Molly is a delightful character who sees life slightly different to everyone else. Brought up by her Gran she sees the best in everyone and everything. She works as a maid in a 5 star hotel and is meticulous in her cleaning.
Sadly she feels she is alone in the world since her Gran's death and her life after work is staying in her apartment watching reruns of Columbo, as she did with her Gran.
On cleaning a suite she discovers the body of Mr Black, a well known entrepreneur and quickly becomes under suspicion for his murder. But Molly does has friends and they soon work on proving her innocence with an intensity Columbo would be proud of.
This book is so well written that its hard to believe its a debut novel. Molly's quirks and her language are like a big cosy hug on a dreary day. Would be very easy to be friends with her. Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

I really felt for the main character in this book as she struggles to navigate a world with so much nuance. It was a good story and I liked the ending, I’d recommend this book.

I received an E-ARC copy of ‘The Maid’ by Nita Prose through NetGalley when my request was approved by the publisher Harper Collins UK. Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. This book is an amazing debut from the author. The expected publishing date is 20.01.22.

This book follows Molly Gray, a maid in the 5-star Regency Grand Hotel.

Molly can find it difficult to understand some social interactions, and to find the correct things to say. She used to have her Gran to help explain some of the phrases and actions she didn’t understand, but when her Gran passes away, she is left to try and work out these situations out herself.

Molly adores her job and loves to see the magnificent entrance hall every morning before going down to the basement to put on her freshly cleaned uniform ready to start her day. Due to her love of cleaning and her unique and delightful character she is an amazing maid.

One day near the end of her shift, she finds a wealthy businessman dead in his bed.

Did the guest take his own life, or did someone have a motive to kill him?

Molly soon becomes a suspect due to her unusual reactions and emotions. What follows is a journey of discovery for Molly and the unravelling of the lies and secrets behind this mysterious death.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I flew through it in one day, as I just couldn’t put it down.

Molly is such a lovable and enchanting character, and although a little naïve stays strong in circumstances many would crumble. I really felt for Molly throughout and being quite socially awkward myself, related to her character.

I find it hard to write reviews sometimes for books that I love, as you don’t want to give too much away, and it is hard to find the right words. One thing is for sure I will be recommending this book and it is in the top five best books I have read this year. I will be looking out for future releases from Nita Prose.

Overall, an amazing, emotional debut mystery about a unique and lovable young hotel maid.

The Maid follows Molly (Molly the Maid) as she learns to navigate life after the passing of her beloved guardian and grandmother whilst working as a Maid at one of the swankiest hotels in town. She lives her life enjoying the anonymity her job allows until one day it all goes awry when Molly discovers one of her hotel's most famous clients dead in his bed.

Molly quickly becomes a person of interest and The Maid follows what happens next and how sometimes being overlooked can be a blessing and a curse.

READ FOR A BOOK CLUB AND ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! REALLY MANAGED TO FEEL CONNECTED TO THE MAIN CHARACTER AND HER STORY! Great twist at the end too…

Wonderfully this book keeps you questioning throughout, we all had different ideas about what was going on & what, if anything, had been seen in the mirror? Molly is a fantastic character who's unique, charming voice really shines in this tale. The good guys are brilliant & full of heart, the bad guys are vile & conniving, both written to really draw the reader into Molly's world of black & white.

The Maid is perfect for lovers of a mystery, great writing & a very good story.

I think this book has been the one this year that’s left me with the biggest smile. What an amazing debut novel indeed.
Molly the Maid absolutely won my heart. She’s such a beautifully crafted neurodivergent character, whose wonderful narration had me turning the pages nonstop. I used to be a school SENCO and I just wanted to be there for Molly at times, but when Molly is wrongly accused of murder, thank goodness Mr Preston the doorman did the job for me. The plot line is full of unexpected twists and turns, there are so many terrific characters and there’s a clever balance of humour throughout. Absolutely brilliant!
Thanks to NetGalley UK and Harper Collins UK for an e-arc in exchange for a review.

It is very rarely that I am surprised by a book, but The Maid did just that !

Meet Molly she has been raised by her Grandmother to be clean and tidy and she takes such a pride in her job as maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. She is a great people watcher however she is very naïve and she befriends a guest Giselle Black wife of Mr Black who is a regular guest at the hotel. She is not popular at work but she does have some people who look out for her, and when a guest is found dead and she becomes a suspect she needs all the help she can get. She tries to prove her innocence but who can she trust to help her.
I loved Molly her inability to read people or clumsiness all make her so endearing. I love Columbo so the fact that he appears in the book added to the charm of this clever whodunnit. It is definitely one of my reads of the year as the characters were so well written and convincing I absolutely loved everything about this book I will be shouting about it from the roof tops !

