2.5 stars

I am in the minority here but this book was not for me which is odd as I do enjoy a good cozy mystery. It was very hard to get into and I just couldn’t connect or care about the main character (or any of the characters really). The use of footnotes was very distracting and overdone and the author tried too hard for the main character to be funny. This one felt like a long slog and it took way too long before anything interesting started to happen. I was really anticipating this one but it just didn’t work for me.

Thanks to the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Review: wow this was such a wild read. Based on the title alone, I knew it was going to be exciting!

The book started off strong. Eleanor, an extremely successful author, travels to Italy with a group to promote her new book in the book series. The book includes her sister (her assistant), her ex, her other ex who she is trying to kill off in her series, his ex, another disgruntled writer, and a new up and coming writer who stole her plot. Whew, let me tell you it’s quite the book.

While in the trip, her ex Connor, who she wants to cut ties with in the book series and real life claims someone is trying to murder him. It soon turns out someone is also trying to murder Eleanor. The group all starts turning on each other while one of them dies with no answers.

The interesting part of the book is that it’s about an author writing a book and this book is almost like her outline. I love the format and made a heavy plot pretty light and entertaining. What I really didn’t like was the footnotes- for two reasons. One, it’s impossible to read on kindle without going back and forth and eventually I gave up. Two they made Eleanor extremely unlikable. I could have done without them.

The middle did drag on, and the group members were memorable enough to keep track at all times. The last 25% was great. It really picked up, I loved the writing style, and loved how it wrapped up. Overall it was a little chaotic for me but entertaining (especially the end).

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" by Catherine Mack is the ultimate summer page-turner that seamlessly blends mystery with a hint of romance. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Italy, this novel follows Eleanor, a renowned writer whose dream Italian tour quickly turns into a nightmare.

From the get-go, the reader is thrust into Eleanor's whirlwind of a vacation, where she finds herself accompanied by her ex-boyfriend and blackmailer, a persistent stalker, a plot-stealing fellow author, and her assistant/sister. Oh, and did I mention the attempts on her life? It's a trip that's anything but peaceful, as Eleanor navigates through a maze of danger, deception, and unexpected twists. Eleanor is a protagonist you can't help but root for. With charisma, wit, and a knack for finding herself in the midst of chaos, she's the perfect guide through this rollercoaster of a vacation.

I loved the use of footnotes, they really got my academic heart racing and I felt they didn't distract from the story as much as I expected them to. I also adored the fourth-wall breaks, it really added extra depths to the narrative and gave me some laughs.

In summary, "Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" is a must-read for anyone looking for a light-hearted yet thrilling summer escape. Whether you're lounging by the pool or jet-setting on to your own adventure, this book is sure to keep you hooked from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Eleanor is headed on book tour in Italy, and is finally ready to kill Connor off in her books. He has blackmailed her for a portion of her book sales for too long. But when a real attempt is made on Connors life, everyone on the tour is a suspect. Eleanor now has to deal with her stalker who someohow made it on the trip, her blackmailer, her sister, and her ex all in one place.

I did this one on audio and really enjoyed the listening experience. I liked that the story was written to include the fourth audience in solving the mystery of who was trying to kill Connor and why. It felt a bit dragged out for me at times, but I still enjoyed the story and the antics. I think I expected this to be more of a relaxing vacation with someone dying based on the cover, but I loved all the Italy references throughout the book. Also, now I need some pasta!

The Vacation Mysteries #1
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies
by Catherine Mack, narrated by Elizabeth Evans

El's life is a mess. It might look like a nice mess from the outside but from the inside it's a deadly dysfunctional mess. On this latest research trip (an Italian tour) for her 10th book in her hit series, most of her dysfunction is along for the trip. There's her younger sister, Harper, who both depends on El for a living but resents that El is living the career Harper wanted to live. There are two ex boyfriends along on the trip, Connor, the cad, who has a strangle hold on El that she hasn't been able to break although she's finally going to do it by killing him off in the tenth book of her series. That is, if she can get away with doing so, because it looks like she might just die trying. Then there is Oliver, the former boyfriend that now won't get back with El and it serves her right for what she did to him.

