I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but what I got was more than I imagined! I loved this book. Kate is a successful mystery writer. She attends her ex-fiancé’s wedding and runs into Jake. He’s the one that got away. Kate is a little clueless and has always felt less than in many areas of life. This girl has so much character growth that she jumps off the page by the end. Once at the wedding, the craziness begins.
I had so much fun reading this book! The writing and humor were fantastic. Was it a bit silly at times? Yes, but I loved every second. This book is a lot of mystery and a little bit of romance and usually that’s not my jam but not in this case. This was non-stop fun from start to finish. Sarah Mollo-Christensen aka Emma Wilder is an amazing narrator. She did a fantastic job! Huge thanks to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for allowing me to listen and review this book!

3.5⭐ rounded up

I love a good murder mystery! And with some spice mixed in... Love it even more! This was a good read. I enjoyed Kate. She was a great main character. The mystery portion was very good. It was a little hard to keep track of all the characters, but in the end you pretty much got it. I kinda wish the romance portion was executed differently.

The audiobook was produced very nicely. I enjoyed the narrator very much. She gave the perfect voice for Kate and her "Loretta".

*Thank you partners @minotaur_books and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted e-galley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

When mystery writer Kate Valentine attends the high-end wedding of her ex-fiancé and editor on a private island, she doesn’t expect to be involved in a situation that bears an eerie similarity to one of her novels. She also doesn’t expect to be reunited with the adventurous Jake Hawkins, former subject of her biographical writing and the source of massive romantic regret.

She Doesn’t Have A Clue is a combination of murder-mystery and rom-com, with a decent amount of unpleasant potential suspects, amiable female and male main characters, a dash of witty banter and silliness and attempts at a wedding where everything seems to go wrong.

Due in part to murder.

Kate and Jake bounce off one another fairly well as romantic interests, with the customary flirting, forced proximity due to him being incorrectly labeled as her plus-one guest and even the typical miscommunications that lead to a bit of heartache.

The mystery aspect of the novel maintained my interest and while the wealthy guests/suspects were given ample motivations, I felt as though I was waiting for Kate to catch up to what was truly happening, despite her career as a mystery writer and her habit of imagining what her literary alter-ego Loretta Starling would do. The overall pacing of the story was also slightly slower than I personally preferred.

Narrator Sarah Mollo-Christensen does an excellent job of portraying the characters. Her switches from the lighter and goofier moments to the more emotional ones are also well-done.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for providing access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the idea of this book. A romance with thriller vibes? Sounds amazing. However I listened to this and had the eArc and I just couldn't get into either. I felt like the pace was too slow and I just couldn't get myself to be present while reading. Unfortunately I did DNF.

One of the cutest, best romances I’ve read (or listened to) in a long time!

Kate is such a sweet heroine to follow and I was entertained the entire time. I loved all the references to sleuths in random spots (looking at the V Mars reference for sure).

There were moments where I definitely felt reminiscent of Jennifer Crusie novels and that made my heart so happy. I felt some Elle Cosimano vibes too.

I just wish there would have been a little more moments between Jake and Kate. This was a second chance romance and I didn’t feel like the chemistry and relationship build up was always there. But I wanted more in this universe. I’d follow Kate bumbling her way through another mess.

3.5/ 5 stars
Isolated private island, an ex's wedding, a murderer on the loose, a hot Australian surfer, and only one bed... What more could you ask for?!?!?

If you liked "The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year" by Aly Carter, this would be a great book for you! It was a very cozy and fun mystery romance that had me laughing, swooning, and playing my own "who done it" guessing game. 

I won't lie, I did get a little lost in keeping track of all of the characters, but that did make for a big surprise at the end. And the chemistry between the FMC and MMC was TO DIE FOR.

Excited to stock this on the shelves of my romance bookstore!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

🎧 ALC Audiobook Review 🎧
Title: She Doesn’t Have a Clue
Author: Jenny Elder Moke
Narrators: Sarah Mollo-Christensen

Solo narration
mystery romcom
Friends to lovers
Forced proximity

My Thoughts:
If you’re in the mood for a fun and thrilling “whodunit” with a colorful cast of characters, this audiobook is a must listen. Set on a moody island in a giant spooky manor in the misty Pacific Northwest, the story follows a murder mystery writer whose own books seem to inspire a real life killer. It weaves in quirky, funhouse like twists that keep you guessing until the very end.

