This is a book that shows the consequences of the awful mother and baby units run by the Catholic Church until the 1980s, the effects on both the perpetrators and the victims. No one is who they say they are and everything leads to murder. This is a really dark book but needs to be read to see the damage that forced adoption can have on all the participants and it raises the question how could people, especially those acting in the name of God could do such things. This is well worth a read, if not an easy one.

Name of Book: The Hotel Maid
Author: Michelle Dunne
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: August 23, 2024
My Rating: 3.7 rounded up
Pages: 309

June Calloway, is a Maid at the Cedarwood Manor Hotel, She is a good maid and takes pride in her work. She is aware guests don’t know her as she is invisible to them. June is fine with keeping a low profile as she really does not want anyone to know her secrets.

However, when Erica Kelly a regular at the hotel and someone who only wants June to clean her room is found dead in her hotel bathroom and her little ten-year-old adopted daughter Mia goes missing from the hotel’s grounds. Additionally things turn bad for June. She gets a note that, someone knows who she is.

Story is story from the POV of Mia the little ten-year old girl who has learning disabilities and June the hotel maid.
The lives of these three females June Calloway, Mrs. Erica Kelly and Mia, centers around the Cedarwood Manor Hotel.
As a thriller fan my curiosity has been peaked. I was an important connection will be revealed.

As always I enjoyed reading the “A Letter from the Author’. Michelle Dunne tells us that the setting is always important in her writing. In this case she was inspired by her own hometown’s fabulous Fota House which became -Cedarwood Manor Hotel. The Fota House is filled with history and the grounds beautiful originally a private home of the Smith-Berry family. The contrast between the grand décor of the formal rooms and the servants wing was definitely gave a writer an inspiration. She does admit that the Fota House and Gardens is now stunning and a bit more welcoming and as you might suspect safer!

I am now looking forward to my next Michelle Dunne read.

Want to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 23, 2024

This is a well paced thriller about Jane, who works as a maid at a hotel called Cedarwood Manor. She does her work efficiently and keeps her head down - because Jane has secrets she isn't interested in sharing.

But after a woman is found dead in the hotel and a child is missing, she may not have a choice in the matter. Because someone sends her a note indicating that they know about her past. But how is that possible? And what is Jane going to do about it now?

The story is told in alternating viewpoints between Jane and Mia. The connections between the various characters are not immediately evident, but connections there certainly are...

This book is best read by those who have not read some of the similar titles that have cropped up in recent years. But it is an entertaining and clever read, and will appeal to many thriller lovers, so it gets 3.5 stars.

I had a lot of fun reading this book! It's a dual POV thriller about a maid at a very fancy and rich hotel, contrasted with a 10-year-old girl abused by her family and kept inside their home. The book starts off a little slow but really picks up when Mia's POV is introduced. I really enjoyed the way the POVs were connected and it was fun to try to figure out how Mia and June's stories were related and what went with what.

The ending did go a little bit crazy but that added to the enjoyable chaos, and I feel that it was perfectly acceptable for a thriller. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a quick, thrilling, entertaining book to read! I may also go check out other thrillers by this author as I did like this one.

Thank you to NetGalley + Storm Publishing for this arc

The beginning of the book was very slow for me and I wasn’t too sure about it, but as the storyline went on, I found myself enjoying it more.

There’s so many twists and turns in this book, I liked how it all came together at the end and and the multiple POVs kept me entertained and I also liked figuring out who belonged to which family. Overall it was a quick read.

Thank you Michelle Dunne, & Storm Publishing & NetGalley for an e-ARC copy.

#TheHotelMaid #NetGalley

The Hotel Maid was a quick read being told from 2 perspectives- a 10 year old girl named Mia and a hotel maid named June. The storyline was different than any other psychological thriller that I have read. It’s dark. Some triggers for this book are self harm, murder, grooming, the “R” word, child abuse, and sexual abuse. I zoomed through this book because I really wanted to see how it all tied together. I think that one character’s (MC’s flatmate) plot line was unnecessary and really just confused me for a bit. Also, the use of so many different fake names and identities as well as similar traumatic birth stories were a bit confusing. It was an intriguing read. I think I would have enjoyed the ending more if the MC had been likable in any way.
Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

I absolutely LOVED this book, it kept me guessing 99% of the time. This was my first book by this author and I hope it becomes a sequel! I hope this book gets the hype it's deserved when it comes out!

