This is the perfect blend of cozy mystery and rom-com! I would say it would make for a great Hallmark movie, but it is too good for their network. Maybe Netflix, Amazon or Max.

Kate is attending her ex-fiance's wedding, and she is so excited (not) to be there. Enter Jake. Fake dating and one bed trope. 🛌 In one of those situations that we all know will only lead to platonic friendship. Lol

I absolutely loved this book. Truly had no idea who the murderer was until the very end. It was someone that I had thought, 'I wonder' , but then immediately moved on because there were so many other suspects and red herrings. If the author turned this into a mystery series (which I don't think is happening), I definitely would read all of them.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

A bit overdramatic for me. The cougar rescue mission at the end felt like a few steps too far. The mystery was OK but there was too much added for drama that made this feel too farfetched.

A remote island. A fierce storm. A mystery writer with writer's block, who's attending her ex-boyfriend's wedding. Let's add that the ex-boyfriend is also the writer's editor, who's not-so-patiently waiting for her next manuscript. As if all of that isn't bad enough, the bride is poisoned and our writer, Kate Valentine, keeps discovering bodies. With the help of Jake Hawkins, the devastatingly handsome adventurer who inspired her fictional leading man, Kate must find the real killer before they strike again.

Jenny Elder Moke has debuted with a richly entertaining mystery, chock full of colorful characters and beautifully written scenes that are both harrowing and comedic. I highly recommend this cozy mystery with a little romance thrown in.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. This is not my first book by this other but I definitely preferred her Samantha Knox YA books to this because honestly, Kate is rather obnoxious as a protagonist. I'm calling this an amateur sleuth mystery vs a cozy because there is a large subset of the cozy community that insist on 'clean reads' (I hate that term, it's judgemental to me). There are tons of F bombs in this and several long sex scenes (one of which I admit had my eyes rolling because 1 minute before she had spiders in her clothes which is why she took them off. Nope sorry, I don't go from spiders in my clothes to sex)

Mystery author, Kate has been invited to a private island off the coast of Washington State to attend the wedding of her book editor and former fiance, Spenser and the part owner of the publishing house, Kennedy, whose family owns the island. Her Aunt Rebecca 'the Bull bitch of Wallstreet' owns it, Vanderbuilt style and she has more of less disowned the family. Kate isn't sure why she's here other than Rebecca invited her. She goes mostly because many of the authors of Simon Says books are there and she ends up forced to share a room with Jake, the hot author of the Wandering Australian (okay technically Kate ghost wrote them for him) and we get this weird romantic triangle between her him and Spenser who might still have feelings for her.

The island is neat though it's described as dangerous because wild animals roam it (Rebecca was a big game hunter) so you have to stay on the paths. Okay unless these paths have Zoo quality fencing, what does that matter?!? Wild animals can walk a path, just saying.

The one bright spot is Kate gets to meet up with her friend Marla whom she's been ghosting and gets to try to make it up to her. But in short order someone messes up the rehearsal dinner speech making Kate storm out. THe bride to be gets poisoned (non fatally) and someone is trying to frame Kate using the plot of one of her books and honestly Cassidy and Juliette don't even wait for that, they start accusing her of attempted murder just because she left the dinner early (do people do this? it felt forced and weird).

There are many attempts to ruin the wedding and then there's the storm that cuts them off from the mainland and a real death occurs. Trying to clear her name and protect Kennedy from a third attempt on her life, Kate decides she can help solve the mystery with Jake and Marla's help.

Things that annoyed me. Jake said it. Kate is childish. Often. She jumps to conclusions and has so many misunderstandings it's not making for a rom-com, it's straining belief. If I were Jake, I'd be running for my life. Even after they hook up, she still assigns really negative qualities to him, right to his face. Also Kate's fictional sleuth Loretta helps her solve this murder so we have many What Would Loretta do chapters/paragraphs as Kate's brain works through things. It happens too often an too early to be effective.

