Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and sequel to the maid! Just like the first book in the series I loved the Mystery Guest. If you're a fan of the first book you will definitely enjoy this one as well. I still love the way Molly speaks and comments about the world. The characters are great and really bring you into the story. Some plot points of the mystery I could see coming but it was still an enjoyable read. I liked the ending to this one even better than the first one.

Nita Prose once again introduces us to Molly the Maid in this second outing. Keeping true to Molly's voice and quirky way of thinking, readers will instantly be drawn back into Molly's world. On the day of the Grand Opening of the hotel's Tea Room, a reclusive author is scheduled to make a major announcement. Unfortunately, he dies before he can make that announcement leaving his fans upset and turmoil at Molly's usually serene and clean hotel. Weaving Molly's childhood experiences with her dearly departed Gran into the current situation, Prose is able to create a believable resolution to the mystery of the author's death. Characters from the first book are included which makes Molly's world familiar to readers. This volume can stand alone, but readers may want to start with "The Maid" to fully appreciate the character of Molly. Definitely looking forward to another "Molly the Maid" book!

I gobbled this book right up! Molly is back at the Regency Grand and when a famous author drops dead at the hotel, she is on the case. Through flashbacks we learn more about Molly’s childhood while connections are made to the present. I loved this book and Prose provides another comfort read. Can I just say that I adore Angela and hope to see more of her in future books, too?!? A great book for fans of the classic mystery genre and those who appreciate neurodiversity.

The Mystery Guest comes out at the end of November 2023 and would make a great holiday gift for mystery readers.

Loved the book. Just as charming as her first one. Such a unique and original voice.

Even if the plot was somehow predictable and a bit coincidental, it is a fun and entertaining read.

Maid Molly, in her impeccable atypical voice, sees and considers things that other people don't notice, although she has always had trouble reading social cues. As she narrates this second mystery involving her work as a hotel maid, the chapters alternate between a current day murder at the hotel and memories of her childhood. Both plots are completely engaging and they overlap in surprising ways. This is a quick and comfortable read with a well-deserving murder victim and plenty of twists.

Molly the Maid is back in a new mystery. Molly faced some major life challenges in The Maid but she persevered and her life is an good place when The Mystery Guest opens. New challenges abound in this new book by Nita Prose. New characters are introduced and old favorites reappear. Molly continues to evolve and change is this satisfying and enjoyable sequel.

Yes yes yes! Bringing back the characters you loved and a few new you will for sure fall for too. Prose has made yet another modern classic mystery!

Once again, Molly Gray has done it. Piggybacking on Prose's first book, Molly uncovers another villainous crime. The action and fun begins.
I had read Prose's first book but, even without reading it, the reader would be able to enjoy it on its own. If you had read the first book, the characters and plot would be more interesting as a follow-up to the characters' behavior.
Prose has captured the idiosyncrasies and tenor of Gray's character beautifully. This is a fun read from start to finish.

I tried to finish this book but it was too bland and didn't hold my attention. The author painted a full picture of a grandmother whose wisdom has remained with her granddaughter.

I really enjoyed this follow up to Nita Prose's The Maid. I came into it remembering only the very basic plot line of the first book, and while I may have enjoyed it a fraction more if the first was fresh in my mind, I was still able to follow along without issue. For me, the mystery in this book took a backseat to the characters. Molly is just impossible not to love! 3.5 stars. I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group in exchange for a review. Thank you!

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose. Molly returns. For those who enjoyed "The Maid" they will find this a worthy followup. Molly works with her hotel friends and deals with contrary employees., guests and police in order to uncover what happened to a famous author who suddenly died at an event at the hotel. Molly discovers not only what happened but new secrets are exposed about Molly's life.

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is the follow up to The Maid and it is wonderful! Molly the Maid is back and even more delightful than before! I enjoyed how Nita Prose alternated time lines to slowly unfold the story and bring the mystery to a great conclusion. You could read The Mystery Guest as a stand alone read but you would really miss the depth of the characters and their interactions if you didn't read The Maid first. I hope that there are more Molly the Maid books to follow. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and sweet characters. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

No words! The Maid was one of my favorite reads last year and Nita did it again! The Mystery Guest is such a fun read and has easily made my favorite reads of 2023. SO good. I love following the lives of the characters and it was so fun and twisty around the way. 10/10!

