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.

I did not finish this one. I made it to 52% and called it quits. The dialogue was mediocre, and the story was going in circles. The plot had potential, but it would have been better as a "locked room" mystery with the murder happening at the beginning. The characters had no development and they were unlikable. There were also WAY too many footnotes. The author said you can skip them, but I didn't want to potentially miss anything. They did not add anything to the story, and it was just annoying having to go back and forth on my kindle for them. Hopefully the will be at the bottom of the page in the physical copy.

I was really excited for this cozy mystery based on the title. The idea of an author traveling around Italy on tour with the real life version of her popular mystery character sounded really fun. Connor is a much loved main character, but it real life he is sort of a bad guy. He has blackmailed the author Eleanor for book royalties who made the unfortunate poor decision to use his real name in her books. Now on her tenth novel, Eleanor is determined to kill off book Connor so she can begin a new series. However, someone is trying to kill the real Connor. I liked the premise of the book and how it played out, but I found the book to be repetitive. Same arguments and situations over and over again so I lost interest pretty quickly. Eleanor wasn't the easiest main character to like so I found it a little hard to get through in places. Cute idea, just wanted a little more action and a little more Italy based situations.

This was an interesting book. A mystery about a mystery writer. I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would, but I did enjoy the aspect of the authors traveling to Italy for a fan event. People get murdered, all the authors are suspects, and at the same time they are trying to solve the mystery. It gave off a classic “whodunit” feel. Definitely a book you would enjoy if you like Agatha Christy.

the layout of this book was absolutely awful. I felt like it needed a ton of work to be more reader friendly for enjoyment. I DNFed at 10% and don’t see myself picking it back up again.

This book was humorous and a bunch of fun to read. I really enjoyed the author breaking the fourth wall to help us figure out who dun it! The second half of this book felt overly drawn out and dragged on. This was my first read from this author, and I'd be willing to read their future works.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book- I could not finish it fast enough. It was humorous, fun, twisty, and just so well done. I truly enjoyed reading it. The main character El was so good- I loved the who done it or is there a death question? I could not get enough. This was my first read from this author, and can’t wait to pick up another.
Each time I thought I figured it out- I was wrong. Such a fun read!! A very small amount of books get me feeling this way.

Eleanor Dash just wants to complete her book tour in Italy, then finish her next novel by offing her main character, Conner, who is just one of many on this book tour. Her plans are postponed when a fellow traveler ends of dead and she appears to be next.

This is an enjoyable cozy mystery that is perfect for a vacation or beach read. While there are a lot of characters, and each has their own motives and opportunities, Mack has written this in a way that lays it all out for you, but still keeps you guessing. In fact, the main character, Eleanor, routinely breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to the reader. This is a very unique writing style and makes for a very easy read that doesn’t require a lot of brain power. The characters were well developed as suspects and the plot lines were well flushed out. I did feel like the author was attempting to set up the main character as an unreliable narrator, but don’t think it was successful. The added bonus is that you spend the entire time exploring the Amalfi Coast of Italy in all its beauty.

This was such a fun, cozy mystery. Summer is right around the corner and this book gave me all those summertime vibes! The book is set in Italy during the summer and follows Eleanor Dash, a well-published author, on a book tour with fans and other authors who have the same publisher. It was a low-stakes mystery but it kept my attention throughout and I found myself wanting to keep reading to find out what happens.
There's a whole cast of characters including siblings, exes, stalkers, and just about everything in between. I adored Oliver, he was so sweet! Connor on the other hand so an absolute jerk! Secrets come out (whose secrets I won't tell) and no one it seems is safe from accusation. The book has a lot of footnotes and I can't honestly say I read every one of them mostly because the ebook didn't lend itself well in the formatting sense. I think if I had read the physical book they may have added more to the experience. Overall though I enjoyed it and it gave me the summertime vibes I am craving.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved this! What a fun ride! It was a lighthearted murder mystery, if that’s even a thing :)! Very humorous and entertaining. I enjoyed the main character and how she managed to figure out who did it. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to St. Martins Press for my complimentary eARC and to Macmillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies is a new cozy mystery series. It is full of all the sights and sounds of a perfect Italian vacation. That is until someone decides to commit murder.

This is a different type of cozy, it is mashup of Clue and Knives Out. All of the suspects and motives are doled out over the course of the book by Eleanor (the narrator). The fourth wall is knocked down a few times, which provides a fresh and entertaining look into the process of solving this one.

I liked this one but was anxious for the actual murder to happen. This is the first cozy mystery I have read where the victim does not even show up until well past the 50% mark. And do not get me started on all the footnotes. They did lend an air of humor to the story but my eARC was wonky and the actual footnotes were a few pages away from where they were noted. This lead to a lot of back and forth on my part. I eventually gave up.

I paired the audio with the eARC. Elizabeth Evans is a phenomenal narrator. You will recognize her many voices if you have read TOG.

"Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" by Catherine Mack is a fun and witty mystery set during a book tour in Italy. Following bestselling author Eleanor Dash and her literary rivals, the story is filled with unexpected twists and humor. Despite guessing the murderer early on, the fast-paced plot and clever storytelling keep readers engaged until the end. The unique format, including footnotes, adds to the enjoyment of the novel. Overall, it's an entertaining read that combines suspense and humor effectively.

This was probably about a 2½ star read for me. There were a lot of footnotes which didn't work well in the ebook. It was a hassle to flip back and forth. In the audio, the footnotes sounded more like asides from the narrator which helped, but they were too repetitive which made them annoying enough at times to elicit eye rolling.

