This was such a cute cozy mystery/chill romance.
Loved the characters and their dynamics.
I solved the mystery pretty early on in the book, but since it was more of a fun read I didn’t mind.
Pomona and her family are hotel royalty. When her grandmother is found dead, murdered in her bed, Pomona is kicked out of her hotel home until the murder is solved.
So cute. If you need a fun read, pick it up!

This was a dnf for me unfortunately, I was just not into it at around 20% in and the fmc was honestly insufferable to me:/

Cute story about a girl just trying to solve a murder and get her life back, but she ends up finding herself in the process. This was a really easy read. I enjoyed getting to learn about Pomona Afton. I would recommend this book to a friend. This was a lighthearted, mystery, infused with tragedy, humor, and love.

This book was a revelation, I immediately found it fast and witty, a very pleasant discovery. There is a bit of mystery, a bit of romance, and it is a smooth read. Recommended! Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in preview.

This was a fun murder mystery with a focus on personal growth. I really liked Pom and her struggles after she loses everything, and how that then shapes her into the character at the end. She undergoes so much development, and I loved seeing it. In the background of her growth, she solves the murder of her grandmother and falls in love. The investigation of the murder was enjoyable and not predicted by me. The romance was simple, but I did like seeing Pom and Gabe grow closer.

When her grandmother is murdered in their hotel, socialite Pomona finds herself without any money or place to stay, and her inheritance inaccessible unless someone finds the killer. She ends up crashing with her former nanny’s grumpy son and he gets her a job at a coffee shop. They spend their spare time trying to solve the murder.

Pomona at first is insufferable, but has a nice character arc and clearly learns to become an improved version of herself. Her baking skills improve a bit too fast for my liking (baking is harder than it seems!), but I liked that she developed a skill and found success via her own merits. The romance was cute. Overall, an unexpectedly fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was good. A short, quick murder mystery that had a little side of character development.

If you’re looking for a fast story with a mystery, this is a good option! There’s not a ton of depth to this story, there were attempts at depth with the characters, but overall the whole story felt shallow. Which is fine, that’s the kind of story this is.

The romance was so unnecessary (I never say that) and also felt like it was done half-way. However, I can appreciate Pomona’s individual arc. It didn’t feel like any of her friendships or familial relationships had any huge emotional impact though.

Overall, a very solidly 3 star book for me.

This book was AWESOME! The best book I have read in a long time! It was hilarious, endearing, suspenseful, and everything else you could ever want in a story. The writing was witty and hilarious, I enjoyed every page. Perfect !

This was such a good murder mystery / rom com book. I loved Pomona's (Pom) character development throughout the book. Hotel heiress / influencer Pomona Afton finds herself without any money or place to live after her grandmother was murdered and her will froze all of their assets. Pomona was very Alexis from Schitt's Creek personality wise. Sweet, but ignorant to the lives of regular people which she now is thrust into. Pomona is determined to get back to her lifestyle so she needs to solve her grandmother's murder in order to get her money and house back! Pom moves in with her ex nanny's son who helps her get a job and helps her to solve the murder and at the same time she finds herself falling for him. This was a light sweet read that I really enjoyed! Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC.

Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️👠🔪
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fun, witty, and full of laugh-out-loud moments! Think: a spoiled, self-centered London Tipton-type as your protagonist-Pomona Afton. Her life has always been absurdly easy: she’s never cooked, cleaned, done laundry, or even grocery shopped. She’s lived off her influencer income and her family’s hotel empire wealth.

But everything changes the night of a glamorous gala, when Pomona’s formidable grandmother is murdered-stabbed with a stiletto. A clause in the will reveals that if the family doesn’t solve the murder within a year, they’ll lose access to the Afton estate and trust. Naturally, chaos (and comedy) ensues.

Pomona is instantly thrown into a world she’s never known. She struggles to find a place to live and ends up moving in with Gabe, the son of her old nanny, who has zero patience for her spoiled antics. I especially loved that Gabe has a cat named Squeaky-the same cat Pomona’s parents told her had “run away,” when in reality, they gave it to the nanny to get rid of. Classic.

Pomona lands a job at a coffee shop (where Gabe is her manager) and realizes she has to actually try-both to solve the murder and to figure out what kind of life she wants. She and Gabe, naturally, grow closer, and Pomona starts to find a passion for baking, friendships, and becoming a better version of herself.

This debut gave me Finlay Donovan meets Dial A for Aunties energy. It was light-hearted, charming, and had serious Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Material Girls, Uptown Girls, and Girls vibes. If Bellamy Rose writes a sequel, I’ll definitely check it out.

Recommended for anyone looking for a fun, cozy mystery with a glam twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
When hotel heiress Pomona finds her dead grandmother’s body, she’s traumatized… and then she hears of the new clause in her grandmothers will; an unnatural death freezes all assets and rips that silver Spoon right out of Pom’s mouth. The police aren’t making any progress, so if pampered Pom wants her old life back, she’ll have to solve this murder herself… but will she want everything to go back to how it was? New roommate, and partner in crime solving, Gabe might show her a few things that are worth changing.

