I was completely engrossed and charmed. Its like a cross between a who-done-it and Eleanor Oliphant. It quickly becomes apparent that Molly, the maid, is probably autistic. She sees the world differently and is unable to read social cues. But that doesn't stop her from being the best she can be, and she loves being a maid. And she is a good person, even though she doesn't get credit for this, because all anyone can see is her differences. Most of the time she is invisible, until she finds one of her guests "very dead". Now everyone wants to talk to her and she might even become the key suspect.

The murder mystery in incidental. Molly herself is fascinating - how she thinks and see the world - and the writer does a great job of portraying her and making her believable. Her journey unfolds beautifully, as she grows as a person, and finds her place in this world. Loved this book and would highly recommend.

The Maid is a quirky novel whose protagonist, Molly is on the autism spectrum. She works hard as a maid, but leads a lonely life since the death of her beloved grandma. When Molly finds the murdered body of one of the regular visitors to the hotel, she begins to realise not everyone is as good and rule abiding as she is.
I really enjoyed the plot and suspected there would be a twist at the end, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I did feel the ending could have been less drawn out, mainly because Molly’s character began to grate on me a little.

I really enjoyed this book. A little bit of Eleanor Oliphant meets a game of Clue. Who dunnit with a twist. You can't help but want to give Molly the Maid a big hug while she's entangled in an investigation at the hotel she works.
The book started a little slow and it took me few chapters to get used to seeing world through Molly's eyes but it was worth sticking with it.
It was a solid 5 🌟 up to very end when things has gotten a little too cheesy..

I actually found this book quite irritating. I found Molly to be almost a caricature and there were a lot of stereotypes portrayed in the book. Thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I'm usually wary of any book that leaps straight to the top of best seller charts, but I'm systematically working through as many of my fellow 2022 debuts as possible, so this was on my list, and highly rated by many friends. I wasn't sure what to expect as I got an advanced reading copy to my kindle and it was ages since I'd read the blurb. But...

Wow. What a great book.
As a member of a family 'riddled with Aspergers' this book hit close to home, not just for its brilliant storytelling and strong-voiced characters, but for the roller coaster of fun moments coupled with the in-your-face reminders of just how easily those who see the world a little differently can become horribly abused and taken advantage of.
Molly will live in my head for very long time, but I will also be sharing her with other family members who've lived closely to a 'Molly' all our lives.
Congratulations, Nita Prose, this absolutely deserves all those top spots, and will be reread many a time. It's another where 5 stars seems insuffucient.

Hotel-set murder-mystery with a different sort of heroine.

"I know we're all supposed to aspire to become doctors and lawyers... but not me. I'm so thankful for my job that I pinch myself every day. I really do."

This is Molly the Maid, yes - Molly Maid. From her first appearance, you see that Molly is different. She's exacting ("Mr and Mrs Black? May I complete my sanitation visit? I would very much like to return your room to a state of perfection."), precise, diligent and naively innocent, as is evidenced through the story.

Readers see their narrator as unaware of what's happening around her, even if we can't quite put our finger on things ourselves. Now this is the narrator who herself sees more than other characters thinks she does - she's a hotel maid. Expected to blend in, used to being unseen, unappreciated and ignored. So we as readers see more than even she does.

Including the dead body. Molly finds this, but what else does she see?

Molly slowly lets us see her life and we share her thoughts, pushing her boundaries to see outside of what she can understand. She's a truly admirably young woman, with an unusual sense of humour and her grandmother's morals and way with words (amusing in a 25 year old).

I was totally entertained throughout, as Molly must wrestle with the police, shady characters at work, her own demons. She may not be your average 20-something but she's got guts, heart and... as she finds out - friends.

I loved Molly's voice, I loved the author plonking Molly in this plot and seeing how she copes. The book would make a fabulous television series or film. So many great lines, she's a memorable heroine, with several other good friends (and villains) around her.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

This story has a well-written murder mystery at its heart with a uniquely crafted amateur sleuth. The idea of a maid seeing all, but not being seen, is believable. Molly is easy to like, and the reader cares what happens to her. The story explores good and evil through its characters and their reactions to Molly and is immersive reading.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Maid is a fun, lighthearted read with a very clever premise, A Christie-esque type mystery with all the intrigue you’d expect from a good, old-fashioned whodunnit, but with a contemporary twist that’s both refreshing and thought provoking.

