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vkitoria's review against another edition
funny
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? Yes
3.5
this book is basically "convenience store woman" but something actually happens. it still didn't really do anything for me though.
the mystery itself isn't that groundbreaking, though i understand that the book is moreso about molly's perspective of the events, and other people's perspectives of her in turn. and of course she's an unreliable narrator.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse
Minor: Death of parent
beyourbestshelf's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment
paulasnotsosecretdiary's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The Maid contains a compelling closed-door murder mystery and a twist at the end. The central character demonstrates the characteristics of someone on the autism spectrum, yet nowhere is this explicitly acknowledged in the book. While the author uses these traits to further the plot, there is inauthenticity here and a heavy reliance on stereotypes. What is left is more of a caricature than a character. Readers looking for books depicting characters with autism by authors who are neurodivergent should try Helen Hoang's books. She is one of many neurodivergent authors who use their own experiences navigating the world as a starting point for some of their central characters and can offer readers a more authentic portrayal of someone with autism..
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Trafficking, and Cancer
sib_reads's review against another edition
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
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Drug use, Death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Trafficking, Death of parent, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Bullying
Minor: Gun violence and Misogyny
milenasbooknook's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
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? It's complicated
5.0
What an amazing book! I loved Molly. The plot was well-written, but honestly the characters were so interesting that I would have enjoyed it regardless. Though it takes place in modern times, the book feels nostalgic (nostalgic in the same way as Knives Out or La La Land).
The only thing I truly disliked about this book was that there was a philosophy/worldview pushed strongly in the epilogue, with which I strongly disagreed. Other than that, it’s an amazing book and I highly recommend it!
Also, the prologue was one of the most fascinating prologues I have ever read.
The only thing I truly disliked about this book was that there was a philosophy/worldview pushed strongly in the epilogue, with which I strongly disagreed. Other than that, it’s an amazing book and I highly recommend it!
Also, the prologue was one of the most fascinating prologues I have ever read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Drug use, Cancer, Death, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Infidelity, Abandonment, Physical abuse, and Cursing
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
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, and Addiction
beca_reads's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is one of the books I was super excited to get too this year, and this turned out to be a slight disappointment. Overall I really did enjoy this book, we follow Molly who is a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Molly is use to blending in and people not seeing her, until one day Mr Black a popular guest is found dead in his room. Suddenly Molly is thrust to the front of the investigation having been the last person to see him alive. What is clear from the beginning (though it is never clearly stated) is that Molly is autistic or at least autistically coded, the one thing I have to say about this is that it makes her sound like an unreliable narrator as she misses out on a lot of social cues. This may just be me, but I felt like Molly being Autistic was used to further the plot because without that, the mystery would of be solved quickly, hence why I have not given this five stars. Non the less it was a fun mystery and the characters were all loveable, I was slightly disappointed by the ending as I felt it was rushed. I do look forward, however to the film adaptation as I think it will translate well to the screen
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, and Murder
madradstarchild's review against another edition
This is a clear instance of a neurotypical author writing from the "perspective" of a neurodivergent-coded character without actually understanding how neurodivergence works. It's ableist that she assumes someone who doesn't understand social cues will be too "innocent" to realize she's being lied to/manipulated into abetting crimes . This is an ableist caricature of neurodivergence and it's going to perpetuate inaccurate assumptions about neuodivergent people. 0/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cancer and Alcohol