I loved this book. The story was told with humor and wit. The relationship of the narrator and her protagonist is weirdly humorous. As I read the story I suspected everyone of the death. But honestly never suspected the one who really did it. Definitely a fun must-read for fans of mystery and humor.

I knew from the very first line that I was going to enjoy this story and this character. Eleanor Dash and her cast of book tour group attendees turned out to be a hoot. The BookFace Ladies? Hilarious, but maybe with an agenda?

It's not all fun and games though, as suspicious things start to happen, and people start to die. As Eleanor tries to solve the myriad of crimes around her—because why not, she writes mysteries for a living—the predicaments she finds herself in made me laugh. But seriously, who is behind all the bad stuff that is happening?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the first book in a brand new series by Catherine Mack, a pseudonym for one of my favorite, must-read authors. I love everything she writes and I'm excited that she is branching out and taking on this new series. I can't wait to see what other situations Eleanor gets herself into.

I highly recommend Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies for lots of laughs and escapism. You won't regret picking this one up!

The first in a fun, new cozy mystery series, Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies whisks readers away on an Italian tour alongside a cozy mystery author on tour as she prepares for the next novel in her wildly successful mystery series. This was a really fun, breezy read despite the very real and very deadly dangers besetting the characters at every turn. Eleanor has a fun voice, and I loved her use of footnotes. They really let her shine while also poking a bit of fun at cozy mysteries themselves. While I found the mystery almost laughably easy to solve, I really liked the characters and thought Eleanor was a lot of fun to follow around, made all the more hilarious with her penchant for not reading itineraries.

Ten years ago, Eleanor went to Italy, met the dashing Connor Smith, got mixed up in figuring who was behind a series of bank robberies, had a whirlwind affair that ended his marriage, and went home and wrote a book about it that became a huge hit. Unfortunately, that’s kept Connor in her life since she kept his name in the book and now she’s stuck paying out to him. He’s also the one she cheated on her darling boyfriend Oliver with, but that might also just have been purely her own fault. Now she’s back in Italy, with her sister Harper as her assistant, on tour with other mystery novelists, including Oliver, and a group of ladies who won a bookface competition. Eleanor is supposedly working on plotting her next novel while on tour, giving these ladies a front row seat as she develops the story, but she’s more interested in figuring out how to kill off Connor. The character, not the man, though that might also be a bonus. Until it turns out someone is actually trying to kill him, and then Eleanor becomes the main target. It makes being on tour with a host of guilty parties that much more uncomfortable.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a really fun cozy mystery. That’s mostly because Eleanor has such a fun, engaging voice where she pokes fun at cozy mysteries and herself. I adored the footnotes scattered throughout the book, which really let her snark shine, and where she planted hints now and then. I’ll admit the hints made it a little bit easier to figure out what was likely going to happen next, but, if anything, I think I enjoyed this more because of that. I really liked getting hints that aren’t usually present in other cozy mysteries, so I really felt like this one let me play along and try to solve the case.

And I did solve it, maybe a little too early. While all these mystery writers, plus Harper, Connor, Connor’s ex-wife, and Connor’s very recently met new lady, were busy trying to point fingers at each other because the attempts on Eleanor’s life tended to be a lot more public than Connor’s, I managed to put all the pieces they were missing or had been forgotten about together. Because the hints Eleanor dropped, and the way parts of the narrative suggested, pointed in a certain direction. While I was a little disappointed it was a little too easy and not quite as clever as I felt Eleanor and her storytelling were, I had to admire the planning and sheer time that went into it. It certainly explained a few things, but a sharp reader, or even not so sharp, will pick up on them anyways and likely figure it out. In which case the fun will be in how Eleanor gets out alive.

If it weren’t for Italy and all the fun characters, I think this would have been a mostly okay cozy mystery, But those two big elements really shone. I loved the way everything in the story came together. It was fun and engaging, and I loved being in the midst of all of it with them. I wasn’t as keen on the front seat the romance between Eleanor and Oliver decided to take, especially with the way their relationship ended in the first place. But it really showcased the kind of guy Oliver is, and did a great job of distracting Eleanor. It was fun since, while she was preoccupied with Oliver, she was still telling the story and letting hints and clues slip into the narrative. This made it easier for the reader to piece together while also making her miss it until it’s almost too late.

