Oh dear. I'm sorry. It's a mixed review from me.

First of all, it's a great, intriguing idea. Molly is a very clever character, and apart from jumping in and out of flashbacks with no warning or differentiation, I really enjoyed her 'voice'. It was a very clever way to show us some of the things that were going on without letting her in on them, as she didn't pick up on cues that we did.

However, this novel breaks one of the important rules for mysteries; we, the audience, had no possible way of knowing who did the crime, because important information was hidden from us until Molly revealed it, off handedly, after everything else was resolved. It made the rest of the story almost seem pointless, because we didn't have enough information to make a guess at the culprit. Those final moments also completely change our view of Molly's character, which may be the point but makes the whole rest of the novel feel slightly pointless. This is just my opinion, though! Your Milage May Vary.

Apart from that, though, this was a great story. I loved Molly's found family, and the ending is very cute. I've heard that this has been optioned as a movie, and I'm very interested to see how they do it; so much of the point of this is Molly's narration, and I can't imagine them running it over 90% of the movie (but who knows! Maybe they will.) I'll definitely be looking to watch it, anyway.

A really clever idea, but that one aspect didn't sit will with me.

The Maid by Nita Prose is a fun and easy read murder mystery book that was impossible to put down.

Molly is a maid that works at the Regency Grand Hotel and thoroughly enjoys her work and performs all her tasks immaculately. She tries her best to stay positive in every aspect of her life, however, her life is turned around when she discovers the body of a VIP guest who is dead in his room.

Written in the first person and through the eyes of Molly, we are given a glimpse of Molly's world, her career, and her struggles as she still grieves the loss of her dear grandmother who brought her up as she learns to live on her own.

The Maid is a perfect cozy mystery that was entertaining, highly addictive, and won't disappoint. Kuddos to Nita Prose, looking forward to more great work from you.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I absolutely loved Molly the maid. Her character was very clever and she came across as a genuine soul. I loved the penultimate ending …there was much more to Molly than is first portrayed!

The Maid is a cleverly written story, I liked the concept and the way the story unfolded. The characters were a nice mix. Some you really loved and others not so much.

It was a nice light hearted read. Although you kind of guessed what was happening it was still enjoyable and I feel intentional, as Molly appeared naive. So it was like Nita wanted the reader to know what was going on.

Thank you NetGalley and Harpercollins for the opportunity to read this book.

I couldn’t put this book down! Not only was it a gripping read, all the characters were so well written I even became invested in the ‘bad’ characters.
Molly Maid is a unique character, she has a way about her that makes her stand out from others which they sometimes don’t like.
It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel, I think this will be on a lot of peoples tbr lists as it will be a well talked of novel.
Thanks Netgalley for a copy of this in return for my honest opinion

Molly is a quirky character with obvious social difficulties - I would say she is somewhere on the spectrum - but she copes with her job as a maid in a large hotel and life on her own in a rented apartment. The premise of the book is good - Molly finds a famous guest dead in his bed - but there were bits that didn’t ring true for me. Everything falls neatly in place by the end but I had several ‘Really?’ moments.However, the story zips along and keeps you hooked right to the ( slightly improbable) ending. .

If you put Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine in a blender along with the Grand Budapest Hotel for quirkiness and setting) and added a touch of Marple for good measure, you'd come out with something like The Maid. I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it to mystery readers. It's a cosy crime novel with both nefarious and wonderful characters and it's our job to find out who is who, as Molly (The Maid) does. The book is also well-written and the lead character's language is a joy to read. It doesn't surprise me at all that this has been commissioned for the screen - it's a very visual book and completely sucked me in. Wonderful.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers and Nita Prose for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am your Maid. I know so much about you. Your secrets. Your dirty laundry. But what do you know about me?
Synopsis:
Molly the maid is all alone in the world. A nobody. She's used to being invisible in her job at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows, tidying up the guests' messes, sweeping away their secrets. She's just a maid - why should anyone take notice?
But Molly is drawn out of the shadows when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, dead in his bed. This isn't a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And as a murder mystery pulls Molly into the underbelly of the hotel, it becomes clear that the truth isn't always black and white - it is often found in the dirtier, grey areas in between.
This book is one of my favourite reads of the year. I could have easily finished it in a couple of days as I loved Mollys straightforward character and her unique way of looking at the world. A world of right and wrong, black and white.
Molly has been wronged in her past but her gran brought her up to be respectful and work hard. Characteristics which Molly needs as she navigates the world on her own, especially when she finds a body in one of her hotel rooms. We meet a number of great characters throughout the book and I want to say to Nita Prose, please can we read about Molly again?
This is definitely a 5⭐ read for me.

