After two chapters, I found I was no longer enjoying this book. I felt like I was reading an instructional manual because of all the footnotes for one reason and I felt like it was written for a 5th grader. The story itself was interesting but not enough to keep me reading. It began with an author on a book tour in Italy. She also wants to find a way to kill off the main character in her next vacation series book. Unfortunately, there is an attempt to kill the man she has based her book character on. Real life becomes mixed up in "book life". It was too bizarre for me.

Fun, frothy, and Europe, what more could you need?!?! I can definitely see why the author has a potential TV/movie deal for this book. I think I would prefer it in that form, but this was an easy, light read at the right time for me. However, I wanted the characters to be more fleshed out and felt like the author was rushing through the story. A bestselling author getting involved in a murder during a fan trip to Europe along with other authors and her friends (including past lovers) felt very meta! This would make a great pool/beach read and perfect for fans of Finlay Donovan!

Besides this title being super fun to say, I loved this unique little mystery. I loved the way it was told and how the fourth wall was broken. Darn the ebook for making footnotes so hard to follow.. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a chance to read and early copy in exchange for an honest review..

For the lovers of cozy mysteries and have wonder lust. Such a cute story with fun dynamic characters! I wish the beginning was more action packed to hook us in a bit more but I loved the funny moments the characters had with each other. I loved all the pop culture references however the unreliable narrator I thought took me out of it a bit.

3.5 stars

A kind of a different mystery, with a lot of humor and a decent plot. Accidental novelist (not quite believable) Eleanor is on a book tour with her sister/manager Hayley in Italy. A long involved story which sets up the book's premise: Eleanor fell in love with a private detective years ago in Italy and got involved in a major crime family case. When she came home, she wrote a book about it starring him (Connor). They didn't last, but the book was wildly popular and she went on to write a series starring him. He "blackmailed" her into sharing her book revenues so he wouldn't tell the Italian authorities that she had also abetted a few crimes in Italy. Connor is handsome, charming, egotistical and a major jerk and womanizer. And yes, he is also on the tour.

But Eleanor is far from perfect. She and her sister are very close, but ... they have a lot of old baggage. And Eleanor is keeping major secrets from her sister and her latest ex-boyfriend Oliver -- and yes - he is ALSO on the tour. You begin to see the setup.

Strange incidents happen. Connor believes someone is trying to murder him and there is no shortage of suspects. But then Eleanor appears to be the target.

Lots of action, hilarity, snarkiness and fun.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A light and humorous look at how to simultaneous write and solve a murder, featuring bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash and a cast of eclectic characters. This whodunnit is ultimately a cheesy version of White Lotus mixed with vibes of the Knives Out movies. For me, a 2.5 rounded to 3 - you’ll either be charmed by its quirkiness or deeply annoyed, or if you’re me, a bit of both.

What I liked:
-Exploring Italy with the group like a tagalong tourist! Many cities and hotspots were mentioned, along with a few new cocktails I’ll be trying in the future.
-Seeing how the sausage is made; how our MC writes plots in her head and splices the process into the narrative.

What I didn’t love:
- If the point was to make us believe everyone wanted the MC dead, they succeeded… because she was insufferable.
-Our MC switching from first and second person POV. I can’t stand a fictional character directly talking to me, it feels just as awkward as a high school motivational speaker doing the “I can’t hear you” bit. Cringe.
-The writing was very repetitive. Without giving spoilers, many chapters had the same exact cliffhanger ending. Also, I’ll admit my vocabulary isn’t extensive and I had to look up the word “frisson,” because I had never seen or heard the word before. It then appeared multiple times throughout the rest of the book. I know that’s nitpicking, but what a strange word to repeat so many times?
-Maybe the most controversial, but the annotations were just too much… They added some humor, but most of the time it was trying far too hard and broke up the flow of reading with their abundance. Cute idea, poor execution.

