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monnibo's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Ableism, and Death
oceanwriter's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
For the most part, a cute mystery. Molly was sweet, although her long-winded politeness wore thin by the end. I enjoyed her character growth, nonetheless. Giselle’s character was intriguing as well. There were some moments that put a damper on the story for me, such as later bits with Gran. That felt unnecessary and almost out of character from what we’re led to believe. Still, I enjoyed it more than I didn’t.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Bullying, and Suicide
Moderate: Drug abuse, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
meganjeg's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I like the way this book takes familiar character tropes and flips them on their head - a maid who loves her job, a likeable lawyer etc The story is engaging and well-paced and makes you think you know all the answers when you don’t. Molly’s unique voice takes some getting used to but is on the whole endearing and refreshing. This book was interesting and original in a genre that often feels repetitive.
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Drug use, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness
taria's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Torture, Cancer, Death, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Trafficking, and Ableism
Minor: Bullying, Abandonment, and Domestic abuse
angela005's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Drug use, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse
isgbv's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Chronic illness, and Infidelity
Minor: Death of parent and Drug use
zahraa_aj's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was a paid ad by Olive Garden
Another day, another mismarketed, overhyped book that I fell for. I didn't like the characterization, and how some characters' defining points boiled down to superficial/stereotypical things, or how heavily the plot relied on them. E.g. Molly's "odd" behavior, the POC characters
Molly fainted, had a whole conversation with Mrs. Black, wiped the room clean and still no one showed up? No one at the hotel thought of checking on one of their biggest clients being supposedly dead?? WHAT
No investigator thought of asking the first wife how she's doing, about Mr. Black's kids...etc? The story is so full of holes it could be a net.
The "message" behind the story being spoon-fed to the readers was so? What ...
Another day, another mismarketed, overhyped book that I fell for. I didn't like the characterization, and how some characters' defining points boiled down to superficial/stereotypical things, or how heavily the plot relied on them. E.g. Molly's "odd" behavior, the POC characters
No investigator thought of asking the first wife how she's doing, about Mr. Black's kids...etc? The story is so full of holes it could be a net.
The "message" behind the story being spoon-fed to the readers was so? What ...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, and Grief
Minor: Cursing
brigid_emily's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Terminal illness
Moderate: Murder and Abandonment
catherineduplessis's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THIS. BOOK. WAS. SO. GOOODD!
The fact that Molly (the main character) has a hard time understanding people’s emotions adds to the mystery of this whole murder mystery storyline. I felt bad for her, I wanted to be there for her, but, mainly, I wanted to give her a big hug. That’s how good the writing is. And, to add to all of this, when I thought the story was finished, the very last pages managed to surprise me and litterally had my jaw dropped. Ans easy 5-stars books! 👏
* Adding Nita Prose on my I-want-to-read-everything-they-come-up-with list * 🙌🏻
The fact that Molly (the main character) has a hard time understanding people’s emotions adds to the mystery of this whole murder mystery storyline. I felt bad for her, I wanted to be there for her, but, mainly, I wanted to give her a big hug. That’s how good the writing is. And, to add to all of this, when I thought the story was finished, the very last pages managed to surprise me and litterally had my jaw dropped. Ans easy 5-stars books! 👏
* Adding Nita Prose on my I-want-to-read-everything-they-come-up-with list * 🙌🏻
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Cancer, Gun violence, Infidelity, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
anovelbeauty's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
Note: I received an eARC of this book in order to provide an honest review.
Book TW: assisted suicide, murder, ableism, IPV, physical abuse, drug trafficking, drug use, manipulation, police interrogation, immigration, infidelity, terminal illness, abandonment
The Maid is sort of an interesting mystery that tows the line between a traditional mystery and a cozy one. As you can see from the TWs, it deals with a variety of serious topics, but it’s generally in a fairly detached way, with certain exceptions. Another piece that makes this unique among mysteries is that our MC, Molly, has trouble interpreting and processing social situations. While no specific diagnosis is mentioned in the book, if you want a general idea, I would say that Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder would be a decent fit. So what that means for the story is that you as a reader will probably catch most of the plot threads early on and have to watch in mild horror as all the bad guys take advantage of Molly’s differences in functioning and betray her trust repeatedly. You will know this almost immediately... Molly won’t. This left me pretty uncomfortable for a good portion of the book, even though the tone gave me a pretty good feeling that it would all work out in the end. The general theme of the book is a good one (and is clearly stated): don’t assume what is “normal” functioning for you is how everyone perceives the world.
