Every time I go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

This one was fun! Eleanor Nash is a best selling author on a book tour through Paris. She tries to solve a real life murder mystery when someone attempts to kill someone on her team.

Even though the story was a bit cheesy it was also a very funny cozy mystery. I actually laughed out loud a few times. There were also a few T-Swift references that added to the fun. One part of the book which I really enjoyed were the footnotes. They were hilarious! Throughout the story Eleanor addresses the reader multiple times which isn’t done often but made me feel like part of the book.

Every time I Go on Vacation is fast-paced, lighthearted with witty banter. It’s a good “palate cleanser” when in between thrillers and historical fiction novels. I will definitely read its sequel: No One was Supposed to Die at this Wedding!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley and @minotaur_books for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

#everytimeigoonvacationsomeonedies #catherinemack #minotaurbooks

Overall I enjoyed this cute, cozy mystery.

I combined the audio with the physical book and found I really preferred the audio. The narrator was perfect!

As someone who loves a good mystery (which is no secret), especially when there's a touch of humor, I was excited to dive in. What really set this book apart for me was Eleanor's unique way of connecting with the reader through footnotes.

The Italian setting was another highlight—it let me escape for a bit and imagine I was soaking up the sun there too. As for the mystery, while it didn’t have the most jaw-dropping twist, that wasn’t an issue for me because it had so much more. I was more invested in the experience and the author’s storytelling than in trying to predict the outcome. It was a fun, breezy read that felt perfect to me!

If you're a fan of mysteries, particularly cozy ones, I highly recommend this book. I can’t wait for the second book!

As a fan of Catherine Mack’s thrillers under her other name, I was excited to dive into this clever, darkly funny mystery, and it did not disappoint. The vacation settings were vivid and immersive, providing the perfect contrast to the chaos and suspense that followed the protagonist. The audiobook was fantastic, with a narrator who perfectly captured the humor and tension, making the experience even more engaging. While I loved the twists and sharp writing, I wished for a bit more depth in some of the supporting characters. Overall, it’s a fun, fast-paced read that fans of offbeat mysteries will thoroughly enjoy!

Bring on book #2!

I absolutely adored this book! It was hilarious and had me laughing out loud. It had a really good mystery and I loved all of the characters! I also really liked the way the author wrote this, as if they were talking directly to the reader. I cannot wait for the sequel!

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies is a quirky mystery recommended for readers who can relate to a co-dependent main character with a sassy streak. A la Jen Lancaster. Including the heavy use of footnotes... "just because"

El and Harper are in Italy for El's book tour and we are taken on a whirlwind of adventure at the hands of Connor, El's ex.. who is a thief, but also a "fictional" main character in El's novels.

Readers need to suspend reality on the initial premise, which is that El basically brain dumped her crazy European Vacation with Connor, into a blockbuster best selling book. In the writing, of which El has no experience doing, she changed all names except, her International Man of Mystery Thief of an ex. She had plenty of time (and time with lawyers and editors) to change the name but alas, she didn't. As a result, she was blackmailed into paying Connor in perpetuity.

Alright so I usually love mysteries that are on the cozy side, but the footnotes and the breaking of the fourth wall really made this one difficult for me to read.

It wasn’t as quick of a read as other cozy mysteries, but it was fun. A big cast of characters to guess who did it with plenty of motives. Plus it had a great setting in Italy.

I may pick up the next one for a good time.

Also I did guess part of the ending 🤷‍♀️

This book was so unique. The main character being the narrator was a new idea to me and I liked it. It was a nice twist to a murder mystery themed book and it made me like it more.

The cliff notes in the book didn't do much for me and I honestly skipped them a lot. For me they didn't add to the story. Overall this was a good book and I really enjoyed it!

What a fun and funny read from the very first page I was drawn in. This was truly such a pleasure to read can’t wait to read the next book in the series! Also loved all the Taylor Swift references and the Italy setting so much

Clever and funny premise for a novel. Best read in final format as footnotes add so much to the continuity of the story. My edition was a digital review copy. Generally enjoyable book. However, I didn't engage with the characters as I had hoped to. Suspect list was well, everyone! Didn't end up finishing it to end.

