She Doesn’t Have a Clue is a fun and quirky take on a locked room mystery with a side of rom-com. I recommend this to those who enjoy cozy mysteries.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

This was my first murder mystery/romance. I was very into the murder mystery aspect, to the point I asked myself why the romance was even necessary. Very easy read- I read it in one sitting. I tried to solve the case along with her! Very engaging.

A mystery + romance... 4 stars for the mystery, 3 stars for the romance. I was much less interested in the romance as it just felt awkward between the two main characters. I would have preferred this book if it was just the mystery. The book itself was really funny and there are a lot of great laugh out loud moments!

This was so fun! I was hooked right from the first chapter. :)
Spiciness-I think I skipped a couple scenes, honestly don’t recall how spicy they were but pretty sure it was open door. (This is what happens when I wait a few days to write a review…oops)

I love everything about this! It was an absolute blast to read, wonderful setting and I laughed out loud more times than I could count!

The setup of this book is so fun, but I didn't connect with the writing. ("Katey cakes" gave me the ick big time. I'm sorry!) My feelings about that nickname aside, I just couldn't stay interested in the story. This one wasn't for me, but I hope other readers enjoy it more.

Murder, romance, a spooky mansion on a private island, oh my! Kate, a successful writer, is a bit of a recluse after a breakup, but is pulled out of her hiding to attend the wedding of her publisher/ex and the woman he cheated on her with! What?
What follows is plenty of drama, a few attempted murders, one real one, and romance.

This was an entertaining read despite the main character getting in her own way, being socially awkward, having a somewhat poor memory when alcohol is involved... Jake, the romantic interest, is really the most tolerate person in the world.
The flipping between Kate and the heroine in her book series, Loretta, was a nice touch.
Overall a good read. The who-done-it was well done, plenty of red herring, although i admit I do not read to try to beat the author.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest review

3 stars out of 5.

I thought this book was just ok. I did like that it was a true whodunit and it had a great setting. An old mansion on a remote island? Count me in! There is also a dash of romance and comedy in the book which I liked. It fell short though because it had so many different characters it got confusing. I felt we really didn't get to know anyone including Kate in the book and there was just too much going on to keep up. I found myself re-reading and back tracking to make sure I didn't miss anything. I also questioned if there was a first book before this because I felt lost and there wasn't a lot of back story.

In She Doesn't Have a Clue, Kate gets invited to her ex fiancé, Spencer's wedding which is located at the brides family mansion on a remote island. She ends up getting on the boat to the island with none other than the one that got away, Jake. Once in the mansion the party is started but then it appears someone is trying to get rid of the bride. Lots of drama unfolds and Kate finds herself trying to find out what is going on and who is responsible.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this intrigued me. Ultimately, I think this would have been more successful as a pure mystery. The romance, which is often my favorite part of any story, felt awkward and forced (and the setting and murder plot aren’t exactly conducive to a love story). There are a lot of characters and we don’t really get to know any of them, Kate included. I think readers looking for a quirky, fast-paced, and slightly chaotic mystery rom-com may enjoy this.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

4 Stars

I love a charming, bumbling inspector. It brings a levity to murder mysteries, juxtaposing death and horror with humor.

In She Doesn't Have a Clue, Kate, a cozy mystery writer, ends up acting the real life investigator during a wedding gone horribly wrong. It implements all the fun locked room mystery / old haunted house / nutty matriarch tropes well. Our FMC is kind of a moron but she's a lovable fool and you root for her. Everything about the story, the characters, the twists and turns, even the secret passages and grottos is over the top, but in the best way. It's just fun.

Kate sometimes tries to see the mystery through the eyes of her books' fictional main character Loretta and I didn't love that, but I am not a book within a book person. It's not distracting though.

There's also a romance element that works, even if it's kind of ludicrous given the 72 hour timeline of the entire story. That said though, I believed that Kate would forget that her life is in mortal peril so she can bang the hot surfer. That's something a horny idiot would do.

I would definitely recommend this for people who liked Knives Out, and Get Smart. This is sort of a parody of the mystery genre - it's a little slapstick, a bit self deprecating, and a lot kooky.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue is definitely a fun mash-up of genres. I would call this a whodunnit mystery with a side of rom-com. The story is packed with drama, mystery and romance.

