This is a cute rom-com mystery perfect for cozy-mystery fans. Nothing too dramatic or heavy, but also just enough character self-reflection that kept the story and characters from being too superficial to be invested in. Each of the characters was likeable to some degree, and the main character's reflection on how she lives vicariously through her fictional female detective for her book series was relatable on a variety of levels. I did find several of the romance scenes to be ill-timed, which took away from some of the romantic vibes, but Kate and Jake are too cute together to be upset about it. A quick read that is interesting enough to keep me guessing while being light enough to enjoy casually without feeling burdened down by the plot. Perfect light-hearted read!

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

A high-end wedding on a private island off the coast of Seattle sounds like something out of a magazine. But for bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine, it’s more like a nightmare.

This is a perfect fit for readers who crave a delightful blend of romance, mystery, and wit, with a dash of humor and a touch of sophistication, making it an ideal choice for fans of authors like Agatha Christie and Emily Giffin.

DNF@ 21%

This wasn't for me. I didn't like the writing and the main character and her love interest had zero chemistry.

This was a fun, sexy romp with interesting characters and a great historical mansion setting. Loved the details about the publishing world as well. Slightly bugged by the clumsy woman trope used multiple times, but still very enjoyable.

I love a good whodunit but with some romance and spice! And especially when the MMC is Australian and calls her Katie-cakes! AHHHHH I smiled so big everytime I read that nickname. This was such a fun read and kept me guessing til the end!

This book was such a fun ride! Jenny Elder Moke delivers the perfect mix of mystery, romance, and chaos in her adult debut. Set at a glamorous destination wedding, you get sharp humor, quirky characters, and enough twists to keep you flipping pages late into the night.

The main character, Kate, is witty, messy, and entirely relatable as she navigates murder, awkward wedding moments, and unresolved feelings. The romance? Chef’s kiss. The mystery? Kept me guessing until the very end.

If you love a smart, entertaining whodunit with a side of swoon-worthy romance, this one’s for you. Highly recommend grabbing a glass of wine and diving in! 🍷✨

This is a fun book that is part cozy mystery and part romance. I think that's why I liked it so much. I do not read many cozy mysteries as that's not the genre I gravitate towards, but I like romance, so I wanted to give this book a chance.
First, I LOVED the setting of this book. It was an isolated setting where the group of characters aren't necessarily trying to figure out who killed someone, but they are trying to figure out who "tried" to kill someone and why.
Second, I LOVED the romance and the slight "love triangle" in the book. Kate is going to the wedding of her ex-finance who also happens to be her editor (I think). When she arrives, her "ex-flame" Jake is there too and of course there is only one room left that they must share (a favorite trope of mine). I loved their dynamic and their romance was pretty hot.
What caused this to not be a five star is the inner dialogue of Kate, While I understood why this was in the book, it took me out of the story. I think this is where the "coziness" comes in that I don't really care for. Other than that, this was a fun book and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the book overall, appealing and likable main characters. Also, loved the remote island setting and it gave Agatha Christie vibes! Personally, I feel the parts I enjoyed the most are the fun banter and tension between Kate and Jake. Each time there was an interaction between them, it left you wanting for more! As for the other side characters, there were several to keep track off and many subplots and motivations. While this is usual in a cozy murder mystery plot and can be fun if done well, I felt myself often drifting off and having to reread some parts to familiarize myself with the characters. Also, the story lacked a certain intrigue and tension one is supposed to feel in a murder mystery since it seemed like everyone was having a casual conversation, and going about their regular business. While I thought it was clever to weave in Kate's protagonist's POV (from her novels), it was often confusing and even distracting. Honestly, there was a lot going already and I felt the story could have benefited without it.

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

#NetGalley, #SheDoesn'tHaveAClue

Jenny Elder Moke's debut adult novel, *She Doesn't Have a Clue*, artfully combines the glamour of a luxurious destination wedding with the excitement of a gripping mystery and a touch of romance. The story follows Kate Valentine, a bestselling mystery author, as she navigates unexpected chaos during her ex-fiancé's wedding on a private island.

