Thank you, @BellamyRoseBooks and @AtriaBooks for my free @NetGalley #ARC.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 255 / Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: March 18, 2025

Spoiled rich girl Pomona Afton has just been coasting through life living off her family’s millions. Her entire family actually live in The Afton, a posh hotel they own in Manhattan. Then one day she finds her grandmother brutally murdered. Apparently, grandmother Afton had a suspicion that someone was out to get her, so she changed her will at the last minute to freeze all the family money and kick out all her family members from The Afton until her murderer is found. If Pomona is to get her life back, she has to solve this murder herself. This also means living like a normal person with a roommate and a job and taking a good hard look at the people in her life and how she and they have been treating others.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery. I love a fish-out-of-water story, especially when snooty rich people get a dose of reality and the comeuppance they deserve.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the complimentary e-ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Pomona’s life turns upside down after her grandmother’s death and in order to get back to her luxury lifestyle she has to solve the murder.

I would like to thank Lara Jones (senior editor) for putting a label onto my now favorite genre - mystery rom-com. I loved this book, it had everything I enjoy - murder to solve, cute banter and characters you want to keep reading about. Even though Pomona seemed a spoiled brat she is a really likable character who took matters in her hands. Every character in this book had a distinguished character and was easy to imagine and like or hate.

I hope to read some more from Bellamy Rose in a near future.

This was such a fun and quick read. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Pomona is a very likeable character. I will definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an entertaining quick read. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. So the summary and title of this book really made me excited to read it. I expected from the summary that there would be a bit of mystery with it and there wasn’t at all.
The book was ok but there was just nothing in it that I had expected to find. I kept reading expecting something to happen but nothing did. This one just wasn’t really for me.

This was fun! It had some of my favorite vibes (namely: rich people behaving badly), with a plucky dethroned heiress, a hunky new roommate, and a cat sidekick. Also: baking. Did I mention the whole mystery element as well? Basically this was a handful of wonderful things blended and tossed into an enjoyable romp of a read.

4/5 Stars
1/5 Spice

BLURB: A spoiled heiress must investigate her grandmother’s death in order to gain back her trust fund, all while discovering how to be her own person and maybe even in falling in love in this rom-com meets murder mystery.

This book took me by surprise! It felt like a grown up Schitt's Creek where Pomona's character growth was what centered the novel!

I loved the romantic suspense that is brought! Pomona and Gabe are perfect together. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a romance with just a little bit of a twist towards mystery!

POMONA AFTON CAN SO SOLVE A MURDER was a delightful surprise. What began as a lighthearted read for me quickly became a page-turning mystery. The quirky charm of Pomona Afton, with her unlikely detective skills, makes her a character I couldn’t help but become attached to - even as an heiress with very little humility when we meet her.

It strikes the perfect balance of humor, mystery, and romance, weaving an intriguing whodunit with sharp wit, clever twists, and a delightful romantic subplot. The plot never feels too forced or predictable, and the characters bring a refreshing energy to the genre.

If you're looking for a page-turner that's both entertaining and surprisingly clever, with a perfect blend of rom-com and suspense, this is a perfect choice. It’s like Only Murders in the Building meets Real Housewives. Hard to resist, really. I for one am looking forward to more of Pomona’s antics.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the advance copy. All opinions are entirely my own.

Cozy mysteries can king of be hit or miss with me and this one was definitely a hit! Funny and endearing Pomona is trying to solve her grandmothers murder and at the same time learning how to become a functioning human being. I personally loved her characters growth.

The perfect mystery rom-com with a side of Schitt’s Creek. The slow burn romance between Pomona and Gabe was fun and enjoyable they went from strangers to friends to lovers. Pomona’s character arc of self-discovery, her misadventures of finding the culprit of her grandmother’s murder and finding genuine friendships was satisfying.

3.75 stars

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books for this digital advanced reader copy! Let me start by saying this book was soooo fun! I loved the mix of murder mystery, spoiled heiress, humor, Schitt's Creek vibes, and a little bit of romance!

I loved that the mystery part of this unfolded slowly and made you suspect everyone. Half way in I thought I knew who committed the crime but got proven wrong time and time again. I adored the main character's Alexis from Schitt's Creek vibes; she was so funny and stylish always! However, I think this book outdid Schitt's Creek because Pomona reflected on her life and learned lessons from her lost fortune, whereas Alexis remains entitled and spoiled by her family.

The romance in this book was so cute! A slow burn for sure, but once the characters fall for each other it's like they were meant to be together all along! I can't believe this book was a debut! The author did a great job, I definitely recommend!

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Pomona Afton Can Solve a Murder was a fun, light read, but it didn’t quite blow me away. Pomona is a quirky and likable character with a lot of spunk, and her journey as an amateur sleuth is entertaining. The mystery itself kept me interested, but I did feel like some parts were a bit predictable, and I was hoping for more twists along the way. I found Pomona a little frustrating at times, but I didn't connect with her closer to the end of the book. The characters were fun, though at times they felt a little exaggerated. Overall, it’s a solid 3-star book—enjoyable but not something I’ll be thinking about for long!

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