Also on the trip are some of her super fans who won the chance to tail El's group and have scheduled contact with El and the other authors in her entourage (too bad one of the fans is stalking El). The authors are a competitive lot and if El wasn't snarky enough for us, just add in more authors with biting (or not) wit and the snipes, snarls, and snark abound. El has enough snark on her own to fill a book with footnotes galore (more about that later). Luckily it seems most of the folks have thick skin.

But figurative thick skin may not be enough to save this group when it seems someone is trying to kill Connor. Oh wait, maybe someone is trying to kill El. Or both? There will be bodies and the mystery just gets more mysterious as time goes on. El goes so far to wonder if her own sister is trying to kill her. Or one or both boyfriends are trying to kill her. Through it all she keeps working on her plot to kill Connor off in her next book (did I tell you he's the hero of each of the books in El's series?).

About the footnotes. There are lots of them. I was able to experience the book via both the audiobook and the ebook. I started with the audiobook and I must say that the narrator nails the 4th wall breaking El. She's talking right at us, letting us in on all kinds of dirty secrets and crazy thoughts while also holding back on us at times. She'll even give us spoilers for what's ahead so we don't have to fret too much about who might or might not die soon. Starting with the audiobook, I didn't realize there really were real footnotes in the book since they are delivered to us more as constant blabber, just El running at the mouth with all these asides. I liked this method of dealing with the footnotes in the audiobook.

When I switched to the ebook I saw there really were footnotes. Lots and lots of real footnotes as the end of each chapter. You can read them as they come up in the story, you can wait and read them at the end of the chapter, or you can skip them all together. Footnotes in an ebook can be pretty clunky so I just read them at the end of each chapter to avoid losing my place switching back and forth as I read. I think I'd prefer them to be written as asides throughout the story, the way I experienced them in the audiobook.

Overall, I didn't mind El talking right at me. She is funny, snide, and as much a cad as Connor. I'll let her tell you all about it, IF she will tell you. She doesn't always spill the beans right away and I'm pretty sure she's holding back on us half the time. There will be more to come in future books according to El. She's got books to write (or not) and a new crime to solve.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book, I predict, will be a lot like cilantro. You will either love it or hate it with no middle ground.

Pros
It’s set in Italy and the reader gets a glimpse at all the wonderful things that country has to offer.

The format was original and the author uses footnotes to talk directly to the reader.

Reader gets an inside look at an author’s world and publishing challenges.

The plot was campy and if you wanted to get swept away with the silliness of it all there was plenty of over the top scenes.

Cons

It was too clever by half. Like a person who overestimates their humor telling joke after joke while the listener rolls their eyes.

If improbable scenarios make you cringe…this may not be the book for you.

The footnotes, while clever were overdone. I think this may be format dependent but in the electronic version it was too hard to flip back and forth to understand the jokes.

The characters were all extremely unlikeable and the mystery wasn’t quite so mysterious.

The synopsis of this one interested me because who doesn’t love a who dun it set in Italy? Eleanor was an unreliable and at times unlikable character. Her stream of consciousness and the meandering way she narrated the story bored me at times. I did enjoy her character ARC though and she made some great pop culture references. The relationships between Eleanor and the other characters were highly entertaining, and I liked the way they shifted throughout the story. The banter and dialogue was well timed and made me laugh at times. The story within the story was an interesting angle at first, but eventually it felt contrived and in the end it was barely mentioned. The plot pacing was slow in the beginning, well timed in the middle, but felt rushed at the end. There was so much set up and not enough depth in the middle in my opinion. I did like the way you were meant to be suspicious of everyone and how many things were just thrown at the wall for you to parse out. However, I did sort of put together the pieces of the puzzle and wasn’t majorly shocked by the end reveal. The footnotes included were comical, but annoying for me. Since I was reading an ebook, I kept having to scroll back to find what the footnote was referencing. The ending felt a little underwhelming and rushed. I would’ve liked a little more resolution for Harper and Eleanor and Eleanor and Oliver. I can appreciate the set up for the next book, but it felt like too many loose ends.

This book was really cute and fun! I was excited for the opportunity to read it as we just took a vacation to Naples & Rome and all the scenery in Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies was such a perfect Italian tread for a little travel longing heart. I totally called the killer early on (well, sort of), but the twists and red-herrings seriously kept me on my toes. I loved all the nods to classic mystery writers (though there are definitely some spoilers) as well as the current pop culture references. The language isn't totally PG, but the overall feel is pretty cute & clean. I really loved the third wall breakage with all the talks directly to the readers as well. This is a unique cozy mystery and I'll definitely read more in the series.