The Maid - Nita Prose

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. 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐝 – 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞?

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐌𝐫 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡, 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐝 – 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤?

This book just gets all the stars, I cannot believe it is a debut! I was entranced from the very first page. Molly is just a wonderful character, matter of fact, and just plain lovely. She notices everything, all the details and likes order in the way she does things.

‘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?’

She realises she is different, she used to have her Gran to help her navigate, but alone, she finds things much more difficult.
People have taken advantage of her but she is still a strong person and utterly lovely, hands down one of the best characters I have met in fiction full stop!

‘𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲.’

This mad me laugh it made me cry it kept me completely hooked and I could not put it down. The writing is just fabulous, descriptive, the mystery keeps you interested. There are twists that are oh, so good and there are themes of kindness, friendship and inclusivity woven through.
You must meet Molly the Maid - you simply must, it would be impolite not to!

‘𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬.’

✩✩✩✩✩

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Thanks to @netgalley for my copy of this book

The Maid is a gripping story told through the eyes of a young woman who sometimes sees the world differently to those around her. A hard worker and stickler for manners and appropriate behaviour at all times, Molly's day is thrown somewhat as she discovers a dead body in one of her regular rooms. But what happened? Who did it? And although she might know realise it, does Molly know more the events leading up to this moment than she's letting on?

Molly Gray is the wonderfully naif and upright heroine of this extremely amusing novel. Brought up by her Gran who is full of homilies and good advice, Molly follows instructions to the letter and revels in bringing "perfection" to the rooms she services as a maid in the Regency Grand Hotel.
When she discovers a dead body in one of the rooms she cleans, her life is turned upside down. Her dealings with, and subsequent arrest by, the police are hilarious as her disarming honesty, in response to their questioning, creates endless confusion.
But take Molly at face value at your peril. There is a lot more to her than you might think. She has an acutely accurate memory and, because of the conscientiousness she brings to her work, acquires friends amongst the guests that ultimately yields her rewards.
A book you can read in a couple of enjoyable sittings. Although it involves murder I can guarantee you shall put it down with a smile and you'll be genuinely pleased how everything works out for Molly.

I finished reading The Maid in 3 days! it was brilliant! I was a bit unsure about Mollys character at the start...she frustrated me the way everything was so black and white, I wanted to shout at her to wake up but as the pages went on, I grew to love her and the way she was so descriptive and unknowingly witty in her exchanges especially with Detective Stark! This was a very enjoyable novel to read and loved the plot in it. Looking forward to hearing more from the author!

Absolutely superb.
I loved this book, and I'm going to even say this may be one of my favourite reads of the year.
Molly. Who doesn't love Molly? She was a wonderful character and I cheered her on with every page. I loved her and would like to be friends with her! Her personality shined through the book, and I laughed with her, but had so many sympathy pangs for her too.
The story around Mr Black was the very definition of unputdownable, and I raced through the book. I was actually sad to see it end.
It is books like these that make me thankful of my love for books, and my enjoyment of receiving ARC's.
I cannot wait to read more from Nita Prose. I am astounded this is her debut novel.

Also posted to my Facebook and Instagram accounts Curling Up With a Coffee and a Kindle

I had already heard about The Maid and it was one of my hotly anticipated books for 2022, so I was delighted to receive a free advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The book has an original premise, following the exploits and adventures of a maid in a hotel who often goes unseen. She's a social misfit and was brought up by her grandmother with very old-fashioned values. She takes things at face value and unfortunately gets herself exploited and into hot water.

It was interesting to read how her story progressed and it was slightly reminiscent of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, particularly in terms of the way my feelings about the main character altered throughout the book. The book had a very satisfying conclusion and I would like to read more by this author.

A heart wrenchingly poignant tale of difference and vulnerability in the face of ruthless and dangerous criminals.
Molly the maid is a memorable character whose path through life (and death) provides an unusual and absorbing story with a twist I didn’t foresee. Wholeheartedly recommended.

I enjoyed this book so much!!

Molly, a maid at the elegant Regency Grand Hotel, takes her position very seriously. Not all members of the staff

relate to their work in the same way. She is a little socially challenged and some people are rather unkind to her.