June is an unassuming maid at an exclusive hotel. Nobody really notices her as she blends into the background but her work ethic is to be admired. Erica Kelly is a regular guest at the hotel, she also doesn't see June but still orders her around with regards to her room cleaning. Until June finds her dead in her room and then the story begins.
Sadly I found this a book of 2 halves, I enjoyed the beginning, June seemed very calming and enjoyed her job. She was very meticulous and as someone who hates cleaning could do with her In my life!! However during the middle of the book I found it started to get slightly tedious and repetitive. Having said that the storyline was original

This was a very difficult book to get through.
Although the premise is interesting and the plot itself was different and kinda cool, the writing style was too confusing for me. Right off the bat, you’re introduced to a bunch of characters. A few chapters in and I was already confused as to who was who. I had to stop reading and recall who A, B, C were. And more were introduced throughout so imagine that. I was not a fan of the multiple POVs told in past and present.
I truly disliked the writing style, it was messy and it just didn’t flow easily. The plot was complex but thought-out as all comes together, so if you enjoy dark thrillers with several characters and POVs, give it a try!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

June is the best maid the manor has ever had. Attention to detail and nothing is too much trouble. She has a secret though. And she dislikes repeat guest Mrs Kelly.

This was one I enjoyed. June was a character I really believed in. The descriptions of her dedication to her job, and to Tess her room mate (with unclear relationship status) made me like her. She had a secret too, and I really wanted to discover it as June seemed really vulnerable.

Told from the point of view of June, but also Mia Kelly, the daughter of the infamous Mrs Kelly. It was hard to see how the worlds of these two characters could collide.

As the suspense was drawn out, things took an unexpected dark turn. A sting in the tale!

This is one of those wonderfully-convoluted books that had me saying, "what???" every few pages! June is a maid at the Cedarwood luxury hotel and cleans like there's no tomorrow! But when strange things begin happening, she becomes frightened as she receives notes saying, "I know what you did. Keep your mouth shut" and it terrifies her! We also witness her cutting herself and wonder why she would mutilate herself. "Roommate"and boarder, 80-yr-old Tess may be hiding something but she has no idea what. Of course it all boils down to earlier years where there are secrets and lies everywhere you could imagine! This may make you think twice about staying in a legendary hotel, but it's a great novel!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

feels a little weird to be the first two-star review for this book on Goodreads, period, but oh well. while this book did keep me reading and guessing, it became extremely outlandish even for a suspense thriller. don't want to get into spoilers but it seemed like characters were suddenly developing entirely new personalities left and right, especially at the climax, which made it more goofy than anything. it also had a lot of Villain Monologues which always seem completely ridiculous when you think about anyone ACTUALLY saying them.

I do think it also relied on shock value quite a bit. again, if a book is good and well-written, I am willing to forgive a lot. but this book seemed to pad out the run time to the climax with a lot of graphic self-harm and very liberal use of the r-word. if these aspects wanted to make the book gritty and dark, I get why the author would want to do that, but again it's really let down by the extreme goofiness of the constant over-the-top evil speeches.

idk! did not work for me but if you like darker thrillers and can suspend your disbelief a bit it may work for you.

June is the perfect maid. Discreet and unassuming, she goes about her work and people hardly know she is around. Cleaning rooms, she is privy to lots of secrets that the guests and staff in the luxury Cedarwood Manor Hotel would rather she did not know, if they were aware. She keeps her private life very private, she does not interact much with other staff, and never gossips.
Then, June starts receiving anonymous notes, saying someone knows what she has done. A guest has been found in her room, dead, and a young girl has been reported as missing. Has someone found out that the perfect maid has secrets of her own?
A twisty plot keeps you guessing until the last page, I really enjoyed this book. A great psychological thriller.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Hotel Maid. June is a maid that works in an exclusive hotel. She is quiet and keeps to herself She loves her job and enjoys the comfort she gets from being invisible to the staff and those who stay at this resort.
Things change when she receives a mysterious note and June realizes someone knows her secrets. Secrets June has worked hard to keep to herself. But now only time will tell if June can remain invisible or will she be exposed.
Great beach read. 3.5 atars

📖The Hotel Maid
✍️Michelle Dunne
🗓️Aug 23 2024
📝Storm Publishing

Genre:
Thriller, mystery

Series or standalone:
Standalone

Tropes:
🏩 luxurious hotel/manor
🏩 maid
🏩 secret past

POV
Multiple, past and present

💭 Summary 💭
June is a maid at Cedarwood Mansion. Supposed to be invisible, she still knows everyone’s secrets. Unfortunately, she has secrets of her own. When she starts receiving mysterious notes, she fears that someone has discovered the past that she is trying to hide. The. A guest is discovered dead. Are June and her secrets in danger?!

Heroine:
June Calloway

Side cast:
The killer , a variety of hotel guests and staff

Location:
Cedarwood Manor,

Fluency/Writing:
The writing is fluent and colourful. Due to the descriptive nature of her writing, one can envision the settings really easily.

The pacing of the book is quite fitting, not too slow and not too fast. It was just right. The story got quite complex.
I’m usually really lenient when reading, but I think I’ve found some plot holes which makes things a bit difficult? But I could be wrong.

The author did a real good job weaving the two timelines together. All in all this is a solid thriller with an interesting storyline. There have been quite some. Ovens with the maid trope but I found myself really enjoying this one .

Range of emotions: 🤷‍♀️😬🤔😨
😱:4/5
⭐️: 4/5

Do I recommend:
Yes, as I did enjoy this one quite a bit!

⭐️Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own, I was under no obligation to review.

This book is about maid called June Calloway. She works at Cedarwood Manor hotel from past 6 years. Though she is invisible to the guests there she has secrets of almost all the person working there including a special guest who comes to stay at Manor every now and then.
There are many characters in this book and it gets mixed up which causes confusion in the middle.
The story could have be written in a better way avoiding confusion and the ending too did not live up to a mark.
Lastly, i would like to thank Netgalley and Storm Publishing for giving me this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I was completely captivated by this well-written book and couldn't put it down. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it...

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write an honest review.

I ended up being more invested in this book than I initially thought it would. The author's writing and vivid descriptions made the scenes come alive in my head. While it did have some twists and turns, it lacked the intense suspense I look for in mystery/thriller books. However, the complex characters and the alternating point of view kept me engaged. Although it started too slow for my liking, I got more invested when it reached the climax. It is lacking in the suspense department. Despite the amount of mystery/thriller books I have read, this book still kept me guessing. Even though I find it a bit predictable, I still enjoyed piecing it all together. There were a few inconsistencies in the story that I noticed, but overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read.

To avoid spoilers, I will keep this review short. I would not say it is a groundbreaking work, but I would still recommend this book to people who would like to read quick mystery/thriller books. I would happily check out other books from Michelle Dunne! Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read this in advance.

Another fantastic read by Michelle Dunne

A fast paced read that keeps you hooked. You won't want to put it down once you start!!!

I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the editor for sending me an advance copy of this upcoming title. Your hard work and dedication to this project are truly commendable, and I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity to review it before its official release.

The depth and quality of this work are a testament to your meticulous attention to detail and your passion for bringing exceptional stories to life. From the engaging narrative to the well-developed characters, it's clear that a tremendous amount of effort has gone into every aspect of this book.

I am genuinely excited about this title and eager to share my thoughts and insights. Having the chance to read it in advance has been a wonderful experience, and I am confident that readers will be just as captivated by it as I am.

Thank you once again for this incredible opportunity. Your support and trust in my feedback mean a great deal to me. I look forward to continuing to work together and witnessing the success of this fantastic book.