Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage.

I’m thoroughly impressed with the lengths of detail this author wrote of St. Olaf characters, language and the town information. She did a great job bringing the 4 main characters to life in this story. Capturing the chemistry and camaraderie of their day to day, as well as handling a big event.

I felt as if the scenes were unfolding before my eyes as I read. Truly recommend for anyone who loved the Golden Girls.

Publish to Goodreads on 4/9/25

This is an ARC review thanks to Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue

I have to be honest, this book was a STRUGGLE to get through and I almost DNF’d it. I am glad to be given the opportunity to read this but it just fell flat for me. The story development just wasn’t there. The ONLY thing that made it worth reading was the fact that it was based on the Golden Girls.

Rose, Dorothy, Sophia, and Blanche are visiting Miami for Rose’s niece’s wedding. Rose’s niece’s fiancée’s family, however, are snobs and must have everything done a particular way. But, in order to get her inheritance, her niece must follow the St. Olaf wedding traditions. Meanwhile, Rose realizes she needs a date for the wedding and signs up for a dating service. When her jerk of date is found murdered with his head in the cheesecake, Dorothy finds herself arrested. Now it’s up to the other golden girls to solve the mystery and save Rose’s niece’s wedding before it’s too late. Will they succeed?

The plot is engaging, and humorous. The characters are authentic, true to the original characters, and draw the readers into the story. Readers who like the Golden Girls tv show, humor, mystery, and cozy fiction will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections. 5 stars, ADULT

This was such a cute and cozy little mystery. This is exactly how I would think the Golden Girls would work a murder mystery. The nostalgia was all there as if I stepped in a novelization of a few episodes. The only thing really missing was a little bit more of the zings Sophia and Dorothy belted out. There were some missed opportunities but at the same time, this was high stress with a wedding of Rose's niece Nettie and her fiance Jason, all of St Olaf traditions and good grief were there a lot, the murder and a horrible overbearing future in laws grouping.
It read quick and wrapped up neat and tidy the way one would expect.

Oh mercy! Murder by Cheesecake is a must read for anyone who is a Golden Girls fan. This book puts the four ladies in a sticky situation that involves a wedding in Miami St Olaf style and a dead body. I could picture the characters, their voices and the setting. The dialogue flowed just like it did on the show. Sophia got some zingers and Blanche was her usual flirty self. Rose told her St Olaf stories and Dorothy kept wrangling Sophia when she’d get out of hand. “Shady Pines, Ma.” I really enjoyed this book. It was nostalgic for me. Thank you Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for the advanced eARC.

DNF at 40% 2 1/2 stars rounded to 3

I tried really hard to love this, but it was just too over-the-top with the St. Olaf wedding traditions. I mean, I love Rose. My BFFs in college (back when this show was actually on) called me Rose because I was so innocent lol. I liked hearing Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, and Sofia in my mind as I was reading this, but then it just got too ridiculous. Too much St. Olaf and not enough mystery take up too much space in the first 40%. I had a feeling these traditions were just going to keep going when we were having the "shower before the shower." I know that not everyone will share my opinion, so you may really like it. I just couldn't handle the multiple zany St. Olaf wedding traditions.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

A mystery starring the Golden Girls? Who wouldn’t want to read that?

It’s not the best mystery you’ll ever read but it’s fun being able to picture so much of the story so easily. This would’ve made a great TV movie back in the day.

I loved it being centered around Rose to get a deeper look into the strange world of St. Olaf.

Worth picking up if you love the Girls and/or a breezy mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read and review.

★★★½ (rounding up to 4)

This is a cozy mystery with a big nostalgic heart. If you grew up watching the Golden Girls, it’s fun seeing them dropped into the middle of a murder investigation involving a very themed wedding, a body in a freezer, and plenty of side commentary. It’s over-the-top in a very intentional way, and the tone stays light even when someone turns up dead.

The mystery itself isn’t especially twisty, and the pacing gets a little uneven in the middle, but the charm is in the setup. The characters feel like the versions you remember from the show, and the author clearly had fun imagining how they’d respond to a murder in a hotel full of costumed guests.

It’s not reinventing anything, but it doesn’t need to. It’s nostalgic, a little absurd, and a solid pick if you want something cozy and familiar with a few fun surprises along the way.

This was a great little shot of nostalgia. I read the entire book in the characters voices, while envisioning them in their house in Florida. The mystery itself was very good, as well as the story line for Dorothy. I really did get a bit tired of the St Olaf bit for Rose, and her overall story line. A quick, enjoyable, beach read that took me back to a kinder, gentler time.

This was a fun cozy mystery wrapped up with the banter that Golden Girls fans know and love. It was like getting spoiled with a LONG episode of the show, but obviously in book format.

Murder by Cheesecake
By Rachel Ekstrom Courage

Ahhh, calling all Golden Girls lovers! This one is for you! When I saw this arc available on NetGalley, I ran as fast as I could. 🏃🏻‍♀️ And it did not disappoint!!

Murder by Cheesecake is a fun cozy horror / thriller and all your favorite characters are involved. This story was done really well and such a fun read. If you’ve watched all the episodes like me, you’ll be able to see the whole story play out in your head like you’re watching the show and hear their voices etc—it’s a good one for sure!