Sarah’s solo narration is nothing short of fantastic. She’s just got voice talent in spades that shines brightly in this one, which showcases her ability to embody every single character with precision and flair. Her male voices are unbelievably convincing, and her Australian accent? Simply brilliant. Few narrators can hold an entire production on their own, but she proves that she doesn’t need anyone else to make this story sing. She is undoubtedly one of the best female narrators out there, and her performance adds layers of depth and entertainment to an already engaging story.

For fans of murder mysteries, dynamic narration, and stories with a quirky edge, this audiobook will not disappoint. Highly recommended!

I loved the Narrator in this book so much, she brought the book and laughs to life!

She Doesn't have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke is a fantastic mystery rom com that I absolutely LOVED!

I love a closed room locked mystery. Add in the romance and humor, I really enjoyed this story.
Kate is an excellent character. All the characters are well written and fleshed out.

Follow the clues and swoon a little, for this perfect romantic mystery!

She Doesn't Have a Clue follows many of the classic whodunit tropes--secluded location, stormy weather, multiple suspects with motive--along with some cozy tropes as well such as no gore and, of course, an amateur detective. But in this book, our amateur detective, Kate, happens to write one of the most popular mystery series on the market.

But unlike the no nonsense, brash and brave detective she writes, Kate has absolutely no idea what she is doing when someone tries to kill the bride at the exclusive wedding she is attending and tries to frame Kate for it. Kate can't necessarily blame them. After all, the bride did steal Kate's fiancé. Luckily, Jake, Kate's ex-friend and man she has long had a crush on, believes she is innocent, and the two set out to find the would-be murderer before they can finish the job.

I loved that Kate was not this brilliant amateur. She was, at times, bumbling, and she made mistakes and assumptions throughout the novel. But it served her character well! She is not dumb in any way. She is just...not a detective, and I liked that. I also appreciated how things played out between Kate, her ex, and the bride. It allowed for great character growth.

Now, for the romance! The romance was as huge part of the story, and I ate it up! There was chemistry, there was tension, there was spice, there were feels (but just the right amount). And if you listen to the audiobook, you'll get a sexy Aussie accent as a bonus!

This book is a mix of genres, a murder mystery comedy romance. For me, the romance was the best part of the three. Kate and Jake had good chemistry and good banter, and some pretty good spicy scenes (and it’s definitely spicy.) Though they had a tendency to get hot and heavy in places and times that were unwise or inappropriate considering everything else that was happening, which always makes it difficult for me to suspend disbelief. Slightly less good was the mystery, which was fine but I never felt fully invested. Also, there were times when I felt the title of the book was apt – there were some glaringly obvious things that Kate was oblivious to or willfully obtuse about. The comedy was my least favorite part. When it comes to comedy in murder mysteries, there’s a thin line for me between funny and cringey, and some of the “funny” in this book veers toward cringe. A lot of the comedy elements seem to just be cartoonishly cliché characters, which I didn’t care for. It was not bad, though. I was never tempted to DNF or anything, and it the book had a satisfying ending. Overall, it was not bad, and possibly just not to my tastes. I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator to be really excellent, no complaints there.

I received an advance copy of this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC/ALC.

I absolutely enjoyed this fun romance/mystery novel

Jenny Elder Moke is a fantastic writer! If you enjoy the Finlay Donovan series or books by Emily Henry, then I definitely think you will adore this book.

This book made me laugh out loud and is sure to put a smile on your face. I thought it was absolutely brilliant! One of the best romance/mystery books I have read in a while!

Sarah Mollo Christensen does a great job with the narration of the audiobook as well. I would listen to more by her for sure.

She Doesn't Have a Clue is an adorable mystery romance that I found charming! The book is set at a wedding, so there are so many characters (and personalities). But, before the wedding, the bride is poisoned and a guest dies! Kate, a mystery author, is determined to solve the murder, and Jake, her former crush.

