3.5 /5.0 Stars

This fun little romp through current day Italy, was a delightful cozy mystery, dressed up as an over the top book tour, replete with fans in tow. With the scenes set so well and having performed in all the highlighted locations within the story, I was immediately transported to the Amalfi Coast and Rome. I could smell the delicate scent of lemons floating on a warm gentle breeze; taste the rich earthy wines and savor the magnificent pasta creations. It was fun reliving all these wonderful experiences through the book's writing.

The story itself brought together several authors, with Eleanor being the featured writer. The writers traveled mostly together privately with the occasional interaction with fans who won the privilege of traveling with them, but on a separate transport. There was some tension among the characters and as personal items started disappearing, the list of suspects was lengthening. Eleanor and her former beau, Oliver, joined forces trying to work out who was behind the thieving. Just when they thought they'd got a handle on it, one of the suspects dies right in front of their own eyes. As the stakes rise, will the duo be able to solve the mystery before another writer perishes?

This was an interesting format for a cozy travel mystery read. The writing incorporated footnotes at the end of each chapter which provided a bit of additional background to the action of the chapter. For me, I wish I had read a physical copy of the book so that I could easily flip back and forth as each footnote arose. But, having an e-copy of the book, I just read the footnotes as I reached the end of each chapter. The writing itself was solid and the story, often amusing. All in all it was an entertaining read.

I am grateful to Minotaur Books for having provided a complimentary uncorrected digital galley of this book. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.


Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication date: April 30, 2024
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 978-1250325853

This mystery was about Eleanor Cash who was an author. The star of her books was Connor. Connor blackmailed her to pay him royalties. Eleanor had had an affair with Connor but she didn't know he was married. As soon as she found out she broke it off with him. Harper, Eleanor's sister, was her assistant. She, too, had a fling with Connor but that was after his divorce. Allison was Connor's ex-wife. Oliver was Eleanor's ex, someone she never got over and wanted to get back with. Isabella was Connor's current girlfriend. Shek was an author who had a grudge against Connor because Connor got him involved in us scheme that caused him to lose a great deal of money.

Marta, who worked in the publicity department of Eleanor's publisher, put together a trip to Italy that included all the people aforementioned and other authors, and 20 fans. While in Italy, it became known that someone was trying to kill Eleanor, and Connor insisted someone was trying to kill him as well. So the book was all about getting to the bottom of the threats. In the midst of all of this, Shek was killed. So now, they had to figure out who was trying to kill Eleanor, who was trying to kill Connor and who killed Shek.

I have to say that this book really held my attention. It wasn't as intense as other mysteries I've read, but it was enough to keep me reading. The book was written in first person using Eleanor's voice. The characters were all believable and the storyline was easy to follow. At times it was a little corny, nevertheless, it was a pretty good read. I gave it four stars.

This was a super fun book! The mystery was great. It was predictable but at the same time it wasn’t. I had a lot of fun reading this one.

I am blown away by Catherine Mack’s story-telling, and I can not wait for their next book already. Because If it’s anything like ETIGOVSD, I know it’s going to become an instant favorite!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack. I enjoyed this funny mystery with a little romance thrown in.

10 years ago, Eleanor Dash was swept off her feet while on vacation by Connor Smith as they solved a series of bank robberies in Italy. When she returned home, she wrote a book to process her experience, which ended up getting published and becoming a series that stars Connor. Now, as they and others are on a book tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her first book, she decides she wants to kill off his character in the books… However, someone appears to be trying to kill him in real life.

The characters were entertaining and funny. The settings were fantastic, and I didn’t totally predict the ending. So I enjoyed the book. One thing that slightly detracted from my enjoyment was that the author includes a lot of footnotes throughout the book— some of which were funny and most of which didn’t add too much to the story — but after awhile I found them a little annoying. Again, I enjoyed the book even despite the minor annoyance.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my feedback.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a funny book, purchased for a TV series, along with the book's sequels, with Mack to write the pilot script. The format is different, with Mack using footnotes to address the reader, funny footnotes to highlight the narrator's opinion.

Eleanor Dash is tired of her main character, Connor Smith. She just wants to finish her book tour of Italy, write the final book for her contract, and kill off Smith. She'd liked to do the same to the real Connor Smith, the model for her character. Unfortunately, the con man, her ex-lover, is along on the book tour. He's a favorite of fans, and of women. Despite her anger and frustration with Smith, she doesn't like the idea that he's in danger when he tells her someone has tried to kill him several times.

Eleanor would like to brush off Connor's claims as just another attempt to get attention. But, when there are other strange incidents involving Eleanor's sister, Harper, and Eleanor herself, she can't ignore the feeling that someone might want to kill Connor and Eleanor. Her primary suspects are the eight people on the book tour. What kind of tour did her publicist arrange? Eleanor Dash turns to the reader for suggestions, offering her own ideas along the way.

I found Eleanor to be an engaging narrator. At thirty-five, she still regrets her affair ten years earlier with Connor Smith. She makes excuses, lies, and tries to cover up her past. But, there comes a time when she has to reveal all to the readers.

The first Vacation Mystery is humorous with the right amount of romance. It will be interesting to see what format Mack uses for the follow-up to Every Time I Go on Vacation Some Dies.

This is the first book in what will be a series and I can not wait for the next one! Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies, is such a fun read. It follows Eleanor Dash on her book tour in Italy which also includes a cast of characters, including 2 of her exes (one of which is blackmailing her) and other literary rivals and all of them have a motive to maybe want her dead.
This book is as enjoyable and entertaining as the Plum series by Janet Evanovitch with less zaniness. Catherine Mack has created a flawed and likable heroine in Eleanore Dash. The footnotes are a great peek into Eleanore’s sense of humor. This is a smart, well developed mystery that kept me on my toes.
I can’t wait to see what trouble Eleanore finds herself in next!
Thank you to Catherine Mack, Minotaur Books and NetGalley who gave me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bestselling author Eleanor Dash is on a multi-star book tour in Italy with two of her exes, her sister, a fellow author who has co-opted some of her ideas, and a gaggle of fans who won a chance to be there... what could possibly go wrong? Eleanor is trying to end her current series of books which were based on previous travel to Italy with her ex - Connor - whom she based a character on... one that she is now trying to kill off.

This book was well written and intriguing. There were many twists and turns and the descriptive writing was amazing and made me feel like I was there in Italy with them! The use of footnotes throughout the book added a nice touch of the inner monologue for Eleanor, but were kind of distracting when I would have to go back through what I just read to figure out what the footnote was in reference to. I could see this being very annoying in an electronic format where they were not just at the bottom of the page, but a couple of pages later or grouped all at the end of the chapter.

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

This was a fun read giving me White Lotus vibes, and a unique format! Written in first person, by a bestselling author of romantic mysteries, Eleanor Dash is quirky, high maintenance and one of the messiest characters I’ve come across! But I couldn’t help loving her! She only survives professionally and personally because her sister, Hayley manages her life. Her ex, and fictional heart throb of her books, who is not so fictional is more than a thorn in her side. And now, he must be a thorn in someone else’s side, because someone is trying to kill him! With Italy as the backdrop, a book tour which includes several other authors and a group of fans who won the trip, the book is a funny cozy who done it mystery, with a plethora of quirky characters and a touch of romance!
The author, both real and fictional, drop clues and hints throughout…some subtle and some glaringly obvious – well because she’ll say “this is a clue”! The footnotes throughout the book are hilarious but reading them on an ebook is a little difficult. And while the publisher notes that for the arc, they are optional, they are some of the funniest parts of the book – so you don’t want to skip them! This would definitely be the time to read the physical book, or I’ll be curious on how the audiobook works.

What great fun this book was. From the back story to the current plot I continually was kept guessing who done it. Rare for a mystery to also be so funny. Quirky characters, beautiful locations mystery. Five right in and read right through!

A very cute modern cozy. Eleanor is kind of a lot to take at times and I can't say I ever felt sorry for her travails but she won me over anyway. She knows she's been messy and needs to do better so that went a long way. Both her former love interests were pretty well done. I liked sister, Hayley and wished she had more characterization. The remaining cast was well done and worked really well.

