If you are a fan of the TV show The Golden Girls, this book is for you. While very similar to the beloved TV show, the book brings a new twist in that the girls need to solve a murder after Dorothy’s date is found dead in a hotel freezer.

Rose’s niece is getting married in Miami and Rose is hosting a St Olaf themed wedding. What could go wrong? When Dorothy’s date is found dead, everyone is a suspect, including Dorothy. The girls need to solve the murder and get the happy couple down the aisle.

Everything you would expect is in this book. Rose, Dorothy, Blanche and Sophia are true to their TV characters personalities. Included are St Olaf stories, Sophia’s wise advice, Herring, Dorothy’s wise cracks, sassy Blanche and of course cheesecake. It’s an enjoyable story of friendship and familiar characters that never get old.

This book is about the characters from the GC who go and solve a mystery., I really enjoyed this book and it made me feel like I was back sitting on my couch watching my favorite ladies. However I felt like some parts of this were really long ( the st Olaf traditions) while there wasn’t enough about the murder. It also was a little long at times and dragged on but on the whole, I really enjoyed the story. .

Anyone who remembers the Golden Girls will be happy to see their is now a cozy mystery surrounding the dear ladies. The story was ok. The reader can picture each character as they were on television and hear their voices. Rose is trying to plan a wedding for a niece who has had to change locations and venue from St Olaf to Florida--not exactly optimal nor anywhere near the same vibe. Of course Dorothy's date is found dead in the freezer and chaos ensues. Thanks to NetGalley, Hyperion Avenue Pub, and Ms Courage for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

A fun cozy mystery with easily recognizable characters. This was an easy read with an enjoyable storyline.

When I found out about Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery by Rachel Ekstrom Courage, I was intrigued as a fan of the Golden Girls TV Series. The author stayed very true to the original characters’ quick quips and included references to story lines from the original series. Rather than feeling like a murder mystery book, it felt as though it was the plot line of a Golden Girls two part episode or film. However, it had some classic murder mystery elements, including one I didn’t see coming. I enjoyed this book and I think other Golden Girls fans will as well. I’m planning on getting a copy for my friend’s birthday once the book is released.

I will not be adding this to my online review, but this book needs a serious copy edit. There are multiple instances where words are run together and several places where proper names are not capitalized. Additionally, there was one section of the book where Nettie called Rose to say her wedding dress was missing from the room. Rose promised to be there the next morning to help find it, but then the matter was not addressed again until almost the end of the book when the person who took it made a comment. This felt like a loose end. for most of the book. I will post the info below on Goodreads.

Murder By Cheesecake is a book based on the characters from the Golden Girls television program. The author did a great job with these women, maintaining the characters as all fans of the show knew them. I could almost hear the voices of the actors saying the words. The rhythm and tone felt completely true to them.

Rose is beyond excited at the prospect of the cousin she helped raise getting married. Rose has talked her into getting married in Miami when she learns the venue in St. Olaf has burned down. Of course St. Olaf has a multitude of unusual customs that must be followed for the young couple to live happily ever after in St. Olaf. Rose is determined to ensure this wedding is conducted following all of them! Upon learning that the prospective groom is a local Miami boy whose parents own a hotel, Rose is sure everything will be perfect and it is, right up until they find the dead body in the freezer where Rose's Welcome Tea cheesecakes are stored. Craziness ensues as Dorothy becomes the prime suspect the they all do everything possible to both investigate the crime to clear Dorothy's name and make certain the young couple has a wedding to remember.

The plot moved along, dragged down only a bit by the many customs of a St. Olaf wedding. I enjoyed the appeal of a Miami I have never visited, only seen on television and in movies, harkening back to the days of Miami Vice and Golden Girls. Additional nostalgia was provided by the midwestern folks from Rose's hometown visiting such an exotic locale for the first time. For anyone who experienced hosting company and trying to show off your town at it's best, this story provided more than a few laughs. I did determine who the perpetrator was fairly early on in the story, but questioned myself a few times before arriving at the confession. I have to say the big twist came as a complete surprise and here's hoping Nettie, Jason, the Golden Girls and all of the folks visiting from St. Olaf get their happy ever after!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy I was freely provided in exchange for my honest review.

Golden Girls Cozy Mystery--Need I say more?! Roses niece is getting married but after an accident with the venue the only option is a Miami Destination wedding for the Entire St. Olaf Community! But after a body is found the morning of the first pre-wedding events, it's up to our favorite leading ladies to solve the crime to before the wedding!
It was everything I wanted & more! kept me giggling at all the antics & banter. If you loved Golden Girls you will definitely love this one!

okay but the dedication at the beginning already had me in tears 🥹
This book was everything!! I had such a fun time with it and it was a breeze to get through! I loved the references to the OG show as well, it’s clear the author is a hardcore fan!! I can’t wait to read the next one!
Thank you to Hyperion Avenue for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love my Girls so much that I requested this ARC so fast. Sadly this book was just fine. I felt this wasn’t so much a mystery book than Rose being overwhelmed planning a wedding book. Most cozy mysteries clock in at 200 pages, and this book would have benefited by cutting out 100 pages of St Olaf wedding traditions. I will keep reading this series because it’s Golden Girls but this book didn’t quite hit for me.