Keep in mind that every time the narrator adds a footnote, which is multiple times in each chapter, it is directed at the reader as if she is talking to you and telling you a story. She does refer to the footnotes and her editor, so you are made aware of the fact that you are reading her story written to you.

I will say that I flopped back and forth a bit as to who the 'bad guy' was. I was not fooled by the author's attempts to lead the reader astray though and had a decent idea of who it was and wasn't a little over halfway through. I can't say what was right or wrong because I don't want to give anything away for future readers.

I think the book needed a more likable main character to really give you someone to root for. This is one of those books where there are no great characters. So, if you need to love your characters give it a pass.

The audio version was narrated by Elizabeth Evans and I think that is partly why I'm rounding this one up. She did a really good job.

My other reason for rounding up is that I think if you skip the footnotes, which the author suggests you can do at one point, the story may read better. I would recommend reading without the footnotes if you give this one a try. They aren't necessary to the story and actually take away from it.

Thank you Minotaur Books for my #gifted copy of Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐈 𝐆𝐨 𝐎𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐞𝐬
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐤
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟑𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

𝟰★

As soon as I saw Elle Cosimano blurb this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it! Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies is the first book in the Vacation Mysteries Series and I loved it! It was such a fun cozy mystery, and was laugh out loud funny! I cannot wait to read the next book in this series!

I found Eleanor Dash to be such a fun main character. The banter is amazing and I just loved the writing style. I was laughing so much during this one and it reminded me so much of the Finlay Donovan series. I honestly think this series will be a huge hit with anyone who enjoys that series.

There were so many fun and interesting characters and so many fun twists and turns. I was guessing the entire time. I really felt like the footnotes throughout the book were useful and entertaining and a nice touch!

Posted on Goodreads on April 18, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
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**Posted on Amazon on April 30, 2024
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A sweet, creamy gelato of a mystery. I enjoyed the breezy tone, cultural references, and snarky footnotes as bestselling author Eleanor Dash tries to identify a killer on her Italian book tour. I'll be looking forward to the next Vacation Mystery!

I love a good murder mystery and this book was great! El is a writer who goes on a book tour in Italy, alkk on my side her sister and the man she broke her heart and she out in a book. From there, the mystery takes off and it’s a fun ride! The only note I make is I did not like the footnotes. I skipped them as they were more distracting from the story than adding to it. But that did not stop me from really enjoying this book!

The perfect book to take on vacation and get lost for a day. I love books where Authors break the fourth wall. This book does that perfectly.

This is a book written by an Author, writing about an author, who is writing this book.
It does feel very Meta at times, which just adds to the feel. Mack does a great job of never letting it get too heavy. I enjoyed the development of all the characters. There's quite a cast of Characters.

Eleanor Dash is the Author telling us this story. She is working on her tenth book and what she hopes will be the last in her series. Where she hopes to kill off the MMC. Finally, getting Connor out of her life. She Hopes...Now she is being sent on a ten-day promotional tour of Italy. Along with her on this Tour is...

Hannah - Her Assistant/Sister is there to make sure Eleanor shows up for everything. As well as keeping everyone on schedule. She pretty much does everything for Eleanor. Even after Eleanor stole her dream. Now what's going on with her and Connor?

Connor - The Inspiration for her MMC. He and Eleanor once had a serious relationship. until she found out it was all a lie. Now he's a thorn in her side that won't go away. How will he feel when he finds out Eleanor plans to kill his Character off?

Oliver - Another ex of Eleanor. Also writes Mysteries. Sent by the Publisher and maybe to see Eleanor again. Hates Connor.

Allison - Connor's Ex-wife. She also writes a book involving her relationship with Connor. Also, Hates Connor.

Guy - Connor's old partner. He also wrote a book. Now he's on this tour

Throw in a few more Authors, 20 or so BookFace Fans who won a contest to be there, a tour guide who reads Google, and a few attempts on people's lives. You have a crazy mystery that will leave you guessing till the end,

Don't forget to read the Footnotes.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher on NetGalley. Thank you.

This book was a masterful combination of mystery and humor! The narrator, an author of a best-selling mystery series, is over dealing with her ex-boyfriend, so she decides to kill him off, in her book of course. But now he thinks someone is trying to kill him, and everyone has a motive. It was such a unique writing style and I loved the mystery plotline! The characters were wonderful and the vacation setting was perfect! I also really loved the footnotes! They were a surprising feature throughout the story that added a lot of depth and humor. It also allowed for some quick info dumping without interrupting the flow of the plot. I also loved how the book told a vibrant and descriptive story while breaking the fourth wall the entire time. The narrator is writing the story of what happened, and telling it directly to us as readers. In some chapters this direct-to-reader commentary is only through the footnotes or a line here and there, pointing out foreshadowing, promising you that she will reveal the information eventually, or warning you that she never did find out why a character decided to make that decision. But other times a few pages will be entirely dedicated to talking directly to us as readers, explaining tropes in mysteries, or even setting up the next few chapters in a way that was so engaging that I didn't mind at all. It is such a unique way to tell the story and I loved it! I'm so glad the story continues in book two (first mentioned in a footnote, of course, and then fully set up in the last chapter). I can't wait to read more of this type of story!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5⭐️ such a fun read!

it was a little slow at the beginning, but the last half was so good it made me forget all about it. very much looking forward to the sequels for this series!

(despite the slow start, I would’ve given it four stars but knocked it down bc there were just a few too many social media/TikTok/Goodreads jabs that irritated me and took me out of the story)