Short synopsis: Eleanor Dash is an author going on book tour in Italy, and hoping to kill off her main character in her series. But when Connor (the man who inspired her character) barely escapes murder himself, Eleanor is determined to find out who is trying to get away with murder.

My thoughts: Take me to the Amalfi Coast! The setting was pure bliss. A yacht with a warm breeze and a cold drink, throw in some pasta and color me happy.

I thought the premise and formatting of the book was so fun! It’s like a book inside a book, where the narrator/author gives the reader very blatant details throughout to help solve the mystery.

Okay, I knew going in to this one it would funny and more of a cozy mystery. I personally hoped for a bit more humor, and mystery. I think cozy’s are just not for me? It was perfectly fine, and enjoyable.

Read if you love:
- Italian settings
- Whodunit
- Books about books

Read this in ONE DAY. I had a blast with Eleanor Dash. I loved the sort of meta format. Really original and fun. LOVED the footnotes and the "author's" voice. Can totally see how it's not for everyone, but it was for me!

I am already a huge fan of cozy mysteries and this was a fantastic addition to that genre with the added bonus of being a really bubbly, funny vacation romp that is just begging to be read poolside.

4 stars! Will definitely continue with this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The writing refreshingly original. This was a clever take on thriller meets romance novel. The authors humor and delightful writing captivates you from beginning to end.

It might just be me with the ARC format but I found it very choppy and not easy to follow. I love this authors other works under a different name. I will try reading a finished copy now that’s it’s being published.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies was the MOST fun book I've read so far in 2024. From the very first page I was drawn in. I absolutely love Eleanor's wit and banter with all of the other characters. I also appreciated all of the Taylor Swift references! Eleanor is as famous writer pushed into doing an Italian getaway with other authors and super fans. It appears that someone in the group is trying to kill Connor Smith her male main character in books and real life ex! As the book moves on it also appears someone is trying to kill her too. Everyone is suspect and there are tons of twists and turns. This was truly such a pleasure to read and I am already excited for the next book in the series!

I really liked the tone of the narrator and the writer's fun style. The setting was fantastic and the details made me wish to be on vacation sipping spritzers and eating pasta. However, the footnote nature of the book as a digital copy made it difficult to follow because the "footnote" would be on a following page and there was a lot of switching between pages which wasn't fun.

I think I may have to give this one another go in print when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this novel! Funny, lighthearted murder mystery full of twists, surprises and secrets. Didn’t see the ending coming. Hard to put down. This is the perfect summer/vacation read and am already looking forward to the next in the series!

Go on a holiday without leaving your sofa with this cozy mystery! Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies is an inside look into the mind of a writer with lots of little footnote jokes makes this one cute but honestly a little confusing to read. The amount of footnotes had me either stopping too much or just skipping over them. Could be this one is better in print than kindle!

That being said if you love a cozy mystery with a quirky, disorganized main character you'll enjoy this little romp.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️ (rounded up to 5)

Really enjoyed this book! The MC’s voice is witty, and she’s flawed but still likable and relatable. The authors footnotes are hilarious, and were often my favorite parts of reading the book. She foreshadows further books, and I’m excited to read those as well!


Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book. This review reflects my honest thoughts on this book.

This book was a thrilling ride! Despite being a murder mystery, it was highly entertaining.

The story is told from the perspective of Eleanor, an author on a book tour in Italy with an intriguing cast of characters. Their interactions were engaging, particularly the witty banter between Eleanor and the others. Eleanor speaks directly to the reader, making it feel like you're part of the investigation to uncover the murderer. The footnotes were a nice touch, providing entertaining additional thoughts from Eleanor. And the ending delivers an unexpected twist that will leave you in awe.

If you're a fan of mystery, romance, and comedy, I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to the NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for the gifted e-book.

Thank you net valley for this arc!

This cozy was fun! I like how the author breaks the fourth wall so to speak. The story moved around a nice pace, and the setting was great. I listened to this on audiobook and the reader did an excellent job!

This is a light and fluffy mystery. I enjoyed it as a pallete cleanser from my more serious thrillers. I think many people will enjoy. I loved the humor mixed in.

