This was such a cute and lighthearted mystery thriller with a side of rom-com. Pom, the FMC was quirky and made me chuckle quite a few times! It was nice to see her transformation and growth as the plot thickened. This book gave me Nancy Drew / Gossip Girl with a side of Finlay Donavan vibes!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with this e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I felt this book had a bit of an identity crisis. Not quite a cozy mystery, not quite a comic mystery, not quite a romance. I wished it had leaned harder into one of those lanes, because I fear it may not please any of those fan groups. I did love the concept of a disinherited heiress trying to solve a murder, but Pomona herself suffered from some murkiness in characterization. She wasn't bitchy enough to be a snobby rich girl, but a little too helpless to be someone who plausibly teaches herself to bake and solve crimes. I also felt the Upper East Side details could have used more filling out.

Pomona is a spoiled wealthy woman who gets whatever she wants. When her grandmother dies under suspicious circumstances, her family money is rescinded from her and her family. Each is cut off so much that they need new places to live, jobs and more.

Pomona is a fun character who is insanely naive to the “real world” which is why it made this such a fun read. Seeing her dip her toes into finding a place to live, getting a job and using her own money was very entertaining. She then decides she will be the one to solve her grandmother's murder (having only ever listened to a few podcasts).

The great thing is, with all her new experiences, she finds things she’s good at, people who like her (and not necessarily her money) and what she wants out of life instead of having her family control her choices.

It was a fun, light read with a murder mystery to solve as well as a “new” Pomona to make.

Thank you to Atria for the copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book and for introducing me to Bellamy Rose. This book was so cute, most people would not describe a thriller as cute, I disagree. Bellamy Rose gives you part charming and part murder mystery. It is a great combination that just works! One would think that a character described as a spoiled heiress could not possible have a giving heart, but Pomona does! Enter Gabe and their sweet budding romance. So cute! Loved the ending and possibly another mystery for Pomona to come back in another book to solve. (PLEASE write another Pomona story. Do yourself a favor and add this to your TBR!

Maybe it’s because my feed has been flooded with Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez, but I’ve been in such a murder mystery mood lately! And what perfect timing, since Bellamy Rose’s debut novel, 𝐏𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐎 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐀 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫, arrived in my mailbox a couple of weeks early thanks to Atria Books.

Read if you 💖:

• 👸🏻 Heiresses Forced Into The Real World

• 🏙️ Fancy Hotel Mysteries

• 🚕 Exploring NYC 

• 🐈 Getting on Your Cat’s Good Side

Pomona’s story is an absolute hoot, and I enjoyed every second of it! I found myself reaching for the book whenever I had a spare moment, eager to see how our amateur sleuths would crack the case. There’s also a bit of romance, but it’s very light and completely PG-rated.

I’m not usually one to drop spoilers, but I have to share that Bellamy Rose is actually the mystery alias of Amanda Elliot, which means this is technically my second book of hers this year. I loved getting lost in her version of New York City, especially since she included a few playful jabs at Queens. (I’m a millennial— If I have to cross a bridge, I’m obviously choosing Brooklyn.)

If you’re a fan of a modern-day whodunnit and an heiress with a secretly golden heart, 𝐏𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐎 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐀 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 is for you! You can grab a copy at your favorite bookstore on March 18.

Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder is, in one word, fun. It's also quirky, and has just the right mix of rom-com, mystery, some personal growth, and a thoroughly entertaining look at how the other half lives. I read it between two darker thrillers/horror, and it was exactly what I needed. I can see Pomona in beach bags everywhere this summer, because it's that prefect blend of cozy and entertaining.

This book is absolutely adorable. Endearing and heartwarming and funny and a bit zany- Pomona reminds me of Alexis Rose. I truly think everything about this was charming, but I really love the way that Pomona grew and learned to ask for forgiveness and work through her problems with her friends. Fingers crossed this is a series!

3.5 stars
While I did find this to be an entertaining read (I paired print with audio), I felt the pacing was a bit off, and I found myself zoning out. I think the plot and characters could have been a bit more developed, but still this was a fun read. Just not a favorite for me.

My thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.5/5 stars

This is the first book in a new cozy mystery series set in NYC. This book is a mystery rom-com in which a spoiled hotel heiress must solve a murder.

This was such a charming read. I love cozy mysteries. I love when romance and humor is included. And I am a big fan of author Amanda Elliot.

Pomona/Pom (28) definitely started out as a spoiled brat. But I liked the character's growth. And I ended up liking her so much. I really enjoyed how her family lived in fancy hotel rooms. I also really liked seeing her and her new friend Gabe try to solve the murder mystery.

The baking aspect was so unexpected. But it was definitely one of my favorite things about this book. I love seeing people discover new passions. And all of the treats in the book sounded so yummy.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I am a big fan of this genre. I hope that there will be more Pomona books to come.

What a fun book! Pomona is such a great character with a great voice and I appreciated following along on her journey. There was nothing particularly surprising about this book but it was very well executed. I had absolutely no idea who killed her grandmother and appreciated all of the plausible red herrings. If you are looking for a cozy mystery with some NYC rich girl vibes then Pomona Afton may be the girl for you.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria/Emily Beatles Books for an advanced copy of this book.

Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder @bellamyrosebooks 👠💳🗽🥧🖼️

When @atriabooks sent me an email inviting me to read Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder, I was intrigued. Then I read the pitch “Dan Humphrey (aka Lonely Boy) x Blair Waldorf?? SIGN ME UPPPPPPP!! I was alwayssss rooting for Dan and Blair, they deserved better🫡

This truly was such a fabulous time. I adored seeing the whole story play out, especially seeing how Pomona had to pause and realize the life she lived and the life she’s in now. The flashbacks to how she treated people when she didn’t have to worry about money vs the way she’s living now only worrying about money. Her being roommates with Gabe (her former nanny’s son) and seeing him step up to help her right away so his family gets the money they deserve from her family’s side. Truly such an incredible book (so proud I guessed the murderer right before, first time for everything!) The character development was great and helped the flow of the story.

Thank you, Atria, for inviting me to read, out now! I can not waittttt for the sequel the author hinted at 🫶

- Murder Mystery
- Roommates to Lovers
- Dan x Blair Vibes
- Second Chance-ish with Life and Relationships?

This is a cozy mystery with plenty of cute and funny moments. I enjoyed the plot of the book, but at times, parts felt a little flat or could have been more developed. I will say I enjoyed several of the characters and the coziness of the story. I think I will circle back to this book and try a reread at some point.

In Pomona Afton Can Solve a Murder, Pomona, a New York hotel heiress, is frozen out of all her accounts when her grandmother dies under suspicious circumstances. In order to get back the lifestyle she has grown accustomed to she will have to figure out what really happened to her grandmother. The son of her former Nanny, Gabe, gives her a place to crash and a helping hand; his mom's retirement is also on hold till the killer is found. Though Pomona wonders if the money might be worth less than having Gabe's love in the long run. I enjoyed the many twists and turns the mystery took and the romance between Gabe and Pomona was sweet, but I thought the novel also had interesting things to say about friendships, familial relationships and the pressure that money can put on even the best people to make not so ethical decisions. This reminded me a bit of the funny sitcom Two Broke Girls if they had to solve a mystery. Rose writes romances under the name, Amanda Elliot, including Love You a Latke and Best Served Hot.

Thank you so much to Atria Books for the gifted ARC!

Title: Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder
Author: Bellamy Rose
Pub Date: Marc 18, 2025

Pomona Afton may not be able to do much, but she can solve a murder! Thanks to her family's wealth, Pomano has barely lifted a finger in life and has always been handed everything she's ever wanted on a silver platter. But when her grandmother is found murdered and her inheritance is cut off, her only hope of returning to the lap of luxury is by solving her grandma's murder.

Pomona is a HANDFUL. She is one of the most whiney and dramatic characters I've ever encountered, but that is CLEARLY intentional and left me hoping she would have 180 transformation and some self-awareness! You'll have to wait and see if that happens or not...

Overall, this was a fun and quick read! Between the murder plot, a budding romance, and all Pomona's money problems, the story kept me entertained the whole time!

Throw this into your bag for spring break! It's the perfect light mystery for when you're keeping half an eye on the kids running around the beach. By the middle, Pomona's complete lack of understanding of how life works gets a little repetitive, but then she started catching on. I hope there's a series coming with more, because I wanted to keep going with the characters and see what happened next.

This book was such a fun combo of light mystery, a touch of romance, and humor rolled into one! Following a hotel heiress as she has recently lost her inheritance until she finds the person who murdered her grandmother, we also see Pomona find herself and grow without her money. Was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book!

Thank you Atria Books for my #gifted copy and thank you Simon Audio for my #gifted listening copy of Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder! #AtriaPartner #atriabooks #PomonaAftonCanSoSolveAMurder #BellamyRose #simonaudio #JenniferJillAraya

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐏𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐀 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟏𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰!

𝟒.𝟓★

Pomona may not look like she can solve a murder, but don’t underestimate her! If she wants something, she is going to get it! When the Upper East Side hotel heiress stumbles out of a gala and upon the scene of her grandmother’s murder, not only has she lost a family member, but she’s also lost all of her money due to an unnatural death clause in her grandmother’s will. Overnight, Pom goes from living in a penthouse to living with a grumpy roommate. Now, in order to get her trust fund back, she must find out what really happened to her grandmother. Together with her new roommate Gabe, who is the son of her former nanny (and is also easy on the eyes), Pom must prove herself once and for all). This one gives off Paris Hilton type vibes! It’s also a blend of cozy mystery and a rom-com and was really fun! I also did not expect some of the twists in this one! With the way the one ended, it sounds like this is the start of a new series!

🕵🏻‍♀️Cozy Mystery Meets Rom-Com
🕵🏻‍♀️Roommates
🕵🏻‍♀️Paris Hilton Vibes
🕵🏻‍♀️Great Banter
🕵🏻‍♀️The Start of a New Series?

🎧I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya. I loved listening to this one and felt like the narrator was a perfect fit! I’ve always enjoyed her as a narrator and she just really took her roll with this one to the next level! Whether you read this one with your eyes or ears, you can’t go wrong!

Posted on Goodreads on March 19, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around March 19, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on March 19, 2025
**-will post on designated date

This novel was an enjoyable and light mystery/romance read. I enjoyed reading but did feel like it was missing some areas where the characters or plot could’ve been developed more.

This book had a lot of interesting ideas it wanted to explore but refused to engage with any of them in much depth at all. Maybe I was just expecting more from it than it was interested in being but I saw a lot of potential that was largely unrealized. I'm really bummed because I was looking forward to it. It was still a fun popcorn type read but idk I thought it would be better.

This was a quick, fast moving cozy that was a great escape read. It had some early 2000s vibes - think Paris Hilton solving a murder. I liked that Pom wasn’t afraid to take down her family if necessary, especially since they were just awful to her. There was some decent character growth which made me appreciate Pomona a bit more. The romance felt a bit rushed but in a shorter book (under 300 pages) I see why it was. There is definitely room for a sequel with Pom and her group of friends!