A review by okiecozyreader
The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

I loved the first Maid book and I recently picked up the new holiday novella, but I wanted to read this one first.  I remembered why I liked Molly so much. I do think it would be helpful to read the first book first. You wouldn’t have to, this one can stand alone, but it refers back to some things from the first book and you also learn about the death of her grandmother, which is kind of important. This one is about Molly’s continued employment at the hotel, but it flashes back to her life growing up with her gran. I really loved getting to see all the moments with her grandmother that helped her survive cruel classmates and a world that didn’t understand her - how her grandmother kind of cultivated a world for her to be safe. I also love how smart Molly is, and how she notices little details most people would miss.

“It’s not the backbreaking labor, the demanding guests, or the cleaning chemicals that present the greatest danger. It’s the assumption that maids are delinquents, murderers, and thieves: the maid is always to blame.” Ch 2

“And what is hope if not the decision to shine light into the dark?” Ch 17

I loved all the little sayings she picked up from her gran:
“When love is blind, frogs resemble princes.” Ch 10
“Shame is the scar the demons leave behind.” Ch 11

“Loneliness and emptiness, hoarding to fill the void. A terrible affliction with a simple cure. …Kindness. A patient ear. A loving arm. If she'd had any of those things,…” ch 27

Thank you to libro.fm for providing audio copies to librarians. I enjoyed listening to this one!