Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for allowing me to read an ARC of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack.

Eleanor (El) Dash is a mystery writer on a book tour in Italy. Others join her such as her ex-boyfriend Connor, her sister Harper, her lover Oliver, some writers, some fans who won a contest, etc. While in Italy and after some random traumatic events, Connor and El conclude that someone is trying to kill them. When another mystery writer ends up dead in their place, El must figure out fast who is after them before it's too late!

If you like the Finlay Donovan series, this could be the new series for you! It was a fun and quirky cozy mystery. The author breaks the fourth wall at times near the end; involving the reader to solve the mystery...which reminds me of Janice Hallett's books in a way as well. The characters are colorful yet mysterious, even ugly at times with their actions. The pace of the book was steady throughout, it would make a good summer read.

The author adds footnotes throughout the whole story. The footnotes are not needed and the author gives the reader the option to read them; they're used to add goofy side commentary that doesn't add anything but playful two cents to certain parts of the story. If you're reading it on the Kindle, it's not so bad as you can click on the link to each one and they appear on the same page; however, reading it on the phone can get the user lost at the end of the chapter and trying to get back to the page they were on. I tried reading the footnotes at the beginning but ended up skipping them a third way into the story because they began to become annoying. Also in one note, El brings up the topic of getting 3-star reviews that I found to be the actual author speaking on and it was off-putting and irrelevant.

Overall, this story was good and has the potential to be even better without so much commentary throughout. I'm not sure if I would continue this series or not. I think it depends on whether the footnotes and commentary remain in these or not.

A light and bubbly novel, much like the Aperol spritzes that feature so prominently. It is a fun read with witty writing and the recently popular “reader involvement”. The descriptions of the locales and food are wonderful. It feels like the refreshing sorbet between courses to cleanse the palate.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get through this book because of the footnotes. I really love the idea of the footnotes, but at least for the copy that I received were more toward the end I kept having to backtrack It felt like a part-time job trying to read this book. My copy also had a ton of weird spacings, which made it really hard to read. It didn’t seem intentional. I’m hoping by the time release this book they fix the spacing and put the foot notes on the page you are reading. I was really excited to read this book because the cover, the description, the fun story, but I just could not get past the spacing in the footnotes. When it comes out, maybe I can get it as an audiobook that might be better or hopefully they fix it.

Thank you, NetGallery, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a quirky, fun romp through Italy, following an author getting inspiration and life resembling fiction. Great scenery and a decent read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

A story about a best-selling writer who goes on a promotional tour of Italy only to find herself the target of a killer. With a large cast of suspects it will keep you guessing right until the final chapters. Might have been better with fewer characters. There were times I had trouble keeping them straight in my mind. I had to stop and think who was who. I thought the main character, Eleanor Dash, was a tad shallow, but she’s trying. Her sister, Harper, is the one who has it all together. The leading man, Conner, is a total cad. Other than the love interest, Oliver, the other characters are mostly forgettable. Also could have done without the footnotes. There were way too many. I found them distracting and felt they interfered with the flow of the story. Loved the descriptions of the breathtaking scenery and scrumptious meals. Told in the first person by Eleanor. She’s very self-aware and even jokes about her own shortcomings. At one point in the story she breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader. Recommend for fans of light, humorous, cozy murder mysteries.

Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies is a cozy murder mystery that is fun, unpredictable and laugh out loud hilarious! The story unfolds with a perfect blend of suspense, romance, and drama, which kept me on the edge of my seat.

Eleanor Dash is a famous writer that attends a book tour in Italy alongside other well known writers. Their week is full of elaborate events, so what could possibly go wrong? Quite literally everything, from blackmail to murder. No one is safe, and everyone is a suspect.

The plot of this book is everything! Most of the characters are likable, and there were a few that made me roll my eyes a couple of times, but their different perspectives and personalities kept the story intriguing. If I had to choose a favorite part of the book I’d highlight the use of 'Breaking The 4th wall,' which allows readers to immerse themselves deeper into the investigation.

Catherine Mack's writing shines in this novel, making it a must-read for fans of Knives Out, Murder Mystery, or anyone looking for a thrilling whodunit.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book.

