I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is perfect if you're looking for a quick read and not sure what to read next. A new lease on death follows ghost Cordelia's journey in solving Jake's murder with her living "roommate" Ruby. The dilemma they run into is how to communicate with one another. This leads to some clever thinking and some funny mishaps. I loved the bond and personality differences between Ruby and Cordelia.

The ending is set up nicely for a second book and I can't wait to continue reading this series. The cover art for the book is simple and perfectly suited. I definitely plan on buying a physical copy once it's out in October.

I hope this gets picked up for a television show

This was a good cozy mystery, I don't normally read paranormal cozies but when I saw the cover I knew I had to read it. It definitely did not disappoint, had me guessing all the way to the end. This was my first time reading a book by the author and will be checking out her other books. Can't wait for book 2 to come out!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was my first read by Olivia Blacke but it won't be the last. As a paranormal fan, this story had me hooked from the first chapter.

Cordelia is dead but hasn't moved on yet and us still in her old apartment. Ruby isnow renting the place, and it was listed as fully furnished (with Cordelia's belongings) and it not long before Ruby discovers that she is not alone. When a pizza eating neighbor Jake was killed outsidethe building, both Cordelia and Ruby try to determine who did .

There were a few concurrent stories being told here, including Cordelia's life, Ruby's experiences that led her to the apartment, and Jake's murder investigation. There was absolutely unfinished business but I wouldn't call it a cliffhanger. It definitely implied that there are more adventures with Ruby and Cordelia, and that this is not a standalone story.

CordeliaGraves died in her apartment a few months ago, but is still hanging around her apartment as a ghost.
When her neighbor Jake from across is killed in a suspected mugging, she's convinced that there's more to his murder. Ruby is the tenant currently residing in Cordelia's apartment. Cordelia convinces her to help investigate Jake's murder. An unlikely partnership is formed as more is learned about Jake's life. In the process, Ruby will also learn more about Cordelia. Will the killer be revealed before someone else dies?
An enjoyable read with a question still to be answered.
#ANewLeaseonDeath #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

This was a fun story. The characters were very likeable. I was frustrated that solving the murder of one of the main characters was left for a future book rather than having it be part of this story.

A nicely written and engaging murder mystery starring an unusual detection team: Cordelia Graves — a recently deceased woman coming to terms with navigating the world in her new state — and her new “roommate,” 20-year old Ruby Young — an annoyingly perky young woman who is hell on (Cordelia’s beloved) houseplants. When the body of the neighbor across the hall turns up in the snow wearing pajama bottoms and fuzzy socks, both women are concerned that the police just don’t seem terribly interested. In order to team up, however, Ruby needs to know that Cordelia exists and then they need to work out some way of communicating as ghostly Cordelia is invisible and silent to live ears.

The pacing could have been tighter, and the “ghostly” ideas were not terribly original but they were executed quite well. I liked the alternating POVs between the two leads and their engagement and developing friendship under such unusual circumstances. It was easy to read and I was satisfied with the resolution, though it did get a bit repetitive at times. A little cliffhanger at the end ensures there will be a second in the series. All told a light, fun read.

Don’t be confused by the author — in all honesty I selected this book because I thought it was by Olivie Blake of the Atlas series, but it is instead by Olivia Blacke. Looks very similar at a glance!

Super cute cozy mystery setup that unfortunately did not live up to its potential.

I liked the dual perspectives from Ruby and Cordelia, but overall found Ruby to be grating -- she had a little too much of a manic-pixie dreamgirl quirky dingbat vibe for me.

This was also not particularly funny despite being billed as “darkly funny” and there was SO much repetition that I ended up skimming the last third. Boston is cold! Cordelia likes a drink or twelve! Pizza! Ruby is tiny! Electronics don’t work! Boston is still cold!

I do think this series has a ton of potential, and I'm planning to read book two to see if Cordelia can get Ruby sorted out and have my fingers crossed that these two manage to find a pen...

This one is a really fun quirky concept and I think it will be a great series for some. I was completely engaged for the first couple of chapters then found I was skimming through the rest of the book. I think I was trying to get into fun cozy mysteries, but they’re just not a genre I'm currently ready to spend time with. This book felt a lot like a graphic novel without the graphics (if that makes sense), if you enjoy the lighter side of mysteries this one might be for you.

