Pomona Afton is connected and lives in one of her family’s hotels within their hotel empire. After finding her grandmother murdered, her entire family is cast out because her grandmother already had suspicions someone was after her. Trying to figure out what to do next, she’s made aware of an open room at her ex-nanny son’s apartment. Together, they team up to try to solve her grandmother’s murder.

My biggest gripe was Pomona herself. She has a lot to learn and needed a reality check earlier on in life. Someone. Maybe Andrea? There’s nothing wrong enjoying the nicer things in life, but they need to be acknowledged and there’s really no need to look down on so many things that are seen as lesser than. It’s demeaning and downright rude. Sure, she made some strides but mot very many!

The Afton family needs help and therapy. Lots of negative people, horrible parenting, old “traditional” values. Everyone pissed me off there. I understand how Pomona became who she was but still… yikes.

The best person, who seems to see the brighter side of things and would have loved to see a little more of, is Gabe.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read! Very well done for a debut novel.

It was a great murder mystery with intrigue and a bit of romance sprinkled in. If you like rom coms and mysteries, then this is the book for you! Loved the main characters and the length of the book was a perfect rainy day length.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Pomona Afton Can So Solve A Murder had me hooked with its quirky premise and sassy protagonist. Pomona is a fresh addition to the cozy mystery genre, and her sharp humor kept the story entertaining. The book delivers solid twists (I really thought I had it solved!) and a lively cast of characters that made for a pretty fun read!

While the mystery was intriguing, the pacing was a bit uneven—some sections felt like they dragged, while others flew by too quickly. At times, the dialogue leaned too much into the “snarky detective” trope, which, although funny, felt a bit repetitive by the end.

Still, if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted mystery with a protagonist who’s delightfully offbeat (think if London Tipton were on Only Murderers in the Building), this book hits the spot. It may not have been a knockout for me, but I’d definitely be curious to see what Pomona tackles next.

Thank you so very much to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

You know those Hallmark movies where the rich, spoiled heiress loses her fortune and has to mix with the common people and learn to get by on her own and grow as a person? Take that and add a murder. And baking too. It’s such a fun book.

I really enjoyed this largely because even though Pomona was self involved and spoiled, she had a good heart and a lot of moxie. She finds herself paired with Gabe as they try to unravel who murdered her grandmother. There a many reasonable suspects and most are close family members making the whole venture a bit awkward.

The mystery itself isn’t the most complex, but I was still wholly invested because of Pomona and Gabe’s charm and chemistry.

Cute and fun! Just what I needed for a post-work read, and I'd definitely check out Bellamy's books in the future.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for a fair review!

3.5 stars!

This was a fun cozy mystery, and really gave me everything I was looking for at the time. Pomona Afton has very strong London Tipton vibes, and like London she might be a bit ditzy and spoiled, but her heart is in the right place.

I did feel like a lot of this book was filler and although I enjoyed hearing about Pomona's baking and her starting to figure out who she is as a person outside of being wealthy, a lot of the lessons she learned felt unearned. I also didn't really care about the romance in this book but that's honestly okay.

As for the cozy mystery part, I thought that's where the strength of the book came from. I liked watching Pomona slowly figure things out, and it was fun for her to interrogate the people around her. I would read more if the author decides to make this a series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars!

This was a fun cozy mystery, and really gave me everything I was looking for at the time. Pomona Afton has very strong London Tipton vibes, and like London she might be a bit ditzy and spoiled, but her heart is in the right place.

I did feel like a lot of this book was filler and although I enjoyed hearing about Pomona's baking and her starting to figure out who she is as a person outside of being wealthy, a lot of the lessons she learned felt unearned. I also didn't really care about the romance in this book but that's honestly okay.

As for the cozy mystery part, I thought that's where the strength of the book came from. I liked watching Pomona slowly figure things out, and it was fun for her to interrogate the people around her. I would read more if the author decides to make this a series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

For all of my friends who love Paris Hilton then this is the book for you!!! The main character gave off major Paris energy which I loved so much. This is a romcom but also a murder mystery which is super different from other books I’ve read. Pomona’s grandmother mysteriously dies and that automatically stops all of her bank accounts because of her grandmothers will. In order to get back to her normal life she must solve her grandmothers death.

It took me a little bit to get into this book and I found I shelved it as "read it later" often. I think I wasn't this book's target audience but it was well written and has an interesting premise.

Thank you Atria Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC! This book was so fun! Think Paris Hilton meets Only Murders in the Building ⭐️ This was so well written for a debut novel and I really enjoyed the storyline. Seeing Pomona grow as a character was nice and Gabe was so sweet.

Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for this ARC!

3.75
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and was shocked that it was a debut novel! My favorite thing throughout the book is Pom's realization of what her friends and family think about her and the self-discovery she achieves in the end. All the characters felt realistic and thought out, and although the writing felt flat for me at times, the plot and characters tended to overshadow that. I liked the relationships in this book, paternal, romantic, and platonic, and how they changed and grew throughout the book alongside Pomona's self-discovery. But what really got me was the unexpected plot twist that I thought I had solved prior to the 80% mark. Overall, I would recommend this book. It was sweet, short, and entertaining.

What a fun debut novel! To me this novel read as a "Schitt's Creek" take on "Good Girls Guide to Murder" and I could not put it down!

Pomona Afton, Upper East Side hotel heiress, stumbled upon the scene of her grandmother's murder and her life is thrown upside down. Striped of her home, her monthly allowance and her fortune, Pomona is completely out of her element when she finds herself living with a roommate (Gabe) and working at a coffee shop. Pomona is determined to get her life back so she teams up with Gabe to track down her grandmother's killer and unlock her inheritance.

Full of LOL & cringe-worthy moments with Pomona experiencing "real life" for the first time, this novel also depicts amazing personal growth for Pomona. If you are looking for a fun mystery novel this is the one to pick in 2025!

Thank you Atria for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiled heiress Pomona Afton’s life's turned upside down when she discovers her grandmother murdered. So her grandmother wasn’t the nicest person, but it doesn’t mean she deserved to get murdered!!! It turns out that Grandma Afton had an ironclad will, and if her death was unnatural, everyone’s trust funds would be frozen.

Pomona finds herself evicted from her home, and she’s lost the support from all her ‘friends’. With no life skills to speak of, Pomona is stuck. She lands in a new apartment with her former nanny’s son, and together, they decide to solve Grandma Afton’s murder. What could go wrong?

I don’t usually love a spoiled heiress as a FMC, they can be very hard to root for - but I thought Pomona was just rootable enough without the character being unbelievable. I wasn’t expecting a romantic element to this book, but it was a nice surprise. I thought it was a sharp little mystery, and I really enjoyed it.

This book was so much fun. I loved Pomona having to adapt from her cushy life. It added so much humor. I also loved the murder aspect. Every time Pomona thought she discovered who the murderer was, I was also thoroughly convinced that was the correct answer. I was completely convinced I knew how this book was ending. The end ended up shocking me, which made the whole story even more enjoyable.

Not gonna lie, this one took me a bit to get into. I wasn’t immediately drawn to the story initially, but I wanted to give it a good shot so I kept going back to it. I’m glad I did because it did hook me and I thought it was so cute. In the beginning, Pomona was so annoying to me (which I think was the point?) so it took me a second to get used to her and then I really liked her. Her growth was great and felt believable. It felt like a good ol’ who dunnit murder mystery and that was fun!
I’m glad I got this as an ARC and I’m glad I pushed through it!
4/5 ⭐️
.5/5 🌶️ (no spice, a little bit of kissing but minor. Romance was definitely a side thing and not the main storyline)

Could not get into this one. The characters are vapid and none of them actually caught my attention. Just felt like a lot of tropes on top of each other and none of them redeeming.

Fantastic book! Fun, funny, and sometimes sweet. I liked the characters and even though sometimes things were a bit of a stretch, it is a great plot. I would love to read about Pomona’s next adventure!

The premise of this book is as promised - a pampered, spoiled rich girl loses everything when her grandmother dies, and if she has any hope of regaining her fortune, she needs the murder solved.

With its comfortable flow and numerous possible suspects, the story kept me intrigued. When the identity of the actual assailant was unveiled, everything fell into place. The cute beginning of Gabe and Pomona’s relationship warmed my heart, especially seeing how he consistently cheered her on.

I enjoyed my time with these characters, and recommend this read. My ARC was provided by Netgalley and Simon and Schuster (thank you), and I voluntarily leave my review.

I think this book is SO MUCH FUN! Everyone in this book has a “I hate you but I also love you” point in my brain. It really catches me and keeps me going and I constantly have genuinely no clue where it’s gonna go, which I love!! I don’t typically read these types of books, but I’m so glad I was able to read this one. Thank you for making a great book and for letting me read it early!

Fun and interesting read, I absolutely enjoyed it. Can’t wait to have a copy for my bookshelf! I liked the plot and characters.