The mystery was good and red herrings abound which made for a fun puzzle to solve. The reader couldn't deduce all of the How because that information isn't fully offered until the big reveal but the Who and broadly Why are there (both the Who and Why is multifaceted). There was enough to satisfy the puzzle-solver in me. I figured out some of what was going on but I read a lot of mysteries. Always take note of what isn't getting attention but is odd. What's said and uncommented upon and what isn't being acknowledged at all. That's where the answers are in the blizzard of everything else happening around the characters.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book is a debut from Catherine Mack and I am obsessed with her writing style! Goodreads has this as #1 in a series and I am excited to see what the story line is for the next one!

This book is cozy, funny, suspenseful, romantic and twisty!. I found the book very fast paced and absolutely LOVED the footnotes. I laughed out loud so many times while reading this one. Will definitely be picking up the next one as SOON as it comes out!

I loved this book! The main character is easy to like and I thought it was a great introduction to the series. The story kept me guessing on who the killer or attempted killer might be and the ending really surprised me. I also loved all the footnotes and reference to Poirot.

I was sold on this book immediately. I mean, a famous writer on tour in Italy with an unscrupulous ex? I am all the way in! It’s fun and murdery which is the minimum needed to make me a happy reader.

What a great debut.

The author has a knack for being funny. I did enjoy the humor the most!

The plot was predictable, almost like a cozy beach read for those who want to escape in a book. Sort of like the cover.

This was a fresh, fun, fast-paced mystery with a side of romance. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the way she revealed the narrator's personality and backstory throughout the book. The footnotes were fun at first, but they did get tedious after a few chapters and unnecessarily interrupted the flow of the story.

I liked that the mystery was layered and complex, but not so much that it was convoluted or hard to follow. There are plenty of red herrings and suspects to keep you guessing. I admit I was overwhelmed at first at the amount of characters and keeping everyone straight, and the footnotes comparing each person to an actor made it even more confusing to track. Even by the end, I was still unsure who a few of the people were. Even so, I did figure out the "whodunit" pretty early on, but I definitely second guessed that throughout (literally everyone has a motive!), and in the end I was only partially correct.

All in all, a fun read from a new author, and I will definitely pick up the next book in the series!

Bestselling author, Eleanor Dash, sets off on a book tour to promote her book series. Accompanied by the last people she wants to spend her vacation with, Eleanor and her guests must solve a real-life murder mystery.

This book was laugh out loud funny. The author added increased humour with footnotes, further explaining Eleanor’s thoughts and insights. It was easy to read and threw in a couple fun plot twists.

While I enjoyed the book, I found some of the descriptive words too repetitive. I couldn’t count how many times something was described as a “pregnant silence,” but it was enough for it to seem odd while reading it.

3.5/5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars, really. Mixed feelings here. The mystery portion of this book totally worked for me. The NUMEROUS footnotes and the breaking of the fourth wall did not work for me at all. I didn't enjoy my time with the characters either. Also, the title it just way too much. I think this book helped reiterate that I need to abandon a bit more ruthlessly. Ultimately, I'm left feeling like I wish I had spent time reading a book that I loved and this just wasn't it.

I was hooked on the title of this book and the story did not disappoint! A fast paced mystery filled with foreshadowing, a quirky narrator, comedy, and a sprinkle of romance! The footnotes were well executed throughout. The setting of Italy was delightful and the characters were all likeable and written well. I look forward to the next book in the series! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Title: Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies
Author: Catherine Mack
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Pub date: April 30, 2024

Reading this book was like sitting in a bar drinking with your bestie as she tells you how hilariously wrong her trip to Italy went! Not that murder is funny but, in this case it most definitely is. I was riveted waiting to get all the juice and hysterical commentary. Literally, I resented having to put this book down to do real life stuff.

The story is told by Eleanor Dash, a popular author, as she lets you in on all the details of her tour in Italy. Oh but, it’s no ordinary tour! (At least I hope not for all the real authors out there.). On this tour are a group of people all interconnected with Eleanor and her book’s real life main character. Alas, a mystery is afoot when it is believed that someone is out to get Connor the real life main character who lets just say doesn’t lack in the possible suspect list.

Eleanor’s storytelling/commentary will leave you in stitches at the same time she walks you smartly through her process.

Murder, secrets, dash of romance (after all it is Italy), gossip - what’s not to like? I was sucked in and want more!

Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartinsPressMinotaurBooks for allowing me to read this ARC and review it.