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emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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
A light, funny, and heartwarming read. While the plot is a bit lackluster at times, there are a few clever twists, and the ending genuinely took me by surprise. I struggled to connect with Molly at first, but as the story progressed, I grew to love her and her wonderfully quirky thoughts. I’d place this in the same league as Bob Mortimer’s fictional books—charming, witty, and full of character. Highly recommended, and I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the series
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
TW:
-Assisted Suicide
-Bullying
-Murder
-Drugs/drug use
While I was entertained, I do have a problem with the way the author writes the characters. A bit too much stereotyping for me, in all honesty I wonder if the author has ever had interactions with any neurodivergent individual. It seems as though she googled "autistic behaviors" and threw them around to create'Molly the maid'.
-Assisted Suicide
-Bullying
-Murder
-Drugs/drug use
While I was entertained, I do have a problem with the way the author writes the characters. A bit too much stereotyping for me, in all honesty I wonder if the author has ever had interactions with any neurodivergent individual. It seems as though she googled "autistic behaviors" and threw them around to create'Molly the maid'.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Terminal illness, Violence, Abandonment
sad
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence
Minor: Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Murder
I love how quirky Molly is! In some ways I do resonate with her, especially the times when she said that she's a little odd .
The overall pace of this book was great and I enjoyed the story although I do feel like the ending was somewhat rushed. It was interesting to read how everything turned out and reading it from Molly's perspective was unique, considering how quirky she is but I think that's what makes this book different in a way.
Overall, I'd say this book is unlike anything I've read before and I'm excited to read the next one in the series!
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Complicated
A refreshingly different kind of heroine who didn't find out the truth because she was witty, but because she had friends who she could trust.
Surprisingly wholesome for a murder mystery with a bullied mc, I look forward to listening to the next story about Molly the Maid.
Surprisingly wholesome for a murder mystery with a bullied mc, I look forward to listening to the next story about Molly the Maid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
I read a NetGalley ARC of this and rated it without realizing Molly, the MC, is neurodivergent. I wanted to read it with new eyes, so I picked it up when I saw it at my library this week.
Upon rereading, I found Molly's innocence endearing and her quirks to be charming. I love an underdog story, and Molly was easy to root for. I'm so glad I gave this book a second chance and absolutely loved the themes of friendship and found family. The second book in the series is waiting for me at the library, and I can't wait to be back in Molly's world at The Regency Grand Hotel!
Upon rereading, I found Molly's innocence endearing and her quirks to be charming. I love an underdog story, and Molly was easy to root for. I'm so glad I gave this book a second chance and absolutely loved the themes of friendship and found family. The second book in the series is waiting for me at the library, and I can't wait to be back in Molly's world at The Regency Grand Hotel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read 50% and then skimmed the rest.
The portrayal of neurodivergent-but-unlabeled Molly bothered me. It made me feel like I did back in middle school when one of the neurodivergent-but-unlabeled students in my class would think they were getting along with a group of people for a change, but it was clear to everyone else that he was being used for entertainment. Even if they weren't saying anything openly hurtful, it was still a gross thing to do. I can't say how accurate of a portrayal Molly is because maybe there is someone out there who experiences the mental inconsistency of being perceptive and astute one moment and completely gullible and naive the next, but the treatment of the character in her own narrative didn't sit right with me.
I have more complaints. The writing is aiming for a more simplistic and whimsical style that flattens all the characters and undercuts any attempts at emotional depth in the storytelling. There is nothing to latch onto with any sense of grounding.
Also, in my opinion a central purpose of a mystery is that the reader should be able to see the clues and connect the dots as they read. Perhaps they are hard to find and there are red herrings, but you should be able to get to the reveal and feel that it is plausible with the information you have. This bookarguably breaks the promise of the genre in favor of having the POV character obscure relevant information from an otherwise very detailed internal monologue. I did figure it out before the reveal, but not for the right reasons, and I can see how a reader would feel their trust in the mystery had been betrayed. It would be like reading a romance novel where you spend 90% of the book with one couple and then at the end they break up and date other people who were mentioned briefly in a random early chapter. That's not satisfying and that doesn't really qualify as a romance.
The portrayal of neurodivergent-but-unlabeled Molly bothered me. It made me feel like I did back in middle school when one of the neurodivergent-but-unlabeled students in my class would think they were getting along with a group of people for a change, but it was clear to everyone else that he was being used for entertainment. Even if they weren't saying anything openly hurtful, it was still a gross thing to do. I can't say how accurate of a portrayal Molly is because maybe there is someone out there who experiences the mental inconsistency of being perceptive and astute one moment and completely gullible and naive the next, but the treatment of the character in her own narrative didn't sit right with me.
I have more complaints. The writing is aiming for a more simplistic and whimsical style that flattens all the characters and undercuts any attempts at emotional depth in the storytelling. There is nothing to latch onto with any sense of grounding.
