I was so excited to get my hands on this! I loved watching Golden Girls growing up, so this book was a real treat. The author Rachel Ekstrom Courage did a fantastic job bringing the beloved characters from the show to life on the page, their distinct personalities, iconic friendship, and humor were all spot on.

Though I wish the story had focused a bit less on St. Olaf traditions and more on the mystery itself, I still really enjoyed it. Reading this made me crave cheesecake and want to rewatch the show. I'm already looking forward to the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Spice: 0/5

Plot: 3/5

Primary Genre: Cozy mystery

The Good:

* Aaah, the 80’s nostalgia. Chef’s kiss

* The characters are well written, which is a tall order when everyone knows them very well.

* The author was able to bring the humor of a Golden Girls episode, which is extremely important.

The Meh:

* If you’re here for the mystery plot, you may find this read to be a bit lacking but who are we kidding? Did anyone see “The Golden Girls” on the cover and think to themselves, “Yeah, I’m buying that for the mystery.”

Bottom Line:

This book is a huge undertaking, you’ve got to please Golden Girls fans and cozy mystery fans alike. In the end, the author leaned towards appealed to Golden Girls fans and I think that she was right for that. Why else would you read this unless you love the Golden Girls? This read like an episode of the Golden Girls for me. The characters were spot on, the humor was on the mark, and bringing Rose’s St. Olaf family to Miami made for some interesting capers. I will say, I am a tough critic as someone who has seen every single episode of the Golden Girls and The Golden Palace. Rachel, I hope that you continue this series because I will buy every single book. Please don’t stop writing these! For anyone who has every watched a Golden Girls episode and enjoyed it, you’ll like this book. This is a cozy mystery so it’s light on the mystery and heavy on the Golden Girls. If that sounds like a heavenly bite of cheesecake to you, pick up this tasty morsel.

With this novel, the Girls get to live on. I wished Betty, all of them, could have read this. Fun, cheeky, and nostalgic all in between the covers of this slice of Florida mystery.
Everyone and everything picks up in your mind from the last episode you just watched.
The women decide to play amateur detectives to clear Dorothy’s name. Dorothy, Rose, Sophia and Blanche donning disguises and clumsily snoop in the hotel manager’s office and the victim’s home. And even though their climactic showdown with the culprit seems pretty outrageous, it’s such a fun read

Picture this: Miami, 2025. The beloved characters from The Golden Girls are back, but this time they're not just sharing cheesecake and trading witty barbs—they're solving murders. Rachel Ekstrom Courage's debut cozy mystery manages to capture the charm and wit of the iconic TV show while crafting an engaging whodunit that would make Dorothy Zbornak proud.

The story kicks off when Dorothy's obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, setting the stage for a delightfully twisted mystery. Meanwhile, Rose is busy planning a wedding, adding her signature St. Olaf charm to the proceedings. The timing couldn't be worse, but when has that ever stopped our favorite Miami residents?

Courage demonstrates remarkable skill in capturing the distinctive voices of these beloved characters. The dialogue sparkles with the same sass and charm that made the original series a classic, proving that it takes both "guts and serious talent to write jokes worthy of Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia." Each character feels authentic to their television counterpart, while still having room to grow in this new medium.

The mystery itself is cleverly constructed, with enough red herrings to keep readers guessing. However, some readers note that the wedding and St. Olaf traditions occasionally overshadow the murder investigation. This balance might disappoint hardcore mystery fans, but it feels true to the spirit of The Golden Girls, where personal relationships and humor always took center stage.

The novel excels in its ability to weave humor with mystery. It's a "No Spice Cozy Mystery" that focuses more on wit and friendship than gore or tension, making it perfect for fans of the original series or readers who prefer their murders served with a side of laughter rather than violence.

Strengths:

Pitch-perfect character voices
Clever integration of humor and mystery
Strong sense of nostalgia while creating something new
Engaging plot with satisfying twists
Weaknesses:

Mystery elements sometimes take a backseat to character moments
Some readers might find the pacing uneven
Heavy reliance on familiarity with the original series
"Murder by Cheesecake" works best when viewed as a loving tribute to The Golden Girls that happens to include a murder mystery, rather than a traditional whodunit. The book has been praised for being "funny and cozy," providing exactly the kind of comfort read that fans of both cozy mysteries and The Golden Girls will appreciate.

