Catherine Mack has begun a new cozy series about Eleanor, a best-selling author who was caught up in a bank heist by then-boyfriend, Conner. Ten books later, her publishing company sends her on a book tour in Italy with Conner, a various crew of other authors, and her sister, Hannah. Someone tries to kill both El and Conner, and the rest of the tour group are suspects.

El narrates the book as she tries to unravel who it could be. She's very funny, and adds footnotes to the story, to be explanatory and to address the reader. It's fresh and comedic, self-deprecating, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment of the Vacation Murders.

I really tried to like this book more than anyone knows but I couldnt get into it. The footnotes were really hard to not be distracted by and i saw someone else switched to the audio version and I had to do the same. Reading in on a kindle just didnt work. Other than that the content was okay and wasnt anything too special. It was what I would consider a cozy mystery and quick read or a beach read.

3.5 Stars
Switched to audio at 30% and it made all the difference! Those footnotes were driving me nuts on the page, but they were read seamlessly in the audio. I hope the author re-thinks them in the coming books.

I was rooting for Eleanor, but I found her hard to connect with as she was clueless, frustrating and TSTL in spots. The whole situation with Conner was annoying.

I think the story was supposed to be like the Ernest Cunningham series (Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone) but it lacked some of its humor and charm, IMO.

Still, the story was entertaining enough to keep me listening to the end and Italy was a beautiful backdrop.

I'll be honest. I don't usually like cozy mysteries. I normally find them boring. But I really liked the format and style of this book. The author was addressing the book directly to the reader. I loved all the snarky, funny, interesting footnotes and hints. It was a really fun read. Maybe the start of a fun series? I'd definitely read more and recommend it.

The format of the ARC was very distracting and probably took me out of the story too often.
But I did enjoy the story and the format, it was unique. The Taylor Swift and other very recent pop culture references were nicely thrown in, too. The MC felt real and human.

"Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" is a delightful romp through Italy consisting of a book tour with a hand-selected group of fans. Since the publisher coordinated the tour, there are actually multiple authors on the trip. The problem is, they each have a reason for wanting the others dead.

So when Connor Smith tells author Eleanor Dash that he suspects someone is trying to kill him, she doesn't know what to think at first. After all, he's a weasel who has been blackmailing her for years. So, if someone wants to go to the trouble of knocking him off, why should she care?

But then when she begins to suspect that she might actually be the intended target, she has a change of heart. The question is, who can she trust with her life?

This was a cleverly written story that reminded me of Knives Out with all its complexity. It certainly wasn't easy to figure out "whodunit" since so many people had the means, motive and opportunity! And I loved how Eleanor walked us through the whole situation, frequently breaking the fourth wall through her footnotes to help point out relevant clues or gives us necessary backstories.

This truly was a fun book to read!

Thank you to Catherine Mack, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance review copy!

I really wanted to like this story, but it missed the mark for me. I know a lot of people really enjoyed the story, but I did not like the footnotes, I thought the main character spent too much time foreshadowing rather than actually writing about what was happening. The romance was lackluster and the sister relationship left much to be desired. It was a quick read, but I found myself struggling to pick this up.

This book was lots of fun! I found myself laughing from the jump and will look forward to potentially listening to the audiobook one day!

This was so chaotic lol I liked the main character’s internal dialogue, but sometimes it was too much. I enjoyed how dialogue heavy this book was though. The characters were fun and there were plenty of LOL moments.

This was good. I enjoyed it. Nothing about it stuck though and unfortunately I know I’ll forget about it rather quickly but that cover!! It’s completely captivating and drew me in!

This is the first book I have read by author Catherine Mack. The synopsis caught my attention because I enjoy reading books about authors, librarians, or bookshop owners. This book is kind of slow until about halfway through. It is somewhat of a cozy mystery. It does contain some humor but not enough to allow the story to ride on the humor alone. This book has a cute premise but was just too slow for my taste.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

When she was 25, Eleanor had a trip to Italy that led to her helping to solve a string of robberies and a murder, with the help of the dashing PI, Connor. She ended up writing a novel that launched her writing career but ended up in her own sticky situation. Now, 10 years later, she is going back to Italy on a book tour with a mismatched group of people, among them, her sister, Connor and her ex. The drama ensues when it comes out that someone is trying to kill Connor and maybe even Eleanor.

This was a fun, quick read, narrated by Eleanor, a self-claimed liar. Who doesn't love an unreliable narrator? This was a funny, twisty turn-y mystery that kept me guessing the whole time. I love Catherine Mack's character development and the eggs that she drops along the way. I also enjoyed how the narrator was speaking directly to you as the reader, and the footnotes were hilarious, like a conversation with the author. I think that some of these eggs are setting up for a series, but that was kind of unclear. I think it's a good, fun read, that gave me Finlay Donovan vibes. It took me a bit to get into it at first, but then I just had to know what happens at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Catherine Mack for the eARC of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies in exchange for an honest review. Publication Date for Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack was 30 April 2024.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an e-arc of this novel.

It was such a fun read. It's the first story in the Vacation Mystery Series. It was written in a very unique format, which I loved.

The book is original, a little bit quirky and loads of fun.

I loved the characters and the story and I can't wait until they release book 2.

I am fully in my cozy mystery era and Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies was absolutely perfect for me.

