Like an Agatha Christie who done it with a mix of the mafia set in Italy. Written in the style of the main character, a famous book writer, is talking to you in footnotes giving you more details and thoughts. With a cast of characters and group of “Bookface Ladies” fans along for the mystery.
This book would probably be better to read on a real book and not the ebook/kindle version. Trying to find the footnotes and back to your place in the book is distracting and after a while annoying. Some footnotes were in black and some in red… I eventually gave up on them.

I was initially attracted to this book because it looked like a fun and light mystery read, set in Italy where I live. I think in hindsight this was perhaps not the book for me or my reading tastes? I found the main character a little too conversational with the reader (I guess I prefer to read as an "onlooker") and the footnotes sort of drove me crazy. They really broke up the flow of my reading, for what were often short pithy comments. You can certainly skip them, but I wanted the full experience of reading with them included. One thing that drives me a little crazy with books set in Italy are the cultural inaccuracies -- no you wouldn't order cannoli in Naples because those are from Sicily. No you would not have the same tour guide with you throughout as people are only licensed in certain cities. OK, maybe that makes me a bit of a spoilsport, but can someone with cultural knowledge start proofreading these books set in Italy for cultural accuracy?

I will say if you don't care about those cultural inaccuracies (most people would not pick up on them) and do like a more conversational, cozy mystery, this is probably the book for you -- especially as a summer beach read with a bit of escapism included.

#ETIGOVSD:⁣
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Thank you @minotaur_books @macmillan.audio #MacAudio2024 for my gifted copies.⁣
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This tickled my ADD brain in the best way, and audio is truly the way to go. The footnotes made total sense on audio and really tracked for my multiple track mind. I tried my kindle and threw a fit, did decent with the physical print, but audio? Elizabeth Evans, you made it shine for the reader.⁣
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If you like your snarky banter with your cozy mystery, look no further. If you want to crave an aperol spritz while dreaming of Italy, buckle up. Eleanor Dash makes both things happen as she breaks down her book tour from hell, in a place that’s nearly heaven. Someone is trying to axe her and the real life inspiration behind her MC, and she’s not having it. ⁣
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With quite a few nods to Dame Aggie, it’s a great murder mystery that one could enjoy. Dare I say… it’s to die for? (I’ll see myself out) first in a series, it’s wonderful and kept my attention. Can’t wait to see what happens next!⁣
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Out April 30th!⁣
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QOTD: Where is your dream vacation?

Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies is a fun and entertaining romp through Italy. Is someone trying to kill Eleanor's ex? Or maybe they're after Eleanor? Is it someone on the book tour? So many questions, but enough limoncello spritzes will help her figure it out

I am still deciding on how I feel about the format, the footnotes, breaking the 4th wall etc. but it’s different which I always appreciate. Some of the twists were slightly predictable but still needed explanation. A fun read!

This was really cute, entertaining and enjoyable to read.
I found the premise to be fun and quirky and overall something a little different than my usual romance or thrillers. I thought the setting was amazing, the characters were cute and overall I enjoyed my time reading this one.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to review this ARC. I had a thoroughly fun time reading it, and I honestly think it got me out of a little reading slump I was in. The story had a good pace to it, and was witty and comical from beginning to end. While I had a little trouble with the footnotes on my Kindle (I was warned beforehand) they added another layer of building rapport with the main character, and also got some good laughs in as well. I predicted part of the twist(s?), but not all of it, which I liked. I like that I was able to figure it out on my own but also still be a little surprised by something. The ONLY reason I'm giving 4 instead of 5 stars is that I thought it was a little predictable, though. Overall I thought it was a fun, light, easy read that kept me on my feet.

This book is very much impressed with itself. I was not as impressed with it. It tried to hard to be quirky and cute. I just found it annoying. I’m a nerd. I love footnotes. Here they were unnecessary and distracting.

Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is a laugh-out-loud cozy mystery/rom-com hybrid, set in a “locked room” format, as all the characters/suspects are on a book tour of Italy!
The protagonist, Eleanor Dash, is well-drawn as the writer of a popular Vacation mystery series. Her sister Harper is her bestie and manager. Her ex-lover Connor is blackmailing her, and his ex-wife Allison still resents Eleanor’s affair with Connor. Rounding out the cast of fellow travelers are a couple of fellow mystery writers and the Book-faced ladies, groupies who have won this trip with Eleanor. Mayhem and murder ensue in a delightfully funny, witty comedy full of dead ends and red herrings!
Eleanor is a sassy, saucy heroine, and in her first person narrative frequently “breaks the fourth wall,” to address the reader with clues and snide asides. The lovely travelogue of Italy’s beautiful landmarks adds to the charm, as do the witty footnotes, which take some getting used to, but definitely add to the plot and the humor.
This is an entertaining ensemble whodunit, in the vein of Knives Out and Janet Evanovich novels. The epilogue broadly hints at a sequel, and I will eagerly look forward to it.
I recommend this for a 2024 beach read!

Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up. This book is a fun cozy mystery set in Italy, which would be perfect for a beach or pool read. If you're looking for a light mystery with no graphic content, I highly recommend giving it a try.

One thing to note is that the author uses a lot of footnotes, which add a quirky and fun element to the story. However, I suggest reading this book in its physical format rather than on a Kindle. The ebook formatting was a bit difficult to follow, with the footnotes appearing in the middle of the pages.

This cozy mystery was so cleaver and funny! While cozy mysteries are not my go to genre, after hearing the synopsis and seeing the beautiful cover, I knew I needed to give it a try.

I went between reading the ebook and listening to the audiobook, which in my opinion is the best way to read a book! I was hooked from the beginning but I felt that it was a slow build and lost some steam throughout most of the book. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and it caused me to struggle to keep my attention. Overall, I enjoyed the book and I was extremely surprised by the twists.

