Overall, this was a fun time with some pretty good banter, too.

There are quite a few unlikable suspects and a lot going on, but I enjoyed the sleuthing and secret passages found along the way. Fun romantic mystery.

I’m giving the book 4 stars despite DNF’ing the book. I didn’t really care for the characters or the narrator. The book isn’t bad it’s just not for me.

Fun romantic mystery that checks all the boxes. Kate Valentine is a bestselling author invited to the lavish wedding of her ex fiancé /publicist on a remote island of the coast of Seattle. This is a fun read with lots of characters to throw you off the scent of the true killer. Add in Jake, the romantic sexy Australian ex surfer as her investigation partner an hopeful love interest.
I listened to the audiobook and the narration was great. The only little issue is sometimes it was hard to tell when there were inserts of Loretta, her fictional main character speaking. It was easier as the story progressed.

This was a GREAT story to listen to! AWESOME narration! Great main characters. The plot was easy to find. The story was engaging and easy to follow. Will be purchasing this book. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this story.

4 STARS!

In this genre-crossing novel, mystery author Kate Valentine travels to a secluded island to the wedding of her ex fiancé at the mysterious request of the hostess. When she arrives, she is shocked to see her old crush, Jake, has mistakenly been added as her plus one. Things begin to go wrong immediately, from storms to attempted murder to actual danger. Kate asks herself what her main character, Loretta, would do in order to solve the many mysteries of the weekend.

I was generously provided both digital and audio early copies by publishers, and I really enjoyed listening to the story. Narrator Sarah Mollo-Christensen did an excellent job of voicing the characters and making them come to life. It was very entertaining and made it easy to become immersed in the story.

This novel was an interesting blend of a cozy mystery with a bit of rom com mixed in. I enjoyed the elements of the characters being trapped on the island with an incoming storm and the wealthy, over the top family dynamics. The rom com tropes of forced proximity and second chance romance combined with a bit of fake dating were fun additions to the story as well. I was able to guess the villain at the beginning of the book, although there are definitely a host of characters to keep track of, which can be a bit confusing. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a cozy mystery with a bit of a romance to it.

Thank you to Jenny Elder Moke, Macmillan Audio, and Minotaur books for the digital and audio arcs and opportunity to be an early reader and reviewer.

This audiobook was too confusing for me. I could not tell who was who at the beginning and if I was listening about the actual book or about Kate`s book and Loretta. After that I did want to know what was happening. The mystery was pretty good and I liked that there was a romance too which you don't usually get. I feel like there was a lot of tropes covered but I liked that. Overall it was different and I liked that. I just wish the beginning had not been so confusing. 3.5 stars.

4.25⭐️
I have realized that I really enjoy the forced proximity trope- but more specifically when all the characters are trapped in a location all together particularly an island.

This is one such book with everyone literally trapped on an island and the mystery unfolds. I am thankful to have gotten the audio ALC for free from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

I really enjoyed listening to this! I couldn’t turn it off. With all the twists and turns it was fast paced and engaging. So much so that I didn’t even think about “figuring it out” which is something I usually do unintentionally. But I just enjoyed the ride.

The other part that I enjoyed but it maybe a turn off to some is that it’s a rom-com that’s a mystery. I found that neat as it was well done! I also really enjoyed the narrator. She did a great job and had a great pacing to her recitation.


It doesn’t come out until Jan 25 2025 so get it on your TBR to circle back in a few months!
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

A wildly entertaining murder mystery! Trapped on an island with a killer on the loose, a framing setup, a high-stakes wedding, and drama around every corner—plus everyone is a suspect! The excitement never lets up, especially with a hot Australian sidekick in the mix. Blake’s line, “I like you so much. So so much. All the time,” adds a sweet touch to this thrilling, suspense-filled story. What’s not to love?

First, Sarah Mollo-Christensen did a fantastic job narrating this book. I'm a big fan of her work and she did not disappoint here. She breathed life into this mystery romcom.

Kate Valentine is a best selling mystery author who attends her ex-fiancé's wedding on a gloomy private island in the San Juans of WA state. She's surprised when her ex-crush shows up and she has to pretend he's her plus one. Trouble ensues when someone tries to frame Kate for attempted (and not later) murder in the style of one of her own books. Using the false confidence of her fictional leading lady, Loretta, she tries her best to solve the mystery. Naturally, it's not as simple as when she's the one writing the plot and trouble ensues while she has to navigate hidden feelings, misunderstandings, and other people's family drama.

This book took me back to my Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark days. I enjoyed the way Kate uses her fictional characters to work through her own insecurities and the flashes into her books. I also enjoyed the twisted family drama that followed all the suspects around.

What fell flat for me was the MMC, Jake. He just seemed too exaggerated and generic. I wish I was given more to connect to the main characters but I just couldn't get attached enough to cheer them on. I didn't understand enough about their past history until too far into the book to care.

Overall this was a fun read and if your looking for a non scary romcom/murder mystery this is your book.

This audiobook was just ok for me.

The “killer” wasn’t all that surprising, just seemed like a horrible person. The spicy scenes that were thrown in there felt like they were thrown in because they had to be, and didn’t feel natural at all.

The narrator was great, I enjoy all of her audiobooks!

All in all, this romance/thriller wasn’t for me. It wasn’t a bad story, just didn’t have the surprise element nor the romance expected.

