If I'd paid attention to the cover, I would have known this was a cozy mystery/romcom and not at all like the psychological thrillers I'm used to reading. Still, it was a cute mystery. I loved the island setting and the secret passageways, but I'm not sure why the female protagonist is depicted as so incredibly clumsy- is it supposed to be cute? I don't know, but I thought it was infantilizing and that she deserved to be written as a stronger character.

"She Doesn't Have a Clue" is a cute and lighthearted cozy mystery/romantic comedy. The book started off amazing. A book about a mystery writer invited to her ex-fiance's wedding on an isolated private island? Um, yes please! I was totally engrossed in the mystery, and then it switched to a bit of a spicy romance, and that's where it lost its spark for me. The first half was so fun and fast-paced, and I think I just wanted more of that. Overall, though, this was an enjoyable story. I loved the humor and banter, and the mystery plot was a lot of fun. I think this could be an entertaining mystery series, and I would definitely read a sequel.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book about relationships as much as a murder mystery. I think the murder is just a frame upon which to hang a novel about romance. Kate is an interesting heroine. She is a flawed woman with relationship problems. She writes successful mysteries with a female lead and often wants to be that fictional character herself. The mystery is of the locked room style as Kate and the others are on an island during an intense storm. There is some humor as a bumbling Kate tries to solve the murder. It is a complex investigation involving publishing, advances, authors, and lots of family money. The suspects and possible motives are many. There are plenty of red herrings and twists.

The one aspect of the novel I did not like at all were the two graphic sex scenes. I felt they were unnecessary. There was enough sexual tension and humor already.

Moke's writing style is entertaining and good for a debut adult novel. She doesn't have a clue. Does that refer to her solving the murder or her trouble with developing long lasting relationships? Read the book to find out.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Goodness I loved this! It was my first read from this author but the mystery and romance genres mashed up needs to be more of a thing because this was PHENOMENAL. It was so lighthearted and fun I wish I could read it again for the first time.

Bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine attends a fancy wedding on an island off the coast of Seattle. It's the wedding of her ex-fiancé (to someone else) so she's not exactly looking forward to it, and things take a turn for the worse when the bride is poisoned and the crime is staged to look like it came from one of Kate's novels. Someone appears to be trying to frame Kate and she will need to channel all her inner detective skills to figure out who. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how you look at it, Jake Hawkins, Kate's biggest romantic regret, is there to help. Can the two of them figure out who-done-it?

This was such a fun read, very light and humorous. I felt like the romance and mystery aspects were well-balanced--it's definitely not a suspense book, leaning more "cozy" although strictly speaking we probably can't call it a cozy mystery, what with the poisoning and all. The tension between Kate and Jake was well drawn and the mystery felt well plotted, with a bunch of red herrings. The investigation is adorably inept, because although Kate writes mysteries, she doesn't actually have real world experience solving them. I really enjoyed the two of them as enthusiastic but mediocre investigators. There's a lot of witty humor, fun supporting characters, and rich family wedding drama in the background.

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

Such a fun and sweet book! Loved it! Oh I just enjoyed this deeply. One of those books that should be a fun movie.

A destination wedding on a private island is the setting for Author Jenny Elder Moke's SHE DOESN'T HAVE A CLUE. I'm all in for a good mystery or romance, and a combo of the two is just up my alley. Add the fact that the heroine is a mystery author, and how could I resist?

When Mystery Author Kate Valentine receives an invitation to her ex-boyfriend's wedding to Rebecca Hempstead, she has no intention of attending. However, when the bride-to-be herself extends a special invitation, Kate is too curious to refuse. She'll attend the exclusive event, meet some important people, drink, eat and make merry. How hard can it be? How was she to know her secret crush Jake Hawkins would show up mistakenly placed as her plus-one? She can handle him up close and personal, right? Things are going just peachy until the bride is poisoned - a scene way too similar to a murder that occurs in one of Kate's books. Great! Now she's a murder suspect! Kate doesn't have a clue who did it, so it looks like she'll have to channel her book character's skills to solve the murder mystery and clear her name. Having Jake along for the ride won't hurt none!

