This was a whacky blend of cozy murder mystery and second chance romance that takes place on a remote island off the coast of Seattle during a destination wedding of bestselling author Kate's ex, Spencer.

When bodies start turning up in circumstances that eerily resemble scenes from Kate's books, things start to get serious and the more time she spends with fellow guest Jake, the one who got away, the more old feelings from the past get dredged up.

Full of action, tons of forced proximity open door spice, ridiculous accidental deaths and even a cougar on the loose, this book will make you laugh, swoon and cackle with glee. A hugely entertaining adult fiction debut by a new to me author who I will eagerly look forward to reading more from.

This was also great on audio narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen who does an impressive job narrating the full cast of characters, including Jake's very convincing Australian accent. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! Recommended for fans of Pip Drysdale's Close-up or Catherine Mack's No one was supposed to die at this wedding.

Very imaginative mystery! I love that the point of view vacillates between Kate and Loretta, her fictional character. How every situation is assessed and then rewritten in a novel. Even how Kate tries to draw strength from Loretta. And I absolutely love old mansions, with their many rooms and hidden passageways and alcoves - there is no better setting for a mystery ... or a wedding (or like this, both!)! The mystery was complex enough to keep you guessing which of the guests could be behind these devious acts, where everyone has a motive and there are so many machinations behind the scenes! An exciting and fun read!

Kate writes murder mysteries, and at her ex-fiance's wedding she is shocked when she's thrust into a real-life whodunnit. Teaming up with Jake, a former colleague and (maybe more than?) a friend who unexpectedly shows up at the wedding, Kate tries to solve the case before there's another victim. Piece of cake for a murder writer, right? Not when everyone's a suspect! The author jumps right into the story, and it's a great blend of exposition with events. There's quite a bit of intrigue, which keeps the story moving along. Jake and Kate together were a lot of fun, and Kate had just the right amount of snark and chaos. (And I think we could all benefit from having a Blake in our life!) The writing was witty and fairly fast-paced. There was a large cast of characters which, at times, made it harder to keep track of everyone and bogged the movement of the story down a bit. But that also made it harder to pin down who was behind everything, which certainly kept me guessing and reading to the end. Personally the book was a bit too long for my tastes, but ultimately the author made us care about Kate and Jake (and Loretta and Blake too!). Heavy use of the fake dating/just one bed/forced proximity/friends-to-lovers tropes in this open-door romance. Readers who like their romance stories wrapped up in a murder mystery filled with banter and emotional realizations will love this book!

Kate Valentine, best selling mystery author was invited to her ex fiance’s wedding by the bride’s rich aunt. there, her long time crush, Jake was mistakenly invited as her plus one. At the wedding, someone attempted to poison the wife. Strangely enough, this incident feels eerie similar to Kate's best selling series about Loretta. So she, along with Jake must investigate but who exactly is behind the crime?

I think this book is a pretty fun and cute mystery and romance read. It’s quite cozy, which is perfect for a romance novel.

This book has a perfect setting for a mystery book (an island in the pacific northwest). But somewhere, somehow the mystery vibe was lost and the book felt bright and cheery, which i guess fit well with the romcom aspect.

There are so many characters here. I am talking people be popping up left and right and I was constantly like:” Oh hi, who exactly are you?”. I was reading around 5 different plot lines at the same time. One moment Kate & Jake were on a stalking mission. The next? They were kissing and all over one another. Everything just felt disjointed and I was left confused. Because the story moved so fast from one subplot to the next, there was not enough tension built either for the romance or the mystery murder.

If you read the beginning of this review, you might think that it is quite…negative. I don’t hate this book, I think it has massive potential to be turned into a game. This book would be fun to read with a group of friends, annotated, solved like a pure murder mystery. Each character will be investigated for who they are, their motives, etc. I think it would really make a fun game night.

Kate Valentine is the author of the Starling Mystery series, starring Loretta Starling, Florida Keys bartender by night and amateur sleuth by day. Now Kate is at the diagonal geographic opposite of a tropical paradise — somewhere on a private island in the SanJuan Islands off coastal Washington State. Kate has been invited to a very recent EX fiancé’s nuptials. He’s Spencer, her editor at Simon Says. Six months ago Kate and Spencer were *the* engaged couple; now it’s Spencer and Kennedy Hempstead, a marketing manager at the same publishing firm. Kennedy’s advantage over Kate is being part of a very rich family. The island is named after her family and Kennedy’s aunt and strict executor of the entire family estate is the “Bitch Bull of Wall Street,” Rebecca Hempstead. Kate only decided to attend after getting a handwritten note from her.

Along with Kate is Jake Hawkins, the Hotstralian and another of the Simon Says authors, who was surreptitiously invited as Kate’s plus-one by the bride (Kate does have a secret fondness for Jake). Both of them are flirty but also put off by the awkwardness of the wedding and its strange guests, plus the overall creepiness of the big house (including way too many taxidermied monstrosities, personally killed by Rebecca for her unalive “menagerie”).

Then Spencer directly (and inappropriately) quotes one of Kate’s novel’s love scenes while touting his bride at the rehearsal dinner, which sends Kate into a voluntary drunken tizzy. Which only gets much worse when she stumbles over the seemingly dead body of the bride, much like the plot of her first Loretta Starling book and as well as a scene in book three, too. Plus, is there evidence of the unusual poison used in book four? Hoo boy.

What proceeds is an adorable cozy mystery with a lot of romantic bantering between Kate and the Aussie hunk. The book is interspersed with prescient quotes from Loretta books and Kate’s notes about potential Loretta vignettes. Kate’s reaction to finding the motionless Kennedy is primarily “What Would Loretta Do?” As a locked room mystery, we get to know all the possible suspects and then decide along with Kate (and Loretta) which of them is having murderous thoughts and has read Kate’s books thoroughly enough to try to frame her.

This is author Moke’s first foray into adult fiction and, hopefully, not her last. “She Doesn’t Have a Clue” is great for a cozy wintry day’s read or keep it for the next island beach wedding you’re invited to! 4.5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Not human eyes, but Kate is caught off guard by a set of greenish-yellow eyes spying on her from the trees above.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): Hmmmmm — I did learn about deadly rosary peas, although they are normally native to Asia, Australia and the subtropical parts of the Americas (not the San Juan Islands).

Thank you to St.Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

In this fun read, we meet Kate, a writer who usually spends her time in the world of make-believe, working on a murder mystery series set in Florida. But now, she's heading off to her ex-fiancé's wedding on a private island. Not only is her ex fiancé tying the knot, but he’s also the one who edits her books, and he’s waiting for her next story. To make things even more awkward, Jake—her old friend and secret crush—is also on the boat. He’s an attractive Australian adventurer, and Kate is confused about why he’s even invited to the wedding.

Things get wild when they reach the island. From having awful weather is, discovering a dead animal, and to top it off, there are some pretty strange folks around. And yes, there’s a body or two to deal with. The wedding weekend is definitely off to a chaotic start!

I truly enjoyed this book! The cover and the summary drew me in, and I’m so happy I decided to read it. Kate is quirky and endearing, while Jake is a dream guy for her (even if he’s a globe-trotting surfer who may not be ready for a serious relationship). Their connection is fantastic, and the wedding chaos just keeps escalating.

This book is a fun mix of mystery, laughter, romance, and a touch of the bizarre. It’s entertaining, a bit steamy, and ridiculous in the best possible way. If you enjoy stories like this, I highly recommend giving it a go!
4.25 Stars!

This hybrid mystery/rom-com is so much fun. The sarcasm and zing-y dialogue had me laughing out loud. And spicy scenes were hot! I listened to the audiobook, and narrator Sarah Mollo-Christensen gives one hell of a performance. Definitely worth the read/listen, and I look forward to more from the author. Thanks to Minotaur for the ARC.

This is a very funny book. It has romance, comedy, and is a mystery book. It’s quite different. The main characters Kate is a writer who is bent framed for murder. She use'sher main character as a muse to solving the crime. She bumbles about causing really funny scenes. I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing. I liked following her clues to catching the killer. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Cozy mystery meets romance. 
Some cozy mysteries do have a bit of romance. This one had a bit of spicy romance. It was a fun story. It mixed the two genres very well. Kate’s mind works exactly like I would think an author’s does. Going straight into what her characters would do. And Jake is the hot Australian that got away. We always need one of those. I really enjoyed this. It mixed two things I love.

Okay I love the nickname “Katey Cakes” hahaha that was so cute. I really loved the murder mystery aspect of this book. It was fun and kept me on my toes and I truly had no clue who did it! But when I found out it made sense. At the same time, the spice scenes felt SO OUT OF PLACE….. like you spend so many chapters solving a mystery and then OOPS, pause, spice scene, resume investigation and so forth. I didn’t like that, the relationship just felt really random because of that. This book probably could’ve done so well as just a murder mystery but it is what it is. Glad it was a HEA. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5/5 rounded up

Thank you Minotaur Books for the advanced reading copy!

Romance and mystery are my two favorite genres, and reading them mixed together was super fun! The balance between these two genres was very well done, with enough of both to satisfy the itch! The setting was atmospheric and fun -- who doesn't love a remote manner wedding?! There were a lot of characters involved in the mystery aspect, though and it was fairly difficult for me to keep track of all the suspects and their potential motives. Some characters, like the bride for example, felt like they were there only to complement the FMC's story and goals, rather than be their own person, which was a bit irritating. While it took me a second to get into this one, I did enjoy it overall! Overall, though, this was a fun read that drastically picked up in the second half, keeping me totally drawn in!

3.5 stars

A somewhat madcap sexy mystery featuring the hapless Kate and eventual love interest Jake. Kate writes mysteries with a strong and fearless main character, Loretta. Clearly Loretta is who Kate wishes she was but Kate is made of lesser stuff. She withdraws from all social and business activity for the better part of a year after her fiance leaves her for another woman -- even though she didn't really want to marry him.

So why does she find herself on a deserted island at an old castle for the destination wedding of the same former fiance? When the bodies start falling, Kate channels Loretta (with Jake's help) to solve the crime and manages to shed some of her baggage in the process. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 stars. I'll be honest, I think I read this too close to The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year. The murder mystery writer FMCs, traveling to secluded houses with secret passages and a murder mystery to solve that mimics the plot of a book one of the characters has written were all echoes of each other in those two books. I kept hearing familiar plot lines of the other book and that probably impacted my enjoyment and the ability to isolate this book in and of itself.

Overall, this was a well done mystery romance. The plot as I mentioned above was pretty standard fare and echoes closely some other books - but generally speaking it was intriguing and fast-paced. There were some interesting and unique elements that ended up loosely tying together but also felt like a bit of a stretch - the big game hunting/cougar on the island was one example of that.

I will say I was more engaged with this book in the second half - the first half took a while to come together for me and there were a lot of characters but not really a lot happening (it felt like). The second half pulled everything together nicely and moved at a much quicker pace. There were a couple of twists that I didn't see coming which kept me engaged - I enjoyed the cleverness that was employed to piece the twists together in service of the ultimate ending.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book.

This was Jenny Elder Mike’s first attempt at an adult novel. If had a few misses but on the whole it was a delightful romp.
Kate Valentine is a quirky mystery author who is having a little writers block. She attends the wedding of her ex fiancé, who is also her editor, on a lavish private island that the brides family owns. Why did she agree to go? Her draft of her next book is late and the thought of a weekend as a single. Ugh. As she jumps to catch the last ferry to the island, she literally falls into the lap of her old friend Blake whom she has had the serious hots for. Maybe this won’t be such a dull weekend. The weather turns frightful and the whole party is stuck until the storm clears. The bride is poisoned in an all too close story line of her latest novel . Who would do such a thing? It is up to Kate and Blake, to solve the mystery before the blame is put on her shoulders. Can she find the killer among the crazy family and guests before there is another attempt? My one criticism is the sex scenes were a little too graphic. They just do not seem to flow with the feel of book on the whole. They seemed like they were just thrown in for what reason? I think they would have been so much better with being a little less graphic and more romantic to feel like the rest of the book.

Bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine reluctantly attends her ex-fiancé’s lavish wedding on a secluded island near Seattle. But the celebration takes a dark turn when the bride is poisoned and a body turns up—eerily mirroring the plot of Kate’s latest novel. With stormy weather trapping the guests and tensions running high, Kate teams up with her charming yet regretful ex, Jake Hawkins, to solve the mystery. As secrets unravel and suspects multiply, Kate must channel her fictional heroine, Loretta Starling, to catch the killer before the island becomes their final chapter.

She Doesn't Have A Clue by Jenny Elder Moke

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. But 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.

This was a wild ride, a lot chaotic, and sometimes you wanted to yell at Kate.... or maybe that was just me.There's a lot of characters to keep up with, all with a motive of their own, and everything happens within 24 hours making you wonder how it's all fitting in. The murder mystery and sleuthing is paired with a second chance romance, and as much as I love a second chance, this romance felt entirely out of place in the events happening in this haunted mansion.

Overall, an entertaining read with a satisfying ending.
Thanks, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was fun! I did enjoy the story and the main character (An author) was super likeable. I enjoyed the fact that there was enough going on it kept me engaged but it did feel like there were too many variables and people in the story and that was kind of hard to keep track of. The story itself kind of makes up for that as it was a cozy, fun read!

Ahhh this was seriously so much fun!! I’ve been slowly dipping my toes into the romcom genre this year (I prefer them as mostly audiobooks I learned) and I’ve gotten pretty lucky with every rare one I’ve decided to give a go! I just knew I had every chance of enjoying this one though lol. I’m not a big romcom reader/watcher, however I’m a HUGE mystery fan and this book was the perfect blend of the two.

A locked room (island) murder mystery with a bit of second chance romance and a lot of humor really just did the trick for me on this one! The setting of an island they’re all trapped on during a raging storm where everything seems to go wrong was PERFECTION. But also the Steve Irwin type of hottie and the super sleuth who’s always stuck in her own head but is also hilarious also really just made this book for me lol.

Also there was a HUGE cast of characters to keep up with and really made me question everyone! lol Even though there were so many different kinds of people, they were easy to distinguish and it didn’t get confusing at all but really lend to the mystery and intrigue!

Overall, I would definitely read more mystery romcom’s, it truly was so much fun!

The story was okay, the ending was meh. I didn’t feel much of a connection with the love interest. I almost didn’t finish but am glad I stuck with it and got to the end

She Doesn’t Have a Clue is a twisty mystery with plenty of drama, humor, and a splash of romance, but it also comes with a few bumps along the way. It’s one of those books that tests your ability to keep track of a sprawling cast of characters, multiple subplots, and overly dramatic revelations—all while the main character teeters between solving a murder and navigating her own chaotic life.

This book throws you into the deep end with a slew of characters—some family, some friends, some enemies. Keeping track of who’s related to whom, who’s rich, and who’s scheming can be overwhelming at first. Add in the fact that Kennedy, the bride-to-be, is suddenly called "Ken" midway through the story, and I was convinced there was an entirely new character introduced. If you're picking this one up, I highly recommend having both the audiobook and Kindle version handy—flipping back to clarify relationships saved me more than once! (as did consulting my notes I take on the characters)

The plot alternates between real-world events and the main character, Kate Valentine, mentally framing everything as if it’s part of her Loretta Starling mystery series. This added some insight into how Kate’s mind works and how she WANTED to be. However, it also slows the pacing at times. Kate’s self-absorbed tendencies don’t help, either—particularly her choice to not report a death...Despite this, I loved the chemistry between Kate and Jake. Their banter and eventual teamwork balanced out some of the more frustrating aspects of Kate’s personality. By the end, their partnership felt earned and satisfying.

The finale is... a lot. While the stormy wedding, hidden passageways, and long-buried family secrets felt perfectly on theme, the sudden appearance of a cougar (!!) pushed things into the absurd. I could almost picture the dramatic movie adaptation, but it was hard not to roll my eyes. There are also loose threads left dangling—Serena’s true identity and the publishing house mole are hinted at but never resolved, leaving me scratching my head.

Audiobook Note:
The narrator deserves a shoutout! She brought the story to life with just the right tone for this blend of suspense and humor. Her performance made the twists more engaging and helped me push through the denser sections of character-building. Still, when I got confused, it was nice to have the print version to consult, which I did a lot.

Tough Timing for My Reading List:
I made the mistake of reading this book alongside No One Was Supposed to Die at the Wedding, another stormy, remote-island wedding mystery where someone is out to kill a member of the wedding party. Talk about double the chaos! The overlapping settings and themes made it harder to keep the stories straight, so I’d recommend spacing out your murder-mystery-on-an-island reads if you’re planning to pick this one up.

Final Thoughts:
While She Doesn’t Have a Clue has its flaws—an overly large cast, a few too many loose ends, and some far-fetched moments—it still delivers a fun and engaging read. If you enjoy stories where personal drama collides with murder mysteries, or if you’re a fan of books that blur the line between the fictional and the meta-fictional, this could be worth checking out. Just be ready for a little confusion along the way and a plot that gets a little wild at the end.