⭐️ 3/5
Pub Date: June 24, 2025
First person POV, single narrative
Linear timeline
FMC: Luella van Horn
Setting: Remote, Tropical Island

Murder on Sex Island is narrated by the main character Luella van Horn (Marie Jones). The intimate POV gives the novel a strong comedic voice with her internal monologues, self-deprecating humor, and firsthand reactions as she navigates the ridiculous reality tv show setting.

The book has a unique, absurd premise; an amateur PI posing as a contestant on a raunchy reality dating show to solve a murder. However, I didn’t think that the execution fully lived up to the setup. The humor is quirky and the satire of reality TV is spot-on in parts, with plenty of zany characters and over-the-top situations.

Additionally, there’s just too much going on. Between the endless cast of contestants, behind-the-scenes drama, flashbacks, and fake identities, the story starts to feel chaotic. Despite all the moving parts, it lacks real depth and just felt shallow and immature. Character development is shallow, and many subplots are introduced only to fizzle out. The actual mystery takes a backseat, and the reason for the murder, when it’s finally revealed felt weak and super underwhelming.
Lastly, she kept referencing a previous experience where she let a murderer get away and quiet a few times in this book I thought there would be more of that storyline intertwined and end up being more of a thriller. However that did not happen so it left me with unresolved feelings.

It’s a silly, campy read that might work if you’re in the mood for something ridiculous and not too serious. But if you’re looking for a clever, tightly plotted mystery, this one might leave you wanting more.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Bantam for providing a copy of this book for review consideration via NetGalley.
All opinions expressed are my own.

4.5 Thank you NetGalley and Bantam for the eARC
Marie Jones is a divorced cat lady who is desperately trying to be a private investigator, using her alias Luella van Horn. She’s most notable for her ability to find missing dogs and, in her free time, she indulges in watching the reality tv show, Sex Island. After noticing that one of the cast members is gone, Luella is hired as a private eye. She’s great at finding dogs but can she solve the mystery of the missing nurse turned reality tv star?

This novel is perfect for lovers of reality tv and whodunits! Such an original concept, this was hilarious, a little raunchy, and I couldn’t put it down! Murder on Sex Island by Jo Firestone is a perfect read for the beach or when you have a book hangover. I’ll be patiently waiting for the next

My thanks to Net Galley, Random House Ballantine Bantam and the personal invitation I received to review this arc , but this was not for me. I don't think my older age demo is the target audience for this.

Though a light fun read and giving me Stephanie Plum vibes, I felt like I was back in high school reading the behaviors of most of the characters Can't recommend.

When reality show star David G. goes missing, producers call on Luella van Horn to solve the case. Little did they know that Luella leads a double life. Upon arrival, Luella is cast as a new contestant and has to make sure she doesn't blow her cover. She does a great job at doing so until AJ shows up. Then things get a little hairy. Luella ends up finding lots of fishy things about Sex Island and the show. After putting together the pieces she finally figures it all out and lets just say I didn't see that coming!

This was such a fun read! Murder on reality tv!? This was just the book I needed to read. It kept me wanting to read more and more with every page turn. Right when I thought I had it all figured out there was more to it that what I had thought. I wouldn't have thought more than one person was involved. I loved how Luella had to keep up her disguise even though no one "knew about her" and it became difficult to do several times. Mad props to her because she did such a wonderful job! I'm definitely looking forward to reading Sex on Murder Island!

Thank you Dan Denning from Random House publishing and Jo Firestone for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Review will be posted on Goodreads and Fable on June 10, 2025.

The Epilogue won me over 💀. Okay for the millionth time, READING CAN JUST BE FOR FUN. If you want to just laugh and escape reality then this book is PERFECT for you. It is a hilarious take on murder mysteries and private detectives and definitely makes fun of reality dating shows A LOT. This book constantly had me laughing and guessing and was just a lot of fun. I can’t even talk about this book or describe the premise without cracking up. Luella, you are a gem and I hope we get to see you up to more shenanigans in the future. Hopefully involving some of the crazy characters we got to meet on sex island. I always love a book that can laugh at itself and this one definitely takes the cake.

📜Quick Summary: Luella Van Horn is living a double life, and it’s about to become even trickier. When a cast member from a reality tv show called Sex Island is missing, Luella gets the call to go undercover and solve the case. The best part? No one knows her real identity- Marie Jones, a divorced ex social worker trying to live a glamorous life as a private eye. When she starts her new role, she doesn’t know what to expect. But she’s walking into a world that she’s not fully ready for… because after all, wouldn’t you do anything to win the $100,000 prize?

❣️Initial Feels: The witty banter and sarcastic undertones make this an easy book to binge read. Luella is a quirky character, and I hope it delivers!

👀Trigger Warnings: lots of sex talk

🌶️Spice Level: maybe half a 🌶️

📖Read if you want:a funny mystery, reality tv show based on sex

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: All of these characters had quirks but it was hard for me to really connect or have a favorite. I think part of it was the comedy of the novel, and the fact that they all were hot messes at one point.

💡Final Sentiments: This was an easy read and one that I didn’t want to put down, even though it felt mostly surface level. It didn’t dig too deep, didn’t feel like too much was going on that you couldn’t follow, and just was a great cleanser of a mystery. The reality show based on how good you are at having sex…well, that was out there but it was entertaining, that’s for sure! I would read another Luella mystery, even though I think the disguise part of her identity is silly and elementary. This was such a sarcastic and out there novel, written with such comedic prose. This will either be your cup of tea- if you can handle an outlandish private detective, or if you need a true mystery with a solid detective… it may not be up your alley.

🌟Overall Rating: 3.75 stars

🔉Special thanks to Jo Firestone, Bantam Publishing, and NetGalley for this arc of Murder on Sex Island.