SHE DOESN'T HAVE A CLUE is a sweet blend of a trapped room mystery and second-chance romance. Moke does a great job setting the scene with a number of characters offering several red herrings. It doesn't take long for the dirty secrets and smoldering resentments to start surfacing opening the pool of possible killers up to include almost everyone. While the pace may feel a bit slow for some readers, I applaud the author for taking time to build the suspense and romance. SHE DOESN'T HAVE A CLUE is a highly atmospheric, entertaining murder mystery that fans of mysteries and romcoms will enjoy. 3.5 Stars

I did a combo on this one. I read the ebook and listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen. The narration was very good. She did many voices and did them very well. Also the volume was fairly uniform throughout the book, which I really like.

This book was the result of marrying a murder mystery with a romcom. I really liked the result. The main character, Kate, is a murder mystery author and she calls on her heroine often for help (what would Lorreta do?). Guests for a wedding are stranded in a spooky mansion with secret passages during a raging storm. Perfect! Well, except for the fact that someone is trying to murder someone among the guests and the fact that the groom is Kate's ex-fiance. Kate gets a little romance (and more) of her own. I thought the combination of everything made for a very entertaining read.

I would definitely look for more books of this type from this author.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the copies. All thoughts are my own.

The cover of this book is filled with clues that let a reader know what is inside. If a reader likes the cover, they will, I think, like the story that is inside.

So, pictured here are isolated real estate, letters, and a couple, all of which will be featured in the pages of this novel. The people are Kate and a man who is important to her. The envelope holds an invitation to a wedding. The real estate is for the destination wedding. Will everything go smoothly? Certainly not for a while.

Kate has agreed to attend her ex’s wedding. Events most clearly do not go according to plan. As readers quickly learn, the bride has been murdered. Kate needs to figure things out, after all, she is a mystery writer as well as having personal connections here. One of these connections is a past romantic regret.

Readers are offered both mystery and romance in this book that has liberal doses of both. It is told in a somewhat breezy style. Those looking for a light read might want to give this hybrid a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

This was so cute, the story was a well balanced mix of mystery, romance, and drama. Kate is an author on her way to her ex-fiances wedding (to the other women...). The trip takes an unexpected turn when she nearly misses her boat to the private island and jumps into Jake, a friend who she wanted to be more that ghosted her after an unfortunate evening where she may or may not have made a move on him while under the influence. Both of their invitations to this wedding of the century were unconventional and now they are trapped on an island, in a massive storm, with a historical house full of wedding guests with motive. The bodies start to drop and Kate has to chanel her inner Loretta to try to solve the mystery the way she would in her novels. While also avoiding awkward run ins with her ex and navigating what their reunion may mean for herself and her feelings for Jake that are not as effectively buried as they once seemed.

Netgalley Review ✨️

☆Mysteriously intriguing♡

Kate, a bestselling mystery author, is about to see one of her plots from her books come to life. Literally and figuratively. She's currently at her ex fiancé's high-end wedding at a private island. Sounds like the perfect getaway, or maybe not.

Kate ends up running into her crush, Jake. Then mysterious things begin to take place, and they happen to be right out of Kate's books. Jake and her team up together to clear her name, and a romance happens to blossom shortly after😍

This story gave me clue vibes in the best way! There were multiple suspects and many suspenseful/mysterious aspects. I loved the main characters, and the banter was highly enjoyable for me!

Tropes:
🖤 Clue vibes
🖤Mysterious
🖤Best-selling author FMC
🖤Forced proximity

Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for the ARC!

(Review will be uploaded to Amazon upon release, as well as goodreads, bookbub if applicable, and Instagram.)

I love a cozy mystery that keeps me guessing until the end and this one delivered. The cast of suspects was strong as many characters had strong motives. There was a good mixture of romance and suspense although I will say being trapped in a darkened room or having a spider crawl down my dress would not have me getting frisky the way it did in this book.

She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke is an entertaining, an interesting story, the perfect combination of wedding romcom and spooky mansion locked-door mystery. There are so many characters and yet the story never feels overwhelming trying to remember who is who and what their motives are. There are also a great number of red herring moments and epic plot twists.

Bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine has no intention of attending her editor (and ex-boyfriend)'s wedding to the niece of the “Bitch Bull of Wall Street,” Rebecca Hempstead. But when she receives a special invitation from Rebecca herself, she's intrigued. She can’t resist an exclusive event with only a handful of important guests, free champagne, and the chance to experience the historical estate’s many luxuries. Kate figures she can plaster on a smile and get through the festivities: but two things catch her off guard: First, her longtime crush, adventurer Jake Hawkins, is mistakenly invited as her plus-one, which means they’ll have to share a room and confront unresolved feelings. Second, the lovely bride, Kennedy, is poisoned in a manner eerily similar to a murder in one of Kate's novels, making Kate the prime suspect.

