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jesscdunnx's review against another edition
3.0
Wasn’t really sure of it in the beginning, I was struggling to like this. However, it gripped me half way through. Some decent plot twists, right to the very end.
oviiione's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Demasiada neurodivergencia… hay ratos que llega a hacerse un poco pesado.
Entiendo que es parte de la trama, y sin esa capa la historia no engancharía tanto… pero ha tardado más de medio libro en engancharme.
Una vez te tiene lo devoras en un suspiro.
Entiendo que es parte de la trama, y sin esa capa la historia no engancharía tanto… pero ha tardado más de medio libro en engancharme.
Una vez te tiene lo devoras en un suspiro.
peruseapage's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a lovely cosy mystery with a side helping of whodunnit.
Molly the maid has never quite seen the world like everyone else. She struggles with social cues, intentions of people and lives her life by a rule book. She lives to work and follows her strict routine to the T. However, this all changes when she enters her usual room and finds a guest dead on the bed.
I loved Molly. I love how the author captured exactly what it’s like to not understand certain social elements. Her inability to read people’s intentions was so interesting and really opened my eyes to how vulnerable people can be to exploitation. I really felt for her throughout the story and willed her to see what we all could see.
The writing style was really easy. The story line was pretty simple with the usual plot line of a murder mystery. Some of the events, I felt were rushed through and not at all realistic, but that’s what made it more of a ‘cosy’ mystery.
For me, 3 stars means a book was good. There was just nothing that really blew me away. There was no grand twist or clues to put together. Instead, it was a rather predictable plot and the grand reveal felt more like a breath of fresh air than a jaw-dropping revelation.
I did read it in one sitting so that has to count for something.
avejallen's review against another edition
delightful writing style, lovable characters. some of the detective work and policing are unbelievable. I also think Juan Manuel was written in a kind of questionable way.
vlreid's review against another edition
4.0
Molly Gray is a maid at a swanky hotel in England. She is neuro-atypical, which is perfect for her job because she loves to clean, and to follow rules and set procedures. Up until recently, she lived with her grandmother who helped her navigate through the complex world of social skills, what people say, and what the mean. However, her grandmother recently passed away and Molly is still grieving. She finds a dead body in one the rooms and is soon charged with murder. With the help of some new-found friends, she helps solve the murder and clear herself of the charges. This book covers a lot of topics, but the charm is Molly herself. I was really pulling for her throughout the entire book.
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
recovering_my_sparkle's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to the BBC sounds radio version of this before reading the book which was probably the wrong way to do it as I knew what happened. Although, having said that, I don’t think I remembered as much as I thought I might - the ending still felt like a surprise despite knowing lots of the other details. An enjoyable read though!
apenum's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
trin's review against another edition
2.0
This book is all about POV: the perspective of the titular maid, Molly, who's on the autism spectrum -- though this is never named or discussed in the book. Instead it's talked around in a way that I frankly found unsettling. Does no one trust Molly to deal with the fact that she's autistic? That's kind of infantilizing and gross!
...and I've started the rant portion of this review far earlier than intended.
Anyway, sometimes Molly's POV feels charming and interesting, and a great deal of the time it also does not. Same with things like the dialogue of Juan Manuel, the dishwasher whose immigration status is being exploited by the baddies. There are frankly a lot of heavy-handed cringe moments in this book, but the set-up itself is compelling: Molly, a maid at a luxury hotel, discovers a wealthy guest dead, and gets sucked deeper and deeper into the drama surrounding the murder. I found the book, for the most part, to be like... fine. Mainstream okay.
But then there's a completely unnecessary final twist that undercuts the validity of Molly's POV. Molly is still meant to be herself, and fundamentally honest -- this is not a Usual Suspects thing, or an unreliable narrator used to deliberate effect. She just withholds info on this one thing for reasons that make no sense on a Watsonian level. From a Doylist perspective: I guess Prose has been tricked by the success of books like The Silent Patient into thinking that satisfying mysteries are all about fakeouts and twists!!!! But they are not. Literally you could have lopped the whole ending off this book and it would be better for it.
Like, not good. Still not good. But fine.
Though the more that I think about it, even the nice characters are creepily paternalistic to Molly and I hate it. Bye!
...and I've started the rant portion of this review far earlier than intended.
Anyway, sometimes Molly's POV feels charming and interesting, and a great deal of the time it also does not. Same with things like the dialogue of Juan Manuel, the dishwasher whose immigration status is being exploited by the baddies. There are frankly a lot of heavy-handed cringe moments in this book, but the set-up itself is compelling: Molly, a maid at a luxury hotel, discovers a wealthy guest dead, and gets sucked deeper and deeper into the drama surrounding the murder. I found the book, for the most part, to be like... fine. Mainstream okay.
But then there's a completely unnecessary final twist that undercuts the validity of Molly's POV. Molly is still meant to be herself, and fundamentally honest -- this is not a Usual Suspects thing, or an unreliable narrator used to deliberate effect. She just withholds info on this one thing for reasons that make no sense on a Watsonian level. From a Doylist perspective: I guess Prose has been tricked by the success of books like The Silent Patient into thinking that satisfying mysteries are all about fakeouts and twists!!!! But they are not. Literally you could have lopped the whole ending off this book and it would be better for it.
Like, not good. Still not good. But fine.
Though the more that I think about it, even the nice characters are creepily paternalistic to Molly and I hate it. Bye!
charlotter191's review against another edition
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
emjennings's review against another edition
4.75
Really loved Molly, just went on for a little long at the end. Excellent narrator