I really enjoyed going on tour in Italy with this cast. They hit the popular tourist destinations, and so much of it revolved around food. They always seemed to be eating, or thinking about food, or wondering what and when they were going to eat next. Maybe it’s because I’ve been to Italy, or because the descriptions made it feel like quintessential Italy, but I felt like I was there. I was enjoying the food, enjoying the atmosphere, and enjoying their sometimes treacherous, yet sometimes amusing, adventures. Their tour guide Sylvie was quite the character, and I appreciated how hilarious she made parts of the tour.

It’s the characters who truly shine here. While there were some the reader doesn’t really get to know well, the main suspects are quite well drawn. Eleanor was a lot of fun, and I liked how her sister was very down to Earth. Their relationship is sweet, but a little co-dependent. Neither of them quite knows what to do without the other, even if Eleanor is afraid her sister is going to stop working for her and Harper might be feeling some feelings about her sister stealing her dream of being the big author. I loved their dynamics, though, and really felt that sisterly bond. Oliver is really such a good guy, even if he might have his moments now and then. He really felt like such a sweetheart, and was a fantastic foil to the more self-absorbed Connor who goes through women like tissue. Connor was both fun and infuriating in turns, and I could completely understand why Eleanor wanted to eliminate him from her life. He’s not exactly likable, and the fact that he invited some woman he met on the plane on tour with them just speaks volumes to his character. Isabella was interesting, but lackluster, and sometimes I thought she was more floozy than anything else. Really, all I could picture was a giggling young woman who went along with whatever Connor wanted. Then there’s Connor’s ex-wife Allison, who doesn’t hold any bad feelings for Eleanor. She was a completely sweetheart, appearing for all the world to be on tour for the sheer fun of it. I loved her to pieces. The other three rounding out this group are Emily, a TikTok author who might have just ripped off all of Eleanor’s books, but is sweet in her own thorny way; Shek, a practically has been author who thinks Eleanor stole the money that was supposed to be used to promote his novel but instead went to hers; and Guy, Connor’s ex-partner who was really the private investigator ten years before and who wrote a book about it. They were fun, but the story didn’t focus on them much, so it was harder to get to know them, outside of their possible motives. It was fun watching them mix and point fingers at each other, all of them with some kind of motive.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a really fun start to a new cozy mystery series. I love that it follows a cozy mystery author, and I really love her use of footnotes. Eleanor is a lot of fun, and I look forward to more of her mysteries and adventures. The middle did drag a little, especially when Eleanor’s romantic interest in Oliver was re-lit, which changed the focus of the novel a little from figuring out who was out to off her to her figuring out her feelings for Oliver. It was fun, though, as she was more focused on him than important things like staying alive. I can’t say I loved this part of the book, but, as their relationship changes at the end, I’m hoping for a smoother romantic line in the future. This was a delightful read and I had a fantastic time with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

A promising cozy-adjacent mystery that gets a bit muddled in execution. Readers will undoubtedly be entertained as they follow Elinor and company on their Italian jaunt and try to avoid a murderer. However, some will be put off by the regular breaking of the fourth wall and near constant pop culture references. Would likely appeal to readers of Janet Evanovich and Elle Cosimano who are looking for books to pick up as they wait for the newest installments of their favorite series.

Enjoyable and fun cozy mystery where the main character, writer Eleanor Dash breaks the fourth wall and interacts with the readers while on a book tour where one of the other attending authors dies.

When Eleanor was 25 she went to Italy and meets a man named Connor and they solved a series of bank robberies and to process all that happened, Eleanor wrote a book about it and eventually ends up blackmailed by Connor in the process. Now it’s the 10th anniversary of the original book and she’s since published nine more but is having trouble writing her 10th and hopes to get a spark of inspiration while on this book tour if she manages to stay alive.

I think this book is the start of a humorous cozy mystery series with a unique storytelling because of how the main character interacts with the reader while the story unfolds. I enjoyed the Italian setting and I wonder where the next book will be set.


Thank you @minotaurbooks and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I really enjoyed this book! But sadly, I didn’t get to finish it before the ebook expired in my account.

I love when an author has the main character as an author too! It’s such a fun twist and adds excitement to the reading.

I loved the characters in this book- they were funny, and I could picture them working together (the main character and her sister), and I could also picture the hatred between the main character and the dreadful man who was continuing to earn his paycheck through her books!

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to finish this book when it is published out to the masses.

An enjoyable mystery romp with the added benefit of an Italian influence. Eleanor Dash is an engaging character, and this beginning bodes well for the series. I will be interested in seeing where the next book leads.

Eleanor, the main character is a best selling author and she is currently on tour in Italy. She has decided that she wants this to be her last book in the series and is planning on killing Connor, the main character in her book off.