Rebecca's announcement about her inheritance plans are causing chaos among her relatives, and an ex-lover, now a drunk, is hurling threats and seeking revenge. Then there’s the rebellious author leading a small protest against the latest PR policies at the publishing, where the bride and groom hold high level positions. With everyone seemingly scheming behind closed doors, it becomes clear that everyone has a motive. Determined not to be framed for murder, Kate uses her vivid imagination and channels her inner detective, allowing her to view things through the eyes of her famous detective character, Loretta Starling. Jake offers his help while enjoying their fake dating, as the wedding festivities continue. Sparks are flying, but danger is lurking: there’s a killer on the loose, and Kate must catch them before it’s too late. The only problem: she doesn’t have a clue. A fast paced story with twists and turns that kept me guessing. A enjoyable read for fans of cozy mysteries, romantic suspense, and whodunnits.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#NetGalley #StMartinsPress #SheDoesntHaveaClue

This book was a wild adventure. Kate is a bestselling mystery novelist who heads to a remote private island off the coast of Seattle for her ex-fiance’s wedding. The island is owned by his new bride’s eccentric and wealthy aunt. Kate is joined by her entire publishing company, her super hot and sexy ex-best friend Jake, and a motley crew of weddings guests. When bodies start appearing, it is up to Kate and Jake to figure out who is behind the murders and sabotage. This book was quirky, managed to be both slapstick and sarcastic at the same time (a true feat!), and full of dead ends and wild goose chases. Never a dull moment- in fact, I think I got whiplash from the twists and turns. I did actually like the romance between Jake and Kate. In a book where random clues, characters, and events are all over the place I thought the open door scenes were stabilizing moments amidst the chaos. This book was fun, but it wasn’t my favorite. If you really like cozy mysteries but want to dip your toe into romance, this would be perfect for you!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

I enjoyed this! It’s a cozy mystery and a romcom combined, so something different than my typical fare. Kate is a bestselling mystery author with writer's block and a goofy personality. She definitely doesn’t have it all together, but she’s trying her best. When things start going awry, starting with the bride-to-be being poisoned, Kate channels her main character, Loretta’s, energy and tries to solve the mystery. Kudos to the author for throwing other mystery/detective references in there as well, including one of my faves, Brenda Leigh Johnson from The Closer.

Jake is right there beside her with his charming, flirty personality and hot Australian accent (that I had to imagine because I read this with my eyes). You know I love a surfer, so I was all about Jake. I thought they had good chemistry and banter leading to some LOL moments. Their issues to come down to a fair bit of miscommunication, but also some scheming by a third party. Thankfully it's nothing a little forced proximity can't fix. Just heads up, I initially thought this was closed door, but there are a few mild spicy scenes, which is not an issue for me, but I know it is for some.

Per usual, I cared a lot more about the romance than the mystery. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and I did get confused at times. BUT I did figure out who the main culprit was ahead of the game and I always like to give points (to myself) for that.

This reminded me of The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, so if you liked that, I think you’ll enjoy this too!

