Our main character, Eleanor Dash, is a fictional author on a book tour in Italy. She's mostly oblivious about her schedule and obligations and relies heavily on her sister to keep track of pretty much everything. When a murder occurs on the trip, our tour group (more frenemies than friends) work together to solve the mystery.

This was a unique concept for a cozy mystery and I found it fairly entertaining. The author relies heavily on footnotes, which I found distracting in the eBook format. I appreciated the light humor in the book, but at times it felt very forced. If this series continues, I liked it well enough to follow the characters into book 2. I might try the next one as an audiobook to see if it helps with the distracting footnote issue.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. I loved the format of the footnotes and between chapters extra info. I thought the entire thing was funny and I didn't see the twists and turns coming. I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

This was an interesting read.

Eleanor Dash has published 9 books in a series and is done. She is ready to kill off one of the main characters so she can get on with her real life. That said, she places an enormous amount of work onto her sister who is her assistant. This does not seem to track with me, being that their parents died when Eleanor was young and she became her sister's caretaker. When you say roles are reversed, they really are in this case. The mystery is well thought out, and the author does keep you guessing until the very end on who the killer is.

The format was a little hard to follow, but I assume that is because I was reading on my kindle. I did enjoy the story, but I could not connect with the main character. Perhaps she was too flippant in her behavior based on my experience with real authors? I also skipped most of the footnotes because again, on a kindle, it just seemed to hard to read.

A perfect summer beach read! This was funny, yet suspenseful. I am intrigued to see where this series continues, and would love to see these characters end up on another international trip!

This novel was a nice introduction to the cozy mystery genre for me.
This book was easy to get through and brought a couple laughs and smiles to my face. I loved the setting of the story (Italy) and how immersed I felt in the mystery. I also enjoyed the footnotes, It made the book feel more like an actual summary of real events.
One qualm I had for this book is the jab at Goodreads reviewers, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun cozy mystery in a beautiful setting. Lots of suspects in this murder mystery to keep you guessing. With the footnotes and aside comments it would have been easier to understand as a physical book. I think the narrator did a great job with the characters. This does not meet the criteria for our high school library but I will recommend it to staff, family, and friends that read cozy mysteries

this book captured me from the title and from the first page. even the cover of this book is pretty and enticing. for someone who reads a lot of mystery’s i was very surprised that i didn’t guess who was trying to do it before the last act, so kudos to the author for that. other than that, this story just fell a little flat for me.

Cozy mysteries aren't usually my go to so I think this is why I didn't like this more. I thought the footnotes were very interesting and made the book a little more fun and different from other mysteries, but I feel like they would've been better on a physical copy versus the ebook. There were also a few cringey moments throughout the book. Overall, I thought this was just okay but the ending did take me by surprise!

What a unique concept for a mystery series! 🕵️‍♂️ I was really intrigued by the premise and couldn’t wait to dive in. Unfortunately, all the characters were pretty terrible, and I found myself wishing for just one or two I could root for. 😅

It was a solid read, but I’m not sure I’m motivated to pick up the next book in the series. 🤷‍♀️

Thanks to Net Gallery for the ARC.

I was looking forward to this book but it kind of fell flat to me. I wasn’t very pulled into the book and struggled getting through it. I didn’t enjoy the 4th wall being broke and the footnotes were really hard to read and I gave up half way through.

This being said I didn’t see the plot twist at the end coming and was shocked!

This cozy mystery is the first book in the Vacation Mysteries series, and although I am a big fan of both cozy mysteries and the author (known a Catherine Mackenzie), I did not like this one. I did not like the main character (which did not help), the story felt a bit all over the place, it lacked grounding, for the genre the crime (murder in this case) happens waaaaaaay too late in the story (it usually happens in the first 10% if it hasn't happened already when the book opens), so there wasn't enough (or much) sleuthing, aside from Eleanor trying to find who was trying to kill Connor (I didn't think she tried very hard, understandably, but for a mystery, it was lacking). An author bashing on GoodReads in a book? Cringey. And the whole "behind the curtains" approach was not my favorite. I hate when narrators break the fourth wall and address the reader directly (totally a me thing). So.... it's safe to say this book was not for me, and I would recommend any other book by this author before this one, but I have read many fantastic reviews, so do no let my review deter you from reading this one!
I have received a copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

*3.5 stars*
This book is written in the format of Eleanor's personal account of the events that happened. Honestly, I never completely felt a connection to her character, she just felt a bit scattered and unreliable. Part of her "style" was the use of numerous footnotes (over 200 over the course of the book). While they provided insight and some of the "real dirt" in the story, I found them a bit distracting and kept losing my spot. Things felt a bit slow in the beginning, and I think I ended up missing some of the clues to what was really going on along the way. There's several "suspect" characters, so it could get hard to keep track of everyone's details, and most of the characters weren't particularly likeable. The actual solution to the mystery was something I had considered multiple aspects of along the way, but the story was twisty enough that I was never quite sure which of my theories was right until it was finally revealed. I enjoyed the various settings around Italy, so it had the feel of a vacation mystery.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the review copy of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

Bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series. Suddenly there is an actual attempt made on the real Connor’s life—the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can't get out of her life, Eleanor decides it's time to enlist help to solve the case. That's just the beginning of it, while touring Italy, an attempt is made on Eleanor 's life! It seems that someone on the tour has it out for either Eleanor or Connor, or both? Even Eleanor's Sister may be a suspect! This was a twisty & fun whodunnit. I really enjoyed it. Can't wait for the next installment! Thank You Netgalley & Catherine Mack for the complimentary egalley in exchange for my honest review.

