Aside from some geography based mess ups, this is a decent mystery/romance. Mysteries are not my favorite genre but I want to like them and this one was engaging and not predictable.

Kate Valentine is a successful mystery writer who was invited to her ex-fiancé's wedding on a private island near the San Juans. Her former friend and long time crush, Jake is also there. The cast of quirky invitees leaving the reader guessing whodunnit, as Kate dons her "sleuthing sweater" and tries to be like Loretta, her plucky main character. Hijinks ensue.

The story dragged on a bit and many of the characters were insanely unlikeable. However, Kate and Jake were not, so it was not too hard to enjoy the read. I would give it 3 stars.

The narrator was good and even did a great Australian accent. There were a few times that things were pronounced incorrectly though. I cannot blame them for geography mess up, as the text says Orca Island instead of Orcas Island.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and Net Galley for the ALC! All opinions are my own!

She Doesn't Have a Clue is a PERFECT balance of mystery and romance! There's a central love story BUT there's also murders and suspicious happenings! As someone who is a romance book lover who sometimes listens to mysteries, this combo had the perfect balance, it almost felt like a romance book that had a mystery plot and not the other way around (which is DEF what I prefer)! This audiobook is so entertaining and the different characters speaking is still clear (even though there is only one narrator) which is REALLY difficult! I really enjoyed this story and it may be one of my favorite romance/mystery stories that I've listened to this year! I also loved Kate, the main character, because she is goofy, clumsy, and SO relatable and funny!
Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for an early copy of this audiobook! 💖

This was soo cute! Like Hallmark meets the Glass Onion. Murder, mystery, and romance.

I loved every second of this book! From the itchy sleuthing sweater, to the hot Australian and the ex-fiancé pining. It’s fun, it’s fast, and it keeps you hooked.

Kate receives a mysterious letter inviting her to her ex-fiancés wedding where everything that could go wrong does. A massive storm trapping them on the island, dead (or almost dead) bodies popping up, cousins trying to get their hands on the family fortune, and a delicious sort of ex boyfriend appears. Kate and Jake pretend to be a couple but the tension is just blooming between them. Who knows if they will give in 🤫🫣

Someone seems to be framing Kate by making it seem like her murder mystery is coming to life. Can Kate solve it in time and save everyone?? You’ll have to read it find out.

You’ll love this so much and want to read Kate’s actual books. See if you can solve the murder before I did 😉

Thanks Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I really enjoy cozy mysteries and was excited about the concept of a locked-room cozy mystery/romcom, but it ultimately fell flat.

There were aspects of the mystery element that I enjoyed. Well-crafted red herrings compelled me to keep reading to find out whodunnit. I also loved how the events of the weekend mirrored plot lines from the main character’s book — clever, literary, and a delight for anyone who enjoys books about books/authors/writing. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much where the “good” ends for me.

First, the balance between romance and mystery felt off. The romance didn’t feel organic and didn’t advance the primary mystery plot. Worse, it came across as a distracting detour rather than adding tension or stakes. Romance in mysteries works best when it’s woven into the fabric of the story, with chemistry and angst building while characters work to solve the crime. A steamy make-out session while the rest of the island searches for a murderer? It just didn’t fit.

Second, while I’m okay suspending disbelief for a cozy mystery, this one pushed me too far. The bride is poisoned, requires resuscitation, and then just gets up as thought nothing happened — and no one is remotely concerned? Please.

The audiobook, narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen, is solid. Her performance was engaging, though her breathy style isn’t quite my cup of tea. If you decide to try this book, the audiobook is definitely worth considering.

Anyways, this one wasn’t for me—and that’s ok. If you give it a shot, I hope you enjoy it!

2.81/5 stars, rounded to 3

This story was not my favorite. It had romance and mystery themes which I thought I would like, but just didn't jive with it for some reason. The narration was good and her different voices for different characters was nice to keep track of them. There were a few spicy scenes and lots of drama from the family members.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley and @Macmillan.Audio in exchange for an honest review.
This book was fun! I really enjoyed the narration. She did a great job differentiating the cast of characters and I was particularly impressed by her male voices and, specifically, the Australian accent. It was the perfect thing to listen to while getting work done around the house.
As someone who lives in the PNW, I always enjoy reading novels set here and this was no exception. The setting/weather was an important element in the story and I felt like it was an accurate portrayal. The main characters had great chemistry. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

This was a whacky blend of cozy murder mystery and second chance romance that takes place on a remote island off the coast of Seattle during a destination wedding of bestselling author Kate's ex, Spencer.

