Unfortunately this wasn't for me. I am not usually a huge cozy mystery fan, but the cover was GORGEOUS so I was all in on this one. But the footnotes killed me. If it wasn't for them, I think this would've been better.

Fun but super-cheesy. If you're someone who tolerates constant fourth-wall breaking, this cosy and contemporary murder mystery set in Italy is for you. The footnotes, which are integral to the narrative, are equal parts fun and annoying. This book would be best enjoyed in audio format.

[Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

What an absolute fun cozy mystery Had me guessing the whole time and that ending
I had the most fun reading this while on vacation at the lake I am looking forward to next in this series.

If you need a summer read this ones for you.


My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars!!

This was a unique cozy murder mystery! A plot I have not read before.

I didn’t necessarily connect with the main character, but I did really enjoy all the banter and humor. There were so many suspects and I honestly was not for sure who it was the whole time. I did guess the person at one point, but then kept switching to others.

This one did take me awhile to get into it, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The footnotes were a bit distracting, but I think that is mainly with the early digital copy I had being in a weird format and the footnotes cutting off random sections, but if reading a physical copy with them being at the bottom of the pages then probably would be fine.

Overall an entertaining read and perfect for the summer!🩵

I am obsessed with this book and I need at least 50 more in the series asap!! Also, this cover is to die for!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishing company and or the author for giving me the chance to read Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies.

I have tried to finish this book on multiple times since I got it and each time I could not finish it, so I DNFed it.

I did like the characters a lot and the author's writing style but I couldn't get past the plot. Hopefully sometime in the future I can pick up this book again and finish it.

3.5 stars
The main character is an author who writes mysteries. While on tour, she is involved in a real life mystery where she has to determine who the villain is and who the actual target is. The book was fun; I enjoyed the setting and the main character's snark. The footnotes were overdone--too many of them and mostly unnecessary.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

I read this, though wish I would have listened to it as I have read that it is better in audio form. The footnotes were a bit hard to follow. The mystery/murder was great though. I thought I knew the outcome, but was surprised!

DNF at 20%. I loved the premise of this book and was especially really enjoying the beginning when the MC was describing her different books and their locations. After a while it just became cheesy and tedious and I didn't have any interest in continuing to read. Thanks anyway for the ARC - I think I need to stop requesting/reading cozy mysteries because they just aren't for me.

The premise is cute and fun but I found the footnotes to be extremely distracting. I think the author could have written those sentiments into the story organically, but having to read through the footnotes (often times in the middle of sentences) really took me out of the story.

Oh my gosh, I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did! The author has written great suspense thrillers for years so I was surprised, for some reason, to find her doing an even better job writing humor and wit. I loved Eleanor Dash's take on things, her sense of humor and honesty, her stumbling through imposter syndrome, and her perseverance to make things right with her sister.
There were so many suspects as to who was trying to kill off Eleanor, and possibly Connor (the character in Eleanor's book she wants to kill off based on a real person in the story who rubs everyone the wrong way,). I kept changing my guesses which is where the stellar mystery writing from this author comes in.
But my favorite part was the footnotes. So witty, clever, and unique. I can't wait to read the next in this series. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this entertaining read!

Such an original concept for a book! Initially, I was obsessed and loving it! While I still very much enjoyed it, the characters were all terrible and it seemed to really drag for a lot of it. I think the audiobook is the way to go for this one, as I think some of the footnotes and such that are included would have been difficult to read through.

The cover definitely through me off, even though I knew it wasn't a cozy happy book, the cover got me. It's definitely more of a cozy, fun mystery than a thriller by any means. I did laugh a lot through the book, at the silly characters, and I was caught off guard a few times, so I did enjoy it and will definitely continue with it if it's a series (which I think it is), but it just wasn't my absolute favourite.

It took me a long time to get into this book, probably until halfway, before I felt like it picked up. If you love fun mysteries with no spice or gore, this book is for you! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I'd like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I do enjoy cozy mysteries but this was a hard one for me. Maybe it was the footnotes that were added that I felt took away from the story instead of adding to it. I also felt like it was a slow read for me. I did enjoy the ending.

Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies is a light and humorous cozy mystery novel. The story follows bestselling mystery author, Eleanor Dash, who is in Italy for her book tour. Eleanor is eager to finish the tour, especially since she has to contend with obsessed fans, arrogant authors, and her exes. When someone is murdered, Eleanor is thrown into a real life murder mystery.

The narrative style in this book is interesting, with Eleanor speaking directly to the reader. I don’t often read stories that break the fourth wall. There are tons of footnotes throughout this story. At first, I thought the footnotes were cool, but they soon became distracting and took me out of the story. If I were to reread this book, I would likely skip the footnotes.

There were many annoying characters in this book, especially the other authors on the tour. Eleanor also started getting on my nerves after a while. I did love the Italian setting! I hope to visit Italy one day, so I love when stories are set there.

This is the first book in a series and I am interested in reading the next one. I would recommend this book to fans of cozy murder mysteries.

3.5⭐️

This is a super cute, light, and fun murder mystery! It follows an author named Eleanor Dash as she is on a book tour in Italy. All the way through, she's bombarded with rivals, exes, and over enthusiastic fans, and it seems someone is trying to commit murder.

What a creative take on a cozy mystery! I was drawn into the story and entertained from start to finish. It's filled with charm and witty banter and has an immersive plot. The mystery is well paced, and all of the characters are distinct and easy to keep track of.

This one truly kept me guessing all the way through, and I will be eagerly awaiting another brilliant book in this series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review!

Oh my goodness I LOVED this book so much! I did not know what to expect going into this one and it was perfection. I loved the plot but even more so I loved how Eleanor ‘broke the fourth wall’ to include the reader in helping to solve the mystery here, and it was so well done. I also really enjoyed the audio for this, it was a great listening experience. I don’t want to spoil any more here but this was such a fun read, I enjoyed every single minute of it and I cannot wait for the next book!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. all opinions are my own.

I will post my full review once SMP address the insensitive comments of their employee.

I think the cozy mystery market has become over saturated because while Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies was enjoyable, nothing felt new about it story wise. The thing that was new, the footnotes, was too distracting and unnecessary to the story. This seems to be the beginning of a series and hopefully the author will ditch the footnotes in future books.

Catherine Mack’s EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES has all the makings of a great story, but the way it comes together falls just a little short. The plot was intriguing, but Mack’s style of storytelling lost me. Still, I can see this book appealing to many readers eager for a summertime story to get lost in. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.