I’ve read every one of Prose’s Molly the Maid books and, unfortunately, I fear we have lost the plot and should’ve just kept a good thing, a good thing. I think the appeal and enjoyment of the first book was getting to know Molly’s quirks, but 3.5 books in, we know her by now and the plot just seemed to drag on and be a bit repetitive. If any more come out, I probably won’t read them anymore.

What can I say? I love love love Molly the Maid. She is a genuine and loving person but she won't stand for any of Cheryl's antics. Nita Prose writes wonderful representation of neurodivergence that lifts up the community while still representing the challenges they face.

"The Maid's Secret" told us more of Molly's Grandmother's story and I loved getting to know her more. While I found the whodunnit of the caper a bit predictable, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story at all.

I'd recommend this novel as a refreshing mystery to read on the beach this summer

I am truly sad that I didn't love the final installment of the series compared to the first two books.

Molly is the head maid at the Regency Hotel and has recently become the Special Events manager. Molly's world is about to turn upside down when a reality TV show, Hidden Treasures, comes to film an episode at the Regency. Molly decides to bring a box full of her grandmother's things to be appraised, but soon discovers that one of the items is a rare, priceless treasure. Ultimately, the piece vanishes in one of the boldest ways a heist can be done. The key to the mystery is held in her grandmother's diary. For the first time, Molly learns about her grandmother's true life, the child of a wealthy magnate, and learns about her one true love. Together with her friends, Molly learns about the past, how it connects to the present, and wants to catch the thief before the threats against her become real.

This book is definitely different from the past Molly the Maid books, which I wasn't a fan of. Molly is the same charming maid we have come to know and love, but the story is a bit different. We don't have any murders happening in the book this time, but I actually kind of missed it because we were able to have Molly in her full glory. Also, this book wasn't revolved around Molly, but more around her grandmother this time. I did love learning about her grandmother and the way she grew up, but in conclusion to this series, I wish we were able to have more Molly than anyone else. This one could have been a spin-off instead of being a main book. I still loved Molly in this book. She stops at nothing to protect her job, the people she loves, and will fight for the truth to come out. Molly has always been inspiring, and this book proves why she is amazing and how she deserves every good thing coming her way.

Overall, this book was cute, but not my favorite. I hope to see more Molly in the future!

Molly the Maid is back and this time it seems like someone is out to get her. I have loved this series from the beginning, and this one was no different. This book was a little different than the others, as it wove in chapters of her Gran's diary. And, if you've read this series, you know how important Molly's Gran is to her and her story. Those chapters made me love this story even more. We got a backstory for Gran, Molly, and how they ended up at the prestigious Regency Hotel. I also enjoyed the mystery that was woven in - who could possibly want to hurt Molly? Overall, this was an enjoyable cozy mystery about family, love, and of course finding out whodunnit.

I absolutely love this author and this series!! I will continue to read them!!! I love the main characters and this story just completed it for me!

Oh Molly! Always wrapped up in something! This was just as enjoyable as the other Maid series books. A quick and fun read that makes you want I keep going to see what happens. Molly and Juan are such fun characters and seeing their development come together is the best. I really enjoyed the full circle putting the pieces together in this story where we leaned more of Grans story. Always a fun read!

I absolutely adore Molly the Maid's character so I was thrilled to get this ARC copy! I cannot get enough of her. This book was a bit different than the others in the series. It still had her same charm and a mystery at the hotel (although no murder this time!), but we gained a lot of insight into her grandmother and family history. I really enjoyed reading her grandmother's diary entries and finding out more about how she grew up. I love her grandmother and grand-dad even more now!!

Thank you to Netgalley, Nita Prose and Ballantine Book for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 I just love Molly the Maid! Every mystery gets better and every page reveals new insights about life and the goodness of people. The world is vibrant with details so that I feel like I know every character and have actually been in Molly and Gran’s (and Juan Manuel’s!) apartment and the opulent Regency lobby. This story was especially special with Gran being such a central figure and weaving the past and present together so seamlessly!

The books in the Molly the Maid series by Nita Prose are endearing and sweet stories with a light mystery. However, The Maid’s Secret was my least favorite of the series.

In The Maid’s Secret, the story alternates between Molly’s point of view and her grandmother’s point of view. Molly is reading Gran’s diary. Through it, Gran’s upbringing and the secrets from her past are revealed. I have often read stories told from two or more different perspectives and from multiple timelines, but it didn’t work well for me in this novel and I can’t exactly explain why it didn’t work for me. Despite that, I did enjoy learning Gran’s backstory. In fact, her chapters were my favorite parts of the novel.

The “Molly chapters” were lacking. The mystery fell flat. It was very easy to predict who stole the Faberge egg. However, I did like the parts of the story about the wedding preparations and the wedding itself. Very sweet.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a light read. It tied up a lot of loose ends from the previous books. It just wasn’t as good as the previous books in the series. If Nita Prose writes another Molly the Maid book, I would read it. I would give this a rating of 3.75, but I'm rounding it up to 4.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure if this is the last one in the series or not. If it is, then this is the perfect closure. I did enjoy the mysteries from the previous books better. But I enjoyed the sentimental value to this story and loved the diary entries from Gran.

