Thanks so much Random House Publishing Ballantine and NetGalley!

I loved Molly the Maid and was so excited to read another story with her in it! Another high profile death has happened at the hotel, and Molly is determined to figure it out. I really appreciate how Nita Prose writes about Molly and all of her strengths. This was such a good story, and I especially enjoyed the further character development of Molly. I'm looking forward to the next one!

I loved The Maid and was happy to see there was a sequel written about Molly. Set only a short while later, The Mystery Guest follows another murder linked to the hotel that Molly works as a maid. One thing I appreciated about this second novel is both books begin and wrap up within each book, so each book can stand alone. I also thing this novel gives more of Molly’s past that we were introduced to in the last book. We rarely see a hero who is neurodivergent in literature so it’s refreshing to have a character whose strengths are the fact she sees things different than others.

3 stars.*

As a fan of The Maid, I was excited to see The Mystery Guest come up as an option on NetGalley.

I enjoyed the quirky uniqueness of Molly the maid and I thought the mystery was nuanced and clever.

This book fell short of the mark, especially when compared to The Maid.

Molly returns, now head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. Once again, a guest (this time a famous mystery author) is murdered at the hotel, and Molly is in the thick of it. I enjoyed the link between her past and the story. I also enjoyed the further development of her character. However, this lacked the depth and quick of the first book. The mystery itself was simple and it felt more like one of those mystery books that my grandma read back in the 90s.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

5 Molly the Maid Stars

I first met Molly last year in her first book, and I found her to be a unique and endearing character. I jumped at the chance to read the next book in the series.

Molly is a world-class cleaner at a five-star hotel, the Regency Grand Hotel. She’s moved up in the world to Head Maid now and even has a Maid in Training, Lily, learning from her.

Murder has a way of finding Molly, though. This time, it’s a famous author who spectacularly collapses and dies just when he is going to make an announcement. And the tearoom had just been thoroughly prepared for a comeback.

The return of Detective Stark to the case makes Molly nervous. In the last case, the detective put Molly through the wringer, and she feels like a suspect again.

The investigation begins with so many suspects! Could it be his secretary? Why is the doorman, Mr. Preston, acting so oddly? How about Molly’s horrible colleague at the hotel? And who has a past with the author?

This one was just as enchanting as the first book for me. I especially loved the chapters where we return to Molly’s childhood and her Gran. Those had a fairy tale quality to them, and loved having more time with Gran. These chapters helped me understand Molly’s character even more.

I can’t wait for the next installment of Molly’s story. I’m curious where the author will take the character this time. You can clean my hotel room every time, Molly!

This is the second in the Molly the Maid series and it is just as good as the first. Molly is an unforgettable quirky character and i loved her in the first book and just had to grab this one as soon as I saw it was available.

Description:
Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J.D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead— very dead —on the hotel’s tea room floor.

When Detective Stark, Molly's old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to who killed J.D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

As the case threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer's identity. But that key is buried deep in her past—because long ago, she knew J.D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery post-haste. If there's one thing Molly knows for sure, it's that dirty secrets don't stay buried forever...

My Thoughts:
Keep them coming Nita Prose. I'm loving this series! Molly is a great character with her obsession with cleaning and her social ineptness. She is more confident in herself in this book and she is now the Head Maid. Her intelligence and compassion shine in this one as she attempts to help Lily and to "clean up the direct" at the Regency Grand Hotel. Her attention to detail unwittingly assists the detectives to follow the leads in the investigation. Molly's grandmother's teachings provide Molly guidance as she navigates the situation. The story is well told and the plot is satisfying. There was humor in the story too. Highly recommended to anyone who loves quirky characters or mysteries.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on November 28, 2023.

I was thrilled to check back in to the Regency Grand and join Molly and friends in solving another murder! The Mystery Guest shares more of Molly's past, including a surprise twist. Overall, this is a solid followup to The Maid but would also work as a standalone.

“The Mystery Guest” is the second book in the “Molly the Maid” series by Nita Prose. While I believe this book can be read as a stand-alone, I would strongly recommend that the first book “The Maid” be read prior to starting this book. I was pretty excited to receive an advance copy of this book, as I rather enjoyed the first book. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this book. This seemed to be more of a “cozy mystery” than the first book. Additionally while other commenters applaud Molly’s growth, I rather liked the socially awkward Molly of the first book. I happen to enjoy the new maid, Lily, and how Molly cares for her throughout the book. I also enjoyed reading more about Stark, whose attitude toward Molly seemed better. A number of commenters said that Molly was “on the spectrum” in the first book - I’m not sure she still is in this book. Overall, there are a number of flashbacks to Molly’s younger days and a few too many Gran-isms tossed into the book where they became repetitive opposed to being an enjoyable part of the story. I did like how the story came together (a few of the twists were obvious but it didn’t prevent me from enjoying the mystery). 3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 4.