This was cute! It was a fast-paced cozy mystery, and I really enjoyed the way the story was written, but there were so many characters I found it hard to keep track of everyone's backstories at time. There were also a crazy amount of footnotes, and while I found it entertaining in the beginning, by the end of the book I ignored a lot of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me this book!

Wow, the original format and writing style of Catherine Mack makes this one an easy 4.5 (rounded up of course)! This book was so quirky with the many snarky, sarcastic, humorous footnotes, the actual personal invitation to help solve the mystery and the hints on which clues to follow makes you truly feel apart of the story. The book is filled with motive, jealousy, blackmail, greed, revenge and many possible suspects set within a book tour in Italy highlighting the complexity of the publishing world- what more could you wish for? Honestly, it was a fun, modern take on the cozy murder mystery genre and the ending was the perfect set-up for more to come.

I am grateful to Minatour Books, St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me access to the advanced Uncorrected Digital Copy. Although I was gifted this privilege, my review and comments are my own thoughts and opinions which I give voluntarily with no influence.

I am also noting here that I was also given access to the audio book which I would say I split my time just about 50/50 between actual reading and listening and I can honestly say this may be a case where the audio book will have a slight edge over the actual book which in no way is a bad thing!!!! The audio book is not too long and would be perfect for a road trip.

First of all, Elizabeth Evans does an amazing job narrating the story. Her voice is soothing, consistent and easy to follow. The story consists of many footnotes that are an integral part of the storyline and are actually pretty funny at times but when reading the actual book some may not be comfortable waiting to the end of the chapter and might feel the need to flip back and forth where the narrated version flows seamlessly.

Thanks to Net Galley for this advance copy of Every Times I Go on Vacation , Someone Dies. Television rights to both this book and its sequels have been sold for development into a series. After reading this book, all that I can say is that I hope the series is better than the book. One affectation in this book is the author’s cutesy inclusion of footnotes. There are 300 to be precise and they add nothing to the book. The main character constantly references herself and breaks the third wall way too often. The humor falls flat and the characters are poorly developed so we really don’t know the motives any of them might have until well into the book.
Sorry, but this was a “miss” for me. Hope the sequel(s) are better.

This story is super fun. It follows this mystery author who writes a series of books and now there might be someone trying to kill her or someone in her entourage. We get to try to guess what is going on while she reveals things at her own pace, and with style. I liked the narrator a lot and all of her random footnotes. I liked her as a character in general too, and I laughed a lot. I also really enjoyed the mystery part and the way it unfolded.

I did read it partially and listen partially and preferred the audio version. But I would recommend it both ways because it’s a really fun mystery read.

EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES By Catherine Mack

It's easy to write reviews when you love the books and feel strongly about them!

Thank you to St Martin's Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book is out 4/30!

Eleanor is a famous author, on tour with her Vacation Mystery Series Universe and Co.- everyone she could want on vacation with her- and more.

The tour includes but is not limited to-
her ex boyfriend Connor and the main character in her novels, who is blackmailing her
her ex boyfriend she is very much still in love with
her envious sister- whose childhood dream was to become a writer
a TikTok writer who maybe ripped off her books
a bunch of crazy fans
her stalker

So what seems like a nightmare vacation right off the bat turns even worse when it becomes clear someone is trying to murder Connor- and clear that it's one of the members of the Vacation Mystery Series Universe.

This book was so fun and light. I absolutely loved Eleanor's humor! I will admit I was a little 🤨 at the footnotes at first because they slowed down my reading, I grew to love them, as that's where Eleanor gives so many little details and true bits of her humor come out. Each character was quirky in their own way. I really never knew who the potential killer was!

I am hesitant about books about books (weird, I know) but this book about books didn't focus on the actual writing of a book and due deadlines. I loved the purpose of the trip being a book tour and the drafting notes of how Eleanor could fictionally kill off Connor. I found it all very entertaining!

Read if you loved: The Finlay Donovan Series or The Expectant Detectives!

Thank you for the arc! This was such a fun read. Captivating, twisty, I had fun trying to figure it out. Will recommend as a fun beach read to my audience.

