A murder mystery at a lavish island wedding? Sign me up! She Doesn’t Have a Clue is the perfect mix of mystery, humor, and second-chance romance, and I had an absolute blast reading it.

Kate Valentine, a bestselling mystery author, somehow ends up at her ex-fiancé’s wedding (why she agreed is beyond me), but things take a dark turn when the bride is poisoned and a dead body turns up. To make matters worse—or maybe better?—her former flame, Jake Hawkins, is the only one willing to help her crack the case.

With sharp wit, plenty of twists, and a romance I couldn’t get enough of, this book kept me hooked from start to finish. If you love cozy mysteries with snarky humor and a dash of romance, this one’s for you!

I liked this premise of a mystery romcom a lot, but the execution left me wanting a little more, both in the romcom and in the mystery aspects.

In terms of the mystery, I never really got invested in it, enough that I wasn't even guessing, which is a pretty major strike against a mystery for me. The romance felt a little stronger, but it relied heavily on miscommunication, which isn't my favorite.

So while this wasn't a bad read by any means, I didn't really get as much out of it as I wanted, unfortunately.

I had so much fun with this story. It was silly, but harkened back to my days where I read more mysteries than anything else, but the romance was a delicious addition. I felt so sorry for Kate that she needs her fictional character Loretta to handle the difficult things because when she relies on herself, things do not go according to plan, and is spectacular in getting messed up. Which is how she ends up attending her ex's wedding weekend on a remote island with the one that got away.

Can recommend especially if you want a lighter murder mystery, with a second chance romance.

Light cozy mystery/ romance a solid adult debut. Slow burn with great banter highlights. Wanted a bit more in the pacing and mystery the early middle of the book lagged a bit. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I expected more tension, suspense from this story but it fell lame for me.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue is a fresh new take on the cozy mystery for the younger, romance-driven audience! I’m a fan of both the cozy/caper mystery genre and the romance genre, and this was such a fun mashup. It brings Knives Out vibes with the overdramatic lifestyles of the rich & famous type characters, cozy mystery vibes with vignettes from our FMC Kate’s bestselling Loretta series, and romance vibes with Jake the Hotstralian and his sizzling chemistry with Kate!

It starts when Kate is on her way to a wedding weekend on a remote private island off the coast of Washington state - the wedding of her ex-fiance and publisher, so awkward! So many cringey moments thanks to this weird dynamic. Kate is acting very mature about it at all, though, as it’s clear she didn’t really love the former fiance. Plus she’s nicely distracted by the arrival of Jake, her ridiculously hot and available “friend” that she worked with for years on a set of books called the Wandering Australian. However, her weekend quickly goes downhill when a series of unfortunate events start to happen, and all fingers point to Kate as the culprit! So she has to don the mindset of her own main character, Loretta the Keys bartender/sleuth, to investigate what is going on and clear her name.

This novel reads almost like a parody at times, and I struggled a bit to follow the sheer number of fairly-similar characters and their various motives and shady actions, but it was well-paced, full of twists, and had enough hints to guess whodunit. I liked the romance element too, although the level of spice took me by surprise. Overall, enjoyed this light and fun read!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for sending this DRC for review consideration.

This was a cute cozy mystery, romance blend. More romance than a normal cozy (a little spice even) but with a great mystery on the side.

Kate and Jake were a great couple and I enjoyed their flirting. The mystery kept my interest and I enjoyed guessing who did it but overall the story was a little slow for my taste.

It would be a good read for lovers of mystery romances!

She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke is the perfect combination of romance a locked-door mystery.
A delightful mix of mystery, charm, and intrigue. With a quirky characters, clever twists, and a touch of romance, this novel will keep you turning the pages.
Moke’s amazing storytelling was just incredible! I’m so excited to see what she comes up with next!

