Every time I go on vacation, someone dies.
Catherine Mack
TBR April 30, 2024
2024-27❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️5.0
📚📚📚Best selling mystery author Eleanor Dash has a secret—she’s decided to kill the main character of her internationally acclaimed series, Connor Smith. The problem however is that he exists in her real life too, and has been blackmailing her for years. Also he’s her ex. So when her publisher sends her on a book tour to Italy with Connor, and a crew of novelists and others who have been linked to her and Connor AND someone decides to try to kill Connor for real, there is no shortage of suspects. There’s his ex-wife. Several others he has slept with. Ex business partners. Men whose girlfriends he has slept with. And, of course, Eleanor herself. Suddenly this book tour is becoming a death trap. Can Eleanor figure out the killer before she’s dead or in an Italian jail?

I love a cozy mystery. Eleanor is telling us, the reader, this story, breaking the 4th wall with a sledge hammer. Complete with over 300 footnotes. I struggled with the format at the very start—the book just jumps into the book tour and through the footnotes you come to understand the ten years of relationships that have occurred before the start of the book. I even stopped and googled to make sure I wasn’t missing a book. But once I was in—man, I was in. Modern cozy so no spice, no language, comfortable despite murder. Eleanor is funny! The footnotes actually became my favorite part of the book, even stopping and googling some the pop culture she was talking about. (Wait? Fred Savage was cancelled? How did I miss this??) (And I ordered the Princess Bride since I hadn’t read the book.) As an admitted Swiftie, I loved her Taylor Swift references. I feel like Eleanor and I would be besties (hey, Aperol spritz is my fave too!) if you don’t like a book that breaks the fourth wall, you won’t like this one but you should give it a chance. Reminds me of “everyone in my family has killed someone,” but this one made me laugh even harder. I am absolutely in for this series and can’t wait for her next one.
❤️❤️❤️JJ’s last words. Modern day Agatha Christie cozy—kind of Murder on the Nile-ish. If Agatha loved Tay-Tay. (She totally would right? I see Agatha as a Midnights girl, definitely Bejeweled in a Lavender Haze.) #EveryTimeIGoOnVacationSomeoneDies!
Disclaimer: Mcmillin and Minotaur Books gave me access to this advanced readers copy on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you #netgalley for this ARC. This was my first Catherine Mack mystery, and though I liked the premise and the story line was witty, the poor Kindle formatting made the book very hard to follow. The character were, unfortunately, unlikable for the most part. The story moved along quickly and I enjoyed the descriptions of the Italian coast. 3/5 stars.

This is the first book by Catherine Mack that I have read. I found it funny, well written and entertaining. The format was unconventional but flowed well. I skipped the indemnification clauses as they only interrupted the flow.

I knew early who the killer was but there are plenty of twists and turns. The final reveal is a surprise. I won’t say more as I do not want to spoil the story.

I read this for the enjoyment of the book and not so much for the whodunit.

I was given an advanced readers copy by Netgalley. These are my own opinions.

The writing style really threw me off. I never knew who the dialogue was being spoken from. The plot was meh. Just not the book for me.

I enjoyed the mystery and the voice and would probably read the sequel. However, I will also be praying with my whole heart that the sequel does not have footnotes because they made for a frustrating read that was almost more trouble than it was worth.

In the age of ebooks, please. Please. Please. Let go of the idea of footnotes. They don’t work anymore (and I wasn’t a huge fan to begin with.)

Though it’s made very clear upfront that the footnotes are optional, they aren’t. They appear alongside the text and you spend all the time trying to figure out what you’ve been given permission to skip and what you haven’t and, again, they weren’t that clever. They were just in the way.

This was a fun take on a modern cozy mystery plus it was funny....like, really funny. Funny because it's not your life and you are thankful you aren't that big of a mess! Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is written by an "accidental" best-selling author about being an author. All the facets of publishing come into play and you get to see the backside of what many authors face in the publishing world. The chapters are hilariously (and appropriately titled) and you the reader are taken along the adventure trying to solve the murder with the author as she drops clues. I did not solve the mystery but I did enjoy the book. There are footnotes (LOTS of footnotes) at the end of each chapter, these were often funny, often clues, and occasionally annoying but overall this was an enjoyable read. It was only after I finished the book did I realize this was a new series and I'm here for it! I'm ready to get to know some of the characters a bit more and see what other "situations" they find themselves in.

"Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" is by Catherine Mack and is the first book in her Vacation Mystery series. The expected publication date is April 30, 2024 and you should definitely pick it up for your next vacation. Minotaur Books and NetGalley were kind enough to send me an advanced electronic copy to read and I'm happy to provide my honest review voluntarily.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies hits the ground running from the start. If you love meta books, or breaking the 4th wall, this one is for you. Yes, it's an author writing about an author whose character is an author plotting her next book in her series along with killing off a fan fav. If that isn't enough to catch your attention, the book is filled with footnotes that read like asides to the reader. Wink, Wink. It was all very fun. Oh, and a bit off the cozy mark, is our MC lets loose with an occasional swear word. GASP!
Travel along with Eleanor Dash and a group of her fans better known as the BookFaces that have won a trip with Eleanor et al to Italy. Literally anyone following thrillers and suspense books on social media will recognize the trend of holding up a book showing half a person's face. Author Mack (the real, real author) is beyond on point with her witty observations of trends hitting authors, publishers, and readers alike on social media. It is hilarious.
I encourage everyone to pick up the first in what I imagine will be a fun-filled series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for an early e-copy via Netgalley. Opinions are my own.

A fast and fun, perfect for the beach read! Myster writer Eleanor Dash finds herself in the middle of a real life thriller when someone in her group is murdered during a book tour in Italy.

This book is a lot of fun--it's full of snarky humor, a la Knives Out or Clue, with a nod to Agatha Christie. The humor and characters are the main focus and strength of the novel. The suspense and thrills are minimal, but the dark humor and satirical treatment (those footnotes!) make it worth the read. It seems to be the first in a series, and I will definitely look for the succeeding novels as they appear. I loved Eleanor, Connor, Harper, Oliver, and the Clouseau-like Inspector Tucci (a relative of Stanley), to name a few. Crazy Cathy the stalker and rival authors Shek and Emily also add to the fun in a light, entertaining pastiche of a mystery that is tremendously appealing. Rome, Amalfi, and Capri, amongst other spots on the book tour, make an effective backdrop for the action as Eleanor and Connor try to stay alive until they can discover who wants them out of the way. Recommended for readers looking for an entertaining read rather than a dark, tense mystery.

This delightful novel follows fiction-writer Eleanor on an Italian book tour, accompanied by her sister and two ex-boyfriends, Connor and Oliver. The journey is filled with mishaps and amusing scenarios, reminiscent of a comedy of errors, sprinkled with witty exchanges. While the footnotes were a bit cumbersome to navigate on a Kindle, they might be more accessible in a physical book. Despite this minor hiccup, and the inclusion of a murder, the story maintains its warmth. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to diving into more of Mack's work.

First and foremost, LOVED the footnotes! Every book should have them!! This was witty and funny and just an all around good time. Enjoyed every minute!

Take a delightful trip to Italy with a group of best-selling writers and ultimate fans where, unfortunately, someone dies. Catherine Mack's (pseudonym of Catherine McKenzie) debuts her comedy/light-hearted novel and introduces readers to Eleanor Dash, accidental best-selling mystery writer. On a book tour trip to Italy, Eleanor is planning to end her famous series and finally cut ties with her ex-flame Connor (who also happens to star in her series) when Connor confesses someone is trying to kill him. What ensues is a pretty hilarious killer romp through Italy where everyone is a suspect. Each chapter includes Eleanor's footnotes which not only have clues to the mystery but also some funny insights into Eleanor. While not the most likeable at first by the end of the novel Eleanor is endearing-and ends on a cliffhanger! Excited for the start of a new, fun and fresh series!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

First, I am not crazy about unformatted documents in Kindle, but that’s just me. Secondly, I must admit I wanted to read the book because of the title as I usually do not read cozy mysteries. I liked the premise of the story and thought it would be more of a mystery, but I figured it out quickly. I also enjoyed how the narrator breaks the fourth wall and includes the reader. I know this is a gimmick but it was fun. What I didn’t care for was the footnotes. They were so annoying and popping up in the middle of the page because of the bad formatting made it worse. Also didn’t care for the characters but I finished the book.