Its star is Molly Grey, a chambermaid at the Regency Grand Hotel, where she restores every room on her daily rota to an immaculate ‘state of perfection.” Molly goes about her work diligently and discreetly, an essential but invisible cog in the workings of the great establishment. Until one day, she comes across a dead guest, and amidst evidence of foul play, finds herself in the frame for murder.

What follows, as Molly sets out to clear her name and find the true culprit, is an entertaining romp featuring villains and stooges along with a posse of good guys determined to see that justice is served.

But it’s quirky, neurodivergent Molly who steals the show. And here, it’s hard not to draw comparisons with Eleanor Oliphant. Like Eleanor, Molly has a tragic past and lives a lonely, solitary life, bound by rules and routines. She’s socially inept, overly trusting and gullible. For Molly, there’s right and wrong, black and white, and — despite the irony of her name — nothing in between. But, it is this wonderful, bloody-minded intransigence that ultimately wins the day amid a flurry of surprising twists.

I would have liked to have felt more affection for Molly, whose idiosyncrasies are intended to be endearing. But for me, she was modeled too closely on characters like Eleanor Oliphant and Don Tilman of The Rosie Project, while lacking the warmth and charm that those two exuded in spades.

That said, I do appreciate the underlying message that gives pause for thought about the way we judge and treat people who fall outside the norm.

An accomplished debut with some hidden steel amongst the fluff and fun.

An absorbing and well written book. Enjoyed the storyline and getting to know the characters and good to know happy endings can and do happen

Mollie is a maid in the posh hotel, the Regency. She loves her job and is very conscientious. She must be on the spectrum (as we all are!) as she is socially inept/naïve. At first I was cringing and almost shouting at the book as she is duped by the barman she has taken a shine to. Then the book takes on a pace with the murder of Mr Black and the intrigue around it. Lots of twists and turns, particularly right at the end when the reader is lulled into a sense that the book is finishing.

I had heard & seen so much about this book, that I hoped not to be disappointed. I needn’t have worried.

Molly the maid is invisible. She works at the Regency Grand Hotel, looking after the rooms & maintaining the secrets of the guests. She is all alone in the world. She sees all. She isn’t noticed.
All this changes when she discovers the extremely dead body of an infamous guest. What has she seen that others may have missed?
Brilliantly written, Molly is a tour de force. Highly recommended.

This is an excellent book. Highly recommended by me. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review it.

Can you keep a secret? ★★★☆☆

Molly Gray loves being a maid at the luxurious Regency Grand Hotel. Her literal and meticulous nature makes her excellent at her job but she also struggles to read people and understand social cues, especially now her beloved grandmother has passed away.

When she discovers esteemed and horrible guest Mr Black dead in his room Molly finds herself entangled in a shady underworld and accused of murder.

Molly is an interesting and often amusing character and we flinch as she is taken advantage of (thankfully there are good kind people waiting in the wings too).

However her complete cluelessness in some situations – such as the scene with Rodney, his “friends” and some “white dust” – can also be a little frustrating, especially when the reader is fully aware of what is going on. Determining between truth and lies and working out which people are trustworthy is a sad and essential skill which Molly starts to learn.

This is a gentle whodunnit with a naive and literal character with little power in her own life or at work. However towards the very end we find that perhaps Molly’s understanding of the grey areas of right and wrong and her ability to keep secrets is better than we have been led to believe.

A light and heart-warming read.

I am your maid.
I know about your secrets. Your dirty laundry.
But what do you know about me?

This intrigued me from the beginning. Really enjoyable read. Loved the characters and its well written. Molly is a lovely character, fun and quirky. For those who love a light and airy classic crime this is for you

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers Harper Collins UK for an Arc in exchange for an honest review

The Maid:
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?

I was super curious about this book after hearing good things about it on Book Twitter and I'm happy to say I had a really great time with it! The Maid is a charming and engaging whodunnit with a delightfully quirky protagonist.

