I have so many thoughts about this book. As a person who has seen this show at least a dozen times, I was excited about this cozy mystery. I’m usually not a fan of the cozy mysteries, but this one was well written. I did have a lot of notes about this book, and I’m just going to leave them below.

How did Rose afford all of this? How little they each make comes up multiple times throughout the book. Why aren’t any of Rose’s family members staying with them? It would be better financially.

Dorothy sort of dated a man named Al Mullins from the FBI. Why couldn’t she call him for help? He could have at least given her advice.

Dorothy and Sophia have a special relationship. Dorothy doesn’t baby her mother. She lets her be independent. The episode with Rose’s mom showed that best. So why is Dorothy constantly helping Sophia here? Sophia also doesn’t use a cane, and this book says she “can’t live without” one (about 51 percent into the book, chapter 15).

The portrayal of Rose taking on too much responsibility is completely accurate.

During the murder mystery dinner episode, Dorothy was so quick to solve the original dinner mystery and the bonus mystery afterwards. She didn’t hesitate to help Blanche. This book doesn’t represent this at all, and it isn’t even brought up. You’d think when one of the women is accused of murder and it happens again to another one of them, there’d be discussion about it.

There are no threats of Shady Pines. There’s no pithy, hilarious dialogue between Dorothy and Sophia. And Blanche seems like a side character.

I have no idea what the club for the bachelorette party had to do with the case. There was absolutely no connection between the two. And why did no one talk to Jorgen? He was brought up so often and then forgotten in the last third of the book.

There will probably be more books like this, and I’ll be reading all of those, too. The show has so many entertaining characters to use (Stan, please!). Bring them all on.

I received this ARC for my honest review.

When I first heard about Murder by Cheesecake being a cozy mystery inspired by The Golden Girls, I was all in! As a huge fan of the show, I didn’t even hesitate to pre-order the audiobook—and I’m so glad I did! This book was an absolute delight from start to finish.

First off, the narrator! She did an exceptional job bringing each character to life. The voices were spot on, making it easy to imagine Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia as I listened. It was like being right there with the ladies in their usual banter-filled shenanigans, which I absolutely adored.

The plot moved along well for me! A St. Olaf wedding as the setting? Absolutely perfect! I especially enjoyed Dorothy's storyline! All in all, Murder by Cheesecake was an absolute joy! It's the perfect mix of Golden Girls-inspired nostalgia, cozy mystery, and heartwarming fun. I can’t wait to see where the next book takes us. Highly recommend this one to anyone who loves a good mystery, humor, and, of course, The Golden Girls!

Thank you netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for a copy in exchange for a honest review.

If you are a fan of the Golden Girls, this one is definitely for you. It's filled with lots of references from the show and of course the added suspense of the "whodunit." A little cheesy (no pun intended)? Absolutely, but that's what makes it so charming.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hyperion Avenue, and Rachel Courage for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

As a lifelong Golden Girls fan from the moment I saw this book I was giddy to read it! Add in my love for the Girls with a cozy mystery? This book truly delivered on all fronts. Rachel was able to stay true and keep the Girls sounding and acting authentically which I really appreciated.

Overall this was just FUN! It felt exactly like watching an episode of the Golden Girls and really - that's more than enough.

Who would be able to pass up this book??? The golden girls and a lighthearted mystery all wrapped up in one?? Loved it!

Rose neice calls her and says she wants a true St Olaf wedding but in Miami of all places. Rose is determined to follow the traditions she has known for years and wants to make sure all traditions are done in the right order to make it perfect. But then someone is found dead in the freezer of the hotel they are doing the wedding pre parties at and Dorothy is accused of murder. Things start to go off the rocker and Rose is worried her neice and new husband will never be accepted into the St Olaf family.

This was an easy and quick read but pretty funny. I lacked some depth in the plot and felt very basic in the writing which was hard for me. But it was a good book and had the golden girl vibes you want.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First things first—this book stays true to Golden Girls lore. It brings all the warm, nostalgic feelings of seeing your favorite characters again. They’re up to their usual shenanigans, and it’s a feel-good read from start to finish.

I really enjoyed the cozy mystery aspect; it was well executed and kept me engaged.

I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by this author featuring the Golden Girls. Even if the show was before your time, the characters are timeless—full of charm, wit, and a whole lot of fun

As a long time fan of both The Golden Girls and the cozy mystery genre, requesting
this when it became available on NetGalley required no thought at all on my part- I had to have it & couldn’t wait to begin reading.

Which is why it saddens me to say that I found this to be a case of a great concept that failed in its execution. I struggled to stay engaged throughout and while I’d looked forward to spending time with some of my favorite women, they felt like mere ghosts of their original incarnations as opposed to fully realized tributes.

All in all, I found more disappointment than reasons to be nostalgic, and would even go so far as to say that the writing in the original episodic proves far superior to this well intentioned fan fiction. So, just as a recording artist shouldn’t cover a classic song unless they can truly do it justice, so should a writer refrain from venturing into the iconic Golden Girls kitchen unless they really have something to bring to the table.

This is a cute little murder mystery inspired by the Golden Girls sitcom. The characters were true to the television series. I would have preferred less “St. Olaf” and a lot more mystery. If you are a huge fan of the show, you will probably enjoy these books. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

The plot of the story was interesting but lacked detail and did not align well with the TV series. While it featured a mystery, it was overshadowed by other plotlines, primarily wedding preparations and character interactions, which were not engaging enough. The writing style felt artificial, as if generated by AI, with lengthy descriptions that made it tedious to read.

The main issue was the uneven focus on characters; Dorothy and Rose dominated the story while Sophia and Blanche were sidelined. This was disappointing since the strength of the Golden Girls is in their group dynamic. Despite these flaws, there is hope for improvement in a potential next book, as the foundation for a fun mystery series is present.

There were glaring errors, such as a character confusing a bird with a fish, suggesting poor editing. The characters sometimes acted out of character, pulling the reader out of the narrative. Mistakes in their portrayal felt like poorly written fan fiction. Additionally, the mystery itself was not well-developed, with incompetent police work and a lack of investigative depth from the characters.

A significant portion of the story focused on the wedding, which, though a good setup, was bogged down by excessive detail and dull writing. The humor fell flat, and the characters did not respond as they normally would, leading to an overall disappointing reading experience.

I was waffling between 3 and 4 stars but I’m ultimately giving this novel 4 based on my enjoyment of the story and less on the actual writing.

I had never watched an episode of The Golden Girls in my life before requesting this ARC. I wanted to read it based on my love for cozy murder mysteries with an elderly cast that does some sleuthing, and against all odds and ailments, solves the murder. And that’s exactly what I got! I watched half of season one of the GGs before I was more than ready to jump into this story and it was a delight every step of the way. I am already wishing that there were more!

If you are a fan of the Golden Girls, murder mysteries, multi-POV, and sitcom humor, add this one to your cart and TBR immediately! You won’t regret it!

I would like to start off by thanking netgalley for the arc of this book.

As someone who watches golden girl reruns all the time I was so excited when this book became available to read. Cozy murders are not usually my first go to, but this changed my mind. It was such a cute fun read! When Dorothy's date is found dead in a kitchen freezer, it threatens to ruin rose's theme wedding she is throwing, also it ruined a perfectly good cheesecake. What then ensues is a perfect mix of golden girls sleuthing and cozy comedy that everyone knows and loves.

The author does take some artistic liberties, so if you are expecting episodic perfection this might not be the exact book for you. This book does however bring all the nostalgia as well as love of the golden girls

I am a diehard Golden Girls fan so I couldn’t wait to devour this read. Murder by Cheesecake is the kind of cozy mystery that wraps you in a warm blanket of sugar, sass, and suspense — then stabs you with a cake knife when you're least expecting it.

The mystery kept me guessing until the end, and the writing had just the right blend of humor and heart. I’m only knocking off half a star because the middle dragged ever so slightly — like the filling needed a touch more spice. But the ending was satisfying and clever, with just the right dollop of justice.

Thank you so much to Net Galley for this reading arc.
This book was a hoot. I am a huge Golden Girls fan and you can tell that the author is as well. The book felt very much like an extended episode of the Golden Girls which was what brought it home for me as a reader. It was a Rose episode, which was just delightful. I chucked outloud multiple times, felt nostalgia with the 80's references, and just enjoyed the experience. This is a great pallate cleanser book, light, funny, and cozy.
I don't know if a reader who didn't know Golden Girls would enjoy it as much and if the characters were not my beloved girls, I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much. If this is a series, I will most definately continue reading. Thanks again Net Galley.

If you are a Golden Girls fan, check this out!!

Murder by Cheesecake follows Blanche, Rose, Sofia and Dorothy as they all help plan Rose's neice's traditional St Olaf wedding, but in Miami. There's a murder, a clown, a donkey, lots of herring...

This was a well written cozy mystery that I will definitely be telling everyone about.

Love the golden girls and the author perfectly captured all their voices. This was a fun and nostalgic read and I loved getting more attached to these women more than I already am.

Ya'll when I tell you I wanted to love this book so badly, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. The combination of cozy mystery and four iconic TV characters was so promising. Golden Girls is full of amazing banter and timeless humour so there was so much potential here. Unfortunately for me, it fell very flat.

The first novel in the Golden Girls Cozy Mysery series, Murder by Cheesecake follows Dorothy, Blanche, Sophia, and Rose as they work togehter to solve the mysterious death of Dorothy's most recent date. At the helm of the investigation is Rose, who becomes borderline insufferable with her talk about St. Olaf traditions in the wake of planning her niece's wedding. In my opinion the mystery portion of this novel didn't have as much plot development as the St. Olaf wedding which made the cozy-mystery vibes lack.

Nostalgia-wise, I enjoyed reading about the four women together again and the banter that didn't center around St. Olaf was enjoyable. That said, the banter was not enough to save this book and I won't be continuing on with this series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion for this digital arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Anyone who was/is a fan of the TV series will want to pick up Murder by Cheesecake. Here they will find the familiar friends entangled in a murder mystery when Dorothy's date is found dead in the titular cheesecake. Will the group solve the murder? Will the wedding that brought them to Florida actually take place? Read this one to find out.

Here is a fun and enjoyable book that is not too long but has enough plot to fill up the pages. Even a reader with no prior knowledge of the GGs can enjoy this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this book. All opinions are my own.

Such a fun book that was a great mystery. It had moments that I found myself thinking of Golden Girls the tv show, but this was a great mystery to read.

Death by Cheesecake is a cozy mystery featuring The Golden Girls. That’s right, I’m talking Rose, Sophia, Blanche, and Dorothy. And, I must say that the author has pegged the personalities on the page perfectly! The writing was so smooth that I could visualize everything just like I was watching it on television. There’s comedy, shade throwing, St. Olaf stories, and a death.

Rose is in the midst of planning her niece’s wedding. It’s taking place in Florida but She’s checking off all of the supplies on her shopping list to make the perfect St. Olaf wedding right there in Miami.

When the girls find a dead body at the sight of the wedding, it throws a wrench in plans. They are forced to become detective and wedding planners all at once!

If you are a fan of The Golden Girls, I highly recommend that you read this book!