I had the best time reading this book! Kate is a mystery author who was basically harassed into attending the wedding of her editor/former fiancé, Spencer, to another woman in the very small publishing company where they all work on a small, isolated island in the Pacific northwest. Hijinks ensue from literal jump as Kate has to launch herself onto the ferry to the island as it is pulling out, inadvertently smashing into her former best friend/co-author of travel books/crush, Jake. A mix-up with the arrangements forces Kate and Jake to pretend to be a couple. The whole wedding party is waiting for Kate to freak out since this is her ex's wedding. It doesn't help that she's a bit clumsy and ends up knocking over the bride, Kennedy. The optics are bad, but they are even worse when Kennedey is found unconscious, tripped over by Kate. Accusations fly, investigations begin, fingers are pointed. With Jake by her side, Kate begins to investigate who could have it out for the bride...and also her feelings.
I loved the banter. The Clue (movie) vibes are strong, and, as one of my favorite movies, I was loving it! It's silly with twists you might not expect, but there is also quite a bit of heart in it as well. We get to see Kate come to terms with all of her emotions and what she wants in life. We get some serious talks between Kate and her former fiancé, Spencer, as well as between Kate and Jake, who had some things to work out. The romance between Kate and Jake is sweet and sexy. I loved how refreshing they felt as romantic leads to me. Jake is sweet and caring, very supportive, but also doesn't stand for Kate's bull. He's never overbearing. Kate is a bit on the quirky side, escapes to her fantasy world (i.e. the world of her mystery series character, Loretta) but has a lot of heart. I loved that she was so tall (5'7" so not the tallest but in a world of very short, petite heroines, a breath of fresh air) and he was a normal size (5'11"!! Reasonably muscled as he is a travel influencer who shows hikes and all) and not the biggest man to ever exist. It's silly to care about, yes, but when 95% of romances feature tiny heroine, largest hero it gets exhausting to have to read. I also enjoyed how they interacted. Jake was all about communication and Kate learns how to just express herself in person. Truly the romance was top tier to me.
The mystery was really fun because some of the things that happen were modeled after things that happened in Kate's mystery series (a trope I love to see in media) so she is trying to investigate while everyone believes it's something she did. I liked the red herrings; the fact that pretty much everyone there had a reason to have done it. I even thing the result was interesting. Does the very end get a little bit ridiculous? Absolutely! But it also ties into things mentioned in the beginning of the book, which is always fun.
If you are looking for just a fun little mystery romance, this is a must read!

Synopsis: A trip to a secluded island for her ex-fiancés wedding goes terribly wrong for mystery writer, Kate, when a dead body shows up and the scene is very reminiscent of Kate’s books.

Thoughts: I loved the concept of this one, but the execution was lacking a bit for me. The remote setting and Kate’s mystery writer background added some interest to the story, but the romance aspect felt a little awkward/forced. Still an entertaining read if this genre is your jam! A note on the audio: I do think the narrator did a fantastic job giving unique voices to all the characters!

Read this if you like:
🕵🏻‍♀️ cozy mysteries
🕵🏻‍♀️ rom coms
🕵🏻‍♀️ locked room mysteries
🕵🏻‍♀️ books about authors

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

Wow, this author did a great job with mixing mystery and romance. I loved that we got to see tropes like second chances, great banter, friends to lovers, forced proximity and a destination wedding. Oh, and did I mention that the main female character is an author of murder mysteries… and with her way of writing, she takes advice from her main character in her books, Loretta.

I really liked this plot; I thought the fast pace of the book made it easy to read and fun because you didn’t know what was going to happen next. I found myself laughing, swooning over the MMC and his actions, I loved that the readers will get to see a protest of the newest PR policies at Simon Says Publishing and of course murder. I loved the spooky vibes that come from the mansion that the whole wedding party is staying at, and to add to the spooky vibes you will find family drama done at its best. I found the characters to be fun and easy to connect with and relate to too.

I found MFC Kate to have someone that I would love to be best friends with. I love that she was always thinking outside of the box and wouldn’t give up on solving this mystery. I liked that she would pretend to be one of her main characters from her murder mystery books to help her find the clues to who did it. I found her to be witty and confident, but you will see that she has flaws which for me made her more real. I found the MMC, Jake, to be the best partner for her when she was trying to find the clues. I liked the fact that he was supportive but at the same time more grounded. I loved all the banter between these characters and seriously Kate…. I get it! A sexy Australian man, that’s all I have to say lol. I found their slow burn romance as they’re finding out who is murdering everyone. I found the mystery mixed with the romance to have been done well and I can’t wait to see what else this author will bring us.

I also received the audio of this book, and I thought she did a wonderful job. I loved that all the characters’ voices came through clearly, and that she was able to bring the characters to life for me. I would listen to another book narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen.

I want to thank NetGalley, Macmillan and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

Jenny Elder Moke’s debut, She Doesn't Have a Clue, is a delightful mix of mystery, charm, and heart. With a quirky heroine, clever twists, and a dash of romance, this novel keeps you hooked from start to finish. Moke’s fresh storytelling voice shines, making this a standout start to her career. Perfect for fans of lighthearted mysteries with plenty of wit!

Great cast of characters! There's a lot going on in this one. I loved the romance! Jake will make you swoon. The mystery is full of twists and the reveal is a jaw dropper. It kept me guessing and reading as fast as I could. There's also the perfect amount of humor. Kate had me laughing, hoping, and at times, wanting to shake her.