This one is match up of two of my favorite genre's cozy mysteries and rom coms. However it ended up not being my favorite of the genre blends mainly because I ended up enjoying the mystery aspect way more than the romance aspect. But I'm still willing to give the author another try.

What a fun and cozy read! I love a good, cozy mystery. This would be great to curl up and read on a rainy day.

Thanks, Minotaur Books, for the arc!

I was super excited for SHE DOESN'T HAVE A CLUE, but I didn't read it immediately. That was a good thing because I would have dnf'd very quickly. At least this way, I only thought about dnfing it a few times, but my curiosity about the mystery won out, and I finished it. This book is described as "half mystery, half romance," but to be completely honest, it did not feel cohesive. It felt like Jenny Elder Moke had two separate books, ripped them in half, shuffled half of each together, and did her best to edit a cohesive story.

The plot was pretty good, but as I mentioned, it was the mystery that kept me intrigued.

And this is coming from me, a person who loves romance books and steamy scenes. There was too much romance/steam, and it was unnecessary for the plot. Those scenes felt forced and shoved in randomly. I liked Kate and Jake's backstory, and it would have been cute in addition to the mystery, but not forced upon us, such as when they are hiding from people in the next room in a hidden passage and suddenly start making out and Kate exclaims, "Jake, I need you inside me now!"

If it had been just a mystery, this book would easily be a 5 star. I bet if she had written a romance, it could also be a fun 5 star. But together, no, it just doesn't work. Or maybe this book didn't work for me. I did like the mystery enough that I'll see what she comes out with next for her sophomore book, but if it's marketed as a 'half mystery, half romance,' I'm not sure how quick I would be to pick that up.

[3.5 stars]

So so fun! Do you like mystery? Suspense? How about a wedding murder? Maybe even a hot Australian love interest? Personally, I love it all. She Doesn't Have a Clue follows the life of our main character, Kate, while she attends her EX FIANCES wedding. Talk about messy. But the mess does not even stop there because she's attending with her hot australian bestie that Kate has been drooling over for yearsss. And AND Kate writes murder mysteries! What is a more perfect way to set the scene and solve a murder than to have a mystery novelist do it herself.

Keeping this short and sweet to avoid spoilers, but if you want a fun murder mystery that is not too heavy and has a bit of spicy, then crack open She Doesn't Have a Clue!

Note || Thank you immensely to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

It took me a bit to get accustomed to the story, but once that happened, I was a delightful mix of rom-com and cozy mystery! This book had everything it needed to make a great mystery—a private island? Yes. Wedding mayhem? Yes. Ex-fiancé awkwardness? Yes! Dead body? Yes!

I don't read a lot of mystery-romance books, but this was a great introduction to the genre. The book is about Kate Valentine, a mystery novelist who somehow finds herself at her ex-fiancé's wedding. Throw in a suspicious murder, an old flame (Jake—the dashing MMC), and a lot of wine, and we've got a full-blown whodunit on our hands. Whereas I had anticipated a high-stakes, breakneck thriller, this proved to be a light-hearted, humorous mystery. The novel was reminiscent of a Hallmark movie on a remote island—cute, cheeky, and effortlessly engaging.

And the truth? I didn't care for that one whit. I completely fell in love with the quick-witted repartee, the humor, and the scorching chemistry between Kate and Jake. It’s a fun, cozy mystery with just the right touch of romance—a perfect, easy read. If you’re looking for a mystery that leans more on humor and charm than nail-biting suspense, this one is definitely worth picking up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for an early release copy of this book. If you are looking for a cozy mystery with low stakes, this book is for you. The setting had great potential - a private island off the coast of Seattle - but the suspense and thrill were lacking. There was great chemistry between Kate and her Aussie sidekick.

