This book was cute and had some laugh out loud moments that left me chuckling for a short while afterward. The only thing I would say is that the novel is quite slow at the beginning.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC

This title read like AI watched a bunch of Golden Girls and then wrote a terrible book. I could not finish it.

I have tried several times to get into this book and just can't seem to do it. I've read the first chapter a few times and just can't get past it. I remember the Golden Girls fondly from my youth, and enjoyed the show, but the writing feels like a cheap knock off, and feels stunted to read. i hope that is helpful.

So much nostalgia! I loved watching the ‘Golden Girls’ when I was a kid. The brought back so many memories. The book really felt like an extended episode of the show. The quips of the ladies were on point and they truly represented their TV counterparts. The story was fun and full of drama. However, I felt like the murder mystery could have used a bit more flushing out. The solving of the murder seemed rushed in comparison to the rest of the story. I feel like the world building was good and the characters were spot on.

Overall, I really enjoyed this ‘Golden Girls’ cozy mystery and would 100% read a sequel. It was a really fun blast from the past.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc, I really enjoyed this story. It was funny and the fact that it reflected the golden girls, I loved. It was a favorite tv show of mine growing up.

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. I used to watch the Golden Girls show and this took me back to the setting in Miami and 4 women roommates/friends. I thought the characters were pretty true to the original show although them solving crime was a bit new for them. The idea of a vhs dating service probably makes most people laugh now at how far technology has changed since then.

I loved The Golden Girls growing up. I feel like it was always on and was something my whole family watched together. When I saw this book available, I couldnt resist requesting it.

Rose is in the middle of planning a St Olaf wedding in Miami but things take a turn when a dead body is found in the hotel freezer where the wedding will be. The four roommates are determined to solve this mystery and throw a beautiful wedding. This felt like I was watching an episode of the show. It felt so nostalgic reading about Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia. I think the author did a good job making them come alive. I smiled quite a bit while reading with Rose and her silly St Olaf stories.

I do feel like there was too much of the wedding and not enough sleuthing for my taste. This was a fast cozy mystery that i did enjoy and would defintely read more books in this series!

Thank you so much to the author, Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC!

While the premise of this Golden Girls-inspired cozy mystery, Murder by Cheesecake, held immense appeal, the execution unfortunately missed the mark. As a devoted fan of both the iconic sitcom and the genre, I entered this book with high expectations, eager to find a charming blend of humor, camaraderie, and intrigue. However, the narrative became bogged down by an excessive focus on character exposition, particularly in detailing the individual quirks and neuroses of the protagonists.

Instead of allowing the story to naturally unfold through action and dialogue, the author relied heavily on lengthy descriptive passages that felt more like character profiles than organic storytelling. This resulted in a pacing that felt sluggish and uneven, hindering the development of suspense of the mystery. The actual mystery felt rushed. The resolution, when it finally arrived, felt anticlimactic and unsatisfying, failing to deliver the payoff that a well-crafted mystery should provide. Ultimately, while the book's concept held promise, the imbalance between character description and plot development prevented it from reaching its full potential.

I was so excited when I received this ARC and it did not disappoint! I am a huge Golden Girls fan and reading this book felt like watching the show. I highly recommend this book if you are a Golden Girls fan looking for a cozy mystery. Thank you Rachel Ekstorm Courage, Hyperion Avenue, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this book because Golden Girls. But sadly at 30%-- it had to end up on the DNF pile. But maybe it is really more of a Not Right Now. Because really, the writing in this book is great. The author is insanely talented to be able to bring the world of the Golden Girls alive on paper. I do think you have to be in the right mindset to read this kind of book. It is such a play off the show that it almost feels like you are watching an actual episode of Golden Girls. Which is what i am guessing the author was going for. But with that it can almost come off too satirical for my personal liking. I think I was expect8ing "inspired buy" and less " just like." Some of the jokes fell flat because it has been so long since I watched the show that I missed the context.

I think I will attempt to read this again when I am more in the right mindset for this kind of book. Now that I know what to expect. But because I wasn't able to finish I will give three stars for what I read.

