This book follows the four Miami friends who now find themselves mixed up in murder, with Dorothy being the primary suspect. The book follows the television show faithfully in the conversations, how each of the women talk, dress and their love of cheesecake. The mystery is well written, couched in the red herrings of a St. Olaf wedding taking place in Miami. I enjoyed this book and look forward to what lies ahead in the series. I hope the author goes beyond what we know about these characters and gives them new dimensions.
I was given an advanced copy of this book in return for a review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I found the characters to be more caricatures than anything else. The storyline felt almost like an SNL-esque skit making fun of Rose and her hometown. I really wanted to like the story because I loved Golden Girls, but this just fell flat for me.

While obviously this is about the golden girls from the beloved tv show; I have actually never watched an ep. That being said I was not the tended audience for this book so others who are may love it. For me there was so much prior character knowledge needed that I was so utterly lost for the majority of the story. The plot line and mystery were cute but the pacing was way off (again, could be a me thing)

Cute and cozy mystery with all the wit and banter of the Golden Girls. This book captured their personalities perfectly.

One thing I didn’t love was the writing style. There were several times I just skimmed over what was happening because of this.

Thank you to Rachel Ekstrom Courage, NetGalley, and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book free from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I am a huge fan of The Golden Girls so I was really excited to read this one. I’ll be honest though, cozy mystery is not really my genre.

The author did a great job capturing the voices and humor of the four ladies. It felt like watching an episode. There were many funny one liners and quips. The characterization of each lady was spot on.

However, I felt that the plot could’ve been a bit tighter. Also, I know this is an uncorrected proof ARC, but there were many typos and errors, such as spelling characters’ names wrong and repeating the same sentence twice with slightly different wording.

In the end, I would recommend this book to fans of the show! ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Oh friends, many parts of this book reads just like an episode from the great tv show. Here’s a snippet of the plot…..Dorothy joins a dating service, goes on her date and he ends up dead at Rose’s kinfolks wedding. I won’t spoil it for you, but fans of the show will love this.

I enjoyed this book because I love the Golden Girls. Rose is a favorite so having the book focus on her and the St. Olaf wedding was extra humourous though I sometimes got lost in the long words. The characters were just like the show and I could picture this book being an actual episode. I had my suspicions about the murder and was happy with the ending. If you love Golden Girls, you'll enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Seriously such a fun cozy read.

Do you ever read something and it’s almost like it’s a movie in your head? This is what it was like for me.

Growing up watching re-runs of The Golden Girls, I knew that this story was going to capture our favorite women perfectly.

Picture this…. A cheesecake recipe so good it can kill.

Overall, such an amazing introduction to hopefully a fun series.

Five stars

This book was so much fun! If you like Golden Girls, this book is right up your alley. Not only is it a feel-good mystery, but the characters seemed to come straight from the screen.

This was not a book I realized that I needed in my life, but I know that it made my day every time I sat down to read it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

A fun traditional cozy set in a familiar world with familar characters. I'm not the greatest fan of the GG show, but I was drawn to the series none the less. I think it has potential as a series of books. Thank you for the ARC.

This book was nothing short of amazing!! As an avid Golden Girls fan, reading this healed me in a way I didn't know I needed. I craved more from these incredible characters and this book delivered just what I needed. The author did a fantastic job of staying true to the characters from the TV series. The mystery aspect was so fun and very true to the show. I highly recommend this book to every fan of the Golden Girls.

I enjoyed this book very much. If you like the Golden Girls from the 1980’s then this one is for you. While reading I could literally hear the characters voices in my head. This is a quick fun mystery read. Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue. This is my own opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc copy of this book. I grew up on golden girls and I expected this book would be a cozy mystery with old friends. It delivered! What a cute book!

If you are a die-hard Golden Girls fan (which I am) and The Case of the Libertine Belle is one of your favorite episodes (it is one of my top three), then you will likely enjoy this cozy mystery starring Blanche, Rose, Sophia and of course Dorothy. When I found out there was a Golden Girls cozy mystery coming down the pike, I must admit I jumped on it faster than Blanche on a sailor at the Rusty Anchor. I was so excited! Cozy mystery? Yes! My beloved Golden Girls? Yes!!
This foray into the Golden Girls universe has Dorothy doing what Dorothy does best, going on a lousy date and then finding herself at the center of a murder mystery. Rose also features prominently, as she finds herself trying to pull off a wedding which will not only impress a wealthy Miami family but more importantly, prove to her fellow St. Olafians that she is still a farm girl through and through. Blanche and Sophia are there more for comic relief and to provide moral support, to be quite honest. And that's where the story felt a little weak to me; we get glimpses into what Dorothy and Rose are really feeling and going through, their worries and stresses. Sophia and Blanche came across more as two-dimensional caricatures of their characters: Blanche was the sexy one with a younger, hunky (potential) beau and Sophia had all the snappy comebacks and one-liners but beyond that, we don't see any of their thought process or feelings. Apparently, this is supposed to be a series. I hope each of the girls gets her chance to shine.
Let's face it, nobody reads a cozy mystery for in depth character development or gritty realism. This is a fun (and funny) nostalgic romp into the world of those 1980's mature gals we all know and love. I'm just glad to have had one more story about my favorite girls. For us diehard GG fans, this is a very welcome return to Miami Nice.

Rachel Eckstrom Courage knew what she was doing when she wrote her debut Golden Girls cozy mystery series… capturing all the GG fans attentions and hearts. Delivering a piece of nostalgia for the fans beloved sitcom.

Murder By Cheesecake starts off perfectly… each characters voice rang true to how they were on the show. It felt like I was reading a script from a past episode. The humor and wit were spot on. The book follows the formula of a cozy mystery, and the fun really picks up when the body is discovered. I loved this book! Yes you will crave cheesecake, giggle at Rose’s love for St. Olaf, reminisce about Persian Melon Lipstick, and enjoy being back with the gang sipping lemonade on the lanai!

Thank you Hyperion Avenue Paperback

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As a big Golden Girls fan (I literally have a dog named Blanche), this was a bit of a let down for me. It felt overly descriptive to the point of excess. I feel like it spent too much time talking about St. Olaf wedding traditions and not enough time on the plot. It also annoyed me that the inheritance was a focus in the first half of the book, but then never received a resolution. I do feel like the author captured the essence of each girl very well! It was on the right track, but the execution was lacking.

What a cool concept. Cozy mysteries featuring the Golden Girls. Capturing the witty crisp writing of the series is impossible. A murder at Shady Pines would have been a better setting for the mystery. There’s just too much St. Olaf in here even though the story never sets foot there. Perhaps over time with less set-up these stories might get into a more entertaining groove.

If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, culinary fiction, or amateur sleuths, then "Murder by Cheesecake" is an absolute must-read. Courage's writing is engaging, entertaining, and utterly captivating. So grab a slice of cheesecake and settle in for a deliciously deadly mystery!

This was not good. I was prepared to suspend a lot of judgment as I love the Golden Girls but the writing was atrocious and I was unable to finish more than two chapters.

This felt just like watching an episode play out in my hands! It's clear the author knows the show and the characters we all love very well complete with jokes about Blanche's extracurricular activities, Sophia's stories of Sicily, Dorothy's lack of gentleman callers and of course, at the heart of this story, Rose's St. Olaf stories.