I ended up DNFing this pretty early on. There was too much disconnect as an audiobook trying to tell what was real and what wasn't a long with just feeling like too much was going on and too many characters being introduced at once

This book was quirky but enjoyable. I found it a bit odd at first it after a few chapters I adjusted and became invested in seeing what would happen. I enjoyed the narrator. they kept me engaged in the story.

I was so excited to get this audiobook ARC! Mystery and romance are definitely my jam but this one was a little all over the place and confusing.

The beginning was so hard to understand and I found myself not really understanding who the characters were, especially when it came to Kate and Loretta. It took me about a quarter way through to realize that Loretta WAS NOT a real person but was a character from one of Kate’s books. I wasn’t super fond of Kate (or any of the characters tbh).

The mystery side of things was done well but a little predictable. I knew right when it happened who had done it so that wasn’t very fun.

The narrator did a great job of bringing the story to life and flashing images in my head but the overall book was just too much for me personally to digest.

***Four Stars***

Kate, a mystery author, has decided to attend her ex-fiancé's wedding. Why? Who knows. He's her publishing company and she didn't want to tell him no. On the way to the island (because why not) she runs into the man she thought she could have a future with before the ex-fiancé. Jake Hawkins is also attending the wedding and is also a client of the publishing company. This should be interesting, especially when it ends up that Jake is down as Kate's plus one and they have to share a room. When poison and murder ensue on the island Kate channels her inner detective to figure out who did it. This one is full of speculation and turns and some romance along the way.

I enjoyed this one, even if the FMC got on my nerves more than I would have liked. I'm not sure what it was, but maybe it was because I listened to the audio version so sometimes, I missed when we were with Kate and when we switched to Kate's books character. Overall, I'd recommend this if mystery and romance are your jam.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

#SheDoesntHaveAClue #JennyElderMoke
#SarahMolloChristensenNarrator #Audiobook
#Mystery #Thriller #Romance #Authors
#CozyMystery #MysteryThriller #Adult
#MacmillanAudio #NetGalley #ALCReview

Kate Valentine is a murder mystery author attending her editor and ex-fiancé, Spencer's, luxury wedding on a private island. On arrival at the wedding, she runs into her former crush and Australian heart throb, Jake Hawkins. Let the drama ensue... As soon as they arrive on the island for the wedding weekend, events mimicking Kate’s novels start happening. There is forced proximity, murder mystery, family drama. I was imaging all the possibilities in this book. 4.5 stars for me, rounded up to 5 for Goodreads. I would love to see this as a movie!

That was so good that I cannot wait for everyone to read or listen to this book. I feel like it’ll be loved within the community and I love this narrator, you have this author and consider me a fan. I’m definitely going to be reading more of her work

She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke is the first book I've read by this author and it definitely won't be the last. This was a lovely mix of a classic murder mystery and a heartwarming rom com. I loved how this felt like a game of Clue. And it had so many of my favorite aspects in a mystery, including the creepy mansion and endless drama. The romance felt so real. The banter was amazing. And the little bit of spice was pretty nice too. This is a must read for fans of romantic murder mysteries.

The audiobook narration was amazing. Sarah Mollo-Christensen did a great job interpreting the emotions in the story and bringing them to life.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Listening to She Doesn’t Have a Clue was an absolute treat! Jenny Elder Moke’s adult debut combines mystery and romance, bringing listeners to a lush island wedding that takes a dark turn. Narrator Sarah Mollo-Christensen does an outstanding job bringing Kate Valentine’s witty, skeptical voice to life, perfectly capturing her humorous inner dialogue and the tension of a murder mystery unfolding around her.

The story follows Kate, a bestselling mystery author, who’s reluctantly attending her ex-fiancé’s wedding on a private island. But what begins as a weekend of plastered-on smiles quickly spirals into a real-life murder mystery when the bride is poisoned and a body is found. With her charming "friend," Jake, by her side, Kate finds herself playing detective and unraveling dark secrets among the guests. Mollo-Christensen’s narration brings out the sparks between Kate and Jake while also skillfully conveying the suspense and eccentric personalities of the wedding guests.

The audiobook is an immersive experience filled with humor, intrigue, and a rich atmosphere that makes the mystery even more engaging. If you love mysteries with a dash of romance, She Doesn’t Have a Clue is one to listen to right away!

I love a good cozy mystery, now make that cozy mystery a little spicier and I'm sold. This had all the elements of a fantastic cozy mystery with the added bonus of some spice. I listened to the audio book and I have to admit that the Australian accent was very dreamy. This story had me guessing until the very end. I felt like this was a more grown up version of my beloved cozy mysteries with its spicier language and much spicier bedroom activities. The author did an amazing job weaving the mystery together and I was pleasantly surprised with how effortlessly I was able to keep up with all the characters. If you are looking for a cozy mystery that bends the traditional definition due to language and spice then this is the book for you. I hope Jenny turns this into a series or writes more just like it. Spice 2/5

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderfully engaging murder mystery romcom that keeps you entertained throughout. I have to admit, there were moments when I found myself a bit puzzled about whether the events were happening in real life or if they were part of the main character's novel. Kate, a cozy mystery author, finds herself stepping into the role of a real-life detective when a wedding takes a disastrous turn. The story is filled with vibrant characters, unexpected twists, and even hidden passages and grottos, all presented in fun manner. I really enjoyed the narrator's voice and how she skillfully adapted it for each character.
The spice level is 1.5, so I wouldn't suggest it for teenagers.

Thank You NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook.