I started this book when I was spiraling down into a reading slump. It snapped me right out of it, and I had so much fun! I love the structure of the book and the snappy pace. I will definitely continue on with the series!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

This one was lots of fun - perfect for fans of Finlay Donovan and Benjamin Stevenson, I flew through it! I will say that the formatting made it tough to read as an e-galley, but of course that didn’t detract from the charm of the story itself. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for future stories from this author!

This is a genuinely fun read. Enjoyed the narrator voice and laugh at loud moments. Would recommend for a light hearted summer read!

Let me just say it—Catherine Mack's *Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies* is a riot! From the jump, you're thrown into a wild ride as Eleanor, a popular author, decides to kill off Connor Smith, a cherished character from her book, in order to escape her blackmailer: the real Connor Smith. Things get really juicy when (the real) Connor, a charming conman and Eleanor's former flame, starts receiving actual death threats. Eleanor has to juggle promoting her new book all over Italy and keeping the real Connor alive.

This was my first time reading Catherine Mack's work, and her writing style intrigued me right away. Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of every character being compared to a celebrity or the multitude of quirky “footnotes” throughout (not your usual footnotes, mind you), but once I let go of taking it all too seriously, I found myself laughing out loud and thoroughly enjoying the ride. Mack's got a knack for blending humor with suspense in a way that’s hard to resist.

This book is the epitome of a lighthearted, or what some might call a “cozy,” mystery with relatively low stakes. The whole thing is rather PG. Picture a Hallmark mystery movie in book form—if that's your jam, then this book is calling your name. It’s the perfect companion for a lazy day at the beach. So grab a copy, kick back, and get ready for a fun-filled, page-turning adventure!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.

This book was a great, light read. I enjoyed the narrator’s sense of humor and it was fun envisioning Italy’s beauty and pasta and wine. It was a little slow for me in the beginning but I read the last half pretty quickly and was dying to find out “who dunnit.” All in all, I would recommend this book to a friend looking for a light, funny thriller for summer.

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4 ⭐️
EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: cozy mystery
📖 304 pages
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 🇮🇹🚓🍝✍🏼🍧😮🍊🪼🥂🍋🕵🏻‍♂️🔫

𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱? 👍🏼

🩵𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲🩵

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy!

If you're seeking a fun, adventurous, whodunit cozy mystery, this book is a perfect choice. Set in Italy, it brims with laugh out loud commentary, limoncellos, a sleuthing detective, 2 attractive men, & a quirky stalker. Eleanor's internal dialogue is a highlight, adding depth & humor to the story. The writing style is engaging, with interviews & magazine articles interspersed throughout, & intriguing book titles that offer insight into Eleanor’s mystery novels.

The narrative immerses you in Eleanor's head, providing a unique, interactive experience as she unravels the mystery. The direct address to the reader makes the story feel personal & engaging. I loved the insight into the main character’s writing process too!!

The plot is filled with potential culprits, & just when you think you've figured it out, a twist surprises you. The contemporary references to BRIDGERTON & Goodreads add a topical touch. This book sets the stage perfectly for a sequel, & I highly recommend it!

⚠️ death of parents

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ cozy mysteries & suspense
◽️ FINLAY DONOVAN
◽️ Italy
◽️ Aperol spritz’s
◽️ a book about books
◽️ international book tours

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁: Bestselling author Eleanor Dash just wants to finish her book tour in Italy & kill off her main character, Connor Smith. However, when someone attempts to murder the real Connor, a con man from her past, Eleanor is dragged into solving the case. She faces literary competitors, rabid fans, a stalker, & her ex, Oliver, who appears unexpectedly. As theories & rivalries emerge, Eleanor must navigate broken hearts & old rifts. But the real question is, who is trying to get away with murder?

First book of a series. This was a fun read, lots of intrigue and humor. Looking forward to other books in the series. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I adored this one. I love the snarkiness of the main character and how likeable and unlikeable she is. The setting is definitely one of my favorites as they cavort through Italy.

So many people are loving this book, so I'm definitely in the minority here. I liked the plot and the setting, but I'm not sure that the writing style was for me. I actually thought that this was the 2nd book in a series at first because of the way the MC kept referring to past events.

I might have enjoyed this one more if I had read the physical copy or done the audio. The e-book formatting was a bit wonky. The author uses quite a bit of footnotes, but they would all show up at the end of the chapter, and scrolling back became such a pain that I eventually just skipped over them.

Thank you, @Netgalley and @stmartinspress, for the #gifted e-arc!

This was such a cute cozy mystery and had laugh out loud moments. I wasn't expecting much, but I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The characters were lovable and the story kept me hooked. I will definitely pick up more from this author in the future.

