I liked this one. The characters were interesting and I liked how all of the authors were connected through Eleanor's book. I did not see the ending coming and thought the "author's" insistence that the reader solve the mystery before the end of the book took a little away from the actual story. The footnotes do not work well on a Kindle; hopefully they will be a better placement for the print copy.

Sometimes you just want to read a murder mystery packed full of humor and this title gave me everything I wanted! The book beginning to explain how the book I was reading was actually the book written by the main character was something I didn't expect but found to be a fun twist on this kind of book. It also allowed for something that I hadn't experienced for quite a while: a fiction book with footnotes that help tell the story. As a teen, I read a book called Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffee with the same kind of footnotes and I wish more books would use this as a more unique way of learning about the main character through how they think or feel about situations without necessarily stopping the story. I can't wait to read what adventures Eleanor goes on in future books as this one very much alluded to more books!

Sadly not for me! The writing style just didn't work for me. I found it a little too chaotic and difficult to keep track of all of the characters, and honestly be the time the reveal happened, I was mostly checked out and wasn't paying attention. In addition to the writing style, I just think the footnotes weren't for me, and the book was objectively funny but it wasn't my sense of humor.

With a title, cover and premise like this, there is so much potential but no execution.

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?
Clearly, because when an attempt is 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’s enlisted to help solve the case.

This one started off really fast paced with a whole bunch of humour but then just teetered off. I absolutely loved Eleanor’s character who gave me major Finlay Donovan vibes and the break down of the fourth wall is always a fun addition. However I was so incredibly bored. I was waiiiiitttting for someone to die or a true mystery to occur but it was all just silly shenanigans. Best part was the setting of Rome and I really felt like I was right alongside the characters.

This one reminded me of Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone and even more so its sequel Everyone on this Train is a Suspect which are two books I loved wholeheartedly and I think that may attribute to my dislike for this one. I think I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t read those first. Overall, I think this is going to be a fun and well loved palate cleanser for many, however it just didn’t work for me.

Eleanor is a mystery writer who is sent on tour in Italy with her sister/manager, two ex-boyfriends (one she hates, one she still loves), and a handful of other authors that are connected to her. Joining them are some fan contest winners. Eleanor is supposed to be researching her tenth book in the series, but she also wants to make it her final book where she kills off her detective, who is modeled after her ex-boyfriend who has been blackmailing her. She just wants him out of her life. When the book tour starts going sideways, Eleanor is not sure who she can trust.

I liked this book, but it is very Everyone on This Train is a Suspect. Is this tongue in cheek, talking to the audience, pop mystery the new trend? I feel that Agatha Christie would be rolling over in her grave to read this funny-but-trying-hard-to-be-funny book where the mystery takes a backseat to the banter. I like it, but it kind of gets old that the whole book is spent with characters blanketly defending themselves and there is no real mystery solving. Entertaining and light, not very memorable.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

In “Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies,” a cozy-mystery author gets caught up in solving a murder mystery for herself while on a book tour in Italy. This book is filled with humor and a quirky juxtaposition of characters. I was invested in the plot and the writing style was just fun! I also loved the funny footnotes contained in each chapter and the dreamy Italian setting. This one is definitely a tribute to cozy-mystery lovers.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Quirky and cute, which is what I expected, but also has an air of mystery and suspense too! I tend to lean towards more serious thrillers, so the opportunity to read this book was very welcomed, and I truly enjoyed every minute of the story. It took me a few chapters to really get into it, as the writing is more light-hearted, but once you got to know the characters, it really sucked you in. Truly enjoyed!!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own

Eleanor Dash may be my new favorite book character. She is a bestselling author who writes fiction mystery about a real man, Connor. Connor is taking a percentage of her profits from the books. Eleanor has decided she has had enough of dealing with him and decides to kill him off in her book series. They are on a publishing experience in Italy and it seems like someone is out to kill both her and Connor, in real life.

Hilarious and witty murder mystery that I couldn’t put down! Set in the present day during a book tour where our characters travel around Italy, there’s many twists and red herrings with a big cast of characters and competing motives, means and opportunities. The title grabbed me and the writing style immediately drew me in - I loved all the footnotes with the narrator’s various asides (as a lawyer I may be pre-dispositioned to be partial to footnotes; I think a reader could skip them easily but would miss out on some of the humor and fun). I hope this author follows up on the teaser in the epilogue for another book, as I’d love to read another from her. Highly recommend this one!

*Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this novel! It was fun and fresh, a great summer read for me. At first, it took me a while to learn all the characters. But, when I got further in the book, I could not put it down. I also loved the use of footnotes to give a few clues about the mystery. Lastly, I did not see the twist coming, so that was quite fun for me!

At first I was unsure how I felt about this book. Eventually it grew on me. It was a fun romp through Rome and the Amalfi Coast and, despite the murders, amusing and lighthearted. Eleanor is quite funny and sarcastic; I loved that she often broke the fourth wall. The setting, especially along the Coast, is stunning and some of my favorite things about Italy (gelato, Aperol spritzes) are included. Her digs at Goodreads reviews will resonate with a lot of readers and authors! There is even some romance thrown into the mix.

Mack includes a number of foot notes...kind of asides that Eleanor made to further explain or emphasize something. They were clever and entertaining, but distracting and interrupted the flow of reading. Genre bending, this is a mystery/ cozymystery/romcom/travelogue/comedy.