If you’re looking for the perfect summer read then you need to pick up EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION SOMEONE DIES by CATHERINE MACK. But be warned — reading this book will make you want to book a one-way ticket to Italy!

Centered around the book tour for bestselling author Eleanor Dash, she finds herself stuck inside a real life murder mystery.

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.

Eleanor’s real-life ex, Connor Smith was the inspiration for her first novel, but one bad break-up + many years (and books) later, she’s ready to kill off the fictional Connor from her book series, which will effectively get real-life Connor out of her life for good.

But when an attempt is made on Connor’s life it becomes a strange case of life imitating art. And it becomes clear that Connor’s life isn’t the only one in danger. Add in a group of fellow writers, fan club members, a possible stalker and her delicious ex Oliver and things get very interesting….and deadly.

The best way to describe this book is pure joy. A smart mystery with fantastic humor and a smart + snarky protagonist who indulged in some 4th wall breaking, while also peppering in a ton of book references and some well-timed Taylor Swift lyrics. I’ve never been to Italy but felt transported through this story. Beautiful descriptions from the scenery to the food and all the cultural touches in between.

We get past and present mysterious, a very fun cast of characters and an incredibly satisfying mystery. The first in a planned series, I’m looking forward to what comes next. This book is perfect for fans of the Finlay Donovan and Expectant Detective series.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted copy.
This is a perfect summer vacation read. Cozy mystery set in Italy with a sarcastic commentary and a fun twist at the end, whats not to love?
Chapters are very short but have a fun ending that just makes you turn pages. Characters are fun and slightly annoying, but that seems to be part of the deal and a point.
I guessed some things, but this book is more about the ride and the setting specifically which I appreciated a lot.

EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES by Catherine Mack is exactly what the cover implies – a great beach read, full of fluff and not much substance. In fact, annoying footnotes are sprinkled throughout which really spoil the flow of the story. The main character is author Eleanor Dash whose success is due in large part to the therapeutic tale she wrote about a fling with Connor Smith. He's still in the picture, seeking attention, and claiming threats on his life. I was stuck waiting for her to complete her Italian book tour, kill him off – in fiction, at least, and move on. Other readers may feel more positively inclined; EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES received a starred review from Library Journal.

This book was the most PERFECT summer vacation cozy mystery! I loved how we got a tour of Italy along with the characters and it made my wanderlust die down a bit. There was so much humor in this one that just made me devour the story. I also really enjoyed the literary aspect to it. I've always loved the idea of being an author, so that was fun to live the life of a popular one for the span of the book.

I didn't realize this was the start of a series, but I'm already ready for the next one. She wrote the ending perfectly to wrap up the first novel and to also set up the second without creating a cliffhanger. I'm really excited to get more stories with these characters, hopefully in more amazing locations!

I give this one 5/5 stars!

This is honestly so hard to follow; I find the format really jarring and the voice of the main character flip flops between laissez-faire and too intense. I'm not sure if I just need to give it more time, but I consistently can't make it past the 30% mark of this story, unfortunately. 3 stars for fairness since I didn't finish it.

*Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies* is a delightful mix of humor, mystery, and mayhem. Eleanor Dash is a wonderfully snarky protagonist, whose struggles to navigate the chaos of a murder plot on her Italian book tour made for an engaging read. The real charm lies in how Mack balances the absurdity of Eleanor’s situation with genuine suspense, making the book both laugh-out-loud funny and thrilling. The eclectic mix of suspects, from rival authors to obsessive fans, adds layers to the mystery, keeping you guessing until the end.

What I loved most was how Eleanor’s fictional world and real life start to blur in increasingly entertaining ways. The way Mack draws parallels between the events in Eleanor’s books and the real-life murder case adds depth to the story, making it more than just a quirky mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and St. Martin's Publishing Group for the advanced read of Catherine Mack's Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies.

This is the first in a new mystery series, perfect for anyone looking for a twisty, book about books. Bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash is on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books. It is a great mix of drama, mystery, romance, and humor.

I found this book very entertaining! It was an engaging read with just enough twists to keep you questioning how it would end. It definitely had a few plot points that were implausible, and characters I didn't connect with. But for a humorous, cozy mystery, I could look past those things.

Our main character, Eleanor Dash, speaks directly to the reader, and the book contains footnotes that require you to bounce around a bit to keep track of. I read parts of this book and listened to parts through the audiobook. I appreciated the audiobook, as it seamlessly included the footnotes right within the text.

I rated this fun and entertaining read 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.