I did get a kick out of one of Kate's suspects calling out the entire cozy/amateur sleuth subgenre asking WHY would anyone confess to a non-police civilian? Yeah I've always wondered that myself (I mean don't get me wrong, I like the subgenre but that is weird)

I'm not sure I'd read more of this if there is more. Then again with how it ended this might be a stand a lone. As I said in the beginning I've liked others of her books. This one just wasn't for me.

ARC review - pub date 01.21.25

Kate Valentine is an author of a cozy mystery featuring a female sleuth, Loretta, and when she finds herself in a real life whodunnit on an isolated island, she refers to her own internal Loretta to try and solve the crime.

This one will be perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, romantic suspense, whodunnits and Mary Kay Andrews books.

3.5⭐️ I enjoyed it! The only thing I struggled with was there were SO many characters to keep up with i kept getting confused 😵‍💫 still a great story though.

Narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen who did an INCREDIBLE job , navigating through all the characters flawlessly. I’ll be seeking out more books she has narrated!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Minotaur Books & MacMillan Audio for my ARC/ALC!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Kate Valentine is headed toward a secluded island for a weekend wedding. The groom is her ex-fiance and editor, the bride is the marketing director at the publishing firm that Kate writes under, and her "one that got away" turns up on the boat headed for the island and weekend wedding. Oh, and she's four months behind on her newest title, and the close friend she's been ghosting greets her and Jake, the "one that got away," as they arrive on the island. Fantastic. As the wedding weekend festivities get underway, it is clear the guests are in for a drama-filled show thanks to the wealthy bride's family that owns the island and can't get along. As the resident murder-mystery author, Kate channels her main character, Loretta, to assist her in explaining what is behind the strange things happening. Things such as an attempted poisoning of the bride, a stolen heirloom necklace, electrical and sewage outages in what guests are quickly calling the house a house of horrors, and then the dead body that makes an appearance. All the while, Jake, "the one that got away," is distracting Kate, although that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

This was okay. It was a fun idea, and I was digging it at first, but as the story went on, it got to be too much and dragged out before what felt like a rushed conclusion. This is Moke's first title under the "adult" heading; her other titles have been labeled YA. In an attempt, it seems to me, to establish herself as an adult fiction author, she included steamy sex scenes. They are clearly not YA, but also a little unnecessary. If adults are reading this book, they know what's up - and down - and don't need the kind of description Moke included. That, of course, is my opinion. I'm guessing other readers will appreciate and enjoy the steamy scenes. An element of character development was missing for all the leading players: Kate, Jake, Spencer, and Kennedy. At specific points in the story, I see how Moke attempted to flesh each character out more, but it still felt lacking. And the who of the who-dun-it needed to be explained better in terms of why the who was doing it. I really enjoyed the book's first half, but it's the last half that felt much harder to get through.

This was my first book by this author and though it got a little confusing at times. I did enjoy it.
Kate is going to her ex's wedding, not a good idea yo start with, but she has received a special invitation and is intrigued.
This had a lot of moving parts and got a little muddled at times, but was really entertaining
Thanks yo Netgalley for the advanced copy

This was definitely more light hearted than I was expecting but I still enjoyed it! I totally was expecting this to be more thrilling but it’s actually more of a cozy, light, humorous, romcom with a mystery. It’s kind of giving hallmark mystery, which isn’t a bad thing, as long as you’re aware of that going into it. This is a great option for people who want a murder mystery that’s more playful, and without all the tenseness or stress of a standard thriller. I can definitely see this book becoming a made for tv movie for Hallmark.

I’ve read Jenny Elder Moke’s books before, the first book in her YA duology completely blew me away and I still think about the insane ending to that book even though I read it years ago. Nothing else she’s written has quite hit for me like book one of that duology, but I’ve read everything she’s written apart from Hood. This genre swings into the contemporary romcom cozy mystery genre, which is totally different from what she normally writes. Unlike the action packed books she normally writes, this one is filled with humorous and witty dialogue and mainly is just very playful.