📘Grab yourself a copy on June 24, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of Murder on Sex Island by Jo Firestone.

When a cast member goes missing on hit reality show, Sex Island, producers hire Luella van Horn to go undercover as a contestant to solve the mystery.

I was initially not sure what I would think of this book but I quickly took to it. Don’t let the title mislead you, it’s quite a funny parody on reality TV shows. I really liked Luella and it definitely kept me guessing until the end. If you are looking for a quick, fun, mystery to read then this is the book for you!

I received this ARC for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a ridiculous and silly book. I don’t mean it as an insult, but it’s not exactly a compliment either. You really need to be prepared to suspend disbelief.

Having said that, the detective and the situation is funny and the book is very readable, if you can get past the sheer lunacy of it.

3.5 stars
This whole thing was silly and funny. Way different than anything else I’ve read. For it being satire, I did think it was a bit too long. The whole reality tv setting was perfect for it though.

I was invited by Random House publisher to read and review this book. And for that I thank you!

When satire is done right there's nothing better! And this book? Knocked it out of the park. It's silly and mysterious, and hilarious. It's a fun and quick read that you can find yourself getting lost in.

This book was pretty much what I expected- a mystery taking place on a reality tv show. The detective gets hired to investigate a missing contestant, and she goes undercover as a somewhat unlikely contestant on the show. Most of the story is unbelievable, but it's a fun ride for people who are fans of both mysteries and reality tv.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but I knew I had to read it once I saw the description about it being similar to Love Island. There were a lot of characters and I was a little confused at the beginning, but once I straightened them out, I really enjoyed it.. A refreshing blend of genres.

I had an absolute blast reading this book! From the very first page, I felt like I had been dropped right into the chaos of S*x Island, complete with shady producers, over-the-top contestants, and wild plot twists. I laughed, I gasped, I mentally screamed at certain characters—this book had me fully invested like I was watching the messiest reality TV marathon of my life. Marie-as-Luella is everything—hilarious, determined, and just the right amount of reckless to keep me on edge. I loved following her undercover adventure, watching her navigate the ridiculous drama while actually trying to solve a mystery. Every new reveal had me dying to know what happened next, and the humor? On point. I felt like I was in the show, caught up in the tension, the ridiculous antics, and the over-the-top relationships. The pacing was fast, the drama was delicious, and the entire story was just plain fun.

If you love messy reality TV energy mixed with sharp humor and a bit of danger, this book delivers. I loved every second of it!

Marie Jones has lived a quiet life in Staten Island since she retired her alter-ego, a glamorous private detective named Luella van Horn. She is running low on funds when the producer of her favorite reality show, Sex Island, calls to ask Luella to find a missing cast member. Marie/Luella jets off to a tropical island and soon finds herself a contestant on a show, hunted by a murderer.

A debut novel, this is an entirely ridiculous cozy mystery - in a good campy way! It reminded me of the Lifetime show Unreal, which portrayed the behind-the-scenes making of a Bachelor-like reality show, albeit in a humorous way.

Advanced copy provided by Ballantine Books via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Murder on Sex Island is a fun, over-the-top mystery set on a (ridiculous) reality show. It is suspenseful and funny and will appeal to fans of the Finlay Donovan and Stephanie Plum mysteries. I look forward to the next book in the series! Thanks to the publisher for offering me the ARC via NetGalley.

This was an enjoyable read! I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into but this book is definitely PG-13 despite the title. I loved the main character, Marie/Luella. She was funny.
Overall, the book was nothing stellar. The mystery was pretty easy to solve but the story getting to the reveal was super fun. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
This is a quick read. Perfect for a weekend or vacation!

Very millennial coded. This tv-broadcast murder mystery case involving a bunch of horny 20-something year olds on a tropical island started out slow, remained slow, but finished with somewhat of a bang. I felt that throughout there were random things being mentioned that had no connection to the actual plot or story development, but all was somewhat explained in the end as Luella van Horn solved a seemingly unsolvable case. What veered somewhat corny upon reflection was the cozy, light-hearted, laughable mystery it initially promised, however cringe it may have been from time to time. A special thank you to Dan Denning and Penguin Random House through NetGalley for my third advanced reader copy.

Picture this book as if our main character Maria is Hannah Montana but almost 30, instead of a singer she’s a fake private investigator named Luella who somehow has been getting by the last 4 years without anyone catching on and still hiring her?? The most Hannah Montana of it all is apparently Maria just needs to put on a blonde wig and fake teeth to make zero people notice you. Even on reality tv?

All and all this satire novel was funny at times but cringy at others. I had a hard time liking any of the characters except the cat sitter/neighbor was oddly my favorite and I looked forward to her texts being thrown into chapters randomly.

3.5 stars

This is the first book I’ve read by Jo Firestone. This was a fun, cozy mystery with a setting like reality TV, Love Island. It has a large cast of characters and there is a glossary-style list of them at the beginning of the book that I had to refer back to a couple of times to keep people straight. This was a fun, silly time. I’m not a big fan of “trashy TV”, but this poked fun at it in witty ways. It had me giggling while trying to solve a mystery.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allowing me to read this book. I am writing this review based on my own opinion.

Marie Jones was a social worker who decided she needed a change, so she has an alter ego of Luella van Horn, a blonde private detective. She’s a huge fan of the show Sex Island, so when a contestant goes missing, she’s called in to pretend to be a contestant and find the missing hunk. There are no graphic sex scenes but a lot of graphic sex talk, most of which is pretty hilarious.

Though this is fun, I’m not sure the solving-the-mystery part completely worked for me. I don’t think I’d read another book in this series.

Netgalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASE JUNE 24, 2025.