Moke excels in creating an atmospheric island setting; a looming storm intensifies the claustrophobic suspense. The colorful cast of secondary characters keeps readers guessing about the killer's identity amidst hidden secrets.

While the pacing is strong, the romantic subplot can feel predictable at times, though it adds a nice balance to the mystery. Overall, *She Doesn't Have a Clue* is an engaging read for those who enjoy cozy mysteries with humor and romance, exploring themes of love, regret, and redemption. It’s a delightful blend of wit and intrigue that leaves readers wanting more.

I found the main plot line of this novel to be enjoyable, plenty of romance, mystery, and drama along with good character building and an endearing main character. While the main plot was great, I did not enjoy the interjections of the main character's (she is an author) novel persona. It really took me out of the rest of the story. It's a plot device I've seen multiple times recently and can be good if done well, but I did not think it was necessary in this story.

This is such a fun murder mystery rom-com! It starts when Kate, a mystery writer, is invited to a wedding on a remote private island, and almost immediately strange things start happening.  Her ex is also there and is eager to reconnect, and when the bride is poisoned and a guest is murdered, Kate and Jake work together to solve the mystery. 

I enjoyed this read. It was entertaining and fun, and the characters were great. Kate is hilarious. Clumsy and funny, she tries to embody the main character in her mystery books to solve the mysteries and uncover the secrets of the island’s guests. I loved following her as she investigated and unraveled more than one secret on the island and feel like she gained so much confidence and a sense of self over the course of the story.

Jake is Kate’s ex and partner in the investigation.  He’s also the one who got away, and there are definitely major unresolved feelings between these two.  They have a great second-chance romance filled with sizzling chemistry and wonderful banter. Other characters are interesting, too, and there are so many possible suspects! It was fun trying to figure out who was behind the poisoning and murder. I also really liked the setting and thought it added to the mysterious and secretive feel of the story.

Overall, I thought this was a fun read. Though it’s a mystery, it's not too dark, and there are enough hijinks and comedic parts to keep it light.  It kind of reminded me of the Murder Mystery movies with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston just with more swoon-worthy, romantic moments. So fun!

Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

This was a no for me. Perhaps because my other read of the day was a five start for me, this one fell flat. The
Jumping from Kate to Loretta was just unecesary.
I possibly will give this one another read later on to see if it grows on me.
2.5/5 stars for me.
I receiver a ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

What a chaotic and bumbling, yet endearing and hilarious way to solve a murder.

Kate was definitely not as smooth as the character that made her a best-selling author. She continuously found herself in unpredictable circumstances and somehow never managed to do the right thing. Her haphazard investigation was a whole string of comedic errors that eventually led her in the right direction. I loved how she kept writing scenes for Loretta in her head to help her figure out an issue, but how, over time, she relied less on Loretta and became more confident in herself.

Jake confused me at the start. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out who he was to Kate, exactly, and how he fit into everything. But he was a wonderful addition to the cast of characters and the perfect foil to Kate's chaos. They had good chemistry. The rest of the wedding party was a mishmash of mainly indolent people that were all there primarily to squeeze money out of Rebecca. I didn't care for any of them. And Kate and Jake's reasons for being there were somewhat thin.

I enjoyed the writing style. It included plenty of witty thoughts and pronouncements, mostly from Kate's side. It was all-in-all a very fun read. I can recommend this if you like a cozy murder mystery with some steamy romance on the side, and comical situations.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 I was very into this being a cute, cozy mystery and a light romance. A more chaotic, bumbly VMars with a lovesick Australian Logan.

This book is part murder mystery and part romantic comedy. It’s humorous, fast paced, and witty. The mystery was quite well done with a couple of unforeseen twists. It was hard to put the book down. The story takes place on a private island amongst a a colorful group of characters. All of the characters were distinct and all of them had a motive for murder. That combined with a manor filled with taxidermied animals and secret passages ways, made for a very entertaining read.