This is a good palette cleanser if you’re looking for a fun book about an amateur sleuth. It isn’t anything ground breaking or serious but it’s not intended to be. It didn’t quite hit for me as much as the first Samantha Knox did, but I wasn’t expecting it to because that book really was so intense and unputdownable. This book is exactly what you’d expect going into it, a cutesy cozy mystery. And, the killer actually isn’t one that is super predictable to figure out! 3 stars because while I didn’t necessarily have any complaints, this book wasn’t exactly unputdownable. It took me a while to get through, far longer than I wanted. But, a book like this would be a good palate cleanser if you’ve just read something intense.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

I have never read anything by this author before, but I really enjoyed reading this book. The pacing was good and the character's were developed very well.

🔎 W A C K Y W E D N E S D A Y review 🔍 featuring “She Doesn’t Have a Clue” by Jenny Elder Moke!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤.5/5

Mystery writer Kate Valentine finds herself going to her ex-fiancé’s wedding on a private island off the coast of Seattle. Since the groom is her editor, Kate decides that her wedding gift to him will be a draft of her latest novel, while drowning herself in free champagne 🥂!

That IS until the plot of her latest novel becomes REAL LIFE when Kate stumbles across a dead body! The bride to be has been poisoned and everyone at the wedding is a suspect! Now it’s up to Kate to embody the main character of her mystery series Loretta Starling and figure out WHO would want the bride dead ☠️!

This was such a fun cozy mystery mixed with a ton of wit and banter, amateur sleuthing and a lustful romance! Read this if you enjoy murder with a side of second chance romance!

Thank you kindly to @jennyeldermoke @minotaur_books @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on January 21, 2025!

The narrator of this book was Sarah-Mollo-Christensen. This was my first time listening to a book by this narrator. The narrator seamlessly moved between characters, and kept an easy and understandable flow between chapters. The narrator made the characters sound unique and relatable.

Kate Valentine is the author of the popular Loretta Starling mystery series. When she gets invited to her ex-fiancee’s wedding, she is a bit apprehensive. Kate has been in a bit of a slump writing the next book in her series. She is feeling the pressure, as her ex-fiancee is also her editor.

Jake, also an ex of Kate's, shows up at the wedding. The wedding happens to be at the remote Hempstead Manor during a storm. Things start to get strange as things start to happen that resemble Kate’s mystery books. There are lots of guests, some who have their own agendas.

This story is part mystery and part romance. It was unique to have this kind of mix in one story. I enjoyed the mystery part, and the laugh out loud moments. When the story came to an end and the mystery was solved, things got a bit chaotic.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC, and for letting me share my early thoughts on She Doesn’t Have a Clue.

Kate should be delighted to find herself sharing an isolated private island with long-time crush Jake. Well, maybe if she she wasn't being accused of being a murderer. A mystery author herself, Kate also notes a strange similarity to her own mystery novels. The fact she's a klutz and seems to always manage to react in exactly the wrong way to events doesn't help. I was confused initially when the point of view seemed to be flashing between Kate and someone named Loretta who seemed to have a handle on such things far, far better than Kate. As it turns out, Loretta is Kate's fictional creation, one she tends to hide behind. Heck, she even uses Loretta to facilitate her fantasies about Jake, who she's also made into a character in her book series. She uses Loretta as a bit of a shield, so to speak, trying to imagine how Loretta would handle finding a body and being stuck on an island in the middle of a savage storm amidst a feuding family, spooky manor house with countless confusing hallways and hidden passages, countless animal trophies, both heads and full bodies, hidden rooms, an eccentric hostess, and, oh, yeah, a wedding party. Ah, complications and locked room mystery vibes mixed with rom-com vibes.

I won't detail the plot but will say to buckle your seat belt. It tends to zig-zag and twist and turn, all while we're bouncing back and forth in Kate and Kate As Loretta's minds, so to speak. Heck, I haven't even mentioned the Deer Shredder, who handiwork we encounter early on. Toss in a dead body or two and, well, there's lots going on. There are even some steamy scenes when Kate does let down her guard against Jake. Maybe because he keeps rescuing her? Usually just in time for her to be accused of something else, of course. Wait until you see the fixes she keeps getting into. Lots going on, most mirroring Kate's own fictional works. Who'd be so diabolical? I actually wound up liking Jake far more than Kate, mostly because he seemed more open and honest upfront. Kate is hiding behind Loretta, using her to try to make sense of everything. All this, remember, while a storm is raging, winds are blowing out windows, and mysterious fires break out, not to mention fingers being pointed at Kate for much of the misery.

