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challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was a little disappointed with this book. I don’t think it lived up to the hype for me. While I didn’t mind the mystery and how everything played out, I am not sure what it is that I couldn’t fully connect with. To be honest I’m not sure the fact that Molly is neurodivergent was handled well. It was just something that didn’t sit well with me. At times it did feel like she was childlike and other times it felt like she was the adult that she was. I did enjoy the fact that she didn’t curse unlike some of the other characters. It did feel good that she realized who were real friends were at the end. However, I’m not sure if I will continue the series, it didn’t “wow” me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide
Minor: Deportation
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-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:
Yes
Maybe there IS a good reason to have extra pillows lying around?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Deportation
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!
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Deportation
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The mystery wasn't very exciting and I couldn't get invested in the characters. It felt young in tone and writing style, but it was an easy read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder
Moderate: Deportation
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
“We are all the same in different ways.”
Eleanor Oliphant meets Agatha Christie. This was fun and clever, ending with a nice twist and an ending that left me feeling warm and fuzzy. The first half was a bit rough though - I have a hard time seeing those called “different” taken advantage of. However, that turned around about halfway through. More a tale around character development, under the guise of mystery and crime.
Eleanor Oliphant meets Agatha Christie. This was fun and clever, ending with a nice twist and an ending that left me feeling warm and fuzzy. The first half was a bit rough though - I have a hard time seeing those called “different” taken advantage of. However, that turned around about halfway through. More a tale around character development, under the guise of mystery and crime.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
Book: The Maid
Author: Nita Prose
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
The Maid is a fast-paced and compelling mystery novel that had me hooked right from the first chapter. It was Nita Prose’s debut novel and was the first book in The Maid series.
I was given the opportunity to read it and the second book in the series, titled The Mystery Guest, for a buddy read that was hosted by Tandem Collective Global.
It follows 25-year-old Molly Gray, the FMC, who is a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly takes her job very seriously and knows that it is her duty to return each room she cleans to a state of perfection.
She unfortunately ends up in the middle of a murder investigation - after finding the hotel’s famous guest, Mr. Black, “dead is his bed”.
Molly discovers that although she insists she is innocent, she is wrongly accused of being the main suspect after trusting the wrong people.
With the knowledge that she carries with her from watching Columbo with her Gran (before she passed away), Molly realizes that she needs to employ her skills to clear her name and solve the mystery of what turns out to not just be a natural death - but a murder.
I enjoyed that the book was told through Molly’s perspective and that we got to see the world and story through her eyes. I thought that although the mystery was the main storyline, reading about Molly growing as a character and person was arguably just as interesting and ended up being incredibly heartwarming.
As a character, Molly was refreshing and easy to root for, and is a good representation of someone who is neurodivergent.
Additionally, the “secondary” (if you can even call them that since they all stood out) characters in the book add to the authenticity of the story and demonstrate that friends, allies, and found family can come along in the most unexpected of situations and ways.
Molly receives unexpected help while remaining true to herself, and the words of her Gran echo in her mind as her guiding compass throughout the entire time of working to clear her name.
I still can’t believe this was Nita Prose’s debut novel - as it was a great cozy mystery, delightful to read, and well-written. I laughed out loud more than once and quickly started reading the second book right away since I enjoyed the first so much!
Thank you to Penguin Books Canada for the copy of The Maid (and The Mystery Guest) and to Tandem Collective Global for hosting the buddy read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Grief
Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Deportation