It’s hard to do humor right in a book, but Moke manages it fantastically. The humor was never over the top and it didn’t take away from the story. I found myself laughing out loud several times. The romance element is also good. It’s paced well, and Jake Hawkins is a great romantic interest.

The book changes perspective from Kate to her fictional character, Loretta. It can become confusing at times to determine which character’s point of view that you’re in. Sometimes, the words are italicized to show that it’s something that Kate has written. However, there are times when Kate is imagining herself as Loretta without warning. This can get a little confusing and frustrating.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a cozy murder mystery. It’s a quick and easy read that would be perfect for the beach. Or given its setting in the Pacific Northwest, it would be a perfect rainy day read. </p>

This was an ARC that was given to me by Minotaur Book/St. Martin’s Press. All views are my own.

Kate Valentine, author of a best-selling mystery series who currently does not have a storyline for her newest book, finds herself attending the wedding of her ex-fiance/current employer on a private island. What could go wrong?

From the beginning of this story, we are wrapped up in the excitement and chaos that seems to envelope Kate. With a wild start (running down a pier and jumping onto a boat that has already left the dock!) to finding a dead body (or two?), trouble follows Kate where she goes. She also finds herself rooming with what the book describes as her "biggest romantic regret", Jake. He was the last person she expected to see on this trip, but thankfully, he wants to help her find the murderer before it's too late. With horrendous storms cutting the power on the island to secret passsages hidden in the walls of the stately manor, the island vacation turns into a nightmare rather quickly. Kate and Jake, in between some very romantic times, find themselves in a battle to find the killer before the killer finds them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and St. Martin's press for an early copy of this book!

Time for a debut author for me! Although Jenny Elder Moke has already written a handful of books, she is new to me. The blurb stood out on Netgalley, so I requested the arc.

The whole story has a bit of a Hercule Poirot and whodunnit vibe, but with a funny twist and a hot and smoking Jake. On a remote island, with a killer on the loose, you are in for a suspenseful, yet funny story. Although sometimes the story seemed to drag on a little bit, the suspense (and dropping bodies) kept me interested enough to keep on reading.

But Kate could be a bit of a bore. Fortunately she could ask what Loretta would do. In all a great read., four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

An entertaining mix of cozy mystery and rom-com, more rom-com than mystery. It's fun to read, made me laugh and have a good time. I enjoyed the plot and liked the characters
A fun and light read that kept me reading.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Genre: Mystery, Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Touches on subjects like cheating and insecurities. Describes murder and murder attempts. Contains explicit sexual content.

Part mystery, part romance, set in a private island off the coast of Seattle? Count me in. (I mean, the Seattle Seahawks already had me crying every Sunday, why not extend that pain into a couple days while reading this book, you know).

“She Doesn’t Have a Clue” follows Kate Valentine, the author of a famous mystery/detective book series, as she agrees to go to her ex-fiancé’s wedding in a lavish private island off the coast of Seattle. What she didn’t expect was that her ex-almost-something, Jake Hawkins, an Australian adventure writer and worldwide excursion guide, would be her plus one and roommate for the whole weekend—and that someone would be actively trying to kill the bride and setting it up to look like what happens in each of Kate’s mystery books.

All I have to say is that Jenny Elder Moke really did deliver both a mystery and a romance, and I’m not sure which part of the story I was captivated by the most. The romance was so sweet and spicy, and the mystery had me not wanting to put the book down, in search for answers. This was a fun, dynamic, and unique read, that I’ll definitely be recommending for years to come.

If you’ve enjoyed shows like “How To Get Away With Murder”, are looking to read a book with some romance involved, and are into Hotstralians, then “She Doesn’t Have a Clue” is definitely worth a read for you.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: January 21, 2025