This book made me laugh out loud, literally. Thriller author Catherine McKenzie has turned her pen to humorous cozy mysteries, and the results are delightful. The fast paced, speak-directly-to-the-reader narrative style is hilarious and the snarky footnotes greatly added to my enjoyment.

There's a cast of suspicious characters, all with means, motive, and opportunity, and a series of murder attempts. Or are they just imagining things? All in the setting of gorgeous Italian architecture, countryside, and landmarks. The plot kept me guessing, and the interaction between the characters kept me engaged. But the narrator's style was the star of the show. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next in the series. Thank you to Netgalley, St Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for this review copy.

Eleanor has authored a bestselling mystery series for ten years. But she wants to kill off her book's main character and end the series. That character is based on her conman ex, who has been blackmailing her. When it looks like he might be killed in real life, Eleanor finds herself caught in an actual investigation. I laughed and sleuthed along with her as she embarked on a book tour in Italy with quite the (potentially murderous) entourage.

In her unique narrative style, Eleanor breaks the fourth wall, points out important events, and shares insights. Her commentary is often humorous and invites the reader to be part of the fun and solve the case. As this book starts a series, and most of the characters have shared history before we meet them, there is a fair amount of world-building and background, often presented as amusing footnotes. Hang in there initially because the relationships and past become clearer as the book progresses, and then the pacing really picks up. I did predict the culprit, but I still really enjoyed this as I was in it as much for the entertainment value as the whodunnit. The writing style is engaging, mixing comedic mystery with just a touch of popcorn thriller. The characters are colorful, and their secrets and resentments create plenty of motives and surprises. It's a perfect beach or vacation read. And the ending has me anticipating the next book in the series.

I paired the ebook with the audiobook. Narrator Elizabeth Evans was perfect for this! She nailed Eleanor's personality and humor and handled the footnotes so they came across as conversational. Evans also did a great job with the other characters and their inflections, quirks, and different accents, sometimes managing multiple accents in a scene. Excellent narration!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the free ebook and audiobook!

2.5⭐️

Eleanor Dash's first book mirrored the real life situation she had found herself in after a whirlwind romance in Italy lead to solving a crime together. She changed just enough for the book to fictional but kept one thing true: Connor Smith was the main character. Unfortunately, Connor was a con man and almost ten books and a lot of blackmail later, El still can't get rid of him. But as her contract comes to an end, she finally plans to kill him off.

Her publisher sends El on a tour of Italy for the anniversary of the book series, along with her sister who is her PA, Connor, Connor's ex-wife, El's ex-boyfriend, and several others represented by the same publishing company. When several attempts are made on Connor's life, it becomes clear that everyone in attendance has motive and El realizes they have to solve the mystery before Connor is killed.

I wanted to like this so much. I'm here for a cozy mystery with comedic relief throughout, but this book felt like it was trying too hard to be funny. El is an absolute disaster; she's absolutely helpless and self-centered. I get being disorganized (hi, I have ADHD, too) but if it wasn't for her sister, Harper, handling almost every aspect of her life, El would get absolutely nothing done. She blames her imposter syndrome on a lot of her selfish actions but after awhile I think you have to admit that you're the problem.

I usually like Fourth Wall Breaks in books ( I absolutely love the Ernest Cunningham series for that), but it felt like the author was trying too hard to make the FMC seem quirkier and smarter than she actually was. The fourth wall break was also executed weirdly; we got footnotes throughout which were so over the top in their attempt to be funny that they were more annoying than anything. Then at the beginning of the Third Act, we got a breakdown of all the characters and what to look for similar to the Ernest Cunningham series, but by that point it felt disjointed to the rest of the story.

My other issue with the footnotes was an ARC formatting issue; I received an eARC from Netgalley and while reading it on Kindle, the footnotes would just appear in the middle of the page or the middle of paragraphs it and was hard to tell what was actually supposed to be a footnote. I'm assuming once the pages are formatted correctly the footnotes may have been more amusing but by the halfway point of the book I was so done with them.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for providing this ARC to me!

Quick thoughts: unique and witty writing, loved the narration, disliked almost all characters but I think that was intentional, cozy mystery.

