Based on the characters from the TV show, The Golden Girls, this is a new cozy mystery series. Rose’s niece and fiancé are in Miami to get married. Rose is trying to give them a traditional St. Olaf wedding while the groom to be’s parents who own a swanky hotel have other ideas. When a man Dorothy meets on a date through a VHS dating service shows up dead in the freezer of the hotel, suspicion falls on her. As Rose is trying to arrange all the quirky details of a St. Olaf wedding, she balances that with working with her three friends to clear Dorothy’s name.

After reading quite a few dark mystery/thrillers in a row, I was up for something lighter, so chose this book. It was a fine palate cleanser as the Golden Girls romp through Miami. If you are a fan of the show, you will enjoy revisiting these entertaining characters in a new situation. It had their distinctive wit and charm. I do think some of the story, especially the St. Olaf references and preparation for the wedding went on a bit too long. Hard to believe that after 40 years, the spirit of these four women can still bring a smile to our lives. After reading this, you may well find yourself wanting some cheesecake, unless you are from St. Olaf in which case you may crave herring.

For any Golden Girls fans his book is a must read. The personalities of each character really shine through and feel authentic to the tv show. I didn’t have a clue where the murder mystery crime solving would take me at any point in the story. At times it felt a little lost in the plot of a St. Olaf/Miami wedding but the twists and surprises throughout the investigation were fun. I loved how each plot line became intertwined as the mystery solving went on and the nods to 1980s Miami sprinkled throughout the book.

If you love Golden Girls humor and charm mixed with a bit of murder mystery suspense, this is for you. The author really found the Golden Girls' voices. I could almost hear them talking as I read the book. Cozy and wonderful read!

Awe! This cover and seeing the Golden Girls brought back warm memories of watching the television show years ago. I thought it was enjoyable to read a mystery story about them. The writing captured the girls perfectly. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Oh My Gosh! If you love the Golden girls you are going to love this book! This was the best cozy mystery book I have read in a while. 4.5 stars!!

I saw this title and got excited because I love the Golden Girls. The story was good and it was one of those rare mysteries that I didn't figure out a third way through the book. At 80%, I still hadn't figured it out. BONUS!
I heard their voices in every line of dialogue too.
But, I had issues with the main characters, I don't know if it was because it was the written word but they didn't seem or feel like the women I knew from the series. For example, I missed Dorothy's sarcasm and Rose just seemed too smart

Over all, I did like the story.

Murder by Cheesecake is the first book in the new Golden Girls cozy mystery series. Rose is given the opportunity to host the wedding of her cousin in Miami. Thrilled to help and get the opportunity to bring a traditional St. Olaf wedding to life Rose jumps in and elists the help of the other ladies. Dorothy is determined to find a date for the wedding and turns to a new VHS dating service. She thinks she has found the guy but the date goes terribly. As the wedding draws near the women jump into planning. Disaster strikes when a man is found murdered with his face planted directly into one of Rose's cheesecakes. To make things worse the dead man appears to be the man Dorothy went on a date with. Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia jump into the investigation when it becomes clear that Dorothy will be a suspect.

This was so fun.! I thought the author really captured what we all know and love of the Golden Girls. There is so much levity mixed in with the well plotted murder mystery. Being a huge fan of the show I could really picture each of the ladies going through this story. I especially loved getting more of the quirky St. Olaf wedding traditions. I am so excited to follow this series as it goes forward. I will also be watching for any audiobook news because I will definitely be doing an audio reread at some point.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had so many issues. So many misspellings and formatting issues. Spelling errors on an ARC copy? Yikes. I'd suspend reviews and review these issues prior to putting this back out for review.
I had high hopes for this Golden Girls mystery and was disappointing. This read felt awkward at times and the pacing was not great. I think it's a cute concept, but I don't know if it's necessary to continue their storyline. This just seemed like it was trying too hard.

I had high hopes for Murder by Cheesecake, a cozy mystery that promised a blend of quirky characters, St Olaf vs Miami drama, and, of course, a good old-fashioned whodunit. Set against the backdrop of a St. Olaf-style wedding, this story follows our favorite Golden Girls who find themselves knee-deep in mystery after discovering a dead body in a freezer while preparing for the big event. Sounds intriguing, right? Unfortunately, I found the book didn’t quite live up to its potential.

The premise had all the makings of a fun cozy mystery, with the main conflict revolving around a clash of wedding traditions between the bride’s family and her fiancé’s luxury resort-owning relatives and keeping Blanch out of jail for a crime she didn't commit. However, what should’ve been a lighthearted romp quickly got bogged down by long-winded descriptions, particularly of the characters' outfits, that felt entirely irrelevant to the plot. While I understand a certain attention to detail is important in setting the scene, the constant mentions of what people were wearing became distracting rather than enriching.

The most significant chunk of the book revolves around the St. Olaf wedding traditions, which I personally found excessive. The focus on these traditions overshadowed the mystery itself, and by the time I was several chapters in, I was honestly skimming through the wedding details just to get back to the action. As for the mystery, it felt flimsy and didn't carry the weight I expected from a cozy crime novel. The resolution wasn’t as satisfying as it could’ve been, especially when you take in to account it's the GOLDEN GIRLS!!

