Maid observes the world in a simple way. She is focused on perfection in her job at The Regency Hotel and sees only the best and good in people she meets. Unfortunately, the world is not like that, and some of the people she meets are not good. This leads to a trail of murder and intrigue.

Beautifully told in the first person, you will instantly fall in love with Molly. Feeling her tensions and stresses as the world around her makes no sense. You will be willing her on to piece back together and rebuild her world into the perfection she always strives.

Cannot recommend this book more if you would like to escape into a criminal, feel-good world.

The Maid is a delightful, solid story and Molly is a lovely character. The book jarred slightly though as it was Molly telling us she can't read social cues or fit in at work rather than showing us and at times would say and do things that felt not in line with her lack of social understanding. I enjoyed the book but it didn't feel memorable enough to push it up to a four-star read for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

This brought an interesting character study along with the usual structure of a genre fiction plot. It was a interesting and entertaining read. Four stars for an original debut.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Molly is a maid in the Regent Grand hotel. Just like the hotel rooms she cleans, Molly’s life is spotless, neat and ordered, but empty at times. It’s a day just like any other day until Molly enters a room to clean it and discovers a man lying dead. That’s all it takes for Molly’s sterile, ordered world to tilt on its axis. But who’s to say that’s a bad thing?

So, I have just read my first five star book of the year! As much as this book is a murder mystery, it’s more about Molly and her view of the world. I came to love Molly as a character very quickly and I was rooting for her. I loved her turn of phrase and enthusiasm for her job. I loved the Gran-isms. But most of all I loved her journey - it was such an emotional, inspiring and uplifting character arc. I loved the red herrings in the book and it’s really cleverly plotted so I never guessed the culprit. The ending was perfect, I miss those characters already.

Thank you to Nita Prose, Harper Collins and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What a fabulous story this is. No wonder that it has been snatched up to be made into a movie.

Molly the Maid has worked at the Regency Grand Hotel for several years, where her employer sees her as a reliable and conscientious worker. Molly lives by routines and schedules. She has problems fitting into society but longs for a friend or a boyfriend. Molly lives on her own now, in a rented rundown flat, as her grandmother, who brought her up, died only a few months before. Molly’s grandmother was the rock who guided Molly and protected her from the world.

There is a very wealthy couple that stays at the hotel regularly, the man doesn't even seem to see Molly, but his wife gives Molly huge tips and calls says she is her friend. When Molly finds the woman’s husband dead one morning, Molly becomes visible to everyone, including the police.

What a truly astonishing story this is! You cannot help but want to mother Molly and guide her, especially with who she can and cannot trust. You can see situations building up, but she sees the world differently from how I saw people. At times she made me smile and at other times I feared for her safety. Molly’s innocent outlook could be her downfall.

There is so much more to this story than you realise. Most of the story takes place at the hotel, with quite a tight cast of characters. There is always something happening in this busy workplace with the guests and the staff. A huge must-read for 2022.

I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book that I have reviewed honestly.

This was a good story with an even better ending, I loved this tale. You could almost taste the torment of the protagonist and I felt so bad for her, it’s clear she has to be looked after.

Hmm, I'm quite conflicted about this book as the intention to represent neurodiversity is helpful - but it too often feels like we're slightly invited to smile *at* Molly and see her as *different* rather than normalising her. I also feel that this has one of the common faults of debut novels which is over-packing the story with issues. So much is going on that the murder mystery is pushed to one side and then finished off erratically with last second revelations and withheld information. Quotations from Molly's gran on every page quickly become annoying with her cute and saccharine axioms. Nevertheless, this is certainly readable for switch-off entertainment - I'm just not as charmed as most other readers are, even as a fan of Eleanor Oliphant.

An amazing debut, really well written. Great plot for the mystery. I enjoyed it massively and recommend it highly.

THanks a lot to NG and the publisher for the copy.

'The Maid' is a super fun and cosy crime story. We follow Molly who is a socially-awkward, quite solitary character and is dealing with the loss of her gran who she lived with. Molly enjoys neatness and order and is hugely dedicated to her job as a maid in a fancy upmarket hotel.

One day Molly is cleaning the room of a rich couple who are regulars at the hotel, when she finds the husband dead on the bed! What follows is a tale of crime and scandal as Molly finds herself embroiled in the situation - quickly becoming a suspect in the case.

It took me until about a quarter of the way through the book before I was fully immersed in the story, but once I was I couldn't put the book down. I just wanted to give Molly a big hug and tell her everything was going to be okay!

I really enjoyed this book. I struggled at first to get used to Molly Maids dialogue but after a while found it endearing. A wonderful 'who dunnit?' story thay was full of key points and life lessons along the way.

