Ten years ago, Eleanor Dash went on vacation in Rome, fell in love with charming PI/"consultant" Connor, and helped solve a string of bank robberies that ended up with the head of the local mafia behind bars. When she came home, she wrote about it, changed a few names, and unbelievably had a bestselling mystery novel.

Today, Eleanor is getting ready to write her tenth book, and is back in Italy with now-ex-boyfriend Connor (who ended up being as self-centered as he is charming), her assistant/sister Harper (who put aside her own dreams of becoming a writer to help Eleanor), a few other novelists (including Eleanor's other ex, Oliver), and 20 of Eleanor's superfans (who won the trip by winning an online contest). While this is already a recipe for discomfort and wacky hijinks, there's also someone on the trip who seems to be trying to kill Connor...and possibly Eleanor.

This was a light and somewhat silly read, full of fourth-wall-breaking footnotes (more than 200 of them, yeesh), and situations that still make no sense to me. I was able to figure out the killer WAY too early (before there was a corpse, actually), which definitely took away from my enjoyment of the book and makes it really hard to recommend. Instead, read Benjamin Stevenson's Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone for a more interesting meta-mystery.

I went into this expecting a fun, light, murder mystery and I got everything I hoped for, and more!

Right off the bat, I'd like to mention that I'm not a big fan of instances where the narrator speaks to the reader. But in this case, it's what gave this book its character, its unique charm and I loved it! The narrator, Eleanor, continuously breaks the fourth wall and I thought it was really fun!

I loved the footnotes and the hints and the narrator's comments! I laughed quite a few times and I got a thrill out of trying to solve the mystery!

The secondary cast characters were all intriguing and suspicious at different occasions, and I didn't know what or who to believe at times, which added to the thrill!

Let's not forget the beautiful setting! God, I want to jump on a plane to Italy after reading this!

The beginning was a bit slow but once you hit the 30-40% mark, it really picks up!

All in all, I definitely recommend this book and really hoping to hear about more books in this series!

Life imitates art in this humorous Finlay Donovan-esque mystery. The author broke the fourth wall often and many of those instances, she spoke straight to Bookstagrammers, which I found quite amusing. Another aspect I enjoyed were all the book references sprinkled throughout the pages. What didn’t work for me were the interactions between Eleanor Dash (the protagonist) and Connor Smith (the real life person that Eleanor’s best selling series is based off of). I just didn’t believe Eleanor would act the way she did with him.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Read if you like:
The Finlay Donovan series
Breaking the fourth wall
Rome setting
Lots of book references

Imagine going on a book/sightseeing tour around Italy as part of your job as an author to promote your latest book/series! Sounds amazing, yes? Well, maybe not! ... especially when your group includes two of your exes, your ex's current date and his ex wife, an author who steals your storylines, an author who is being dropped by your publisher to put more focus on you, your sister who was always supposed to be the writer, a stalker fan, plus a book club fan group. In addition, your annoying and paranoid ex thinks somebody is trying to kill him and maybe you too!

The premise for this book is great and the title is fabulous! The potential is there for an excellent read; however, it was missing some of the excitement and suspense I was expecting from a "murder mystery". Mack introduces a quirky cast of characters who contribute to the odd and sometimes funny things going on. But I wish their personalities and backstories had been developed a little more and that they had shown a little more feeling based on the serious things happening around them. Do any of them really care about more than themselves? I don't know. Things pick up in the last third of the book with the introduction of Inspector Tucci and the ending of the tour. They visit some fantastic places - my favorite being Pompeii. Mack also uses many footnotes to add to her main character, Eleanor's thoughts and descriptions. Although they were amusing, there were too many to be flipping back and forth. It may have worked better to include some of this information in the body of the chapters. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the digital ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It was a fun, light hearted read. Although I enjoyed it., for some reason I didn't get totally into it and I can't pipnpoint why. It was cleverly written and funny. I didn't know the term "broke the fourth wall" prior to reading this book, but enjoyed learning something new and liked when the author talked directly to the reader. I felt like it took a little while to get to the mystery, but enjoyed all of the little suprises along the way, and was totally surprised by the ending.

I liked the idea of the footnotes, however I read this as an e-book so they were at the end of the chapter and I found it very disruptive to go back and forth., so mostly skipped them. If they had been on the same page I'm sure I would have enjoyed them.

I loved the Italy setting, especially I am going on a 10 day trip next week to a lot of the same places!