Eleanor Dash is a best selling author of crime fiction. Her first book was based on her trip to Italy when she was 25. There she met the handsome Connor Smith, had a whirlwind romance and then they helped solve a string of bank robberies. She wrote the fictionalized version of what happened and it became an international best seller. She is now working on her tenth book in this series, and things are not quite so rosy. Turns out Connor is a bit of a cad, he was married when he romanced her, and forced her to share part of the royalties to use his name. At the ten year anniversary of the original crime, her publisher has sent Eleanor, Connor and a bunch of other authors on a book tour through Italy. Connor tries to get Eleanor to help him, as he is convinced that someone is trying to kill him. Eleanor seems to think he is crazy, but then someone tries to kill her as well. Everyone on the tour has a reason to kill Connor;, Eleanor;Eleanor’s ex Oliver; Harper, Eleanor’s sister: Connor’s ex wife, Allisonn and a few other folks on the tour, including a crazed fan. But the question is, who would also want to kill Eleanor? This is a fun, humorous mystery. What kept this from being a five star read? The sinking footnotes. I think the author thought this would be quirky, but it was annoying. Overall, a fun read. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

Rounding up- 4.75!
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I LOVED this book.
Think Knives Out Glass Onion meets rom-com. Perfect to get you ready for summer or just for a fun read. I adored this writing style, and the footnotes?! Elite. This will be on my top reads of 2024 for sure! Mark your calendars for Catherine's publishing day: April 30, 2024!

THIS BOOK! I'm in love!! It was absolutely hilarious, kept me on the tip toes, and was so binge-worthy! I'm not sure if this is considered a cozy mystery - if it is, I'm new to the genre, and have to ask: do all "cozies" have this much murder? Either way, I'm its newest fan!!

This book would be perfect for people who loved Everybody In My Family Has Killed Someone and/or Finlay Donovan is Killing It. It has dark humor, witty banter between the characters, unsolvable mysteries, and (!!) the narrator/main character frequently breaks the fourth wall to talk directly to the reader, which is something I loved. There were apparently a lot of footnotes in the physical book too, but they were easy enough to follow in the audiobook as well!

It follows Eleanor, who goes on a book tour with an assortment of connected friends and family members to Italy. Not *all* are friends though, as it quickly becomes apparent that one of them is trying to murder her...

Absolutely highly recommend. I loved it so much!

This was a fun, cozy mystery! I really liked the format with there being anecdotes between some chapters and the footnotes were fun too. I also love how the author speaks directly to you in parts! It felt like a very unique read. It included humor and the characters were very intriguing. Also the setting of the Amalfi Coast was amazing as it’s a place I have always wanted to travel to! The narrator really kept my attention and the cover is so pretty!

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I want to commit a homicide. ”
Here are reasons to read the Thriller book:

Mystery writer - Eleanor is a mystery writer who has around 10 books released
Book tour - in order to commemorate the first book’s anniversary, her publisher schedules a book tour in Italy
Character - Connor, who is the real life person one of her main characters is based on, shows up asking for help
Kill him - it seems like someone is trying to kill him, for real.

I had seen a bit of hype about this book, but I got more interested when I realized I had already read of few of this author’s thriller books under a different name, Catherine McKenzie. This book has the same vibes as Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, which if you haven’t read yet, like pause your reading and go add it to your TBR. Anyway, her voice is very unique and she even breaks the fourth wall a few times to “collaborate” with you about who did it. And you know what, she still got me. I did not see it coming at all. Very excited to add this one to my shelf and continue to read this series.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I understand that there was a note at the beginning that this e-galley is a work in progress. There were definitely some formatting issues on my Kindle Paperwhite (11th Gen). It made reading somewhat difficult, but I was still able to get through. My review does not reflect any formatting issues, hopefully this will be resolved by the release date.

Now, onto my complete and honest review:

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a quirky, witty, and cozy mystery with a narrator who is questionably reliable throughout. It is a very enjoyable read and creatively executed.

Catherine Mack has done a great job at presenting a chaotic and captivating mystery that gives you enough clues to put the pieces together and figure it out, while still making you question your thoughts.

There is great character development that makes many of the characters simultaneously likable and unlikable. The plot is well developed and while the reader is given clues to an arguably predictable outcome, the twist is still one that left me fascinated.
Overall, I enjoyed this read and there is a good chance I will read it again.