A really unique novel, The Maid offers an insight into what it's really like to be invisible and everything that you see and hear along the way. Molly the maid was a brilliant character who really kept this book alive and made me want to continue reading all the way to end. She takes everything said very literally and doesn't always understand social aspects and she had an integral role throughout. I have mixed feelings about the ending, it was a good twist but I'm also disappointed it wasn't something else but overall it was very fast paced and easy to read and I loved Molly and how everything is tied up nicely at the end.

To borrow from Molly the Maid’s repertoire, Nita Prose’ (great name for an author by the way) debut novel is Delightful. Delightful in all its guises. As a detective / murder mystery, as a tale of a young woman newly alone in the world battling loneliness and searching for human connection and as a story of a heroine who has trouble interpreting social cues and all those little nuances language is built on. And mostly as a story of someone who thrives on order, cleanliness and rules but sometimes makes the mistake of applying the wrong rule at the wrong time. The Maid is truly delightful and a joy to read.

Molly as a character is superb, I loved her to bits and am going to miss her now I’ve finished.

Ms Prose, keep going my lovely you have a real talent, looking forward to your next bestseller because The Maid is certainly going to be one.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was Tsundoku squad’s November read. I think we all really enjoyed this one and could be a contender for our favourite red of the year.

Molly is such a brilliant character, I just want to be her friend, sit down and have a cup of tea with her. I bet she makes a great cup of tea. So yeah I loved her, and I was rooting for her so hard all the way through. I picked up,a dn so did some of the others, that Molly seems like she’s on the Spectrum somewhere. A lot of things stood out, the not understanding sarcasm, believing in others and being so easily led. My heart went out to her so much, and I wanted to punch stupid Rodney clean in the face. But I loved Mr Preston, he sounds such a happy go lucky guy, and I really liked the background with him and Mollys Gran.

Molly’s grief was well written, and it got me massively. I understood the feeling, as a lot of others do too, but I’ve always struggled with my Grandma not being here, so I felt like I related so much.

What a brilliant book, and I’d definitely recommend it to everyone.

4.5 stars ‘‘We are all the same in different ways’’
I really enjoyed this one. Molly is such a character- complex but naive in the same breath. It’s a cleverly written mystery with some great characters. I felt for Molly from the very beginning and wanted her to be looked after.

Fantastic read highlighting genuine challenges for some people but in a gripping story that is hard to put down

This is such a fun novel, it is strange and peculiar, it deals in old fashioned values and virtues, as personified in the person of Molly, a hotel maid.
Molly is sheer perfection at her job, she loves order, neatness , responsibility and routine, she is a slave to cleanliness and is willing to go that extra mile to banish dust and dirt. So, when Molly finds a dead guest in his bed, she is both taken out of her comfort zone, yet strangely alert to subtle nuances that others have ignored or tried to hide.
When Molly is interviewed by the police, you could almost hear the hair being torn out!! Detective Stark certainly needed all of her patience with this one!! Molly may think she is insignificant, but she has gained some surprising insights into human behaviour, that really makes this story sing!! I did guess the main thrust of the story, the hotel manager’s name was a good indication of where the story was leading. I loved the characters of Mr Preston and Juan Miguel, and the end was both heart warming, as Molly found out that she may have a guardian angel, and a rather unexpected ending, being both kindness and tragedy combined.
A marvellous debut novel. I really took to the whole story and Molly was absolute perfection. This is going to be made into a film, I do hope the essence of Molly is sustained during the filming process, as she is the main element of sympathy and affection.
A five star read, it was marvellous. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Harper Collins UK for my advance copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. I will leave a copy to Goodreads and other outlets later.

Review - The Maid by Nina Prose

Molly the Maid is one of the Maids in a five star hotel and from her point of view, a nobody... This couldn't be more wrong!!! In this mistery, Molly has a vital role to the development of the story. All she wants as a effective and profissional Maid, is to leave rooms in a state of perfection and her sense of duty is unquestionably.
After her grandmother death, Molly is faced with financial and moral challenges that she needs to overcome in order to be able to move forward.
This book exceeded all my expectations! A clear, elegant and truly enticing novel.
Thank you to @harperfiction and @netgalley for this fantastic review copy.