Not only is Connor her main character but he is also a real life person in her life. He is a thorn in her side. Despite the fact that he is gorgeous and charmiong but under all that he is a con man and has been blackmailing Eleanor since she first wrote about him.

They met 10 years ago and things were good until they were no longer good anymore. She made the mistake in using him in her books.

Fast forward Eleanor no longer wants anything to do with him and there appears to be someone in real life who feels the same way. But who is it and why do they want him gone?

This is a on the edge of your seat mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

I found the book very difficult to read on the kindle with all the footnotes. They would pop up in the middle of the page. Sometimes I had to try to figure out which paragraph was a continuation of the story, and which was the footnote. Maybe it reads better in print form. I hope so.

Eleanor Dash is a best-selling author, who is currently on a book tour through Paris for her newest mystery-thriller novel. She finds herself wrapped up in a real life murder-mystery when someone tries to kill her once muse, Connor Smith. Eleanor must unravel the clues set before her before she is the next victim.

This was a really fun popcorn thriller book! It was so over the top and cheesy you couldn't help but fall in love with this cast of characters and the shenanigans they found themselves in. We start off by learning that Eleanor had a fling in her 20s with Connor, which sparked her to write her first book featuring him as one of the main characters. When she told him, he decided that he deserved a share of her success, and essentially blackmails her into giving him a cut. I thought it was so funny that Eleanor had written 9 books featuring Connor, and was desperate to kill him off in the 10th. It felt like Eleanor was talking to her readers, which I thought was very clever. We get her retelling the mystery, as if it were her next book - with the inclusion of footnotes, which I I thought were a lot of fun. loved Eleanor, she was so much fun to read from. I listened to this on audiobook, which enhanced the footnotes by making them seem like they were apart of the story. This is also sprinkled with Taylor Swift references, so of course I was a fan.

Definitely intrigued to pick up the next in this series once it is released.

I had a fun time with this book! We're following our main character Eleanor who is on a book tour in Italy with other authors as well as some fans. They have a thoroughly planned out itinerary for their trip, but all Eleanor has on her mind is trying to plan out her 10th book which she's hoping will be her last. She has a dicey relationship with Connor, who is one of the main characters in her book series and also on this tour with her, and all she wants to do is cut all ties with him. What better way to do that than to kill him off in the book. However, Connor has a couple of near-death incidents and thinks someone is trying to kill him in real life. Eleanor finds herself in danger as well and they think someone is targeting both of them and they are trying to figure out who would want them dead. Everyone on the tour is suspicious of each other and there is a lot of finger-pointing, and they're all coming up with reasons why each of them could be the would-be murderer.

This is a cozy murder mystery with Clue vibes! The characters are snarky, humorous and some are unlikeable which makes for a tense but fun atmosphere. There is fourth wall breaking which I am typically not a fan of, but somehow this story really worked for it. There are tons of footnotes which could make for a choppy read if only reading it physically. Luckily, I had the audiobook to listen along, and the footnotes blended really well in the story. I would definitely recommend listening to the audio.

This is the first book in the vacation mystery series, and I am intrigued to continue in the series.

Thank you NetGalley & author for an ARC of this book. #netgalley #catherinemack

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Catherine Mack

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life―the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can't get out of her life―Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker―and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly―theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

My Thoughts: This is the first book in The Vacation Mysteries series. Eleanor is in Italy trying to get her tenth book in the series written, where she plans to kill off character Connor Smith. The Conor character was inspired by her friend, Connor. He thinks someone is trying to kill him in real life. Then someone from the traveling literary group ends up dead. She goes in detective mode to try and figure out who the killer is and the list of suspects is large. Elenor has to contend with literary rivals, a stalker, and trying to find out who is the murderer, and finishing her tenth novel. This follows the tropes of cozy mystery.

Elenor relies a tremendous amount on her younger sister, Harper, whom is her assistant. Her character seems a little lack luster in the staying on track. However, I love Elenor’s humor, she was snarky, sarcastic, and witty. I love the inside look at the publisher world in a light, funny way. The story is narrated in the first person in present time. Set in Italy, the author does an amazing job with descriptive details, setting the tone and scene, the smells, the beautiful scenery, you really felt like you were there in Italy. The characters were well developed with depth, wittiness, mystery, and intriguing. The supporting characters were fabulous, eccentric, and really elevated the story. The author’s writing style was unique, funny, twisty, cozy, and creative. I love the author’s unique approach in the plot line.

