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Read if you like:
🍰 GOLDEN GIRLS 🩷🩷🩷
🍰 senior crime solvers
🍰 cast of quirky characters
🍰 small town setting

I really really love the whole senior citizens teaming up to solve a murder genre 🩷🩷
I really enjoyed the graphics at the top of each chapter 💕 It adds some fun and even makes the pages more exciting than just the boring black text.
THEY SERVED THE CHEESECAKE THAT THEY FOUND A DEAD BODY ON TOP OF?????? yuckkkkkk
I love chapter titles!! No one ever does that anymore, and it reminds me so much of books I read as a child 💕
This book really came together in the end, and I did not see it coming! I love when I am surprised in the end of a murder mystery.
I really enjoyed this book and all of the characters in it. I really hope this becomes a series so I can read more! Thanks so much to Hyperion Avenue and Rachel Ekstrom Courage for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review 💕

Do you remember the 1980s TV show The Golden Girls? If you haven't seen the show, you can stream the first season free on PlutoTV (the other seasons are on a subscription streaming channel). For those who know what I'm talking about - can you imagine them as amateur sleuths? Racheal Ekstrom Courage does and she's written a cozy mystery featuring Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, and Sophia.

I often watch movies and television shows based on books. There are a few of those adaptions that I watched before reading. But I don't usually read a book based on a television show. The only one I can think of is the Veronica Mars book I read but I think it was written by someone associated with the show. I have a couple of other books on my shelf that were on the screen before coming to the page.

When I saw Murder by Cheesecake I thought it sounded like it would be a fun read. What I remember of the show, the Girls often found themselves in crazy situations so I hoped their on-screen comedy could translate to the page.

The start of the book was really focused on trying to establish the chemistry that fans of the show will remember well. I don't know if Courage was trying too hard or if it just couldn't translate. A lot of the comedy of the show was due to timing and body language which are both difficult to write. I was finding it so unfunny that I started to wonder if I just remembered the show being funny. So I went to IMDB to see if the show was streaming anywhere. The little clip from the show that was playing on The Golden Girls page had me immediately smiling (and there wasn't any sound so it was just their interaction and body language). For me, the show wasn't translating well.

But when we got to the murder, the book really picked up for me. I loved the murder mystery part of this book. It gives the Girls plenty of opportunities to find themselves in crazy situations as they try to go undercover and search for clues to clear one of their won.

If their investigation doesn't provide enough entertainment, Rose is planning a true St. Olaf wedding right in the heart of Miami. The traditions may seem to be weird, but they all have a very sentimental meaning. Such as the clown is a reminder to them that a happy marriage should be filled with levity and love (unless, of course, you have a clown phobia but no one present did so it turned out somewhat okay - they let Sophia find the clown!)

Courage definitely writes a fun cozy mystery and if she writes another with her own characters I will definitely check it out. For the nostalgic factor, this was worth the read.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2025/04/murder-by-cheesecake-by-rachel-ekstrom.html

DNF at 15%. It read like bad fan fiction. Or too kitschy. I just couldn’t do it. I admit I am a mood reader though, so it’s possible that my mood was looking for something a little more emotional, dark or angsty. And - for a murder mystery it had zero mysterious vibes. There was nothing to make me actually care.

I have watched Golden Girls for as long as I can remember with both my mom and my grandmother. I was really really hoping to be able to recommend and/or buy Murder by Cheesecake for some of the bigger fans in my life. Unfortunately, the book didn’t quite land for me.

While the characters and setting were factually correct, they felt somewhat forced or inauthentic to me. This could just be an unfortunate side effect of going from screen to page, and it seems like many other people fully enjoyed the book.

I will also say that I felt like the mystery took a bit long to get going, and I felt a bit like the book was spoon feeding or railroading me at the upfront. I did not end up finishing the book.

Murder By Cheesecake is a delightful that is a new twist on the Golden Girls. Anyone who has watched the show will enjoy reading the book. It follows Rose's niece who is in town getting married. While there wedding activities are going on, Dorothy tries to find a date for the wedding. The date doesn't go as planned and she is disappointed. Later that week, her date ends up dead, face down in a cheesecake at a wedding event hosted by Rose.

The book captures each ladies personality and it is a fun read for any fan. The book brings in the flavor of Miami with traditions of Rose's hometown, St. Olaf.

The book felt like an extended episode to me and alot of fun to read!

As a lifelong fan of The Golden Girls, diving into Murder by Cheesecake felt like reuniting with old friends. The banter between Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia was spot-on, capturing the show's spirit that remains one of my all-time favorite comfort sitcoms. The nostalgic charm was undeniable, and I appreciated the author's effort to bring these beloved characters back to life.

However, the mystery element left much to be desired. The premise—a dead man found in a freezer during a wedding—had potential, but the story focused excessively on the wedding preparations and St. Olaf traditions. The investigation into the murder felt sidelined, making it hard to stay engaged with the plot.