The narrator, Elizabeth Evans, was a new to me narrator and the female voices were enjoyable. However, I think the audiobook could have benefited by having a male narrator for the male characters since I was not a fan of her male voices.

If you are a fan of Finlay Donovan series, the you will like enjoy this series.

****Many thanks to Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my gifted copies in turn for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my advance electronic copy via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Author Eleanor Dash didn't think that this book tour of Italy would be such a nightmare. Sure, she knew that Connor Smith--the jerk who she got mixed up with ten years ago and who she's now stuck with--would be there, but she has a plan for him (note: kill off his character in her next book and be done). What she didn't expect was...well, anything else. And now Connor thinks someone's trying to kill him, and it seems like he may not be the only one in danger. But with so many people who have a grudge against him...and, it turns out against Eleanor too, how many killers are there, and how many people will wind up dead?

I did not like Eleanor, but that didn't get in the way of enjoying the book. She is not very bright, is helpless to the point of using those who care about her the most, and she is self-pitying when her troubles are pretty much her own fault. Having said that, I loved the creative idea of her including snarky little asides in the footnotes of the book, breaking the fourth wall to create mood and suspense, a la Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone (but different). I also enjoyed the idea of a murder mystery on a book tour, with plenty of suspects to go around and good food to imagine.

This was such a hard read, not only due to the terrible formatting on Kindle but also due to the overall style of the book. This reads more like a mid-2000s self-insert wattpad fic. The fourth wall does not exist in this book at all and there are even multiple chapters of the author over explaining and recapping every thing that happened 2 pages ago. The book tries way too hard to be funny and is just snarky which had me rolling my eyes the entire time.

I struggled to get into this book because I felt the story was getting interrupted by all of the footnotes. I understand why the author included them, it just felt like too much and it was distracting. I didn't finish this book after 100 pages or so.

*3.5 stars rounded up.

The story is narrated by Eleanor Dash, the author of the best-selling Vacation Mystery series. She and her sister Harper are in Italy for a book event with several other authors and a group of fans. Eleanor's ex-lover, Connor Smith, is also on the trip. She based her main character in the series on him and the real-life case they were involved in. Eleanor has a dirty secret that Connor holds over her head for which she pays him a percentage of her earnings for his silence. Now Connor swears someone is trying to kill him--first in America and then in Rome. Who would want him dead and why? When someone does end up dead, all the authors gather together to try to figure this case out.

This is a fresh and fun cozy mystery with lots of humor, plenty of suspects and a nice twist to the ending. I look forward to reading the further adventures of Eleanor and friends as hinted in the ending. I have to say though, I became annoyed by the use of footnotes to add more information and humorous comments to the story. I felt it disrupted the flow of the plot. I hope they lose that in future books.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new mystery novel via NetGalley and for introducing me to a new author. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Everytime I go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack, book one in the Vacation Mystery series, is a semi-lighthearted mystery, sprinkled with romance. Eleanor Dash, a bestselling author of nine murder mysteries, is plotting out the tenth, and she hopes, the final book in the series. Her publisher has sent her on a ten day promotional tour through Italy for her latest work; the journey takes an unexpected turn into a real-life murder mystery.

An enjoyable story that weaves together charm, intrigue, humor and a little romance, resulting in an engaging read. If you appreciate self-reflexive storytelling and cozy mysteries set against the picturesque Italian landscape, this book is worth adding to your reading list.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#NetGalley #stmartinspress

The title and concept of this cozy mystery drew my attention, but unfortunately I didn't find it as humorous as I had hoped. Although the footnotes were a clever addition, they were difficult to follow on my e-reader.. That really disturbed the flow of the story for me as well as keeping the numerous characters straight and trying to determine exactly who was speaking a lot of the time. I did enjoy getting a feel for the foods and sights of Italy and will probably read the next book in the series. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

Looking for a fun story to take to the beach? Here it is - Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack.

"Best-selling author, Eleanor Dash, just wants to get through her book tour and kill off her main character, Conor. She wants to go in a different direction with her books and getting involved with con-man Conor has been miserable. When Conor claims that someone is trying to kill him, Eleanor is asked to help him find out who.
Eleanor wonders if she is in danger too, but after one member of their party is actually killed, everyone is a suspect.
Who is trying to get away with murder?"

I love the voice here of Eleanor - definitely some Finaly Donovan vibes. The setting is wonderful. All of the different places in Italy make it exotic. The book-face ladies are hilarious Eleanor groupies. (Think about that next time you go to an author event) Conor is a character you'll wonder about. He's charming, but maybe he's a snake - is he telling the truth? There are plenty of clues from Mack but you probably won't guess the bad guy (I did guess one).

If you haven't been to Italy, this will make you want to visit. Take this book when you go.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a light hearted mystery. Eleanor Dash is a best selling author that based a main character off a real person in her life. An awful person who blackmails Eleanor, Connor is the bane of Eleanor’s existence. She’s making plans to kill off her main character while it seems someone is trying to kill Connor in real life. Eleanor seems to also be on the hit list. Funny and unexpected, the story is pure enjoyment and I enjoyed loathing Connor right along with Eleanor. Eleanor is likable and a little silly. The story will have you questioning all the people in Eleanor’s life even the ones you’re rooting for. My first book by this author but I enjoyed it so much it will not be my last! My voluntary, unbiased, and non mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

There was a moment in this book when I assumed everyone may be in on it, that’s how much I liked the little twist! I love how this was written. It almost felt like a fun little letter from a dear friend of mine. This isn’t the kind of thriller that has you sweating and nervous, this is fun (and funny). I read this while on family vacation because the title screamed that this would be the perfect vacation read, and I was right!