Picture this: you’re on a book tour through Italy, soaking in the charm of six picturesque cities, indulging in gelato and Aperol spritz, and relishing the company of fellow authors and die-hard fans. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, for author Eleanor Wilde, it’s more of a high-stakes nightmare with literary rivals, a con man ex, and, oh yes, death.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack takes readers on a wildly fun ride, and it’s anything but your typical cozy mystery. With its snarky, witty protagonist, inside jokes about the publishing world, and the thrill of a whodunit, this novel makes for a laugh-out-loud read that fans of twisty mysteries and meta-humor will absolutely devour.

The story kicks off with Eleanor Wilde’s ambitious agenda: complete her latest novel (the tenth in her Vacation Mysteries series), embark on a whirlwind book tour across Italy, and kill off her main character, Connor Smith. Not much to ask, right? Except that Eleanor’s inspiration for Connor, suspects someone is genuinely out to kill him. And if that wasn’t enough, a body soon turns up in their traveling literary group, setting off a domino effect of secrets, suspicions, and betrayals.

Eleanor must balance her book deadlines with real-life detective work, sorting through a colorful cast of authors, agents, and obsessive fans. With each Italian city comes a new twist, and Eleanor’s to-do list grows longer: solve the murder, dodge her ex Oliver (who shows up at the worst possible moments), keep her literary rivals at bay, and figure out who’s really behind the mayhem.

This novel brilliantly breaks the fourth wall, letting Eleanor not only narrate her story but also chat directly with readers (footnotes and all)! It’s like having a lively conversation with a friend who isn’t afraid to let you in on the messy, hilarious parts of her job as a writer. Her cheeky self-awareness, paired with razor-sharp wit, makes for a refreshingly original tone.

If you’re a fan of snappy dialogue and unconventional characters, Eleanor’s one to remember. She’s a little chaotic, brutally honest, and endlessly opinionated, which adds a fun edge to the story. Her dynamic with her ex Oliver adds extra spice, and her deep reliance on her younger sister Harper (who, though a little overshadowed, plays the grounded assistant to Eleanor’s whirlwind) rounds out the cast in a quirky way.

While the book’s ensemble of suspects can get a bit overwhelming, each one brings something fresh to the story, and even the more aggravating personalities contribute to the chaotic fun. Though it’s hard to get attached to any of them (perhaps intentionally), this motley crew of characters, annoying quirks and all—adds to the atmosphere.

The audiobook narration by Elizabeth Evans deserves special praise. Evans captures Eleanor’s voice to perfection, bringing out her snark, frustration, and subtle vulnerability in a way that enhances the reading experience. If you’re an audiobook fan, this is one to add to your list.

So grab a gelato, settle in, and prepare to laugh, gasp, and cheer as Eleanor brings the mystery to life—one Italian city at a time.

3.5⭐️ Overall, this was a fun cozy mystery, with all the humor. I loved the narration, which was an added bonus to get to listen to, and I thought the performance did a great job with the characters, and it immersed me into the story, with the yummy food and drink descriptions too!

*many thanks to Minotaur Books, Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Oh goodness, what a whirlwind.
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies follows a bestselling author Eleanor Dash, whose sole purpose is to get through the book tour in Italy and finally kill off her character Connor Smith in her mystery series.

But suddenly the real-life Connor Smith is also being threatened, and Eleanor is enlisted to find who is threatening to kill the real man.

A little over the top, but a fun ride. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters were fun. I thought Eleanor was a great character to follow, I did enjoy the storyline and the writing was good. I would read more from this series in the future.

This was such a fun listen! The perfect audiobook to listen to at the beach. This was my first Catherine Mack book, and definitely won't be my last! I really enjoyed the narrator as well.

Thank you to the publisher, author and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this story. Somewhat slow moving, but inventive and quirky. The use of footnotes, especially in the audiobook version, was very weird.

Personally I felt this book wasn't for me. I found the main characters to be not very likeable and it actually led to me DNF-ing the book. I really love the whole premise though. There's definitely and audience for this book though, as not everyone will feel as I do about the characters

I gave this book beyond 50% before I decided not to finish it. At this point I wasn't really invested in the characters or in the story. I didn't really care to know who wanted them killed and by that point nothing had really happened either. I felt that it took way too long for the mystery of this story to begin and the bickering between Connor and the main character was more annoying than anything else.

Thank you so much to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the ALC! #MacAudio2024

🍋 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 🍋
I love books featuring authors as the main character and this cozy murder mystery hits the spot! It is the first book in the Vacation Mysteries series, and I look forward to the next one!

Eleanor Dash is going on an Italian book tour for the 10th anniversary of her first book. She has to deal with Connor Smith, who she got involved with 10 years ago when they solved a crime together… leading her to base her main character off of him. He has been irritating her since then! She also has crazy fans, an ex boyfriend, and other shenanigans happening. In the midst of chaos, there is murder and Eleanor is trying to stay safe and solve it!

I enjoyed the breaking the fourth wall perspective in the book. Eleanor literally called herself an unreliable narrator, which was amusing! Her main character Connor was annoying and comical at the same time. I liked how we were taken in circles as to who could have the motive and means to the murders that happen on this trip. It kept me guessing until the end!

I look forward to reading the next one in this series! I enjoy a cozy mystery with humor blended in!

🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🎧
Elizabeth Evan’s was amazing as Eleanor, bringing a witty and charming persona to life! She was great at narrating all of the fourth wall moments in her role.

🎧 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🍋 Cozy Murder Mysteries
📘 Books featuring Authors
📗 Breaking the Fourth Wall
🍋 Italian Book Tour
📙 Blackmail and Funny Characters

I think this story would be better as a book than an audiobook. I did find the audiobook somewhat confusing and difficult to follow, but that could have been partially due to the format with which I consumed the book. I would check out more books by this author though.

Eleanor Dash is a best selling author of a mystery series starring a male P.I. She is being extorted by the man, Connor Smith, who the books are based on. She is tired of her ties to Connor and her goal is to kill him off in her next book. She is on a book tour in Italy, and of course Connor is there. When there is an attempt on his life, then Eleanor's it becomes a real whodunnit. With some crazy fans, jealous authors and their partners, a stalker and Eleanor's ex, Oliver, there are secrets revealed that could be motive. With lots of suspects, will they find the culprit before Connor or Eleanor end up dead in real life?

This was such a fun first book in a series. I love that the MC is an author of the Vacation Mysteries series and that they are in danger. The characters are an eclectic bunch with Connor being a con-man, and several authors and fans being a bit off. The characters are flawed, at times unlikeable, and not completely trust worthy. Eleanor's sister is her personal assistant, and at times she is the main suspect. Even the police are a caricature based on the way they were treated in the past, and their reaction in this book. There are a lot of suspects with motives, so which one is trying to get away with murder. The ending was satisfying, with everything tied up nicely. There are many times that the reader will have to suspend belief, but it is fiction. I love that this is book has cozy mystery vibes, armchair travel and lots of humor. I do recommend it and am looking forward to seeing what is next for Eleanor Dash. I listened to this book narrated by Elizabeth Evans. She does a nice job with the story and voices and I enjoyed her performance.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a captivating and humorous mystery novel by Catherin Mack. The story follows Eleanor Dash, a bestselling mystery writer who embarks on a book tour in Italy. Eleanor's main goal is to kill off her fictional character, Connor Smith, who is based on her real-life ex-boyfriend, a con man also named Connor Smith. As she navigates the tour, Eleanor finds herself entangled in real-life murder mysteries, with deadly dangers lurking at every turn.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies excels in its ability to blend humour and mystery, creating an enjoyable and engaging read. The strengths of the book lie in Mack's witty writing and the dynamic between Eleanor and Connor. The setting of an Italian book tour adds a picturesque backdrop that enhances the story's appeal. The primary weakness noted by some readers is the occasional disjointed flow of the narrative, but this does not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment of the book.

In conclusion, Catherin Mack's debut novel is a delightful addition to the cozy mystery genre, offering a perfect blend of suspense, humour, and romance. It is highly recommended for readers looking for a light-hearted yet thrilling read.

This book was a blast! If you like the Finlay Donovan series you’ll enjoy this one! It’s the same over the top story with a barrel of laughs and a touch of awkward moments! It’s so fast paced and full of travel adventures. It was a great time!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.

2.5

In Catherine Mack's debut novel, it shows how a vacation can turn from good to bad to worse:

All Eleanor wants to do is get through the latest book tour. The Pros is that it is taking place in Italy, the MAJOR Con is that her ex and blackmailer and muse for the male lead in the series, Connor is also going to be on the tour. That is why Eleanor has decided to finally Kill Connor, well not in real life, but in her series so that she can move on and start writing something different. But when someone tries to kill Connor in real life, and the only thing they know that there is only 10 days to figure out who the killer is, but as other bodies start falling, the suspect list keeps getting shorter. This is the vacation to die for, literally.