When bodies start turning up in circumstances that eerily resemble scenes from Kate's books, things start to get serious and the more time she spends with fellow guest Jake, the one who got away, the more old feelings from the past get dredged up.

Full of action, tons of forced proximity open door spice, ridiculous accidental deaths and even a cougar on the loose, this book will make you laugh, swoon and cackle with glee. A hugely entertaining adult fiction debut by a new to me author who I will eagerly look forward to reading more from.

This was also great on audio narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen who does an impressive job narrating the full cast of characters, including Jake's very convincing Australian accent. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of She Doesn’t Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke. All opinions are my own.

I would describe She Doesn’t Have a Clue as half mystery half romance. It was a fun combination to have an interesting mystery while the main character also reconnected with the man she never thought she’d see again.

The tone of the book was lighthearted and fun, which is exactly the type of mystery I enjoy. I liked the added drama of the different guests at the wedding from jaded co-workers to family members fighting over an inheritance.

The romance was nice, and I appreciated that it didn’t take long for the characters to clear the air from their past problems. I would’ve preferred a closed-door romance, but the couple spicy scenes were easy to skip over without missing out on major plot points.

I listened to the audiobook of this and enjoyed the narrator a lot. She fit the character well and did a great job with other character voices.
Overall, I would recommend this story if you’re looking for a lighthearted and fun mystery with a bonus romance.

3.5 stars rounded up

This book is a funny, romantic, murder mystery set on an island during a wedding weekend. The main female character is a mystery author who is invited to her ex-fiancé’s destination wedding. On her way to the island where the wedding is taking place, she runs into an old crush. From there, it quickly turns into an amateur sleuth murder investigation with a second chance relationship on the side.

The books uses some typical tropes from mystery-rom-coms which took some of the surprise of the story out. I still found the story to be entertaining, quick, and light hearted. The narration is well done and each character has a distinct voice or accent making them easily recognizable.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley.

Former co-authors and crushes Kate and Jake haven't seen each other in years and now they're both mysteriously invited to Kate's ex-fiancee's wedding. Murder, mayhem, mix-ups and mad sexy times ensue. Here you have a bunch of self-centered, rich people trapped on a private island during a storm with a killer and NO ONE seems to care but Kate? Whhhaaaaatt? Not even a LITTLE concern that someone is trying to kill the bride? Anyone? GROOM?! Is he the LEAST bit concerned? No. Hmmm...maybe the bride should rethink this wedding. Kate soon realizes she was only invited to take the fall for murder and has to channel her detective character, Loretta, to figure out what's going on.

I listened to the audiobook, so I really had to pay attention to keep the characters straight and there is no indication in the audiobook when they are reciting passages from Kate's Loretta books and when she's the one actually talking so that was confusing. I feel like a different narrator was needed for the Loretta passages to clarify. I may have zoned out and missed some plot points. There was a LOT of action.

Overall, it was a great mystery, it kept me guessing until the end. It was just an okay second chance romance. I didn't really feel the love between Kate and Jake or that they even knew each other that well. There was plenty of lust though. The main character, Kate, made some cringey choices and I couldn't really connect with her. I also lost count on how many times a secret passage was used as a plot device. It got old really quick. So was the fact that the family that has owned the house for generations is completely unaware of where these secret passages are.

Narrator Sarah Mollo-Christensen gives one hell of a performance. The sheer number of perfectly distinct voices and accents is unreal. My favorite just might be the slightly tipsy, Kate Mulgrew sounding rasp of Serena the author and “they will hear the lions roar” - just amazing.

Title: She Doesn’t Have Clue
Author Jenny Elder Moke
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Sarah Mollo-Christensen
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Adult RomCom, Mystery
Pub Date: January 21, 2025
My Rating: 3.3 Stars!
Pages: 336

I am a big thriller fan but I do like a sweet romance full of anticipation of hope and love.
I am not a big fan of adult RomCom –however since our protagonist is an author of mysteries, I was sure I was going to at least like her!

Story starts when bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine is supposed to attend a wedding she is not interested in attending. Her editor aka ex-fiancé is marring Rebecca Hempstead. When Kate receives a special invitation from Rebecca, Kate decides she can plaster on a smile and get through the festivities plus the free champagne will help. When longtime crush, adventurer Jake Hawkins, is mistakenly invited as her plus-one she is now not so sure.
Jake however is enjoying their fake dating and things do heat up.

