A New Lease on Death was fun! It reminded me of that old Reese Witherspoon movie Just Like Heaven combined with Murder She Wrote. I read it in a day and would definitely read another!

This review is my opinion and my opinion only.
This is my first book by Olivia Blacke, and it won’t be my last. I hope there is a second book!
This story is about Cordelia and Ruby with a supernatural twist. Cordelia died in her apartment. After her death, Ruby rented the apartment. At first, Cordelia tried to haunt Ruby, but they bonded over the death of their neighbor. They knew he was murdered, but the police didn’t agree, so they are trying to find the murderer. Since Ruby couldn’t hear Cordelia so they improvised by communicating with refrigerator magnets.
I’m going to stop here because I’m not doing the book justice with my description. It’s a recommended read from me. It is an enjoyable mystery.

I love that this book surprised me right up front (I didn’t read the blurb, just knew I like Blacke’s other mysteries!) and I love that one of the main characters is in her 40s - maybe I’m reading the wrong cozies, but they seem to so often be about 20-somethings. It was fun to watch the relationship between Ruby and Cordelia develop, and to watch them figure out how to solve a crime in a very unorthodox situation. The killer was a total surprise, and the little “to be continued” at the end was perfect. I don’t love cliffhangers, but this was hinted at nicely throughout the story and I could also read this book and feel totally satisfied despite knowing there was more to come (even though I am 100% going to pick up the next in the series)

Looking for a darkly funny mystery with a unique twist? A New Lease on Death delivers! This debut novel introduces us to Ruby, a living woman with a talent for killing houseplants, and Codelia, Ruby's ghostly roommate. When a seemingly random murder takes place outside their window, Codelia, restless and determined, enlists Ruby's help to solve the case.

Their unlikely partnership is the heart of the story. The inventive ways they communicate, from fridge magnets to otherworldly whispers, kept me engaged. While I would have loved more interaction between Cordelia and other ghosts, the glimpses we got were a delightful bonus.

This is a cozy mystery with a fun, easy-to-read style. The premise is unique and leaves you wanting more. In fact, the seeds are sown for a thrilling follow-up that delves deeper into Cordelia's past life and demise. Think School Spirits meets a punchy detective story, with the potential for jaw-dropping revelations.

While the descriptive passages were vivid, they could be a tad repetitive at times. Personally, I would have preferred more snappy dialogue to break up the flow.

Overall, A New Lease on Death is a promising debut with a charming cast and a captivating mystery. If you enjoy witty characters, creative problem-solving, and a touch of the supernatural, this book is worth checking out. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Olivia Blacke for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The idea behind this book is so cute! The cover & the description had me jumping on an advanced reader's copy -- but I was quickly bored by the plot, unfortunately, which left me disappointed overall.

Cordelia Graves is an unassuming forty-year-old single woman who lived a quiet life to herself in a small apartment in a not-so-great part of Boston. When she dies in her bathtub it takes a week for anyone to find her -- and thanks to forces she hasn't quite managed to understand, she's still hanging around as a ghost.

Ruby is a twenty-year-old woman has just moved to Boston to start over after a cheating ex at home. She is stoked to find a fully furnished apartment in that she can actually afford, but her story about getting to Boston leaves a little to be desired. I liked her character for the most part and wouldn't mind hanging out with her in her crappy apartment.

She is delighted to have a paranormal roommate, but when their neighbor down the hall is found shot in the head on the street outside, the two try to investigate his death together, but communicating with the dead isn't as easy as Beetlejuice would have you thinking.

This book started off so strong, but I quickly lost interest in the mystery when it wasn't fleshed out, there was a lot of potential. I was half relieved and half annoyed that this is book one in a series because I'm interested in the circumstances surrounding Cordelia's death -- which are definitely going to be basis of book two and now I will be wanting to read it.

This was so good! It combines mystery, paranormal, and humor. Great combo! Cordelia is a ghost who enlists the help of Ruby, who has moved into Cordelia's old apartment, to help solve the murder of the neighbor across the hall. Naturally, there are some issues with communicating, which makes the job harder. Cordelia and Ruby are both loveable characters. I'm often annoyed by main characters that are "young" because they're written as naive and full of themselves. That's not Ruby! The humor in the book was such a delightful touch and never felt awkward. The way the clues were peppered into the story really kept me engaged and I felt like I was trying to solve the murder myself. There were questions left unanswered, in a good way, which certainly set the stage for the next book! I can't wait to find out how Cordelia and Ruby solve the next mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur books for providing me with this ARC!

I think this book was so cute and fun! Ruby was such a likeable character and the concept of her solving a murder with her ghost of a roommate is admittedly odd but also awesome. This book felt quirky and fun and it felt like a hybrid of thriller and comedy.

Also, no spoilers but big props to how the book ended. It basically guaranteed that, if there is a sequel, I’ll be reading it.

I loved this oddly lighthearted mystery. I say oddly because it involved murder and the ghost of the murdered woman, who didn’t seem to have a very happy life. How that ended up being so amusing, I’m not altogether sure, but it was. I felt very attached to the characters by the end of this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me. I look forward to more from this author.