I also had a number of issues with the book’s editing. There were multiple misspellings, instances of words running together, and overall poor sentence structure that made for a frustrating reading experience. I understand this was an ARC, but as a reader, I expect a certain level of proofreading before a book is released, especially when it's being shared with reviewers.

That said, I did appreciate the author's attempt at capturing the spirit of the Golden Girls—the dynamic between the characters had a similar charm, even if the execution was hit or miss. I think fans of that show might still find something to enjoy here, but I personally was hoping for a stronger mystery and a smoother reading experience.

In the end, Murder by Cheesecake wasn’t the fun, light cozy mystery I had hoped for. I’m grateful for the opportunity to read an advance copy, but I can’t say I’ll be returning for the next book in the series. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Hyperion Ave. and the author for the opportunity to read this one in advance of its publication.

A cozy mystery based on Golden Girls Series. There is family, friendship, mystery and love all ties up into one mysterious story.

While reading this book I could hear the characters in my headsince I was familiar with them from the show. It's a cute book. But not something I would read a lot of.

If you are a Golden Girls fan, then this the book for you! I have rewatched the entire series several times and I could hear the characters voices in my head as I read this book. It was a fast paced fun read. Highly recommend.

The girls are back in this cozy murder mystery that appeals to all Golden Girls fans! The author carefully crafts the perfect plot for this book and the girls' witty banter perfectly matches the original TV series. I was thrilled to learn that this book is just the first in a potential series and I look forward to laughing out loud while reading every single one. If you have ever enjoyed watching the Golden Girls, this book is a must-read!

Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage is a must-read for any fan of the iconic Golden Girls series. The author gives voice once again to the ladies we all know and love so well, and this cozy mystery will transport you back for a nostalgic reunion with old friends.

Rose is hosting a family wedding, endeavouring to stay true to her hometown of St. Olaf's numerous and very unique traditions. But when a man Dorothy has only recently met is found dead in a freezer at the venue, the girls find themselves trying to solve the mystery before Dorothy is charged with the crime.

The author should be commended for staying so true to each of the characters' voices and quirks, and I honestly felt as if I was watching an episode of the show. I laughed out loud at not only the absurdities of the St. Olaf wedding traditions, but at many of Dorothy's razor-sharp quips. I look forward to the next installment of what promises to be a truly delightful series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for an ARC.

Thank you NetGally for the Arc.

This was an extremely fun read and fun concept. A Murder, She Wrote/ Golden Girls type feel. The plot and characters lent well to the cozy mystery genre really well. This book would have been a 5 star rating if not for a few things. The plot with the wedding got slightly annoying with all the St. Olaf stuff, it seemed like every time Rose had a win, someone would come in and tell her she had more hurtles to get over. I understand the wedding had more to do with how the plot gets laid out at the end. With Rose as well, I feel sometimes she was very mean which I don't think she ever would be. She got short with Dorothy a few times blaming her and I don't think Rose would ever do that, I know she was under a lot of stress it just seemed out of character. Everyone else felt right, I hope the series gets more books as I feel Blanche wasn't spearheading things as much as Sophia and Dorothy were with coming up with ideas so I hope we get one more focused on her. This book was very fun to read and I laughed a few times, the "Tom of Finland" joke got a laugh out of me. Overall a really fun, quick read that I'd recommend to people who are fans of cozy mysteries, Golden Girls, Murder, She Wrote and things very similar to any of those mentioned

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC that I knew I had to request as soon as I spotted it! I enjoyed this book and felt that the author did a fantastic job staying true to each character and infusing the banter and quips the girls are known for. That being said, I felt that the wedding/St. Olaf traditions part of the book far outweighed the more intriguing murder part of the cozy murder mystery. The writing, characters, and nostalgia piece were more than enough for me to still have a great time reading it, and several laughs out loud, but I found parts of the actual plot a little dull and dragging. I'll definitely check out additional titles in the series, though, and see if those stories are a little better balanced.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and I was very excited to read it. It took me longer to read than I was planning because I had lots going on but I’m glad I got to read it. I love The Golden Girls. This book reads very much like an episode of the show just if it were movie length instead of 22 mins. I was annoyed by some of the wedding details. Mostly how some of the guests behaved. There were way more wedding details than I would have liked but overall I did enjoy reading this.

First of all Golden Girls has always been one of my favorite shows. So, when I heard about this book I was super excited to read it. It’s a fantastic portrayal of the characters from the show. I can picture the antics Dorothy, Sophia, Rose, and Blanche are getting themselves into. Such a fun, quick, cozy mystery. I really enjoyed this fun story and really hope there is another one to follow. The characters and situations are well described and you can follow along like watching the show. You can never go wrong with a who done it murder/mystery with a funny/clever twist.
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

Murder by Cheesecake is tailor made for die-hard Golden Girls fans. The dialogue evokes the essence of the television show and the beloved characters. For any true fan, the book is a tad overly descriptive. The mystery has some fun moments, but all the St. Olaf “traditions “ become somewhat tiresome.

Rachel Ekstrom Courage’s Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery is a nostalgic, lighthearted whodunit perfect for fans of the beloved TV series. When Dorothy’s date is found dead in a cheesecake at a hotel, the Golden Girls dive into solving the mystery, all while juggling Rose’s St. Olaf-themed wedding. With humor, charm, and plenty of twists, this fast-paced caper captures the spirit of the original show, making it a delightful read for cozy mystery lovers and Golden Girls fans alike.