I love rom-coms and locked-room mystery books, so a book that combines both seemed like the perfect combination. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite meet my expectations.

The book follows bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine, who is invited to her ex-fiancé's wedding who also happens to be her editor at Simon Says Publishing. The wedding is set to take place on a historic private island estate off the coast of Seattle. On the boat ride to the island, another ex, Jack Hawkins, a former surfer from Australia and her co-author of their adventure series, shows up, mistakenly invited as her plus-one.

Once there, anything that can go wrong does, starting with a dinner reception gone awry and ending with a body on the steps of the basement. When life begins to imitate one of her books, Kate steps into the shoes of Loretta, her series heroine, and takes it upon herself to solve the mystery in the middle of a storm that cuts off access to the island and other odd occurrences.

On the surface, the book has all the ingredients for a great story: hidden passages, family drama, intrigue, steamy scenes, second-chance romance, and murder. However, the flavor felt a bit muddled for me due to the slow pacing, detailed backstories, and info-dumps in the early chapters.

The book also includes excerpts from Loretta’s novels as Kate imagines what Loretta would do in certain situations. Initially, it was confusing when the text shifted between Kate’s and Loretta’s perspectives without a clear break. I get why Kate put herself in Loretta’s shoes, but after a while, the Loretta sections became irritating. Additionally, the steamy scenes during the murder investigation felt slightly out of place for me and further slowed the pace, though other readers might enjoy this blend of romance and mystery.

The plot could have used some tightening, which I think would have made it a more engaging read. That being said, I did enjoy the book, particularly the final third. I didn’t guess who the murderer was and really liked the setting. The humor, character interactions, and twists kept me entertained. The parallels between the plots of Kate’s novels and the mystery were a nice touch, and the sleuthing sweater Kate wore endeared her to me. Therefore, I decided to rate it 3 out of 5 stars. I recommend this book to fans of both romance and mystery genres, especially those who appreciate a quirky mix of both and don't mind a slower pace or steamy episodes thrown in amidst the action.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

I'm not a big murder mystery girlie, but I saw this title and immediately thought of Scooby-Doo. Now, it doesn't have much to do with the gang, but it was a rather enjoyable, if somewhat simple, read. The characters were one-dimensional, and the heroine seemed to simply stumble upon things as the mystery unfolded. But I liked that there was a romance and an easy read, something to just pick up in between my other reads.

It was cutesy and made me want to visit Portland Oregon. Kate growing as a main character in her confidence as she’ is unraveling the mystery in this short weekend. Finally ditching her character's persona if you know you know to thinking for herself and solving the mystery. It had a lot of characters to go through. It was still an intriguing mystery especially when set in an island where everyone is stuck due to the storm and tensions are running high. It’s a book to pick if you need something light hearted to read.

This book was just fun! It's a mystery with a great, spooky atmosphere and entertaining main characters. It felt like a classic whodunnit but the people solving the crime are, coincidentally, falling in love at the same time. This is definitely a far-fetched plot and there are a lot of side characters to keep track of throughout. I also got a bit overwhelmed by number of twists that came my way while reading. Ultimately this is a wild and exciting story that keeps you reading until the very end. I think mystery readers will have a great time with this book. Thanks to Jenny Elder Moke, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 STARS
When it comes to a traditional murder mystery, certain aspects are almost required. Let’s see how we do.

Spooky mansion – check
Stormy nights – check
Family inheritance drama – check
Ex-lovers drama – check
Dysfunctional family – check
Smoking hot wanna-be flame – check
Somewhat weird, super-focused sleuth – check
This book perfectly lays out a good traditional theme set up and bones of an old-style murder mystery. It is wacky and loaded with twists as everyone becomes a suspect.

The author managed to include so many characters that you truly have to wade through everything to figure out who is suspect and who is just there muddying the waters. As for our super sleuth, she is a writer who keeps bouncing back into books she has written for help, somewhat reminiscent of a Jessica Fletcher wanna-be.

What sets this main character apart is this one is much younger and we are treated to a lovely second-chance romance through it all too. I have to say Jake makes this book for me. Sexy and nursing a tender heart.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue is a wild story but parts of it got to be too much for me with chasing the who-dun-it scenarios. For true lovers of this trope, it is a perfect choice. Weird, wild, humorous, witty, steamy. What’s not to love?