I am obsessed with this book! Eleanor is an author of a popular mystery series that started with a book inspired by her own experience with a crime family’s takedown a year prior. Now she is back in Italy on a tour with her sister/assistant, her exes, fellow authors, and members of her fan club. Eleanor’s ex thinks he’s the target of murder attempts but the trip soon turns precarious for Eleanor.
I really loved the writing style of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies. It’s written like a manuscript that Eleanor is writing from her point of view and includes lots of footnotes that are funny, informative, dotted with clues, and integral to the story. Eleanor also references Taylor Swift multiple times which made me resonate with Eleanor even more. I felt a lot of connection to Eleanor and her story and loved the mystery and the twist at the end. The dominoes really cascaded in a line nicely to wrap up the story. I really hope the author writes more books about Eleanor’s misadventures!

I thought this was an incredible start to the new cozy mystery series by Catherine Mack.

The story and the characters were hilarious! I would have liked more descriptive details about Italy considering the characters are basically tourist on a “work-vacation”, but what we’re given isn’t horrible.

The writing style is a bit different as the author includes footnotes throughout the story where she speaks directly to the reader. I don’t care for this format while doing a physical read, but it really works well for this audio and Elizabeth Evans does an amazing job with the narration.

I’m a fan and I’m looking forward to the second installment.

Every Time I go on Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack
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A murder mystery author is on a book tour in Italy to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her first book. Paranoia strikes as someone on the tour believes there is a plot to kill them.
(Footnote: Also, it’s hilarious.)
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I went into this book mostly blind, and I really thought this was such a strong cozy mystery! Our narrator is the delightful Ellie Dash, murder mystery author and comedian. (Footnote: She isn’t ACTUALLY a comedian but I thought she was hilarious.) I love the irony that our author, who writes murder mysteries, winds up in the middle of one. Excellent fun!

I also loved how Ellie breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to us readers. I already had an idea of what was going on when she invited me to solve the mystery. (Spoiler, I was mostly WRONG.)

I listened to the audio (which was FANTASTIC) so I knew there were footnotes but didn’t realize how many there were till I read others reviews. 😅 It seems that all the footnotes were read in order in the audiobook because everything just flowed so smoothly and I was just binge-listening and attempting to solve a murder and not laugh too much at the jokes.
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4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I am quite impressed with this first book in the Vacation Mysteries series and I am excited to see where the series goes!

This took me a bit to get into, but once I did, it was a very fun read. Thanks for the advanced read. I’m glad this is a series so I can look forward to more.

This plot was a little too ridiculous for my taste, and I had a hard time caring about any of the characters. I kept thinking I had it figured out though, and I didn’t, so there’s that. I almost stopped reading it multiple times but for some reason pushed through.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Eleanor Dash is a bestselling author who accidentally stumbled into fame after writing a book based on her real-life experience of uncovering a string of Italian bank burglaries with her boyfriend, Connor, while they were visiting Italy. 10 years later, she’s back in Italy, this time for a book tour with several other authors, adoring fans, her sister (and right-hand), Harper, and her now ex-boyfriend Connor, who is blackmailing her for using “their story” to make millions. As Eleanor tours through Italy, she begins to think her next book will focus on finally killing off Connor’s character in order to free her from the confines of his blackmail. Unexpectedly, though, Connor confides in her that he thinks someone is trying to kill him off in real life. This sets off a turn of events that twist and turn throughout their trip, ultimately culminating in real life death threats not only against Connor but also against Eleanor herself. Eleanor quickly realizes that the only way to avoid death is to beat the mystery murderer at their own game.

Full of an entertaining, quirky cast of characters, Every Time I Go On Vacation was an indulgent, fun, campy, cozy murder mystery with an Italian setting that made you feel like you were there! Just when I thought I had it figured out, another twist would come along to throw me off the scent. I thought the conclusion was satisfying yet surprising at the same time and I absolutely love that this is the first in a new series because I will definitely be going back for more. Perfect beach read to keep you engaged and entertained!

I love cozy mysteries and I didn’t realize this was one when I had started reading, it was a nice surprise.
The main character is on tour in Italy writing a book in her series with a group of people. One of the characters in the book is also her friend, well she is ready to kill him off. That’s okay when it’s just in a book but then someone in real life wants him dead.

3.5 stars

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Eleanor Dash is an author, telling the story as the author. It's a neat POV. Eleanor is scheduled on a book tour of Italy with a small entourage when one member of the group dies. It quickly becomes clear it wasn't an accident, but who is the real target? That's the mystery Eleanor must solve.

This was a cute, lighthearted read.

Loved the concept, loved the quirky lead character, but I couldn't finish it. What was with the footnotes? I read an e-version (ARC) and with the footnotes, it was confusing and distracting. Was I supposed to scroll forward to find them? When they appeared, I had to remember what they referenced in her narrative. I think this took away from the story. Perhaps in print version, it would be different. I hope to try it again when that happens. Many thanks to #netgalley #everytimeigoonvacationsomeonedies #catherinemack for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I saw this book compared to the Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano and that was all I needed to request it from the publisher. Unfortunately, it didn't land for me at all. Maybe, that comparison was unfair and set my expectations too high from the start, but I was bored while listening to this book. I found Eleanor Dash, the FMC fairly obnoxious and the solved the mystery about halfway through reading. . I know this book will be a hit for many readers. It just didn't work for me.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.