I lost interest around the 70% mark and ultimately decided not to finish. While the character interactions were enjoyable, the lack of emphasis on the mystery made it difficult to stay invested. That said, I’m open to giving the next installment a try, hoping for a better balance between character-driven moments and a compelling mystery.

Thank you to Hyperion for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love me a cozy mystery (preferably set in the Cotswolds, featuring a cast of cardigan-clad villagers, and scads of scones with clotted cream) as much as the next girl. Yet, as you well know, it’s not exactly my genre of choice, given a general lack of romance and a whole shaker of spice. However, when I saw the title Murder by Cheesecake and then, more importantly, the subtitle A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery pop up in my ARC dashboard, I couldn’t resist. Many an rainy afternoon (I was only allowed to watch TV if precipitation required my fisherman-grade raincoat) was spent cuddled on the sofa, listening to the dulcet drawl of Blanche, the bad-ass sarcasm of Dorothy and Sofia, and the midwestern zaniness of Rose. On a grey and gloomy New England day, what tween wouldn’t want to escape to the sunny and, to me, foreign paradise of Miami, as seen through the eyes of a quartet of well-coiffed retirees. I obviously had to read this book. Golden girls + cheesecake + murder = a good time (obviously).

I’ll give it to the author, Rachel Ekstrom Courage, who clearly loves the ladies of her source material. The book is so authentic to the voice of each of its leading ladies that you can’t not read it without hearing Blanche’s purr, Dorothy’s gravitas, Sofia’s Sicilian curses, and Rose’s, well, Rose-ness. It’s the latter that Courage pins her tale upon, as Rose’s beloved cousin / niece (it’s a thing), Nettie, is unable to get married in St. Olaf (for all the herring-y wackiness that entails, as you can imagine) and is now getting married - at Rose’s behest lest she has to endure an elopement - in her fiance’s hometown, Miami. We’ve thus got a real fish out of water situation (all piscine puns intended), as the uptight and elderly St. Olaf’s contingency clashes with Jason’s hotel-owning, Miami-elite parents. And we, of course, benefit, courtesy of the fact that the happy couple must uphold all of the obscure Norwegian traditions - most of which feature pickled fish - in order to access Nettie’s trust.

Speaking of trust, our fab four find a crack in theirs for one another when Rose, upon removing her hundred homemade cheesecakes from the industrial freezer of Jason’s parents hotel, stumbles upon a dead body. On the first night of a week’s worth of already questionable St. Olaf-themed mandatory celebrations, but of course. Things quickly go from bad to worse when the corpse is ID’d by Dorothy as the man whom she’d really clicked with - from a VHS dating service video - before being unceremoniously dumped by him halfway through their first date. As though Dorothy’s ego hadn’t suffered enough after finally putting herself back out there, her freedom takes a beating too, as she becomes the police’s prime suspect, as her date, as it turns out, has a checkered history of conning women out of their savings. Since both the St. Olaf relatives and the Miami hoteliers now both blame Rose for putting the nuptials in jeopardy, she, bless her naive little heart, needs an outlet for her own frustration and turns on Dorothy.

Collective gasps aside, the rest of the story follows our favorite almost-sestegenarions (seriously, these women, save Sofia, were in their early-to-mid 50s! I’m just going to pause, and maybe have a stiff drink, at the fact that I’m apparently close enough in age to retire to Miami. Shady Pines, here I come!) as they work to both salvage the wedding AND clear Dorothy Zbornak’s good, albeit hard-to-pronounce, name. The latter requires some reconnaissance work that is not limited to: Dorothy being disguised as a “lady of the night”, Sofia’s hiring of a stripper clown for Nettie’s bachelorette, and Rose and Blanche doing their best Miami Vice impression as they shake down patrons at one of Miami’s gay bars. Couple this cozy silliness with 80s references for days (Aquanet! Love’s Baby Soft! Stetson cologne!) and one red herring after another - soft-hearted Rose is the one who comes to the stark realization that anyone (even a St. Olafian) could be the murderer - and you’ve got exactly what you hoped you would when gazed upon the delightfully-designed cover: devoted friendship, a mystery that’s just twisty-and-turny enough to make you, like the title ladies themselves, keep a notebook of suspects, and retro nostalgia.

So even it’s not my usual cup of (chamomile) tea, I’m more than happy to have spent the better part of my sunny spring weekend (I threw on an extra layer and read outside, so my mom would be proud) with the Golden Girls on their inaugural murder mystery and am looking forward to the next, since you know Blanche’s already got a body count, of sorts, on her perfectly manicured hands. In the interim, thank you, Rachel Ekstrom Courage, for being a friend of the show and a pretty entertaining writer to boot.

