As a longtime Golden Girls fan, I couldn’t resist diving into Murder by Cheesecake. The concept alone—Dorothy and the gang solving a murder involving cheesecake? Yes, please.

The author does a great job capturing the voice and charm of each character. Dorothy’s sarcasm, Rose’s rambling stories about St. Olaf, Blanche’s flirtiness, and Sophia’s one-liners all felt spot-on and brought a big dose of nostalgic joy. I found myself smiling more often than not, especially in the dialogue-heavy scenes.

The mystery itself was light and quirky, which fits the tone of the book, but the pacing dragged in the middle. Still, I appreciated the nods to classic mystery tropes, and the final reveal had a fun twist.

This is definitely a read for fans of the show—it plays to that audience with love and plenty of inside jokes. If you're looking for a deep mystery, this might not hit the mark. But if you're here for a cozy, clever return to Miami with our four fabulous ladies? You’ll enjoy the ride.

TW/CW: Drinking, toxic family relationships, body shaming, murder, blood

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Things are heating up, and not just because of Blanche’s hot flashes. Rose’s cousin is eloping to Miami, and Rose is playing host. If she can't balance the groom’s family’s snobbery against the traditional St. Olaf wedding week guidelines, her hometown may never accept her cousin again!

Dorothy quickly realizes she needs a date with whom she can exchange wedding-related wisecracks. Turning to a newfangled VHS dating service, she believes she’s found the ideal conversationalist. Unfortunately, what looks good on TV can actually be a total jerk in real life. It seems she’ll just have to enjoy the company of Sophia, Blanche, and whomever Blanche has targeted for a hookup.

As the Girls all pitch in, Rose is thrilled that the tea-and-fish-themed kickoff event is perfect, not a herring out of place. That is until Dorothy’s date is found dead—face-planted in an otherwise scrumptious-looking cheesecake. With every guest a suspect (especially Dorothy) and a marriage on the line, the four besties must ID the real killer, get the should-be-happy couple down the aisle, and make sure nobody from St. Olaf gets lost in the wilds of Miami. It’s up to the Golden Girls to sleuth out a way for friendship and love to win the day!
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Release Date: April 15th, 2025
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 256
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Love that it's the Golden Girls
2. Story seemed interesting
3. Writing was okay

What I Didn't Like:
1. Felt boring a lot of times
2. Characters didn't feel like TV characters
3. Magic of the actors to book format was lost

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

Dorothy is doing video dating but a man she finds interesting is a man named Harry. I found the odd since on the show there already was a man named Harry - Dr. Harry Weston.

Watching the show with Dorothy being made fun of by her mother and having Bea Arthur act out the scene makes the scenario funny, but reading about it it's actually kind of sad. There are parts where you actually feel like Dorothy is hurt. It didn't make it as funny. I think Dorothy can hold her own and remember on the show she also puts out some mean one liners to the other girls. I'm not liking that the author is saying that Dorothy is bothered.

There are 5 people in the room that saw the chair holding the freezer door with a chair holding it closed, but none of them put it together when they find a body at the other side of the door? I can believe everyone else is this dense but not Dorothy.

When the families arrive from St. Olaf they keep talking about how Nettie should have married a man from their town but if everyone is marrying people from their town how do they stop from being inbred? Other small communities usually will reach out to other communities to avoid this problem, like the Amish.

Dorothy getting arrested is weird. The moment Dorothy asks a cop (yes she's educated - why would she ask this???) if she needs a lawyer the cop throws the typical line of "Are you guilty" at her. Lawyers aren't just for protecting the guilty they also protect the innocent. I don't even know how she was arrested on what they had. The only thing she didn't mention was a "fight" she had in person with people around. That's what they have to go on and why they think she's guilty. Bananas.

I don't even understand how Dorothy is a suspect when she has an alibi. Yeah, he stood her up mid date but the women that actually dated this man and had things stolen wouldn't they have even more means to kill him? The detectives are annoying me. Dorothy needs to stop talking.

Why wouldn't Nettie still go forward with this wedding when it isn't even the wedding she did want? She clearly doesn't care about the money she said it so many times so what is the issue now? What's the point of pushing this wedding that's now going to be under Jason's parents thumb. Just go have a court house wedding. All their friends and family are already in town. Take the extra money and just have a huge party. Case closed we can shut this book down at page 160.

Rose being the one to suggest her and Blanche spy on someone's mail seems to out of character for Rose. Rose is someone that wouldn't do that.

Final Thoughts:
Gosh, for the most part I was enjoying this book but most of the times it fell flat with the jokes. Without the characters on the show portraying them it felt like something was missing. Some parts made me chuckle but no where near the laughing I do when I watch the show. I think trying to capture the magic that makes the show so good can't be written so straight-forward.