When the stars of Molly and her grandmother's favorite reality show (a quasi Antiques Roadshow) come to film at the Regency Grand Hotel, the staff are given the opportunity to have their wares examined. And everyone is startled when Molly brings in a trinket of her grandmother's that turns out to be worth millions! But then the golden egg is stolen and Molly's life is threatened--and her grandmother's secrets, captured in a hidden journal, could be the key to solving everything.

This is the third ~official~ book in this series--fourth if we count the holiday novella, which I do, mostly because it includes important plot developments (an engagement!). I think this book feels the most similar to the novella, actually, in that is is less traditional mystery and more women's fiction with mystery elements. The heist in this book happens almost halfway through and solving it feels almost incidental to learning about Molly's grandmother's tragic and storied past (which are told largely through dual-timeline journal entries). The book was good, and I still love all the characters--Molly, particular--but if you're not into historical stories or less in-your-face mysteries, this one might be less enjoyable than the last two books in the series.

Thanks to Ballantine Books for my eARC and finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 8/10

When hit TV show Hidden Treasures comes to the hotel and looks at employee trinkets, Head Maid Molly’s life changes forever. Molly and her fiancée are stunned to learn that the Faberge egg in their possession is a one of a kind work of art. When an art heist at the auction goes down, who better to solve the mystery than Molly.

Another absolutely charming Molly the Maid novel! This one delves deep into her grandmother’s history while also packed with fun twists and turns. Highly recommend to any light mystery readers!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

I was so thrilled to read more of Molly the Maid’s adventure at the Regency Grand Hotel. Not only am I a huge fan of Molly but in this final installment of the series, we get to know more about her Gran.

There’s mysteries and drama — as there always are in this series! — and wedding hiccups that have you cheering for Molly and Juan and their happy ever after. And of course, the side characters and their big personalities never disappoint.

Throughout books 1-2 (and the novella), Prose dropped some Easter eggs that we now see come to light in this final book. I will miss these characters and their never-ending drama.

Friends and fellow authors, please tell me if this isn’t the last book. I have varying opinions online and definitely need to know!

Molly the Maid is back for another mystery at the Regency Grand. "The Maid's Secret" is the fourth installment and third full-length novel in this cozy mystery series. As always, the charming and endearing hotel staff make this an unforgettable novel. While I did like this book overall, I didn't love it as much as the first two in the series. This book was a little different from the others in that the story is not only told from Molly's perspective but also told from her Gran's perspective through an old diary. Gran is one of my favorite characters in the series, so I did enjoy learning more about her backstory as long-buried family secrets were revealed. I just wasn't as invested in the present-day mystery as I was in the other books, but I did really like seeing how Gran's past connected to everything. Overall, a fun conclusion to this delightful mystery series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

📚BOOK REVIEW 📚
I finally finished this! I had an arc from @netgalley , but ended up buying a copy to finish. Life has been crazy busy, so it took me an extra long time unfortunately. I enjoyed it for what it was, but Molly the maid books are very sweet and lighthearted, which isn’t my natural preference. I liked that the chapters alternated between the present drama/mystery and the grandmother’s diary passages. I preferred reading the latter. I give it 3.5 stars. I’d recommend if you’re looking for something easy and cutesy, or if you’ve read the other maid books.

#mollythemaid #themaidssecret #lightheartedfiction #ballantinebooks #april2025books #netgalley #bookreview #arcreview #bookstagram #readmorebooks #mysummerisbooked

The Maid series is truly a guilty pleasure of mine. I adore Nita Prose writing. This edition not only made me so happy for Molly but the fact that we took a deeper dive into Molly’s history & the story of her grandma! 10/10!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 STARS⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh, Molly, it's bittersweet to see our time together come to an end. Nita Prose, thank you for this delightful series. Fans of Only Murders in the Building will find a kindred spirit here; it's brimming with suspense, sharp wit, humor, and a surprising amount of heart. It's truly a wonderful series that's incredibly easy to devour.

“The Maid’s Secret” was sadly my least favorite of this trilogy so far. The dual timeline of Molly’s grandmother added nothing for me and just seemed like a frequent boring detour. And the mystery surrounding a jewelry heist as opposed to a murder just seemed anticlimactic. These novels have been must read for me, but this one was slow and just lacked the suspense of its predecessors. 2 stars ⭐️. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

I love love love this series!! Nita Prose wrapped up this story beautifully and as a reader, couldn’t have asked for more! The beginning of this book had me giggling and I kept thinking “Molly the Influencer!” I enjoyed how Gran’s story was intertwined with overall mystery and of course, LOVED reading Gran’s chapters. These characters are so lovable, hilarious, and truly heartwarming. I’m sad to see this series has ended but can definitely see myself rereading these books.

I love an origin story, so I loved learning more about Molly's grandmother in this book. As in the other 3 prior books, Molly is a very charming character.
It took me a little bit to get into this one (I think it was mostly because my life was in a busy season). When I picked it up at 30% of the way through, I finished the book int the same day. Alternating between the grandma's letters and the present day mystery really kept me locked in. I kept saying "I'll read one more chapter....well, that was a great chapter and I know more about Molly and the egg, but I've got to read another chapter to learn more about her grandmother....".
I'm also obsessed with the name Flora Gray and want to keep that in mind as a potential future baby name!