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funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Molly the Maid loves order, perfection, and cleanliness. Although it's not explicitly addressed in the book, she is certainly neurotypical and often has a difficult time understanding body language, social cues, and sarcasm.
One day while cleaning a hotel room she discovers Mr. Black, a rich real estate tycoon, dead in his bed.
Needless to say, a wrench is thrown into Molly's mundane life. She must learn to use her best judgments and cope with a new situation.
Just like Molly, I love order and nothing makes me happier than a clean space. I'm not as regimented or thorough as she is, but I can relate. My OCPD appreciates Molly the Maid. This is a funny yet solid mystery story. "Dust we must."
One day while cleaning a hotel room she discovers Mr. Black, a rich real estate tycoon, dead in his bed.
Needless to say, a wrench is thrown into Molly's mundane life. She must learn to use her best judgments and cope with a new situation.
Just like Molly, I love order and nothing makes me happier than a clean space. I'm not as regimented or thorough as she is, but I can relate. My OCPD appreciates Molly the Maid. This is a funny yet solid mystery story. "Dust we must."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Trafficking
Minor: Cursing, Drug use
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Murder
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Deportation
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The truth is, I often have trouble with social situations; it’s as though everyone is playing an elaborate game with complex rules they all know, but I’m always playing for the first time.
I was in the mood for an easy, entertaining read, and this fit the bill as a cozy mystery. The main character, Molly, is apparently autistic, though I wish this had been explored more deeply. There’s no explicit mention of this and, sometimes, the portrayal felt a bit clichéd and maybe relied too much on stereotypes. That said, I did enjoy Molly’s internal dialogue about how she perceives the world and the people in it. There’s a layer of representation there, even if it didn't quite reach its full potential.
The ending, though, was a bit of a letdown for me. I love a cosy mystery with a shocking twist, but this was more of a meandering towards a semi-predictable conclusion. I didn't hate it, but it didn't leave me with that "OMGWHAT!" feeling that I love. I also wasn't sure about the side plot about her grandmother's death — was it necessary? Using something like
Despite these small criticisms, it was a super enjoyable read overall. If light, cozy mysteries are your thing, I definitely recommended it. For me personally, I prefer my mysteries with a bit more thrill, so although I had fun reading this, I probably won't pick it up again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug use, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Highly recommend the audiobook!
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Murder
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Murder
Minor: Drug use
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, Abandonment
Minor: Drug use, Physical abuse, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
“Sometimes, you must do one thing bad to do another thing good.”
This is one of those books that has been on my radar for a few years now, but I wasn’t intrigued enough to give it attention. When this book was picked for my August book club, I was ready to see what all the fuss was.
Things I Liked:
-This was a fun mystery in the sense that I wasn’t able to figure out who did it. I was still pleasantly surprised at the end when the twist was revealed.
-Molly’s relationship with her Grandmother (Gran) was so heartwarming. I loved how hard each of them worked for the other. It’s one of those grandparent relationships that makes me wish I had spent more time with my grandmother before she passes away.
-Molly. Oh, Molly. What a simultaneously brilliant yet socially unaware woman. I laughed so hard at the scene when she thought the room was filled with powder from powdered donuts and not drugs. What a hilarious misunderstanding that worked out quite well for the ones dealing drugs.
Things That Didn’t Work For Me:
-While I didn’t guess the twist at the end, it felt like it kind of came out of nowhere? I was not expecting the characters at the end to be in that scene and it made me wonder how on earth I was supposed to guess that when nothing in the book (in my opinion) appeared to lead to that conclusion. A shot out of left field, really.
-I picked up pretty early on that Molly is neurodivergent. Absolutely nothing wrong with that in itself. However, some of the narration felt a bit choppy and until I figured that out, I was very confused by the abrupt changes in Molly’s demeanor, especially as it came to how she interacted with other characters.
-The number of characters that appeared to take advantage of Molly and her inability to read social cues broke my heart a little bit. Have some sympathy, folks.
*Read for Read Between the Wines Book Club August 2024
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder