This book was so fun! Like a cozy Hercule Poirot murder mystery mixed with the humor of the movie ‘Knives Out’ and set in the beautiful vacation destination of Italy. I smoothly breezed right through it because I just couldn’t put it down!

I enjoyed the way it was written- an unreliable FMC who was plotting her next vacation murder mystery book while seemingly living it. Very creative idea and although I could tell who the culprit was in this ‘whodunit’ it was very entertaining nonetheless! My favorite part was the FMC’s humorous and sarcastic inner monologue and book plotting.

I did opt to listen to this one on audiobook despite also having an e-galley. I absolutely loved the narrator (Elizabeth Evans) and I think listening on audio made it way more fun! I highly recommend doing the audio version for anyone who is able.

I’m so happy this will be a series. I love these characters and I can’t wait for the next one!

Thank you so much to Catherine, SMP, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the e-galley and audiobook.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is the perfect summertime mystery read.

What I loved so much

1. Books written from the perspective of people who write books are always fun for me .

2. The mystery was developed in such a way as to leave me guessing right up to the reveal.

3. Pacing and dialogue were wonderfully done.

4. The footnotes were a particularly fun idea and I do hope their formatting is cleaned up a bit in the physical release.

What Didn't work for me as well

honestly my only real compliant was some formatting stuff with the footnotes that I see has already been adressed in the publishers note.

Who Do I recomend this title for

If you love books about books and writing about writers then this mudreous mystery may be just the right read for you. the writing vibe is very close to reading some mary higgins clark titles and that really was fun to see.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Eleanor Dash is the bestselling author of the Vacation Mystery Series and she has had enough of her protagonist Connor Smith. Connor is based on a real person with the same name and that mistake has cost her dearly. It all started 10 years ago when a real attempt was made on his life, she got involved and decided their experience would make a great book. Now with the final book in the series under contract, she has decided she needs to kill the character off so that she can get him out of her life and get on with her own.

While on a book tour in Italy with other authors and super fans to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 1st Vacation Mystery tour Eleanor is contemplating the perfect way to kill the character but it appears someone is actually trying to kill off the real Connor Smith or are they? Could she be the real target?

____

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a book written by an author about an author being an author. Eleanor Dash talks directly to the reader at what seems at breakneck speed with a lot of footnotes. Eleanor is a flawed individual who depends on her younger sister Harper to keep her entire life in order. Connor too is flawed. He has a past with Eleanor, first as a love interest, but even broken up he has inserted himself into her life as a "consultant/inspiration" for her books and made sure he receives a percentage of every dollar she makes. He is also sure someone is trying to kill him. Another ex, author, Oliver Forrest is on the tour too. Eleanor may still have feelings for him. Oliver may still have feelings for her. Eleanor cracked me up several times throughout the story. I would label her as snarky but very funny. The author has surrounded her with the perfect cast of characters. They all play off each other very well. The dialogues and interactions are crisp and feel real.

There were several murder attempts in the book, along with Eleanor's thoughts about how to kill Connor, the character, okay, and maybe the man too a few times. There were a couple of actual murders as well. Ms. Mack served up plenty of twists and turns that kept both the characters and this reader misdirected. The mystery was very well-plotted. I started to put things together before they were revealed or spelled out. One character drew my attention for several different reasons so I had them at the top of my suspect list. I wasn't expecting the true grandeur of the scheme though.

Eleanor Dash is not a fan of reviewers like me and can't believe anyone would give any of her books under 4 stars. She also calls GoodReads "MeanReads" claiming people are allowed to post reviews there for books that haven't even read. I won't let Eleanor's feelings affect my review.

I have to address the footnotes. I was reading a digital copy. At first, they were funny and entertaining and placed well within the text. As the story continued I found myself flipping pages to follow the number to the footnote because they were not lining up well at all. They messed with the flow and took away from the story. I know this is the price I pay for receiving an early copy. I hope these issues are fixed in the actual for-sale digital copies readers receive. Placed well, they make the writer's style of breaking the fourth wall unique.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is full of humor, quirky characters, a little romance, and a clever mystery set in picturesque Italy that takes readers behind the scenes into the crazy publishing world. It was an entertaining read. I hope there is a sequel.

4 Starfish! That should make Eleanor happy. 

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I have been provided with a review copy of this title from NetGalley for an impartial review. Ahhhhh this was just such a great read. I just didn't want this book to end and I was sad to turn the last page. I'm so excited to see what's next from this author.

Every Time I go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a fast paste, modern, cozy mystery. This book breaks the fourth wall and captures the art of writing a mystery will also reading a mystery. Eleanor Dash, a mystery author, finds herself wrapped up in a real life murder case, while on her current book tour.

