Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this title to read and review. I really enjoyed this fun and light mystery, and I got major Emma/Clueless vibes from our lead character Pomona's personality, and the plot itself. I really enjoyed that the whole way through, you're not sure which characters can be trusted -- which is perfect for a whodunnit and also for navigating a rich heiress's world: who's just getting close to you for the money and fame, and who's the real deal who actually cares about you? I thought that Pomona found her way pretty immediately after being cut off from her family's money at the top of the book, proving that she always had some depth and untapped resourcefulness all along - so that had me rooting for her to discover it for herself. (I think I'd be less interested if she stayed spoiled and bratty the whole way through, but she pushes those behaviors out well and continues to grow and shine.)

This book was such a fun ride! A spoiled heiress, a mysterious murder, and a slow-burn romance—what’s not to love? Pomona starts off completely clueless, but it’s so satisfying watching her grow into someone who can stand on her own (even without a doorman or private chef). The banter between her and Gabe was gold, and the murder mystery kept me guessing just enough without overshadowing the rom-com vibes. It’s a little over-the-top in places, but that’s part of the charm. Would totally recommend if you’re into snarky heroines, reluctant roommates, and a bit of murder with your romance.

Ok so how fun was this? It’s a quirky murder mystery featuring amateur sleuth Pamona Afton, an heiress who’s on the case to figure out who murdered her less than lovely grandmother. With her murder, the family’s assets have been frozen until the mystery gets solved and Pamona is anxious to get her life back so she gets busy. In the meantime, she is forced to move in with the hot son of her former nanny, and he has a vested interest in solving the case too as his mother is due a payout from the estate as well.
I loved how fun and witty the story was and Pamona was so quirky that you couldn’t help but like her and the combination of those factors made it such an easy boos to find myself lost in. There’s lots of questionable characters, secrets and humor. If you’re a fab of cozy mystery, strong female leads and solid mystery you’re not going to want to miss this one!
Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Pomona needs to solve her grandmother's murder to keep her inheritance. Cut off by those she thought were friends, she ends up living with roommate Gabe. Along the way she learns a lot of lessons.

Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose is a well written story mix of murder mystery and romance.
I really enjoyed this book, loved the writing style and plot.
The characters were engaging and very entertaining.
An easy read which kept me guessing. I would highly recommend.

If you love Schitt's Creek, Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder is for you. Pomona is down on her luck heiress, who readers will fall in love with. Mystery and romance readers will enjoy this fun story. Can't wait for more stories from Bellamy Rose.

Admittedly at first Pomona will grate on you. You’ll think “why am I reading about this heiress?” but honestly the character is well written and grows on you. Fast. What little “woe is me” there is is handled nicely. The pace is great and keeps the reader entertained throughout.

Overall a fun cozy mystery with enjoyable characters. I’d honestly love another book or books about all the side characters. Maybe a mystery for each person to solve?

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 Stars

This was a fun read that is a mix of murder mystery and romance. It was also an easy read. I didn't have to dig deep into the mystery and the twists were fun. To my surprise, the romance fell a bit flat for me in some scenes. It either felt rushed or like I was missing something. I would've liked more development between them.

I read this in between fantasy reads, and it was the perfect distraction for my reading slump.

One day, Pomona Afton is the toast of the town. Her wealthy family gives her entree into any number of soirees and parties and ensure that she never has to work. And hers is as disfunctional as any number of books have described wealthy families. Though they don't interact often, Pomona's grandmother rules the roost. Even so, Pomona does ignore her when she starts texting and leaving messages. She assumes she'll have time to find out what her grandmother wants. Too bad her grandmother is savagely murdered. Even worse, her grandmother recently updated her will so that, if she did die, all of the family assets were to be closed up immediately meaning Pomona has no home and no money with only 30 minutes to get out.
For awhile, she's able to live with her brother and his girlfriend but soon realizes that is too small of an apartment. She decides to take her old nanny up on her offer to live with the woman's son. His apartment is even worse but at least she has the opportunity to work in the coffe shop he manages. And it's at his place that she decides she's going to solve her grandmother's murder.
Large parts of this story are improbable and some aren't even the zany stretches I so often enjoy but there is some real growth in Pomona's character (it seemed awfully fast though there were some hints she was ready to change before her life was turned upside down which helped.) It's fluff that wasn't fairly clued but provided me with some entertainment.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out March 18, 2025
ARC kindly provided by Atria Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Cute. Slow start. However, once I was into it the story unfolds and it’s easy to feel invested and begin to fall into Pomona’s world. Plus, Pomona solves the mystery!