One day, Mr. Black is found dead in his suite, and Molly is blamed. Her naivety and optimistic outlook on life help

her to try and adjust to the accusation and fight. it. Molly has a tough few days with the police, drugs, mounting

debts and betrayal looming large in her world. Good people are on the way too. .

A cautionary tale about trust and acceptance. A great read..

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 and wiping away the grime, dust and secrets of the guests passing through. She’s just a maid – why should anyone take notice? But Molly is thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, very dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And as Molly becomes embroiled in the hunt for the truth, following the clues whispering in the hallways of the Regency Grand, she discovers a power she never knew was there. She’s just a maid – but what can she see that others overlook?

What an amazing book this is! Prose is a very talented writer and I cannot wait to see what else they produce. Back to this book though and from the beginning I was hooked. Prose writes in quite an informal, chatty way and it really drew me into the book. Prose takes time to introduce us to Molly, we learn about her and her routine, then the action gets going and I was really obsessed. I just could not put this down, more to the point I really did not want to. This is packed with twists and turns and is humorous and highly entertaining as well. Quite simply this book has everything.

The characters are stunning. I adored this group of quirky characters, they all offer something different and they offer a different voice as well. Molly in particular is wonderful and my favourite character since Eleanor Oliphant. It was joyous getting to know Molly and following her as she experiences the world. I really loved Molly and as a result felt the emotions of the read more acutely as well. I would love to see another book with these characters, all of them are wonderful creations and I loved getting to know them.

'The Maid' is an absolute triumph and I will be recommending it to anyone who asks. I was thrilled to see there will be a film of this but let us face it, nothing will beat this incredible read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an advance copy.

I was starting to give up hope that I'd ever find a book to fill the Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine hole in my heart... until now. The Maid follows the character of Molly, a maid at a fancy hotel after she discovers one of the guests dead in his bed.

Molly struggles socially and very much takes things at face value and often mistakes peoples deceptiveness for kindness, which can lead her into making bad decisions. I haven't cared for a character for a long time as much as I cared for Molly, she was so kind and caring and an all-round good-egg (as Molly would say herself).

It's told completely from Molly's POV so you get to know the characters as she does, and see them through her eyes as she innocently misjudges them. She always sees the best in people, even those who don't deserve it.

The book is so multi-faceted that sometimes you forget about the underlying mystery for a moment, but it really does keep you guessing until the very last page, winding down into a very satisfying ending.

I can't quite believe that such a beautiful, interesting and well-written book was Nita Prose's debut novel! I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next! But for now, I will be thinking about Molly for a very long time.

The Maid tells the story of Molly Gray, a 25 year old girl who is employed as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly is hardworking and meticulous and has what seems to be some social and personal difficulties that I feel probably place her somewhere on the spectrum. She often struggles understanding people's facial expressions or the ways in which they use language, and because of that shes naive and easily manipulated. When she finds a dead body in the room she's cleaning, Molly finds herself caught up in all sorts of trouble...

I really enjoyed The Maid. The story is a great idea and the characters were all well rounded and relatable. Mollys story was sad at times but ultimately hopeful and I have to say I cried on more than one occasion because I was so touched by it all. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting, heartwarming story with an Eleanor Oliphant style heroine who is fabulous in her own right :)
Thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Nita Prose for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this Advanced Review Copy.

"I am 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."

With these opening lines we meet Molly the maid. In this wonderful debut novel from Nita Prose (and what a debut!) we read from the point of view of a wonderfully naive and unreliable narrator. The prose is excellently written, and I loved that I could guess at much of what Molly missed yet couldn't warn her. Not only does Molly struggle to gauge facial expressions and body language, she also misses the more obvious clues in social interactions and takes sarcasm literally.

I loved so much about this read and struggled to pull just a few lines to quote in this review. Here goes ...

"Your polished mirror reflects your face of innocence back at you. It's as though you were never here. It's as though all of your filth, all of your lies and deceits, have been erased."

And ...

"Without her, home isn't home. It's as though all the color has been drained from the apartment we shared."

And ...

"My uniform is freedom. It is the ultimate invisibility cloak."

And ...

"I don't cut corners, I shine them."

The characters came alive in this novel, and I fell in love with Molly. The plot is all too believable, and the world of the hotel felt realistic and atmospheric. I will be sure to follow this new author and look forward to reading more from her. The Maid gets a resounding five stars from me.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.