Well, surprisingly I liked this more than I thought I would. It had all the ingredients out of the bounds of my preference: increadibly unbelievable on a lot of accounts, a series so you feel like you have to read the next one, highly unlikable characters. Even, Eleanor, the main character was unbearable at times, although it might have been the aperol spritz, but she grew on me. While reading the advanced unedited copy was a project in itself, the authors use of footnotes being all ever the place, I did find them endearing. And the setting, of course, is beautiful. Definitely more of a summer time beach read.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC which i finished waaay too late.

Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this book up because it sounded fun. I love a good mystery (we all know this by now) and especially one that also incorporates humor. What made this book extra fun for me was the way that Eleanor talked to us as the reader though footnotes. It gave similar vibes to Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson but with the author talking to us through the footnotes instead of directly. It will either work for you or it won't - but I found it to be fun in both books. I also really liked that the book was set in Italy - I got to pretend for a little bit that I was there as well. I won't say that the mystery was the most surprising but it didn't need to be. For me, I just really enjoyed the ride that the author was taking me on as the reader. It was fun and felt like a breath of fresh air.

Readers who enjoy mysteries and/or cozy mystery readers should pick this book up. It feels like the perfect summer read especially as the book is set during the heat of the summer. And if you enjoyed Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone, give this one a try as it gave me similar vibes. Four stars and I plan on continuing with book two whenever it releases.

Loved this witty smart mystery that is filled with lightness and humor and is still so clever. The ending was satisfying but not predictable. Characters are a delight and I can’t wait to read the sequel.

I tried and tried to get into this book.

I the formatting for the copy in the app was hard to read. I wanted to read the book still so I waited for the library copy. I just couldn’t get into the story. Somewhere there was such a disconnect I DNF’d the book after 2 times of renewing my library book too

I think this would have been better as a physical copy because the book itself was hard to follow with the footnotes. It was not a fun book to read.

This was a well written, inventive, fun book! The book falls more on the cozy mystery spectrum and overall is a good murder mystery. The characters are entertaining and the plot is well developed, giving ample suspects for readers to examine. The downside of the book for me was the use of footnotes. Yes, they gave information on the main character’s thought process and gave a little background information, but I found them disruptive to the flow of the story and they take the reader out of the story to read something that may or may not be of interest at that particular point. I enjoyed the mystery itself very much and am interested in reading more by this author.

This book sounded like it would be fun and entertaining but I couldn’t get into it. The footnotes were obnoxious and I felt nothing for the characters. It just took forever to get into and I was ready for the story to be over. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is the perfect mystery for my friends who want a mystery that is similar to a cozy, adding a little more snark, and hold the graphic/murdery bits.
This book was a lot of fun! Eleanor Dash is a bestselling author on a book tour, just trying to kill off her main character in her Vacation Mysteries series, when a real attempt on his life sends us into a tailspin of mystery, murder and who-dunnit between fans, rivals and literary colleagues.
Loved the inside look at publishing and the extra fun having the author FMC speaking right to the reader, which made for a neat twist that we don’t often see.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy and the opportunity to share my thoughts in this review.

Eleanor Dash lost her parents at a young age and helped raise her sister. Eleanor has become a famous author, thanks to the amazing support of her sister, Harper. The two sisters are very close. Eleanor sets off on a book promotion tour to Italy with her sister, two of her ex-boyfriends, some book fans, and a couple of other authors as they travel across Italy to see the sights. It sounds like fun, except there is an attempted murder on Connor, and possibly Eleanor, and someone else gets murdered.

The story was humorous and quite entertaining. I was able to figure out one of the plot twists, but most of them took me by surprise. The book included many footnotes that were entertaining and an integral part of the story, acting almost like a second point of view.
I had an electronic ARC, and I found the footnotes didn’t align well in the version I had. I tried adjusting the font size and the device, but I just couldn’t get it to flow better. I believe this issue detracted from my enjoyment of the story, making it take longer for me to get through it. I would rate the book 3.5 out of 5. I think a different point of view would have worked better than the footnotes, as it felt like 40% of the story was actually in the footnotes.

I will definitely read the next book in the series because the theme and the writing were great.