Absolutely adored this read. The main character Molly is quirky and so set in her ways
What you see is what you get with her. A brilliant debut from an author you know is going places.
Her wit, her descriptiveness really made this book stand out for me.
I enjoyed the storyline and at times felt the need to protect Molly from those who took advantage of her.
But throughout while I felt Molly needed protecting, she knew her own mind and her quirkiness made her stand out from the crowd. At times I really just wanted to be her friend.
Well worth your time

(I am on the blog tour for this one so I will come back and add my review after my date)

Molly the maid is definitely not going to be a character I'll ever forget! I'm already missing her after finishing the book. I loved this book so much especially the wonderful characters that have been so vividly written. I kept finding myself wanting to protect Molly throughout the while book. This book is sure to be in everyone's top 5.
Molly finds herself unwittingly embroiled in a murder within the hotel that she works in. The book is extremely clever in how it brings the characters and storyline together. It really brings out every emotion in the reader. This is a fresh, unique and clever book with of my favourite characters ever.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins and Nita Prose for my arc of The Maid in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing 20th January 2022

Molly’s life is full of order and structure. She takes her job as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel very seriously. Much to the amusement of her colleagues. Since her gran died, Molly has been doing her best to navigate life in the only ways she knows how, with etiquette, good grace and the following of her gran’s simple rules on life. But when Molly finds one of the hotel’s VIPs dead in his bed, her unusual mannerisms make her the target of the police who begin pursuing her as their prime suspect.

This was an unusual book. In the style of books like Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine, but with a murder mystery. It was cleverly done and highlighted people’s prejudice and inability to accept people for being different, as well as touching on things like adult bullying. But for me the murder mystery felt somewhat out of place. It just felt like this book was trying to be too many things at once. Overall, a middling kind of rating from me.

I absolutely loved Molly the maid. She was such a unique and delightful character you couldn’t help but like. This book kept me hooked from start to finish and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It had a unique storyline which I would definitely recommend.

Loved it ! I read a lot of Thriller and murder mystery but this one stood out for me. Very original. I really liked the narrator.

That was utterly charming! I must be mellowing in my old age as I have enjoyed a few ‘cosies’ in the last year. Some reviewers have compared it Eleanor Oliphant but I haven’t read that one so I can’t comment.

Molly Gray is a maid at the Regency Grand 5 star hotel. She loves her job and enjoys nothing more than returning a room to a “state of perfection”. She takes great pride in her work and, although the pay is lowly, she is very happy with her situation although she does miss her gran who raised her but died a few months ago. As you may have guessed by now Molly is a bit ‘different’. She is socially awkward and probably on the spectrum. But although she doesn’t always know how to read people or how to react, her unfailing politeness tends to see her through. Unfortunately it also leads her into some trouble.

Molly has placed her faith in some unsavoury people, particularly Rodney who works at the hotel bar. One day she finds Mr Black dead in his room. Mr Black and his young, second wife Giselle are regulars at the Regency Grand and Molly sees Giselle as a friend. This is also not the wisest choice. The police soon realise that Mr Black’s death was not natural but, rather, murder and Molly, to her eternal shame, is arrested. Luckily her true friends gather around and hatch a sting operation to unmask the real killer. Or do they?

I will leave you with that little ambiguity. It was a lovely story with excellent characterisation. And the book really was all about the characters. They were a diverse bunch and you can see how, when it really matters, you learn who your real friends are. I really enjoyed this delightful story but, for now, it’s back to some thrills and action. Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

This was a fantastic read! Molly Gray is the last person you'd expect to be a part of a murder investigation, and yet the story made complete sense, despite being a little far-fetched. I already take a dim view of those who exploit the good nature of other people, but with Molly at the centre, I found myself hooked to the story in the search of some sense of justice! I got Eleanor Oliphant vibes from Molly and was rooting for her the whole way through the book. As innocent as Molly seems, the revelation at the end demonstrated well that no-one is spared from making difficult choices. The novel is well-written, pacy and is full of interesting characters. It's well worth a read!

First read of 2022, and a great way to spend the arvo. Molly the Maid finds a man dead in her high-class hotel and finds herself under suspicion along with the dead man's companion. Suddenly, this maid to the rich and famous has her own mess to clean up. Molly is a delightful, quirky character with a distinctive and entertaining voice. The cast of characters here -- complete with dodgy detectives, dead relatives, and red herrings -- are ripped straight from an Agatha Christie mystery. The conceit here is nothing new, and the wrap-up comes with minimal tension, but none of that takes away from the fun here. An easy to recommend cosy crime book for readers who loved Thursday Murder Club and The Appeal.

Molly Maid is the new Eleanor Oliphant! I loved this book and have already recommended it to anyone who will listen. I couldn’t wait to finish this, the characters drew me into the story so much. I just fell in love with Molly!

This was an insightful and compelling read. I was drawn in by the protagonist Molly, she is a Maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, a very prestigious Hotel and she is proud to work there. Molly is a kind and gentle soul. She is called special by her grandmother, and struggles with understanding people, reading their expressions and acknowledging what they are really meaning by their words.. She takes everything literally and her Co workers call her names such as “weirdo’ and talk about her behind her back.
The story unfolds through Molly’s POV, her beloved grandmother has passed away and Molly finds herself alone and struggling with grief and a lack of finances. The narrative centres around the suspicious death of a very Important Guest. Molly finds herself in an compromising position and with her beloved grandma gone, she is not sure what to do.
This is a charming and heartwarming read, I could not put it down. This is as cosy as a crime story gets. I highly recommend and I can see this being a big hit in 2022.