Thank you St Martins and MacMillan audio for the review copies of Every Time I go on Vacation, Someone Dies. This for me is a smartly funny cozy mystery, a cozy that pokes some fun at the genre while offering a fun, well developed plot. I really appreciated the sly moments of commentary on mysteries and writers, the industry a bit, within a story that was fun (a writer wanting to kill off her best character... loved it). Catherine Mack really won me over with this book and the audiobook production was strong, well done. This is a fun summer read!

This book is perfectly written to be an audiobook! I think I have found a new favorite author and series as I am already chomping at the bit to listen to the next book. The main character writes mysteries and not only do we get witty banter between the characters, but the main character narrates the story as if she is talking directly to you as a confidant rather than as a reader. You get a look at the frustration, angst, sarcasm, humor, love and all the other emotions that she feels as she feels them. She also talks you through the process that she not only takes to solve the mystery, but to plot out her next book. Toss in the location being set on a book tour in Italy so you have good food, breathtaking scenery and lots of people to look at suspiciously, thus creating the perfect recipe for a mystery to unfold creating a wonderful reading or rather listening experience. The plot is detailed and involved so that you have multiple mysteries to untangle to find the whodunit! Fabulously written, fabulously narrated, makes this the perfect book, author, series to be on the hunt for!

What can I say about this book other then I ate it up! What a fun and cozy read. I was lucky enough to get both the audio and ebook and reading both ways was amazing but if I had to choose I would recommend the audiobook. I loved how we went back and forth through their trip and trying not to be murdered but also outlining her new book. The pacing of the book was done really well and I honestly loved all the characters even the ones I should hate.

If you are a fan of the Finlay Donovan series I guarantee you will love this book!

Thank you, thank you, thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC.

This story was funny and intriguing and I absolutely loved every minute of it.

Elizabeth Evans is perfection. Her way of bringing the story and characters to life with humor just kills me every time I hear her!

I loved this book and cannot wait for books 2 & 3!!!!

A smart funny light mystery with a little bit of romance. An interesting collection of characters set off on a book tour through Italy. There are multiple authors, a fan group who won the trip, the worst tour guide ever and maybe someone or multiple someone’s who are trying kill one or more of the authors. Yikes! Lots of twists, deception, a detective with an axe to grind and the worst tour guide ever. Lots of twists and turns that lead to a satisfying ending. The first in a series and I look forward to the next. Enjoyable narration added to experience.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

The narrator was great, it was a quick easy listen. It is a great beach read/listen, but I did want a bit more. I think the hardest part for me was I did not care for Eleanor. For me, it is hard to connect to a book if I do not like the main character/narrator. The location was beautiful and descriptive and I can see this being quickly picked up as a mini series for TV.

Every Time I Go on Vacation was a really fun listen. It's a forced proximity murder mystery about mystery author Eleanor Dash and the book tour through Italy she's stuck taking with 20 of her fans and an eclectic assortment of fellow authors that have intersected with her career over her 10 years writing, her sister and the con-artist that inspired her books.. She's in the process of outlining the 10th book in her series of mysteries starring private detective Conor Smith and trying to find a way to kill off Conor's character when the real Conor Smith comes to her insisting that someone is trying to kill him in real life. Over the course of the ten day trip there are three deaths, several attempted murders, and more secrets than you can count.
It's a fast-paced listen with great narration. The plot has the perfect amount of twists and turns. The listener is taken through Eleanor's theories as they are proven and disproven and back again before the killer is revealed.. Listeners are introduced to a chaotic cast of characters, a quasi-reliable narrator, conversations across the fourth wall and the set-up for a binge-worthy new series.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC of this book.

This book felt just like going on vacation with a bunch of my besties to Italy! The author did such a great job of infusing Italian food, locations, drinks, and tourist attractions into the storyline. And of course the mystery and romance plots were fun. The narrator did a great job with the audioversion. This will definitely be a popular series if it continues.

I gave this book 3 stars. The writing is witty and cute and it’s a quick read. It would be a good beach vacation read. But I didn’t feel like it had much substance and the ping ponging of who committed the crime was a bit overdone. I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator did a good job.

A fun, funny, breezy read (or listen, I had an advanced audiobook to enjoy from NetGalley!) — I love how she smashed through the fourth wall and engaged us in an endearing way.

Elle, our dry, witty narrator (and author) has us hooked from the get. The audiobook narrator was PERFECTION for the tone of the book, it felt like I was listening to one of my fav podcasts.

While I love the super relevant references and pop culture adds, some felt a little repetitive for me towards the end (so many taylor swift and bridgerton references).

Overall, this made me crave pasta and aperol spritz, an Italian getaway, and another murder mystery STAT! It was a perfect summer read and the comparison to Knives Out was pretty spot on. A true murder mystery with low stakes, fun characters, and a breath of fresh air.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧Song Pairing: Murder She Wrote - Chaka Demua & Pliers

💭What I thought would happen:

I thought it was a travelling book club that read a new thriller/mystery every trip with friendship secrets and drama. Honestly…kind of wish that was the story 😂

📖What actually happens:

Eleanor is a famous mystery writer about to wrap up her series of Italian murders with the hunky Connor. However, the IRL Connor that loosely inspired book 1 is Satan’s cavity. Eleanor is finally killing him off. Irony of ironies, someone is actually trying to murder Connor on this book tour.

