I was intrigued by the premise of this novel, a cozy mystery set on a private island off the coast of Seattle: It turned out to have shades of romantic comedy as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Not what I expected. Thought it would be a sappy love fest. It was so much more

Enjoyed the read much more than I expected.

Recommend.

I picked this up since it was listed as a cozy mystery meets romance set at a wedding, and all of that sounded right up my alley. What's not to love- cozy mystery author invited to her ex fiancé's wedding where she stumbles on a real murder, add to that the sudden appearance of the one guy she has always had feelings for showing up and having to share the last hotel room... Sounds fun right?
Unfortunately, while the book had all the elements I enjoy, I think the execution was off somehow. There was a lot of misunderstanding used as plot, the main character is a terrible drunk yet drinks a lot and keeps getting into the same situation, the mystery was not super mysterious, and the two main characters have sex in a random bedroom in a completely full hotle while the hotel is possibly supposed to be flooding while knowing someone is in danger...
I felt like this was too over the top and the main character was too scattered for me to root for her to solve anything. I know others will probably love this tongue and cheek read, but it was not for me.

I know that the author is striving for a humorous mystery, but this was just too farcical for me. Nothing about it was believable, and I like just a tiny bit of verisimilitude in my mysteries. I didn’t find there to be much tension or cleverness in the plot and none of the characters were that entertaining.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I really liked this story. It was a good mystery that kept me guessing until the end.

Kate is invited to her ex-fiancé's wedding. Of course she isn't going to go. Until a mysterious note from the family matriarch shows up in her inbox. Kate is somehow roomed up with her ex best friend who she had feelings for a long time ago. Together they team up to find out how the bride was poisoned after the rehearsal dinner. Turns out maybe someone is after the bride is may be setting up Kate to take the fall.

Very fun, romantic light mystery. I did have a hard time getting into it at the beginning but then very much got caught up in the story. Kate is a fun mc and I enjoyed going along with her for this ride.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book. This book will be published on January 21, 2025.

A destination wedding; a dilapidated mansion on an isolated island; a murder with a large cast of suspects; and a quirky author/wannabe detective with her love-interest present: All of this provides the potential for a satisfying mystery/rom-com. However, the narrative felt too disjointed throughout the first half of the novel making it annoying rather than riveting. I almost didn’t finish it. However, I’m glad I persisted because the second half has several well-timed twists that made it suddenly more intriguing. It turns out that I wasn’t much better of a sleuth than Kate because I never suspected the murderer. There are lots of humorous situations that ultimately made this a lighthearted, entertaining second-chance romance revolving around a murder mystery.

Half mystery and half romance is an accurate description from this new release. Toss in a swanky wedding at an isolated PNW island estate, an elaborate cast of secondary characters, and a storm, and you’ve got a fun story. I love books about authors, so I was thrilled when the FMC, Kate, is a cozy mystery writer! Sprinkled through out the story where excerpts from Kate’s bestselling book series, and the mystery at the wedding parallels her own plots. I have to say, the second chance romance between Kate and Jake stole the show for me. I found their history (she was his ghostwriter for his traveling surfing books), mutual pining, and sizzling tension was what kept me turning the pages. The actually mystery was fun, but a bit complicated with many moving parts/possible suspects which made it hard for me to stay engaged while listening to the audiobook. However, I had a good time and was absolutely delighted for Kate and Jake’s steamy scenes and HEA.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC!

This book was extremely hard for me to finish. The plot is slow moving and the murder was uninteresting. I really didn’t care who did it by the end. All the characters were corny and over the top and I struggled to connect with any of them. Kate was so bumbling she practically solved the murder by accident after she had accused every single person in the house besides the murderer.

This book also needed to pick a genre. Both the romance and the mystery fell flat for me.

I’m also fairly certain that I picked the murderer from the very beginning, but it took me so long to finish it I don’t remember my exact thoughts.

I had some laugh-out-loud moments, which I truly enjoyed. It felt meta to me that excerpts of Kate’s book were inside of the book because she uses her character of Loretta as an escape from her life and that is exactly what I do with books. Also, the parallels between Kate’s real-life investigation and Loretta’s excerpts were unique and I think it helped show when Kate felt in over her head. The twists in the book were fun and it had me guessing wrong who the killer was at every turn. Plus, the added mystery as to why Jake is her romantic regret when there is obviously a spark between them added a nice romantic element. The pacing was a little slow and I wish that Kate had more physical clues to use during her sleuthing; however, this book scratched my itch for a whodunnit mystery.

