Gosh, what a fun read. Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage has it all! Mystery and The Golden Girls! Don’t skip this one.

I trued but the editing was terrible. Run on words made this story so hard to get into that I was so busy trying to figure out what had happened that I couldn’t enjoy the story. Sorry to say it wasn’t a great read for me.

This is the absolute cutest book for Golden Girls lovers. A true cozy mystery, and the author captured all of the personalities so well. I can't wait for more books in this series!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge Golden Girls fan and was ecstatic when I learned of this cozy mystery series. If you’re a big fan of the show, this book is a must read! I’m not sure if it was just the way the book loaded into my kindle or because it was an ARC but there were several typos I found and many instances where several words were strung together without spaces. It did not affect my enjoyment of reading the story though. It was fun to visualize the story happening like one of the tv episodes complete with reading the girls dialogue in their voices. 😄

Story: Roses’s younger cousin Nettie travels to Miami with her fiancé Jason with plans to elope. Rose has been a mother figure to Nettie and wants her to have a St. Olaf style wedding complete with all of the traditions (some more peculiar than others). Rose goes into full on wedding planner mode to prove to her family she is still a St. Olaf girl at heart even though she’s been living in Miami for quite some time. All is going well for Rose and the girls as they help plan Nettie’s wedding until Dorothy decides to use a video dating service to secure a date for the wedding. After meeting with Dorothy, her potential plus one turns up dead, found next to the wedding cheesecakes. The Miami police point their finger at Dorothy as their prime suspect. Will the girls be able to help her clear her name? You’ll have to read to find out!

The best thing I can say about this book is that it was about the Golden Girls characters. After that, it was one typical wisecrack after another, one St. Olaf joke after another. Nothing tied the story together for me at all. It was a struggle.

I hope that if the author intends to make this a series, she presents the reader with a more solid plot before she indulges in the expected back and forth among the characters. It would be hard to find someone who didn't love The Golden Girls TV show, so there have to be countless people who are looking for a solid story involving the characters.

This wasn't a "golden" story for me.

Appreciation to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I couldn’t wait to read a mystery involving the Golden Girls and was thrilled when Netgalley gave me the opportunity to read it before it came out. The concept was great but the writing style just didn’t hit for me. I read a lot of cozies and prefer there to be a more involved mystery and less filler. It was a little hard for me to get into but there were lots of fun parts.

This was a fun and enjoyable mystery read! I loved following some of my favorite old ladies on an adventure of mystery & murder! The story really did capture each lady perfectly and it was fun and silly and the mystery was great!

Oh my goodness this book is just what I needed. What a great addition to the Golden Girls story! It's a story that would fit right in with the show, didn't stray from the character development we all know and love for our four lovely ladies. I was able to picture everything in my head just as it were on TV, and I can't wait for it to be fully published to be a part of my collection. :)

I loved the idea of this book! There could have been more mystery in my opinion, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

This book gave me all the feels. Immediately I was laughing at Sophia’s feisty comments. It felt like I was watching an episode of The Golden Girls. The author did not miss a beat. From the loyalty to family, friends and the cozy mystery, I was not disappointed.

I read the book on Kindle and noticed a few words were missing spaces in between. Other than that, this book was great.

**Book Review: Golden Girls Cozy Mystery Series - A Delightful Whodunit!**

The first installment of the Golden Girls Cozy Mystery Series is a delightful romp through the lives of our favorite four friends as they navigate the chaos of a wedding gone awry. With a plot that intertwines humor, mystery, and nostalgia, this book is a true testament to the charm of the original show while introducing a fresh spin on the characters we know and love.

The story kicks off with a bang when Dorothy's obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, setting off a chain of events that not only threatens a St. Olaf-themed wedding but also the harmony of the group. The clever nods to the beloved series are sprinkled throughout the narrative, creating a warm sense of familiarity that fans will appreciate. I particularly enjoyed the references to the classic moments and iconic lines, which added a delightful layer of nostalgia to the mystery.

However, as much as I loved the humor, I found that the St. Olaf jokes, while amusing at first, began to drag on a bit after a while. Although they contribute to the quirky charm of the story, a little less repetition would have kept the pacing tight and the humor fresh.