I had the pleasure of having the digital and audio versions of the ARC. The book has footnotes in the chapters, which can be confusing. In the audiobook, the footnotes are woven into the story seamlessly. The audio was easier for me to follow along. I love thrillers and murder mysteries, along with romance novels. I am not a fan of cozy mysteries. This was a fun, lighthearted read. I would recommend picking up the audio.

I'm not a cozy mystery type, so not the target audience for this book - and the reading of this book didn't change my opinion on that, unfortunately.
I picked this up thinking it would be a fun, easy read, but it took me a while to get through it.
I enjoyed parts of this book and there were definitely some funny parts, but others that took away from my enjoyment of the book. The sister relationship was grating, I found Eleanor to be immature and really trying too hard to be funny. The footnotes were something different I don't see often, so I thought they would be fun - but on the Kindle version they weren't placed anywhere near where they should have been so it took me out of the story often and slowed down my pace to flip back and forth.


Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for the ARC.

The premise of the book was very promising; however, I quickly became annoyed with the MC. My irritation with her was compacted with the formatting of the digital copy. I understand it’s not the final format, but it was very hard to read. The MC’s “asides” became interspersed into the document at random times. While reading, I would come across a numerical superscript, but the footnote would appear a page or two later in the middle of a paragraph. It became very disorienting and I could not finish. I look forward to reading the final printed version.

Review to come.

Love the cover✔️
Interesting description ✔️
New Author to me ✔️

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC ❤️

I absolutely devoured this book! I cannot say enough good things about this book and the way the author brought this story to life. Bueno!!!

Such a fun read!!! The wittiness and jokes kept me laughing. I loved the breaking of the fourth wall and I definitely fell for the red herring. Loved the twist and didn’t guess all of it for sure. I will be reading the next book!!

I love the cover of this book and the title is catchy! But…it didn’t quite live up to the hype for me. It’s very meta – the book is in first person and the main character is also an author of a bestselling vacation mystery series (This is The Vacation Mysteries #1). The protagonist is named Eleanor Dash so I did like the nod to Jane Austen!

The author breaks the fourth wall to talk to the reader in the footnotes which was done in a fun and quirky way. There are T Swift references too which I loved! The novel is billed as a debut, but it’s the first book under a pseudonym of a previously published author (Catherine McKenzie) so that was confusing to me when looking it up online and a bit misleading in my opinion.

While the title is very catchy, I don’t feel it truly captured what the book is about. The main characters are authors on a book tour – working, not vacationing. There is mention of some people on the book tour as vacationing tourists, but they don't factor in the story in any meaningful way. I wish the title had been more reflective of the book's plot. It definitely would have been rated higher for me if it was.

I think this is likely a great book for those who enjoy the Finlay Donovan series or who want a summer mystery where hijinks ensue!

"Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" by Catherine McKenzie is a delightful entry in a new cozy mystery series that offers a fresh and enjoyable twist to the genre. Protagonist Eleanor Dash, a writer of the Vacation Mysteries series, decides to shake up her writing by killing off her main character, Connor Smith, who happens to be a real person from her past. As Eleanor embarks on a book tour in Italy for inspiration, chaos ensues when a threat is made on the real Connor's life, leading to a mix of suspense and humor within the tour group.

Comparable to series like Finlay Donovan and Ernest Cunningham, the book features a direct narrative style that includes meta moments about the book world and publishing. While the story is light-hearted, entertaining, and filled with quirky characters, it also presents a solid mystery with numerous suspects and twists.

Thank you to NetGalley!

Eleanor is a mystery author whose ex-slash-main-character is blackmailing her into keeping him flush with cash and won't go away, no matter how hard she tries. She decides to kill his character off in the last installment of her series, just to get him off her case. But on their latest book tour, when he tells her someone is actually trying to kill him for real, she can't believe him, OR the horrible timing of it all. She figures she might as well help Connor stop his killer before they finish the job, but winds up in the cross hairs too.

This book has footnotes. Hilarious, 4th wall breaking footnotes. I loved the whole dang thing.

I didn't see the killer coming. I didn't see the extra deaths coming. The whole thing was just a pile of twisty madness and it was so much fun. And it's not often in fully stumped on a cozy. This one had me guessing the whole time. It was so much fun. I loved it.

Side note: The only reason it took me forever to get through was the formatting of the NetGalley file, because the text was TINY and couldn't get increased because of the footnote situation. It was NOT at all because of the text itself, because the book was great.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!