4.00 stars
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TW: Suicide, Death, Murder, Gun Violence, Alcohol Use, Drug Use
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Cordelia is dead, Ruby is alive - and they're roommates (kind of). Ruby now rents out Cordelia's apartment after her suicide, but what Ruby doesn't realize is that she isn't alone in the apartment. When their neighbour Jake is shot outside of the complex, Ruby and Cordelia team up to figure out what happened to Jake. This book was funny, although it deals with a lot of death there's a fair amount of banter between Ruby and Cordelia. I liked that the two of them found unique ways to communicate (through fridge magnets), and it was interesting to see Cordelia help Ruby out by helping her find a job (her old position).

The death aspect wasn't a large wow factor - Jake is penned as not the greatest character from the start, and it doesn't come as a surprise to many when he turns up dead. At the beginning of the book, we get a quirky interaction between Jake and Cordelia right after he dies, part of me had hoped that his character would have stayed around a bit longer to help the investigation. He's immediately written out when he claims that he doesn't believe in ghosts and his spirit suddenly disappears.

The ending of this got me, it sets us up perfectly for a sequel. Ruby believes that Cordelia didn't kill herself and that her murder is being penned as a suicide. I wish this plot point would have come up a bit more often in the first book, we focus so much on Jake's death that Cordelia's is an afterthought. I can't wait to see this cast of characters in the sequel to see what shenanigans Ruby and Cordelia will find themselves into now.
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I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Olivia Blacke for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book publishes on October 29th, 2024 - preorder your copy today!

I LOVED this book! It was fun and different, and I was disappointed when I finished it because the second book isn't available yet. I loved that it was set in Boston, but I also loved the relationship and eventual friendship between Ruby and Cordelia. Can't wait for the sequel!

This was such a cute, cozy mystery. At times, it was slow, but I got through it and gaaah that cliffhanger, though. T_T I'm excited for book two to come out. I need to know what happens next with everyone and the intense news we just received at the end.

This was a cozy and funny mystery that kept me intrigued from start to finish. I loved the plot and the characters. I was entertained by this quirky whodunnit the entire time and couldn’t stop laughing.

This is the detective novel for those who don’t usually reach for detective novels. It was SO FUN, I wish I could read it for the first time again!

Fantastic author! Great pacing and great development for the characters. I was heavily invested in the plot and descriptive settings.

Very very slow start.
I really had to stick with it. The book felt flat to me. Even when it was supposed to be getting exciting, it just wasn’t. I really had to push myself to finish it and not quit reading. The book does end on a cliff hanger. I kind of want to know what happens next but don’t know if I could read the one.

I did really like the dual perspective. It helped keep the book moving.

This is a cozy murder mystery with ghosts. I like the cover and that is what initially drew me in along with the synopsis. That being said, this book did fall a bit flat for me but I seem to be the outlier here so if this is your vibe, definitely check this one out. I think maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this type of book and so I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Are you looking for something a little spooky and mysterious this Halloween? Then today's review is just for you. Olivia Blacke has a new book out, A New Lease on Death, and it's a refreshingly unique mystery that will leave your spirit tingling for more!

Ruby has recently moved to Boston and things aren't going well. She doesn't have a job and she feels like there is someone or "something" else in her apartment.... and she's right. Her apartment is still occupied by the previous tenant, Cordelia, who is now a ghost! When a fellow tenant is found dead outside the apartment building Ruby, with Cordelia's help, sets out to investigate.

I really enjoy the Record Shop Mysteries by Olivia Blacke. They are super fun and always provide a great whodunnit. When A New Lease on Death landed in my lap I was excited to try this new book, and wow... was it ever interesting!

This story has a completely different feel to any cozy mystery I've read lately, and it's not exactly cozy but it was a wonderful story that wasn't gory and left me wanting at least another story with Ruby and Cordelia.

Ruby and Cordelia don't feel like they are anything alike, but they work so well together, especially as they both believe in ghosts and are determined to set things right and find Jake's killer. However, as you can imagine communication with a ghost can be tricky and I enjoyed watching the two of them try and communicate and solve the mystery!

The author keeps me on the edge of my seat with this one, and I didn't guess the killer before the end. An absolute amazing feat since I can usually decipher the clues, but this one was tricky!

Even if you're not a fan of paranormal mysteries, I strongly recommend A New Lease on Death is on your Halloween reading list. It's delightfully quirky and it will have you feeling all the spooky vibes!

Thank you netgalley for the e-arc.
I DNF this at 18%
This book sounded so promising and fell extremely flat for me.
I struggled to even want to pick it back up and struggled to want to keep reading and stay engaged.
It was painfully mundane and boring.