I absolutely love this book and couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the aspect of breaking the fourth wall, and feeling like this book was including the readers in the plot itself.. Overall was really fun and intriguing and I can’t wait for the next!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES
by CATHERINE MACK

10 days eight suspects six cities, five authors, and three bodies one trip to die for

This is a hilarious and irresistible series debut, and I can’t read to wait to read the rest of the books in this series

This is a great read, and and I highly recommend this to anyone that loves a cosy mystery and with a lot of humour thrown in.

Thank you, the @minotaur_books and @catherineMcKenzieauthor the beautiful finished copy, sign book plate and note.

This has been a wonderful reading experience.

Everything everyone is saying about <u>Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies</u> is true. The footnotes are a hoot: the narrator, Eleanor Dash, drops teasers here and there. She often alludes to characters or plots in her previous novels in those footnotes. There were times when I couldn't separate the character from the actual author.

This was indeed an entertaining read, but I started getting tired of Eleanor's retreat into an alcoholic stupor at almost every meal. I get that book tours are mandatory purgatory for authors, but all that drinking had me worried about Eleanor's fictional liver after a while.

Spoiler alert: the author's acknowledgements page reveals that Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies will be first installment in a three book deal. The mystery in this book is neatly resolved - with the exception of one major loose end... so, stay tuned for book number two in this thriller series set in Italy... and who knows where else in the next two installments!

I do recommend this one, but as usual in a series set, there is a fair amount of filler and repetitive passages. I'm rating this one a 3.9 out of 5. My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest revue.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Catherine Mack for letting me read this book ahead of release.
This is my first Catherine Mack read and I have to say I really like this book. Eleanor Dash is the main and she was a very witty character. The story is told by Eleanor on a trip to Italy. A little weird at times but she made everything interesting and exciting. A lot of other really great characters in this light murder, mystery, romance novel.

I read this book through Kindle and I was really thrown off by the footnotes. They popped up everywhere on the pages as I read. Sometimes there were 3 or 4 footnotes and I would have to scroll back to figure out where they belonged.the footnotes were usually witty

Along with the footnotes the sentences did not always match up so there would be a word and then the sentence would continue on the next line down. It was just kind of messy.

Also found a bunch of spelling errors also. Hopefully that all gets fixed before publication.

But putting all that aside, I really like this book and the story line was entertaining. It was funny at times, crazy and suspenseful. I also loved the fact that it was in Italy and it was set in all the places I had traveled to for my 20th anniversary just 6 years ago so I was familiar with a lot of the places they visited. So that was kind of like a flash back for me.

I am looking forward to possibly getting an advance copy of book 2 to see what happens at the wedding!

Thank you again. Really appreciate great read that I recommend for anyone looking for a light mystery to read!

This debut cozy mystery was such a fun read that I really enjoyed. From the quirky relationship between Eleanor and Connor, to the slight rift between Eleanor and her sister Harper, to the possible suspects throughout, there wasn’t a dull moment. Eleanor being a murder mystery writer has a story behind her 9 novels and Connor has the inside scoop.

I enjoyed how we were always in Eleanor’s mind with her hilarious, but insightful footnotes. They made it feel as though I was putting the mystery together along with her and her theories. There was always something going on with someone in this one. Although, we are chasing the story to find out the who and the why, it was easy to keep up with the characters. I loved how the ending was revealed!

One thing I must mention about the footnotes specifically on reading on my kindle. It was hard to follow the footnotes initially because they were placed at the end of the chapter instead of at the exact moment. Once I downloaded the audiobook I was able to hear the footnotes in real time, as it was happening which made for a better experience. With that I would I say the audiobook or physical book is the way to go with this one. Once I had that, this story came to life! Also, the pasta and drinks of choice had me hungry!

This is a fun and fast paced cozy mystery. I love a book with an author as the main character, I think I like the small glimpse behind the curtain in that way. I wasn’t a fan or the footnotes but overall this was an enjoyable read.

Thank you netgalley for the arc of everytime i go on vacation someone dies. This is a light hearted story of Eleanor Dash who is an author doing a book tour in Italy. There is quite the cast of characters from her life on this tour most notably Connor: the man she met in Italy many years prior and used to base her book series on. Eleanor is quickly thrust into peril and she does not know who to blame. Everyone is a suspect and she is not quite sure who to trust. One thing is for certain this is all Connors fault. This did lose my interest at points but overall a light and cute story if your not looking to think too much.

Eleanor is a mystery author, on a book tour with her fans and other authors. Her sister, Harper is her assistant, and accompanying Eleanor. Eleanor’s series star Connor, who believes he is being targeted for murder, is as annoying a character as all of the others. I was disappointed in the book. First of all, the prodigious use of footnotes while reading on the Kindle, made the effort frustrating . The style of the writing was not to my taste, with the author directing conversation at times to the reader. All in all, not recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Eleanor Dash wrote a book she didn't plan on writing said book. After college and raising her little sister after her parents died. She goes on a vacation to Italy before starting her new job. She meets Connor Smith a private investigator, they fall in love and solve a mystery. Eleanor writes about it and the book becomes a best seller. Conner blackmails Eleanor and he gets a cut and becomes a consultant for the series
While on tour, Conner confesses that someone is trying to kill him.

I'd like to say hilarity continued and I enjoyed reading this book but alas I can't. I will say I was excited when this book ended.

* The footnotes were annoying on the e-book. I just read them at the end of each chapter. I didn't want to go back and see where they corresponded.

This is one of the funnest murder mysteries I have read in a while!

This is book 1 in a brand new series and I cannot wait for the next one.

It’s got humor, drama, blackmail, jealousy, stalkers, and murder. We follow bestselling author Eleanor as she celebrates the anniversary of her hit book, When in Rome, in an, you guessed it… Italian book tour.

With bodies dropping and several suspects with good motives, will they determine who the killer is before it’s too late?

This was such a fun read and I cannot wait for more from Catherine Mack. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this gifted copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this ARC!

Giving this 2 stars solely for the fact that this type of footnote format is NOT digital/ebook friendly. I had a terrible time flipping back and forth and it made for an incredibly frustrating reading experience. If I revisit this book again, I will be sure to listen to the audiobook.

After the success of her first book, When In Rome, Elenor Dash has been coerced by her publisher to continue writing book after book including her ex-lover Oliver. Not only has she had to tour with him, he’s found a way to extort more and more money from the books she’s writing. Elenor’s had it! She’s ready to murder him, but may have to settle for writing him out of the series. First she’s got to make it through the tenth anniversary of her first book with a tour through Rome. With her trusted assistant (also her sister), her ex, and a group of super fans along for the ride what could possibly go wrong?!
Catherine Mack has crafted a humorous mystery, that employs a really unique format. She’s chosen to include footnotes…a lot of footnotes. I didn’t have a strong opinion when I started, by the time I finished I was struggling with the flow. Some readers have loved them so it’s going to be very individual. I loved vicariously visiting all the different places of the itinerary. It made me dream of sitting under the sun by the sea, with a lovely drink!
I recommend for readers who like unique writing formats, lovers of the Finlay Donovan series, and those that like humorous who-done-it’s!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the advanced reader copy and the finished copy.

I was so thrilled to be able to read this book ahead of publication date! The title, the cover, and what little I knew about it at that time was so enticing!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

At first I wasn’t quite sure because there were a lot of characters and in the frame of mind I was in I didn’t know if that was going to be OK.
Well…It turned out more than OK! 👍

This is a total fun caper style escapism book set in a beautiful location!

I’ve also heard that this book is optioned for film as well! I think it would be perfectly suited to it.
In fact, while I was reading it, I was thinking I would love to see this made into a series or a film.
I would definitely read more books by this author, and I’m excited to see what’s to come!
She also writes under the name Catherine McKenzie.

Thankyou to Author Catherine Mack, Netgalley, and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this book in advance of the publishing date.
Charlene @lastnownext 📚🌸🤗

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies, and one trip to die for. Eleanor Dash is on her book tour and she's just trying to get through it, all while trying to kill off her main character, Connor Smith. However Connor is a real person whom the character is modeled after and he thinks someone is trying to kill him. This hilarious cozy mystery makes it fun and easy to get swept up in the drama and the secrets they all keep. Bodies are dropping and everyone is a suspect. I enjoyed to audiobook more than the print copy as I found the footnotes distracting. But I think there are folks out there that would find that quirky and fun. All in all this was an enjoyable read. Thank You Netgalley for the opportunity to review this delightful book.

This was so fun! It definitely gave Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone vibes, except maybe a little bit cozier. It generally stayed pretty lighthearted the whole time and there weren't any graphic descriptions on murder or anything like that. I really liked our narrator and loved the Italy setting.

I have seen some reviews saying that the footnotes didn't work for people, but I would highly recommend the audiobook. The footnotes were very seamlessly woven into the audio and they didn't feel clunky to me at all.

Overall I think if you are looking for something funny, cozy, and summery this is definitely a good one to pick up!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't truly love this book, it was fine. I've seen some things say that this was supposed to be laugh out loud funny and I don't think I laughed once while reading this book.

The main character in the book is an author who even explains how all books have different acts and then went on to describe what each act in this book was. I feel like act 1 could have been so much shorter (and it was the longest part of the book) since it felt like nothing actually happened in it. Things picked up in act 2 and then act 3 was like 5 chapters. Too much time was spent on introducing us to everything.

I understand that I was reading a galley so I hope this is fixed in the real book form of this but the footnotes in this book were so obnoxious. There would be one of them and then you had to skip multiple pages to find out what it is and then flip back to where you were. So again hopefully that's fixed in the published version.