Bestselling author Eleanor Dash got her start from losing basing her first book on real events over ten years ago. Now with her 10th book coming out, she’s celebrating her 10-year anniversary with Press Tour to Italy. Her ex-boyfriend Connor Smith, her sister, and others involved in the series are all joining her on the tour. All is well, until Connor unveils that someone is trying to kill not just him but also Eleanor. Can this mystery writer solve this real-life mystery before her time is up?

This book was such a fun cozy mystery and with lots of snark and quirky banter I flew through this book. All of our characters distinct, and I found even the unscrupulous Connor to be entertaining. Eleanor made such a great lead character, even with all her sidebar tangents. I listened to the audio and all the footnotes were added into the narration. I have heard a few other reviews say that when actually reading the book, it was hard to navigate all the sidenotes but as far as audios good it was seamless.

With plenty of suspects and Mack’s engaging writing; Every time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies was such a fun listen! Elizabeth Evans who narrates the book was simply outstanding. It’s the perfect road trip listen, or beach read, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series!


Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies comes out April 30, 2024. Thank you to Minotaur for my advanced copies in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

I absolutely loved this book. It was like a vacation from house! I’m actually going to many of these places in 3 weeks on an Italian cruise. I loved the plot and the mystery itself. It is clever and funny and the suspects are fabulous! I love the book face fans on the tours!

A unique tale told by an author, Eleanor Dash, which includes footnotes with every chapter which makes for an interest method of telling the story. El is on a fan event in Italy with a few other authors and twenty fans who won the trip. There is a murder or two in which the main characters are all present. Think Agatha Christies murder mysteries. Who is the killer?

I enjoyed the voice and the breaking of the fourth wall didn't bother me. The Italy setting was fun and I felt like I was right there on the tour. However, I didn't find myself really caring if Connor died or not and there were a few times when I thought I would DNF. But the witty banter and insight into the publishing industry kept me going. I also appreciated the relationship between Eleanor and her sister, Harper. It felt real and genuine whereas a lot of the rest of the book and characters felt over-the-top and convoluted. The footnotes were fun initially but after a while, I felt like there were too many of them. It's hard not to read them though!

This book was a ton of fun! The characters are well-fleshed out with the best banter with a plot that kept me entertained and flipping pages until I got to the last page. I loved how the main character Eleanor tells the story, and how occasionally she speaks directly to the reader.
So many laugh-out-loud moments, twists, turns, and red herrings kept me guessing. And I had a great time trying to figure out what was going on alongside Eleanor.
The footnotes were hilarious, and I loved that extra bit of detail and humor they added to the story. I can't wait for the next one!

4.25 stars
I very much enjoyed this book! I loved the humor and cheekiness of the main character and found it to be a very fun story! These are the exact sort of cozy mysteries that I love. I’m quite excited for this series to continue. I will say, I started this as an audiobook, and while I enjoyed the narrator, I think the format of the book lends itself better to reading it physically. But I highly recommend!!

Hello, let me introduce you to the book that I will be recommending to everyone I ever talk to.

Bestselling author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate her fictional world.

This book is hilarious. I loved all the inside jokes especially the Goodreads diss (sorry not sorry.) Iswitched back & forth from both the audiobook & the ebook & the audiobook made it feel like your friend was telling you the story.

This is such a good & it’ll be the perfect read for by the book this summer!

3.5 stars. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the first entry in a new series of cozy mysteries by Catherine McKenzie, and it’s a fun and fresh take on the genre. Eleanor Dash writes the popular Vacation Mysteries series, but after 10 books she’s ready for a change – and that means killing off her main character, Connor Smith, who also happens to be a real person she met a decade ago, and who she now can’t get out of her life (or her books). Maybe a book tour throughout Italy will provide the inspiration she needs for (figuratively) killing Connor – until, that is, there’s a threat on the real Connor’s life, sending the entire tour group into a tizzy of chaos and suspicion.

This book has been compared to the Finlay Donovan series, but it’s also similar to the Ernest Cunningham books, in that Eleanor addresses the reader directly, in a narrative that includes plenty of meta moments about the book world and publishing. It’s light-hearted and entertaining and funny, full of zany characters, and it’s also a pretty solid mystery, with plenty of suspects and red herrings.

There are lots of footnotes, which Eleanor uses to provide snarky asides and tidbits of juicy gossip, and I have to admit those got a bit tiresome after a while. It felt like Catherine Mack was trying just a bit too hard to be funny and clever, and I’m not sure how much those really added to the overall reading experience. However, I do love that Eleanor is a Swiftie, and as to how she’s going to get out of the predicament she finds herself in at the end of this book? All I have to say to her is: YOYOK (IYKYK), but I’ll definitely be coming back to see how you manage it. Thank you to Minotaur Books for the early reading opportunity.