When the Bride is found dead before the ceremony even begin and has been poisoned similar to a murder in one of Kate's novels, Kate is now the prime suspect.
Kate knows she must find the murderer. Since she has a great imagination when it comes to writing whodunit mysteries she is on the case however there is one problem - she doesn’t have a clue how to solve a real crime!

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for granting me this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 21, 2025.

Thank you @Macmillan Audio and @NetGalley for the audio ARC. This book was filled with twist and turns and some spice, all my favorite things. Kate is a writer of mysteries but when she is invited to her ex's wedding, she never thought she would be in a real life mystery. It is also a second chance romance that does not disappoint. A must read.

3.5/5 rounded up

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy!

Romance and mystery are my two favorite genres, and listening to them mixed together was super fun! The balance between these two genres was very well done, with enough of both to satisfy the itch! The setting was atmospheric and fun -- who doesn't love a remote manner wedding?! There were a lot of characters involved in the mystery aspect, though and it was fairly difficult for me to keep track of all the suspects and their potential motives. Some characters, like the bride for example, felt like they were there only to complement the FMC's story and goals, rather than be their own person, which was a bit irritating. While it took me a second to get into this one, I did enjoy it overall! I think with a different narrator I would have connected to this one much quicker. Overall, though, this was a fun read that drastically picked up in the second half, keeping me totally drawn in!

3.5 stars. I'll be honest, I think I read this too close to The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year. The murder mystery writer FMCs, traveling to secluded houses with secret passages and a murder mystery to solve that mimics the plot of a book one of the characters has written were all echoes of each other in those two books. I kept hearing familiar plot lines of the other book and that probably impacted my enjoyment and the ability to isolate this book in and of itself.

Overall, this was a well done mystery romance. The plot as I mentioned above was pretty standard fare and echoes closely some other books - but generally speaking it was intriguing and fast-paced. There were some interesting and unique elements that ended up loosely tying together but also felt like a bit of a stretch - the big game hunting/cougar on the island was one example of that.

I will say I was more engaged with this book in the second half - the first half took a while to come together for me and there were a lot of characters but not really a lot happening (it felt like). The second half pulled everything together nicely and moved at a much quicker pace. There were a couple of twists that I didn't see coming which kept me engaged - I enjoyed the cleverness that was employed to piece the twists together in service of the ultimate ending.

The narration was very well done - with accents and enough differentiation that the characters were brought to life in their own way. There were a lot of characters - I really enjoyed the way that this narrator handled them all!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ALC and eARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an audio galley of this book to listen to and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
This is my first title I've read by Jenny Elder Moke and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by what I was given. It's a quirky, run, romantic, and mysterious read that had me drawn in from the first chapter.
I've not listened to any narrations from Sarah Mollo-Chirstensen before. I loved her cadence throughout the book. She easily switched between character voices and made them completely their own. She also easily infused the emotions in her voice which made me like the characters even more. She does a great male Australian accent, in case you were wondering! Her transitions are smooth and I would definitely add her to the list of narrators I will be looking out for.
Kate Valentine has agreed to attend her ex's wedding. What she isn't expecting is to find the guy she has been pining over for two years to also be in attendance. Or for there to be murders taking place that almost exactly replicate her own murder stories she writes!
Moke does a nice job developing Kate's character. She loves writing her character Loretta, but she often times looks to Loretta for advice, rather than taking hold of her own life and leading it. Throughout the book, she falls back on Loretta for advice while slowly realizing she needs to be able to let go of this character in order to move on with her life from all the things that have happened in the past. With Jake unexpectedly thrown in her path, she's not sure how to act or what to do. Her attraction to him hasn't lessened but she is sure he does not feel the same way. And given things that have happened between them in the past, she knows she must adore him from a far.
Jake's character was great. I love supportive he was of Kate. He's definitely a golden retriever in this story. The cast of side characters is diverse and fun to get to know, as well. And Moke gives us so many motives during the story to keep the reader on their toes.
Moke does a great job keeping you off the path of the "murderer" (this is in quotes because of how things happen in the book and once you read it you'll understand why). I never guessed who it was. I was actually a bit surprised by it, to be honest. There are so many unlikable characters with motive you really just don't know who done it! Plus she infuses quite a bit of banter between the characters. And the sexy times are quite steamy!
I will say some of the story is quite unrealistic. Who would not call the police when they find a dead body? If Kate or Jake were private investigators, then it would be more understandable. But so much happens at this wedding, one disaster after another, that I cannot imagine the authorities would not be called to solve the mystery, especially since it takes place over a few days.
Overall this book really was so much fun to listen to: forced proximity, murder mystery, slow burn and second chance romance! It's a cozy mystery read that readers of Lucy Score's Riley Thorn series will love.