This review is posted on my Instagram account.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
She Doesn’t Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 326 / Genre: Mystery Romance
Audiobook Narrator: Sarah Mollo-Christiansen
Duration: 10 hours 24 minutes
Release Date: January 21, 2025

Bestselling mystery writer Kate Valentine has reluctantly agreed to attend her ex-fiance/current editor’s wedding, which is being held on a private island off Seattle. She’s further dismayed to run into Jake Hawkins, a hot Australian from her past, who embarrassingly turned her down the last time she saw him. But then someone turns up dead alongside clues that mirror the ones in her latest murder mystery and that also point to her as the murderer. But the good news is she gets to run around with hot Jake trying to find the killer and clear her name.

This was such a fun cozy mystery with a dash of romance. I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline. A perfect addition to your upcoming Valentines TBR, this book releases on January 21, 2025.

Thank you, @JennyElderMoke, @Macmillan.Audio, @StMartinsPress, and @NetGalley for my free copies.

Wow, what an interesting mix of romance, comedy, and murder mystery! I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. The story focuses around Kate Valentine who is a murder mystery author and gets invited to her ex fiancé's wedding. She discovers that an old friend/crush, Jake has also been invited. Crazy things start to happen at this wedding and everything seems to be going wrong with most of the blame somehow landing on Kate who is obviously the crazy jealous ex. The murder somehow seems to be based on Kate's books, and she often finds herself asking what Loretta, the main character in her books, would do.

The banter between Kate and Jake is perfect. As any friendship/relationship they have their ups and downs, but ultimately their bond is strong enough to endure everything. My only real complaint, is that the second spicy scene felt really off as they were trying to solve the murder. It felt a bit random and then went right back into solving the murder, so I felt as if the timing wasn't quite right. The spice however, was great!

"No more talking. That's probably how the dinosaurs died, too. Too much CO2."

Another thing I really appreciated was even though there were a ton of characters, they were all easily remember able and didn't just seem like people to thrown into the story as more suspects. Everyone had their own story, plot, and character development.

I was not expecting the murderer in any way shape or form. It was so left field and I kind of wish she would have disappeared to a cougar. Thank you to Netgalley, Jenny Elder Moke, and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of She Doesn’t Have a Clue, by Jenny Elder Moke, from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books /NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

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Not smart, not funny, sex scenes were worth skipping, just generally derivatively derivative and not believable.

But, hey. Gotta hand it to Jenny Elder Moke, she at least wrote an actual book, which is more than most of us do. And probably there are people out there who haven’t read themselves senseless on this sort of genre over the years and thus will enjoy it.

DESCRIPTION
With a colorful cast of characters and a cellar full of wine, anything can happen—from murder to a second chance at love—in Jenny Elder Moke's half mystery, half romance adult debut set at a lavish destination wedding.

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.

Why Kate agreed to attend her ex-fiancé’s wedding is its own enigma, but she’ll plaster on a fake smile for two nights, with the aid of free champagne, naturally. And because the groom happens to be her editor, she’ll try to finish a draft of her latest Loretta Starling mystery as a wedding gift.

When the bride is poisoned and Kate stumbles across a dead body, she finds herself in a real-life mystery that eerily echoes the plot of her latest novel. And the only person who seems willing to help Kate catch the killer is Jake Hawkins, aka: the Hostralian; aka: Kate’s biggest romantic regret.

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.

I was hoping to enjoy this book much more than I did. This book moved a little too slow for my taste. While I enjoyed the mystery, I wanted a little more tension, dread, danger, and suspense. I never got the feeling that any of the characters in this book were too moved or freaked out by what was happening around them.

Unfortunately I found this book to be an amalgam of every romance/suspense novel ever written. The dialogue was cheesy and included phrases such as: : “when I looked into his eyes, I tingled down to my toes”, (I am paraphrasing but you get the picture). The plot was quite thin with the typical characters: evil family matriarch, no good grandson,etc.
Sorry but this was just not a good read for me.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue was a super fun genre mashup of a book. I wanted to read this because I love a plot where people are at a destination, islands are perfect for this, and someone winds up murdered and there’s no way to leave the destination so the main character has to find out what happened. This book gave me that and more. I knew there’d be a romantic plot line and now I understand the current craze for spicy books. Wasn’t expecting spice but I’m not mad about it. I think the author did a perfect job at balancing the romance with the whodunnit. I thought the plot flowed well and had really good pacing. There was not a second I was bored. Approaching this from a locked room/closed circle fan perspective, I was really happy with the mystery element. I genuinely did not expect the reveal at the end and thought the twist and clues were very well done. There were so many characters who I thought “oh they had to be the killer” and then who it ended up being was a total shock. I also really loved how all the characters’ relationships unfolded and the genuine emotions within the relationships. This was a very happily surprising and fun read and I will definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Jenny Elder Moke’s She Doesn’t Have a Clue is a delightful mystery filled with wit, charm, and a dash of heartfelt emotion. Known for her talent in crafting strong, relatable protagonists, Moke ventures into the cozy mystery genre with a lighthearted yet gripping tale that will keep readers entertained from start to finish.