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose is another winner for Molly the maid and her cohorts at the Regency Hotel. Molly's skills and expertise improve in this novel to Head Maid and she proves to be just that with her detective skills as well. More history of Molly's past is revealed as well as her Gran's which make for a unforgettable, endearing novel.

Molly the maid is back! Since losing her beloved grandmother, Molly has had to navigate a new life. With her dear friend Mr. Preston and new love interest Juan Manuel by her side, she continues her quest of cleaning and restoring hotel rooms to a state of perfection. In fact, she has earned the title of Head Maid of the Regency Grand Hotel. But when world-renowned author JD Grimthorpe literally drops dead mid-speech at the hotel, Molly’s world is thrown into a state of disaster. Because she knows Grimtorpe from before. To get to the bottom of whodunnit, Molly must look back at her childhood and discover some secrets that have long been buried.

I really enjoyed this book’s predecessor, “The Maid”. Molly is one of the most endearing characters I have ever read about so I was very happy to see her return in this book! It was lovely to be in Molly’s world again as well as to delve into her childhood. Told in dual timelines, it was so fun to read about Molly growing up. Gran may have passed away in the first book, but she is still very present in this book, both in the past and in Molly’s memory. Prose explored Molly’s childhood in a way that paralleled the present day and seeing how this story unfolded was so heartwarming. I will always be rooting for Molly and I hope there will be more of her story in the future! Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the ARC! “The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid #2) will release November 28, 2023.

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly.

Molly, Head Maid at the Regency Hotel, has another mystery to solve. Famous author JD Grimthorpe is at the Regency Grand Hotel to make a special announcement, but before he can get his message out, he dies. The main suspect seems to be Lily, Molly’s maid-in-training, and Molly isn’t having it.

Molly has a secret of her own though- she has a connection to JD Grimthorpe that could make her the prime suspect of the murder investigation.

It isn’t often I enjoy the second book of a series even more than the first, but I loved hearing Molly’s back story and watching her character grow. I can’t wait to see what’s next for her!

I absolutely devoured this book! Such a fun quick read.
Molly the maid is back and better than ever! Another mystery is afoot in the grand hotel where this wonderfully quirky maid is employed.
Molly is such a delightful character and it was great to be back in her world with all of her friends!
In this sequel we get a better look at Mollys childhood and the things that made her the way she is. This book has it all, mystery, personal revelation, character development, a fantastic storyline that ropes you in from the start and keeps you turning the pages until the end.
If you enjoyed ‘The Maid’ you’re going to love ‘The Mystery Guest’ even more!

The Mystery Guest is a fantastic follow-up to The Maid. I enjoyed revisiting Molly, Mr. Preston, and the rest of the characters at the Regency Grand Hotel.

I loved the chapters alternating between Molly’s past with her Gran and the present. Molly was one of my favorite literary characters of 2022 so this dive into her childhood was a welcome addition to this mystery story. The mystery itself was interesting, fun, and kept me guessing. Overall, I think fans of The Maid will enjoy The Mystery Guest.

Thanks to NetGalley and Balkentine Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published November 28, 2023.

This book is a sequel to The Maid, which was published January 2022. We once again meet Molly the maid and by some strange coincidence, there’s another murder at the prestigious hotel where she works! I continue to enjoy Molly‘s quirky personality. She’s a bit awkward socially but she picks up on small details that just might help solve the mystery of who murdered the famous author at the hotel.

My only complaint about this book, and it was my complaint from The Maid also, was the repetitive nature of all of Gran’s words of wisdom. That part got old pretty quickly.

Overall a quick and fun read.

'The Mystery Guest' was such a great second book in the 'Molly the Maid' series! I think I loved it even more than the first because the characters come even more to life in this book.
Molly Grey is Head Maid at The Grand Regency, where she takes her job very seriously with her timeliness and her attention to every detail. Unfortunately for her, the VIP guest at the hotel, drops dead at his event where he is just about to make a big announcement. He is the famous mystery writer, J.D. Grimthorpe. Molly, and staff, are once again thrust into a murder investigation where everyone is suspect.
This was such a fun mystery with an eccentric cast of characters, especially the lovable main character, Molly. The chapters alternate to the past when Molly is a young, school aged girl, living with her Gran. I love that you learn more about Gran in this book since she had passed away in the first.
This book was sweet and fun and it I had no idea who the murderer was until the very end. I hope there will be more in this series because curling up with a cozy mystery with these characters is a must any time of year.