I’ve only seen a few Golden Girls episodes, but Murder by Cheesecake was a fun cozy mystery. The characters’ personalities and witty quips shine just like on the show. Fans will love it, but it’s a treat for casual viewers too!

Such a fun story! I love that the Golden Girls make a comeback in a story. I felt like I was reading the script of a new episode. Can the Girls solve the murder and save the wedding? Lots of fun twists and turns in this story. And of course - lots of cheesecake!

I grew up watching the golden girls so I was really excited to see this book. The characters traits were kept true to the show and that made me really happy. I enjoyed the comedy and it just felt like a really fun cozy mystery with old friends that I grew up with!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an arc of Murder by Cheesecake.
Being an arc there were some errors: no spacing between words or extra words added to the sentence that made it not make sense.
I really feel as if the author did a fantastic job with the characters. She really captured their personalities. I did feel as if rose was a little more smarter than how she was portrayed in the tv series. She didn’t really come off as the blonde ditz we all know and love.
Also I’m not sure if being a cozy mystery made it where some of the nicknames Sophia gave the girls couldn’t be written because of it being a cozy mystery. Like the nickname ( Dorthy) pussycat or ( Blanche) tramp.
The banter between Sophia, Blanche, Rose, and Dorthy was spot on! Reading this really gave you a nostalgic feeling!
Murder By Cheesecake I felt focused on Rosa and Dorthy more so I’m hoping next book we see more Sophia and Blanche.

Love how the characters remain true to the way they are portrayed in the TV series. The St. Olaf' wedding
traditions that Rose revealed reminded me of all the St Olaf stories the girls endured in the series
No matter what happens, they have each other's back.
#MurderByCheesecake #HyperionAvenue #NetGalley

🍪 Rating: 5 Stars (Honestly, can I just give it a Michelin star at this point?)

🧁 Praise: Well, well, well. Look what we have here—a book that managed to roll everything I love into one delicious murder mystery soufflé. Golden Girls? Check. Cozy mystery? Check. Sharp wit and sass? DOUBLE CHECK. Honestly, I don’t know how the author pulled this off, but it feels like she held a séance and summoned Rue, Estelle, Betty, and Bea to ghostwrite this masterpiece. Someone give her a medal.

📖 The Story: I requested this book thinking, “Sure, why not?”—and let me tell you, I was NOT READY for the comedic genius and nostalgia bomb it delivered. It’s as if Rachel took the iconic dialogue from the best show ever created and dropped it into a murder mystery blender. Every chapter served Golden Girls realness with a side of deadly intrigue. Oh, and the plot? Mwah! Chef’s kiss.

🍨 Extra Details: The mystery was clever, but nope—this one got me. I didn’t figure out the murderer until the big reveal, and when I did? Jaw. On. The. Floor.

Bottom line: This book was an absolute BLAST. If you’re not reading this series, are you even living? I will devour every sequel that comes out from this series. Bring on book two, three, or a million—I’ll be here, cheesecake in hand, ready for more snark, sass, and murder. 🖤

I really wanted to love this book, but was quite disappointed. Most of the time it felt more like a summary of an episode than a novel. And while the characters were true to the show, it felt like we were being hit over the head with their personality stereotypes (especially Rose as St. Olafian traditions were a huge part of the book, but not actually a plot driver in anyway). It might be a fun walk down memory lane for fans of the show, but it's not a series I'll continue to read.

This book is exactly what you expect it to be! This first book in a series mainly centers on Rose as she plans her niece's wedding with all of the crucial St. Olaf traditions when suddenly a dead body is found in a freezer of a hotel amid the cheesecake. Even worse the man has just recently been on a date with Dorothy!

Positives:
Perfect nostalgia of our Golden GIrls
The dialogue works well with the characters we know and love. The author did a great job of capturing their identities.
Great mix of humor and charm
Great cover

Negatives:
Only that it probably could have been a bit shorter.

I will definitely be buying a hard copy of this book and reading the rest in the series.

This book was cute and cozy. It definitely felt like a golden girls episode. The descriptions of clothes and Miami scenes really helped make the book well written!

Someone had a great idea—bring back the sassy ladies from an eighties TV show that still has a big fan base and have them solve mysteries like the seniors from the popular Thursday Murder Club. Rose’s young cousin Nettie and her fiancé Jason are going to elope, which means there will be no St. Olaf wedding traditions. When Rose learns that Jason is from Miami, she offers to plan the wedding, including all of the unique pre-wedding traditions. Unfortunately, there is a murder, and Dorothy is a prime suspect. Will the St. Olaf traditions fall by the wayside as Jason’s snobbish parents, who own the hotel that is hosting the out of town guests at no charge, try to take over? Will Dorothy’s name be cleared? The author has a very good knowledge of the characters, offers us lots of great eighties references, and provides an entertaining read for fans of the series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you for the ARC copy!

I’m a huge Golden Girls fan, have seen every episode multiple times, to the point I can quote every episode almost word for word 😂

With that being said, I did enjoy this story and felt the author overall got the feel for the characters of the show. I felt the story could’ve been shorter with the same affect. There were a lot of references to things that happened in the show, but a few were incorrect.

I think any GG will enjoy reading this!