I want to thank everyone for this gifted copy of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies.

Well....this book was....interesting. It wasn't. the best book I've ever read, but it had some good parts. Overall, it was just okay for me. I didn't really like the main characters, she was pretty selfish, and admitted multiple times that "she wouldn't change". I. really didn't love any of the characters. It was an interesting story plot, but fell short. And while I found that I was guessing until the last 8% of the book, once everything was revealed I wasn't impressed.

Overall, it was pretty meh.

Read this one with an aperol spritz in your hand & ready to book your flights to Italy :)

tl/dr: this will be in my top fav read of the year.

This is my perfect book (I know, I said it) I'm a HUGEEEEE action/mystery movie girl & this one has everything - surprise, comedy, twists & turns, Italy, a tinyyyy bit of will they/won't they romance with tension, sarcasm, crazy fun cast of characters and a plot that keeps me turning pages welllllll into the night - safe to say, this will probably be a top book of the year with how excited I was to pick it up. Everytime I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies - reminiscent of Knives Out (in that it's a mystery and a fun cast of characters) - also, it's gonna be a series so HUGE YAY!!!

Loved it. No notes. 5 stars easily ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Such a fun book!! The writing, the pacing, all the characters, the setting….it all came together so well. And that ending!!! I need book 2 immediately! Even though this is a single POV there were a lot of characters to keep track of (definitely some Agatha Christie vibes with the amount of characters that are suspects). I highly recommend this book though if you’re looking for a fun summer mystery.

This was simply delightful! Elizabeth Evans did an amazing job narrating this book and the vast list of characters. I finished the audiobook in two sittings. This was a very unique book, as the main character, Eleanor is a writer and she's on a book tour with a cast of very entertaining characters. As you can imagine with a cozy mystery, death happens and chaos ensues but in a hilarious way. I chuckled out loud several times throughout the story, especially when the list of people that would say "shut up Connor" got longer and longer every time he spoke. This story was unique in the fact that Eleanor is telling us the story of what happens on the trip, but also she speak directly to the reader during the story. She gives out clues to the murders and talks you through her different experiences in her life and writing. It was really comical at times and very entertaining. If you like Finlay Donovan (minus the children in her story) then you will like this.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is an easy, breezy whodunnit perfect for your summer beach bag. Eleanor Dash, author of the bestselling Vacation Mysteries series, just wants to get through one last book tour and then kill off her main character, Connor Smith. But when someone tries to kill the real-life Connor, Eleanor has to figure out which of the members of the tour wants her infuriating ex written out of the story- permanently.

This is a light, funny read. Eleanor is surrounded by a great cast of secondary characters, which is good because she can be annoying sometimes. She is wildly self-absorbed, but has enough heart to make up for that. Barely. The story is often over-the-top, but if you go into it understanding that and are in the mood for that, it’s a fun ride.

I have two main criticisms, neither of which are a deal-breaker. First, the pacing is not the best. The setup takes forever, while the ending is rushed. Second, the plot is overly complicated, especially towards the end.

One of the things contributing to the confusion is the overabundance of footnotes. They’re funny for a while, but there are 237 of them. It just adds to the chaos after the first 100. (Note: Because of the many footnotes, I suggest reading this in print format.)

That being said, I think this is basically a delightful book. The author just needs to tighten up her writing before the next in the series. I give Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies 3 ¾ stars and recommend it to anyone wanting a book to take on their own (murder free!) vacation.

I was really excited to start this one, not sure if my expectations were too high or if it was just ehh. I found the main character to be annoying and boring. There were cute scenes and a fun plot, but it unraveled too slowly in the beginning and too quickly at the end. The pace of the book just always felt off to me, which made it difficult to become invested in what I was reading. At times I felt like there were too many side stories that were not relevant to the main story, however they were usually enjoyable to read. I never considered this a DNF, as there were fun and engaging aspects throughout the book, but the piece just never came together for me. 
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy (audio and e-book)

4/5 stars

Thank you Minotaur Books for the advanced reading copy!

SYNOPSIS --- Eleanor Dash is sick of Vacation. She's desperate to make it through this Italian book tour (who booked this for July, anyway?!) and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, so she can move on from the Vacation Mysteries. When a REAL attempt is made on Connor's life, Eleanor's feelings and goals become mixed up with their sordid past, her big secrets and the future of her series. When other lives are threatened and the chaotic assortment of characters -- including Eleanor's competitors, stalker and ex-boyfriend -- get wildly mixed up into the fray, can Eleanor solve the case before real and fictional lives are put at stake?!

This book was SO fun! Big FINLAY DONOVAN and EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE vibes. There was tons of "breaking the fourth wall" and it made it super fun to try and solve this one along with Eleanor (which, I did not do successfully). Eleanor was a great narrator; she felt almost too similar in voice to Ernest Cunningham at times, but I really enjoyed this anyway! I was wildly suspicious of every single character at pretty much every moment. There were tons of suspects (too many, some would say... IYKYK) and lots of red herrings. Obviously I loved Eleanor, but the supporting characters were just as lovable (and hate-able) -- they were so silly! The Italian setting was phenomenal; after going there last year it was SOOOO much fun to read about these places and actually recognize some of them!

As with Finlay and EIMFHKS, the characters were great, the mystery was enticing and the banter/dialogue was goofy. I really enjoyed this series and I'm looking forward to more from the Vacationers.

NOTE -- as noted in the description of the book, the formatting was super messed up on Kindle because of all the footnotes. I was so lucky to have a physical copy AND audio copy to switch between, which made it a lot easier, especially because the footnotes added a lot of silliness! Not sure how this will play out in the final copy, but I'd recommend physical or audio for this one. It's helpful to be able to flip back and forth sometimes, too! Lots of info and lots of suspicion, in a short time!