Also, in my opinion a central purpose of a mystery is that the reader should be able to see the clues and connect the dots as they read. Perhaps they are hard to find and there are red herrings, but you should be able to get to the reveal and feel that it is plausible with the information you have. This book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Murder
Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Deportation
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was interesting. I really loved Molly, her character was very engaging. Clearly neurodivergent (likely autistic), I thought her personality was very charming, with her devotion to being a maid and her sweet demeanor and her old-fashioned phrases learned from her grandmother
I got so stressed out as the accusations ramped up and she kept being misunderstood and used. I almost cried when she finally got people in her corner
The mystery is less of mystery than I expected, in that the goal isn’t to solve the murder but to prevent Molly from going to jail. We do find out the killer tho, rest assured
The found family is sweet, and I love Juan Manuel. I’ll keep going with the series
I got so stressed out as the accusations ramped up and she kept being misunderstood and used. I almost cried when she finally got people in her corner
The mystery is less of mystery than I expected, in that the goal isn’t to solve the murder but to prevent Molly from going to jail. We do find out the killer tho, rest assured
The found family is sweet, and I love Juan Manuel. I’ll keep going with the series
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Grief
Minor: Domestic abuse, Violence
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have heard folks saying this book celebrates neurodiversity; I'm all for inclusivity and representation so was super eager to read it! But hmm does it? Not sure. I enjoyed the book enough to read it to the end and it was a quick read too so that has gotta count as positive no?
But things get solved and wrapped up so fast there was zero suspense created. Oh and the way the characters are written in this book were problematic for me. They didn't feel quite fleshed out or that they ever really broke out of stereotype. I mean it was like person A is a baddy so lets make him a low budget Breaking Bad type baddy. Person 2 is an illegal immigrant so lets throw in the typical plight and vulnerability - tick. Make the main character "unusual" so it will appeal to the right critics and publishing houses that pride themselves on perceived inclusivity and visibility; "we won't label her as anything specific because woke folks will hate that but I will watch Rain Man and google autism and bang out something." The fact that this is going to be made into a film is the kind of ick that I'm talking about - it has insincerity and agenda written all over it. However, the fact that it's in Florence Pugh's hands gives me hope she will make lemonade out of this somewhat lemon. Ok, I just re-read this paragraph and I didn't mean it to sound that nasty (I gave this book 3 stars after all and like I said, I mostly enjoyed it) but the crew in this book were without a doubt caricatures and nothing too original. Stereotypes exist for a reason yes, but I expect better creativity and research from the author and for a book published in the 2020s.
Despite all the those things that didn't sit well with me, i'll admit the character of Molly is no doubt interesting, I liked her enough and she made me smile a lot for a good chunk of the book. I cared about her and felt protective like an older sister would. But like I said, the character depictions are a little problematic for me. Molly says she finds it difficult to read people or figure out if they are laughing with her or at her, HOWEVER she is somehow extremely perceptive in reading certain situations when convenient to moving the plot along. Yes, people are complex and no one - neurotypical or neurodivergent fits neatly into a box, but contradictory and inconsistent behaviours take me out of going along with the story and it makes me lose faith in trusting the narrative the author is trying execute. Big problem #1 Molly participating in the assisted suicide of her very much beloved and talked about grandmother just didn't make sense for someone like the Molly we came to know. I could understand if she tried but then backed out but not this - not actually going through with it. Problem #2, the author withholding what Molly did indeed see and having her lie to everyone because she was able to understand Mr Black's first wife's motive, does not fit with the character of Molly either. Made me feel like Molly did a 360 and that she is not the person we came to know. She is always honest to a fault and doesn't pick up on the nuances of social interaction but is down with all this??? hmmm... If this was intentional I am baffled, if it was unintentional I say where was her editor? This bogus "twist" seems to be flippantly thrown in for the "wow didn't see that coming" factor to appeal to certain audiences. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a twist, but the thing is, they only work when well written and most importantly, when it is a plausible thread to the world that has already been built. Because in this instance, no way in hell Molly would have gone along with this.
Look, it's a quick and easy read that will make you smile a lot but maybe will frustrate you as well. As long as you are not expecting anything groundbreaking, it an ok enough read.
But things get solved and wrapped up so fast there was zero suspense created. Oh and the way the characters are written in this book were problematic for me. They didn't feel quite fleshed out or that they ever really broke out of stereotype. I mean it was like person A is a baddy so lets make him a low budget Breaking Bad type baddy. Person 2 is an illegal immigrant so lets throw in the typical plight and vulnerability - tick. Make the main character "unusual" so it will appeal to the right critics and publishing houses that pride themselves on perceived inclusivity and visibility; "we won't label her as anything specific because woke folks will hate that but I will watch Rain Man and google autism and bang out something." The fact that this is going to be made into a film is the kind of ick that I'm talking about - it has insincerity and agenda written all over it. However, the fact that it's in Florence Pugh's hands gives me hope she will make lemonade out of this somewhat lemon. Ok, I just re-read this paragraph and I didn't mean it to sound that nasty (I gave this book 3 stars after all and like I said, I mostly enjoyed it) but the crew in this book were without a doubt caricatures and nothing too original. Stereotypes exist for a reason yes, but I expect better creativity and research from the author and for a book published in the 2020s.
Despite all the those things that didn't sit well with me, i'll admit the character of Molly is no doubt interesting, I liked her enough and she made me smile a lot for a good chunk of the book. I cared about her and felt protective like an older sister would. But like I said, the character depictions are a little problematic for me. Molly says she finds it difficult to read people or figure out if they are laughing with her or at her, HOWEVER she is somehow extremely perceptive in reading certain situations when convenient to moving the plot along. Yes, people are complex and no one - neurotypical or neurodivergent fits neatly into a box, but contradictory and inconsistent behaviours take me out of going along with the story and it makes me lose faith in trusting the narrative the author is trying execute. Big problem #1
Look, it's a quick and easy read that will make you smile a lot but maybe will frustrate you as well. As long as you are not expecting anything groundbreaking, it an ok enough read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Violence, Murder, Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent