Kate Valentine is a best selling author of the Loretta mysteries, staying in a very old mansion on an isolated island to witness her ex-fiancée get married to another woman. And she has writer’s block. Plus a very hot Australian has just wandered back into her life. Oh, and there’s been an attempted murder. And a murder.

Needless to say, her life is pretty complicated right now.

I loved this book. It’s funny, spicy, romantic, and suspenseful, with a great mystery. The characters are all really unique, and Kate is so compelling and endearing as a realistic main character. I would recommend this book for sure.

I enjoy a good cozy mystery with a dash of romance, but I was disappointed in this novel. I felt like every possible red herring and complication was thrown out there, to the point that I felt I needed a spreadsheet to keep track of who was who and why they might want the bride dead. Also the segues to the main character's imaginary detective were not always well defined, making me go back and reread to see where current events and imagined events split off. Perhaps it becomes more defined in the final editing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

As someone who only dabbles in mystery, this was the perfect blend with romance. It gave me everything I needed and I really enjoyed it.

This book was fantastic! 5 stars for me. Love the cover. Loved the main characters - Jake and Kate. The “stuck on an island in a storm” mystery was great. Kate is a mystery writer and incorporating the fictional storylines from her books was fun. The book was fast paced and I wanted to keep reading but also didn’t want it to end. She Doesn’t Have a Clue was an adult debut for author Jenny Elder Moke and I already can’t wait to read whatever she writes next! I really enjoy the cozy mystery/romance genre.

This one was really cute. I liked the combination of cozy mystery and romance a lot!
I went in expecting a grown up Scooby Doo vibe but was pleasantly surprised that it held its own.
Kate and Jake are definitely goals. I’d love to see more of them.

Kate is an author of murder mystery novels who ends up in an actual murder mystery/rom com of her own at her ex fiancé's wedding. I thought this story was okay. It was a bit slow at times & there didn't seem to be much suspense or fear from the guests. The Loretta Starling excerpts throughout were fun but I didn't like how they were in the middle of chapters.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke is a cozy romantic mystery. Kate Valentine is a mystery author who is struggling to complete her book. She agrees to attend her ex-fiancé’s wedding (who is also her editor). However, the bride is poisoned before the wedding, there is a murder, and Kate finds the murders mirror her novels. She must solve the mysteries with the help of her attractive, former friend/crush Jake while trying not to fall for him again.

This was a cute story. I felt I enjoyed the mystery more than the romance as it felt more developed. However, the mystery aspect for a romance was a fun twist that kept me guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke is about mystery author Kate Valentine who unexpectedly gets invited to the wedding of her ex-fiancé on a secluded island. While there, Kate has to channel her detective character Loretta to help solve the mysteries that begin to happen at the mansion. She also happens to run into an old flame at the wedding as well!

This story had mystery, romance and fun. At times, the extensive cast of characters was a lot, but was needed to execute the plot. I think fans of Finlay Donovan would enjoy Kate and all she goes through in solving a real life mystery. Fun, fast paced read!

4.5 stars most definitely! I have found a new interest in my reading style: I LOVE spicy (but not overly spicy) murder mysteries!!

The love/romantic elements did not take away from the plot, but definitely added more interest to the story. Not at all a bad story.

A rather cozy murder mystery — I enjoyed this much more than I was anticipating. I absolutely adored the two characters and I think I would definitely look to read more of Jenny Elder Moke's books in the near future.

She Doesn’t Have A Clue- Jenny Elder Moke
Narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️
Narration 🎧🎧🎧🎧

This was such a cute book. It was so captivating and kept my attention from page one and I couldn’t put it down. I just HAD to know what the next clue was. So many twists and turns. I love mysteries like this because I speculate from the very beginning who did what and honestly 9/10 I’m wrong but it’s fun to guess. I am happy to report that one of my theories is what the outcome ended up being, but the journey and the reveal so fun yet shocking. Having the side romance at the same time made this story that much sweeter.

Sarah did a great job with this narration. I think she did a great job capturing the emotion and the suspense.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke combines mystery with romance with murder and a bit of rich people drama for a really fun time overall. I don’t read many mysteries but I found myself super invested in where this was going. I thought it was a delight from start to finish. I loved Kate, our lead character. She is a mess but she’s my favorite kind of mess. Moke’s writing is very easy to digest and I was kept guessing at all the twists and turns. I loved all the supporting characters. They were fleshed out enough to keep me engaged in this world. I liked the romance angle with Jake and Kate. My only really issue there is while I do enjoy spice, I felt the spicy scenes here slowed down the plot. Spice should feel organic and while I believed their relationship and chemistry, I would have entirely cut the spice or placed it in better. I also feel like our victim here wasn’t given enough time before they became a victim. I didn’t feel like I knew them enough to feel any way about the murder. I couldn’t guess the culprit until the end which made this a ton of fun. I liked this a lot and would love to read more mystery/romances like this.

Added link to video review:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8YJqwPy/

If you loved playing CLUE growing up and watching Rom-coms this book is for you.

We have a wedding at a private island, when a storm hits. The FMC is a murder mystery writer that was engaged to the groom. Being the ex brings all sorts of drama. Also when the person you’ve been unconsciously in love with shows up.

The writing is fast paced, funny and great story building. The characters are fun, their personalities really shine through. I loved the bride and her character. Great growth on the FMC.

Mid-low spice and slow burn. 🔥

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC

Well, this book was just simply delightful! A little bit romance and a little bit cozy mystery and a whole lot of fun. The romantic aspects were fantastic, and the mystery was truly engaging. I liked Kate and her fictional character Loretta , who she sometimes channels to help in sticky situations.

She Doesn't Have a Clue is filled with humor, witty dialog, and quirky characters. The private island setting was vivid and interesting, especially the manor house teaming with taxidermied animals and secret passages. All of these things combined to make for a very entertaining read.

I absolutely recommend this cozy murder mystery with a steamy second chance romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This story was so hard to follow. I first tried the audiobook and the narrators voice was just so annoying to me. It was hard to keep track of what was happening now and what was her story writing. I jut felt lost mist of the time. A disappointment as the premise sounded promising.

Reminiscent of Stephanie Plum or Finlay Donovan, writer Kate Valentine is having issues writing her next book but her life is consumed with what would her character do to solve the mystery. The mystery gets wild when she turns up with a former crush and coworker to her ex-fiancé's wedding on a private island promptly made inaccessible by a huge storm while those at the publishing house harbored rumors of the company going under and the family is outwardly battling over the island and finances.
A few hilarious missteps, a lot of family drama, and a clear attempt to frame Kate for trying to stop the wedding, Kate needs to become her character to unravel the chaos and set everything to rights before she takes the fall for it all.
This book was so good, so satisfying, and while some elements were as predictable as mystery comedies tend to be, there were many elements that really did create the mystery arcs and herrings. Thoroughly enjoyable.


#arc
#netgalley
#shedoesnthaveaclue

A murder mystery at a lavish island wedding? Sign me up! She Doesn’t Have a Clue is the perfect mix of mystery, humor, and second-chance romance, and I had an absolute blast reading it.

Kate Valentine, a bestselling mystery author, somehow ends up at her ex-fiancé’s wedding (why she agreed is beyond me), but things take a dark turn when the bride is poisoned and a dead body turns up. To make matters worse—or maybe better?—her former flame, Jake Hawkins, is the only one willing to help her crack the case.

With sharp wit, plenty of twists, and a romance I couldn’t get enough of, this book kept me hooked from start to finish. If you love cozy mysteries with snarky humor and a dash of romance, this one’s for you!

I liked this premise of a mystery romcom a lot, but the execution left me wanting a little more, both in the romcom and in the mystery aspects.

In terms of the mystery, I never really got invested in it, enough that I wasn't even guessing, which is a pretty major strike against a mystery for me. The romance felt a little stronger, but it relied heavily on miscommunication, which isn't my favorite.

So while this wasn't a bad read by any means, I didn't really get as much out of it as I wanted, unfortunately.

I had so much fun with this story. It was silly, but harkened back to my days where I read more mysteries than anything else, but the romance was a delicious addition. I felt so sorry for Kate that she needs her fictional character Loretta to handle the difficult things because when she relies on herself, things do not go according to plan, and is spectacular in getting messed up. Which is how she ends up attending her ex's wedding weekend on a remote island with the one that got away.

Can recommend especially if you want a lighter murder mystery, with a second chance romance.

Light cozy mystery/ romance a solid adult debut. Slow burn with great banter highlights. Wanted a bit more in the pacing and mystery the early middle of the book lagged a bit. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.