It had a little bit of romance, lots of mystery, so much witty & hilarious dialogue - it was a very enjoyable book that I didn’t want to put down. I expected this book to have unlikeable characters and I was not disappointed. It was fun to try to figure out who-dun-it, especially when each person that I was convinced was the culprit, ended up dead…

I can’t wait for book 2 and book 3 - While I didn’t get an ALC, I ended up listing to the audio of this book (which was utterly fantastic) and I have a physical copy to re-read and annotate as well.

Huge thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Author Eleanor Dash has a wild month in Italy at 25 that ended with her and Connor (a private detective she met in Italy) solving a string of bank robberies. This inspired her to write a novel loosely based on the events that launched a career that has her readers waiting for the 10th volume and Eleanor on a work vacation that has her and several other authors touring Italy along with some fans.
It sounds like a dream come true, but not everything's as perfect as it sounds with Eleanor's career or private life and a tour that includes the man who broke her heart, his ex-wife, the man whose heart she broke, and her dissatisfied little sister/PA does not a relaxing vacation make. Add the fact that someone is trying to kill Connor and maybe even Eleanor and it starts to sound like the plot of one of Eleanor's novels come to life.

It's a super fun and twisty plot narrated by a super unreliable narrator who tells you straight up that she is an unreliable narrator. The way it's told is a big part of the charm because Mack gave Eleanor a loose and slightly carefree personality that counterbalances the harder moments. Even when things are dire, she's there with a quip to make it feel like the stakes are not as high as they seem. Not that this means that it's not a twisty mystery that will keep you guessing even though it's super obvious who's behind everything if you really think about it. Almost every chapter throws you something new and you have to be paying attention because Eleanor gives you hints over the course of the story that will make sense once the ending comes.

The one thing I can find to complain about is that some of the hints Eleanor drops over the course of the story don't get solved and feel like a setup for a future novel more than an important part of this one. Not a major detail, but a pet peeve of mine is when books set up situations and never solve them in a way that feels more like a tease than a cliffhanger.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the fun and twisty read!

This was a really fun read! I haven't enjoyed a mystery like this in a while. I love the author's humor, style of writing, and characters. While they were fun in the beginning, the footnotes did get a little tedious after a while. I'm just not a big fan of footnotes but I will admit these were very fun little add-ons.

While reading this one, it was reminiscent of Clue, at least for me. That was an added joy on top of everything else. This is definitely a good one for people who enjoy mysteries, but like a little humor and romance thrown in. Adding this one to my 2024 favorites.2024 favorites.

I sincerely appreciate Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Although this review is late I still want to post one! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have received this ARC and I want to thank NetGalley first and foremost.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it truly surprised me in quite a few ways. I typically read romance over mystery so I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot throughout the story. The author does a great job of mixing humor into something that's generally very dark or serious, keeping the story lighter and less intense than other reads, which made it a perfect summer read. it also made me really want to take a trip to Italy! I also found myself laughing at Eleanor's quips and her banter with all of the other characters often.
The footnotes were an interesting addition and something I've never seen in a book before. I felt that at times they were hard to follow and I think that it took me longer than normal to read this book because I often would need to go back and find the part that the footnote was referencing. This partly could have been due to the formatting on my kindle and having the book as a document vs. actual book though. And, I wonder that if I had read this as a physical read or if they were more closely placed to their reference sentences if this would have been easier to read. Despite that part of the footnotes, the ADHD part of my brain LOVED them and I felt like I could resonate with the author because sometimes my brain works in the same exact way. I truly enjoyed her pop culture references sprinkled throughout the book...ahem Bridgerton, as well as her use of celebrities to describe the characters. As a non-true crime/mystery reader, I actually really loved the breaking of the 4th wall and the recap she added of all the "facts," because she knew that the reader would be working the whole time to try to piece it all together. All and all, I will certainly be looking forward to the next book!

Every Time I Go on Vacation had a cast of eclectic people who were clever, witty and full of secrets. The author broke the 4th wall through footnotes. They added so much humor, sarcasm and insight to the story. Looking back, they were my favorite part.

I enjoyed following Eleanor on her book tour with her sister, he two exes, a crazed fan. The book starts with her ex convinced he is the target of unfortunate events and involves Eleanor on his quest to not only survive the tour but find out who is responsible.

Looking forward to the next book in this series. Pick up a copy today!

This book was so fun, so fresh, and full of FOOTNOTES!! I realized my love for a good footnote in the Magnolia Parks series and I haven’t looked back since. These footnotes were so funny, some actually laugh out loud worthy!! 🤣

This was such a unique concept for a book and I just had such a fun time with it. This would def qualify under cozy mystery, but for me the humor was what made the entire book.

We travel to Italy with Eleanor, who is on a book tour and trying to kill off Connor, who she wrote about in a successful Vacation Mystery series and hasn’t been able to shake off since. When there’s an actual attempt on Connor’s life, Eleanor is enlisted to help solve the case.

This is a great book to throw in your beach bag this summer! Funny, fresh, and the characters are just plain fun.

And the cover…gorgeous! 🍋

This was a riot. I loved every minute of my time with Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies. A fresh concept with too many to count laugh out loud moments. This is the kind of book that plays out like a super vivid movie in your head.