Eleanor is an uber successful writer off on a tour of Italy to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of her successful series The Vacation Mysteries (the first of which is based on her real life experience in Rome). This book is written as a murder mystery, where Eleanor challenges you to solve it before her and often explicitly states when she’s telling you a clue. It’s very tongue in cheek with an entire chapter titled “Breaking the Fourth Wall.”

Overall it was a nice, light read. I was able to guess a portion of the ending at around 35%. There were maybe too many pop culture references for me that I’m not sure will age well (a mix of Taylor Swift lyrics or mentions (I counted 6), Bridgerton, White Lotus twice, and The Good Place). But others may enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I read this and also listened to the audiobook as well. I loved both. The narrator is quite quirky and funny and makes the entire journey of the book interesting. I loved the setting and the characters. I really want to read more from thus author as I loved this book.

Ebook/Cozy Mystery: Thank you Netgalley for letting me have an ARC of this book because I really enjoyed it... except for the footnotes.
This is a whodunnit mystery. I didn't guess the murderer correctly... because it was out of left field, but the first person narrative was funny.... except for the footnotes.

OMG this book was everything I never knew I needed!! If you like the Finlay Donavan series then this will be the perfect book for you. I absolutely devoured this book. I was laughing out loud so much through this book .She made you feel like you were right there the whole time. This is a fun mystery with lots of LOL moments. The characters were well written. Eleanor is a fantastic main character. She's hilarious and snarky, and this combined with her total distain for Connor really makes the book. You will get some romance in this book as well. I did think I had the twist figured out but I didn't. I had such a fun time reading this book and I can't wait for the next one. I would HIGHLY recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

Eleanor Dash just wants to make it through this book tour and finish writing her Vacation Mysteries book series. Ten days in Italy. In July. With not just one, but two of her exes. And her sister who may or may not want to quit being her PA. And a pack of fans—a pack of fans that just happens to include her stalker. And some other authors who are not necessarily big fans of Eleanor.

As if all of that wasn’t enough to ruin a vacation, Connor, one of those aforementioned exes, thinks someone is trying to kill him, and it looks like he just may be right.

What an absolute blast of a book! Full of humor, intrigue, and a touch of romance, Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies would appeal to fans of Finlay Donovan and Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.

It has the meta aspects of an author experiencing mystery and suspense in their own lives that you see in both Elle Cosimano’s and Benjamin Stevenson’s works, paired with dropping the fourth wall like Stevenson and a level of romance approaching Cosimano’s.

I was hooked, and even though I figured things out before the end, I still found myself thoroughly entertained. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I received advance copies of the book from Minotaur Books. All review opinions are my own.

I give this book a B- (3.5 stars)
The writer has a fun casual writing style that you usually see in romance novels, making easy to just keep reading.
She plays with some 4th wall breaks that are enjoyable and has a quirky use of foot notes that jumped the shark for me at a certain point and I just stopped reading them.
Over all I enjoyed this murder mystery and am Interested yo see what she writes next

I really struggled to get through this one. I put it down several times and went to other books before forcing myself to finish it. It had nothing to do with the actual story, but the formatting of reading it on a Kindle. I think I would have enjoyed it more reading a physical copy of the book. I enjoyed the different style of having footnotes - it was really funny, but it just didn't work on the Kindle. I had to keep going back to reread sentences that were broken up by a footnote. I hate to feel this was about the book because of the formatting, but that's all that's in my mind after reading it. The story itself was a fun and unusual style that I would like to read more of.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Catherine Mack for this ARC.

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to receive an electronic ARC of this book! I appreciate it so much, this is my first ARC read, All opinions are my own in this review.

Right off the bat, the pacing felt very slow and I wasn't immediately drawn in. Usually, when I read thrillers, I finish it very quickly in anticipation to find out what happened so I felt like it was important to note that this felt like a long read for me. I got more invested once I hit the 70% mark but up until then, it felt boring.

I like how the author is breaking the fourth wall and we're having a conversation with her thoughts as she lays out the story. I read this on a Kindle so the footnotes bothered me since I had to flip back and forth through pages to see what the footnote said. They were a cool and fun extra little way to give us more insight into the main character but in some instances, it broke my flow of reading.