A fun read! Eleanor is a well-known author on an Italian tour with other authors, the man who inspired her lead character, and a group of reader influencers. Of course, there’s death but also attempts on several attendees’ lives. Lots of humor, sarcasm, death, and love.

Eleanor Dash is a bestselling author ready to kill off the leading man in her books. While on a promotional book tour in Italy with her sister, several authors, and the man that inspired this character, someone is literally trying to kill him. Eleanor narrates the book and hilariously fills the reader in on her thinking through footnotes. With Italy as the backdrop, the cast of characters that will at times make you laugh out loud.

Catherine Mack’s Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies is a cozy, who-dunit type mystery. I alternated between the audio version & book version. I loved the narrator, as well as the author’s writing style. The story was great, the narrator held my attention- all in all a super fun read (listen). I can usually tell within the first few minutes if I will like an audiobook & this narrator hooked me from the beginning. Fast paced & Very entertaining - just what I needed!

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy. .

3.5 stars, rounded up
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, is a fun, light mystery. It breaks the fourth wall with Eleanor Dash, the main character, speaking directly to the reader. Eleanor is the author of 9 successful murder mysteries. She’s currently plotting out the tenth and what she intends to be the final book in the series. Her publisher has sent her, her “consultant”, her sister/assistant, 20 of her ardent fans (including one stalker) and several other successful authors on a ten day tour of Italy. Put aside your qualms that no publisher would send rival authors on a fan fest for another’s work. The implausible reason serves to get enough possible murder suspects in one place. And there will be a murder, even if it takes ages before it occurs. Connor, the “consultant”/inspiration/blackmailer/prior love interest of Eleanor’s, is convinced someone is trying to kill him. And he doesn’t mean Eleanor’s plan to kill off his character in the upcoming book.
There’s lots of humor in this book. I appreciated Eleanor’s snarky sense of humor. For example, she has a blast pointing out how many violent expressions there are in the English language.
The book moves at a brisk pace. I did find that several key scenes never seemed to play out so that I could envision them. Also, a few plot points were implausible. But it was entertaining, nonetheless. And I only partially guessed how this would play out and who was behind things.
Be aware, this is a novel that contains footnotes.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Minotaur Books, and Catherine Mack for an advance copy of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies in exchange for an honest review. This is a debut novel for this author in what we can hope is the beginning of a vacation mystery series. We find ourselves in Italy with bestselling author, Eleanor, as her life turns into a real life murder mystery like something straight out of her books. The story flows nicely and we meet some fun characters (Id love to see some sort of spinoff where Harper is in the center of the story) that really help build up the plot. I love the different love connection aspects of the storyline and it added a little fun spice to the plot. I was happy with the ending and I thought I had everything figured out and I absolutely did not (so thats always fun!). This would be the perfect cozy to cozy up with on the beach or on your next vacation- you can grab a copy on April 30th, 2024!

DNF at 50% because there isn't enough plot to keep me invested, just the same loop of things and hinted at "secrets to be revealed later". Also I'm sorry I cannot stand the footnotes. I've read books with footnotes that have worked seamlessly and this book they are just intrusive and kept taking me out of the narrative (and were pointless and mostly sassy/whining).

I love the idea of a mystery writing being involved in solving a mystery, but have we even gotten to the mystery part? Also I get it's the POV of an author/authors but they dismissive and slightly haughty tone used whenever talking about (AND TO) readers really put me off. The MC is such a pick me girl that I could not connect with her.

Catherine Mack's writing style was unlike anything I've ever encountered before; in a good way! I laughed, and laughed throughout this entire book. While I was only semi-surprised at the ending it was such a fun read that I can't wait to read the next installment. This is a fun vacation read that I would definitely recommend to my book club. I did receive this as a free ARC, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was looking forward to reading this novel. Awesome locations in Italy, a story with a whodunnit twist and strong female characters.

The narrative, however, feels like someone is treading in staccato through my mind whilst creating a havoc.

It could be just me, but I‘m really struggling to understand the context of a chapter with this narration style.

The jokes in the footnotes are nicely written, but they’re not relatable to me. I don’t find them funny 😳.

Overall 2.5 start rounded up.

I will read more of this author to develop a wholistic opinion about her narration style. After all, the idea of this novel is generally quite appealing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.