A debut novelist, hot of the shelf with a novel I have no idea what it’s about or where it will go.
Love these types of reviews as I am coming to them with no preconceptions.

The Maid of the book title is Molly and she works as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly takes her job, and dirt very seriously and nothing gets in the way of her cleaning up after her guests.

Molly is a brilliant character; she is very naïve and easily taken in which makes her an unwitting pawn for some of the salubrious characters in the novel. Yet her optimism shines through, and the naivety means that her friends rally round to help her when she needs them.

My truth is not the same as yours because we don’t experience life in the same way. Way to go Molly don’t apologise for your difference, allow people to accept you as you accept them.

When she finds the body of a famous guest in one of her rooms, Molly is thrown into the world of crime at the deep end and must learn fast on who to trust.

A lovely story that places the reader firmly in Molly’s corner. I came away hoping I will get to meet Molly again and go on another adventure with her.

Some of the plot is a bit off, and doesn’t fit in, but all in all a wholesome delightful read.

What a surprising novel this was!

Molly the maid works at The Regency Grand Hotel. Dedicated to her job, she has a passion for cleaning but often passes through the hotel unnoticed by anyone except her friend Juan who works in the kitchen and Rodney the handsome barman. Molly lives alone following the death of her Gran and, due to the raiding of her Gran's nest egg by a despicable ex boyfriend, she is barely making ends meet. Molly's pittance of a wage is subsidised by tips left to her by guests, but the head maid likes to check the best rooms first and cream off the bulk of the tips. Everything is calm and ordered in Molly's world - until she enters Suite 401 on a particular afternoon and finds Mr Black, a hotel guest and very rich man, very very dead on the bed.

Like peeling back the multiple layers of an onion we are then taken through the investigation, with each time Molly is interview by the police or speaks to someone a tiny bit more of the jigsaw falls into place. Just what is Rodney's interest in Molly? Why is Juan staying in the empty hotel rooms at night? Who are his mysterious friends and why does he have so many burns on his arms? Was Mr Black murdered or did he die of natural causes? And where exactly did that fourth pillow go?

All of these questions and more are answered as the book races towards it's conclusion. This is one of the few times where I have only just been ahead of what is being revealed on the page. Truly fascinating and genuinely page turning, this novel is almost a state of perfection.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We’re all the same in different ways

One of the most talked about books in 2022 will surely be The Maid. Nita Prose proudly presents Molly the Maid, a character whose distinct voice and unique view of the world around her is bound to win her an army of adoring fans. Molly who works at the Regency Grand Hotel loves everything about her job from her freshly laundered uniform, her well stocked trolley to the pleasure and satisfaction she gains from returning the guests rooms to a state of perfection. Molly’s differences make her the odd one out amongst her coworkers but her job adds another layer of invisibility which enables her to move through the rooms and corridors of the hotel virtually unnoticed. She’s like a stealthy ninja cleaner! But whilst many of the guests and staff at the Regency Grand fail to register Molly’s presence she hears and sees things that cannot so easily be swept under the carpet. When she finds regular guest Charles Black dead in the bedroom of suite 401 suddenly Molly finds she’s the centre of attention and not so invisible after all. And so this quirky, charming murder mystery begins.

First of all what a fantastic premise for a novel. It reminded me of my one summer many, many years ago working as a chambermaid in seaside hotels not quite as opulent as the Regency Grand. My biggest fear was always the thought that I might accidentally stumble across a dead body but unlike Molly thankfully I never did! Although at the centre of this novel lies a whodunnit which zips along nicely with plenty of entertaining and surprising twists and turns it is really Molly the Maid who steals the limelight. It’s her unique voice that compels the reader to instantly fall in love and remain “all ears” as Molly relays her story which is as much about friendship, family, love, identity and acceptance as it is about solving a mystery. Overall it’s funny, highly entertaining, an absolute dream to read and quite unlike anything I’ve read before.

