Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Maid by Nita Prose

136 reviews

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Cancer and Alcohol

oceanwriter'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

For the most part, a cute mystery. Molly was sweet, although her long-winded politeness wore thin by the end. I enjoyed her character growth, nonetheless. Giselle’s character was intriguing as well. There were some moments that put a damper on the story for me, such as later bits with Gran. That felt unnecessary and almost out of character from what we’re led to believe. Still, I enjoyed it more than I didn’t. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

kenziewol's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I ended up really enjoying this book. At first, I struggled a bit to get into it as it’s a bit slower and the writing style is a little different, but once the mystery got rolling I was sucked in! 

I ended up loving Molly! Seeing the story from her point of view was very interesting and I loved trying to figure out what was actually happening vs how she perceived it. I was suprised by the ending and definitely didn’t see it coming around to that at all. 

Overall, this was an enjoyable cozy mystery & a quick easy read. 

If you’re a fan of the show, Murder in the Building, I think you’ll really enjoy this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Murder

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Physical abuse

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Death of parent, and Alcohol

meganjeg's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I like the way this book takes familiar character tropes and flips them on their head - a maid who loves her job, a likeable lawyer etc The story is engaging and well-paced and makes you think you know all the answers when you don’t. Molly’s unique voice takes some getting used to but is on the whole endearing and refreshing. This book was interesting and original in a genre that often feels repetitive. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

ate_reads's review against another edition

emotional funny sad tense 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

stephbakerbooks's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I had mixed feelings about this one! Overall, I liked it. I thought the premise was interesting, and Molly was a good narrator. I liked her character and the growth she got over the story. I've seen people compare her to Eleanor Oliphant, and I definitely got that vibe. (But I think the comparison is probably unfair because I loved Eleanor Oliphant, so it actually makes me like this less...lol.)

The side characters...are all flat. The little bit of development that anyone else gets either makes that character unlikable or it's only done to push the plot along. Maybe this was part of the "cozy mystery" aspect of the story (and in case I haven't been clear in the past, I really don't like cozy mysteries), where all the side characters are just there to service the main character and move the plot along so she can get from point A to figuring out what point B is, but several of them fell into stereotypes and I was rolling my eyes a lot (everything to do with Juan Manual was cringeworthy). Also that twist with Molly's grandmother...did not appreciate it.

And then there's the plot itself, which started out great and an intriguing mystery, but by the end turned a bit nonsensical (to me) and the investigation just didn't make sense to me. Also, everything happens so quickly! The bulk of the book is only like four days; I think the plot needed some space to breathe.

That being said, I did find this book easy to read and I finished it pretty quickly. I did like it, though I realize most of what I just wrote was on the negative side...but this was a middle-of-the-road kind of book to me. I read it for a buddy read and did enjoy the discussion!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Physical abuse

writtenbydnicole's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing

sfbookgirl's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective 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

5.0

I absolutely LOVED The Maid! Occurring over the course of five days, we learn that main character Molly Gray, a lovely maid for the Regency Grand Hotel, has been accused of murdering a famous guest - Charles Black. Even though she clearly has nothing to do with Mr. Black’s death, Molly finds herself wound up in a web of deception in which multiple characters attempt to use her mental disability to their advantage. I fell in love with Molly’s authentic character and her relationship with her grandmother. 

 

The Maid has the perfect amount of sweet character development and murder mystery vibes. I rarely read cozy mysteries but I think The Maid has pushed me to pick up more from this genre. Reviews for The Maid vary are across the board, but this one is a winner in my book. This debut novel is easy to read in a couple of days and curled up on the couch with a glass of wine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity and Physical abuse

hesticht's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship

angela005's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship