This was a fun read! I can usually figure out who is responsible for the murder in a book. However, this book had me going back and forth between a bunch of different characters. One character that I did think might be involved was! But everything else was a mystery.

There were some funny moments in there. I enjoy the banter between the characters as well. I really loved the footnotes. I thought they were clever, and funny.

A good story and mystery overall. I recommend!

Also, it looks like this is going to be a series and I would definitely be into that!

Thanks St. Martin's and Net Galley for the arc!

(Already posted to Goodreads and will do Amazon when it is available for review there. This applies to every Net Galley book I read.)

I don’t hand out five stars often and WOW. I loved this book! It typically takes me a day or two to get into a book at first but this book had me from the start. I read 150 pages in my first sitting - which to some may not be a lot but for me, with an active 17 month old running around, is a lot. Hah!

Our leading lady, Elenor, was self-deprecating enough to be relatable and not annoying. She was witty, smart, and likable. I tend to be a harsher critic of female characters but I found all the ladies in this novel to be relatable and easy to care about.

Catherine Mack’s writing style for this book was unlike anything I have read before. Mack utilizes footnotes to further Elenor’s ideas, side stories, and bring the reader in as if you are having a personal conversation with the narrator. Elenor is a bit ADD it seems and honestly, the way Mack used the footnotes (for me) made so much sense because I ADD and that’s truly how my brain functions. Lots of side note and conversations happen in my life. Now, the footnotes are not necessarily required to enjoy the book or follow the plot but they are such a fun addition and made the book fly by. I loved it.

Though the book does have a murder, it is not gory or very heavy (which may sound odd but trust me).

I immediately texted my book club, best friend, and sister to tell them to be on the look out for this book. It will most likely be the last book I read for 2023 and it has been by far my favorite. I cannot wait for a sequel and to read more from Mack!

A cozy mystery that finds writer Eleanor Dash on a book tour in Italy, a lovely locale in which to place our main character. She’s accompanied by a fun cast of characters, to include her sister and two exes, one of whom is seemingly in danger of being murdered. It is this that becomes the basis of art imitating life for this author, as she tries to solve the whodunnit before he (and she) are dispatched. Between boat trips to Capri and travels around Rome, the book takes full advantage of its beautiful surroundings, and adds in a little romance to amp up the stakes. Eleanor’s back story, both that with her sister and with her snake of an ex, serves to add some real emotion to what is otherwise a cozy mystery. An enjoyable read!

🌴Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies🌴

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Catherine Mack
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release date: April 30th, 2024

Synopsis:
Eleanor Dash is a famous mystery writer with a popular murder mystery vacation series, originally based off a vacation she took that went amiss with a romance and busting a series of robberies. Now 10 years and 9 books later, she is on a book tour with her original vacation romance from hell who she can’t get rid of, a stalker, the love of her life that got away, her resentful sister agent, and other authors who might have a reason to dislike her. What could go wrong? Cue a few murder attempts and a couple real deaths. Can Eleanor survive her book tour and find out who’s causing all the trouble?

If you are a fan White Lotus, Murder mystery, or knives out…pick up this book! I had so much fun reading this funny, witty, and interactive novel. Let me explain what I mean by interactive. The main protagonist, Eleanor, is an author, so this book is written as her point of view and outlines at the end of chapters for her next murder mystery book based on the events happening to her in Italy. Around 3/4ths of the way through, Eleanor even talks directly to the reader (yes, us!) and asks if we have solved the murder mystery yet, goes over the facts with us, and even gives us a clue. I thought this was such a fun addition to the book. I felt like I was doing one of those murder mystery file games. One thing I wasn’t a fan of in this book was the footnotes at the end of each chapter, I found them unnecessary and I often skipped over them: That is my personal preference though, I am not a footnote kind of gal. Beyond the interactive aspect, I really loved the summer vacation vibe, and the pace of the book. I believe this is the authors debut series, so I am so excited to see what comes next for this witty and hilarious crew of characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Publishing, and the author Catherine Mack for the early copy in exchange for a review!

This is a very safe and cozy mystery. No suspense, nothing scary, and the author/ narrator basically tells you exactly what is going to happen. It’s a fun light read and if you like this genre you’ll enjoy this book. I don’t like these types of books so this was boring to me.

Eleanor is a famous author that goes on a book tour with some other authors and fans. During the trip there are some things that happen that make her and somebody else believe they are going to be killed. She and the others in the group try to solve the mystery and ultimately Eleanor does. There’s a lot of characters that are distinct and play important roles in the plot. The setting is Italy and is fun. The mystery is nothing extraordinary to me. It’s a very personal book in that there’s footnotes (that I was not bothered to read) and multiple times the author/ narrator speaks directly with the reader.

If you like books like this you’ll like it because it is fun and well written but if you prefer action, suspense, and something darker you’ll be bored.

This was such a clever, fun + engaging read! I love the way the author uses footnotes and direct communication with the reader to keep you feeling like you’re a part of the story and solving the mystery alongside the group of travelers. Already looking forward to the next in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A murder mystery writer goes on a book retreat to celebrate her books with other authors. Among thr authors are friends, her sister, ex lovers and their exes and new lovers!
When Connor arrived and tells Eleanor that he suspects someone is trying to kill him, they all go on alert. Strange and peculiar things begin to happen within their group. And of course, someone dies, it's a mystery book.

I love how the story is told by the author to the reader and takes them along. Only divulging so much (make sure to read the sassy footnotes for more insights). I really enjoyed this book. And I really want to travel to Italy to eat pizza.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

I really tried to get into this book but I just had such a hard time. I wasn’t a fan of the fourth wall breaks or the foot notes. It felt like nothing was happening for a very long time and every time something did happen at the end of a chapter, the next chapter would start off and retract that.

A great whodunnit. Reminiscent of Clue, the entertaining read kept my attention with its quirky title and twists and turns.

I had a blast reading this — it was fun, and had me guessing along the way. This story truly draws you in and immerses you with ease. I really loved the foot notes and felt it was a neat touch that other writers don’t utilize enough. But given our narrator is an author herself who writes murder mysteries it fit in very well here.

I loved Eleanor and her antics here — using her ex-boyfriend’s likeness in every single book she had written. She may be being blackmailed, but her ex loves the money as much as she does. So when somebody is trying to cross both of them while in Rome… who could be behind it?

The cliff notes really come into play after that it is as if she is speaking to the reader in these moments adding a good amount of foreshadowing.

This was such a fun read and I really enjoyed this one as it isn’t your typical fun mystery novel. With all the little extra bits added in, it allows it to elevate in a way that leaves me wanting more for this author.


Huge thank you to St Martin’s Press, Netgalley and Catherine Mack for the eARC!!

I absolutely love this!! Such a cute and fun read!!! There were many times I found myself laughing out loud while reading this and when the author breaks the fourth wall it really draws you in and makes you feel like you are a part of the story and what is going on. I will be buying a physical copy once released and some extra copies to share with friends. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies was very Clue-esque, but jacked up. Fun and cute. The footnotes were too tiny on my device but I don't feel like it took away from the book, but I can't be sure, because I couldn't see them, lol.

Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for this arc!

Pub date: 4.30.24.

All this author wants to do is get thru this book tour in Italy and then write off the main character in the tenth book of her series which is based on her ex. Her sister is her manager and is along to help. But it's not going to be easy.

I found this book to be witty & humorous… but I found the chapters to be too long and difficult to get through. The footnotes were different and I definitely enjoyed those. I didn’t like the foreshadowing through them though. With that being said, I DNF the book after 25% in.

Author Eleanor Mack is on a book tour of Italy promoting her latest "murder in" book. Eleanor writes a series of murder mysteries that take place in various countries each one features her ex-boyfriend, Conner Smith. No one knows that Eleanor is being blackmailed by Connor because she innocently used his real name in her first published book without getting his legal okay. She can't wait to wrap up this tour so that she can "kill Connor off" in her tenth and final book in the series. No book equals no more blackmailing from Connor. But her fans love the Connor character and Connor loves the money too much to let her get away with "murder." So why is someone trying to murder the both of them while in Rome?

The author speaks directly to the reader through numerous footnotes which are hilarious. It was hard though to read them in context as my Kindle put all of the footnotes for each chapter at the end of each chapter instead of at the bottom of each page where they would have made more sense. Even though the footnotes are enjoyable and give readers insight into Eleanor's inner thoughts they could have been edited down a bit more so that there aren't quite so many as they interrupt the flow of the narrative. Overall, a fun and quick read. I look forward to more in this series,

What a fabulous read! Loved this author's voice and her humor such a creative book as well! I will be keeping an eye out for more from this author. A huge thank you to Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC.

Eleanor Dash is a best selling writer of a series of mysteries set in different travel destinations, ie When in Rome, Murder in Nice, Death on the Thames etc. Her first book was based on her experiences on a trip to Rome after her college graduation, during which she meets and falls in love with Connor Smith and helps solve a series of bank robberies. Her big mistake is not fictionalizing Connor in the first book and using his real name, which opens her up to blackmail for a percentage of royalties from Connor. He turns out to be such a popular character that her fans and publisher insists he appears in all the books of the series.

She is starting to write her tenth book, to be the finale to the series in which she plans to kill off the Connor character and free herself of him, when she is summoned to a tenth anniversary tour in Rome, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, accompanied by Connor (of course), her manager sister, another ex boyfriend, fellow writers represented by the publisher and a group of fans. During the trip Connor quickly believes that someone is trying to kill him and shortly thereafter Eleanor believes her life is also in danger.

Narrated by Eleanor, the structure is fun - she is quite self aware and reveals clues and motivations as she goes along, urging the reader to solve the mystery. She includes amusing footnotes, breaking the "fourth wall" by addressing her readers directly. It's a fun, breezy book - the plot moves forward at a quick pace. I look forward to more in the series as both Eleanor and her manager/sister Harper are enjoyable, relatable characters.

Thanks to "MinotaurBooks and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and advanced copy.

I found myself laughing out loud several times during this fun novel! It breaks the fourth wall (which I always find to be a fun POV!) We get a peek into the underbelly of the publishing world and a front-row seat of Eleanor's hot-mess life! Definitely enjoyed this one!

Thank you so much to Catherine Mack and St. Martin's Press for the Digital Arc of this book. This book was full of laughs and an easy read. It is a mystery about a book author on a book tour in Italy. Lots of twists and turns. Definitely a must read and recommend it to anyone who loves a great mystery!

This book is a fun mystery about Eleanor Dash, mystery writer, who is on a book tour in Italy. Her sister and her 2 ex boyfriends, Oliver and Conner, are also on the tour. Eleanor has made the star of her book series a fictionalized Conner Smith, her ex boyfriend. She is ready to kill him off when the real Conner Smith suspects that someone is really trying to kill him. The plot becomes interesting when everyone seems to have a motive for killing Eleanor and Conner. Eleanor is funny as the narrator. I loved the footnotes. I am looking forward to the next book in this fun series. Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur books for this advanced copy to review.

This was an amusing mystery that takes place on book tour in Italy. Fictional author, Eleanor Dash is looking for ways to kill off the character in her book that has been a thorn in her side for the past ten years when the man that character is based on announces that someone is trying to kill him. Yes, a little confusing and twisted, very amusing. The reader is directly addressed in the footnotes. I am sure when the footnotes are optimized for reader that part will become much more of an asset to the flow of the book. In the ARC that I read the footnotes are out of place and so a bit confusing at times, but not enough to detract from the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this. I am voluntarily reviewing. My favorite part was the setting. I would love to be on vacation in Italy!