While my “didn’t love” list is longer, overall, this was a cutesy read, perfect for murder-mystery fans who want those “vacay” vibes.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

The cover of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies really made me take a second look and read the book's description. It seemed like a really fun premise, and I was looking for a "lighter" read. This is definitely a good book for people who are going on spring break or vacation.

The book gave me some Janet Evanovich style vibes with the main character. Eleanor finds herself at the center of a mystery as well, everyone around her starts to die. A successful author whose career is starting to slow down, she's on a tour in Italy with her fans as well as other authors. As she talks about killing off one of her characters (who mimics someone in real life) to write him out of her life, suspicions rise and nobody knows who to trust.

The descriptions of Italy really made me want to go on my own vacation, not going to lie. One of the things I love about books is how they can transport you anywhere, and Catherine Mack did a really great job of bringing Italy to life. As far as the plot, it was a fun and interesting premise. If you read a lot of mysteries, you'll likely figure out who the mystery killer is if you can pick up on the clues along the way. The book was still enjoyable, and I really would recommend if you need something along the lines of a beach read or going on vacation book.

Please be advised I received an Advance Readers Copy (ARC) of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a fun murder mystery that kept me interested and engaged throughout! In fact, I wish I'd chosen a time when I could have read it all in one sitting. A full array of unique characters, set on the picturesque Amalfi Coast, interesting plot, good writing, and topped off with a memorable title. Will definitely continue with this new series.

I really liked the addition of footnotes throughout the story and thought it gave the story a little something extra and allowed the author-narrator to break through the fourth wall at times. Not sure how those will be incorporated with the audiobook, but it was easy to keep up with them while reading.

Thanks to #netgalley and St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Press for the ARC ebook.

Publication date: 30 April 2024

Eleanore Dash, author of a popular mystery series, has decided to kill off her main character in her next book; Connor, who happens to be her ex-boyfriend, has been blackmailing her for a cut of the. profits of her books. Unwilling to let her sister Harper, who acts as her assistant, know about this arrangement with Connor, she thinks she has it all under control. One visit to Italy with other authors and a group of Book Lady fans, and she will kill Connor off in her next book. As she's plotting ways to do this, Connor finds out about it and tells her someone is trying to kill him in real life, and begs her to help him find who is behind it. With members of the group turning up dead, fingers are pointing to El, and she must keep her wits about her to solve who is behind the deaths and is possibly out for revenge. A first read by this author by me, and I really enjoyed it! Pub date April 30, 2024. Thanks to Netgalley for a chance to read/review this book!

The text was hard to read on the gifted e-arc. There wasn't a zoom in feature and the print was too small to read. Not sure why it didn't have the text size adjustment like other NetGalley reads

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a fun, cozy mystery. I liked the main character Eleanor Dash and the setting in Italy. I had a little bit of trouble with the footnotes but it doesn’t take too much away from the story. A quick and fun beach read. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur and NetGalley. This my own opinion.

Thanks @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really liked the narrator in this book, and the combination of funny and suspenseful. How could you not love all of the travel references too?! The numerous footnotes were challenging at times, but the narrator addresses this. The book was the perfect light-hearted mystery that I needed, with a great little twist at the end. Things dragged on at times, but I still couldn’t seem to put the book down. It was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me. Check this one out when it hits shelves in May. #avivaandfriendsrecos

Every Time I go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a fast paste, modern, cozy mystery. This book breaks the fourth wall and captures the art of writing a mystery will also reading a mystery. Eleanor Dash, a mystery author, finds herself wrapped up in a real life murder case, while on her current book tour.

I absolutely love this book and couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the aspect of breaking the fourth wall, and feeling like this book was including the readers in the plot itself.. Overall was really fun and intriguing and I can’t wait for the next!

Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies another entertaining mystery novel with a very long title. This novel is written by Catherine Mack.

This novel also is about a mystery author on a book tour interacting with her fans and readers. Along on the tour is her ex boyfriend who starts complaining that there have been murderous attempts on his life. As they travel along the Amalfi coast. As a few murders of people involved in the tour party start to make author Eleanor Dash begin to wonder if her ex's accusations are real, she starts to work out the truth around the deaths following her book tour.