The fictional author and book within a book was so well done. I loved the character’s sense of humor and inner dialogue.

I did like the footnotes, and found them very witty. However, it was difficult to read them on an e-reader. If I had the physical book I likely would have flipped back and forth to read each footnote when cited, but that is not as easily done on a Kindle. Therefore, there was no way to read the footnotes in real time with their reference, so the intention was lost.

This book was just fine. I liked it but didn’t love it. It’s your average cozy mystery, set in Italy, a murder mystery with a funny narrator.

Pub Date: 4/30/24

The author alludes to this being a series, so if you end up loving this book, you have more to look forward to.

[While this is a “debut book” for Catherine Mack, that name is an alias for seasoned author Catherine McKenzie; check out her other books under her full name! She created her alias for the genre change.]

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I like that the author was writing about an author being an author. This story had me laughing costantly. It was a nice light read so it was easy to fly through.

Thank you St Martins and MacMillan audio for the review copies of Every Time I go on Vacation, Someone Dies. This for me is a smartly funny cozy mystery, a cozy that pokes some fun at the genre while offering a fun, well developed plot. I really appreciated the sly moments of commentary on mysteries and writers, the industry a bit, within a story that was fun (a writer wanting to kill off her best character... loved it). Catherine Mack really won me over with this book and the audiobook production was strong, well done. This is a fun summer read!

What can I say about this book other then I ate it up! What a fun and cozy read. I was lucky enough to get both the audio and ebook and reading both ways was amazing but if I had to choose I would recommend the audiobook. I loved how we went back and forth through their trip and trying not to be murdered but also outlining her new book. The pacing of the book was done really well and I honestly loved all the characters even the ones I should hate.

If you are a fan of the Finlay Donovan series I guarantee you will love this book!

While on a book tour in Italy, all Eleanor can think about is killing off one of her main characters, Connor. But when the real-life Connor’s life seems to be actually threatened while traveling the Amalfi coast, Eleanor puts pen and paper aside to find out who else could want him dead.

Pack your snorkel and get those beach towels out because EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION SOMEONE DIES by Catherine Mack is going to be the perfect beach read this summer!

This story is full of snark and sass and footnotes galore, which added so much character to our main girl Eleanor, and the plot itself.

This one is fun with a little bit of romance and a whole lot of murder, and did I mention THE PASTA?!? Ughhhh, chef’s kiss!

Just such an enjoyable read with some great fourth-wall breaking that already has me ready for the next installment!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: April 30

A smart funny light mystery with a little bit of romance. An interesting collection of characters set off on a book tour through Italy. There are multiple authors, a fan group who won the trip, the worst tour guide ever and maybe someone or multiple someone’s who are trying kill one or more of the authors. Yikes! Lots of twists, deception, a detective with an axe to grind and the worst tour guide ever. Lots of twists and turns that lead to a satisfying ending. The first in a series and I look forward to the next.

Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies is about an author that wants to kill of the main character in her series, only to find out that someone is trying to kill him in real life. While on a book tour, he enlists her help in figuring out who’s trying to kill him and to figure out the murderer.

I loved this book. It was paced very well and I enjoyed the mystery it had. I found the characters lovable and funny. I found it funny that the main character broke the fourth wall sometimes. I think that it was well written and read smoothly.

I recommend this book if you love funny mysteries with a little bit of romance. I can’t wait for the next book!

What a quirky, fun cozy mystery. I have never read a mystery with footnotes that further the plot. This book also invites the reader in to help solve the mystery of who wants Eleanor and Connor dead. There are eight suspects on a book tour with Eleanor who writes the vacation mysteries. She and Connor know every person on the trip. There are also a group of fans who have been invited. Each person could have a problem with either Eleanor or Connor or both.
What a fun read! It will keep you guessing and trying to figure out who is guilty. Is it someone from their past or are they trying to kill each other! Only time and pages will tell. This would make a wonderful summer read.