The reveal was really good and the end tease to the 2nd book is a nice cliffhanger. I unfortunately wouldn't recommend it to my friends or community though since I would have not finished the book around the 40% mark if I didn't receive this book for review. Like I said before, the first 70% of the book was boring and felt super slow.

Thank you again for the opportunity to review this title!

Oh this was clever and really easy read , such a great mystery book, is fun and very light going. Definitely enjoyed immensely. The setting was clever and the characters fun.

I enjoyed the book (including the footnotes). Not sure if they were left in the book for publishing, but the only thing I would say about them is that it would have been easier if they were hyperlinked as it didn't seem like they were placed regularly throughout the book, so it sometimes felt that I was going pages before I figured out what the footnote number was referencing. I had the "whodunnit" partially figured out prior to it being revealed, but definitely didn't have all that was revealed figured out. All in all an entertaining read.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies
Catherine Mack
April 30, 2024

Connor Smith feels like his life is a masterpiece. He dates plenty of beautiful women and one ex in particular is a writer. Eleanor Dash is a wealthy author who has written a series of books about places she has visited. Unfortunately in the first book she uses Connor’s name as a main character. He sought legal advice and was given part of the profits of each of the nine books she has written in the series. Now she has decided that #10 will be her last and unbeknownst to Connor, she plans to kill him off - in the book of course.
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies will be published by Minotaur Books on April 30, 2024. I was able to read and review the first book in the series by Catherine Mack via NetGalley. I appreciate their allowing me to discuss the book with readers. It’s truly a first book that I have read where the author, Ms. Dash, discusses the progress of the journey with the reader. She also includes footnotes in the manuscript discussing her thoughts while writing. It is interesting. I really enjoyed most of the novel. Parts were a bit long but in the end very interesting. Try this one and do enjoy!

The protagonist, Eleanor Dash, is a bestselling author who seems to have it all. Yet, beneath her successful exterior Eleanor is also battling internal struggles. As she embarks on her book tour in Italy, Eleanor plans to kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in her upcoming novel. However, the tables get turned and there seems to be some attempts at a real murder or two.

I enjoyed the original aspects of this story such as the humorous footnotes and the fact that the author talked to the reader. The mystery was well paced, easy to read. and kept me guessing until near to the end. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, by Catherine Mack, is the first story in the Vacation Mystery series. This story is focused on a best-selling mystery author who writes her serial crime novels in various vacation locales. The format of this story is really quite unique. There are footnotes and times when the main character and narrator talks directly to the reader, essentially breaking the fourth wall. The narrator is a quirky, opinionated, snarky persona. While being a murder mystery, this story is quite also humorous and rather avant-garde.

Eleanor Dash based her original crime story on a personal real life event and love affair she had while touring Italy. When she didn’t change the identity of Connor, the main male character in her novel, he forced her to pay a share of her royalties. Nine novels later, she is desperate to be free of him financially and personally, but her fans and publisher won’t release her from her contract. Just when she threatens to kill off her main character, someone actually threatens his life while they are on tour in Italy. With another author stealing her plots, her super fans preferring Connor over her, and an ex, whom she never got over unexpectedly showing up on tour, things quickly get out of hand and the suspects are plentiful.

This is a highly unusual cozy mystery of sorts, though it’s probably more of a comedic light-mystery, similar to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. Eleanor comes across as rather brusque and abrasive at times and makes some really poor choices. Her sister is also a character whom I think we are supposed to like, but who comes across as extremely self-centered and selfish. With none of the characters being particularly likable, I wasn’t as invested in the outcome as much as I’d hoped to be. I also found the plot to be a tad confusing at times with all of the extra chatter to other characters as well as the audience. On a minor note, I truly dislike when authors spoil other real life books.

That said, Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is an original, clever mystery with plenty of twists and surprises, and though it didn’t entirely draw me in, it proves to be a light, fun, atmospheric summer read.

This was witty and fun and the ultimate beachy summery read!!! I had a good time reading about these characters and they made me laugh like my own friends do. So many twists and turns ....this book was a hilarious fun entertaining read. It won't blow your mind but it makes for a enjoyable light hearted book.