Bestselling mystery author Eleanor Dash is on a whirlwind book tour trip to Italy, looking for inspiration on how to kill off one of the main characters in her book series. She is joined by the real-life version of said character (Connor), her sister, fans, her ex, and a slew of others. Her book tour takes quite a left turn when she finds that someone is trying to kill her and Connor in real life, and suddenly her days are mirroring her books a little too much. With everyone on the tour as a viable suspect, can Eleanor solve this mystery before it’s too late?

This was such a cute read. The style sucked me in immediately, with the author leaving hilarious footnotes throughout, as though they were talking to the reader. It was a fun and fresh take on the “book about an author writing a book” storyline, I thought all of the supporting characters were done well, and I really enjoyed this lighthearted cozy mystery. I can’t wait to pick up the next one in the series when it comes out!

Thank you to Catherine Mack, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This charming story hit shelves yesterday!

Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies was a quick, beach-read for lovers of murder mysteries and tales with comical protagonists.

The reader is quickly oriented to the events unfolding, and it begins in a most unexpected way - with Eleanor (our narrator) confessing to have sinned (even though she hasn’t acted on it yet). From opening scene right until the end, the reader follows El and a handful of other authors along on El’s book tour throughout Italy promoting her tenth (and possibly last) novel in her popular series. However, all is not what it seems as El and the others quickly realize someone is trying to kill Connor — or are they? And who among them is actually trying to kill Connor?

What I enjoyed most about this was the breaking of the fourth wall between El and the reader. I can’t recall the last time I read a book that had this writing style, and it made it more enjoyable and easy to read. The footnotes sometimes threw me off and didn’t always feel necessary, but they still highlighted the quirkiness of the narrator. The reveal at the end is fairly straightforward for mystery readers and watchers, and I would have liked to have seen it revealed in a more realistic nature.

All in all, this would be an enjoyable read for fans of Agatha Christie and other murder mystery fans. It’s a great beach or vacation read as it’s easy to pick up and follow without having to dedicate huge swaths of time before a chapter break. I am interested to see what else the author publishes in this series as the epilogue leaves off on a big cliffhanger.

Entertaining read , the author draws the reader in by have the main character "talk" to the reader . The storyline was more understandable when I listened on audio versus the written story . I did enjoy the story of authors and a who did it type mystery with a little "Clue " thrown in. I would read this author's work again for sure .

Overall I enjoyed this book. It was witty and mostly kept my attention - however the footnotes were a bit distracting. Another reviewer mentioned the audio book. I think this is an instance in where I would prefer audio for sure. Interesting characters and set in wonderful Italy which made the book more enjoyable.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 Stars
Happy pub day to Catherine Mack and Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies! Thank you to Catherine Mack, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen 🎧 to this book for an honest review. Additionally, thank you to St. Martin’s Press (Minotaur Books) for allowing me to read 📖 this book for an honest review!

📅 Tuesday, April 30, 2024 is the pub date for Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies. 📅

🎧The narrator for this audiobook is Elizabeth Evans.🎧

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies…one trip to die for.

Bestselling Author Eleanor Dash is on a book tour abroad with her sister (and assistant/consultant), a man (Connor - former love interest) that one of her main characters is based on, a few (roughly 20) fans, and a couple of friends (including current love interest). Eleanor plans to write Connor out of her next book but he starts to feel like someone is trying to kill him in real life. Multiple deaths ensue. Is anyone safe on the trip? Will they finish the book tour unscathed?

I love, love, loved the audiobook version! There were so many characters but Elizabeth Evans expertly crafted a distinct voice for each. Her narration helped me keep each character straight as I was listening. I originally started reading the ARC on my kindle but the footnotes were distracting to me. They didn’t provide for a smooth, seamless read. However when I switched to the audio ARC, the footnotes enhanced the experience and provided a fresh perspective with a lot humor. This was an engaging and fast paced listen that made me laugh out loud many times. It’s considered a cozy murder mystery. I suggest this read to any audiobook junkie!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A fun mystery with witty banter and descriptive world building. Eleanor Dash is a like able FMC with great supporting characters as well. The layout of the story was different with footnotes and clues to help you solve the crime.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur, and Catherine Mack (McKenzie) for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This book was fun. Definite Enola Holmes vibes - the fourth wall isn’t just broken, it’s smashed - which I don’t always love but I liked it here. The conceit of an author writing about an author writing about being an author was right up my alley. I liked Eleanor, who is a hot mess but whose sense of humor (read: sarcastic and snarky) is a lot like mine. I did wish her sister Harper was a little less “support staff” and a little bit more of an active participant. I also expected a little more villainy out of the weaselly Connor. Oliver was great though, and every scene with Oliver and Eleanor together was magical. I also developed a strong urge to go to Italy and, seeing as that’s not really a current option, eat lots of Italian food.

One side note: if you’re not a footnotes person (humorous or otherwise) you might struggle in this book. There are almost 300 of them. It didn’t bother me, especially because the footnotes occurred on each relevant page instead all at the end of the chapter (which I find hard to follow).

