This one was such a fun and cozy mystery with a paranormal twist! I'm greatly looking forward to more Ruby and Cordelia in the next book!

This cozy supernatural mystery is okay but was not my favorite.

Cordelia passed away a few months ago in her Boston apartment. Now, Ruby has moved into her apartment and is using her furniture and killing her plants (not on purpose, of course). Cordelia finds she can communicate with Ruby through poetry magnets. They start communicating after their neighbor, Jake, is killed on the front lawn for their building, and they want to find out who killed him and why.

This is a solid first entry in a series, but it didn't always hold my attention. I found myself skimming pages. I was able to do so and keep up with the story, but I'm not sure if I care enough to read the next book in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

This was an okay story. I do realize that I am not the biggest cozy mystery fan. And unfortunately it didn't keep me captivated enough to finish the book. I enjoyed the concept but I have to let this one go.

You know, A New Lease on Death was a nice cozy mystery. Ruby and Cordelia are a duo that I would have never expected. Poor Jake. Especially with that plot twist, Poor JAKE!

Now, Cordelia, girl, I really wanted to find out if your death was intentional - because of the breakup or if someone else did her in.... This alone would have me continue the series because, I really need to know. Outside of that, Cordelia needs another hobby, following Ruby all over the apartment was crazy. I also wonder what happens to the ghost that disappear. Where do they go?

I hope in future books, Ruby and Cordelia can communicate better. They're a great pair of detectives.

In A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke is a little outside the box for me. I don’t usually go for mysteries with a paranormal element, but this one was different and a lot of fun. Our protagonist, Ruby Young, moves into a Boston apartment only to find it's already occupied—by the ghost of its previous tenant, Cordelia Graves. Their banter is witty and fun, despite the communication challenges and their different personalities,

When their neighbor, Jake Macintyre, is shot dead outside their building, Cordelia is determined to find his killer but needs Ruby's help to do so. They begrudgingly work together to solve the murder. In A New Lease on Death, Blacke brings the wintery Boston setting to life in a lighthearted cozy that was fun to read. I look forward to reading more in this series.

I received this Advanced Reader Copy of A New Lease on Death from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Olivia Blacke and will not be my last. I love how the characters are relatable and I was able to connect with them. There are several parts if this book that had me laughing. I throughly enjoyed this book and you will too.

for one, i REALLY loved the cover art here and i loved the concept of the book. I thought the overall tone/writing of the book was witty and also packed an emotional punch. I'm not super keen on paranormal plots usually, but i liked that this kind of doubled as a more cozy mystery. Overall, it wasn't great enough for me to read again but i did enjoy it while i was in it

A New Lease on Death, the first in Blacke's newest Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries series, brings us the story of Ruby and Cordelia. When Ruby moves into a "new" apartment, she finds herself living with Cordelia, the previous tenant, who had passed away and is now living as a ghost. And when a murder happens in front of their building, the two pair up for a supernatural mystery of the ages.

This was such a fun, cozy mystery that stays with you indefinitely. The relationship between Cordelia and Ruby is so dynamic, and how they end up balancing each other out in life. There was at times that I thought it would be hard for them to communicate effectively, but after living together for a while, they figured it out well.

I really enjoyed that there was such a mystery in the air, but that wasn't the main focus, I felt. The mix of their friendship, the hardships of life in general, trying to find a job, and get settled into a new apartment– in a new city, nonetheless. All the while, figuring out a murder mystery with a ghost who has secrets of their own.

And can we talk about that cover? That cover made me fall in love, and after reading, made it even more sold.

Now knowing that they get a series, I cannot wait for more of their adventures.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

(3.5, rounded up to 4)

Olivia Blacke's "A New Lease On Death" will enchant readers with its lovable characters and fresh take on the amateur sleuth genre. The heart of the story lies in the unexpected partnership between Cordelia Graves, a sharp-witted ghost determined to solve her neighbor Jake's murder, and Ruby Young, a lively but uncertain young woman. Their evolving friendship, marked by both humor and heart, becomes a standout element of the novel.

While the murder mystery itself isn’t overly complex, it serves as a fitting backdrop for the character-driven plot. The unique challenges Cordelia faces as a ghost who can't interact with the physical world add an intriguing twist, while Ruby’s open-minded belief in the supernatural allows her to take the reins of the investigation. Though the mystery leans more toward whimsical fun than edge-of-your-seat suspense, the dynamic between the living and the dead keeps the story captivating.

Filled with humor and lighthearted moments, this is an enjoyable, feel-good read. While the plot could benefit from a bit more depth to fully explore the potential of its inventive premise, the strong chemistry between the leads leaves readers eager for more. Blacke's novel is a charming mix of wit, warmth, and the supernatural—earning a solid 3.5-star rating for a fun and unconventional mystery series.

