This was really cute and cozy! The setting perfectly balanced along with the romance.

Reminded me so much of "Most Wonderful Crime of the Year" by Ally Carter.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like mysteries or romance novels or funny situations? This is the book for you. Kate is attending her ex-fiance's wedding on a private island near Seattle. The bride is poisoned. Kate finds a dead body. These scenes sound a lot like the plots of her novels. The groom is her editor, so is it him causing all of this chaos? This was a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advance copy of this book.

Engaging and fast-paced, I breezed through this delightful tale with a broad grin. The story offered an enticing blend of mystery, heart, wit, and endearing characters that kept me hooked. One particularly refreshing aspect was that it truly centered on Kate's perspective and personal journey, allowing her to shine without being overshadowed by the male lead.

All in all, this was a thoroughly entertaining and satisfying read.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Thank you, Minotaur Books and NetGalley, for my eARC of She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was a fun whodunnit about a mystery writer who is invited to her ex-fiance's wedding--to the woman he left her for--and while there, she investigates the murder/poisoning of the bride and aunt of the bride as they seem to be framing her. Joining her in the sleuthing is the one that got away Jake. Everyone is a suspect and everyone has a reason to commit the acts.

In this one we have locked room,--they're stuck on a private island during a storm with no way to leave--forced proximity, the one-that-got-away, and second-chance romance.

The characters were well written and I had fun following Kate as she worked to figure out who the murderer was.

I recommend this one for anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery or any of the tropes listed above.
Thanks, Minotaur!

I had so much fun with this book! I love a good mystery/whodunnit especially with a group of people stuck in one place.

Kate Valentine is a best-selling mystery writer who gets invited to her ex-fiancé’s wedding to the woman he left her for. Now she’s trapped on an island, in a horrible storm with none other than, Jake Hawkins. Jake is an Australian ex-surfer who travels around the world who Kate ghost written his books. They haven’t seen each other in 2 years and now they are sharing a bedroom and pretending to date…. And well, solve a murder that Kate is being assumed of committing. Can Loretta and Blake…. I mean Kate and Jake *cough cough* solve the mystery and rekindle a spark?

The mystery part of this book was really good. Very Agatha Christie. What I love about a good mystery is when you go through all the suspects talking to each person hearing their side of the story. I didn’t even figure this one out when I usually do that kudos for that!

The romance part was fantastic. Kate and Jake have such amazing chemistry it kinda felt like Anyone But You vibes. Can Jake be an Australian Glen Powell? FOR SURE lol Jake himself is just so likable and a lovely character with so many layers it’s exactly what I want from a MMC. Kate is complicated when it comes to relationships always having one foot out of the door. But she can never get over getting rejected by Jake. Their miscommunication was actually really endearing especially when they finally share their feelings for one another.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Jenny Elder Moke for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

✨Pub Day Review✨

Happy pub day @jennyeldermoke ! 🎉

A destination wedding on a private island off Seattle sounds like bliss, doesn’t it? But it turns out to be nightmare for author, Kate Valentine. Going into the wedding, Kate knew things would be ‘interesting’ as the groom is her ex-fiancé who is also her editor. There is nothing like mixing business with pleasure. Making things even more ‘interesting’ is Jake Hawkins, the one who got away and is her biggest regret. Making things worse is that she and Jake must share a room. Then Kate finds a dead body........

Part mystery, part romance, and part trapped room, She Doesn’t Have a Clue was a cozy book/whodunit.
Kate writes mystery novels and uses her skills to attempt to solve the mystery in this book.

This one was fun! I loved the quirky bunch of characters and the mix of mystery and romcom. If you like the Finlay Donovan series this book would be a hit for you too!

Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for my advanced copies!

She Doesn’t Have A Clue is out today!

Loved the humor, the banter and the chemistry between Jake and Kate. It was a cute and cozy mystery.

Mystery writer, Kate, is invited to her ex-finance/boss's wedding. Along the way she discovers the one that got away, Jake, was a last-minute invite and the bride put them in the same bedroom. This is all on a remote rich people's island, of course. Kate channels her inner Loretta, the character in her novels that solves murders, to discover who is trying to frame her into sabotaging her ex's wedding and making it look like scenes from her books.
This story is fun, mostly wholesome, with a bit of spice (two mildly spicy scenes). I can almost describe this as a cozy mystery with some fake dating; everyone's a suspect, and what the heck is happening here at the moment? Kate has minimal self-confidence and she has to channel her character to break herself out of her shell. So much miscommunication and finger-pointing and squabbles. It is like I'm watching reality TV with a Hallmark movie twist. Overall, it was fun, the "Bad Guy" seemed to come out of left field, but I should have guessed it, and I loved the romance for the short amount of time our couple was romancing the chemistry was written well and the scenes were also great. It was perfectly awkward and fun.

Half mystery half romance might be my new favorite genre! This book reminded me a lot of The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, but not quite as good.

