Great witty read! This book is really fun. I was expecting a light, airy read (which it is), but it's also so much more than that. There's humor and murder and attempted murder and romance and a fabulous setting, and it's all really well written. There's even some fourth-wall breaking, which is one of my favorite tropes in all of literature (and cinema). Would love if this was a series!

Set on the Amalfi Coast this is a charming mystery with a side of murder. An author and a group of her fans and an entourage set up by her publisher embark on a tour, which does not end quite like it was supposed to. Well written, with great quirky characters - especially the author who also narrates this tale - and a setting so well described that the reader feels like a part of the group. The tone is light and snarky and makes this a fun, quick read. Even though the twist at the end felt like it came out of nowhere, it was a very satisfying story.

I had a really hard time getting into this book, for a couple reasons.

First I have been in a really bad reading slump, I've been good with audiobooks because I can keep moving while I'm reading. But to sit and read a book, I fall straight to sleep. That's my problem, definitely not this books problem.

Secondly I found all the footnotes distracting. I was reading this on my kindle, I would have to have to make the font so big to be able to read them, that then the font was grossly oversized for the rest of the story. Once again not the author's fault.

I did like the story, enjoyed the characters and will definitely continue with this series, but will probably just get the actual book in print from the library.

3.75 rounded up

I wanted to like this book so much and when I first started it, I thought I was going to. The narrative voice that the writer uses is one of my favorite kind and it’s not commonly found. It actually reminds me a lot of Benjamin Stevens series, Everyone in my family has killed someone. But the problem was it’s like the author was trying to go for that and then just went way too far. I was actually really excited about the footnote aspect of it I thought that made it unique and fun, but the problem was, it eventually got very exhausting.

There were so many footnotes and in the Kindle version it was just really hard to keep up with them. It might be different in the print version, so I’m not taking off for that reason, but I do think maybe there were just too many footnotes to the point that it wore out the novelty of it.

The lead Character was also very tiring. I like the sarcastic style. I like when they break the fourth wall. I like what the author was going for, but it’s just too much. To the point, I got tired of the main character and I got tired of the footnotes and I got tired of the humor, even though I like humor, it just all needed to be scaled back just a little bit.

I just really had a hard time. I understand what the author was going for and I think it had really great potential. It just wore me out.

“Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies” by Catherine Mack is the story of a mystery writer who is on a promotional book tour in Italy. She wants to kill off her main character and is contemplating how to do it but the character is based on her ex husband. I was really excited to read this book because the premise really excited me but unfortunately the novel didn’t do it for me. The book is written with lots of comments to the reader as well as many footnotes giving the narrators views. I found this style of writing very distracting and found myself skimming over some of the pages which is the main reason for the 3 star review.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martins Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had a love/hate relationship reading this book. The story is good, the setting (Rome/Amalfi Coast) was well done. I hated the footnotes. That in combination with the excepts from the fictional author's book or the story writing outlines all felt a little chaotic.
I actually went on a similar tour of Rome and the Amalfi Coast early last year. Reading through the stops and the historic sites visits in the context of a murder mystery was really fun. I could fully envision where the characters were. I really enjoyed the mystery of it as well. I can usually put together the outcome pretty quickly in similar stories but was surprised at the ending.
I would definitely read from this author again. Even with the footnotes and chaos. I think that the overall story telling outweighs some of that.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wanted to love this so bad. I love traveling and cozy mysteries. The author of this book is clearly familiar with these types of books, but doesn't follow the normal pattern.
For instance, the characters are terrible. Like, really terrible. I didn't like anyone -- the only people I thought might be likable were underdeveloped. The main character was the worst, and it was baffling that she was able to write mysteries. There was one character who was so, so bad and I thought great, here comes our murder victim, because one of the joys of cozy mysteries is not feeling guilty when a ludicrously bad character meets an untimely end. But no, it was just teasing.
And the footnotes. This isn't really the genre for so many footnotes, if any. One of the footnotes was used to tell the twist ending to a classic murder mystery, one of my favorites, which was confusing -- either people are familiar with the book and know the ending, or the author just gave it away for no reason.
This may have been better if it was a little shorter, but it dragged, with a lot of repetitive dialogue. Maybe the next one will be tighter.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Beautiful cover. Great title. Novel was a huge fail for me. I almost gave up several times but managed to get to almost half way. Footnotes VERY annoying and gimmicky. I stopped reading them. Where was the humor? I thought it was supposed to be a funny mystery. Cover and title make you think it is, for sure. Couldn't like or get into the main character - so one dimensional! As for the rest of the cast... so poorly developed I didn't even remember who any of them were. The writing felt rushed like the author. just churned this out. Maybe this is her first novel, but even so... Also annoying was lack of dialogue tags making it very hard to follow who was speaking - specially as they all sounded alike! Oh and the references to The White Lotus? Were we supposed to think this story is similar? Its not white lotus, let me tell you.

If you are as intrigued by the title, Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, as I was, chances are you will also find this book totally engaging and fun. The main character, Eleanor Dash, is on a promotional book tour through Italy. She would love to literarily (not literally) kill of one of her main characters who is based on a real person. Her reflections on Italy, the craft of novel writing, and some of her colleagues and fans on the book tour are hilarious. Lots of footnotes provide the narrator a chance to give her views. The mystery is actually good, and the characters are well developed. There is an interesting backstory on the narrator and her sister’s relationship.

Absolutely a fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for an ARC of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack for an honest review.


Rating: 4/5
Spice: 1/5

This book is absolutely hilarious. It's a murder mystery set in Italy, told from the perspective of a mostly reliable first-person narrator. I loved the author's little inside notes and pop culture references, as well as their habit of giving each character a celebrity lookalike. The book's pacing was perfect, and I highly recommend it as a beach read - or even better, as a companion on your summer trip to Italy. Reading it on a Kindle is also highly recommended, as it makes it easy to look up any fun things mentioned in the book. I hope this turns into a long-running series!

holding back review due to SMP Review Boycott. please... just... resoolve this. asap. please. ...............................

What a fun read! The writing style did take a couple chapters of getting used to but once you’re hooked you cant stop. Who knew a murder mystery could also be so funny!
Thank you NetGalley & St Martins Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Excellent who-dunnit! Our heroine is a writer. She didn't plan to become a writer, but then her vacation went awry, and she wrote about it. She changed all the names but one, unfortunately. Before this vacation is over, she will rectify that situation. She plans to kill off her main character. If someone else doesn't kill him in real life first.
It is an exciting story with lots of laugh-out-loud parts, and wonderful characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone, and I have.

I LOVED this! What a fun (and funny) mystery. It was lighthearted enough to be enjoyable, but gritty enough that it didn’t feel cheesy. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

It's always fun to have a book that follows a fictional mystery author and this one was no different. Eleanor isn't the greatest character - I didn't connect with her or feel for her in any way but the narrative voice overall is what kept me following her. The humor was pretty spot on and the descriptions of Italy were great. I wouldn't mind picking up book number two if this will be a continuing series.

Thanks Netgallery for this eARC. I was super intrigued by the title of the book but unfortunately couldn’t get into it. This was unfortunately a DNF for me, The main character was unbearable. The footnotes were unenjoyable on a kindle because there were so many on a page and I just kept having to wait for the pop-ups (maybe this works better as a physical book).

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" by Catherine Mack is a delightful and humorous mystery that took me on a thrilling journey through Italy with bestselling author Eleanor Dash. The story combines elements of mystery, humor, and a touch of romance, making it an engaging and entertaining read.

The protagonist, Eleanor Dash, is an author on a book tour in Italy, eager to kill off her main character, Connor Smith. However, when a real attempt is made on the life of the charming con man, Connor, whom Eleanor got involved with years ago, she finds herself drawn into a real-life murder mystery. The narrative is filled with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker, and unexpected appearances by Eleanor's ex, Oliver, adding layers of complexity to the story.

Catherine Mack's writing style is quick, captivating, and filled with humor. The use of footnotes adds a unique touch to the storytelling, providing additional insights and commentary that enhance the overall reading experience. While the footnotes might be distracting for some readers, they contribute to the quirky and witty tone of the book.
The mystery is well-crafted, with multiple suspects, rivalries, and unexpected twists that kept me guessing until the end.

Eleanor Dash is a likable and relatable protagonist, and her interactions with other characters, especially Connor and Oliver, bring depth to the story. The romantic elements are woven seamlessly into the plot, adding emotional resonance to Eleanor's journey.

"Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" is a series debut that successfully blends mystery, humor, and romance.

Thanks to #NetGalley for an ARC of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies!
This is the first in what I hope will be a long-lasting mystery series. Eleanor is a mystery writer on a promotional book tour in Italy which includes her sister, fellow writers, a crazy stalker fan, and not 1 but 2 exes. All while she's contemplating killing off her main character who is based off of ex #1. To complicate matters, attempts are made to kill her and possibly ex #1. Everyone's hiding secrets and rivalries keep coming to the surface. There was bound to be a murder.

Catherine Mack frequently interrupts her story with comments directed to the reader as well as a multitude of footnotes. The story moves quickly and there's a lot of humor which helps give the action a sense of realism despite the over-the-top plot twists. There are also a few subtle (and not so subtle) shouts out for classic mysteries. For example, about 2/3 of the way, she has a chapter asking the reader directly if we've solved the mystery yet à la the 70s Ellery Queen TV show. Loved that.

So the ARC I read via Kindle did have a lot of problems with the footnote placement. But I'm hopeful that those problems will be handled for the final edit. This is a silly somewhat cozy mystery that I enjoyed immensely. I'm looking forward to her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Not for me. I was annoyed throughout and kept skipping to see if it would get better. The best part was the title, which is why I requested it. I didn't like a single character. Eleanor is a liar (by her own admittance), immature, and selfish. Right off the bat, I couldn't stand her, and that's not a good place to be with a main character. The footnotes didn't work well with a Kindle; maybe they'll be better in print, but they were useless in my opinion. In fact, Eleanor tells you it's ok to skip them. Well, alrighty then! I couldn't get back to the page I was on previously, so I tried reading them at the end of the chapters, and it was just too confusing so I gave up. I also couldn't figure out which character was speaking half the time. Great title, great premise, cute cover, disappointing.

I liked this but it was not a huge favorite. What is unique is its narrative voice. The upfront, sarcastic style - the narrator breaks the 4th wall - reminds of of Benjamin Stevenson's new series and book 1, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.

I'm not sure what I was expecting but I kept feeling as if I was entering the story midway through based on the characters backstory and ultimately it was a bit jarring. I'd give another book a try to see what book 2 is like.