Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - The Maid

This book reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant is Fine a bit — the main characters being somewhat strange and therefor similar. I liked that the narrator was morally grey, because she was a bit different than other people. I also found her naivety to be quite refreshing if not a bit unbelievable. All in all, a quick read that is interesting and well-written.

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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed this book! It’s not much of a mystery though, maybe 90% of the mystery is easy to glean as a reader and is just a mystery to the main character. This book is more focused on sharing the experience of a neurodivergent maid who discovers a dead body. I really felt like I understood Molly and others like her through reading this book. It was sad to read about how people treated her for being different, and many even used her. But it was so heartwarming to see who her real friends were! My biggest reasons this book isn’t a 5:
- The way Molly and friends solved the mystery felt rushed and not super realistic.

Like the fact that at 6:45 AM Molly is arrested, but by that evening all charges were dropped and Rodney was in custody?

It felt too easy of a wrap up considering all that Molly went through.
- The big reveal about the murderer was a little bit of a surprise, but not a satisfying one. It felt anticlimactic and ho-hum.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and the exploration of Molly’s mind and relationships. But the mystery part of it was slightly above mediocre.

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spworley's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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julietteshore's review against another edition

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funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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simrankohli's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Very rarely does an author manage to pull-off a genuinely good twist in the final chapter, in a way that doesn’t feel forced or cheap. My hat off to you, Nita. That aside, there are some major issues with the way characters act in this novel. The clearly neurodivergent protagonist’s inability to read social cues waxes and wanes to suit the plot. The villains are petty and cruel in a very obvious way, that makes the book feel like it was written at least three decades ago. The grandmother’s assisted suicide seemed very unnecessarily violent and out of place. Why a nice old lady who choose to traumatise her granddaughter during her last moments is beyond comprehension, considering the much less dramatic and painful alternatives. Also, the rich white lawyer lady swooping in mid narrative to save the bumbling autistic maid and drug mule-ed illegal Mexican immigrant left a bad taste in my mouth. Overall, a fun easy read, but with some major thematic caveats.

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