Advanced reader copy provided by Atria and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I definitely got London Tipton vibes in this lighthearted murder mystery. Pomona got on my nerves sometimes- definitely a spoiled heiress.

This was a great read. This is a fun murder mystery with some spoiled rich people problems thrown in the mix. At the start, Pomona is hard to deal with. She’s rich and has everything handed to her on a silver platter. Then, she finds her grandmother dead and her whole life changes. She shows amazing growth through the book. If you like the quirkiness of the Finlay Donovan books or the Vera Wong books you will enjoy this one.

Thank you Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunately, I didn't finish reading this book.

Super fun romp that’s part-mystery part-romcom. Pomona Afton is a spoiled hotel heiress who is living the party lifestyle until one night she gets blackout drunk one night after a gala, only to find her grandmother murdered the next day. As her grandmother apparently suspected foul play, her will stipulated that all of the family’s assets would be frozen for a year if she died under suspicious circumstances. If her murder isn’t solved in a year no one gets anything!

As Pom has no prior work history and seemingly no marketable skills to fall back on, she teams up with her old nanny’s son to try to solve the murder! Gabe, a master’s student and the nanny’s son, offers to help her because the freeze in assets also blocks his mother’s retirement fund. As they live and work together, a sweet romance starts to develop.

I ship this relationship so hard! Pom turns herself around completely with his help, learning to appreciate how hard the average person has to work just to get by. With Gabe’s help and guidance, she becomes a better person and faces issues in her life that she previously avoided. On the other hand, Gabe also learns more about Pom and her past live. He begins to realize that the perfect life Pom and her rich friends post about on social media isn’t as it seems. While there is instant attraction, the romance is slow burn. They have ups and downs, but they work on their issues together(eventually!). It’s amazing to have a mystery book where the characters actually grow and evolve mentally and emotionally as well.

This was so entertaining! It was definitely a slow start for me because at first I wasn't feeling the rich people vibes but after Pomona finds the body and gets kicked out of the hotel is where things really picked up for me and I found myself really enjoying the character arc and journey she took and laughed at some of the scenes and Pomonas inner thoughts. I hope we get more from this author and Pomona because the ending did hint towards a sequel.
Definitely pick this up if you are into cozies that focus on character growth and family drama.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy!

What a delightful, contemporary cozy mystery! Readers will instantly fall in love with down-on-her-luck heiress Pomona Afton as she navigates how to live in the real-world and works to solve her grandmother's murder. Pom's character growth and self-discovery are so relatable and you can't help but root for her budding romance with Gabe. Fast-paced, humorous, and clever, this book is a fresh addition to the mystery genre.

Pomona Afton is a hotel heiress who has it all: the fame, the fortune, and the friends. When her grandmother, owner, ceo, and matriarch of the Afton Hotels chain, is murdered in her suite, that all comes crashing down. Everything tied to the business is frozen until the murderer is caught. Pom is desperate for her old life back. There’s only one thing for her to do: solve the murder.

If there is one niche trope I love to read about, it’s a spoiled rich girl’s downfall (eat the rich, amiright). Add to that a murder mystery and sprinkle in a little bit of romance, and I was flying through the pages.

Not only is the plot compelling, but Pom’s character development was perfection 🤌🏻 when you’ve always had service people to do literally every little thing for you, it’s quite a humbling experience to make it on your own. I think Pom’s growth as a person was very natural and well done! She had a few stumbles here and there, but she really took everything in stride and by the end of the book, she was a completely different person.

I really loved this one! I wanted an arc that would grab my attention right away and keep me hooked and this did exactly that. Highly recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this arc!

One thing I love as much as a romance book, is listening to true crime podcast or watching their documentaries, and this book was a beautiful mix in between.
At first I was kinda iffy about Pomona but she had a great character development from the first 4 chapters or so, till the end. Like a lot of personal growth.
She went from a bratty high class bitch, with not a lot of self confidence and not an idea of what to do with herself, to a confident woman who learned to speak for herself and find what she loved, and who she loved.

I did figure out who the murder was before they reveled it, but the other twist? Did not see that one coming. It was just SO GOOD.

And Gabe? Sweet, beautiful man. He was just what she needed to be herself. And I love a supportive man.


🔪 slow burn
🔪 murder mystery
🔪 force proximity

No spice

I DNF'd this book 40% in. The FMC is so unrelatable and comes across as whiney that I just couldn't finish it.

This was a fun cozy mystery. Definitely recommend to those that like Finlay Donovan or Tita Rosie's Kitchen mysteries. I'd say the characters are a little less developed in this one, but it has Schitt's Creek vibes, but is set in NYC.

Overall an enjoyable new cozy series.