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cannesi's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
I do agree with a majority of the comments below... The first half of the book dragged on and even toward the end it felt like the same message/cliché being repeated over and over again. I can understand Molly being neurodivergent and would agree with those who mention the autism spectrum, however, I do not believe this was something worth badgering on about throughout the entirety of the book. We, the readers, can see that she is, as the author would put it, "different"; it reflects in her actions and I felt the author spent too much time putting it into words. That being said, I enjoyed listening to this book and found the ending to be slightly shocking in the best way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Racism, Murder, Bullying, Cancer, Classism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Infidelity
Minor: Deportation
dontwritedown's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Good golly Miss Molly. That was a ride of a mystery novel. A classic whodunnit that, at every chapter makes you think you know who did it, but you won't know till the literal last 5 pages of the book.
As someone who is also neuodivergent and a lover of classic Hollywood, I can also relate a lot to the story of Molly the Maid and how both of those traits are both her downfall and the thing that keeps you guessing.
Definitely worth a read!
As someone who is also neuodivergent and a lover of classic Hollywood, I can also relate a lot to the story of Molly the Maid and how both of those traits are both her downfall and the thing that keeps you guessing.
Definitely worth a read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Death
Minor: Racism
minibean24's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
3.0
Loved the main character and the insight into her world view, however the plot was mediocre to me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Trafficking
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Addiction
davidrb's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I just didn't like it. Sorry about that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
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.
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.
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
hannah_clover's review against another edition
funny
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism and Death
Minor: Racism
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