Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Maid by Nita Prose

54 reviews

what_heather_loves's review against another edition

emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"I am your maid. I'm the one who cleans your hotel room, who enters like a phantom when you're 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...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?'

In present day New York City, Molly, who is in her tenwties, works as a maid at a boutique hotel, the Regency Grand Hotel. Grieving the loss of her beloved Gran, Molly is rather alone and struggling for money, despite working very hard. She prides herself in her work, is meticulous, but finds herself involved in the death of a prominent and wealthy guest, Mr Black. Aware she is practically invisible as a maid, Molly decides to investigate. Will she solve the mystery of how Mr Black died and why?

Molly comes across as an intelligent, conscientious and sweet young woman, who can also be naive. I struggled with some of the earlier book, because I suspect Molly is autistic and she was being taken advantage of in the absence of her Gran, who helped her understand other people; this improved when it became clear she has allies, combined with her meticulous methods and observant mind, demonstrating her strengths. This is a quirky mystery, with some 'baddies' and a love interest, focusing on a week or two in Molly's life. A character study, Molly is drawn vividly as she learns more about herself and others and I was definitely rooting for her throughout. With plenty of warmth and wit this is not quite cosy crime, but it does lean that way. Creative and engaging, this debut novel has Elinor Oliphant vibes and is well worth a read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Grief

Moderate: Bullying and Death

Minor: Addiction and Drug abuse

lalaexni's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Addiction

now_booking's review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

I’m not entirely sure what I expected going into this- based on buzz and blurb, I’d imagined some sort of Eleanor Oliphant cozy mystery and in some ways, this is that-ish. But I think to call Molly an Eleanor isn’t quite right or fair to either character. Molly is sort of her own sort of socially awkward, neurodivergent character- I’d say she’s kind of Pollyanna meets Keiko (from Convenience Store Woman) meets Mary Poppins all at once with a sprinkling of her own uniqueness. Many times in the first third of this book, I was gasping because it was like unleashing an innocent babe out into the world to be taken advantage of, but Molly had grit and personality and ultimately she was a delight.

The premise is that Molly, a maid at a luxury boutique hotel, has always struggled with social cues and making friends. After losing her grandmother and being betrayed by a loser boyfriend, she is determined to keep her head down and make enough to pay her rent, but she can’t resist the seduction of the possibility of new friends at her hotel job. Unfortunately, this leads her into danger and suddenly, in trying to help her friends, she comes under suspicion of murder.

I really enjoyed this novel. It’s kind of a cosy mystery but it’s also about friendship and found family and responsibility and grief and dealing with terminal illness and loss. I felt emotionally-engaged in the story even though Molly as a character had obviously been trained to control her emotions and suppress her feelings out of politeness. I enjoyed Molly’s voice and observations as a character and I would say this was gently humorous. I think that while this was great and enjoyable and I even liked the twist at the end, there was sometimes a bit of detachment I felt from Molly that sometimes made this feel a little unbelievable or very dramatic in the way of movies from the 50s and 60s. I suppose this could be an intentional choice as Molly’s habits and language and behaviour WERE inspired by that period thanks to her grandmother. I loved the supporting characters and was curious about Mr Preston and his daughter and his relationship with Molly’s grandma. In all this was a really enjoyable read and I recommend checking it out if you’re looking for a gentle but really engaging read with light humor and Cody mystery vibes.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Ballantine Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Grief, Cancer, Death, and Torture

Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Classism

Minor: Sexism and Racism

roeschcj1's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely loved this book! One of the best I have read this year.  The characters were amazing.  I loved the story being told from Molly’s perspective and I loved the depth of her character.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, and Addiction

booknerdbetty's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Grief, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Infidelity, and Drug use

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. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Drug use, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness

redwoodreads's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Cancer, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Chronic illness, and Death

Minor: Addiction

stephanie_co's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

1.75

The story line was a bit too slow going for me, and I just didn't think Molly's character always lined up with important plot elements.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Drug use, Death, and Drug abuse

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious reflective 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

the mystery was pretty cut and dry and over too quickly, other than a slight twist at the end that doesn't really change very much

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Classism, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Gun violence

angelareads's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Very voice-y and absolutely brilliant. Best of the year so far! 

Not a 5 star because it felt like the book ended twice. It was very strange. 

*revising to a 5 star. I keep thinking about it. It's just so good! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Drug use, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Murder, Addiction, and Violence

Minor: Gun violence, Alcohol, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Ableism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Domestic abuse