KJ!
So I absolutely understand why she insists that this book is not a romance because if you go in expecting a normal KJ romance, you will be disappointed. HOWEVER if you go in expecting the complete absence of a love story, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised. Not a Romance, but certainly something of a romantic subplot.
Thank goodness for that.
I do appreciate how this story is sort of a sendup of gentleman detective stories and sort of a sendup of school stories and gave me the same vibes (somehow) Lois Duncan's entire ouevre, but specfically I Know What You Did Last Summer just backwards. That's a compliment.
But also it's KJ Charles so, while it is not at all cozy, it is a particular kind of comforting.