Fortunately there are redeeming characters that watch out for Molly and Molly herself has a lot of agency and does her best to continue learning. She is extremely caring and detail oriented and rule-following. She is also still grieving the death of her grandmother, her only close relationship, prior to the start of the story. It’s nice to have a character that does have differences in how they function also be dynamic and interesting.
I should note that because Molly’s social impairments are at the heart of the story, there’s a lot of ableism and derogatory statements and intentions toward her throughout, which are more intense because it is narrated in first person. Additionally, the police interrogations in particular (I think) have the potential to be triggering as the detective in the story views Molly’s mannerisms/differences with deep suspicion. So if that is a sensitive topic for you, it might be good to choose a different book. However, it may help you continue if you know that like most mysteries, it has a happy ending and the overall theme is to uplift Molly’s differences.
Where I think sometimes the story struggled was in formatting/placement of flashbacks, as they would often make the reading experience a bit confusing. Also, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the final twist, which makes Molly seem a bit more like an unreliable narrator than I think she was meant to come off as.
That being said, it was a pretty quick read and different enough from a normal mystery that I think I could recommend it to other mystery lovers. However, it definitely had a few problems, so it’s not a new favorite for me by any means. It’s just a decent, quick mystery and if that’s what you want (and pay attention to the TWs) then give it a read.
Book TW: assisted suicide, murder, ableism, IPV, physical abuse, drug trafficking, drug use, manipulation, police interrogation, immigration, infidelity, terminal illness, abandonment
The Maid is sort of an interesting mystery that tows the line between a traditional mystery and a cozy one. As you can see from the TWs, it deals with a variety of serious topics, but it’s generally in a fairly detached way, with certain exceptions. Another piece that makes this unique among mysteries is that our MC, Molly, has trouble interpreting and processing social situations. While no specific diagnosis is mentioned in the book, if you want a general idea, I would say that Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder would be a decent fit. So what that means for the story is that you as a reader will probably catch most of the plot threads early on and have to watch in mild horror as all the bad guys take advantage of Molly’s differences in functioning and betray her trust repeatedly. You will know this almost immediately... Molly won’t. This left me pretty uncomfortable for a good portion of the book, even though the tone gave me a pretty good feeling that it would all work out in the end. The general theme of the book is a good one (and is clearly stated): don’t assume what is “normal” functioning for you is how everyone perceives the world.
Fortunately there are redeeming characters that watch out for Molly and Molly herself has a lot of agency and does her best to continue learning. She is extremely caring and detail oriented and rule-following. She is also still grieving the death of her grandmother, her only close relationship, prior to the start of the story. It’s nice to have a character that does have differences in how they function also be dynamic and interesting.
I should note that because Molly’s social impairments are at the heart of the story, there’s a lot of ableism and derogatory statements and intentions toward her throughout, which are more intense because it is narrated in first person. Additionally, the police interrogations in particular (I think) have the potential to be triggering as the detective in the story views Molly’s mannerisms/differences with deep suspicion. So if that is a sensitive topic for you, it might be good to choose a different book. However, it may help you continue if you know that like most mysteries, it has a happy ending and the overall theme is to uplift Molly’s differences.
Where I think sometimes the story struggled was in formatting/placement of flashbacks, as they would often make the reading experience a bit confusing. Also, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the final twist, which makes Molly seem a bit more like an unreliable narrator than I think she was meant to come off as.
That being said, it was a pretty quick read and different enough from a normal mystery that I think I could recommend it to other mystery lovers. However, it definitely had a few problems, so it’s not a new favorite for me by any means. It’s just a decent, quick mystery and if that’s what you want (and pay attention to the TWs) then give it a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Murder, Drug abuse, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Grief, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Infidelity and Abandonment
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