Name of Book: The Hotel Maid
Author: Michelle Dunne
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narrator: Jacqueline Milne
Publisher: Dreamscape Select/Storm Publishing
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: August 23, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
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 knew a connection would be revealed.

I am looking forward to my next Michelle Dunne read.

I was fortunate in that I got both the galley as well as the audio.
Which did I like best?
There is no doubt that I am a big audiobook fan and yes! Narrator, Jacqueline Milne did a great job performing the characters. However I have to admit they were equal in my enjoyment except I would like for audiobooks to include the’Author’s Notes’.

As always I enjoyed reading the “A Letter from the Author’-which was NOT included in this audiobook therefore making the eGalley always more interesting 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!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Select/Storm Publishing for this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 23, 2024.

Did not enjoy the audiobook as much as I did the book. Sometimes I just can't pay attention. Of course the story in itself was fantastic.

This book starts like a straightforward murder mystery, but very quickly it deviates from that route. The story has three narrators, the main POV being the hotel maid June. When the story continued, I was constantly wondering where it would take me. In the end this was nothing what I expected it to be, and the road there was really turbulent.

The characters were all so very unlikable, and the narrators as unreliable as can be. At times I was not sure what I was reading as the plot was quite complicated. It all came together in the end and i was literally blown away. There are many dark themes and on the wholw this book is quite grim. I enjoyed the read, though. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator had a lovely Irish accent and was just right for this book.

Michelle Dunne’s “The Hotel Maid” is a complex, dark, and twisty tale of intrigue that leaves the reader questioning how far they would go to hurt the ones who have hurt us, second guessing their loyalties, and paying close attention to those in society who are too often deemed invisible.

Cleverly written with an intricate plot and compelling story line, this is a psychological thriller that will have you thoroughly immersed from page one. It’s hard to write anything about this book that won’t contain some sort of spoiler, so this review is going to be short and sweet. And, as I think this book is best enjoyed without knowing anything about it before you start, trust me when I say this one will keep you guessing and shaking your head until the end.

I read both digital and audio copies of this book. Audiobook narrator Jacqueline Milne skillfully delivered the #thehotelmaid bringing the characters and story to life. Both versions of this thriller were well done and will be on shelves everywhere August 23, 2024! Thank you @stormbooks_co StormAudio @netgalley and for the advance ebook and audiobook.


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June is a hotel maid, quiet, efficient, and dutiful. When she finds a regular guest at the hotel dead in her room, shocking truths come to light.

I didn’t catch on to the timelines initially, but when it finally clicked, my mind was blown. The big reveal left my jaw on the floor. It was a good read, although the beginning was slow.

I had to restart this one several times before really getting into it. I enjoyed the audio narration, though.

This was dark, and Mia’s POV was hard to read. Then there’s the self-harm and grooming, plus a few other things.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select | Storm Publish for the free audio copy of the book.

Audiobook 4.25-4.5⭐️

I was keen to read this as I loved The Good Girl. It’s another dark thriller. Don’t go into this thinking it’s just another Housemaid variation, it’s very different, and personally I think it would have done better steering away from that title. The plot has complexity, depth and secrets galore.

The story is mainly told by two characters Mia and June. Mia is a child with a desperately sad life,my heart ached for her. June is an adult working in a top end hotel, she comes over as likeable and caring.

It has a slightly disconcerting weird vibe through the early stages of the book, but things become clearer. It also has a slow start. It grew on me more and more as it progressed, although it took some time for me to become invested in the characters. There’s nothing that comes out of left field all the groundwork is there.


Unless I missed something I still don’t know who sent the notes which feels a bit odd, were they even needed?

The narrator is excellent with her different Irish accents, she elevated enjoyment as you can see from my ratings.

"She'd never been the type of girl that people noticed. This, she realized, was a valuable trait to have."

Where to start? The end might be the best place. The last few chapters of the upside down rollercoaster The Hotel Maid, by intricate twisty turns murder mystery thriller author Michelle Dunne, left me gasping and my brain hurting from all the WTF reveals.

We meet hotel maid June looking at the dead body of Erica, in the room she's assigned to clean, and soon discover that 10 year old Mae, who is Erica's charge, is missing. Then in alternate chapters we learn about the past of June, Erica and Mae and how they found their way to this hotel.

Make no mistake this is not a cozy mystery. It is a dark thriller with some heavy themes and serious trigger warnings from self child abuse, grooming, and neglect to self harm including cutting.

There are a slew of characters, of which many are extremely unlikeable and some horrible behavior by supposedly religious people. Yet I kept turning the page because I had no idea where it would all lead.

I fell in love with the Irish lilt from voice actress Jacqueline Milne. Every time she said, "feck" I had to smile. The first part of this story was a bit confusing but having both the book and the audiobook really helped me decipher characters and their relationships. I had some theories but when it was over I was half right and half in shock.