For those who've ever wished they could spend just a little more time with Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia, this book offers a delightful way to revisit these cherished characters while adding a fresh twist to their familiar dynamic. While it may not revolutionize the mystery genre, it succeeds admirably at what it sets out to do: delivering a warm, witty, and entertaining story that feels like catching up with old friends over a slice of cheesecake—albeit with a side of murder.

As a major fan of The Golden Girls I was thrilled to see a novel based on my favorite Miami ladies! This did not disappoint - I loved how real places and events that occurred in the show were mentioned and that the characters were true to their known hysterical selves. Rose being an over-bearing St. Olafian wedding planner for her niece completely tracked with her persistent love for her hometown. I laughed many times and read the book in their voices. The 'cheesecake murder' was a great way to showcase the ladies shenanigans and Dorothy's constant quest for a good man. I absolutely recommend this joyful little 'slice of cheesecake' book for all fans of The Golden Girls. Having a cheesecake recipe at the end was the....icing on the St Olaf wedding cake if you will.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this adorable little gem in exchange for my honest review!

This was a fun read and I think fans of the Golden Girls will enjoy the nostalgia it brings. I thought the clothes descriptions got to be a little much but I could see how some would appreciate it. I hope the series continues, I loved visiting my favorite gals again.

When I first heard about Murder by Cheesecake, I squealed! I loved Golden Girls growing up, and I am all about the 80s-90's nostalgia.

I waited to read this book closer to publication, and it was such a treat! (pun very much intended)

We go back to Miami with our 4 golden gals to host a wedding for Rose's niece Nettie. Among the list of St. Olaf traditions that must be followed, co-exisiting with the groom's flashy and powerful family leaves our gals with little time to spare.

Before the first of many pre-wedding events happens, the gals find a dead body in the freezer (I think only one cheesecake was spoiled by the body) and it happens to be Dorothy's blind date!

The gals band together to hold the wedding events as well as become ameteur sleuths to clear Dorothy(suspect numero uno)'s name.

I did not see the twist or the murderer coming, but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this nostalgia filled romp through Miami.

Picture it, Sophia giving a bus tour to the St. Olafians- my favorite part!

This was a solid 4 and I cannot wait to share more cheesecake with our gals in future novels!

A cozy, nostalgic fluffy mystery that was average but nothing quite over the top and just enough to get your Golden Girls fix.

I’ve never watched Golden Girls but I can appreciate the banter and overarching theme in this one.

It’s worth noting that I really wanted to DNF this book because the first 50% had me clueless as to what the overarching plot/conflict was.

The fact that the dead body was found at around 20% and the disregard for its reasoning as to why it’s there and the fixation on the wedding was frustrating bc I was like wait I thought this was a mystery?

It wasn’t until at 50% where I felt like we were getting somewhere. Then it got good, but not much better. The last 20% was really when it got twisty but that’s it.

I feel like this was more of a wedding drama with a random murder/mystery thrown into the plot rather than a mystery. If you are a fan of Golden Girls and looking for a fluffy fictional tale of a wedding gone awry, then pick this one up; but don’t go in with high expectations.

Thank you to Hyperion avenue, Rachel Ekstrom Courage and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a fun trip down memory lane with The Golden Girls and their shenanigans. And of course, cheesecake! Thank you Rachel Ekstrom Courage and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

I cannot believe how well the author nailed the Golden Girls dialogue! This was such a fun read! I do think I would have liked a little more mystery at times, but I just had a great time reading that I had to give it five stars! I hope to read more of these books!!

DNF'd at 25%. I couldn’t take the ridiculousness anymore. And I was having such a hard time keeping track of everyone and everything. I feel you really need to know the Golden Girls show to appreciate this and I don't.

If you love Golden Girls and Cozy Mysteries this is a fun book to read. Fast and easy. The characters were spot on. So happy I got chosen as an ARC for this one.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This was so delightfully silly. It's perfect for any Golden Girls fan and had so many fun call backs to the show.

I loved that we brought St. Olaf to Miami. All the goofy traditions were a really fun touch.

