Every time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies, was such a fun read!

I love the way the main character was an authour and was writing the book and talking to the audience, the reader, at the same time. I loved the footnotes. The writing style reminded me a bit of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.

The story was so unique, and I couldn't solve the mystery, even though our authour main character kept saying she was leaving us clues. I was onto one character, but I definitely didn't figure out the why.

I enjoyed all the characters in this story, well, maybe except Connor. But, I especially liked how our main character was quite open and honest about herself. She'd be considered an unreliable narrator, I think, except she kind of told the reader she was. Her ability to recognize her faults at least made her more likable to me.

And the setting, all the beautiful descriptions of the places they visited, and the food and drink, there was one scene where the group was at a wine tasting that was particularly humorous.

I also laughed out loud at the authours references to Goodreads.

"If Agatha were alive today, she'd be duking it out with one-star reviewers on Goodreads, I just know it." As I said, this book was just so fun.

I definitely recommend this one for fans of a cozy mystery with a little edge to it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advanced digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

3.5: Fun, light mystery. Eleanor, the main character speaks to the reader throughout the book. You are sort of supposed to solve it as you go. The footnotes were kind of fun. I would continue to read this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.

A light-hearted mystery. We join Eleanor Dash as she embarks on an Italian book tour that is literally to die for. A book that will inspire you to fall in love with travel as well as the characters. The storyline and writing made for a fun, quick read.

With a title like that, I knew I had to read this one! I did this as an audio book and I found the story entertaining. The mc, Eleanor, is a bit frustrating. She doesn't seem to realize the amazing gig she has of being an author and to travel around with her highly organized sister. She can't read her itinerary or seem to manage any relationships - but she slowly grew on me as the story continued.

I found Conner and the antics of each attempt funny at times. I think the humor and silly moments translated well on the audio and carried me along in the story and kept me engaged. The audio also helps seamlessly add in the footnotes that other readers seemed to find distracting.

It's a cozy mystery, one that I had guesses but enjoyed the journey to find out. It looks like it will be the start to a series but the mystery is wrapped up in one, so no cliffhangers. I highly recommend the audiobook!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

As always, Catherine absolutely SLAYS anything she writes. I devoured Every Time I go on Vacation, Someone Dies. It had every element that I love in a book, with characters that I loved. Also, adding in the travel element was just *chefs kiss*. If you love mystery, romance, and humour... this is a MUST READ. I can't wait for the rest of the series!!!

I thought this books sounded really intriguing, so I was happy to read it early. I loved that this book has footnotes, especially because they make you laugh. The whole premise of this book was captivating. It was hard to put down.

Elenor was an absolutely hilarious main character. I loved following her on vacation and her misadventures. I loved how she slowly becomes a very unreliable narrator.

I loved the way the author threw in wrap up chapters to help you solve the crimes being committed. I got Finlay Donovan vibes the who time reading, in the best possible way. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Destination, deception, and death, yes please! Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is perfect for those looking for a bit of vacation with their murder mystery. Mack delights with fun characters, a gorgeous Italian setting, and intrigue. Author Eleanor Dash has been writing best-selling mysteries set in vacation destinations all with a real-life main character Connor Smith, who happens to be Eleanor’s ex…well sort of, if he hadn’t been married (a minor detail he failed to share). Eleanor has decided to write one last book before killing off her main character, in her books of course. Unfortunately, others have similar plans, in real life. Eleanor is enlisted to help solve the mystery of who wants Connor dead while on an Italian book tour and it turns out, there are plenty of suspects thanks to Connor’s less-than savoury life. This book absolutely flew by as every character was a suspect and Mack entertained with witty banter and with author insights including footnotes all leading to a conclusion that could have been predictable if only every character wasn’t a suspect. This story would definitely would appeal to cozy mystery lovers and definitely fans of The White Lotus and Knives Out as suggested. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4 ⭐️
Pub Date: August 13, 2024
How I Read It: 📱

Synopsis

Bestselling author Eleanor Dash is on her book tour in Italy, but will this be her last book? Maybe, because she has one problem, she wants to kill off her main character, Connor Smith, because Connor is a real person in her life who is getting royalties from her book, and she’s sick of him.