Kate is so strange and weird, but in a charming, adorable way. Jake is wonderful! He was really the star of the story for me (and I think for other romance fans). There is a LOT going on in plot and sometimes that got a little confusing. This is a whodunit story, and with all the various wedding guests, it creates a lot of possibilities for potential suspects. Overall, I really enjoyed this-its a light, fun, mystery with romance. Seriously, I love all those things! My only struggle with the book was Kate would randomly think about her book character/plot and it got kind of confusing.

The narrator, Sarah Mollo-Christensen, was new to me but I found her narration to be great! She does a good job with various characters and that was important when you are listening and trying to keep everyone straight.

A "Clue"-style mystery meets modern romance with a twinge of comedic charm! Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for providing an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Kate Valentine is the author of popular murder mystery series starring main character and sleuth, Loretta, and her side-kick Blake; while Kate isn't plotting her next book, she's slipping into Loretta's mind to borrow from Loretta's confidence and perspective to make her own real-life decisions. Loretta's confidence is especially necessary while Kate prepares to attend the wedding of her ex-fiance and editor to her Loretta novels, Spencer, who is marrying the publishing house head of marketing, heiress Kennedy Hempstead. After Kate and Spencer's split, Spencer and Kennedy were betrothed within 6 months. Kate ignored the wedding invitations she received in the mail until she received a final invitation accompanied with a personalized letter from none other than Hempstead matriarch, Rebecca Hempstead, requesting Kate's attendance at the wedding.

And that's how Kate finds herself traveling to the private island on which the historic Hempstead Manor is located, in order to celebrate her ex-finance's nuptials. Since things can't possibly get worse, Kate quickly stumbles (literally) into her ex-best friend, Jake, who she hasn't seen for 2 years after their friendship came to a horribly awkward end. When they reach the manor, Kate and Jake discover that Jake was invited to the wedding at the last minute and that they have somehow been listed as each other's plus-ones, leaving them to share an attic room with 1 bed. The wedding guests assume a romantic history between Kate and Jake, and Jake steps into this role to protect Kate from any embarrassment - after all, she's attending her ex-fiance's wedding.

Aunt Rebecca Hempstead, current family matriarch and first-in-line to divvy out trust funds to worthy members of the Hempstead family at her own discretion, announces during the rehearsal dinner that she will be donating the entire Hempstead Island, Manor, and fortune to the local historical society. Other Hempstead family members in attendance are shocked by this news, furious that their inheritance is now at risk. Aunt Rebecca is hell-bent on ensuring that the family's fortune is spent towards charitable purposes, and will do anything to keep the other Hempstead heirs from squandering their own shares.

The shocks of the evening aren't over - when Kate attempts to swipe an extra bottle of wine from the cellar to drown her sorrows, she trips over an unconscious body. Her screams attract a crowd of onlookers, who immediately assume that Kate is murder suspect no. 1. Kate, on the other hand, through the lens of Loretta, sees a room of potential murder suspects to weed through: angry Hempstead family members, jealous friends of the bride, frustrated authors working under a failing publishing house, and a team of wedding planners and staff.

"She Doesn't Have a Clue" is a successful and creative blend of genres, including contemporary romance, mystery, and even some comedic spins. I immediately noticed and appreciated that this novel is reminiscent of the film or board game "Clue", but with a plot that is 10x more intricate! Although there is a lot going on and a lot of characters to follow, I had no issues keeping up with the plot and comprehending the mystery storyline. I would definitely recommend picking up this novel upon release on January 21, 2025!

This book was EXACTLY what I was hoping for. It was so over the top and cheesy and just so much dang fun. Obviously, the mystery aspect was a bit predictable, but I also feel like that was probably moreso because of the audiobook narration. I feel like some of the characters were narrated in a way that was just a bit obvious that they were being suspicious. But this book had the rich family drama that I wasn't expecting (I went into this not really knowing anything because I wanted to just vibe) but absolutely ATE UP.