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Loved the Italian settings! I want an Aperol Spritz on a yacht off the coast of Capri reaaaaaal bad😂

Would I die for this book? Absolutely not. Did this book give me big emotions? Also no. But I enjoyed it, fun lil whodunnit.

Had 50% of it figured out right quick but the read was a fun surprise. I like being stumped. I mean I am soooo clever so it’s quite hard to do 😂🤪

The style of writing was weird but like interesting? The mc breaks down the 4th wall and aids the reader into solving the mystery. That was fun!

Anywho, book has vibes. Do with that info what you will 💋

This was a really fun read. I listened to most of it but then went back and read parts of it from the ebook to clarify a few things. There are footnotes in this book so it wasn’t as clear in the audio version, and made a little more sense actually seeing them. But either way I had a blast with this one.
The main character was hilarious. Despite it appearing someone is being targeted to be killed, this book had loads of humor. And the mystery was really good too! I breezed through this book pretty fast- it’s got great pacing- so I didn’t stop to think too long about who was behind everything. But embarrassingly enough for me (I like to think I can usually guess the culprit almost always), I didn’t see any of it coming. This would be a great beach read if you like mysteries or light hearted thrillers.

Everytime I go on vacation is about an author who writes about murder. When she has to solve an attempted murder, she puts her sleuthing skills to the test.

This book looked so fun. I love the cover and the fun summery vibes. It started out humorous and fun. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me though.

I really disliked all of the characters. Everyone seemed either stuck up, dumb, or just plain annoying. I had a hard time connecting with anyone or cheering for anyone. I feel like the main character was trying too hard to be funny and I just wasn’t feeling it.

I did enjoy the audiobook though. The narrator was great.

Thanks so much to netgalley and St. Martins Press for the arc and Macmillan audio for the alc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Think Sandra Bullock’s “The Lost City” mixed with “White Lotus” and you have the funniest whodunnit book. I loved it! Such a fun read, highly recommend! I can’t wait for the next book! Thanks NetGallery!

I was really looking forward to this book but sadly I just didn't love it. I struggled to get into it at first so I switched to the audiobook and found that to be more engaging. The narrator does a good job adding personality to the MC and bringing the story to life. Still, for some reason I had trouble feeling invested in this story or any of the characters - I was interested at some points but was ready for the story to be over at others. The book definitely had funny moments but it was also a bit over the top for me - perhaps I wasn't in the correct mindset for it because I usually do enjoy books like this. Overall I thought this one was just okay but I don't think the details will stick with me.

A few things to note - I do wish there were less footnotes throughout and that the first murder happened earlier in the book so we could unravel it together. It felt like it all happened so late in the game and the MC just neatly solved everything for the reader as opposed to us doing it together.

This book reminded me of Blonde Identity and Finlay Donovan, so I could definitely see people falling in love with this book. Thank you for the opportunity to review!

Such a fun book!! The writing, the pacing, all the characters, the setting….it all came together so well. And that ending!!! I need book 2 immediately! The narrator did do a great job but this book was a little hard to follow on audio with all the characters. Definitely recommend this book though if you’re looking for a fun summer mystery.

This was a fun little murder mystery to listen to. I liked how it was written, with the main character being an author of a mystery series. The book was almost written as her notes/manuscript, which definitely gave it a different feel that I enjoyed. It was a behind the scenes glimpse at a writing style and process I thought.

It didn’t have mind blowing twist and turns, but was entertaining nonetheless and a fun story. There were a lot of characters to keep track of right away, so that could get confusing at times, but it didn’t take too long to straighten them all out. Lots of possible murder suspects, so it will definitely keep you guessing as to is behind it all.

This was simply delightful! Elizabeth Evans did an amazing job narrating this book and the vast list of characters. I finished the audiobook in two sittings. This was a very unique book, as the main character, Eleanor is a writer and she's on a book tour with a cast of very entertaining characters. As you can imagine with a cozy mystery, death happens and chaos ensues but in a hilarious way. I chuckled out loud several times throughout the story, especially when the list of people that would say "shut up Connor" got longer and longer every time he spoke. This story was unique in the fact that Eleanor is telling us the story of what happens on the trip, but also she speak directly to the reader during the story. She gives out clues to the murders and talks you through her different experiences in her life and writing. It was really comical at times and very entertaining. If you like Finlay Donovan (minus the children in her story) then you will like this.

The cover is very fun and vibrant. I could see a lot of people being drawn in.

The narrator was a little flat for me. But not enough that I disliked her.

Eleanor is a potentially unreliable narrator. She talks to the reader throughout the story and asks that they solve the case along with her. Readers will either love this tactic or find it annoying. There are so many close calls and just when you think you know what’s happening, you don’t. Again, you’ll either see that as twists and turns or redundant writing.

Some interesting things: The Goodreads issue of being more like “meanreads” and way too many TS lyrics for me.

The book is fine. Maybe not the right fit for me. I don’t think I’d continue reading the series. But I think some people will really love this!

Thank you to NetGalley, Catherine Mack, Elizabeth Evans, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity. I have written this review voluntarily.

The perfect summer beach read! A 'will they, won't they' romance-meets-mystery that reads like a fun, modern Agatha Christie novel. The characters are well-written and immediately likable, or detestable (see for yourself, ahem, Connor), and the narrator drops hints throughout the story to guide the reader toward the solution. Grab yourself an Aperol spritz and enjoy this fun Mediterranean murder mystery!