Molly loves Christmas and has enjoyed reviving old traditions and creating new ones with her boyfriend. There is something weird going on with him that Molly can't quite parse, but she is determined to keep up the holiday cheer. This is a sweet, short entry into Molly's series that will hold readers over until April when the next full-length story published.

Molly loves Christmas and the traditions it brings. Now with Juan Manuel, Molly is creating a new life and new traditions with the man she loves best. As Christmas draws near, Molly can't make sense of a new mystery- What is going on with Juan Manuel? Why does the new woman in the building seem to know him? And after a bad experience with the hotel's previous gift exchange, does she really want to participate again, and what happens if she doesn't?

Molly is delightful and while I'm delighted that she's back, there was very little momentum even in such a small story. I'll still read all the Molly the Maid stories though, and buy them for our library.

I love Molly and her adventures, and really enjoyed the first two books. This was a sweet Christmas story about Molly, Juan, and friends. I would give this a 3.5. It is a fun novella, but there is not any depth to the story and the mystery was very predictable. I did find myself smiling while reading. It is a very light, quick holiday read.

I absolutely adored this novella on Molly the maid and Juan Manuel. It was so nice getting a glimpse into their relationship more. The holiday season is quite difficult for Molly with missing her Gran, but never fear Juan is there to lend a holiday cheer. Throughout this novella we will see a lot of misunderstandings and mishaps. While it may be a short read it is a very good story. I definitely recommend reading the other two books first so this will make more sense.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine books for the e arc. I loved it!
PUB DATE: 10/01/24

https://www.thebookery.org/post/book-review-the-mistletoe-mystery

Book Review: The Mistletoe Mystery
Start thinking cooler thoughts as you count down the days until Nita Prose’s newest installment of the Maid series releases in October!

By Mandy Crow

I’ve been captivated by Molly the maid since Nita Prose first introduced her to the world to her in The Maid in 2022. Since that initial book, Prose has furthered Molly’s storyline with 2023’s The Mystery Guest.

Read our review of The Maid here.

On Oct. 1, Prose is set to release the next installment of the Maid series, The Mistletoe Mystery, a holiday-themed novella that gives readers a glimpse into Molly and Juan’s first Christmas together. Recently, I got the chance to read an advanced review draft of the upcoming book and highly recommend adding it to your pre-Christmas reading list!

An Overview
In The Mistletoe Mystery, we find Molly and Juan getting ready to celebrate Christmas as a couple. They’re living in Molly’s apartment, where Molly keeps things nice and tidy and Juan Manuel whips up delicious meals in the kitchen while singing Christmas carols. Juan Manuel has taken an extra step to make the season even more special, counting down the days until Christmas with a homemade Advent calendar that reveals a special gift for Molly each day—and perhaps hints at more.

But even as Juan is intent on making this Christmas one of Molly’s happiest holidays, Molly begins to notice a few inconsistencies about her boyfriend and starts to doubt. Remembering an old story her gran once told her, Molly wonders if she has mistaken a prince for a frog again. Is Molly misunderstanding the clues or is she headed for disappointment again?

What I Love About the Book
I have always read Prose’s Molly as being on the spectrum. Throughout the Maid series, Prose has never labeled Molly, but, for me at least, it’s refreshing to see a character who struggles with social cues and thrives on order and consistency who is the hero of the book.

All of the Maid books, and The Mistletoe Mystery is no exception, are told in Molly’s voice. We get a chance to experience her inner processing and logic and see how these things influence her actions and decisions. As an aunt to a child on the spectrum, it’s powerful to read books that present someone who is “different” but still considered valuable, kind and beloved by her coworkers, friends and neighbors.

As a novella, The Mistletoe Mystery is also short. I often don’t have as much time to read during the holiday season, so a shorter story seems perfect for the a quick, sweet read that gets me in the mood for Christmas.

Parting Thoughts
The Mistletoe Mystery is a short, sweet novella that’s a perfect holiday-themed addition to the Maid series. Is it action-packed? Yes, but in the sense of regular people living regular lives, meaning the action is a little mundane and slower paced. If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller with a new mystery unraveled at every turn, this probably isn’t the book (or the series) for you. Yes, you may see the ending coming from a long, long way off—but Molly doesn’t, and, in some ways, it’s fun to be in on the secret with so many of the characters in the book who try to hide it from her (badly, I might add).

Getting used to Molly’s syntax, logic and pacing takes a little time, but The Mistletoe Mystery might be the perfect way to spend a cozy Sunday afternoon this fall or holiday season.

The Bookery Rating: 📙📙📙📙
A sweet, short, holiday-themed story that continues the Maid series and gives greater insight into Molly’s reasoning, logic and relationships. Getting to know Molly takes a little time and understanding, but the effort is well worth it!


Nita Prose is set to release the next book in the Maid series, The Maid’s Secret, in April 2025. Pre-order now.


As an Amazon Associate, The Bookery earns from qualifying purchases.

A fun novella that moves the story of The Maid along with a delightful holiday story. Her lack of social awareness creates distrust and confusion for her while the reader knows she is in for a wonderful surprise.

This is a cute little extra for fans of the Molly the Maid series. It's filled with familiar characters and a big dose of holiday cheer, but as usual, Molly is having some trouble interpreting the actions and emotions of others. I actually think that aspect might be just slightly overdone here, but nevertheless, fans will relate and be familiar with Molly's way of seeing the world and won't be overly disappointed here. What makes this bonus novella unique is that there isn't a mystery for Molly to solve; instead, we're treated to a slice of her personal life that I think fans will definitely appreciate. I'll be happy when the next full-length installment of this series comes out, but in the meantime, it's great to catch up with Molly, Juan Manuel, Mr. Preston, and the whole Regency Grand crew.

