This was such a fun read! It combined a classic mystery feel with a touch of magical realism/speculative fiction.

LOVED this story about a crime that was solved supernaturally! Cordellia discovers a dead body, and being dead herself, a ghost, she decides to figure out who killed the guy, who happened to be her neighbor. She gets to know, as well as she can, being a ghost and all, Ruby, the young woman that now lives in her apartment. She figures out a way, difficult as it is, to communicate with Ruby, and together they embark on the crime solving journey. This book is wonderfully delightful and creative! I read it in record time and was intrigued with every event. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review A New Lease on Death.

Ruby Young's Boston apartment comes with windows facing the brick wall of the next-door building, noisy neighbors, a dead body on the sidewalk outside, and a ghost.

Since Cordelia Graves died in her apartment a few months ago, she's kept up her residency. When Ruby moves it's a chance to not be alone (sort of) and skull and maybe solve the murder of her neighbor, Jake Macintyre.

Only it's not so easy for a human and ghost to communicate, and Ruby has problems of her own. Cordelia's memories aren't the best and she has her own secrets. Despite that they form a friendship and attempt to solve the crime.

This isn't a cozy mystery. It has a darker, sadder tone with some light humor. It would make a great Fall or Winter read.

Cordelia and Ruby are not typical characters. From how Ruby reacts to a ghost living with her to their attempt to solve the mystery. Neither of them have/had an easy life. Their world is feels real and gritty. We get alternating chapters from each of them. They're both fun, likable narrators and are easy to root for. I really enjoyed the switching between perspective and seeing how they each viewed a situation.

The mystery isn't easy to solve if you go in expecting Ruby and Cordelia to approach it in a typical way. There is some of that but this book is just as much about the characters as it is about murder. For example the rules for ghosts as Cordelia knows them are talked about even as she is still learning and adjusting. Ruby is also settling in to her new life. This is going to be a series so the balance may be different next time.

I didn't solve the mystery. I didn't think there was enough evidence to lead me to the conclusion. However, at one point the killer did cross my mind so maybe the clues are there after all.

I love the writing in this book. The tone is appropriate and consistent throughout. I grew to care about the characters and simply enjoyed their story whatever it would be. There is some repetition near the end. The ending leaves you with an idea for what will come next and I am looking forward to it!

4.5/5 stars

This book wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. With a character that was a ghost, I expected it to be more entertaining, however, I found it really…not. I think for a cozy mystery, this is way on the light end of that spectrum to the point it almost wasn’t, it was more literary fiction. The twists were so minor, I’m hesitant to call them twists at all. There was some humor in this book though, which was needed to keep me engaged. I kept reading to figure out what happened to Cordelia, but then was let down with the ending. There were so many questions I felt that the author should have answered more of them because it was just disappointing. I also felt that this book was repetitive to the point that I was annoyed at times. I understand reminding the reader of certain points, but the next page is not necessary and the whole “electronics are off limits” things, I could go without ever reading that again because it was used so much I think I’ve read it enough for every ghost book in my future. I know it seems like I hated this book, but I didn’t. I am just annoyed; I think the book would have been better with a few tweaks (looking at you electronics).

I'm not going to lie: I requested this book because I thought it was written by Olivie Blake. Very easy to mistake with Olivia Blacke. Thus, this was a new author to me!

To that point, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm hesitant about magical realism, but this book did it pretty well. Based on the pace, it felt more "cozy" than engaging, but it was creative and kept me interested.

I was very skeptical going into this book, but I ended up absolutely loving it.

The magical realism was done so well in a way that actually helped move the story forward. The characters were so easy to fall in love with the characters and the plot line kept you hooked.

I was left wanting more story at the end. The ending came up so fast I wasn’t ready for the story to be over!

What would you do if you moved into an apartment and the previous inhabitant was your new roommate? When I say previous, I mean, as in deceased. Well, if you’re Ruby, you team up with Cordelia to try and sell the murders that have been happening in the community.

The premise of the book is cute, and I found it to be humorous and enjoyable at times while a little slow moving out others. But overall, the premises there and I believe that the first book and any series is always the hardest. Hopefully moving forward, the author will be able to, expand further and build the place. The potential is definitely there.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the #AdvanceReviewCopy

Expected Publication: Oct 29, 2024
Genre: Cozy Mystery

Summary: Ruby finds herself with the most unique roommate; not only is she the former resident of Ruby’s apartment, she’s also a ghost. The two girls can barely communicate, and Ruby can’t see Cordelia, the ghost, yet Ruby always knows when she’s present. When a dead body ends up outside Ruby’s apartment building, the two roomies grow closer and work together to find the murderer.

Cordelia finds Ruby annoying at first, especially when she kills all of Cordelia’s loved plants but 1! But eventually after they find the dead body, the two learn simple methods of communicating and Cordelia admits Ruby isn’t as bad as she once thought.
Can the two girls find the murderer while keeping Ruby safe?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. It has much to offer from well develop characters to an interesting story plot. There was a lot of repetition which slowed the pacing somewhat but nothing alarming. Despite the repetitiveness, I remained engaged throughout.

I’d recommend this one if you’re into light mysteries with a twist.

My rating 4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Net Galley and Minotaur Books for the ARC. While I really love murder mysteries and was intrigued by one of the main characters being a ghost, the actual story itself was quite boring and dull.

The cozy mystery vibe of this book was enjoyable, although it did not quite meet the standard set by Blake's other works. Overall, it was a satisfactory read.

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke is a fun, original, and easy to read book that is a perfect, light summer read. Which is surprising, given the two main characters are Cordelia Graves, the ghost of a woman who reportedly committed suicide and Ruby Young, the young woman who took over her apartment and got an unexpected room mate. Add to that, the two team up to solve the murder of their neighbour and you would expect a heavier book, but Blacke handles the subject matter with humour and aplomb, and weaves together an intriguing mystery that keeps you turning the pages to the very end.
The story is revealed through the points of view of Cordelia and Ruby, giving it depth and two distinct senses of humour. While a few passages from Cordelia's point of view become a bit repetitive, overall the book is enjoyable and the mystery full of twists.
I am glad to have received an ARC of #ANewLeaseOnDeath from #NetGalley.

This book was really cute and funny. It was a nice lighthearted read. I would definitely read another book by this author in the future.

I received a free e-arc through Netgalley. I do like paranormal mysteries and this book was great! I loved the two main characters-flaws and all. The human & ghost partnership was great fun and made me think of some interesting situations beyond the book. An enjoyable read that made me want more in this series and also to check out the author's other series.

This one was so much fun and is a perfect fall time pick! I will definitely be reading this one again closer to Halloween! It’s a perfect cozy mystery with the best characters—even the ones who are dead! Cordelia, the ghost and sleuth of the story needs some help from her living tenant of her apartment to help her figure out her neighbor’s death. It’s got really great cozy mystery vibes and I am a lover of cozies and this is one I’d love to become a series with this duo!

This book was quite enjoyable! I really liked the dual POV and the main character finding her way in her new ghostly life! I also enjoyed the spunky attitude of her “flesh” bound partner in crime!

Cordelia try’s to help a new ghost make it, but she fails. After all she’s a new ghost herself. She couldn’t take the world anymore. Ruby moves into her old apartment only to find that Cordelia hasn’t left the premises yet. Together they work to find their neighbor’s killer
Goodreads

Cordelia is a left-behind ghost trying to deal with being dead while also adjusting to a living person in her old apartment. Things take a turn for the better when her across-the-hall neighbor is murdered and she and her new "roomie" Ruby set about to investigate the crime. This was a fun read and I assume the first in a new series as it has a very open end.

So I got this book as an ARC from Netgalley, thank you! Overall, it was a slower read than I'm used to, and it did definitely drag at points. I like the premise of the book, but it just didn't flow for me. The ending was meant to be a cliffhanger but just frustrated me I think because it was the very last sentence when I kind of figured she didn't kill herself to begin with. I honestly might read the next book to find out what happened to Cordelia, but I'm not putting it at the top of my TBR.

This was a cute cozy mystery read, with a twist as the amateur detective is a ghost with help from the woman who moved into her former apartment. While I liked Cordelia, I thought the other characters needed more fleshing out. The mystery was good, and while comedic mysteries are not really my usual pick, it was a good, light read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Cozy vibes and peculiar characters! this is a great fall/spooky time read. This read kept you wanting to figure out what happened to Cordelia. I enjoyed this read!