Member Reviews
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose.
Pomona Afton is an Upper East side hotel heiress. When Pomona Afton’s grandmother is murdered, Pomona and her family’s assets are frozen while the death is investigated. This turn of events leads to Pomona moving in with Gabe, the son of her former nanny, and get a job.
I received this book as a widget and was immediately drawn in by the comparison to Gossip Girl and imagining Pomona as Blair Waldorf and Gabe as Dan Humphrey. It was definitely a book I wanted to check out!
Pomona (Pom) is definitely a standout character. I enjoyed the mystery and thought that Pom and Gabe really developed a good dynamic with each other. I found myself more into the mystery than the romance, though both were enjoyable aspects of this story! I also liked Pomona's character development and discovering her own talents along the way. In regard to the mystery, I didn’t think the final reveal was obvious from the beginning which is what I hope for in a mystery. This is one that I'd really like to check out as an audiobook.
Like a frothy drink this mystery is fun and bubbly! Pomona is the classic rich girl, until her grandmother dies and everyone is a suspect. Pomona loses her hotel apartment, her money and her trust fund overnight. She must ask for help from her old nanny, Andrea. Andrea has a son the same age as Pomona and he needs a roommate. The stage is set for love and solving a murder. While I found this a quick read, the characters were a little thin overall and Pomona's change of heart from ditzy party girl to person with honor was too fast for me. Overall a fun easy read for fans of lite romance.
This was such a fun mystery book! Fans of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers will enjoy this. It also reminds me if a slight more intelligent London Tipton was in Only Murders in the Building! I loved the personal growth of Pomona's character.
This was a fun, sweet, and feel-good mystery. It's a really niche part of the murder mystery genre but it's actually become one of my favorites with the way humor, found family, and optimism are coupled with the premise of murder (ironic, i know). This one came from a new background within the niche genre. I'm used to old people solving murders unexpectedly, but this is rich girl meets life changes and murder mystery. Think Schitt's Creek, but with a bit more death.
The initial set up of this story was quite slow paced, really bringing the reader into Pomona's extravagant world and how quickly it falls apart after her grandmother's death. The real mystery solving doesn't begin until a good chunk through the exposition, and it's set up much more unwilling than I expected. But her and her new roommate Gabe make a fun and cute team as they set out to solve the mystery. They have fun banter and very explicitly lay out suspect after suspect that they investigate. In that sense, it's a bit more direct with suspense than I prefer. There's just an overwhelming sense of curiosity and mysteriousness that's not as scary to a traditional murder mystery.
It's still so fun to go through the side characters and suspects in Pomona's world as she simultaneously experiences some great character growth. I think her reflections are really valuable and well paced as she transforms into a new character. I think the entire book was just as fun and loving as her character; you can't help but smile through it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Pomona Afton (Pom to those in the know) is a New York socialite and heiress to the Afton hotel fortune. She loves her life of galas, clubbing, and sleeping in, until she wakes up one morning to find ten missed calls from her grandmother overnight. She goes to check on her and finds her stabbed to death. In a bizarre turn of events, her grandmother’s murder leads to her family being removed from the business and inheritance unless they can prove they were not involved. Pomona, now living in a walk-up apartment with her former nanny’s son, is determined to solve this case so she can get her old life back!
This book is so fun! Pom has the vibes of Alexis from Schitt’s Creek mixed with a little Paris Hilton. She has a really great character arc and proves herself to be a lot smarter than her family gave her credit for. The mystery was pretty good - I thought the clues were laid out well and the mystery was fun to solve. I found myself eager to read this and looking forward to quiet times when I could sneak in a few chapters.
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Bellamy Rose for this ARC!
This was accidentally accepted to be reviewed after being invited to read it. Doesn’t seem like something I would honestly be interested in.
This book was OK. The story had potential and was entertaining.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for this ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.
I read this book in September of 2024, despite the fact that it wasn't due to be published until March 2025. I was initially going to take a quick peek at this book but I was hooked from the first few pages and had to keep reading.
I loved this book and especially following Pomona as her character develops throughout the novel. I thought this book had a lot of heart and humor. And Pomona was also a very likeable character in my opinion. This book was so good that I finished it in under a day.
I look forward to reading many more books published by Bellamy Rose in the future.
Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.
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Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
Honestly I think I could have enjoyed this book had the main character, Pomona not been so insufferable. She really ruined any redeeming qualities this book had for me.
This was fun. I'm the worse when it comes to figuring out the whodunnit portion of cozy mysteries so I don't even really get that invested in the minutia of detective work. I was truly invested in the growth of Pomona and Gabe. Indulgently enjoyed.
Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.
Looking forward to more from this series! This was such a fun cozy mystery debut! If you love the show, "Only Murders in the Building," this book is for you! Lovely cast of characters!
Reviewed for NetGalley:
Pomona Afton, vapid, socialite whose biggest worry is what jewelry to match her next party ensemble. Until that is, when her grandmother is brutally murdered in her hotel. With the Afton fortune taken away in her grandmother's will, until the murderer is caught, Pomona must find a new residence and work towards solving her grandmother's murder. Left without any options, Pomona moves in her with her former nanny's son, Gabe, who reluctantly teams up to investigate the murder.
The author did a fantastic job of making me dislike Pomona beyond words in the beginning, but with a realistic turn around that made me root for her and her new endeavors. Through in some self-proclaimed PI work and a budding romance, with many twists and turns in the case, I was hooked.
The story was set up nicely for a continuation, if the author chooses to do so, and I'm all aboard.
This was such a cute debut novel! The writing was so smooth, the characters were wonderfully developed, and the mystery didn't go at all the way I expected! I'm really looking forward to more in this series!! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!
Definitely a cute rom com. Character could be a little stronger, but I really enjoyed it. Perfect for fans of Schitt's Creek and Only Murders in the Building
This was such a cute murder mystery with a mix of rom com vibes. I loved the overall flow of the story and the characters. The natural progression of the relationship between Pomona and Gabe was fun to watch unfold.
This book is about an heiress who has to solve her grandmother’s death in order to unfreeze her trust fund.
Read this if you like:
→ Murder mystery
→ Friends to lovers
→ Fashion
Overall this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Thank you @atriabooks for sending me a gifted copy of the book.
Loved this story. It was a fun and easy read. This book gave offAnna Sorokin vibes for sure but with a lot better plot and story.
The romantic and mysterious tension in this book was so good! I thought the writing was easy to follow and kept you constantly suspecting someone new as the murderer. It was a well thought out plot and was entertaining throughout the whole book. I finished it in one sitting and enjoyed the end result!
Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder is pure whacky fun! Fans of murders in the building will devour this book.
I really loved how fun and interactive this book was. You see so many things going on. It's fast paced, witty, fun, full of suspense and it's up to a spoiled heiress? It's so fun. It's a bit of murders in the building and gossip girl mixed with a murder mystery. I loved the characters, the plot. I thought that it moved along quickly and you couldn't stop turning pages. I loved Pomona. she goes through a lot and Gabe? swoony. I loved the romance and I thought that this book is perfect for curling up, laughing and binging. I think this book will definitely be a hit in 2025!
4 sparkling stars... I was blown away by how much I liked this book. It was cute and fun and light... well as much as a book about a murder can be. More than anything... it was FUNNY. The dryness of the humor fit right in with my own. I loved Pom and how she navigated her life falling apart. The story was easy to follow and the resolution made sense. I would sincerely love if this became a series. Highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
👠 Pomona Afton Can So Solve A Murder 👠
By Bellamy Rose
✨ Thank you to atria and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC - available 3/18!
👠 Trust fund kid
🧳 Murder mystery
👠 Dislike to lovers
🧳 Single POV
👠 When I received an email from @atria with a request to read this and it compared it to if Blair Waldorf’s [yesss the Gossip Girl, Blair] grandma got murdered and she had to slum it with Dan Humphrey while solving her murder, I. WAS. HOOKED.
And hook me it did. From the very first spoiled rich girl page.
🧳 Our main character Pomona is out of touch with how the other half live, but instead of it being obnoxious and over the top it is comical and endearing.
👠 I ADORED Pomona and watching her grow as a person and become a better version of herself.
🧳 The murder mystery was well done and had you thinking it could be any of the suspects until it all came together in the end.
✨ My eyes will definitely be peeled 👀 because of that flawless set up for book two!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️: No, a pinch of romance