I had a really fun time with this read, but I do think that it may be victim to a slight mis-marketing issue. I've seen it marketed as half romance/half mystery and I think that is a little misleading. I love both romance and mystery as genres so I was all-in on this read. However, I do think that if you are going to try and blend genres, then you need to make sure both sides are equally well-developed and well-executed and in the case of this read, I think it fell a little short. This read, to me, like a cozy mystery with a heavy romance subplot.

The mystery elements were fantastic. It is squarely in the cozy mystery category and Moke captures the vibes perfectly. We have a cast of colorful characters stuck on an island together when the bodies start dropping. I love that the characters all have different levels of connection with each other which leads to various different theories for motives which makes for a fun mystery. I found the different investigation paths to be well thought out and fun to see the characters explore. However, I did find that when we get to the ending reveal, so much had happened in the book that I and the characters were just a bit tired out. I wanted the reveal just a little bit earlier or maybe to have a bit of a break before the reveal in order to catch our breath. I enjoyed the actual reveal but the pacing was just a little off.

The romance elements were a bit of a miss for me only in that I felt we needed more time to develop them. On paper, we hit all the usual romance plot points, but I felt like we missed out on a lot of the emotional development parts of the relationship because our MCs were too busy solving the mystery. Also, the transitions between the mystery plot and the romance plot were more jarring than I think they should have been. At times, it felt like there were two distinct drafts of this plot - one pure mystery and one pure romance - and the final draft was just trading off on chapters between each of them. I think this would have been more successful if the romance was focused on a little less and instead of trying for it to be a dual plot line with the mystery, that it took a step back to become a subplot. I think Moke did a great job hitting the romance beats and I would be interested in reading a full adult romance from her in the future.

The cast of characters was by far the best part of this read. We get some messy relationships, complex family dynamics, rich people problems, and a lot of scheming. I loved that our MC is a mystery writer who is at this wedding as a sort of outsider so we get a lot of the character reveals through her investigation. While some of the characters were a little over the top, I found all of them to feel realistic and not too caricature-y. There is a fairly large cast of characters, but Moke does a great job of really honing in on a detail that makes each individual character stand out which makes it easier for the reader to keep them straight. I also liked that we get introduced to the characters pretty steadily at the beginning, but with enough of a gap between them to give us that time to let the details sink in.

Overall, this was a really fun cozy mystery with a strong romance plot. Great cast of characters with a fast paced mystery investigation. I would have liked to see the two genres blended together a little bit more.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC. Publication date was January 21, 2025

A mystery book about a mystery writer with a love triangle and some spice…do I need to say more? Maybe not, but I will.

The FMC is very likable. She’s very easy to relate to. I love that as she’s trying to solve the mystery in her real life, she slips into the mindset of the FMC in her books.

I love the banter between the FMC and the MMC. It’s a second chance for their love story, but they both are holding on to old hurt feelings.

IMO, the love story is the main focus with the murder mystery being an added bonus. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a romance or a mystery!

Kate agrees to attend her ex’s wedding since both the bride and groom are her bosses. Strange things seem to be happening in trying to destroy the wedding and she’s suspect number one. She is determined to figure out what’s happening.

This book was a fun read. I really enjoyed the mix of romance and a cozy mystery with locked room vibes due to the isolated island setting. The characters and the mystery with plenty of red herrings to throw my guesses off were well written. It was a joy to read.

a delightful blend of mystery, romance, and witty banter set against the backdrop of a luxurious destination wedding on a private island. Kate Valentine, a bestselling mystery author, finds herself trapped at her ex-fiancé's wedding, where the champagne is flowing, and old wounds are festering. When the bride is poisoned and a body is discovered, Kate suddenly finds herself in the middle of a real-life mystery—one that mirrors the plot of her latest book.

The story’s charm lies in its quirky, well-developed cast of characters, the picturesque setting, and the cleverly executed mystery. Kate’s dry humor and snarky internal monologue make her a relatable and entertaining protagonist, and the romantic tension with Jake Hawkins, her biggest past regret, adds a fun layer to the story. The pacing is fast, the stakes are high, and the twists keep coming as the island's secrets slowly unravel.

