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.

Pomona's wealthy and cruel grandmother is murdered, having left behind a will that explains no undeserving family members will be awarded their inheritance until the riddle of her death is solved. Under such circumstances, we encounter a Schitt's Creek style fiasco where the Afton hotels are no longer "home" and very old money spoiled kids must experience jobs, budgets, and real friendships that consist of more more than mani/ pedi and what is trending on social media.
Pomona moves in with one of two of her beloved nanny's sons. Gabe is driven, kind, down to earth- genuinely, I love him. I love a feel- good murder mystery- and this is light, easily palatable, fun in a way that just might age well, and full of multi- tiered characters who bring so much to the plot. The killer isn't too entirely obvious from the light hearted simpleness of the book, and it's fun and so dramatic to follow along with Pom and Gabe as they give their all to achieve solving Grandma's murder. The romantic aspect is also so sweet and tender- but expect no spice in this one (good for me).
Thanks so much to the author and publisher for the eARC.

This was a cute read. It's very true to the description. I didn't respond strongly to the romance, but really enjoyed the characters and mystery plot. I would recommend as a plane or a beach read.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Ich habe mir von der contemporary romance einen charmanten Roman mit viel Humor, interessanten Charakteren und etwas Spannung erhofft. Doch leider hielt sich mein Interesse an den Charakteren von Anfang an in Grenzen. Das änderte sich im Verlauf der ersten 15 Kapitel auch nicht.

Zudem war der Humor nur bedingt mein Fall und ich konnte mir die Charaktere nicht als echte Personen vorstellen. Auch habe ich mir von den Spannungselementen mehr erhofft.

Nach dem Lesen der Leseprobe dachte ich noch, dass ich mich mit dem Schreibstil anfreunden können würde, doch dazu kam es leider nicht. Für die richtige Person kann der Roman sicherlich eine nette, unterhaltsame und kurzweilige Unterhaltung bieten, mein Fall war das Buch aber nicht.

Keine Bewertung, da abgebrochen.

Für wen?

Wer kurzweilige Liebesromane mit etwas Spannung mag, die im Dunstkreis von superreichen Menschen spielt, sollte sich das Buch mal näher anschauen.

Honestly I like a good quirky mystery. I did like this book. I thought it was enjoyable even despite the main character being a little annoying.

I don’t think I’m dying to read it again or anything but I definitely got through it

What an amazing and fun read. Rose does such a great job of sucking the reader in with her story. Pomona is a very likeable and flawed FMC who not only grows out of her own childishness but learns to brush off the negative perspectives of others. She and Gabe have a fun banter and the mystery adds in a fun touch to the storyline.

At twenty-eight, Pomona Afton is a spoiled young woman, part of hotel-owning family. She spends her evenings at galas, and her nights drinking and dancing on table tops. She even ignores phone calls from the family matriarch. When she finds her grandmother stabbed to death in her bed, Pomona's life changes overnight. It seems her grandmother thought she might be murdered by someone close to her, so her will stipulates in case of an unnatural death, all the family assets are frozen, and will remain so until the murder is solved. Pomona, her parents and brother are locked out of the hotels. The only person Pomona ever trusted was her childhood nanny who sends her to live with her son, Gabe, in a cramped apartment. Gabe manages a coffee shop, and he reluctantly gets Pomona a job in the coffee shop. After one day on her feet, answering to customers, Pomona decides she must solve the murder to get her old life back. She and Gabe team up, but if the case is solved, will her attraction to her new sleuthing partner remain?

Fans of "Only Murders in the Building" may enjoy this fun mystery rom-com with a protagonist who is superficial and dislikable, but grows into a caring adult who learns to value herself and others.

Very cute and funny!
Cozy mystery.
Pomona was a cute character.
More mystery than thriller

Would recommend for a cute, fun, fast read.
Thank you for the chance to review.

This book was such a fun read with lots of sarcastic quips and jokes. The book follows an heiress who gets cut off following the murder of her grandmother and has to experience the “real world” while trying to solve the murder. In the middle of that she goes through a self-discovery journey and growth. The premise is lighthearted (even though it’s about a murder) and cozy and had me rooting for Pomona the whole time!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced version in exchange for an honest review.

This was an absolute blast!! This reminded me of a cross between Only Murders in the Building and the Material Girls Movie. Pomona was so funny and I really loved being able to see how her situation changed her as a person and caused her growth. Gabe was the perfect partnership for her and the two of them frequently made me laugh. I enjoyed the plot as well as the reveal of the killer, and was truly misled many times.