I wanted to love this one, but honestly there was A LOT going on with a ton of different characters, and so it got a bit confusing trying to keep track of who was who. I also felt it was a bit slow in the beginning, and the way that Kate would dip into Loretta at times was frustrating. I did enjoy the setting however and the character of Abraham was hilarious!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was funny, mysterious, and fun. I just wish it was multiple POVs because Kate could be annoying at times. She jumped to conclusions way too much and bumbled her way through things. She definitely should’ve learned when to stop asking questions. I loved Jake but he also could’ve been clearer when it came to communication. Spencer was surprisingly entertaining and also a bit slimy. I adored Kennedy and to be honest I did not figure out who it was doing the murders and attempted murders until Kate did. I knew it wasn’t anyone obvious but because that character kept disappearing (as in they just weren’t on the page or mentioned often) I forgot about them. Overall this was such a fun read and I truly enjoyed the steam, romance and mystery. I can’t wait to try more books by Jenny Elder Moke.

A HUGE thank you to the author, Jenny Elder Moke, and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for giving me the chance to read an ARC of this wonderful book and provide my honest opinion about it.

Complicated, swoony and mysterious. Adored it.

This was a really fun and entertaining read! I enjoyed how the author didn't stick to one genre, I'd call this mashup a "Whodunnit Rom-Com." The storyline is packed with drama, mystery, humor, romance and leading characters that make quite an impression.

I binged this book in an evening and would definitely recommend checking it out.

This was so fun!! Also loved the setting. Agreed with other reviewers., the characters were human and real but the writing did feel choppy at times. An elevated rom-com with the drama of a mystery, would recommend for something different.

Excellent story. Funny as hell. Very real characters, flawed and lovely. But the writing needs to be cleaned up or something, as it was choppy to read. I love the heart of a Moke story. One of my favorite lines ever in a book comes from one of hers. She’s awesome. 💜📚

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book, with my honest review below.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue has the most intriguing plot line and I absolutely loved the mystery and (unexpected) romance of the story.

Taking place on a spooky private Seattle island an equally spooky mansion, Kate Valentine, an author, attends the wedding of her ex-fiancé - who dumped her at the behest of his powerful future Aunt In Law. Only she has several curve balls happening once on the island, from the attempted murder of Kennedy, the bride (which Kate seems to being set up for), the hot Australian frenemy she ghost wrote books for, her ex still seeming to have a flame for her, the Aunt In Law who is the only reason she attended the wedding for not seeming to know her, and all the happenings she is being set up for mirroring her best selling mysteries series. And oh yeah, her ex? He’s her editor and indicates there’s something suspicious happening at their Publishing House.

So, a lot going on here, but all comes together magnificently and doesn’t feel too cluttered but rather as great side plots and red herrings. I absolutely loved the non stop action and mystery and thought just about everyone could be the killer (you’ll have to find out who the victim(s) is/are). This was great and totally unexpected - definitely pick this up if you like charming and entertaining mysteries with a lot of comedic elements!

A private island off the coast of Seattle is the setting for this wedding. The guest are in for one outlandish time. Kate is attending her ex-fiancées wedding and the groom is her editor. The guests are authors. As a body is discovered, the adventure begins. Jake is her unexpected plus one and the sparks fly. I really enjoyed this with an unexpected plot.

Invited to the wedding of her ex, Kate isn’t sure why she has come. And on the ferry over, she is more confused when Jake, the one she regrets, is there.

Kate is hoping to finish her latest Loretta mystery and present it to her editor/ex-fiance/groom.

But Kate comes across the body of the bride and now has a real life mystery to solve.

And she has no idea how. Everyone had a motive and Kate has no clue.

NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press January 21, 2025

This was a really fun and entertaining read! I enjoyed how the author didn't stick to one genre, I'd call this mashup a "Whodunnit Rom-Com." The storyline is packed with drama, mystery, humor, romance and leading characters that make quite an impression.

I binged this book in an evening and would definitely recommend checking it out.

Thank you Jenny Elder Mike , Net Galley and St. Martin's Press- Minotaur Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.