When the characters of your favorite 80's television show The Golden Girls end up in a book, you rush to get it as quickly as possible. Thank you for the ARC copy NETGALLEY. For someone who doesn't read mysteries, this was a new genre for me, but with Dorothy, Blanche, Sophia, and Rose along for the ride, how could I help but want to give it a try.

Let's set the scene. The premise is simple: Rose is helping her niece with her wedding, and to say everything that could go wrong does is the understatement of the year. Throw in a murder, some nostalgia references, and some fellow St. Olafians, and the girls get into so much more than they ever bargained for.

I did find it enjoyable and found myself smiling every time a reference to something from the television show appeared, yet the story just didn't seem to gel for me. I personally would have liked more of the little nuggets from the various episodes and characters from the show we remembered and loved, and less of all the St. Olaf traditions. It got to be so many, that it became a bit hard to follow.

In my personal opinion, there were a lot of different characters and moving parts, and somehow the plot kind of got a bit muddied because of it., The central people in the story really could have been flushed out a bit to give more of a sense of the characters at play, and what their motivations might have been for becoming a suspect.

Perhaps the next installment will include Stan, Miles, and Sophia's sister Angela to name but a few. How fun would that be?

It was a nice read for a mega Golden Girl fan, that managed to get a bit more convoluted as the story went on.

I look forward to reading book 2 in the series and seeing what happens next.

Thank you Net Galley and Rachel Ekstrom Courage for the advanced copy.

I have only watched a handful of golden girls episodes but regardless this was so fun and enjoyable. There were moments where I was laughing out loud and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

I was in the mood to read a cozy mystery, so I decided to read this one because the cover is so adorable. I was obsessed with the fact that the characters are the golden girls (iconic). I really really enjoyed this book and I’m so excited that it is going to be a series. I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for the next book. The characters were so good and entertaining.

This was so much fun! And if you’re a Golden Girls enthusiast, all the little nods to the show were like little Easter eggs throughout and I loved it! This read almost exactly like an extended episode and the mystery was simple and straight forward but the twists at the end still threw me for a loop, which is what I adore about cozy mysteries. The expired cheesecake codename was genius. The St. Olaf wedding traditions on top of all the natives and Rose losing her marbles over it all was a breath of fresh air between the investigation and police visits. Do I recommend this? Absolutely. If you like the Golden Girls or cozy mysteries this is 100% for you!

I was unable to finish this and thus will not be posting a full review. The premise was ok and I love the show but this was not well done. I didn't care for it. Thank you for the opportunity.

This was a good read!! The author as able to get the banter spot on to make you feel like you are watching an episode of Golden girls. The only thing I didn’t like was the club scene as I didn’t feel seem like something Golden girls would do. Overall a cute read !!

Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the arc!

I love that this is my first read of the new year. This gave me everything. It was truly like watching an episode of Golden Girls! I loved the 80s references and references to some past GG episodes.

Please click the social media link to see the rest of my review that includes spoilers.

There are some good things about this book and some not-so-good things.
The good: the book captures the characters pretty well (minus Dorothy's retroactive acceptance of Blanche's sexuality). I could hear each woman's voice in the dialogue. The author captures the time period perfectly. I mean banana clips! Core memory unlooked!
The not-so-good: Each woman doesn't get to shine. The book solely focuses on Dorothy and Rose and Sophia and Blanch only appear in capacity in how they relate to those two. Also, there's not much funny. This is a cozy mystery about the Golden Girls, there should be some laugh-out-loud funny. The humor here relies on just the peculiarities of St Olaf.
The story itself is a bit strained but I was so glad back to be in the world of these characters. I hope the stories continue fixing their errors and keeping their good bits.

Thank you Hyperion Avenue, NetGalley, and to the author for this ARC!

This was such a fun, and cozy read! I found myself laughing out loud several times. This novel takes the personalities of The Golden Girls, adds a slice of cheesecake and a bit of mystery and ties it up into a fun novel! I cannot wait to read more in this series if the author writes another! This would be a perfect rainy day read, or one to throw in your bag for a pool day!

This book was perfectly cozy! I loved the Golden Girls and the book had them spot on. It was such a fun ride with a handful of serious spots. In the end, it was happiness and girl friendships. Perfect!