So many different ways to approach mystery novels and so many different ways to present a new amateur detective.

Catherine Mack's "Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" presents a captivating fusion of mystery and humor, adding a distinctive touch by breaking the fourth wall. The narrative unfolds around Eleanor Dash, a bestselling author on her Italian book tour, whose fictional world collides with reality when an attempt is made on the life of Connor Smith, the real-life inspiration for her main character.

The storyline is both intriguing and hilarious, as Eleanor is drawn into solving a genuine murder case, grappling with literary rivals, devoted fans, and even her unexpected ex, Oliver. The author skillfully weaves together theories, rivalries, and broken hearts, keeping readers on their toes.

While the novel boasts a unique narrative style, with Eleanor directly addressing the audience, the abundance of footnotes can be a bit overwhelming, occasionally making it challenging to connect them to the main text. Despite this minor drawback, the book earns a solid 4-star rating from me and I hope there will be a sequel soon.

The book was ok. I found myself skipping over the footnotes completely. They were quite annoying to be honest. I think some would really enjoy this book, but it just wasn’t for me. The title drew me in, so I requested the NetGalley ARC, I especially did not enjoy the format, as it didn’t sync to my Kindle. Trying to read on my phone was especially difficult.
I plan to revisit the book in print form once it drops to try it again. I will update my review at that time, as I feel the format was a big focus of my frustration.
I do thank the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and leave a true review of this book.

leanor Dash is a bestselling author of mysteries. Her first book was a loosely masked fictional account about a real crime/mystery she and her then lover, Connor, were involved with. Her publisher and the public loved Connor and thus she was locked into including him in all the subsequent installments of her vacation mysteries series. But, she has had it with him and wants to kill him off in the next book. On a tour of Italy with Connor, her able assistant/sister, some other authors, her former lover whom she lost when she got involved with Connor, a group of fans, and an outrageous tour guide, it becomes apparent that someone is trying to really kill Connor and her as well. Some people do die and, as the blurb boasts, “eight suspects, three bodies”…..

It took me a while to realize I really liked this book. 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.

Every Time I Go on Vacation by Catherine Mack is an absolutely delicious mystery and the first book in the Vacation Mystery Series.

A fun little story, I absolutely LOVE Catherine McKenzie (Six Weeks to Live, Have You Seen Her, I'll Never Tell, and the list goes on of the books I love).

When I was offered this book to read an early copy of, I had no idea that Catherine Mack was the same author as Catherine McKenzie and it made sense how much I loved this book!

This mystery is absolutely brilliant. I love books about authors and Eleanor Dash is a complex, flawed, well developed main character.

FOOTNOTES! Oh, my goodness, you have to read this book to understand how much the footnotes add to the story. And the humor.

The story is so clever. I love the setting of Italy , the author's research is excellent.

A vacation that ends up being a murder mystery with five authors and everyone is a suspect.

I tore through this book; it was so hard to put down. I cannot wait for the next book in the series and see what Eleanor Dash is up to next!

For a mystery, this was too much fluff for me. The characters were a strange bunch and quite disparate. To be honest, I skimmed through the last half of the book because I didn’t want to take any more time reading it.

Mystery author Eleanor Dash heads to Italy for a book tour that surprisingly contains colleagues and rivals, fans, two exes and a stalker. She wants to kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in her next book, but when the real Connor’s life is in danger, Eleanor will have to try her hand at real-life sleuthing…

This was a fun, quick read that kept me guessing. There were enough suspects, red herrings, and twists to keep me engaged. I enjoyed the second-chance romance. The sister relationship drew me in, even though their disagreements were sometimes hard to empathize with. Unfortunately, Eleanor had some character traits that made her unlikable—and so did several of the other characters. I struggled to care deeply about them and their fates.

The footnotes were sometimes entertaining but often distracting because they broke the flow of the scenes. The book would have read more smoothly without them. I also found it distracting when the narrator would break the fourth wall and talk to the reader.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.