If you're looking for a nice mystery romance that will have you laughing, I would recommend this one. It was just a grand ole time. Though the romance of this book really bothered me because it seemed to be a lot of miscommunication that could have been easily solved if they had just believed each other and TALKED. Which I know sometimes is very realistic, but it was just frustrating to deal with.

This is being billed as half mystery and half romance. As a lifelong mystery lover, I was completely disappointed by the quality. As a rom-com/love story reader, I would have greatly preferred that it be a closed-door romance—or been billed outright as an open-door romance, with no pretense of mystery. I was hoping for something along the lines of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan series, or Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune series—all of which include mystery, romantic suspense, a strong cast of supporting characters (as well as strong female main characters), and quite a bit of humor.

From the outset of She Doesn't Have a Clue, main character Kate behaves less like a clever mystery writer and much more like a flighty incompetent. At some points, she seems downright dumb! The “mystery” is just a cover for open-door sex. [Earlier scenes leave something to the imagination and are much hotter. As the book continues, the sex scenes become more graphic, including silly names.] I found Jake a more appealing character. He should have had a stronger love interest and adventure partner than Kate.

The audiobook is narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen, who narrated other books in my library—both read and to be read.

While this was not a hit for me, it might appeal to readers looking for spicy romance . . . and not much more. [2.66⭐]

Part mystery part romance in this book.

Author Kate Valentine is having a bit of writers block when it comes to her mystery novels when she is invited to her ex fiancés wedding in a remote private island off of the Washington coast. She is surprised when her coauthor of a different series is there too. One she has always harbored some feelings for when terrible things start happening, things that happen to happen in her mystery novels.

I wanted to like this better than I did. I didn’t realize from the title which now I feel foolish but I didn’t realize the main character was going to be SUCH a bumbling buffoon. Unbelievably bamboozled by everything, she drove me nuts.

The audio was good.
Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan audio for an alc

She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke is mystery and a rom-com. A rom-com mystery? It is locked room as it is set on a private island off the coast of Seattle and it has forced proximity with someone that makes our FMC, Kate, well, he makes her heart go pitter pat. I like Kate, she is just a normal girl attending her former fiancee's wedding. I'm not sure why she is attending, because aside from her former fiancee, and Jake, her crush, no one seems to want her there. Kate writes mysteries, her main character is Loretta, and as a murder happens on this island, Kate tries to get into Loretta's head to solve the murder. Kate is also extremely clumsy - I can see this as a movie with Kate literally falling into the bride - of course everyone thinks she is trying to ruin the wedding. It is a cute and cozy mystery and a sweet rom-com. I was fortunate enough to have the audio arc as well as an e-arc so I read this immersively. The narration by Sarah Mollo-Christensen was very, very good. She did a host of characters including Jake with his Australian accent, very well. The audio book kept me going even if the story occasionally lagged. I enjoyed this story and give it 3.5 stars. Thank you to #netgalley, MacMillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for my advance copies.

really liked the humor
and cozy mystery
elements of this story.
The romance between
the main characters,
though seemed a bit
rushed and awkward
and did not fit
well into the
story as a whole.

For the most part I enjoyed this cozy mystery / romcom. the story was cute and I love me some mystery.

4⭐
1🌶️
Tropes/Themes: murder at a wedding, fake dating, forced proximity, whodunnit, cozy mystery
Single POV 3rd person
Single Narration

This book was really good, but I don’t recommend it for audiobook. I think it’s better as an ebook. Because the FMC is a mystery writer, parts of this story are excerpts from the FMC’s book but there was no distinction between the two until after. Which, if you’re reading it, that makes sense, but to suddenly hear this other book or character being referenced really pulled me out of the story for the first few chapters. Like eventually I realized that when “Loretta” is talking, it’s because Kate is slipping into her book character persona.

And the way that Kate “becomes” Loretta is really cool and really adds to the story. I like how Ms. Moke did this, but it just makes it difficult to follow when you’re listening as opposed to reading.

And as I said, this was such a cute whodunnit story. I didn’t really try hard to guess who the murder was until closer to the end, but my guess was wrong lol. I thought the narrator did a really good job, even with the different voices/accents.