Have I confused you yet? There really is a rational ending, albeit one that may make your heart race before all is said and done. I'm not sure this was a book for me but, as noted, I came to understand Kate far more as the book drew to a close. It's far easier to hide behind the mask of Loretta for her than to face messy reality, bottom line. Loretta has all the answers while Kate has, well, none. Thanks #StMartin'sPress - #MinotaurBooks for allowing me to be an early fly on the wall while Kate struggles to make sense of not just the mystery but own life. Not quite the book for me but I can imagine others will love the rush of adventure, romance, and spooky intrigue.

This book was a lot of fun to read. I would describe it as a locked room mystery meet romantic comedy. I liked the premise, the mystery the FMC Kate, the setting of the remote island, and all the suspects. On the romance side I liked their banter, but I found their background history frustrating. I loved them together though and how they just worked. All in all this was fun and entertaining.

"She Doesn't Have a Clue" is an entertaining and light read that delivers satisfyingly on the rom-com mystery hybrid. The dialogue sparkles with humor and the characters are delightful. The mystery is a locked room type and very meta considering Kate is a mystery writer who prefers to live in her characters' world than in real life. There are plenty of twists and turns and just the right amount of red herrings to the mystery to keep mystery fans engaged. The mystery is on the cozy side as we don't witness the actual murder. There is also a sweet, slow burn, second chance romance between Jake and Kate. The chemistry between Jake and Kate sizzles and the tension between a will they or won't they romance will meet the expectations for romance fans. The romance is on the steamy side and open door. Overall, this book made me smile and laugh out loud especially during a very stressful week.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan/St. Martin/Minotaur for the advanced copy of the book. .

This book sounds like it would be right up my alley but, sadly, it’s a DNF at 24% for me. I am still having trouble understanding the relationships between the characters and more and more characters keep getting introduced. Really interesting premise, just lost me in the execution.

Thank you Minotaur and Netgalley for the e-arc!

🌟 Just finished She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke, and I am absolutely obsessed! This book is a delightful mix of mystery, humor, and heart that kept me hooked from start to finish. 🕵️‍♀️💕

The protagonist is such a relatable character—her wit and determination made me cheer for her every step of the way. The twists and turns in the plot were so cleverly crafted, I found myself gasping at every reveal! Moke's writing is sharp and engaging, making it impossible to put down.

What I loved most was how the story explores friendship and self-discovery amidst the chaos. It’s a perfect reminder that sometimes, the biggest adventures come when you least expect them.

If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced read that will keep you guessing, She Doesn't Have a Clue is a must!

2.5

She Doesn’t Have a Clue had all the elements of a great mystery—an isolated mansion, a small pool of suspects, and a quirky amateur sleuth—but it ultimately didn’t work for me.

I found the female main character, Kate, frustratingly annoying. Her constant habit of slipping into her fictional world disrupted the story and made it hard to stay engaged. The pacing also felt off, with the murder not occurring until halfway through. While the ending did surprise me, I wasn’t invested enough in the characters to really care who the killer was or why they did it.

That said, fans of lighthearted, rom-com-style mysteries might enjoy this more than I did. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 the book was a nice quick read.

The mystery/romance aspect was nice. Second chance romances are my favorite & throw in a murder mystery as well? SOLD.

The FMC Kate, was the POV we read for the entirety of the book. Her headspace, wasn’t great so that was tough to enjoy but I did really really like Kate and Jake together.

Thanks NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This debut novel was a fun read. I'm looking forward to more book from this author. Highly recommended.

The story was ok. And fun, interesting. I didn’t loved as much as i could but had definitely a good time reading, will recommend to friends