Thank you to #netgalley, #CatherineMack and #MinotaurBooks.
#EveryTimeIGoonVacationSomeoneDies

Bestselling mystery author, Eleanor Dash, is ready to kill off her main character. She also wouldn't mind if his real-life namesake and inspiration, Connor, met an untimely demise either. The blackmailing, lecherous, sleezeball would get what was coming to him. But when it actually seems like Connor's life may be in danger Eleanor can't help but wonder who's behind it--especially when she's a suspect, and someone seems to be after her, as well. Traveling across Italy with both a killer and the police hot on her heels, surrounded by her sister, fellow authors, and multiple exes, Eleanor is having the trip of a lifetime, and perhaps her last.

This book was so much fun. With tons of fourth wall breaking and footnote commentary, Eleanor is just such a fun character. The book feels fresh yet not annoying, similar to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, a bit. Because of the footnotes it's almost impossible to read on an e-reader or other digital device, though, and is much better suited to a print copy. But I loved the descriptions of travel and food, the presentation of clues, and the unraveling of the mystery. I guessed some pieces, but certainly not all, which is exactly how I like my mysteries! I can't wait to see what the next book in this new series brings.

Thanks to Minotaur for my ARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

Highly entertaining mystery set in Italy about an author on book tour. Description “Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies… one trip to die for”. That sets the stage for all the chaos that ensues. Left me wanting to go back to Italy and a sequel!

Much thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martins Publishing for the ARC of "Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies" in exchange for an honest review.
I can only hope that every time I go on vacation I take a book with me as much fun to read as this one was.
What a perfect way to kick off the spring-summer reading season. A clever, laugh-out-loud and beautifully scenic whodunit, especially a romp for those of us immersed in all the tropes of murder mysteries.....and author Catherine Mack loads her story up with wickedly sharp asides from her narrator, bestselling author Eleanor Dash.
Ellie and her sister Hayley, who functions as her assistant, are on a publicity book tour through sunny but broiling hot Italy. The tour's for the latest in her wildly popular romantic mystery series. It's another of the travelogue-worthy thrillers with a fictionalized version of Ellie and lovable rogue Connor Smith, based on their original real life Rome adventure together. Except that Connor's not fictional and Ellie's grievous error in using his real name left her a permanent victim of his extortion for a percentage of her royalties. Ellie's one time romance with Connor has turned to hate. And she's looking to free herself of him by killing him off in her next book,. But Connor's claiming, much to her disbelief that someone's trying to do him in for real. Her skepticism quickly evaporates when attempts are made on her life as well.
There's certainly no shortage of suspects on the tour with them........two rival bestselling mystery authors,, Connor's ex wife and his new girlfriend, Ellie's one-that-got-away former lover, and a busload of avid women fans, including one notorious stalker. Careening around Italy they all go, with a hapless tour guide who's literally a Trevi Fountain of misinformation
Needless to say, when the twists, revelations and surprises start detonating, some of these folks might be taking leave of the tour....along with their lives.
Dialogue-driven and funny all the way through, this book stands one of the fastest and tongue-in-cheekiest reads I've come across (And I challenge any of you to keep a straight face at the Goodreads reference.....). If you've plowed through who knows how many deep, dark, violent psychological mysteries, consider this book to reward yourself with a perfect sweet dessert - with cherries, whipped cream, and a few dead bodies on top.

I was immediately drawn to the title and the cover for this book!

This book was funny, unique and a real “whodunit” mystery. The book is about an author who provides insight about what it is like being an author while on a book tour with other authors, all while also trying to figure out how to end her Vacation Mystery Novel series by killing off the main character in her books (who is based off an actual ex-boyfriend, who is also an author on the book tour, and thinks someone is trying to kill him on the book tour), AND at the same time, someone on the book tour turns up dead.

It was quite the read, but at the same time it was light and airy and easy to get through.

The reader is fully part of this story which makes the book easy to read and more fun. I loved “Breaking the fourth wall” chapter, Eleanor’s bluntness and the meaningful chapter names. I also like how she talked about the demands on authors & how publishers don’t just want one book anymore. As a reader, we love all the books!

There are some funny jibes at Goodreads, some mentions of other books and TV shows “how he ends up in the Good Place” and the book reads like a long stream of consciousness which, to be honest, sometimes got a little boring, which is where the footnotes come in!