Overall, this cozy mystery is a wonderful tribute to the Golden Girls, combining friendship, love, and a dash of intrigue. The chemistry among the characters shines brightly, and their determination to solve the mystery while ensuring love prevails is both heartwarming and engaging. If you're a fan of the show or simply love a good mystery, this book is sure to bring a smile to your face and keep you entertained until the very last page!

I was so excited when I saw this book, but I just couldn’t do it. It wasn’t the same to me, nor did I really get into it. I’m sure it’s a good book, but it was just too different for me than watching the show.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book!

I'm going to be perfectly honest and say that most of my opinion of this book is based on nostalgia. I grew up watching The Golden Girls, to the point where I could hear the laugh track after the jokes, I could see all of the girls' signature quirks, I could hear the varying tones of Bea Arthur's voice! I loved them, and so I'm gonna love this book.

THAT SAID.

It's...weird...to look back at things from the past through a lens shaped by the life we've lived since then. The bachelorette party at the gay club gave me pause...I'm reading the thoughts of a straight while senior lady in the 80s and she's calling it the "LGBTQ" scene? That phrase wasn't even a thing back then...and in fact, depending on when in the 80s this scene is happening, it's entirely possible that AIDS was still being referred to as GRID, or gay related immune deficiency. Statistically speaking, Rose would've been definitely not mingling with people who could be carrying something that could be spread via toilet seat or sweat. Also, and this might be entirely about me being at least a decade removed from my cozy mystery days, everything seemed a little too...convenient at times. Like, I know I'm reading a cozy mystery based on an 80s prime time sitcom, but. Still. My nostalgia embraces this, don't get me wrong, but if you're only into the Girls because the internet, it might not hold the same charm. Like, seriously? Henry was a twin? The only thing cornier would've been if Morty was actually not dead and/or possessed by Satan. Dude, they didn't care in the 80s. You want demon possessions? You get demon possessions.

This was an unedited copy, but even so, it was very unedited. Lots of sentencesthatlookedlikethis and typos like "they" missing the Y, grammatical errors, and places where the author clearly rethought how to word something but then forgot to delete the previous version.

Overall, I will always love anything having to do with any or all of these ladies. I am an easy mark. There are very likely many of me out there, and they will enjoy this book. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, after all. This was a super fun story, it made a fantastic palate cleanser to chase the barrage of horror books I've been feasting on lately, and I don't regret reading it. :D

I really enjoyed this overall. The characters were all spot on, I could clearly picture the girls as they were in the 80s. The murder mystery was good - it took a minute to really get going but it was cozy, funny, and intriguing. The ending was very heartfelt with the girls all coming together and (spoiler) saving the day. An excellent tribute to their legacy.

Golden girls murder by cheesecake is just like a screenplay for an episode of golden girls. You will get to revisit your old friends again

This is a really cute and cozy tribute perfect for fans of the Golden Girls ! The author is pretty much spot on with the sarcastic humor and barbs by the characters, and all of the million little Easter eggs make this such a fun story for fans!

When I saw that there was a cozy mystery book featuring one of my favorite after-school show characters I was SOLD! And of course Dorothy would be the one accused of murder. This was surprisingly better than I thought it would be. A perfect cozy mystery for anyone in need of some nostalgia and more of Rose’s hilarity.

Excellently written. Captures the girls perfectly. As a HUGE Golden Girls Fan, I loved this books! I could picture the girls saying and doing everything. Story line was cute and suspenseful. I read it in a few hours. Put my current book aside to read this, once I received it. I can't wait for more books in the series. If you are a Golden Girls fan, you'll love this book!

This book is so good exclamation mark they have the girls spot on, even with Roses’s CRAZY words! I love a good whodunit book. Will definitely be buying this book for myself and for my twin sister who is also a huge golden girls fanatic.! Thank you to the publishing team for allowing me to read and review this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this - and I thought it would be a no brainer. Golden Girls + a cozy mystery… what’s not to like?

But this felt like an AI version of the ladies, and it just wasn’t good. None of the characters were well written, the situation was ridiculous, and the minor characters were hard to keep track of due to unrealistic age gaps.

If you’re looking for an easy read, go for it. But don’t go into this expecting the warmth and snark and chemistry these four icons had onscreen.