Note... this is a novella set in the Christmas season. It's basically the love story of Molly Gray and Juan Manuel and how Molly is feeling insecure in their relationship because of changes in Juan. All of a sudden he is disappearing, vague in his responses, overly tired, and seems to be hiding something. It's mystery all right. Given the previous stories with Molly the maid, I would have liked more meat in this mystery (a murder or a theft?) as I felt it was very tepid. No surprises or twists to make this interesting, although I still like the character of Molly. The reader learns nothing new about Molly to make this interesting. It really doesn't hold a candle to other Christmas novellas or stories. The Mistletoe Mystery is "just okay", 2.5 rounded up to 3. Many thanks to #netgalley #themistletoemystery #nitaprose for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.75 stars

A short novella about Molly the Maid, a quirky spectrumish woman who has a knack for solving crimes. This one is more of an episode than a mystery involving Molly and her partner Juan. But if you are a fan of Molly and her eccentricities, you will enjoy it.

As usual, some of Molly's co-workers are cruel and thoughtless while others are true friends. But this one is a holiday gift with a very happy ending. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Molly the Maid and the entire Regency Grand Hotel crew are back for a short mystery counting down to Christmas and the staff Secret Santa party. Molly is reminiscing of past holidays with Gran while embracing new memories with her found family, but multiple people - including her love Juan Manuel - are acting strangely. There’s a new mystery and Molly is determined to solve it.
Perfect for fans of The Maid series heading into Christmas. This is a short read and not necessarily the a mystery in line with the past novels, but still a fun read for the holidays that is hard to put down. I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t stop! Molly is truly a gem of a main character.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I will never tire of reading about Molly the maid! I hope the author has many more of her adventures coming. Sweet Christmas read.

Cute novella with Molly. The Maid series is as always a mystery and fun to read. I love the flashbacks to Gran and the relationship that they had.

Molly Gray the Maid is back in a holiday tale sure to melt your heart. Shorter than the previous titles, "The Maid" and "the Mystery Guest" the "Mistletoe Mystery" still features Molly's quirky take on the world and all of her friends and co-workers from the hotel. When her true love, Juan Manuel is seen leaving the hotel room of a beautiful woman, Molly begins to doubt his love for her and her own self-worth. Is it something she said? Something she did? Not realizing all along that the big mystery here is not what Juan Manuel's been doing sneaking around, but what he is planning for Molly's Christmas surprise. Reader's will quickly determine what Juan Manuel's surprise is, but true to form, Molly remains totally clueless until the big day.
A Sweet holiday treat for Molly the Maid's fans.

Molly, the maid, is such a likeable person. I have loved every book so far. This one is a great Christmas story that focuses on Molly, her friends and the hotel. I love her truth and her desire to always do the right thing.

I think I would’ve enjoyed this more in audiobook formatting, but it was good and quick nonetheless. I love Molly’s no-nonsense nativity and the fact that she just COULDN'T figure out that she was eventually getting engaged. Even I was a little suspicious of Juan Manuel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I love Nita Prose Maid Novellas series. Tne main character is corky and attentive. Her character makes this series enjoyable! This read was an easy, enjoyable holiday; what is going on? Type of book. Not the best in the series but a fun short read!

This was such a quick and fun read. I've read "The Maid" and "The Mystery Guest" and it was nice to visit with Molly and company for this quick Christmas caper with a dash of romance.. It was a charming addition to Nina Prose's series. The Mistletoe Mystery" by Nita Prose is a delightful holiday read!

There is a lot of holiday festiveness mixed with charming cosy mystery including a few red herrings to keep the suspense high. It was nice to see the holidays through Molly's child-like eyes. It's nice to see her happy and faring well after all the drama of the first two books.

This is the perfect feel-good holiday read! Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine/PenguinRandomHouse for an early look!

I didn’t realize this was a novella when I requested it from NetGalley, but it’s cute for a short work of fiction. I think you’d have to have read at least the first book in the series to understand how Molly isn’t good at reading social cues because what is to her a big mystery is not mysterious at all to the reader. The details of the behavior of her love, Juan Manuel, aren’t entirely clear, but overall how it’s going to end is. In that way it’s not as fun as the first two books in the series when there is a mystery for both Molly and the reader.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this short work, which RELEASES SEPTEMBER 17, 2024.

The Mistletoe Mystery is a lovely novella set in December amid all of the holiday festivities. It was a bit different than the first two novels of the series-more lighthearted overall, but with just as many confusable movements for the loveable Molly the maid. This book took a different turn in that the reader is able to almost immediately guess what the mystery will be. However, the real fun along the way is wondering when Molly will guess what is going on! There are many mishaps that confuse Molly! This book was a joy to read and a nice insight into more of Molly's life.

I recently started reading Nita Prose's Molly Maid series and was excited to hear about "The Mistletoe Mystery" a new holiday themed novella. The narrator's voice allows me to read the series quickly and find the joy in seeing Molly's relationships evolve over the novels. This novella contains some spoilers from the second book in the series, if a reader is concerned about being surprised. I found myself waiting for Molly to reveal that she was playing along during the story since the outcome was easily guessed by the reader in this tale, but the narrator was surprised by the resolution of the plot. I would recommend this light read novella for those who enjoy the series.