I loved the idea of this book, but it didn’t land for me. I do feel that the author captured the essence of each of the characters, but the storyline seemed a little unrealistic for me. It was an easy read, but I wish the whodunnit murder mystery plot was a little more developed and believable. Overall, a nostalgic and fun read.

if you love the Golden Girls and really know the show you are either going to love or hate this book. Rose's niece has decided to let Rose plan her wedding last minute in Miami as opposed to eloping with her fiancé. This is supposed to be a murder mystery with planning a St.Olaf style wedding as the backdrop but we don't actually get to the murder part until about a third of a way into the book. While the author is very descriptive and will go as far as describing the curtains hanging, all the descriptions don't add anything to the book when nothing related to the plot isn't happening. Also there were just multiple references to people, places and things that happened in the show to a point where it became overkill. While having a book based around some of my favorite fictional characters all time was nostalgic, I think the plot could have been better played out in this book.

Disclaimer: I know and love the show, The Golden Girls. I requested this book on Netgalley to get a hit of nostalgia for the show's characters because we could all use doses of happiness in these times.

Rose's niece from St. Olaf is getting married and after a turn of events, Rose offers to throw the wedding in Miami and play host to a whole trove of St. Olafians that come to visit. Combine that with a murder mystery at the proposed wedding venue where Dorothy winds up as the lead suspect. The results are that our favorite ladies pull together to try to keep Dorothy out of trouble and ensure that Rose's wedding extravaganza goes off without any more hitches.

The mystery aspect was a little convoluted, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. Now I want to go rewatch The Golden Girls.

It’s The Golden Girls meets Murder, She Wrote in a fun cozy mystery that combines the humor of the classic series with a mild whodunnit. The author does a fine job capturing characteristics from the series (there’s a lot of St. Olaf callbacks, especially). The actual plot is pretty tame, as they always are in a cozy. This isn’t one that’ll stick with the reader for too long afterwards — cozy mysteries never do — but fans of the sitcom will enjoy seeing these beloved characters try to crack the case.

This book definitely captures the essence of the golden girls. I felt like I was watching an episode. The descriptions were a little excessive at times and while the characters seemed to reflect the tv series, the story felt a little bit unbelievable.

If you like the Golden Girls and cozy mysteries, this is perfect for you.
I did not read the synopsis, only the title so did not realize this would be based on Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia. I couldn't decide if I liked that or not. It was like reading an episode (or multiple by the time everything played out). Overall an easy, light read. Thanks Netgalley for the early copy!

I really loved the idea of a Golden Girls book. Unfortunately, this book just did not live up to my expectations. Ultimately as I read, I felt that Rose was made into this really insufferable character and she very clearly did not listen to her cousin about many things regarding to the wedding. There was so much about St. Olaf and their traditions that it felt overwhelming to read, and I didn’t feel like enough attention was being placed on the murder. In the show it worked because of the delivery, but on paper it just didn’t flow well. If the book is supposed to be a cozy mystery, I expected more mystery.

That being said, I really do love the Golden Girls and have been a huge fan of the show. I do feel like for the most part. The girls were well represented except for when Rose became a little unlikable I will go back and watch some golden girls episodes just to feed into the nostalgia.

Overall, this was a three stars for me maybe in the future with later books I’ll be able to enjoy them a little bit more but this one just did not stick.

Picture It: Miami, murder, and mischief.
As a big Golden Girls fan, this book was basically a dream come true! Set in 1980s Miami with all the sass, charm, and cheesecake you could want, Murder by Cheesecake had me smiling from the first page.
When Dorothy’s date ends up face first in a cheesecake and very, very dead, the girls get pulled into the chaos. Between Rose’s over the top St. Olaf themed wedding for her cousin, Blanche being PEAK Blanche, and Sophia just existing in all her glory, this mystery was a wild, hilarious, and nostalgic ride.
It felt like slipping into an episode, but with more murder. If you love cozy mysteries and the Golden Girls, be sure to check this one out.

While Murder by Cheesecake had some positives — I enjoyed the short chapters and found the storyline promising — the book as a whole just didn’t capture me. Despite its potential, it lacked the engagement I was hoping for, and I struggled to stay invested. That said, fans of The Golden Girls might have a better experience, as the cozy vibe and quirky characters could appeal more to that audience.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the Advance Reader's Copy.

What a delightful read. I really enjoyed this book! It reminded me very much of a show. Readers will enjoy it.

A delightful nostalgic cozy mystery involving a favorite fictional Floridian foursome! If you have always wondered what Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia, solving a mystery would look like well here it is. Filled with all of the charm of the television series, callbacks to epic episodes, St. Olaf stories, but some new faces too. Picture it…Murder by Cheesecake. I only hope there are more adventures with the girls ahead.

As a huge Golden Girls fan, this book totally hit the spot! The humor, the friendship, the sass—everything I adore about Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia was spot on. The wedding chaos mixed with a quirky mystery had me hooked from the start, and the girls’ antics were pure gold. The banter between them was just as hilarious as I hoped, and the added whodunit twist made it even more fun. If you love the Golden Girls (and who doesn’t?), this is an absolute must-read for some lighthearted, murder-mystery-filled nostalgia.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy of this book, all opinions are my own!

I really enjoyed this! The book played out in my head like the show, and I pictured each character saying the things in the book! Very lighthearted and enjoyable, and great first book in the new series! I’ll Lee going! 4 stars!!!