Molly is a character who’s as pure as the driven snow. With her impeccable manners and quaint way of speaking she’s simply the most joyous, beguiling and unlikeliest heroine you’ll have the pleasure of meeting. Lonely and clearly missing her beloved gran, cleaning helps Molly cope with chaos of life around her. The Regency Grand brings colour into Molly’s world and I loved the descriptions of her work, a job we would possibly find mundane but one which clearly brings her so much happiness and joy. She might have trouble reading people and social situations making you laugh out loud with her funny observations and unintentional misinterpretations but the laughter is never ever at her expense. Nita Prose has portrayed Molly as someone whose imperfections are her strengths. How easy it is for the reader to accept Molly for exactly who she is, embracing and rejoicing in her differences rather than viewing them as weaknesses to exploit which certain characters in this storyline are guilty of, amongst other things!! The fact she’s so comfortable in her own skin and retains her core values even when the going get tough shows a strength of character that is admirable. That’s partly down to Gran, a wonderful woman whose voice remains loud and clear even though she’s no longer of this world. I loved how Molly channels her spirit, the echoes of Gran’s favourite mantras guiding her granddaughter through life’s trickier moments. I felt sure that Gran would be incredibly proud of Molly who in the aftermath of Mr Black’s demise astounds herself with her hidden capabilities. It’s a shame others don’t see Molly in quite the same light. Their cruel nasty jibes and snide comments make you feel both sad and angry. I wanted to wrap Molly up in cotton wool and protect her from some of these dirty rotten scoundrels seeking to take advantage of her sweet helpful nature, of which there are a few. In the supporting cast of characters who are friends and who are foes? Giselle,Rodney, Mr Preston and Juan Manuel all have a heavy influence in Molly’s life but I’ll leave it up to you to decide who are the genuine, lovely ones who welcome Molly into their hearts as opposed to the more unscrupulous ones who deserve taking down a peg or two. For Molly who only sees the good in people it’s far more complicated recognising who can or cannot be trusted. It may take a while for the penny to drop but it’s so worth the wait, proving you should never underestimate the underdog. With the help of a few new friends and a few tricks up her sleeve Molly manages to surprise everyone, including myself!

We could all do with more Mollys in this world to combat all the cynicism and ugliness that creeps into our daily lives. Her cheerfulness and positivity is infectious, her innocence and sweetness a total delight. In short she’s an inspiration and a fine example of why we should celebrate each others individual differences rather than mocking, making ASSumptions and passing judgment so quickly. If a book had the power to cleanse your soul then this is it! I predict that Molly the Maid will conquer many hearts; she filled mine with gladness, leaving behind an indelible imprint that no amount of scrubbing or polishing will erase. I bid a fond farewell to Molly and her lovely little trio of truth seekers feeling utterly contented. This is feel good uplifting fiction at its VERY VERY best with the added bonus of a cleverly crafted whodunnit to satisfy the serious sleuths amongst us. Seeing the world through Molly’s eyes is an opportunity not to be missed!

For me Molly the Maid is a triumph and a tremendous feat of the author’s imagination. I’m not sure how Nita Prose will manage to create another character as unique and as unforgettable but I have no doubt she’ll rise to the challenge!

My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

The writing style and main character Molly is so unique. The Maid reminded me of one of my favourite books 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine'. The storyline kept me gripped, I whizzed through the pages and was so disappointed when I finished- a sure sign of a brilliant book. A spectacular debut from Nita Prose and definitely one to watch in 2022.

The Maid by Nina Prose

Molly Gray is a 25 year old maid who struggles socially but is brilliant at her job as a chambermaid at the prestigious Regency Grand Hotel.
Mollys life changes when she finds Mr Black dead in his bed when she has cleaned the room and becomes chief suspect in the murder.

This book is a quirky read which I'm sure will be well received but it just didn't work for me.
Molly is honest, hard working and a rule abider so her actions in this book don't really add up, especially the epilogue.
Also becoming the chief suspect was a bit of a stretch but despite this, the book was an easy read with interesting characters and nice storyline about not fitting in and finding true friends.

The Maid was such an unexpected treat, and I literally couldn’t stop reading - so finished it in two stints! I think I was expecting a psych thriller, and this is so much more. The protagonist, Molly, is wonderful. Her voice and misunderstandings of the world around her are sensitively written, yet we can see quickly that she is sensitive, wise and full of insight. Her navigation of the world around her and the crime she discovers are in turns funny, heart-breaking and infuriating. I found is such an emotionally satisfying read. Highly recommend. Would be a great book club read or gift for someone who wants to read something uplifting. My only question about it (which is not a negative, just a question mark) is that I kept being surprised it was set in the US. The characters seemed very British. But maybe that’s a parochial view and the characters are simply universal!