2.25 Stars

Sadly, this book was a bit disappointing for me. I thought the concept would be fun and I love a mystery/romance book, but it didn't read the way I wanted it to. I got tired of the back and forth between Kate and Jake. I wanted them to be together, but I got tired of the constant miscommunications. And sadly the miscommunications weren't just between the two. I just felt very annoyed with the characters, and I honestly was only rooting for Kennedy since she seemed sweet. I figured out who the killer was halfway through, which is fine. I was just reading to see when the main characters would figure it out. Overall, it was a bit of a struggle to get through this book, though the concept seemed fun.


Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books.

This was a fun and quick read. I thought the concept was really interesting! I enjoyed the plot, I just didn't connect with the characters much

Well, this was not quite what I expected! Was it entertaining? Absolutely! I read the blurb and was expecting a combo of your typical cozy mystery and a rom-com. It hit the rom-com mark with its zany situations and miscommunications, but the steamy romantic interactions and language push it out of the cozy mystery realm. This book is filled with quite the cast of characters! Kate - mystery author, amateur sleuth, hot mess; Jake - hunky Australian daredevil, Kate’s love interest; Spencer - the groom, Kate’s cheating ex-fiancé; Kennedy - the bride, sweet and kind, target for murder; Rebecca - family matriarch, hated dragon lady; Wedding Guests - suspect pool, multiple motives for murder. The setting of being stranded on an isolated island with its creepy, crumbling mansion during a raging storm sets the stage for murder and mayhem. The mystery itself offers up a slew of suspects and will keep you guessing. This was a quick, light, entertaining rom-com mystery.

This was more cute and cozy with a splash of mystery and a hint of romance. I was looking for a bit more suspense. Unfortunately the way that cozy and mystery mixed in this book just wasn’t my style.

I loved so much of this, but some of it also gave me romance cringe (after the spider scene).

Romance mystery is definitely a fun genre, but I don't believe this was for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC.

This book was delightfully unhinged from start to finish. When Kate attends her ex fiancé's wedding to the woman who he cheated on her with, she ends up with more than she bargained for - a murder pinned on her because they are following the very same plot points in one of her bestselling murder mysteries. Coupled together with a slew of unrequited feelings in the form of a hot Australian, Kate channels her book's heroine and tries to solve the case.

This book is filled with all of the shenanigans, so much that it will keep you from solving the mystery right up until the very end. There are red bearings and twists galore in this novel that keep both Kate and the reader on their toes. And all of that is interspersed with Kate resolving her feelings with Jake, the Australian surfer turned travel guide who became her unexpected plus one.

If I had one criticism it would be that the romantic elements of this book seemed incredibly out of place. They are in the middle of an active murder mystery where Kate is being framed, but they have time time for relations seems a bit too far fetched. All things aside, I really enjoyed this book!

Big thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Mystery murder/RomCom
Light on the spice
Blond MMC

This was such a fun light-hearted quick read. I enjoyed the mystery writer aspect and how are FMC Kate would slip into the mindset of Loretta her FMC in the murder mysteries she writes. I do feel however that sometimes Kate was a mess at times. I loved our blond green flag MMC Jake. How he goes all in with Kate on her adventure to solve the murder. The spice was okay but both times it felt a little out of place. I feel like if Kate was not such a mess when she tried to explain things, more even flow with the story and the spice being places better I would have rated this closer to a 4. But if looking for a quick fun read I would pick this up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cute book! A funny romance with a little steam on a secluded island in the Pacific Northwest, which is what I was really intrigued by. The mystery kept me guessing, but was a bit convoluted and hard to keep track of with so many characters. I definitely didn't guess the ending!

I liked that the main character was so messy and imperfect. I really liked the descriptions of Jake! What a fun guy he would be to meet. I did find myself wishing the book was a bit shorter because I lost interest a few times while reading. But, I still liked this book and would read more by the author. I also liked the ending, which was surprising, but really worked!