As a OG Golden girls fan I was very worried about how this would play out and do my girls justice. I was shocked and sooo happy that this was just like reading an episode of the Golden Girls. Great plot line, decently paced. Great writing while keeping the Girls true to their cores!

A fun cozy mystery based on Golden Girls. I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for my copy. A review was not required.

From the very first page, this book draws you into its world with engaging prose, well-developed characters, and a compelling narrative. The author's storytelling is confident and immersive, weaving together themes that resonate long after the final chapter.

I unfortunately DNF’d this title at 57% despite being so intrigued. I had a hard time getting into this as a long-time, die-hard fan of The Golden Girls. I definitely understand wanting to make sure anyone who picks this up who hasn’t actually watched the show isn’t completely lost, but I felt like this wasn’t accomplished and was insulting to fans as well. The majority of the beginning is almost exclusively dialogue and what wasn’t was over-description of the house, the room, the people present in the scene. I put the book down for a while after that first chapter, but it hadn’t gotten to the actual plot of the story yet, so I wanted to give it a fair shake. I felt it took entirely too long to get to the point - almost 50%.

Unfortunately I didn't love this one as much as I'd hoped. It was fun and a quick read, but I don't think it hit the Golden Girls character voices enough to be immersive and it wasn't off enough to be a parody. It fell flat for me.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

My initial thoughts upon first hearing the concept for this book were as follows: I cannot even believe this is a thing. It's like all my dreams have come true. No one is a bigger GG-fan than me!! To have the Girls all together to solve a Cozy Mystery?! What the heck could be better!?

I put off reading it for as long as I could, wanting to read it just prior to the publication date, April 15, 2025. In my eyes, it couldn't come soon enough. And I'll tell you what, I did really enjoy it. Was it perfect? No, but it didn't need to be. I feel like a lot of Cozy Mystery series get better as they go, as they find their rhythm and as Readers become more attached to the characters.

While I don't think it's possible for me to be more attached to Sophia, Blanche, Dorothy and Rose than I already am, I do think if the series continues, I will grow to love the format and mystery of the novels more and more.

In this story, we have two things happening. Rose is preparing to host a wedding for her cousin, Nettie, and her beau, Jason, wherein an inheritance clause makes it necessary for the wedding to contain many St. Olafian traditions, so that is a focus of a lot of the action. Additionally, we have a dead body found on the premises where the wedding is to take place, and due to circumstances I won't get into, Dorothy is considered a lead suspect. Because of all of this, the Girls are trying to clear Dorothy's name, while also giving Nettie the wedding of her dreams. It's a lot for a weekend!

By the end of the 1st-chapter, I was already impressed by the way the author captured each of the Girls' personalities and mannerisms; minus Sophia using a cane, which I am still scratching my head about. It was so easy for me to read, picturing all of their intonations and comedic deliveries. It was just incredibly enjoyable for me as a super fan.

Overall, I found it to be a super cute, very fun, and nostalgic read for me. I felt like all four women, Dorothy, Rose, Sophia and Blanche, were executed with grace, and in a way that would make any fan of the show happy. At times I would have preferred the mystery to be a bit more front-and-center, in comparison to the drama circling Nettie's wedding. Nevertheless, it was still a great read!

I'm actually not sure if this is slated to be a series, or not, but I'm really hoping for more. There's so many more opportunities for mysteries. Miami is a busy place and these Girls are always getting into some sort of sticky situation. I would recommend this to any Golden Girls fan. I don't think it would hit in quite the same way for people who haven't watched the show, but I could be wrong. As a Cozy Mystery, it was still solid, regardless of who the characters are.

Thank you so much for the ARC, Hyperion Avenue. This was a hugely-anticipated release for me, and I'm honored to have received a copy early.
Thank you, thank you!

Reading this book felt like sitting down with old friends over slices of velvety cheesecake.
With classic Golden Girls humor sprinkled throughout, this cozy mystery is equal parts chuckle-worthy and heartwarming.
Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia manage to turn solving mysteries into an unforgettable journey of hilarity and charm, just like their nightly chats over cheesecake.

Murder By Cheesecake - Rachel Ekstrom Courage
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you’re craving a dash of nostalgia and laughter served alongside a comforting whodunit, this book might be the sweetest treat for your reading list.