Thanks to @NetGalley and @stmartinspress @minotaur_books for the DRC.

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This book was so much fun! It's unique and funny. I really enjoyed the footnotes throughout. Although, I think they would be easier to follow in a print format.

I have been loving cozy mysteries lately so was excited when work got the ARC and was able to request on Netgalley. I enjoyed this and it was an easy read. I will say, I gave it 3 stars because the humor didn't really work for me. This is like peak millennial humor, which is fine but not really my thing. But also this book has a ton of pop culture references that are going to age it. I wasn't the biggest fan of the main character and breaking the fourth wall. It was an easy and fast read, but not anything revolutionary.

I love this book so much! The writing is fantastic, it kept me guessing, and I loved the twist at the end.
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A cozy mystery
The MC, Eleanor, is an author who narrates the book, she’s messy, likeable, and had me snort laughing
I loved the footnotes! Don’t skip them
A touch of romance
Murder attempts
An evil ex-boyfriend
.
If you are a cozy mystery fan, I recommend it - I flew through this while on vacation and look forward to more from Catherine Mack!

This type of book is definitely a first for me. I've never read a book that gives the reader a behind the scenes look into being an author, "breaks the 4th wall" nor have I read a book that has footnotes. Before I get into that, let's talk about what the book is about first.

Our MC, Eleanor Dash, is a best-selling true crime/mystery author who goes on a book tour through Italy with her sister/assistant, her "consultant"/crappy ex-boyfriend, and a small group of other mystery authors. Things start to go awry on this trip when one member of the group thinks someone is trying to murder them. Who could the attempted murderer be? Is it one of the others in their group?

I quite enjoyed that Mack wrote the book to make the reader feel included in solving the mystery. I found myself really trying to solve the-who-dun-its right along side the characters. There isn't a murder until about 60% into the book, with the first portion being mainly about how Eleanor wants to call it quits on writing the series because it involves someone she can't stand and about various (very well described) locations, food and drink of Italy. I really liked that they included a group of mystery loving super-fans called The Bookface Ladies into the periphery of the book tour. There are so many people attending this book tour, everyone is a suspect, creating a ton of red herrings. Each time I thought I might guess who the suspect is, I am led to believe it's someone else.

I felt the footnotes unnecessary and a little distracting. Whenever I would finally get back into the rhythm of the writing, a footnote would appear and take me away from the flow of the book. I had to put the book down on many occasions at first because those footnotes really threw me off. I might have enjoyed the book more had I just waited until the end of each chapter to read them.

Overall, I really liked this book once the action started to pick up pace. It was uniquely and well written, and sets you up for book 2 in the epilogue. I would have given this book 4 stars had it not been for the footnotes, which brought my rating down to 3.75 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC for my honest opinion. Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is set to be released on April 30, 2024.

Eleanor Dash is the author of the Vacation Mysteries. Her first book: When in Rome reached the New York Times best seller list for six months. A book she wrote by accident. After returning home from a life changing trip to Italy she had the urge to write what happened: how she met Connor Smith and fell in love, how they got embroiled in solving a series of robberies that ended in a murder.
She has a younger sister, Harper, who works as her assistant. They live together at their late parents’ house in Venice Beach, California.
She continued the series writing one book a year and as the ten year anniversary of her first book is approaching, the publisher organized a book tour with her fellow writers, a tour that will take them to six Italian cities for ten days.
Too many suspects, too many motives.
I really enjoyed this mystery, the scenery, the plot, the characters. I recommend it if you like the genre.
Thank you Netgalley @netgalley, Catherine Mack @catherinemckenzieauthor and Minotaur Books @minotaur_books for the ARC copy.

Oh my gosh, this book is SO MUCH FUN! It’s been ages since I read a mystery and this one was an absolute BLAST! Like a snarky younger cousin of all my old favorite cozy mysteries. 😍
A mystery writer as narrator, a stalker, a blackmailer, an assistant, and a handful of other colorful characters gathered on a working vacation near the scene of a crime that occurred ten years in the past. It’s supposed to be fun, right? Until the bodies start dropping.

This book is DELIGHTFUL and I will 100% be coming back for more.
10/10 recommend for mystery fans!

I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley, all opinions are my own and a review was not required.

This was such a fun book! I enjoyed this so much! Trying to figure out a whodoneit situation as your reading was a blast! The cliffnotes! Loved it! Highly recommend you grab this! Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I’m still laughing! The title grabbed my interest! Now…..footnotes. I hated them in high school….Deplored them in college. But, I loved them here! They are cutesy-funny! 237 of them! You ,it’s read them for they are a hoot but also may include clues. The story is paced well and keeps the reader’s interest. Connor should crawl back into the sewer where he came from! He is so slimy! Ugh…. But, I would love to see Harper get her own book deal too. Hopefully, she does then she is no longer taking care of El, but is now her colleague as well as her competition! Just do NOT have her hooked up with Conner (Sewer Creature).. I am looking forward to. The next book, which I hope does take place at Emma’s wedding! BUY THIS BOOK TOO!

This was a cute and cleverly written. The only drawback was the addition of the footnotes. I’m hoping that it is just the e-book affected, but I found it really hard to follow and broke the flow. It was frustrating at times, and for that, 4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. Publication date April 30, 2024.