The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose #bookreview #audiobook #holidayread #novella

Thank you Penguin Random House Audio,#partner for the advanced listening copy of The Mistletoe Mystery in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio

Published: October 1, 2024

 

Summary:

Molly the Maid has a whole new mystery to solve in this heartwarming novella from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest.

Molly Gray has always loved the holidays. When Molly was a child, her gran went to great lengths to make the season merry and bright, full of cherished traditions. The first few Christmases without Gran were hard on Molly, but this year, her beloved boyfriend and fellow festive spirit, Juan Manuel, is intent on making the season Molly’s most joyful yet.

But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about who Molly can and cannot trust, she dives headfirst into solving her most consequential—and personal—mystery yet. Molly has a bad feeling about things, and she starts to wonder: has she yet again mistaken a frog for a prince?

A heartwarming, magical story about the true spirit of the season, The Mistletoe Mystery reminds us that love is the greatest mystery of all.

 

My thoughts:

I could not get my hands on this latest Molly the Maid story fast enough! Even though it’s a novella, I still had to read it – or in this case, listen to it – and when you add that it’s set during Christmas time, I was even more excited!

This is such a charming, cute holiday story and while there is a mystery to be solved, it’s more on par with a romcom than the typical mystery we find Molly involved in. While I did end up figuring out the ending before we got there, I still enjoyed this story completely! I loved being with Molly and the staff at the Regency Grand Hotel, seeing what they get up to at Christmas. I loved that Molly’s Gran was still a part of this story – you really feel the love and strong bond that Molly had with her.

This is the second holiday story I’ve read this year and the second one to mention an advent calendar of sorts. It definitely brings back fond memories of having one when I was a child. Besides decorating and baking, this was my favorite way to mark the holidays!

Spending time with Molly is always a treat and even if this time was a short visit, it just reinforces my love for her character. She’s such a quirky, endearing character and I hope we get to spend time with her again soon!

 

Audio thoughts:

I was thrilled to see that Lauren Ambrose was back to narrate this one. She narrated the previous book and her consistency with the characters’ voices was spot on. As this is just a novella, it was quite easy to listen to in one go, with Lauren’s narration making it quite enjoyable!

 

Books in this series:

1. The Maid

2. The Mystery Guest

2.5 The Mistletoe Mystery