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

This was really cute and cozy! The setting perfectly balanced along with the romance.

Reminded me so much of "Most Wonderful Crime of the Year" by Ally Carter.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like mysteries or romance novels or funny situations? This is the book for you. Kate is attending her ex-fiance's wedding on a private island near Seattle. The bride is poisoned. Kate finds a dead body. These scenes sound a lot like the plots of her novels. The groom is her editor, so is it him causing all of this chaos? This was a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advance copy of this book.

Engaging and fast-paced, I breezed through this delightful tale with a broad grin. The story offered an enticing blend of mystery, heart, wit, and endearing characters that kept me hooked. One particularly refreshing aspect was that it truly centered on Kate's perspective and personal journey, allowing her to shine without being overshadowed by the male lead.

All in all, this was a thoroughly entertaining and satisfying read.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Thank you, Minotaur Books and NetGalley, for my eARC of She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was a fun whodunnit about a mystery writer who is invited to her ex-fiance's wedding--to the woman he left her for--and while there, she investigates the murder/poisoning of the bride and aunt of the bride as they seem to be framing her. Joining her in the sleuthing is the one that got away Jake. Everyone is a suspect and everyone has a reason to commit the acts.

In this one we have locked room,--they're stuck on a private island during a storm with no way to leave--forced proximity, the one-that-got-away, and second-chance romance.

The characters were well written and I had fun following Kate as she worked to figure out who the murderer was.

I recommend this one for anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery or any of the tropes listed above.
Thanks, Minotaur!

I had so much fun with this book! I love a good mystery/whodunnit especially with a group of people stuck in one place.

Kate Valentine is a best-selling mystery writer who gets invited to her ex-fiancé’s wedding to the woman he left her for. Now she’s trapped on an island, in a horrible storm with none other than, Jake Hawkins. Jake is an Australian ex-surfer who travels around the world who Kate ghost written his books. They haven’t seen each other in 2 years and now they are sharing a bedroom and pretending to date…. And well, solve a murder that Kate is being assumed of committing. Can Loretta and Blake…. I mean Kate and Jake *cough cough* solve the mystery and rekindle a spark?

The mystery part of this book was really good. Very Agatha Christie. What I love about a good mystery is when you go through all the suspects talking to each person hearing their side of the story. I didn’t even figure this one out when I usually do that kudos for that!

The romance part was fantastic. Kate and Jake have such amazing chemistry it kinda felt like Anyone But You vibes. Can Jake be an Australian Glen Powell? FOR SURE lol Jake himself is just so likable and a lovely character with so many layers it’s exactly what I want from a MMC. Kate is complicated when it comes to relationships always having one foot out of the door. But she can never get over getting rejected by Jake. Their miscommunication was actually really endearing especially when they finally share their feelings for one another.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Jenny Elder Moke for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

✨Pub Day Review✨

Happy pub day @jennyeldermoke ! 🎉

A destination wedding on a private island off Seattle sounds like bliss, doesn’t it? But it turns out to be nightmare for author, Kate Valentine. Going into the wedding, Kate knew things would be ‘interesting’ as the groom is her ex-fiancé who is also her editor. There is nothing like mixing business with pleasure. Making things even more ‘interesting’ is Jake Hawkins, the one who got away and is her biggest regret. Making things worse is that she and Jake must share a room. Then Kate finds a dead body........

Part mystery, part romance, and part trapped room, She Doesn’t Have a Clue was a cozy book/whodunit.
Kate writes mystery novels and uses her skills to attempt to solve the mystery in this book.

This one was fun! I loved the quirky bunch of characters and the mix of mystery and romcom. If you like the Finlay Donovan series this book would be a hit for you too!

Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for my advanced copies!

She Doesn’t Have A Clue is out today!

Loved the humor, the banter and the chemistry between Jake and Kate. It was a cute and cozy mystery.

Mystery writer, Kate, is invited to her ex-finance/boss's wedding. Along the way she discovers the one that got away, Jake, was a last-minute invite and the bride put them in the same bedroom. This is all on a remote rich people's island, of course. Kate channels her inner Loretta, the character in her novels that solves murders, to discover who is trying to frame her into sabotaging her ex's wedding and making it look like scenes from her books.
This story is fun, mostly wholesome, with a bit of spice (two mildly spicy scenes). I can almost describe this as a cozy mystery with some fake dating; everyone's a suspect, and what the heck is happening here at the moment? Kate has minimal self-confidence and she has to channel her character to break herself out of her shell. So much miscommunication and finger-pointing and squabbles. It is like I'm watching reality TV with a Hallmark movie twist. Overall, it was fun, the "Bad Guy" seemed to come out of left field, but I should have guessed it, and I loved the romance for the short amount of time our couple was romancing the chemistry was written well and the scenes were also great. It was perfectly awkward and fun.

Half mystery half romance might be my new favorite genre! This book reminded me a lot of The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, but not quite as good.

That being said, I did really enjoy this book. Kate was a fun character. She was grumpy, she was self-aware, and she was awkward, but I do wish she would have broken the mold a little bit and not been such a hot mess. I'm sick of reading about FMCs who are clumsy and who's main job is bumping into things and knocking people over. Nobody is really like this, it's highly unrealistic. There was a major plot point about her not being able to walk in her heels, and I found that incredibly insulting.

The mystery part of the book really hooked me. It took me a while to figure out who did it, and I was proud of myself once I did. I was invested the whole way through. I also appreciated that the romance wasn't too forced or too on the nose. It was honestly just right. Jake was a great character, even though he was a little stereotypical.

This book was a mix of mystery and romance and set against the backdrop of a glamorous destination wedding. While the premise provides intrigue and second chances, I had a hard time getting fully invested. I wanted to love it but the pacing felt uneven at times, and the frequent shifts between the mystery and romance disrupted the story's flow for me. That said, I enjoyed the witty banter and fans of cozy mysteries may find this right up their alley!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books / St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Murder mystery, rom-com, friends-to-lovers romance, what’s not to love! With a cast and setting straight out of an Agatha Christy novel, author Jenny Elder Moke gives us a rich, fast-paced story that keeps you guessing until the end.

Mystery writer Kate attends a wedding on a private island only to find herself in the middle of a murder mystery. When the murder itself resembles something out of Kate’s books, she must solve the murder to prove she isn’t the killer. She has the help of Australian hunk Jake, who’s her fake date/only one bed romance partner in crime solving. The murder and the hunk are major distractions from the overdue manuscript she needs to finish.

The secondary characters are fully fleshed, which helps mask who the killer is. I did get a bit lost with backstory and the manuscript elements, but overall, this is a fun, enjoyable mystery!

This book starts off with a bang with Kate Valentine, an author of mystery novels, attending the wedding of her ex-fiancé in a secluded location. All is not what it seems, though. Throughout this book, the reader is privy to Kate’s inner dialogue where she enlists the assistance of her super-sleuth character, Loretta. At times, this added to the story while it was sometimes distracting. All said, this rom com/mystery had a great deal of potential, but there were some challenges with so many characters and multiple plot points.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.