POLISHED TO PERFECTION, THE HOTLY-ANTICIPATED & SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING DEBUT *The instant Sunday Times Top 5 bestseller* *The New York Times No.1 bestseller* *One of Buzzfeed's highly anticipated BookTok reads in 2022* 'Delightful'GUARDIAN 'An escapist pleasure' SUNDAY TIMES 'A true 21st century heroine' JANICE HALLETT 'Smart, riveting, and deliciously refreshing ' LISA JEWELL 'An instantly gripping ...
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POLISHED TO PERFECTION, THE HOTLY-ANTICIPATED & SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING DEBUT *The instant Sunday Times Top 5 bestseller* *The New York Times No.1 bestseller* *One of Buzzfeed's highly anticipated BookTok reads in 2022* 'Delightful'GUARDIAN 'An escapist pleasure' SUNDAY TIMES 'A true 21st century heroine' JANICE HALLETT 'Smart, riveting, and deliciously refreshing ' LISA JEWELL 'An instantly gripping and delightful whodunnit' STYLIST _________________________________________________________________ I am your maid. I know about your secrets. Your dirty laundry. But what do you know about me? Molly the maid is all alone in the world. A nobody. She's used to being invisible in her job at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows and wiping away the grime, dust and secrets of the guests passing through. She's just a maid - why should anyone take notice? But Molly is thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, very dead in his bed. This isn't a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And as Molly becomes embroiled in the hunt for the truth, following the clues whispering in the hallways of the Regency Grand, she discovers a power she never knew was there. She's just a maid - but what can she see that others overlook? Escapist, charming and introducing a truly original heroine, The Maid is a story about how the truth isn't always black and white - it's found in the dirtier, grey areas in between . . . *RIGHTS SOLD IN 29 TERRITORIES* 'Gripping, deftly written, and led by a truly unforgettable protagonist in Molly. I'm recommending it to everyone I know' EMMA STONEX 'Beautiful writing, an intriguing mystery, and a colourful cast of friends and sleuths ensure The Maid sparkles with wit and tension' LUCY CLARKE 'Fresh, fiendish and darkly beguiling. The Maid is so thrillingly original, and clever, and joyous. I just adored every page' CHRIS WHITAKER A Sunday Times No.4 bestseller for w/c 24/01/2022 A New York Times No.1 bestseller for w/c 31/01/2022
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Good. Ex-library hardcover with stamps and labels but otherwise appears only lightly used. The dust jacket is protected with a mylar covering. All items ship Monday-Saturday-Fast Shipping in a secure package. Your purchase will help support the programs and collections of the Johnson County (Kansas) Library.
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Good. All pages and cover are intact. Possible slightly loose binding, minor highlighting and marginalia, cocked spine or torn dust jacket. Maybe an ex-library copy and not include the accompanying CDs, access codes or other supplemental materials.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
I first heard of The Maid from the Harper Collins Reader's Room as I filled out a survey on its tagline and blurb. I thought it sounded like a brilliant read and when it came up on my Netgalley feed I had no hesitation in hitting 'request'. I've been really lucky so far that my January 2022 reads have all been 4 or 5 stars and The Maid is no exception - a 5 star read through and through and another Kindig GEM!
Molly the Maid is a well-written and deep main character; she has trouble reading social situations and understanding turns of phrase, and her behaviour is a patchwork of teachings from her grandmother and the motivational sayings she has been taught at her cleaning job at the Regency hotel. She feels so real and so heart-felt, it's impossible not to feel empathy with her and you are fully on her side from the start. Her character also allows for some clever narrative devices such as leading the reader to believe something before revealing that Molly may have interpreted the situation differently to the truth. It also allows exposition and reveals to go straight to the reader bypassing the main character as some conversations go completely over Molly's head.
The plot is also well-layered and interesting - on the surface it seems like a typical murder mystery but there is a lot more at play here. There are also quite a few twists later in the story which I did not see coming. The pace is kept high throughout and the writing is so engaging I found it very hard to put the book down to go to work! The ending also made me tear up a little bit - the heart-warming aspect really caught me off-guard.
Overall, The Maid is a must-read for 2022 and I'm sure you will fall in love with Molly as much as I did! Thank you to HarperCollins UK - Harper Fiction for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Claudia
Jan 4, 2022
Be prepared for offensive language
The description of this novel sounded wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed the first sixteen percent based on my Kindle's record of the amount of text read. I especially loved the author's description of Molly's behaviors that indicated she was highly functioning although was likely on the autism spectrum. I quit reading the book at the seventeen percent mark due to offensive language. I am grateful however for the publisher's providing me with a complimentary copy of The Maid without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.