I think the premise of this book makes sense if Nettie and Jason cared about the money from St Olaf but they don't, so it doesn't make sense why they can't just elope. Why is Rose holding on so much to Nettie getting married if Nettie isn't even the one able to get what she wants if she wanted a wedding? It just doesn't make sense why to keep pushing the issue if it doesn't matter.

I dnfed this book with 56 pages left. I struggled to finish this but in the end I found myself not caring to finish it. I love the idea of the book but I just don't think the author was able to pull it off. Characters barely resembled who they were supposed to be portraying.

I really wanted to like this book, because I am obsessed with the golden girls. But in the words of Dorothy, this book can go hug a landmine. It just wasn't good.

Reading challenge category - 2025 PopSugar: About a chosen family.

I LOVE The Golden Girls. I am Dorothy - no shame. But that's kind of where the positives end for me for this book. There was too much 'cozy' and not enough 'mystery.' The details focused on the wedding and not the dead guy. And the repetitive jokes from the show got a little old (e.g. St. Olaf's). Thank you to #Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this ebook.

This combined two of my faves: cozy mysteries and Sophia from The Golden Girls!
Murder by Cheesecake is a super fun, feel-good whodunnit with just the right amount of sass and sweetness. The vibes were cozy, the mystery kept me guessing… what more could you ask for?

This was a quaint little read with characters everyone knows well. The characters depictions were spot on and it made me smile in places. The only problem I had with this was that, outside of the mystery, it seemed as if I had seen this episode before. While I love nostalgia, this could have gone out on its own a little more

I was really looking forward to this book and it was ok for me. I feel like the main thing I got out of it was sheer nostalgia for the show and the characters in it. There were soooo many nods to specifics in the show like phrases that each girl says or rituals that they have together. Every one of them made me smile and feel warm and fuzzy. The story itself was ok, but didn't do a lot for me.

Murder by Cheesecake is a cozy mystery featuring the characters from The Golden Girls.
Rose's cousin is getting married in Miami, and Rose is determined to include every tradition required in St. Olaf. She's determined to get everything perfect so her cousin and her new husband will be accepted by the St. Olaf community. However, when a body is found in the freezer of the hotel, and it ends up being Dorothy's blind date, everything is thrown into chaos. Can the girls manage two warring families while trying to solve a murder?
Rachel Elkstrom Courage did a fantastic job of capturing the voices so well. I could imagine each of the characters saying every line and ending up in these situations. This is so fun and perfect for anyone who is Golden Girls fan.

A must read for any fan of The Golden Girls. This is such a fun read and a great addition to the original show. The book is a fun way to bring the Girls back. Funny, Fun and full of the characters and their personalities that you know and love from the show. So grab some cheesecake, a cup of coffee , ice cream and read this book while watching replays of the show on TV

I hope there will be more fun Golden Girls books

Let me just start with a big ol’ “Thank you for being a friend!”—because if you’re a Golden Girls superfan like me, there was no way I was letting this book pass me by. As a card-carrying Blanche-Rose-Dorothy-Sophia devotee, I had high hopes (and slightly unreasonable expectations, let’s be honest) going into this read.

The good news? The author gets the Girls. I could practically hear Sophia’s sass and Rose’s St. Olaf ramblings in surround sound. The setting, the banter, the quirky references—chef’s kiss. It was like flipping through lost scenes from the show, complete with cheesecake and all. Clearly, this author has done their Golden Girls homework—and I love them for it.

That said… the mystery itself? Let’s call it a slow simmer rather than a spicy whodunit. I didn’t feel truly hooked until I was already deep into the book (like 60% in). And speaking of St. Olaf—dear Lord, even Rose would’ve tapped out. There was a lot of St. Olaf. Like, too much even for a fictional town known for its nonsense traditions.

My one real gripe? There was a mystery plot point that felt a little… off. Without diving into spoiler territory, let’s just say there was a twin twist (yep), and a mysterious piece of paper that didn’t quite add up. Dorothy being a suspect made sense until you think about how the clue ended up on the wrong twin. I kept waiting for someone to explain it, but alas—crickets.

Still, despite a few bumps along the way, this book was a sweet, nostalgic treat for any die-hard Golden Girls fan. It’s not perfect, but it is charming—and sometimes, that’s enough..

I cannot say enough good things about this Golden Girls cozy mystery. The sass & banter was on par as it was when I used to watch the show. I was laughing while also trying to figure out whodunit. This was such a light hearted easy read. It was everything i needed and so much more. The Golden Girls will always be a classic and one of my absolute favorites....this lived up to the hype. I'm really hoping for more in this series because i would love to see more of these on my bookshelf.

Rachel, thank you for bein a friend & writing this. The nostalgia gave me life.

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.