This is an enjoyable read. It was great to get more background on Molly.
For my tastes it was a little too predictable, however It was was a fun book to read

Just as I was expecting, THE MYSTERY GUEST was an outstanding story! Once again, Molly finds herself involved with a death at the Regency Grand Hotel. This time it is a well known mystery writer, named J.D. Grimthorpe. The story unfolds in both past and present times. I really enjoyed learning more about Molly and Gran's past. When Molly went with her gran to clean Grimthorpe mansion, I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. Molly is such a unique character, I can't help but love her. The epilogue also had a great surprise that I never would have guessed. I would absolutely recommend this book! I hope I will be reading more about what Molly is up to in the near future.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared on my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

No sophomore slump for Molly Gray, thank you very much, she is in top shape in this second volume of what I hope will be a long series. Her odd but charming way to see the world comes in handy when a mystery writer drops dead in her hotel. This time, she has a maid in training, and she needs to clear her from suspicion. All the main characters from the original come back, and I loved the dialogues and their interactions with Molly. You see, she’s changed, evolved and is now a little less clueless. I liked how her boyfriend, Juan Manuel, is such a great influence, even if he’s out of town for this one (which, I think, makes the plot better, as Molly has to figure out things almost on her own). But my favorite character is Gran, who we all know is dead. As with our loved ones in real life, she’s still very present in Molly’s life, especially during the flashbacks to her childhood, when she knew the dead writer. I loved the descriptions of his mansion through her eyes, as well as the backstory to her Gran and Molly herself. She is such a fresh, original voice, that it’s impossible not to root for her. This volume opens up a new way for her and I’m very, very curious about whether she’ll take it. Even if curiosity killed the cat, as Gran always said. Five stars!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine!

This is a great sequel - continuing the story of Molly the Maid. Molly came into this one with more confidence as she helps to solve a murder in the Regency Grand Hotel. I look forward to the next installment in the Molly the Maid series. I am recommending this to the readers who enjoy a cozy mystery with likeable characters.

Jumping in at the second book in this series, The Mystery Guest follows Molly as she works to solve the murder of a famous author who dropped dead in her hotel.

I’m not sure about the writing style of the first book but this felt like a very in-your-face mystery. There was hardly any nuance for the reader to infer and the plot point jumped from one to another without any subtlety.

The mystery was complex enough to be entertaining.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
Release Date: 11/28/2023
Format: audio/ebook hybrid (thank you @prhaudio and @netgalley) for the free copies!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I had no idea there was going to be a second book in this universe and absolutely squealed when I saw this book pop up in NetGalley! I loved The Maid so much and I was so excited to get more cozy mystery action with Molly the Maid.

I found this book just as endearing and engaging as The Maid! It’s a very fun whodunnit with themes of how complicated family and love can be!

Lots of quirky and cute moments from Molly as well as her new employee Lily. We get lots of flashbacks into Molly’s past so plenty of Gran content too!

If you enjoyed Prose’ first installment in this series, you definitely need to scoop book two when it comes out! I highly recommend the audio for this book as well - the narration is incredibly well done and really adds to the cozy mystery vibe!

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is a compelling read and a worthy sequel. Well written with fully defined characters. Well worth the time!

This is the second book in the series and I was so excited to see what trouble Molly got herself into next! The book is told in a then and now timeline and I enjoyed learning more about Molly’s time with her Grandmother. There were some twists along the way and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what happened next. The storyline is entertaining, and the writing is witty and sharp. This was such a fun, cozy mystery and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it!

Thank You so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for my copy of The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose in exchange for an honest review. It publishes November 28, 2023.
Wow! I really loved this book! I may have liked it even more than the first one. I just love Molly the Maid. I really loved the back and forth timelines in this story. I loved getting to know more about Gran and Mr. Preston.
I found this book to be really smart and overall a fun read!

Molly is back! I loved The Maid, so I was stoked to get an advanced copy of The Mystery Guest to review. Many thanks to NetGalley.

In the sophomore book in the series we start right off the bat with another murder at the hotel, and we’re reminded that they always blame the maid!

At this point Molly is the head maid and has recently hired a new maid protege named Nina, who becomes an immediate suspect.

Given what Molly went through in the first book, she steps up to defend her co-worker and gets caught up in the detective work as the mystery of the killer unravels.

The book includes flash back scenes of Molly as a child, so we learn more about the relationship Molly had with her Gran and her experiences working alongside her as she cleaned the mansion of a successful author.

Molly learns some hard truths about life early on and who the real monsters and hero’s are.

I enjoyed this one and recommend if you loved the first one as much as I did 💛

The Mystery Guest drops 11/28/23.

Molly the maid is back! Four years have passed, and Molly is now head maid. The murder of a famous writer right as he was about to make a big announcement means everyone is a suspect. The alternating timeline to when Molly was a child and her time with Gran was woven into the current mystery quite well. These flashbacks really brought Molly to life and were both sad and happy.

Detective Stark returns and, at first, she's just as hard headed as before. But over time she learns to respect Molly and listen to her. We are also treated to some new characters who have joined the crew at the hotel, and together they work to solve the mystery, the unravelling of which was done quite well. Looking forward to the next book.

Molly Grey, now head maid, returns to solve another murder when a local mystery writer collapses and dies during an appearance at the hotel. As in the earlier title (The Maid) Molly’s photographic memory and attention to detail help her to ferret out the identity of the murderer—and this time out Detective Stark comes to appreciate Molly’s abilities. With generous backstory detailing Molly’s childhood and plenty of story reveals, this is a series that just keeps getting better!

Great fallow up to The Maid. I enjoyed getting back into the mind of Molly. In this novel a senator dies while staying at the hotel that Molly works for. Overall I liked Ms Prose first book better but I still enjoyed reading her latest one. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy for a honest review.