That being said, I did really enjoy this book. Kate was a fun character. She was grumpy, she was self-aware, and she was awkward, but I do wish she would have broken the mold a little bit and not been such a hot mess. I'm sick of reading about FMCs who are clumsy and who's main job is bumping into things and knocking people over. Nobody is really like this, it's highly unrealistic. There was a major plot point about her not being able to walk in her heels, and I found that incredibly insulting.

The mystery part of the book really hooked me. It took me a while to figure out who did it, and I was proud of myself once I did. I was invested the whole way through. I also appreciated that the romance wasn't too forced or too on the nose. It was honestly just right. Jake was a great character, even though he was a little stereotypical.

This book was a mix of mystery and romance and set against the backdrop of a glamorous destination wedding. While the premise provides intrigue and second chances, I had a hard time getting fully invested. I wanted to love it but the pacing felt uneven at times, and the frequent shifts between the mystery and romance disrupted the story's flow for me. That said, I enjoyed the witty banter and fans of cozy mysteries may find this right up their alley!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books / St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Murder mystery, rom-com, friends-to-lovers romance, what’s not to love! With a cast and setting straight out of an Agatha Christy novel, author Jenny Elder Moke gives us a rich, fast-paced story that keeps you guessing until the end.

Mystery writer Kate attends a wedding on a private island only to find herself in the middle of a murder mystery. When the murder itself resembles something out of Kate’s books, she must solve the murder to prove she isn’t the killer. She has the help of Australian hunk Jake, who’s her fake date/only one bed romance partner in crime solving. The murder and the hunk are major distractions from the overdue manuscript she needs to finish.

The secondary characters are fully fleshed, which helps mask who the killer is. I did get a bit lost with backstory and the manuscript elements, but overall, this is a fun, enjoyable mystery!

This book starts off with a bang with Kate Valentine, an author of mystery novels, attending the wedding of her ex-fiancé in a secluded location. All is not what it seems, though. Throughout this book, the reader is privy to Kate’s inner dialogue where she enlists the assistance of her super-sleuth character, Loretta. At times, this added to the story while it was sometimes distracting. All said, this rom com/mystery had a great deal of potential, but there were some challenges with so many characters and multiple plot points.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

“A truce,” she said. “And then we can each go on our own separate way again. Just like before.”

She Doesn't Have a Clue was a locked room cozy mystery that not only gave our female lead character a chance to solve a murder, but also a second chance at love. Kate's surprised at the weekend wedding invite, it's her ex-fiancé getting married, even though he's still her editor. She's even more surprised when she has to make a flying leap to catch the ferry to get to the secluded island the wedding is being held and lands in the arms of Jake. A hot Australian surfer her mother initially set her up with but became fast friends with as she authored two books of photos and stories about his Wandering Australian life. Drunk one night, she finally gets the nerve to make her move but he turns her down. This leads to her breaking their professional relationship, starting her own set of fictional mystery books, which go on to be a huge success and not talking to Jake for two years. When they both show up to the wedding, they're forced to share a room and solve a murder, because the real murderer is working hard to frame Kate and is using the storyline from her books to do it.

“Is that what you think?” Jake asked. “That you’re not enough of a thrill for me?”

Told all from Kate's point-of-view, her character brought a left-of-center, goofy, and clumsy but earnest vibe. She occasionally lapses into Loretta povs, the main character from her fictional books, which I found kind of amusing different but also wasn't the biggest fan as it went on because it took me out of the story I was reading too many times. Even though it's a small wedding, family and friend/work acquaintances from the Indie publishing house, there were still a good number of secondary characters to keep track of. The main gist is that Kate's ex is marrying into an extremely rich family dynasty, who's matriarch, Rebecca, is pretty much hated by all. There's cousins, uncles, brothers, and sisters who all are vying for a piece of the family wealth that Rebecca controls. It's when Rebecca makes an announcement that she's donating the family wealth that things get heated and motives for nefarious maneuverings start to paint herrings red when an attempted murder and actual murder kick off the mystery storyline around the halfway point.

“We’re just going to hang about on an island with a murderer who’s trying to frame us?”

Why aren't the police called? Well, it's a secluded island and there is a storm that has knocked the power out and cell phones don't work, you know how it goes. Kate feels she has to solve the case because she thinks she has the skills through Loretta and someone seems to be setting her up. Jake wants to help her, because it's obvious that he has feelings for her. So while, they're running around pretty much trying to pin it on everyone, they're also trying to fight their physical attraction. They were together enough that I'd say this had a good romance storyline and we do get some flushing of Jake's character out with background on his family dynamics and personality issues from that but mostly, their issue is that obvious could be solved so easily communication conversation that they just can't ever seem to get around to having. There wasn't an incredible amount of emotional depth between them but they had some cute byplay and an open door scene.

Jake paused on the stairs, gripping the railing hard before pivoting and surging up to the step just below her. The height difference put them at eye level, which meant she was staring directly into the storm of his gaze when he spoke.