The story follows [insert protagonist's name], an amateur sleuth who finds herself drawn into a perplexing case in her seemingly quiet town. With a knack for uncovering secrets and a penchant for stumbling into trouble, she must piece together clues while balancing her personal life, eccentric friends, and the unexpected twists that come her way.

Moke’s writing shines with humor and clever dialogue, making the protagonist’s voice engaging and endearing. The relationships in the story, whether romantic, platonic, or familial, are nuanced and authentic, adding depth to the narrative. The mystery itself is well-plotted, with enough red herrings and surprises to keep even seasoned mystery readers guessing.

The book’s setting is vividly described, capturing the cozy yet slightly eerie vibe essential to the genre. Moke deftly blends the comfort of a small-town setting with the suspense of a good whodunit, making it easy for readers to immerse themselves in the world she’s created.

While the story is primarily focused on solving the mystery, it also explores themes of self-discovery and resilience, adding layers of emotional resonance. Some readers might find the pacing slower in the middle chapters, but the payoff is worth it as the plot builds to an exciting and satisfying conclusion.

Rating: 4/5

She Doesn’t Have a Clue is a charming and entertaining read, perfect for fans of cozy mysteries with strong female leads and plenty of humor. Whether you’re a longtime mystery lover or new to the genre, this book will leave you eager for more of Moke’s sleuthing adventures.

This reads like a book form of the board game “Clue” with some graphic sex thrown in for good measure. I really enjoyed the writing style-witty and clever without being too acerbic or mean. Fans of romance novels will relish the main characters, and mystery fans will tolerate that portion of the plot. I had to take off a star for descriptions though-while the author went out of her way to paint a vivid portrait of the majority of characters and scenes, we never get ANY details about the heroine. Was she blonde or brunette? Skinny or fat? Curly hair or straight as a board? Not having even basic details there made it tough to get a fix on her in my head. I also had to do some mental reimagining of the house where everything was set- with it being a 100+ year old mansion, I pictured elaborate wooden staircases. But about halfway through, the author casually mentions that the stairs are thickly carpeted, so I had to change up my image of the surroundings. Not huge detractors but enough that they took me momentarily out of the story. Bottom line though is that I enjoyed this quite a bit, and I would reach for something by this author again. This would be a fantastic beach read.

This was a fun whodunnit that felt a little like being in the middle of a game of Clue. I enjoyed the humor, the dash of romance, and the mystery of the story. The characters are a bit over the top, yet also relatable and that made it a delightful experience. The audiobook is well done and was a great way to read this suspenseful romantic comedy.

She Doesn't Have a Clue combines mystery and romance when an author, Kate, attends a wedding on a remote private island. Kate writes a mystery series, and when the mystery that she encounters parallels the plot of one of her books, she tries to channel her fictional character to solve it. Meanwhile, the groom at the wedding is Kate's ex-fiancé, and her former friend/crush, Jake, is also in attendance.

The premise of this book seemed interesting, but unfortunately, it ended up falling a bit flat for me. I struggled with the beginning of the book, I think because we are meeting so many sketchy characters that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. The narrative would also occasionally switch to the book that Kate wrote, which threw me off even more. It was obvious from the start that Kate had history with Jake, but the references were vague, and I felt a bit out of the loop (it was eventually explained, but not until much later in the book). Things did get more interesting when Kate realized that one of the wedding guests was up to no good, and there's a mystery to solve. I figured out the culprit about 70% of the way through, though it wasn't super obvious, and I think other readers might be kept guessing for a while. In the end, the story kept my attention well enough, but I feel like I never really connected with Kate and the story was a bit too chaotic for my taste, so it just wasn't the right book for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of She Doesn't Have a Clue! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

Main Characters:
-- Kate Valentine – best-selling author of the Loretta Starling mystery series, tends to live her life considering what Loretta would do, broke off her engagement to Spencer six months prior
-- Jake Hawkins – former professional surfer from Australia turned elite travel guide, worked with Kate on a couple of travel/adventure books
-- Loretta Starling – the fictional main character of Kate’s series of books, works as a bartender in the evening and an amateur sleuth during the day
-- Spencer Lieman – Kate’s literary agent at Simon Says and former fiancé, started dating Kennedy almost immediately after he and Kate broke up
-- Kennedy Hempstead – heir to the Hempstead fortune, insisted on having her wedding to Spencer on the family’s private island
-- Rebecca Hempstead – matriarch of the Hempstead family, controls the disbursements of the inheritance money to all of her nieces and nephews
-- A whole host of characters too numerous to mention who could be the killer on the island

Based on the description alone, this story has a lot of potential, but for me, the execution left a lot to be desired. Set on the private Hempstead island off the Pacific Northwest coast, the story centers around the wedding of Spencer and Kennedy. As Spencer’s former fiancée, Kate is surprised she received an invitation, with a hand-written note from Rebecca Hempstead. She’s even more surprised to see Jake Hawkins…and to find out that Kennedy invited him and told Spencer that he is Kate’s plus one.

When a storm knocks out power and prevents people from leaving the island, someone tries to poison Kennedy and another person ends up dead. To make matters worse, the crimes seem to be following the plot of one of Kate’s books, turning all eyes on her as the prime suspect. Chaos ensues, and Kate decides that she needs to channel her inner Loretta and figure out who’s behind all of it, all the while sharing a room with Jake and trying to calm the attraction she’s had to him since “the incident” two years ago.

I feel like this is supposed to be a campy, fun amateur mystery, almost like Clue. You have a gossipy wedding planner who can’t talk about former clients by name but wants to talk about all of them. “Our clients value discretion above all else, so while nondisclosure agreements prevent me from naming names, let’s just say I’ve fixed a tear in a bridal gown of a certain American to a certain royal and personally stocked the bar on the private plane of a certain billionaire on the way to his private island wedding.”

You have the nieces and nephews of Rebecca all waiting for their own inheritances. Add to that the authors of Simon Says protesting contract delays with management, and there are a lot of people who might want to see one or two people dead. Since the whole book centers around Kate’s point of view, we know she is not the killer, but someone is definitely trying to set her up.

As I said, there is a lot of potential here. I did not guess the killer, so in that respect, the story did its job. When the killer is revealed near the end, I was definitely surprised, but the convoluted reason for the crimes and the way we get there…whew, it was a lot of work.

First, I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. All of the nieces and nephews have problems and reasons they need money, but their characters don’t feel different enough to be able to remember who’s who. Kate is oblivious to the issues the other authors are having with their contracts despite the fact that she claims to be friends with some of them. And every time someone seems to get stuck somewhere in the mansion where the wedding is being held, there’s a secret passage discovered. Every time. It’s too convenient.

Second, this is apparently the author’s first foray into adult fiction from young adult. There’s the obvious romance element between Kate and Jake, with a little added tension because Jake seems to think that Kate is not over Spencer. The author includes two steamy scenes between Kate and Jake, but they just feel awkward and unrealistic. In one of them, Kate gets trapped and almost falls to the bottom of an old manual lift, covered in cobwebs and spiders, when Jake comes to her rescue. She literally strips off her clothes because a spider crawls into her bra…and then she and Jake have this supposedly romantic and amazing sexual encounter. Ewww!

Third, I couldn’t stop thinking to myself, Kate is not an investigator! She’s a writer. Yet she goes through life asking herself what Loretta would do, daydreaming her way through scenes where other characters literally have to snap her out of it because she’s writing the scene in her head. She’s flighty and thinks that because she researches for her books, that it makes her an investigator. She keeps talking to Jake about her murder board and her wall of suspects and how they’re going to solve the crime. She…is…a…writer!

And finally, the fact that Kate feels the need to investigate hinges on the fact that no one can get on or off the island because of the storm, so the police are nowhere in sight. Convenient, since no one can control the weather. But you expect readers to believe that a wedding of this magnitude, an heiress to a huge fortune, would not have ample security or law enforcement in place?

Every time the author included an excerpt from one of Kate’s books, it pulled me out of the story. Every time Kate talked about “her investigation,” I rolled my eyes. I just really didn’t enjoy this at all.