Ruby Young moves into her new apartment in Boston, where she has a spectacular view of a brick wall outside her windows, warmth comfort supplied by an ailing heat system, and nosy neighbors. Things become even more interesting when her neighbor Jake Macintyre's dead body is found in the snow outside her building from an apparent mugging.
Ruby refuses to believe that a mugger killed him. Cornelia Graves was the previous tenant in Ruby’s apartment before her death by suicide. Unable to stay away from the beloved apartment where she died, filled with all of her belongings that she left behind, Cornelia’s ghostly form returns, and she establishes herself as Ruby’s housemate to help her find Jake’s killer.
Together, they establish a strong relationship and means of communication. Cornelia uses her ghostly talents to physically protect Ruby from harm by those trying to stop the investigation. Ruby does the computer searches into Jake’s background to locate any suspects who may have been involved in his murder.
After the dark secrets surrounding Jake's death are uncovered, facts about Cornelia’s suicide come into question. Did she kill herself?
It's an entertaining, supernatural read, cleverly written, and makes one think more about the possibilities of life after death.

What an intriguing and fun read! "A New Leaseon Death" was a humerous and quick witted, with a strong connection to the two main characters - Cordy & Ruby. I would love to hear there will be a book #2 to author Olivia Blacke's book as the ending leaves many avenues open to continue to series! A great opportunity to exapnd on the storyline for more mayhem and figuring out the physics of death.

I don't normally read a lot of cozy mysteries, and I tend to stay away from anything with supernatural or paranormal elements. This book encompasses both of those things, yet I fully enjoyed it. It's a good beach read - entertaining, fun characters, and not too complicated. My biggest issue with this book is the cliffhanger element. While one major issue is resolved, another is not. I don't care for that. I enjoy reading books in a series, but prefer that the author make me want to read the next book, rather than trick me into it by not completing the story. I was there, wanting to read the next one, when it ended with a cliffhanger. To me, that's frustrating. Otherwise, quite enjoyable.

Cozy mystery is a very accurate description of this book. The premise is such a fun idea. Cordelia is a ghost having recently passed away in her apartment. Ruby is the young woman who moves in. They find that they are able to communicate with each other and come together to solve the mystery of a murdered neighbor. I love the idea!
Unfortunately for me none of the characters were particularly likable and so I didn’t feel like I had any one to root for. I just didn’t really care who murdered the obnoxious, alcoholic, cheating neighbor.
The big reveal was mediocre.
Overall, not bad but not great.

Really fun read! The ending felt a bit abrupt/rushed, but I loved Ruby and Cordelia and I’m excited to see where their next adventure takes them!

As much as I would like to, I could not get into this book

I received a complimentary copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was interested the premise of the book but , I never read from this author. I had to dnf it. I couldn't get into it and realize maybe its not my targeted audience.

Thanks to St. Martin’s/Minotaur Books, Netgalley, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have rated it three and a half stars, bumped up to four. I liked the way the POV shifted between Cordelia and Ruby, which covered pretty much all the action. It took me quite a while, however, to care about Jake and/ or his murder. For me, that was my biggest issue with the story. The issues that Cordelia was having with being dead, and communication difficulties between her and Ruby kept me reading. It was an easy story, a kind of cozy. I was horrified, actually, with the cliffhanger tacked onto the end. I absolutely hate cliffhangers and that would have knocked my rating down to one star if there had not been a satisfying conclusion to the main storyline as well. Thank goodness for that, even though I had not guessed whodunnit. Not sure if I will pick up the second in this new series, though. If you’d like to give this one a try, it is scheduled for this October, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for inviting me to read this ARC! I thought it was so fun and heartfelt, and the mystery kept me on edge up until the reveal. The very ending was what I expected and I really hope that it was a lead up to a potential sequel. I loved the connection between Cordelia and Ruby and how by the end it almost felt as if Cordelia's feelings towards Ruby were slightly maternal. The way they interacted and communicated without being able to speak directly to each other was so creative. Overall I really enjoyed this story and it was a great book to read to get out of a horrible reading slump.

4.5 stars. this was such a fun read. I really enjoyed getting to know Ruby and Cordelia. There is so much more to learn, however ! There are definitely some questions still left unanswered, so I'll be watching for the next in this series for sure.
Cordelia is a loner, and dies, maybe under suspicious circumstances ? maybe suicide? She doesn't move on, but is a ghost, just hanging around her apartment. The apartment is rented as is , with all furniture and everything else, to Ruby, who is running away from a relationship gone bad.
We jump to 5 months later, and Cordelia finds her neighbour dead in the snow. She and Ruby team up to find the killer, and there are many shenanigans involved.

I quite liked the interaction between the characters, and there are many side characters that could also have a new story in future books.