I don’t usually put the synopsis in my review, but for this one I’m going to:

When Dorothy's obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf-themed wedding Rose is hosting.

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!

This book releases on April 15th but is available for preorder now!

*arc from NetGalley.

A solid start to a new cozy mystery series featuring the Golden Girls who you know and love. Dorothy goes on a blind date and he later winds up dead face first in Rose’s cheesecake at a posh Miami hotel where they are hosting a wedding for Rose’s cousin. The banter is great, can’t wait to see what’s next for the Golden Girls. Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Press for an advance copy for an honest review.

This book was such a fun ride. From start to finish, it felt like I was watching an episode of The Golden Girls! I could visualize the whole thing in my head and hear the dialogue in the character’s noteable voices. There were moments that made me audibly laugh and it was just the perfect, cozy mystery. If this becomes a series, I will happily read them all!

Overall, this was a fun read! There were so many moments when I could hear the lines being spoken as if it was the show. However, I think the characters became caricatures of themselves at times and didn't feel as authentic or whole as they could be. While characteristics such as Rose's St. Olaf reminiscences or Sophia's biting one-liners are loveable parts of the characters, when these are repeated too many times, they just become tiresome. While this is the danger of writing any beloved character, I think Rachel Ekstrom Courage did generally do a good job with the characters and it was enjoyable to read the hijinks that happened throughout.

This is book reads exactly like an episode of the Golden Girls. The St Olaf-isms were funny but there were LOTS AND LOTS of them! More wedding than mystery solving but over a cute, nostalgic read.

*this file has some spacing issues that made some parts hard to read but I didn’t reflect that in my rating.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Ekstrom Courage and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC!

As a millennial who grew up watching Golden Girls reruns on Lifetime, getting approved for this ARC on NetGalley was an absolute serotonin boost. The moment I cracked it open, I was transported right back to that Miami kitchen - cheesecake and all. For longtime fans, this book feels like catching up with old friends in the middle of a delightfully silly, cozy mystery. I could practically hear the theme song playing as I read.

That said, if you’re not already fluent in the quirks of Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia, this might not hit quite the same. The story leans heavily on nostalgia, and without that connection, the plot may feel a little thin. Some of the classic St. Olaf antics - while charming in small doses - start to wear out their welcome when they become the main event.

Plot-wise: Rose is helping plan her niece’s wedding in Miami (yes, complete with wacky St. Olaf traditions), Dorothy is spiraling about being dateless and turns to old-school dating VHS tapes (iconic), and after one cringeworthy date, her suitor turns up dead - at the wedding venue, no less! With Dorothy as suspect number one, the girls jump into sleuth mode, threatening to throw the whole wedding into chaos.

It’s zany, it’s warm, it’s exactly what you’d expect if someone turned a Golden Girls episode into a lighthearted whodunit. Is it the most robust mystery out there? No. But if you're in it for the vibes, the laughs, and a trip down memory lane with your favorite gals? You're in for a treat.

I tried my best but had to bail...it started off so cute and I loved that I could actually hear the characters come to life through the words on the pages but the story quickly bored me and I finally threw in the towel at about 37%. I really wanted to love it and audibly screeched when I was approved for the ARC but I couldn't force it any further. It appears to be a series so I hope to try again with book #2.

Thank you to #netgalley #hyperionavenue for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy mystery centering around the Golden Girls was like a match made in heaven for me. I love these four ladies so much, and have for years! Putting them in the genre that always gets me out of a reading slump and is always a fun read is perfect.

After Dorothy’s date ends up murdered at the hotel Rose’s cousin was planning to have her wedding at, Dorothy becomes prime suspect number one in the case of whodunnit. The ladies have to keep her name clean, and try to keep the wedding running on smooth sails amidst the constant chaos of discovering a murder.

This was a super enjoyable read, that captured the ladies’ voices and characters perfectly. Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC.

A Golden Girls murder mystery?!? Shut the front door and give me a slice of cheesecake! 😍 I'm here for all the 80s nostalgia! I had a grand ole time reading this book and could picture each of the GGs perfectly. The author did a FANTASTIC job of bringing each of the beloved characters to life and capturing their personalities to perfection! The suspense was fun as the GGs raced against the clock to find the killer - in typical GG fashion, of course!

If you've never watched Golden Girls, you might be a little lost on all their quirks, but I still think you would greatly enjoy this one! It leans heavily on sweet, naïve Rose and her family from the Norwegian farming town of St. Olaf, Minnesota as her young cousin gets married to the son of a local Miami -based family. As Rose takes it on herself to create a wonderful St. Olaf wedding in Miami, a snag gets caught when a man is found dead in the freezer (next to Rose's cheesecake) at a pre-wedding festivity. The real kicker - the man was Dorothy's date just a few days prior and is now the main suspect.

Thank you so much to Hyperion Avenue for the advanced copy! 🖤
Overall: 3.5⭐/0🌶

I love the Golden Girls and love mysteries. This novel captures the personalities of the 4 "golden girls" so very well. It brought back so many fun memories of watching the many episodes of Golden Girls. I enjoyed the fun storyline and the cozy mystery. I look forward to more from this author.