This story was hilarious! Like laugh out loud funny and completely addictive. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the perfect book to read if you loved the White Lotus or Knives Out. Our main character Eleanor is a witty, snarky, writer on tour in Italy. I very rarely have read a book that breaks down the "fourth wall" but this was SO well done in opening a conversation with the readers. The murder/attempted murder was also written with such comedy, and I loved how basically everyone is a suspect - it was like playing a game of Clue trying to figure out who did it. This is quite literally the perfect read to take on vacation - its light, clever and super fast paced. I look forward to reading many more books by Catherine Mack in the future.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @Macmillanaudio for my free review copy!

I really enjoyed this mystery. It has the air of a classic whodunnit type murder mystery! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie!

A funny and thrilling ride that navigates through jilted exes, fanatic fans, envious friends and a mystery assailant!

I absolutely loved this laugh-out-loud mystery! While Eleanor was our main character and narrator, Mack nailed it in creating a fun ensemble and setting the stage for the perfect ‘who done it’. While I had all the theories as I read, I was completely kept guessing until the very end, and the big reveal was a masterpiece that I didn’t see coming. ⁠
In addition, there was a lot of insight into the publishing industry that was really fun to read and learn about. ⁠
Overall, this is an absolutely must-read! ⁠
NOTE: I do not recommend reading this in an e-book format. There are a lot of footnotes that are so funny and it was difficult to go back and connect them with the text.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio ARC!

What a cute cozy mystery! What a great book! I couldn’t stop listening to this. Sooo good! I loved the back drop of Italy along with a book tour! The narrator did amazing! Great storyline and the twist was unexpected. It was very well written.

This book is comparable to the Finlay Donovan series, almost to the point of a carbon copy. We have a nutcase female MC who is an author, her sidekick assistant who keeps her on track, an ex who messes up her life, and a whole lot of OTT drama. If you love Finlay, you’ll likely love this book. I’m in the minority with Finlay, and unfortunately I didn’t love this book either.

I tried. Really. But I couldn’t get past about 25%. Eleanor annoyed me to no end. Nothing about the plot made sense. I didn’t like or care about one single character.

DNF

This is one of the best whodunnits that I have read recently. It's hilarious, it's intriguing, it has Italian mafia, it has author feuds, it has imposter syndrome. What else you could ask for?! Oh I forgot spritzes, and gelato, and endless pasta.

Eleanor Dash is a bestseller author. Her sister, who was meant to be the author of the family, is now her manager/PR person/confidant. Now they are on this trip to Italy promoting Eleanor's books with a fan club. What El didn't know was her previous flings would also be on this trip with her. While she was thinking that little love triangle and sexual tension could be the only thing that needed to deal with, she was surprised by the fact that there was a murderer in the group targeting Connor and maybe her.

I loved how Eleanor experience the full circle by the end of the story. Her career and fame was anchored on to what happened in Italy years ago (also how that could happen to a person?! - sorry I cannot say more without giving away spoilers) and now the same anchor is back to sink her down. I can see people reading this book on the beach as a light read, and also under their duvets as curious mystery. I cannot wait to read more about Eleanor!

oh my gosh this book is going to be one of the top summer reads of 2024!!!! absolutely such exquisite work, and one of my favorite books this year. catherine mack executed this story perfectly, and i cannot wait to read more from her!

A mystery writer who is caught up in her own mystery equals laugh out loud moments with excellent writing and interesting characters. Throw in a dash of past and present romances and references to the delicious food and drinks in Italy, and you have the perfect book. And last but not least, how could you not want to read a book titled “Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies”.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars. A fun mystery set it Italy about a mystery author who's unexpectedly stuck in her own plot. The fourth wall is broken often throughout the book with funny quips and sarcasm. The footnotes are extensive but add to the humor. This would be a perfect beach read!

I am so appreciative to have an early opportunity to read this but the formatting of the eARC was so bad I almost didn't continue reading. The spacing was terrible, words were in the wrong order, footnotes were in the middle of sentences. The beginning prefaces that formatting may not be final but this felt like a first draft and was extremely distracting. There are over 200 footnotes. With their random placing I know I didn't get the point of all of them.

Twisty, fast-paced and laugh-out-loud funny, this was a perfect beach read/vacation blend of Knives out meets Agatha Christie, told from the first person POV of unreliable bestselling author/narrator, Eleanor Dash.

The first in a new cozy mystery series by Canadian author, Catherine MackIntosh, this was pure entertainment, taking place across Italy as a group of authors and their fans travel around for a book tour making for a host of suspects when one of them turns up dead.

Fantastic on audio narrated by Elizabeth Evans, I was kept guessing right to the end and can't wait to see what happens in the next book! Highly recommended for fans of authors like Elle Cosimano and her Finlay Donovan series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!!

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. At first, it felt like this book was not the first one in the series based on the allusions to previous events, and the main POV seemed a bit passive, but then seems to get tired of people trying to kill her and starts being more active about trying to figure out who it is. She breaks the 4th wall and speaks directly to the reader, which most books do not do. It did seem to work and kept me reading through to the end of the book. I enjoyed it.

I love the premise an, but the story dragged a bit for me. Some of this may be a result of the Kindle ARC, which is formatted almost unreadably. The footnotes are several pages away if at all - sometimes they randomly interrupt a sentence. While I realize this isn't a fault of the *story,* it did make it difficult to focus on the plot. There should be some quality control even on an ARC if it isn't formatted correctly for consumption.

I did not like the footnotes, they made everything way too confusing to stop and read. Eleanor was kind of annoying but Connor was more annoying so I could see why she would want him dead. The idea of the book is great I just wish it was executed better.