This is a 'one and done' for me on the series. Eleanor Dash (a tribute to Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility?) is on a book publicity tour in Italy with an eclectic mix of authors. Strangely, they all have a connection to her and Connor Smith, the man who inspired her first book. There's danger afoot. So many suspects. So many means. So much opportunity. Here is what I liked:
🥂The sights of Italy. Rome, Pompeii, Amalfi, and more. Take me away!
🥂Eleanor is a fan of 'The Lake House' -- one of my all-time favorite movies.
🥂Those titles: the Vacation Mystery series starting with 'When In Rome.' Loved all those details.
🥂Footnotes - 237 of them. While they added a playful tone and gave us a peek behind the curtain, they were so distracting.
In the end, that narrative style does not appeal to me. I will pass on further books in the series.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

The title of this book certainly grabs you!

This was fun. A murder mystery romp. The narrator is an author of clever mysteries but she's ready to be finished with the series, I won't share the reasons (spoilers!). There's a cast of characters, any of which could be the guilty one. I had a little trouble keeping track of who was who, especially the "minor" ones. The author encouraged you to figure out the mystery, often inserting little clues, usually within footnotes.

The author made liberal use of footnotes (200+ of them). Mostly humorous, often snarky, comments that were a lot of fun.

Overall, highly recommend. This would be a great summer beach read.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First, thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress @minotaur_books for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a fan of Catherine McKenzie, who is rebranding here as Catherine Mack, so I was excited to receive this ARC. And that cover is gorgeous, isn’t it?!

Unfortunately, this one fell a bit flat for me. It was fun, don’t get me wrong. But it took along time to get the action rolling, and when it did, it was almost too little, too late. Beyond that, the excessive use of footnotes (meant to be quirky) was deeply annoying on a Kindle. There’s no way to meaningfully keep up with it and the story, which took away from my enjoyment.

It was still cute and fun, just forgettable for me.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and MacMillan Audio for early access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This will publish at the end of April!
This is the second book in a row that I’ve read which takes place in Italy! I'm not in Italy, but the ruins I visited had a bit of European flair - not to mention amazing views after hiking straight uphill to get to them.
This book follows author Eleanor on a ten-day tour of Italy with some other authors and the winners of a bookface contest. Eleanor has written nine books in the Vacation series, and she is struggling to write the tenth, as she wants to kill off a main character - and is even open to ending the series. She has her reasons for this, unbeknownst to even her sister manager. There is some conflict between the sisters, too. Unfortunately, accidents start happening on the tour, which makes it seem like someone wants at least one of them dead. The accidents ramp up to a death before anyone truly believes there is an issue.
This was a fast, fun book. The descriptions of Italian views, food (pasta!), and Aperol Spritzes made me want to book it over to Italy ASAP! I mostly listened to the audiobook for this one, and I definitely recommend it. The narrator is engaging, and I found that the footnotes (over 200 of them) were distracting as I followed along on my eARC but made perfect sense to hear, as they came across as parenthetical observations, seamless to the listener’s ear. This is listed as the beginning of a new series, and I would happily listen to another book along the same lines. I think readers of Finlay Donovan would enjoy this book.

This was fun, clever and laugh out loud funny. Loved the murder mystery and the main character Eleanor. She funny, witty and her hate for Connor had me laughing out loud

I loved this!

ARC Review ~ Every time I go on Vacation Someone Dies~

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so much fun! I read it nearly in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down. I loved the format, the way the main character was writing directly to the reader with little fun additives added through footnotes. The flow of it ran so well and the mystery kept me guessing until a good way through the book. I can’t wait to read more and see what further adventures are in store for the characters!

Thank you NetGalley and St Matin’s Press for this ARC!

The title and cover alone sold me…then add cozy mystery, set in Italy and I am all in!

Eleanor Dash is a best selling author who desperately wants to end the book series that made her famous. Eleanor’s mistake was basing her main character on Connor Smith, a man she desperately wants out of her life. Since the success of the series Connor has been profiting off his likeness (getting royalties for his name LOL) and making Eleanor miserable in the process.

Now as Eleanor plots the demise of the literature version of Connor it seems someone else may be plotting Connor’s real life demise. Eleanor and Connor have been on a press tour around Italy when someone takes a shot at killing him but their motley group of traveling companions is full of suspects and does Eleanor really want to stop Connor’s demise?

Picking up Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is one for not only cozy mystery lovers but with the main character being an author you could say for book lovers but this first book is also for the travel lovers with the setting being around Italy. The character do have that slight tough of quirkiness you’d find in a lot of cozies and there were plenty of twists along the way in the story. With a lot going on in the this first book I felt I could have gotten to know the characters a bit better but when finished I rated this at three and half stars and would return to the series.

This was an easy and light mystery read that would be the perfect companion this summer on the beach. You'll find hilarious commentary on the action and characters from the story's narrator and it's unique in that you are coming alongside the protagonist the try and solve the mystery. I would recommend this to folks who want a light read this summer!

This was a great read! I was so excited and had this on my TBR when I found out about the upcoming release. It was a fun book and an easy read, I've already been recommending it to friends once it is released publicly.

The main character of this novel, Eleanor, is a bestselling mystery writer of a series of books set in Italy. The first book was based on real events where she solved a mystery with Connor, a guy she was dating at that time, and he’s been blackmailing her for a portion of her royalties ever since. This book finds her on a special book tour group in Italy with him, another ex, her sister/manager, and several other mystery writers, along with a group of fans. She’s contemplating killing off Connor’s character in her next novel, but then he reveals someone is trying to kill him in real life too, and the group gets caught up in trying to figure out what is going on.

The conceit of this novel is that it’s written by Eleanor herself recounting the events, with lots of fourth wall breaking and many footnotes with snarky asides. Sort of like a cross between Everyone In This Family Has Killed Someone and The Spellman Files, with a dash of Finlay Donovan. It might not be quite at the level of any of those series, but it was a fun and light mystery and I definitely will be in for reading the sequels.

This is the first book by “Catherine Mack,” but it’s actually a pseudonym for author Catherine McKenzie who I have read many books by. Funnily enough I snagged this one from Netgalley before I even knew it was her, just because it sounded cute.

Side note: the formatting of the footnotes in this e-ARC was atrocious, but I tried not to hold that against the book especially because there’s even a special note to readers at the beginning apologizing to readers for it. But let’s face it, even properly formatted footnotes can be annoying to read - I’ve actually heard this is great on audio where the footnotes integrate more naturally.

3.75 stars

Eleanor Dash is in Italy celebrating the tenth anniversary of her first book release and scheming up ways to kill off the main character (who also happens to be her former boyfriend and a fellow member on the trip) in her latest book, when she discovers someone is actually trying to kill Connor … and her. What’s a girl to do?

Enter a cast of quirky characters who all have motive and means, making for a fun whodunit that gave me Murder Mystery vibes and had me guessing right up to the end. This quick-paced, light book would be great for a day at the beach and is suitable for anyone that enjoyed the Finlay Donovan series. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next installment.

Thank you to Catherine Mack, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of the book for an honest review.

This has to be one of the funniest and most captivating books I have ever read. With the story being told from the POV of author Eleanor Dash as she goes on a book tour with a highly mixed cast of characters, one of which is trying to kill her, it is a non-stop rollercoaster of action and laughs. There are footnotes throughout the book as Eleanor gives you insight and hilarious commentary about what is happening, the publishing industry, and life in general.
See if you can solve the mystery before Eleanor does or dies! Set on the beautiful Amalfi coast, it's a beautiful place to die!

I tried, I really tried, but after three nights of reading, I only got to 20%, and I am not enjoying this book at all, for multiple reasons. I give myself permission to quit it. No rating due to DNF.

I understand I was provided an unpolished ARC kindle edition, but the formatting was so bad, that it was wholly unpleasant to read. I didn't enjoy the entire concept of the footnotes, and worse, footnotes are so difficult to reference on kindle. I found them distracting and confusing. I didn't like the narrator or her voice, and found nothing positively appealing about her or any other character. The MC is mooning after a past lover, who is currently blackmailing her for her book revenue profits. No thank you.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This book was so much fun to read! The twists, the witty one liners, and the fun descriptions of Italy made me feel like I was there with Eleanor. At first, I didn't care for Connor but he kinda grew on me. This book was definitely a cozy mystery for me. The Ebook footnotes made it a little more difficult to follow along but that is to be expected with an ARC.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me this opportunity!

Knowing how Eleanor (ahem) feels about Goodreads, I worried about writing this review but happily it's not meh. This is a romp of a crime novel narrated by-wait for it-the author of a popular cozy series. Eleanor is stuck more or less on a tour of Italy but she didn't read the itinerary and didn't realize that along with her sister, she's also traveling with her ex Connor and his ex-wife Allison, among others, as well as her fan club including her stalker. Here's the thing- Connor has been blackmailing her since the publication of her first novel (you won't know the real reason for a long time) and she's been forced to keep him as a character but now she wants to kill the character and the series. Except that Connor thinks someone else wants to kill him. No spoilers from me (this has multiple twists). It's funny sometimes snarky and I liked the Italy atmospherics (the heat, the drinks, the food!). Know that there are footnotes which don't work well in an ebook because they become chapter endnotes but luckily the chapters are fairly short. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a hoot.