A fun read with a lot of laughs. I wasn’t sure if this would be a fast read for me but it was. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

This book will be ✨THE✨ book of the summer! It's funny, suspenseful, and entertaining—everything you want in a vacation read. The sarcastic narrator immediately pulls you into the story. Her hilarious footnotes and snarky commentary make you feel like you are gossiping with a friend. Even though it is a murder mystery, it's a light and refreshing read. Not to say there aren't plenty of tense moments (I was yelling at the narrator at one point). The book was the perfect combination of mystery, intrigue, gossip, romance, and comedy. I was captivated from the first page and sad to reach the end. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the Finlay Donovan series or Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone.

This is book one of a series, and I eagerly await book #2!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending an advanced copy. 🤞 I am lucky enough to get an ARC of the second installment!

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Catherine Mack for an ARC of Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies. Oh my gosh I loved this book so much! It was laugh out loud funny, fourth wall breaking, gripping, and I loved the format of this book. It was light hearted in the sense it wasn’t edge of your seat, but it still had you flipping the pages to see who it was. I loved feeling like I was apart of the mystery and the (millennial) humor of it. I am ready for the second book now please lol! Elenor is on her book tour in Italy for the 10th year anniversary of her book series. She’s with other authors that are apart of her book universe. She wants to kill off one of her characters in the book, Connor, in her next book of that series. But what do you know, there is an actual attempt on the real Connor’s life.. that kind of spoils her plans. Elenor writes about murder, she doesn’t actually solve real-life murder mysteries until now. You will not be disappointed with this book!

I was able to read an advanced reader's copy this book through NetGalley.

Author Eleanor Dash is on a book tour in Italy for her 10th book. Unfortunately for her, her ex Chase who is the main character of her novels, is on the tour too. Chase thinks someone is trying to kill him and needs her help. Throw in a bunch of other colorful characters including another ex of hers Oliver, her sister, her stalker, etc and you get a lot of humor as they travel through Italy touring their book and getting into mischief.


This was such an enjoyable read! So much so that I kept trying to look up and read the various fictitious books listed in the story. I really hope there is a sequel and I can't wait to suggest it to friends as a great vacation read.

This one really didn't work for me. I'm not sure if it was my e-reader or what. The book showed up differently in different apps. All the footnotes and numbers and words in different colors or italics really threw me off and were distracting. I'm excited to give this book another try when it comes out on audio, I'm hopeful that format will work better.

This was ok, but just ok. I didn't hate it, but I don't think that I would recommend it.

First, what I liked:
The setting was sublime, and I felt like Mack's writing really gave me those Mediterranean vacation vibes that I was looking for. The cast of characters had some fun personalities in it, but I did wish for more diversity. There were several moments in which I felt like Mack really captured the absolute awkwardness of traveling with a tour group of acquaintances and frienemies. There were some funny moments.

What I disliked:
The footnotes - my god - the footnotes were terrible. I know they were meant to accentuate Eleanor's personality, but they just came across as annoying. They often made no contribution to the story, and were written in a very immature voice. The writing needs some SERIOUS editing. Hopefully it will get a few more rounds of editing before going to print, so maybe this won't be a problem in the final copy. That being said, it was so bad that it was a distraction and impacted my overall vibe with the book. Lastly, Eleanor is such a supremely unlikable character that I could not bring myself to root for her or care about her issues. This was a problem since she is the only narrator. It just really alienated me.

With this book I hoped to get the same vibe as Finlay Donovan, and I must admit that even if initially I wasn't completely convinced by this reading, little by little the humor that lingers throughout the book took hold and the story started off smoothly. It all takes place while traveling in Europe, and this already convinced me to apply for this book, I love traveling settings, not to mention Europe. It's Catherine Mack's first book, and not a bad debut, there are some ideas that could be improved, perhaps making the plot a little more "lively", but otherwise I found it to be an excellent first story! It's a cozy mystery to read this summer, my favorite thing about this story was definitely the footnotes, a very nice twist.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the advanced copy.
#EveryTimeIGoOnVacationSomeoneDies #NetGalley