Things start getting interesting when somebody actually tries to kill Connor in Italy, and he pleads with Eleanor to help him find out who’s doing this, but Eleanor doesn’t quite believe him. Who would want to kill Connor…other than her?

My Thoughts
This was a laugh out loud cozy mystery that will have you wanting more of Eleanor and the rest of the quirky cast of characters. This mystery has many suspects and it’s hard to pinpoint who the culprit is; I didn’t see it coming! The banter is great and the location setting, Italy, was also a wonderful addition to the story. It’s a light, quick, easy, and entertaining read, and I like that they left the book open for a sequel.

Themes
🫣 Suspense
🏃‍♂️ Fast-Paced
🌪️ Twists

Ratings
Characters: 4 ⭐️
Pace: 4 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 4 ⭐️

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books, an imprint of St Martins Publishing Group for this digital copy.

While this was an ebook, I think I would have preferred a hard copy as it would have been helpful to flip back and forth between pages easily. There were an abundance of characters and I didn’t find myself super invested in any of them. The alternate way it was written was interesting, but was difficult with the digital copy to reference back and forth.

I wanted to love this book, but ultimately was unable to get into it. I didn’t connect with any of the characters or what was going on, which made it hard to get into the story. The use of footnotes to inform the reader of various things, felt distracting and unnecessary. Overall, this book just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Minotaur Books + NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This was so fun! It was my first by the author and I already can't wait to read another title by this author, and hopefully in this universe. Our main character, Eleanor, is an author traveling in Italy on a 10th anniversary book tour for her popular murder mystery series. In her writing, she is trying to kill off the main character (based off her ex, Connor) and in real life, he confides in her that someone is trying to kill him, but he doesn't know more. Attempts on Connor's life are made, but end up taking victims other than Connor himself. Who is the murderer and why are they targeting them? The banter, the cast of characters, and the hilarious narrator kept me intrigued and wanting more the entire read. I'm newer to the cozy mystery genre and definitely a new fan! 4.5/5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for ecopy for my Kindle.
A cozy mystery that "who done it" is almost impossible to figure out and had a surprise ending.
Except for the occasional profanity, it was a good read.

Thank you for the ARC !
This book was so good and entertaining! Love the characters and story line ! Definitely recommend !

I wanted to love this novel but I had a hard time finishing it. It had all the right ingredients: an Italian summer, murder, romance, but it fell flat for me. I didn't find Eleanor likeable and wasn't very captivated by the mystery.

It was a cute idea but it just didn't work me personally.

Eleanor Dash has a successful mystery book series but is being blackmailed by her ex Connor who Eleanor based her book's main character on. After ten years Eleanor is ready to end her book series just so she can be free of her ex. However, the book sales haven't been great and while on a fan book tour there are attempts on some of the characters lives, a stalker has been allowed to join the tour, rivalries resurface, and romance is rekindled.

This humorous cozy mystery that often breaks the fourth wall was well worth the read. It is perfect for a lazy Sunday or a beach read.

With the catchy title. I really had hopes for this book however it wasn’t what I was expecting. It just didn’t capture my interest.

I loved this one! I listened to the audio and it added even more to my enjoyment because of the narrators tone when delivering the footnotes & the foreshadowing (LOVED breaking that fourth wall from the writer’s perspective!!). It was a quick listen, I loved the murder mystery aspect and genuinely never saw the reveal coming because of how absorbed and entertained I was all throughout. One of the most enjoyable reads for me this year and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I loved this book! I particularly enjoyed how Eleanor looped the reader into the action and allowed them to help solve the crime. I liked following along with Eleanor’s internal monologue; she reminds me of Finlay Donovan. This is the first book in a series, of which I will certainly keep reading!