As a debut novel I appreciate that Mack was trying to do something a bit different here with the format of the book and how all the information is laid out and I think that Mack succeeded on some points but not on others. I really enjoyed the ideas that Mack presented of an author who's first book is based upon real events of her vacation as well as that the book was only told from Eleanor's POV. However, I wasn’t a fan of the format of Eleanor talking to the readers instead of just telling the story and the never-ending footnotes. I can say that I did not read all the footnotes. Also how does this translate in other formats like audio, are the footnotes at the end of each chapters?

I did like the overall plot of this book and I think that Mack did a good job of placing people against each other, and determining that the killer was in or connected to their group in some ways. I also thought that the methods of murder were different from a lot of books that I read. I was able to figure out most of the twist at the end.

I’m not sure a ever like Eleanor as a character, she was annoying a lot of the time, and pretty selfish throughout the book, even when she realizes that she was being selfish she never changes from being so. But I did like she is an unreliable narrator as we only get her POV and there are always 2 sides of the story you know as the reader you are not getting all the information or sides to the relationship and story.

This book really took me down memory lane from a trip to Italy 10 years ago and that was probably the best part of the book, getting to relive some of my own memories.

This book was just not for me. I think that Mack tried to do a bit too much with this book and that lead it to not be for me.

Cheers!!!!!

What a unique concept for a mystery series! 🕵️‍♂️ I was really intrigued by the premise and couldn’t wait to dive in. Unfortunately, all the characters were pretty terrible, and I found myself wishing for just one or two I could root for. 😅

It was a solid read, but I’m not sure I’m motivated to pick up the next book in the series. 🤷‍♀️

This cozy mystery is the first book in the Vacation Mysteries series, and although I am a big fan of both cozy mysteries and the author (known a Catherine Mackenzie), I did not like this one. I did not like the main character (which did not help), the story felt a bit all over the place, it lacked grounding, for the genre the crime (murder in this case) happens waaaaaaay too late in the story (it usually happens in the first 10% if it hasn't happened already when the book opens), so there wasn't enough (or much) sleuthing, aside from Eleanor trying to find who was trying to kill Connor (I didn't think she tried very hard, understandably, but for a mystery, it was lacking). An author bashing on GoodReads in a book? Cringey. And the whole "behind the curtains" approach was not my favorite. I hate when narrators break the fourth wall and address the reader directly (totally a me thing). So.... it's safe to say this book was not for me, and I would recommend any other book by this author before this one, but I have read many fantastic reviews, so do no let my review deter you from reading this one! Also, in the audio book, the narrator did a great job.
I have received a copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Enjoyable read. From the very cover the scene is set as this read entertains page after page. I found myself enjoying the characters and quickly falling into the plot.

Oh, how I love a book where I feel like the narrator and I are working together and could be best friends. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies does the wonderfully amusing task of breaking the fourth wall with the best of them. We get the main character and narrator talking to us about clues, reminding us that she told us something earlier, and begging us to pay attention and help her solve the mystery. Her tone is sarcastic and quirky and she's both likable and grating in just the right way. Do we trust the narrator? Does the fact that she tells us she's unreliable mean we should? I loved it all! The scenery and characters are well-written and the entire book feels like an updated version of a vintage Agatha Christie mystery. I flew through this book in almost one sitting and I couldn't put it down. The audiobook was well done, and the over-the-top accents on purpose made me laugh. As a beach read or a vacation from your day-to-day, this book was lots of fun!

What a great read - I devoured the book in one day and then listened to the audio the next. I can’t wait to read more.

I laughed out loud while listening to this book.
I cannot wait to read more adventures about the characters in this book.
The narrator gave a great performance - especially when she breaks the fourth wall and talks to the reader.
Highly recommended to fans of Dial A for Aunties!

Are you looking for the PERFECT summery cozy read .. look no further my friends! This is such a fun, good time! It’s atmospheric and the narrator did a fantastic job, I felt like I was right there within the story in Italy. The narration was great! I loved all the little asides aka the footnotes in the physical book. So well done!

This cozy mystery wins for the best humor! I did guess the whodunnit but it didn’t take away from this enjoyable listen!

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ALC to listen to through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review! All opinions are my own. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series and anything Catherine Mack puts out next! This was my first Catherine Mack book and it won’t be the last!