Overall takeaway, this book is fun! It’s a rollicking murder mystery with a sweet romance subplot threaded through. Our main character is flawed but kindhearted and those ditzy heiress moments will either read as silly or fun -between that and the obvious tropes, the book can feel a little caricaturist at times, it doesn’t read as poorly written, just firmly hitting all the notes you’d expect.
It’s a satisfying read, there’s personal growth, a neat but not closed-off ending, and I just really get a lot of pleasure from the whole cosy murder mystery cum romance story.

Thank you, Atria/Emily Bestler and NetGalley, for my eARC of Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I really enjoyed Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder. We're solving Pomona's grandma's murder so that she can gain back access to her trust fund, but as she works to solve the mystery, we also get to watch Pomona evolve. I liked the relationship between the two MCs, and am glad to see the dynamic between Pomona and Gabe because it worked so well.

I liked the character arc that we see with Pomona. She may not be relatable in the beginning, but she becomes more real and recognizable as reality hits her, and I like how Gabe was there to help her along the way--not overly so--and Pomona learned how to be herself sans money.

This was a fun murder/mystery and I look forward to seeing what else Rose comes out with next!

Thanks, Emily Bestler!

I love a fun mystery - and that is exactly what this one was.

I struggled a bit at the beginning because Pomona was a hard character to root for - but I got there. The twists and turns were good and kept me on my toes. Overall quite enjoyable!

Thanks NetGalley and Atria for the arc!

Thanks to Emily Bestler Books / Simon & Schuster for my #gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun audiobook that I’d liken to a more mature Nancy Drew with The Simple Life (with Paris & Nicole) vibes. If I were writing a news article I’d call it “Heiress solves murder along with her cutie sidekick, catches a dose of reality.”

Pom is a total airhead BUT to her credit she CAN DO things…stuff like bake…screw up a coffee order and well, SOLVE A MURDER.

Up until her grandmother’s murder Pom led a life of privilege and snobbery, totally out of touch with the real world. After her grandmother’s murder she and her family are frozen out of their inheritance because of a specific clause regarding a suspicious death. They’ll never get the money unless the murderer is found within a year.

Fav moment is prob the first REAL kiss. I just loved how the MCs grew closer over the course of the story.

I loved how Pom finally set boundaries for her life. I’ve come to similar conclusions in my own life and am better for it. It was fun rooting for Pomona throughout the story.

4.5/5 ⭐️

A spoiled, rich heiress loses everything after her grandma is murdered. Pomona is shocked when she finds her grandmother murdered. But she is even more shocked when she finds out her grandma's will freezes the estate until her killer is found. And if they aren't found within a year, the estate goes away forever. She finds a place to stay with Gabe, the son of her former nanny. He agrees to help her find the killer.

I really enjoyed this one! I think it took a little to get into, but once she is out of the Afton and staying with Gabe, it really picks up! I loved that Pom had such growth and we didn't have to spend the book hating her! It gave me similar vibes in terms of writing style to the Riley Thorn books (in a great way) with the character's voice. I am intrigued to see if we get another one because there was perhaps a hint of a second one (maybe depending on how well this one does?). I would gladly run to read that one because this one was such a romp! Definitely would recommend!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun mystery romance with major Clueless vibes! It was a great story of personal development for Pomona who went from spoiled, rich, stuck-up, heiress to broke, slightly less stuck-up normal-ish girl. The whodunit was a fun component to this story and it was entertaining to see all the ways Pomona and Gabe tried solving the case. My main gripe with the story doesn't have much to do with the story itself but more so with Pomona's character. I've never been a huge fan of the spoiled brat to regular person storyline and because of that, it took about half the book for me to start liking Pomona. All in all though, cute story and it ended in a way where there might be another book!

Thank you, @BellamyRoseBooks and @AtriaBooks for my free @NetGalley #ARC.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 255 / Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: March 18, 2025

Spoiled rich girl Pomona Afton has just been coasting through life living off her family’s millions. Her entire family actually live in The Afton, a posh hotel they own in Manhattan. Then one day she finds her grandmother brutally murdered. Apparently, grandmother Afton had a suspicion that someone was out to get her, so she changed her will at the last minute to freeze all the family money and kick out all her family members from The Afton until her murderer is found. If Pomona is to get her life back, she has to solve this murder herself. This also means living like a normal person with a roommate and a job and taking a good hard look at the people in her life and how she and they have been treating others.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery. I love a fish-out-of-water story, especially when snooty rich people get a dose of reality and the comeuppance they deserve.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the complimentary e-ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Pomona’s life turns upside down after her grandmother’s death and in order to get back to her luxury lifestyle she has to solve the murder.

I would like to thank Lara Jones (senior editor) for putting a label onto my now favorite genre - mystery rom-com. I loved this book, it had everything I enjoy - murder to solve, cute banter and characters you want to keep reading about. Even though Pomona seemed a spoiled brat she is a really likable character who took matters in her hands. Every character in this book had a distinguished character and was easy to imagine and like or hate.

I hope to read some more from Bellamy Rose in a near future.

This was such a fun and quick read. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Pomona is a very likeable character. I will definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an entertaining quick read. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. So the summary and title of this book really made me excited to read it. I expected from the summary that there would be a bit of mystery with it and there wasn’t at all.
The book was ok but there was just nothing in it that I had expected to find. I kept reading expecting something to happen but nothing did. This one just wasn’t really for me.