At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked the footnotes and found them distracting, especially when you had to flip the page to finish the sentence and then flip back for the footnote. I ended up reading the footnes only when I felt like I needed a pick-me-up since the footnotes were honestly funny. I thought I knew who the culprit was at around the 40% mark, when one had even been murdered yet, and I was kind of right BUT I was not expecting the person who got murdered to be the one who died..

Side note: I really struggled to read this on my Kindle and almost gave up because of how terrible the formatting was. I read the book on my Ipad as a PDF document, but even then the font was so small. I probably would have finished it faster with a physical copy or with larger font size.

The only thing I didn’t really enjoy is that the answer to who committed the murder is kind of dumped on you and anti-climactic. I personally thought it was a little obvious and without giving away any spoilers; Eleanor explains what an author typically does to hide the murderer and what to look for as a reader and then the book follows that same step by step process.

I also didn’t love the epilogue (it was just so random and too quick) even though it did set up the next book nicely.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy.

Ps. In the ARC I received I think there was a typo on page 329. "When" instead of "We" I think? I'm sure this will be corrected by pub date.

What initially drew me to this comedy, mystery was the title and the setting, Italy! The narrator has a quirky personality as she tries to find out who has it out for her. At times, she speaks directly to the reader. The novel was a bit dialogue-heavy. It was easy to follow, but I felt the characters could have been more developed. Also, the footnotes did not work for me, but it may have been the format on my kindle. I ended up not reading the footnotes because skipping them made the story easier to follow. 3 stars for a fun, light, beach read.

Eleanor is a famous mystery writer. Her main character, Connor, is based on a real man she met on a trip several years before the book begins. He has blackmailed her into giving him part of her pay for the series, because his real name and likeness is used, and he is not cast in the best light (which suits his horrible personality). Eleanor never set out to be a writer, it just sort of happened for her. Eleanor’s sister always wanted to be a writer, but is not stuck as her sister’s assistant. A trip to Italy seems as though it might be Harper’s last hurrah before she quits working for Eleanor, and Eleanor is plotting to kill off Connor’s character in her next book and be done with him, and possibly with writing all together.

I really struggled getting into this book. I thought as I continued reading, I would get more immersed in the plot, but it unfortunately never happened. It felt like I had been dropped into the middle of the story when the book opened. I actually went back and checked to see if there were earlier books in the series because it felt like there was a lot of backstory being casually mentioned without enough explanation and exploration. I found the footnotes throughout the story to be a distraction. They were funny, but as I was already struggling to focus on the storyline, I found them to be another thing that kept me from being able to fully engage in the plot.Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the author’s first book in what is supposed to be a new series. She has published several novels before this one under a different last name. If you are looking for a cozy mystery with quick chapters, this might be a book you would enjoy, but I found the lack of backstory too distracting to give this book a better rating.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really fun read. I listened to most of it but then went back and read parts of it from the ebook to clarify a few things. There are footnotes in this book so it wasn’t as clear in the audio version, and made a little more sense actually seeing them. But either way I had a blast with this one.
The main character was hilarious. Despite it appearing someone is being targeted to be killed, this book had loads of humor. And the mystery was really good too! I breezed through this book pretty fast- it’s got great pacing- so I didn’t stop to think too long about who was behind everything. But embarrassingly enough for me (I like to think I can usually guess the culprit almost always), I didn’t see any of it coming. This would be a great beach read if you like mysteries or light hearted thrillers.

This was such a fun read! It was humorous and cozy but always kept me guessing. I love a whodunit style thriller/mystery and I felt as if this title delivered just that!

Everytime I go on vacation is about an author who writes about murder. When she has to solve an attempted murder, she puts her sleuthing skills to the test.

This book looked so fun. I love the cover and the fun summery vibes. It started out humorous and fun. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me though.

I really disliked all of the characters. Everyone seemed either stuck up, dumb, or just plain annoying. I had a hard time connecting with anyone or cheering for anyone. I feel like the main character was trying too hard to be funny and I just wasn’t feeling it.

I did enjoy the audiobook though. The narrator was great.

Thanks so much to netgalley and St. Martins Press for the arc and Macmillan audio for the alc of this one in exchange for an honest review!