Look this was cute. Did I love the FMC? No. There were definitely times that I wanted to reach into the book and grab her by the shoulders and give her a shake. BUT she had the kind of character growth that we love to see and overall this was cute

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, St. Martin's Press, and MacMillan Audio for the gifted e-book and audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Private island, fake dating, forced proximity, slow burn, author

I enjoyed this. I read it as an ebook and listened to it. Both were great. I enjoy the mix of romance and thriller. It was very entertaining.

I was so excited for this book! It had all the elements I love in a mystery: an isolated island, wedding drama, and a dead body! PLUS the humor, heart, and romance of a rom-com… best of both worlds right?! Put it all together, and it was ultimately a fun and wild ride. I loved the cast of eccentric characters! Their quirky shenanigans added a fun entertaining element. It’s hard to classify this book as one genre. If a cozy mystery and a rom-com had a baby, this book would be the result. There’s sleuthing, mystery, drama, and laughts, resulting in a light read that’s entertaining and different. 3.5 stars rounded up

In the end this was a fun little mystery but I would have never remember that the main mc's were adults if it wasn't for the reminders of being an author and the couple of steamy moments. The mystery was well done and the comedic timing of one-liners was entertaining.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press Early Readers and Netgalley for access to an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This cozy mystery, set on a secluded island near Seattle, was a delightful read. The protagonist, Kate Valentine, is a bestselling author often caught up in imagining what her fictional heroine, Loretta Starling, would do. While attending the wedding of her ex-fiancé—who also happens to be her editor—Kate finds herself reunited with her biggest regret, Jake. The story skillfully weaves together elements of mystery, suspense, and romance, all against the backdrop of an opulent setting that takes a dark turn when the group becomes stranded.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

SHE DOESN'T HAVE A CLUE is part romance and part amateur sleuthing in this wonderfully entertaining cozy mystery. Moke’s has the ability to engage her readers with a bumbling murder investigation while still allowing a little spice to heat up the pages.

I loved this book. Kate is a wonderfully realistic and relatable character. Her wit, candor, and insecurities allow the reader to connect with her as she stumbles into this situation. And then there is Jake. Jake is the exact partner in crime-solving you want for a writer who is morphing into a budding investigator. Their chemistry is palpable, and how they feed off each other gives the banter I want in a duo like this.

From the beginning to the end, this was a delightfully intriguing read with a few twists and turns along the way. Jenny Elder Moke crafted a perfect mix of mystery and romance. It had just enough tension to keep my J.B. Fletcher brain working on the who-dun-it while I was swooning for the leading man. I cannot wait to see what the author gives us next.

Audiobook Note:Truth be told, I listened to most of this book. Sarah Mollo-Christensen, the narrator, did a wonderful job of bringing the characters and story to life. It had just the right pace, and the varied inflections from character to character were spot on.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke is a great combination of romcom and cozy mystery.

Our main lady of the read is best-selling author of murder mysteries named Kate. She has herself in a precarious position of attending her ex-fiancé destination wedding. The event take place on a beautiful private island over the course of three days. The awkwardness of the situation just intensifies as a major storm hits, there’s a murder and yet another attempted murder. This is one of those situations where if anything could happen it happened and then some more. Kate is a writer and tries to get into the head of her character to help figure out the Whodunnit of this tale.


Jenny Elder Moke delivers a solid and entertaining tale with She Doesn’t Have a Clue. It is a good mystery with lots of clues, red herrings, and twists that you don’t see coming. You have a romantic comedy element in the book which I personally very much enjoyed. I very much enjoyed the interactions between Kate and Jake. She has created a wonderful cast of characters who are funny and entertaining. I don’t know if there are plans for this to become a series however, I interpreted things from the epilogue to believe that they’re just may be.