The Hotel Maid cleans up in the twist department. But pay attention or you might miss spotting a clue.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Hotel Maid. The story kept me interested and wanting to know more. The main character, June, consistently surprised me throughout the book. The narrator was top notch; simply fantastic. I’m new to Michelle Dunne books and will be checking out The Good Girl next.

Another fantastic book, I loved Michelle Dunnes previous book and this is just as good a thrilling book that keeps you hooked!

Michelle Dunne knows how to write a captivating story for sure! With more stories featuring maids being around I was a bit misleaded first at whwre this one would go! Bit it turned out to be a very intense book!
We get to know June who works as a maid in a beautiful mansion-hotel. She is good at fading in to the background and observing and somhow pulling the strings. Quiet and unassuming. But she has an agenda! Just take time to get into her story!!
This book is perfectly narrated by Jacqueline Milne!

Thank you ##NetGalley #Dreamscape Select | Storm Publishing for this audiobook

Thank you, Netgalley, Michelle Dunne, and Dreamscape Select for the audiobook. A great narration by Jacqueline Milne. A wild story that had twists and turns I didn't see coming! A great listen!

This gave me legit nightmares. It starts out slow but interesting and relatable. Our protagonist is weird but not that weird. She works in a hotel and she's good at her job. She has one guest who is really annoying but she knows how to handle her. So yeah, not exciting but I kept listening.
Then you get another perspective and you are like "how are these at all related" and eventually you learn why and you're like "okay that is really weird."
And the nun and stuff. Also strange.
Um I listened to it all in one go so I obviously didn't hate it but now I have a whole after listen thing where I am trying to process it and I just feel off about it all.
I may change my rating. I need to think.
The narration was perfect though.

The his one was rather slow paced. In fact I listened to it at 3x the normal speed. It took a while to really get started but once it did it really took off. But since so much was thrown at you at once it became a little convoluted. Worth a read or listen . 3.5 stars

This is my second book read by the author Michelle Dunne and she does have a way with her twisted female main characters. She can get very dark. What did I think of this book? Hmmm, it was sometimes confusing and definitely complicated. It all came together in the end but I did feel a bit lost throughout the telling. It is a twisty tale and if you like psychological thrillers you might very well enjoy this one. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was excellent. Great accent. 3 stars.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Select | Storm Publishing for a chance to listen/read an ARC version of this book.

The Hotel Maid by Michelle Dunne is a gripping slow burn thriller that was exciting and fun.
Dunne’s writing skills was truly remarkable. The author's gripping plot that immediately grabbed my attention and kept me engaged throughout.
The narrator Jacqueline Milne did a great job and held kept me glued to the story.

Huge thanks to Storm Publishing, as well as to NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Hotel Maid!!

I felt a total disconnect with the storyline and the characters. I am not sure if the narrator came into play, but I found myself drifting off because the story did not keep my attention.

3.5⭐
Genre ~ psychological fiction
Setting ~ Ireland (I think)
Publication date ~ August 23, 2024
Publisher ~ Dreamscape Select, Storm Publishing
Est Page Count ~ 266 (36 chapters)
Audio length ~ 8 hours 40 minutes
Narrator ~ Jacqueline Milne
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ murder, self harm, child abuse, child neglect, mental abuse

June is our hotel maid who discovers a dead body. We follow her time working at the hotel and at home where she lives with an 80 year old woman named Tess.

Mia is a 10 year girl that is abused physically and mentally. She’s basically a slave for the family doing all the cooking and cleaning. She's told she mentally handicapped over and over again, but the author uses the R word and I am not a fan when that word is used.

Overall, the main twist is not particularly surprising and the journey there is full of difficult subject matter and unlikable characters. I did enjoy it as much as one can with those hard to read parts. I'll for sure read Michelle's next book.

Narration notes:
She did a fine job, but I could have gone for a younger sounding tone for Mia's parts.

I must admit I’m a bit torn by Michelle Dunne’s newest book: The Hotel Maid. That opening hook was wonderful. The reveal of blood on the uniform and the dead body really pulled me, but then things just slow down. Don’t get me wrong, there is an interesting story here, the harassing cryptic notes, the hints and slow reveal of at Jane’s past all work fairly well. It just felt like it was missing something or that something was off, though I can’t put my finger on just what that is. I wouldn’t say is the bad book by any stretch but after how much I enjoyed Dunne’s previous book, The Good Girl, this one felt like a bit of a step back. As for the audio, Jacqueline Milne narration was spot on, definitely not complaints there. I’d like to thank Dreamscape Select | Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review an advanced copy of the audio version of The Hotel maid.

I tried three times but this was just too boring and slow moving for me. The narrator is great but the long draw with plot movement hurt

So I wanted it to be way more exciting, then it was. It was just meh. The story line got confusing and what character is who and are we current day are we living in the past? Is there substance to these characters? Do I feel a connection to the characters? No.

Unfortunately, I would love to tell you what the story is about but I believe that if I do so, then I would give away the story line. There is a maid at a manor and the past unravels.

Thank you #NetGalley for giving me the advance copy.