I grew up watching Golden Girls reruns with my mom and this series holds a super special place in my heart. I dove at the chance to read this book. Unfortunately, I felt like it was a little unevenly-paced and I found the dialogue to be off? But overall, loved the nostalgic vibes.

I remember watching the last few seasons of Golden Girls when it was still on the air, and decades later, I've rewatched the entire series a few times. Actually, we started again for the new year and watch an episode before bed many weeknights. When the book was announced, I giggled. It could be terrible, it could be amusing. It hit my queue last week, so I jumped on in. The author does a good job balancing the comedic zingers and exuberant personalities, as well as drawing a bit of a caricature for the traits that define each of the 4 women. All their exploits are front-and-center, tho this is primarily about Rose and Dorothy. There are moments (like most cozies) where I worry it's not plausible, and there are others where things are too coincidental, but it's a lovely balance of all it is supposed to be. If you're a fan of the show and like extended fan fiction, you'll enjoy this. If you're the kind of reader who picks away at something because that's just what you do, stay away. For two reasons - stop being such a grumpy reviewer who enjoys ruining things for other people and you weren't going to like it anyway so why bother? But for most fans of the show who are readers and who enjoy light mysteries, you'll relish!

Title: Murder by Cheesecake
Author: Rachel Elkstrom Courage
Publisher: Hyperion Avenue Publisher
Genre: Cozy
Pub Date: April 15, 2025
My Rating: 3.2 Stars
Pages: 336

This Golden Girls themed mystery has our gals heading to St. Olaf as Rose is planning as well as hosting her cousin Nettie’s perfect St Olaf themed wedding.
Everything is going according to Rose’s plans. However when Dorothy’s ex- date ends up dead - in the St Olaf’s Kiss cheesecake, Dorothy becomes the prime suspect,
Our gals are out to clear her name!

Story turned out to be a fun read. I was excited when I got this but then I got worried that reading it was going to be nothing like seeing and hearing the characters. However I discovered my imagination came through. In my mind’s eye, I could see Blanche’s looks and hear the sarcasm in her words,

Want to thank NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue Publishers for granting my wish and granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 15, 2025.

I am a huge golden girls fan, so as soon as I saw this one I ran to sign up for it. I really enjoyed this read. It was the perfect cozy mystery and it felt like I was watching an actual episode of the show. The characters stayed true to themselves and this had me laughing at certain parts. If you love a cozy mystery and the Golden Girls, please give this one a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE The Golden Girls! They are so quirky and smart and funny, every single one of them. This book was cute. I don't feel like I got to know Blanche and Sophia enough in this one, but I am sure that there will be a sequel and they have their turn to shine.

Rose's niece comes to town, with most of St. Olaf's residents, to get married. Rose is determined that she will get the full-on St. Olaf wedding, with all its traditions, so that she and her new husband get their part of the trust that is given to each newly married couple.

Meanwhile, Dorothy goes on a date with a man she found through a dating video. They sort of hit it off, but then he is found, MURDERED! Hilarity ensues!

That is the gist of the two stories. I didn't love this book. The St. Olaf wedding traditions were just way too much for me. But, the characters were portrayed very realistically. I think any first book is hard, and add to that living up to fans' expectations of the characters, it is going to be tough.

I will read the 2nd in the series!

Ok cute. I had a good time with this for most of the time and would probably pick up the next in the serious. It’s completely ridiculous and over the top in such a fun way. There were some spacing issues in the text which made it somewhat difficult to read, but I assume those will be worked out.

When Dorothy's online date shows up dead, she becomes the prime suspect. That is until the ladies decide to investigate to prove her innocence.. All of this happens as Rose tries to plan her much younger cousins wedding in the St. Olaf traditions.. The story has lots of laughs as you would expect with this ensemble of characters. The author was spot on with her descriptions and dialogue of each character. I could hear their individual voices as I read each scene.

I was a Golden Girls fan even though I have to admit I didn't watch every episode but now after reading this book, I may have to check out those re-runs.

If you're looking for a bit of fun to clear your palette from reading a series of traditional mysteries, I would highly recommend this cozy read and would look forward to more in this series.

The book itself was okay. Somehow, it couldn't shed the fact that it is written like fanfiction. On matters of plot, I wasn't a fan of the story following the movements of all four characters only for it to change focus and follow only Rose. While that works in the show, that shift in point of view made the book a bit confusing. I didn't find myself rooting for the characters to overcome the challenges as I thought I would. On the good side, the elements of mystery where there, although I would've liked more involvement from Blanche trying to solve it. The plot twists and revelations were well done, and made sense for the most part. There were some small plotholes that I would've liked solved in this book.

I liked the idea, but the narrative flow was really choppy. A lot of time was spent emphasizing details that were ultimately not important and it read more like fanfiction than a true Golden Girls plot line.

I received a free copy of, Murder by Cheesecake, by Rachel Ekstrom Courage, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is a Golden Girls cozy mystery. Sophia, Rose, Blanche, and Dorothy are still alive in our hearts and in this book. Rose's cousin is getting married in Miami,and she has to make her family in St. Olaf proud. When Dorothy's date is found not to be alive, they have a mystery to solve. I enjoyed this book, The Golden Girls, will never be forgotten.

I’m not a cozy mystery reader but when I saw this book I knew that I had to read it! The Golden Girls is one of my comfort TV shows because those ladies are so darn funny. The book itself was very good! It was so easy to envision the scenes in the book because the TV show is emblazoned in all of our minds. Who doesn’t love Rose and her stories of St. Olaf? I felt the writing was good and so were the characters and their storyline. The ending was a bit predictable but I’m not complaining. This turned out to be a fun, enjoyable read for me. 4.5 stars rounded off to 5!

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

Who doesn't love the Golden Girls?! This was such a fun, cozy murder mystery book! Rose is helping to plan her cousin's wedding, which they are having in Florida while trying to include all of the St. Olaf traditions. A dead body turning up definitely puts a wrench in things and all heck breaks loose after that. I loved the way the author included phrases and mannerisms that really connected the characters in the book with the characters from the TV show. I loved how the usual humor from the Golden Girls mixed so well into the murder mystery storyline in this book. The St. Olaf wedding traditions were hilarious and seemed right on point with the stories we are used to hearing Rose tell. I do wish we had learned more about Gustave and the money part, that part of the story seemed to just get forgotten in the end. Aside from that, I thought this was a great book that paired the Golden Girls we love with a murder mystery, St. Olaf wedding traditions and of course, cheesecake!

Golden Girls and a cozy mystery???!? I literally squealed when I got approved for this one. But, I was sadly disappointed after reading. The characterization was so true to the tv show and I loved the cover. But the storyline was a little all over the place and the writing was very clunky. I hope the next one is better and it didn’t deter me from wanting to continue the series!!! Overall 3/5 ⭐️ thank you netgalley, Rachel Ekstrom Courage, and Hyperion Avenue for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a huge Golden Girls fan and couldn't wait to read this novel. This murder mystery reads just like an episode of the show. The author did a great job embodying the original characters. My only fault is that the first half of the book focused so much on the strange customs of St. Olaf. Fans of the original show understand that St. Olaf is a place unto itself, but a reader who isn't a fan of the show may not enjoy it.

Reads like an episode of Golden Girls - I absolutely heard the actors voices in my head as I read.
(Caveat - the ARC is formatted poorly, which makes it hard to read)

I absolutely loved to see some of my favorite characters come to life in a murder mystery, which just happens to be my favorite genre. The whole time I read this book, I could hear Dorothy's sarcasm and Blanche's flirting while she spoke and it made me smile. However, I felt that the book was so focused on the St. Olaf traditions. I know they are supposed to be ridiculous and over the top, but it was just too much for me. It took over the plot of the story and I didn't enjoy that aspect. I love that it was a story with Blanche, Rose, Sophia, and Dorothy, and love that these women are still prevalent in 2015, but the story felt a little too over the top at times and not really like a murder mystery. I wanted to continue reading to find out what happened, but sometimes it was a struggle to get through for me.

When Dorothy’s obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf–themed wedding Rose is hosting.

Things are heating up, and not just because of Blanche’s hot flashes. Rose’s cousin is eloping to Miami, and Rose is playing host. If she can't balance the groom’s family’s snobbery against the traditional St. Olaf wedding week guidelines, her hometown may never accept her cousin again!

Golden Girls meets cozy mystery I jumped at the chance to read this. I grew up watching The Golden Girls, eating cheese nips and drinking 7up at my grandparents house every weekend.

The nostalgia in this story was spot on. Sophia, Dorothy, Blanche and Rose were all present with their witt and drama. I learned way more about St. Olaf quirky wedding traditions than I thought I needed to. And less about the actual murder mystery. The descriptions were a little over the top for me. I mean did we need to know about everyone's outfits every time we encountered them? Maybe, maybe not. And the neice, Nettie, smelling of Love's Baby Soft. A bit unnecessary in my opinion.

Unfortunately, this story fell short for me. It was enjoyable enough for me to finish. The writing felt a little forced. The murder mystery was a little underwhelming and secondary to the over the top St Olaf wedding.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book and jump back to my youth!

For all of Us "Golden Girls" fan this reads just like watching a episode. I think I could hear the words while watching the book play out as I read. Each of the ladies remained true to their character. The book was enjoyable like visiting old friends and playing catch up with a few surprises.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

I grew up watching the Golden Girls- so this was a nostalgia read for me. And while the book felt exactly like watching an episode of the show- Sophia’s quips, Rose’s Saint Olaf’s memories, Dorothy’s snark, and Blanche’s southern charm- it leaned in a little TOO hard. At times, I felt like I was waiting for the canned laughter of the audience to break through. The overall story was cute… fine, even. But it could have been told in a short story- but instead was 300 other pages filled with Golden Girls shtick. Loved the idea- didn’t love the outcome.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I'm a HUGE Golden Girls fan, I have quite a bit of their merch. That being said, this story was okay. The characters were exactly how they'd be on the TV show but I think the mystery lacked a certain oomph. Still, those and my girls and I'm always going to love them. I love that there is a recipe for St. Olaf's Kiss Cheesecake in the back. I believe this is going to be a series and I plan on reading however many there will be.