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

A New Lease on Death is such a fun read! Cordelia and Ruby may be my new favorite detective duo, such great banter and chemistry between this half ghostly duo. It is filled with humor and mystery and reads very quickly. Ruby has moved into Cordelia's old apartment and is out to find out what happened to Cordelia and her newly deceased neighbor. Think cozy mystery with a paranormal twist, and that ending..... I will be reading the next in the series!

Thank you very much, Netgalley and Olivia Blacke, for the eARC.

The beginning was amazing! I was hooked and wanted to love this cozy (ghost) mystery, but I couldn’t. At least not as much as I wanted.
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The characters were okay, but I didn’t really root for any of them. There were parts enough engaging for me to keep reading but the constant repetitions didn’t help. Plus, it felt like the plot wasn’t moving.
*
One thing in particular didn’t let me appreciate the story…
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Spoiler ahead:
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Ruby has no money, ok… but couldn’t she have borrowed a pen from her new job?

This was a rather interesting take on a mystery. It's not quite a cozy mystery; it takes place in Boston instead of a small town and has its share of violence and drinking and such, which isn't very typical of a cozy. But all the rest of the makings of a cozy are there, so it can still be called one. What makes it not a typical mystery is the fact that the main character, Ruby, lives in a haunted apartment. Her ghostly roommate, Cordelia, was the previous occupant who died before the novel begins. She is able to manipulate the physical world in small ways, and thus helps Ruby navigate life and murders.

The novel is told by both Ruby and Cordelia. I much prefer Cordelia's parts; she's in her 40's, calmer, and with a better head on her shoulders. Ruby can be spastic and clueless at times, and she is quite young and immature, which definitely shows. The mystery is pretty straightforward - a neighbor of Ruby and Cordelia's is murdered, and they team up in their own unique way to try and solve it. There are plenty of other characters, though none of them really stand out. You have the typical nosy neighbor, the distraught girlfriend (or girlfriends, in this case), family members looking for heirlooms. I'm honestly not sure that I could even name any of the other characters, though it's only been a few days since I finished the book. They're just that forgettable. It wasn't quite as humorous as the blurb made it sound either. I wasn't expecting laugh out loud, but there were very few moments I actually found funny at all. I was more exasperated over Ruby and the things she'd do and say. However, I was surprised at the outcome of the murder, which was a pleasant surprise.

I think this series has potential - it can be unique enough to stand on its own, it just needs a few things smoothed out.

Easy to read and quite an interesting story! It's not a 5 star, but it's a solid 4 with lots of humor, character, and plot.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in return for an honest review.

DNF @ 30%

This book was going so slow. I’m not a fan of Cordelia and was happy to see the addition of Ruby. This book is very repetitive. We get it, you’re a ghost and the electrical objects go funky. I was going to push through but this series just isn’t for me. You are following a ghost and the new tenant of the apartment to solve murders. Also, following Ruby’s life and her current situations she is in. It wasn’t the cozy mystery I was wanting to read.

A cute, cozy mystery with a new murder solving duo - a ghost of the previous inhabitant and the new, very alive, new apartment resident.

When the neighbor across the way is killed, Cordelia the ghost and her new apartment resident Ruby work together to try to find out what happened to him. The duo is interesting - 2 very different ages and personality types, they play well off each other. For all of Ruby's positive attitude and naivete, Cordelia is a great investigator and realistic. I liked the way they worked together - even though they couldn't directly speak to each other.

And the mystery was well paced and interesting. I liked how they learned new clues, how they got to know the neighbor even though he was gone, and how it all played out. This is a fun, unique new series - I'll definitely look for the next one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This is one of the only cozy mysteries I've been able to get through. I absolutely loved the characters, and I thought they were so funny. However, the ending sucked. They acted like something was a big reveal when you realize it pretty much from page one, and then it isn't solved. It leaves you on cliffhanger for the next book, which I won't be reading.

4 Stars – A Fun, Quirky Mystery with Heart

A New Lease on Death was a solidly entertaining read. The ghostly detective premise is a little out there, but it works because Cordelia and Ruby make such a great duo—one sarcastic and dead, the other bubbly and overwhelmed. The mystery had some good twists, and I didn’t see the ending coming. A few moments stretched believability, but the humor and character dynamics kept me hooked. Definitely excited to see where this series goes next!

This one was different! A little slow. But I still enjoyed it! I put it down for a while then decided to pick it back up to give it another shot and was pleasantly surprised!

Thanks to St Martins Press and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

Who doesn't want a cozy mystery where the detectives are a ghost and the woman who now lives in her old apartment? This was a fun mystery of "who killed the neighbor." While Ruby is trying to figure out how her neighbor ended up dead on the sidewalk, she's also trying to figure out whether or not she has a ghost in her apartment. Cordelia, who has been dead for a few months, is trying to figure out both who the person is in her apartment but also what are her new powers now that she's dead. Together the two team up and save the day. This was an easy read and the start of a new series for Blacke and I enjoyed it.