I enjoyed thsi romanc and mystery, surrounded by the publishing world. I liked the mystery and also the side characters, I was surprised by the killer, and I lkiked the romance

Ahhh this was seriously so much fun!! I’ve been slowly dipping my toes into the romcom genre this year (I prefer them as mostly audiobooks I learned) and I’ve gotten pretty lucky with every rare one I’ve decided to give a go! I just knew I had every chance of enjoying this one though lol. I’m not a big romcom reader/watcher, however I’m a HUGE mystery fan and this book was the perfect blend of the two.

A locked room (island) murder mystery with a bit of second chance romance and a lot of humor really just did the trick for me on this one! The setting of an island they’re all trapped on during a raging storm where everything seems to go wrong was PERFECTION. But also the Steve Irwin type of hottie and the super sleuth who’s always stuck in her own head but is also hilarious also really just made this book for me lol.

Also there was a HUGE cast of characters to keep up with and really made me question everyone! lol Even though there were so many different kinds of people, they were easy to distinguish and it didn’t get confusing at all but really lend to the mystery and intrigue!

Overall, I would definitely read more mystery romcom’s, it truly was so much fun!

I wasnt quite sure what to expect when I started She Doesn't Have a Clue, but I absolutely could not get enough of it. This was the perfect blend between a fun romance and a good mystery. The mystery component was just right - the timing was right on point, with nothing bring given away too quickly or too slowly. The romance component added a fun and quirky element to the plot line and the mystery as a whole.

Overall I really liked the narration for this book as well. The transitions between scenes and characters were always smooth and the voice was always consistent.

A huge thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this title. I'm looking forward to experiencing more titles by Jenny Elder Moke and to recommending this title to others.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue is a twisty mystery with plenty of drama, humor, and a splash of romance, but it also comes with a few bumps along the way. It’s one of those books that tests your ability to keep track of a sprawling cast of characters, multiple subplots, and overly dramatic revelations—all while the main character teeters between solving a murder and navigating her own chaotic life.


This book throws you into the deep end with a slew of characters—some family, some friends, some enemies. Keeping track of who’s related to whom, who’s rich, and who’s scheming can be overwhelming at first. Add in the fact that Kennedy, the bride-to-be, is suddenly called “Ken” midway through the story, and I was convinced there was an entirely new character introduced. If you’re picking this one up, I highly recommend having both the audiobook and Kindle version handy—flipping back to clarify relationships saved me more than once! (as did consulting my notes I take on the characters)

The plot alternates between real-world events and the main character, Kate Valentine, mentally framing everything as if it’s part of her Loretta Starling mystery series. This added some insight into how Kate’s mind works and how she WANTED to be. However, it also slows the pacing at times. Kate’s self-absorbed tendencies don’t help, either—particularly her choice to not report a death…Despite this, I loved the chemistry between Kate and Jake. Their banter and eventual teamwork balanced out some of the more frustrating aspects of Kate’s personality. By the end, their partnership felt earned and satisfying.

The finale is… a lot. While the stormy wedding, hidden passageways, and long-buried family secrets felt perfectly on theme, the sudden appearance of a cougar (!!) pushed things into the absurd. I could almost picture the dramatic movie adaptation, but it was hard not to roll my eyes. There are also loose threads left dangling—Serena’s true identity and the publishing house mole are hinted at but never resolved, leaving me scratching my head.

Audiobook Note:
The narrator deserves a shoutout! She brought the story to life with just the right tone for this blend of suspense and humor. Her performance made the twists more engaging and helped me push through the denser sections of character-building. Still, when I got confused, it was nice to have the print version to consult, which I did a lot.

Tough Timing for My Reading List:
I made the mistake of reading this book alongside No One Was Supposed to Die at the Wedding, another stormy, remote-island wedding mystery where someone is out to kill a member of the wedding party. Talk about double the chaos! The overlapping settings and themes made it harder to keep the stories straight, so I’d recommend spacing out your murder-mystery-on-an-island reads if you’re planning to pick this one up.

Final Thoughts:
While She Doesn’t Have a Clue has its flaws—an overly large cast, a few too many loose ends, and some far-fetched moments—it still delivers a fun and engaging read. If you enjoy stories where personal drama collides with murder mysteries, or if you’re a fan of books that blur the line between the fictional and the meta-fictional, this could be worth checking out. Just be ready for a little confusion along the way and a plot that gets a little wild at the end.