Can a book about death and murder be adorable? A great read in one weekend book and one that I’ll recommend to others. This first in the series book follows Ruby as she partners with her apartments former, now dead tenant to solve a mystery death. Many of the characters both living and dead brought added storylines and elements to the story seamlessly. I was surprised with the ending and felt pulled in different directions throughout the book looking for the killer. I can’t wait for additional books from the series.

Thank you St.Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This mystery features the unlikely pairing of a twenty-something young woman (Ruby), who is trying to create an independent life for herself and the ghost (Cordelia) who is haunting her apartment. A neighbor is killed in a shooting that the police dismiss as a mugging, but Cordelia believes there is more going on, and she's determined to find out what really happened. It's hard to solve mysteries when you're a ghost, so she enlists Ruby's help.

Ruby and Cordelia's odd-couple relationship develops as they learn to communicate with each other. Despite their differences, the make a good team, and they get to the bottom of their neighbor's murder. I really enjoyed their unorthodox friendship, and I did not guess the solution to the mystery until the very end.

Certain facts come to light during the investigation that suggest Cordelia's death may not have been as straightforward as it seemed.
I recommend this first book in the series, and I look forward to reading about Ruby and Cordelia's efforts to find out what really happened.

3.5 stars. This was a cute book. I loved the ghost roommate angle and their endeavors to solve the neighbor’s murder. It was fun to “watch” them try to figure out how to communicate. The inability of ghosts to be near electronics added an interesting twist in the modern age. I also loved how Cordelia was a millennial and Ruby was such a Gen Z (I mean she had no pen and paper in the house!!).

I do wish that we had had more chapters from Cordelia’s point of view. I found her parts of the story more captivating. There was some unnecessary repetition (Boston is cold and Ruby is short being too examples). I knew that what they figured out in the end was coming, but I expected it to be addressed during this book, not to leave me hanging for the next.

Overall this was a cute, fun read and I will definitely read the next one when it comes out.

I thought this was going to be a "ghost solves their own murder" situation (stay tuned for book 2 lol), but it was actually a "ghost solves someone else's murder" situation. And it was fine! I didn't find the characters or mystery to be super compelling, although the relationship between the ghost and the alive person was fun, especially as they struggled with communication. It was a little cozier than I was expecting, and I prefer my mysteries to be either way cuter or way grittier, and this was kind of in the middle. I can see lots of folks loving it, though! It just wasn't my thing.

Ruby Young, 20, just moved to Boston into a 4 floor walkup, in not the best part of town. Rent was good and it came furnished.
We meet Cordelia Graves as she is sitting outside in front of her building in a snow storm next to the body of her neighbor, Jake.
It soon becomes apparent that Cordelia is dead and it is her apartment that Ruby has rented.
Ruby always liked ghost stories and other things that went "bump in the night", and she soon discovers that she is living with a ghost. Cordelia has managed, if she believes she can, move objects around and soon there is a slight way to communicate between the two.
The police are leaving Jake's murder as an unsolved mugging but, Cordelia and Ruby think otherwise and want to find out who killed him.
A witty paranormal cozy mystery, told from each of their perspectives, as they work out who the murderer is.
Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this e-galley of "A New Lease on Death".

Spooky, Fun, Humorous at times. I have read a few books by Blacke and this one is different than her others. I really enjoyed this one. I want to recommend this to everyone I know!

This was a cute cozy mystery. I’ve discovered a love for comedic murder stories. It was interesting and had quirky characters. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I was never one to pick up a cozy mystery with the hopes of some ghost high jinx, but here we are.
Growing up I loved a great detective show with strong female leads. This one kept leading me back to Cagney and Lacey both with humor and compassion.
While trying to uncover who murdered the neighbor, one roommate finds out more about herself while one finds out more about being a ghost. They harness both these things together all while continuing to be put in harms way to uncover the mystery.
I can’t wait for book two!

I liked the premise of this book: a lonely ghost investigates the death of her neighbor. It was fun exploring the boundaries of what the main character, Cordelia, could or could not, given her status as a ghost.

However, this premise wore thin for me about half way through the book. The spunkiness of Ruby, the young woman now living in Cordelia’s apartment, was endearing, but not enough to hold my interest.

The mystery was wrapped up by the end, but a major plot point was left unresolved. This opens the door for a sequel, but it was frustrating that there wasn’t more complexity and subtlety to the overall plot structure.

A ghost and the woman who now lives in her old apartment solve a mystery, while another mystery lurks in the background for a sequel. I didn't enjoy this much. The character's voices are all very similar, no one is particularly sympathetic, and the ending was just meh. It was a bit of a slog, and there's a lot of repeated information, which I assume will get fixed in copyedit. Mostly it was just dull.

the cover? super cool. that’s what made me request this! overall, this was an enjoyable read. it wasn’t what i expected but still good, very curious how the next book will go!

I was sent an email that I might like to read this book. I enjoyed it. I’m glad there will be another story so it can tell more about Cordelia’s death. This book was a good story about Ruby’s neighbor Jake. At the end was a good twist I didn’t see coming.