A great start to a new series! Wonderful characters in an incredible setting. This book will keep you guessing until the end.

I wanted to love this, but it was a miss for me. I’m sure there’s a target audience for this, but it’s not me. I had to force myself to finish bc I was bored after I got about 60% in.

A little late to the game but this book made me crack up. It reminds me so much of the Finaly Donovan series. If you are a fan of that series, definitely pick this book up!! Loved every minute of it.

This was a little different from what I usually read. Cordelia passed away and is now a ghost who sticks around in her old apartment. Ruby moves into Cordelias old apartment and they become roomates. They both try to solve the murder of Jake, another tenent in their apartment building. It leaves in a cliffhanger, and the book was a little slow for my liking.

When Ruby runs away from her home town to forget a cheating boyfriend, she moves to the big city and lucks upon an available, fully furnished apartment. She finds out that the previous tenant died in said apartment’s bathtub, and she soon realizes that ghost Cordelia hasn’t left the premises.

This is a fun read and a cozy mystery as Ruby and Cordelia attempt to solve the murder of their next door neighbor. There’s a lot of humor as the two roommates learn how to get along, while finding inventive ways to communicate with each other.

I did have a couple of issues. Even though supposedly no one, including Ruby, could see or hear Cordelia; at certain junctures of the story a few others could, in fact, see and communicate with her. It made no particular sense. It seemed as though the author took liberties with the plot to try and move the story along. And while I really liked Ruby and Cordelia’s relationship, I found myself losing interest when the story moved into mystery solving mode.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

Loved loved loved this! Such a fun paranormal read, and I absolutely adore the main characters Ruby and Cordelia! The plot was perfectly executed and each twist and turn was fantastic. I could not put this down! I genuinely cannot come up with anything I did not enjoy, I will be recommending this to everyone I know! I look forward to reading more by this author and more about these characters. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a cozy mystery where we have a ghost teaming up with the woman who took over her apartment to try and solve some murders.

I got more than half way through this one and lost interest.
The characters were cute but left more to be desired. The book had an interesting plotline idea but I found myself not caring how they solved the murders or what was coming next anymore.

Blacke does write in a way that makes reading feel effortless though and I do enjoy that. I may come back one day to finish but just didn't feel the push to get through this time.

I absolutely loved this book!

I can't wait for the next in the series.

We meet ghost Cordelia and her very much alive roommate, Ruby, in A New Lease on Death. They don't get along at first until their neighbor Jake is found dead in front of their apartment building.

When Cordelia decides she needs to solve Jake's murder in order to make up for not being a very good ghost teacher, she pulls Ruby into a murder investigation that almost gets Ruby killed!

I love the humor and the relationships in this story because they feel very real.

How well do any of us know our neighbors? Or roommates for that matter. This is a great story and I can't wait to learn more about the characters in the neighborhood.

This was such a great book! I was drawn to it instantly because I loved the premise of a ghost solving mysteries (I'm a huge fan of the Ghostwriter Mysteries by Mallory Pierce.) What I loved about this was that the ghost couldn't actually communicate with her living partner. The failed attempts added humor but also a layer of complexity to the case. The characters were likeable and interesting, and I enjoyed the dual POV.

My only complaint was that Cordelia should have been able to write to Ruby. I've never in my life met a person who didn't know how to write cursive and not block letters. Because everyone learns block letters first (or, now, exclusively). I'm very intrigued to see what happens in the next book.

I really enjoyed reading A New Lease on Death. I had a hard time putting it down. It was witty, and fun, and quirky. I enjoyed reading from Cordelia's perspective and from Ruby's. I thought it was an enjoyable mystery with a fresh spin.

This really wasn’t for me. I tried to get through it multiple times but it just didn’t suck me in. I really thought I would like it based on the description.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review, all opinions expressed are my own.

I’m slowly starting to like cozy mysteries. They still aren’t my favorite genre, but I like to sit down with one every so often.
This one didn’t really work for me. It started off decently enough, but I started not really caring. I didn’t feel engaged by the characters. I found myself not caring about them.
I will say that it kept me engaged enough to finish it, so I guess that’s something.