Mystery writer, Kate Valentine, is off to a wedding at a private island. She's not sure why as the groom is her ex-fiancé. She's hoping for some great champagne and a few good conversations. Instead she finds the amazing wine cellar is under lock and key and her hunky ex-boyfriend. Oh, also there's a crazy storm hitting the island. The mansion is old and not in the best of shape. Kate tends to address every issue from the standpoint of the character in her mystery novels. Interesting at the start but annoying by the end. Perhaps I'm to old to appreciate this viewpoint. I enjoyed the book but would have enjoyed more Kate than her mystery character.

I've been on a cozy romance mystery kick these past couple of months. They have just been hitting all the right buttons for me lately. This book didn't hit all those buttons, but it was still an enjoyable read. If you like Knives Out or Murder Mystery (with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler), then you will like the mystery elements in this story. The author brings together a cast of characters, all of which have larger-than-life personalities and their own personal agendas. Of course, because all these secondary characters have such strong personalities, it creates plenty of opportunities for delicious and highly entertaining drama.

Overall, I enjoyed the mystery elements in this story. The author does a great job setting the scene by having all these characters stranded on this island while a storm rages on around them. This isolation means it's up to the two main characters, Kate and Jake, to uncover the sinister plot that seems to be unfolding in front of their eyes. As a reader, I was kept guessing and was surprised by the big twist at the end of the book. In the first quarter of the story, the author introduces us to all the characters, and it becomes pretty apparent that they all have a grudge against Kennedy (the character who someone tries to kill over the course of the story) and her ruthless aunt who controls the family fortune. I loved all the different moving elements in this story because they made it feel like you were trying to solve a puzzle.

I liked the characters. Kate is a mystery author and finds herself struggling to write her next book. She feels lost and lacks the motivation and inspiration to write. The one thing I did struggle with was how Kate's POV was handled at times. There are scenes where we all suddenly slip into Loretta's POV (Kate's mystery heroine) and watch a scene from one of Kate's books unfold. It kind of created a jarring reading experience because one moment, you were in Kate's POV, and the next, you were in Loretta's with no clear transition. There is a part of me that understands why the author did this; Kate feels like her own identity has blended so much with Loretta's that she no longer feels like her own person. But it still made for a slightly confusing reading experience. Kate's character was fun to be with, and she was a great amateur sleuth. She does grow as a person in this book, and I enjoyed watching her find her spark again.

The romance was ok. It can be hard to blend story elements like romance and mystery. You have to make sure they weave together seamlessly and help move the plot along in a cohesive and interesting way. This is kind of a second-chance romance, which may be why I didn't enjoy the romance as much. Kate and Jake have a history, but it's unclear if it was a romantic one or a friendship that ended badly. But it's pretty clear that Kate is harbouring some pretty big romantic feelings for Jake. I can see the chemistry between these two, and I enjoyed their banter. I just wasn't super fond of some of the miscommunications that seemed to keep bubbling up between them. It felt slightly unnecessary and not really believable.

Thanks to NetGelley for an ARC of this book. This book was so much fun. It contained all of my favorite things in a book, romance, mystery, and humor. The story follows Kate as she tries to figure out who is trying to kill her ex-fiance's new bride at the wedding on a secluded island. If you enjoy reading fun mystery or romance novels, then you must try this book.

This book is a delightful blend of cozy mystery and rom-com, perfect for fans of lighthearted, feel-good reads. While it’s not overly dramatic or tension-filled, it balances its charm with just enough character self-reflection to make the story and its characters feel meaningful and relatable.

The main character’s journey, especially her reflection on living vicariously through her fictional female detective for her book series, struck a relatable chord. The cast of characters was likable overall, making it easy to stay invested, and the romance between Kate and Jake was undeniably cute—even if a few of the romantic scenes felt a bit ill-timed.

The mystery itself is breezy and fun, more of a casual whodunit than a nail-biter, and while I initially struggled to follow how all the characters connected, the story eventually came together in an enjoyable way. It’s not heavy or overwhelming, but it’s interesting enough to keep you guessing, and the pages practically fly by. A perfect choice for when you’re in the mood for a cozy, light-hearted read!