The murder mystery will probably keep you guessing for most the book but I'm not sure if that was fully because it was good or strung out and scattered with Kate running around too much and accusing too many. The rich family characters were a few too many and I found myself not caring a whole lot about them, so when the mystery centered around them, I wasn't as drawn in as I would have liked. However, if you're looking for some cute and cozy, there's murder but it still felt low stakes, and some cute with Kate and Jake finally finding their way to each other, this would be an easy read pick up.

She Doesn’t Have a clue is a second chance romance and mystery mashup. Kate decides to attend her ex fiancés/editor’s wedding to only stumble over the body of the bride. Not quite dead, the bride recovers but someone is setting Kate up to look guilty of murder. Jake, the hostralian, a fellow writer, and longtime crush, is the one Kate let get away when one drunken kiss seemed to ruin everything. Kate begins to investigate asking herself what would Loretta do? Jake jumps in as a trusty assistant and the time together ignites the chemistry they both try to deny. Now Kate must navigate danger, betrayal, and the love she’s always wanted to solve an attempted murder and save her ex’s nuptials. Kate is funny and insecure in a way that endures her to readers. The HEA is sweet and Jake is a heart stopper. The characters were great and the mystery was twisted and unpredictable enough to make this a great read. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

She Doesn't Have a Clue follows many of the classic whodunit tropes--secluded location, stormy weather, multiple suspects with motive--along with some cozy tropes as well such as no gore and, of course, an amateur detective. But in this book, our amateur detective, Kate, happens to write one of the most popular mystery series on the market.

But unlike the no nonsense, brash and brave detective she writes, Kate has absolutely no idea what she is doing when someone tries to kill the bride at the exclusive wedding she is attending and tries to frame Kate for it. Kate can't necessarily blame them. After all, the bride did steal Kate's fiancé. Luckily, Jake, Kate's ex-friend and man she has long had a crush on, believes she is innocent, and the two set out to find the would-be murderer before they can finish the job.

I loved that Kate was not this brilliant amateur. She was, at times, bumbling, and she made mistakes and assumptions throughout the novel. But it served her character well! She is not dumb in any way. She is just...not a detective, and I liked that. I also appreciated how things played out between Kate, her ex, and the bride. It allowed for great character growth.

Now, for the romance! The romance was as huge part of the story, and I ate it up! There was chemistry, there was tension, there was spice, there were feels (but just the right amount). And if you listen to the audiobook, you'll get a sexy Aussie accent as a bonus!

Calling all Jessica Fletcher fans, this one is for you!

A mystery writer struggling with her next book decides to attend her ex-fiance's wedding on a private island in the PNW and finds on the boat to the island that her ex-business partner/collaborator/friend/something is her plus-one. Then they find a dead body, or maybe not? All the while being suspects and causing general shenanigans? Oh, and there might be feelings, like love feelings?

Why, yes, this sounds exactly like Murder, She Wrote. You're welcome.

If I'd paid attention to the cover, I would have known this was a cozy mystery/romcom and not at all like the psychological thrillers I'm used to reading. Still, it was a cute mystery. I loved the island setting and the secret passageways, but I'm not sure why the female protagonist is depicted as so incredibly clumsy- is it supposed to be cute? I don't know, but I thought it was infantilizing and that she deserved to be written as a stronger character.

"She Doesn't Have a Clue" is a cute and lighthearted cozy mystery/romantic comedy. The book started off amazing. A book about a mystery writer invited to her ex-fiance's wedding on an isolated private island? Um, yes please! I was totally engrossed in the mystery, and then it switched to a bit of a spicy romance, and that's where it lost its spark for me. The first half was so fun and fast-paced, and I think I just wanted more of that. Overall, though, this was an enjoyable story. I loved the humor and banter, and the mystery plot was a lot of fun. I think this could be an entertaining mystery series, and I would definitely read a sequel.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book about relationships as much as a murder mystery. I think the murder is just a frame upon which to hang a novel about romance. Kate is an interesting heroine. She is a flawed woman with relationship problems. She writes successful mysteries with a female lead and often wants to be that fictional character herself. The mystery is of the locked room style as Kate and the others are on an island during an intense storm. There is some humor as a bumbling Kate tries to solve the murder. It is a complex investigation involving publishing, advances, authors, and lots of family money. The suspects and possible motives are many. There are plenty of red herrings and twists.

The one aspect of the novel I did not like at all were the two graphic sex scenes. I felt they were unnecessary. There was enough sexual tension and humor already.

Moke's writing style is entertaining and good for a debut adult novel. She doesn't have a clue. Does that refer to her solving the murder or her trouble with developing long lasting relationships? Read the book to find out.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Goodness I loved this! It was my first read from this author but the mystery and romance genres mashed up needs to be more of a thing because this was PHENOMENAL. It was so lighthearted and fun I wish I could read it again for the first time.