The mystery is entertaining, the scenery is gorgeous, and the main characters are a lot of fun. What’s not to enjoy? This is a great summer/beach/vacation read. Here’s hoping your vacation is less… shall we say “fatal”…than Eleanor’s.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

10 years ago, Eleanor Dash wrote a bestselling mystery novel, and now she wants to kill off her main character. Connor Smith isn’t just her crime-solving protagonist, it’s also the real name of the man that she unraveled a real mystery with. Now as she contemplates the fictional Connor’s demise, real life Connor is convinced that someone wants him dead. When a body is discovered, it seems that everyone had a motive.

Set in a gorgeous backdrop of the Mediterranean, this is a fun whodunnit. 3.5/5 stars

This debut cozy mystery is full of wit and quirky humor. The author uses footnotes to have a side conversation with the reader, and many are embedded with clues and funny quips. This definitely gives the book a unique approach and helps the reader solve the mystery on their own. I probably would have enjoyed the footnotes more in a physical book as I was reading on my Kindle while on a plane which made my finger accuracy in opening up the footnote link a but suspect with the bit of mild turbulence we enjoyed on our way from Columbus, Ohio to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Overall, I would rate the mystery as a 3.5 (I did figure out the whodunnit midway through) as I like my mysteries a bit more onstage, but I rounded up for creativity and overall enjoyment

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

We are are whisked away on a whirlwind book tour of Italy with main character Eleanor Dash on, her sister/assistant, a couple of exes, other fellow authors, and a few too many dead bodies. We get to follow along as secrets are revealed, and Italy is explored.

This is compulsively-readable book that seamlessly blends humor, mystery, and the charm of Italian locales. Much like an Aperol spritz on a hot summer day, this cozy mystery offers a delightful escape into a world where secrets unravel against the backdrop of breathtaking scenery.

Combining the wit and charm of the Finlay Donovan series with a hint of White Lotus ✨vibes✨, "Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" offers a perfect escape for fans of lighthearted mysteries. Perfect for readers who enjoy a dose of humor with their whodunits, this promises a fun-filled journey that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Mack crafts a fun story that keeps you guessing until the very end. I had a hunch about whodunit but there was just enough misdirection to keep me unsure. With its blend of humor, intrigue, and unforgettable characters, I can’t wait for what is next for Eleanor Dash and company.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read. All opinions are my own.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Eleanor Dash is back in Italy, ten years after her first trip. The first time, she met a dashing investigator named Connor Smith and they solved a series of bank robberies together. She went back home to California with her head still spinning from everything that happened, so she decided to process it all by writing it down. That became her first book which became a runaway bestseller. Now, she’s back in Rome and working on the tenth book of her popular Vacation Mystery series. And she has a plan for it. But she’s not alone on the trip.

The publisher has set up this tour of Italy to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Eleanor’s book, and they are going all out. Not only is Eleanor there with her sister Harper (who also acts as her assistant), but Connor is there too, along with several other authors and twenty fans who won the trip through social media. And just to make things more interesting, the tour also includes Eleanor’s ex (the one after Connor), and Connor’s ex-wife (and no, Eleanor didn’t know that Connor was married that first trip to Rome).

So Eleanor’s plan for this trip, as she’s plotting this tenth novel, is to kill Connor.

Not the actual Connor, of course. But the character of Connor. She wants to end the series. She wants to stop being tied to this man, especially since he’s been blackmailing her for a cut of her royalties. But then he tells her that someone is trying to kill him. Before they left on the trip, someone cut his brake lines. And then in Rome, someone tried to push him into traffic. But Eleanor isn’t true that he’s telling the truth. She’s never completely sure if Connor is telling the truth.

And then someone tries to push Eleanor off a cliff.

It has to be someone on the tour who is trying to kill them, but who would do that? And why? And what if someone kills off real-life Connor before Eleanor can kill him off in her book? And worse, what if someone kills her off before she can figure out who is trying to kill them?

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies kicks off a new series with a bang. This mystery sparkles with intrigue and interest, from the strong characters to the settings spread around Italy. With layers of secrets and lies and an assortment of crimes and victims to sort through, this novel is filled with questions, more questions, and pizza, pasta, and gelato.

I listened to the audio book for this one, narrated by Elizabeth Evans. Evans brings the character of Eleanor to life, complete with her snark and many, many footnotes. I think anyone who might be annoyed by those footnotes should try the audio book, as it just rolls right into the narration seamlessly, adding to the strong personality that Eleanor brings to the story. But there are so many footnotes that I think reading them would have been irritating.

But that being said, I loved this book. Author Catherine Mack opens up that fourth wall and invites the reader into the story. She encourages us to solve the mystery before her character does and offers fun spoilers throughout (including references to more books, which I really hope is true). This is not a traditional cozy, but instead a playful twist on the mystery genre, with nods to Dame Agatha Christie and notes about other good books to read. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a brilliant start to this series, and I can’t wait to see where we go next!

Egalleys were provided by Minotaur Books and an early copy of the audio book was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this book. I found the book was funny and the writing style was good but I found some of the funny parts a bit forced and I just found it was trying hard to be a cosy mystery even though I found it to be okay. I may not be a cosy mystery reader even though I try.