Moke delivers the goods with this story, but unfortunately, it is not my style.
~~~
3 STARS for my personal enjoyment
4 STARS for the written story

This book was such a quick and fun read! The mix of mystery and rom-com made it the perfect pick with spooky season just around the corner. From the start, I was hooked by the dynamic between the two main characters, Kate and Jake. Their personalities played off each other so well, and the situations they found themselves in were both hilarious and sometimes unpredictable. The banter between them was a major highlight for me. What made the story even more enjoyable was the classic “whodunit” vibe woven throughout. I’m a huge fan of mysteries, and this one really kept me on my toes. I was convinced I had the ending figured out halfway through, but the twists caught me completely off guard, and I love when a book surprises me like that! It was the perfect blend of romance, humor, and suspense, making it a refreshing and engaging read.

I want to thank NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review as well as the author for this free copy.

mixing romance and mystery in a way that captures your attention. It has just the right amount of humor, drama, and romance. Best-selling mystery writer Kate Valentine attends her ex-fiance'sweddingon a private island at the beginning of the story, which feels more like a nightmare than a fairy tale to her. After the bride is poisoned and Kate finds a dead body, things become more complicated for Kate, who is stuck dealing with her ex and trying to finish her most recent book while enjoying free champagne. The entire scenario resembles something from one of her books, and Jake Hawkins—her greatest romantic regret—is the only one eager to assist her in unraveling this mystery in real life.

Loved it! I have been searching for this exact book. I want a mystery romcom and this was the perfect one to start with. The setting is a great one for a romance novel, everyone is at one house (love forced proximity), and the mystery takes place all in one place. There are a lot of characters but it was easy to remember who was who, although I am pretty sure I would get so lost in that house!

I guessed pretty early on who it was, it is kind of obvious, but I did like that the main character herself is a mystery writer and that someone was playing out some of her mystery books. That was so cool!

I enjoyed the romance. I love when the characters have to team up. It is not really enemies to lovers, but there is some banter. The tension and build-up I loved, I think I would have preferred a bit more backstory to make their relationship a bit more believable but I found it really cute nevertheless.

I could not get into this book as I was confused between all the back and forth.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I raced through this one like it was a fully stocked candy store and I'd never had a lollipop before. A secluded island. A wedding dripping with drama. A raging hurricane and a mansion filled with a delightfully colorful cast of characters. Gosh, I loved this one!

There are some strong curse words and a handful of very, very intimate scenes. If that's not your cup of tea, ye've been warned. If that is your jam, well, don't miss this one. The chemistry between the two leads, Kate and Jake, is explosive. I hope this is a series because I would love to follow them to the ends of the earth.

Mysterywise, there was murder and poison and thefts and an impromptu employee uprising, as well as a hilarious wedding planner living his worst life trying to get through the weekend. Fun fun fun!

this was really cute! i requested it based on the cover but the story was super fun and cute! i loved the characters and the writing was pretty good! definitely gonna add this to my collection

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the chance to read this whodunit locked room mystery with a spicy sprinkling of a love story throughout. I thought this book was okay, there’s an almost excessive amount of backstory that makes it hard to get a read on any of the characters - including Kate. While everything is eventually unraveled, I found myself confused through most of the first 10 chapters or so. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who loves a lighthearted but still a mystery murder story, but it just wasn’t a win for me.

What’s a mystery writer to do when her ex-fiancé’s bride is nearly killed the night before her wedding? Investigate and we get to go along for the ride! I loved the historic home on an isolated island setting. I was guessing and engaged with the story throughout!

Overall I enjoyed reading this book - decent plot, enjoyable characters. At times it was head-spinning what direction things were going in, and there was a lot of sex for a student school novel, but otherwise I thought it would be a good young adult book.

She Doesn't have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke is a fantastic mystery rom com that I absolutely LOVED!

I love a closed room locked mystery. Add in the romance and humor, I really enjoyed this story.
Kate is an excellent character. All the characters are well written and fleshed out.

Follow the clues and swoon a little, for this perfect romantic mystery!

This was a great atmospheric locked room mystery with hints of romance and comedy. I loved every second of Kate’s process of solving the central mystery and becoming more confident and sure of herself at the same time. This was a great read!

When I told my best friend I got approved to read an arc of “She Doesn’t Have a Clue” she laughed at me. She wasn’t entirely wrong 😂 for those that don’t know me I’m not a mystery girly. Honestly, I struggle with them. However, “She Doesn’t Have a Clue”is pitched as a who-dunnit mystery with a side of romcom. So I thought what the hell let’s give this a go. Plus the cover art for this book was too cute to pass up.

Sadly even with such a cute cover. That wasn’t enough to save this book for me. Sadly, this book was not for me. I promise I really did try to love this one, but there were just way too many character storylines going on. And the “murderer” was so easily predictable. Literally as soon as they were introduced I was like welp they did it. I think the only thing I actually really enjoyed in this book was the romance.

Even though this book was not for me, I’d still recommend it. Especially for those mystery girlies. Also big Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Blending mystery and rom-com in a way that keeps you hooked. It’s got the perfect mix of drama, laughs, and a bit of romance. The plot kicks off with bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine attending her ex-fiancé’s wedding on a private island—a setup that’s more like a nightmare than a fairy tale for her.

Kate’s stuck dealing with her ex and trying to finish her latest book while sipping free champagne, but things take a turn when the bride is poisoned, and Kate discovers a dead body. The whole situation feels like it's straight out of one of her novels, and the only person willing to help her solve this real-life mystery is Jake Hawkins, aka her biggest romantic regret.

The characters are fun and real, with all their flaws and charm, making the story both engaging and hilarious. However, the writing felt a bit choppy at times, which can be distracting. Still, the overall story is excellent and definitely worth a read if you enjoy a good whodunnit with a side of romance.

Thank You Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the chance to read this!

Romcoms are usually not my thing but adding a classic who dunnit peaked my curiosity. I realized I prefer mystery to romance but overall, She Doesn’t Have A Clue was a fun read!

Absolutely delightful!
A cunning mystery starring a less than confident author on a private island. Add an ex, an unrequited love, a huge storm and you have the perfect mix for the most enjoyable story I have read in years. Kate is the best selling author of a bartender turned amateur sleuth (Loretta) who has agreed to attend the wedding of her editor (and ex fiancé) under duress. Plenty of book people mull about as well as Kate's long lost love Jake and some very nasty bridesmaids. Can Kate channel her inner sleuth when the bride is poisoned and she is framed?

Join Kate at this exclusive and lavish wedding and find out!
#stmartins #jennyeldermoke #shedoesnthaveaclue #vacationgonewrong