I really enjoyed how light and easy this was to read, while at the same time leaving space for deeper reflections on a variety of themes. It's written in a simple yet highly captivating way that made it nearly impossible to put the book down, managing to perfectly balance tension and intrigue with positive and heartwarming feelings. In a nutshell: exactly what I needed at the moment!

I really enjoy murder mysteries and I have a soft spot for socially awkward, quirky characters, so it's really no big surprise that I liked Molly the maid so much. I alternately wanted to give her a big hug and sit her down to explain one or two things that were painfully clear to me as a reader, but Molly clearly had no clue about. I was definitely reminded of Eleanor Oliphant (another character I absolutely adored), even though I found Molly to be slightly less complex, her character presenting less depth in how it was delivered. I did like the representation of grief and how delicately that was handled.

As much as I liked Molly, there were a few times when I felt a bit frustrated, as certain elements were repeated multiple times, to the point that they became almost blindingly obvious to everyone except for Molly. This was perhaps the intended effect, yet I couldn't help but feel it maybe dragged on just a bit too much at the expense of other characters' development. Some of the secondary issues affecting certain characters could also have benefited from a bit more breathing space, but that's mostly my personal taste.

Where I felt more disappointed was in the conclusion, which seemed to come out of nowhere and with an extremely limited build-up to that point. This felt very unsatisfactory to me and really seemed like an attempt at getting one final twist at all costs. Still, the journey was really pleasant, even though I ended up not liking the destination all that much! I had lots of fun with this book and flew right through it.

Definitely recommended if you're in the mood for a quick and easy, engaging murder mystery with an adorable (if not particularly well-rounded) protagonist. A mood-lifter for sure!

I enjoyed this book, it was full and well written, I don't normally like "cost crime" but this is one of the better ones I have read.

I absolutely loved this book! It drew me in with its wit and charm, colourful characters and a mysterious storyline that kept me guessing right up until the end.

Molly, a hardworking and unassuming maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, goes about her work largely unnoticed, always polite and deferential to guests, keeping out of their way while happily restoring their rooms to perfection. That is until she discovers one of them dead in their bed and she suddenly finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation.

All of the characters are vivid and well drawn and I found the storyline completely gripping - I read the book in a few short sittings as I couldn't wait to find out what happens at the end. I adored Molly, who made me laugh but also feel sad about some of the things she had to endure. The book is very poignant in many ways, but the story is told with a light touch that balances the sadness with humour and an intriguing plot.

Nita Prose cleverly combines mystery, humour and storytelling with themes of friendship and family, trust, inclusion and diversity in a compelling and quirky read. Thoroughly recommend The Maid for a bit of escapism - an entertaining and memorable book.

THE MAID BY NITA PROSE

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.

So this is a hard book to review. Before chapter 25, I found this book so predictable. I loved Molly (the main character), and she seems to have Autism Spectrum Disorder. Before chapter 25, I would have rated this book at 3 stars, because it was sooooo predictable.


HOWEVER, there were two twists, (one in chapter 25, the other in the epilogue) and neither of them I expected. I loved the twists, and because of this reason (and this reason only), I am rating this book 4 stars.

Wow this book was amazing - the writing style reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant. Totally empathised with the main character and her errors in judgement. Loved it from start to finish. Highly recommend.

The Maid by Nita Prose had me hooked from the beginning.

"I'm your maid. I'm the one who cleans your hotel room, who enters like a phanton 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've gone....

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?"

Molly is a maid at The Regency Grand Hotel. Molly finds it hard to know the correct way to act in social situations and she loves her job because the rules are clearly outlined for her. Since her beloved Gran died the hotel has been her refuge, a safe space. All this changes when she discovers the body of a guest.

"The truth is, I often have trouble with the social situations, it's as though everyone is playing an elaborate game with complex rules they all know, but I'm always playing for the first time."

The Maid is witty and insightful and the author has created a loveable protagonist. There were times when I wanted to warn her of things that we blatantly obvious but I think her naivity only added to her charm.

An excellent book with a unique protagonist, I can promise you won't regret reading this book.