I genuinely can’t remember the last time I read a spicy rom-com murder mystery, and especially one that works so well on all its genre levels! Sexy, sweet and suspenseful, She Doesn’t Have A Clue is a delight from start to finish.

It helps a lot that our heroine, bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine, is fully aware that she’s not very good at things like communicating her feelings or, as she terms it, being normal. In times of stress, she has the habit of slipping into the viewpoint of her own series’ heroine, Loretta Starling, a badass Florida Keys bartender and amateur sleuth caught in a love triangle between her bar owner boss Geoff and British wakeboarder Blake. Loretta always knows what to do, even when her creator is feeling entirely helpless and hopeless:

QUOTE
What was wrong with Kate? The harder she asked herself What Would Loretta Do? the murkier the answers became. And what would Kate Valentine do? certainly hadn’t done her any favors. She couldn’t even summon Loretta right now, in her literal darkest hour of need. Why had Loretta forsaken her?

[Kate] knew she was nothing like Loretta. Loretta had always been a fantasy for Kate, sure where Kate was doubtful, confident where Kate fretted, sexy where Kate was awkward and insecure. Everything about Loretta's life had been an escape, from the carefree bartending nights to the super sleuth investigations of the daytime. Kate’s life was nothing but a computer screen, death investigator websites, and takeaway dinners. She’d been lying to herself and everyone else, pretending she could ever be normal this weekend.
END QUOTE

This weekend just happens to be the occasion of her boss Spencer Lieman’s wedding to Kennedy Hempstead, the marketing manager at the publishing house which prints the Loretta Starling mysteries. Making matters awkward is the fact that Spencer is also Kate’s ex-fiance. Worse, the two of them actually broke up because of Kennedy. Kate has no interest in attending the nuptials but also doesn’t know how to say no, given the series of blandishments she’s been sent by Kennedy’s wealthy family to attend.

Another unwelcome surprise lies in store for her upon arrival, as hot Australian adventure guide Jake Hawkins has somehow been invited to the wedding, too. Kate has done her best to avoid having anything to do with him since completely humiliating herself on their last drunken night together, back before she started dating Spencer. That, however, doesn’t mean that Jake has done the same. To her surprise, he’s even read her books, though he admits:

QUOTE
[“]I only read them for the Blake bits, since he’s obviously based on me. That kiss with Loretta when she thought the storm was going to tear the roof off the bar? Wowza.”

“He is not based on you,” Kate said with an eye roll.

Jake matched her eye roll. “Of course he’s based on me. He’s hot, he’s hilarious, he wakeboards, and he’s British.”

“You’re Australian,” Kate pointed out.

“Same thing to you Americans,” Jake said. “Our names even rhyme. Jake? Blake?”

“That’s… coincidence,” Kate said, turning away to hide her frown. They really did rhyme. How had she missed that?
END QUOTE

A beleaguered Kate plans on bearing down, overruling her subconscious and powering through what looks increasingly like it’s about to be the most disastrous weekend of her life. But in a killer twist, she stumbles across a dead body and realizes that someone is using her own plotlines to frame her for murder. With Jake as her only ally, she’ll have to do more than just channel Loretta in order to find the real killer. As danger looms, will she be able to save her own life without risking her heart in the process?

Jenny Elder Moke’s debut adult novel more than ticks off all the genre boxes as it presents a deeply satisfying murder mystery and romance novel mashup. Kate is realistically insecure but also determined to overcome the perilous situations that she finds herself in. The blossoming of her relationship with Jake is both sexy and swoon-worthy. I especially loved how Ms Moke confronts the most annoying tropes of the genres and cleverly turns them into this novel’s strengths. I very much hope she writes more fiction along these lines, as she’s proven herself to be an excellent author of both crime and tenderness.

3.5 ⭐

Perfect for fans of mystery/detective novels! This book feels like you have jumped in the middle of a detective novel and you are trying to figure out who the suspect is along with the main character.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy to enjoy.