Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and author Michelle Dunne for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

Trigger warning: suicide, murder, child abuse, pedophilia, self-harm

The Hotel Maid was a good read that gripped me early on, although I was uneasy about the subject matter. It’s another book that’s built on the premise of what the Irish Mother & Baby homes did by stealing children from unwed mothers and sending them off to be adopted. This one is much darker, though, as these events have a generational impact.

June Calloway is a maid at the prestigious Cedarwood Manor, a prestigious hotel for the wealthy. She flies under the radar most of the time as the people who stay there don’t “see” the help. This lets her see and hear many different things that she tells her roommate, an elderly woman named Tess. They live in a flat and don’t have much money aside from June’s salary as a maid.

Mia is a ten-year-old girl who lives in a big house with her Mammy, Daddy, and brother. Both of the children are treated as slaves by Mammy, who expects to be catered to. Every few weeks, she visits Cedarwood Manor to spend some time alone for a few days.

You’ll have to read the book to figure out how June and Mia are connected. I’ll admit, it took me greatly by surprise.

June is painted as someone who may or may not have a learning disability, but she’s clever and conniving when she needs to be. While she is at work, she receives an “I know what you did” note that frightens her. There’s not much about her background until the end, and then it all makes sense. As the notes continue to pile up, June fears someone may have discovered her past, but who among her coworkers could it be?

The characters here are well-honed and have quite a bit of depth to them. Even the ones who seem to be supporting players have distinct personalities and contribute to the story. The main characters are all interesting, whether they are around June or around Mia. June herself is a remarkable person and dedicated to her job at the hotel. She polishes the brass and tables in the lobby every day as if they are filthy. It also gives her the opportunity to overhear things, which is part of what drives her.

Mia is young and only understands what she’s been told. Her background slowly is told as she learns it herself. She has no idea that children in other homes don’t act like servants to their parents as she’s kept away from school as well. Mammy’s idea of education is having her read the newspaper every day. Still, as she’s getting older she’s starting to question things and seek out more than what Mammy has allowed her to know.

Everything comes together nicely, or not so nicely. This is really a sad book in many ways as there are no real winners in the end. June is so troubled and finds out the person she thought was on her side for a long time actually had an ulterior motive. It doesn’t seem like anyone really likes her for who she is, and it’s a very lonely existence.

The Hotel Maid was a good character-driven dark thriller. Overall I did enjoy the read, but it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. It will keep you guessing until the end.