I really really liked this one! I binge listened to it in one day. It reminded me of Murder Mystery on Netflix or Meg Cabots Size 12 is Not Fat series. It can be difficult to strike a balance between murder and humor and this was very well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies is a fun little story that takes place across Italy as an author tries to figure out a real life murder mystery. Eleanor is the epitome of millennial- relatable, embarrassed about any success she’s had, self deprecating, and obsessed with Taylor Swift and Bridgerton. If you like the Finlay Donovan series, this may be up your alley but it’s not quite as good.

3.5 stars.

What a wonderful trip through Italy. Took a bit long to get to the murder but enough red herrings to keep you entertained. Now that the characters are established I look forward to the next book (as long as the descriptions of the characters aren’t as long). Nice dynamic between characters. The mystery was light but satisfying.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies" by Catherine Mack is a brilliant homage to classic whodunits with a modern twist. Mack's witty narrator adds a refreshing layer of humor and intrigue, drawing readers in from the very first page. Mack effortlessly pays homage to Agatha Christie with subtle nods and references, while also infusing the story with her own unique voice and style. The plot is cleverly crafted, keeping readers guessing until the very end. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries with a side of humor, "Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies" is an absolute must-read. Grab a copy and prepare for a vacation you won't soon forget!

DNF @ 14%. Couldn't get into the story at all. Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press & MacMillan Audio for advance copies.

This was so much fun!! I loved how self aware the book was. The footnotes were my favorite (which is impressive cause I usually hate footnotes in books). All the characters were great, the plot was just so entertaining. The audiobook was great! loved the narrator!! A great, fun, silly cozy mystery!

Now for the very very long wait till book #2!

thank you so much to Netgalley for the audio arc and to the publishers for the physical arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fresh, clever, funny murder mystery!! From start to finish, this book sucked me in and had me laughing, guessing, and rooting for this group to figure it out. I'm so happy this is going to be a series because I loved it so much!!!

Every character brought a unique layer to the story, and although there were multiple layers and switch backs from past to present, it was easy to follow and the interaction with us the readers just added in a really cool layer.

I can't wait to read this again over the summer!

Thank you to NetGalley, Catherine Mack & MacMillan Audio for an audio ARC of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies in exchange for an honest review.

I was first turned on to this one with the fun cover & then the synopsis further sealed the deal. I just finished with this audiobook and it was an absolutely delight! I was not previously familiar with this author so I didn't know what to expect. I was so thrilled when it turned out to be fabulous!

I found this to be a bit similar to Benjamin Stevenson's Everyone in My Family series in how the narrator speaks directly to the readers at times. However, I LOVED Mack's version SOOOOOOOOO much more than Stevenson's (I'm not a huge fan of his - yes, I know I'm in a minority).

This book was LOL funny. Eleanor was such a fun, quirky character.

The entire cast of characters were expertly written. The dialogue was fantastic & the pacing was fast. This was a very engaging & fun story following Eleanor, an author on a book tour. Also on the tour are her sister, ex Connor, ex Oliver, Connor's ex-wife, a handful of other authors, Connor's current girlfriend and 20 Super Fans of Eleanor's books (one of which may be a stalker!).

The reader will have so much fun trying to figure out the whodunit and the "who tried to dunit." I almost always figure it out well in advance of the ending, 99% of the time. This one got me. I did not figure it out AT ALL. Kudos for surprising me!

This was such a fun and unique read. I loved the inner dialogue from fictional author Eleanor Dash planning out her next novel as she is basically living it. There were twists and turns and a unique style of encouraging the reader to solve the murder. This would be a perfect beach read. I definitely look forward to reading more books by Catherine Mack.

Thank you to netgalley, Macmillan Audio, Minotaur Books, and the author for the opportunity to listen to an ALC for an honest review.

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This book has so much going for it. If you enjoy clever, fresh writing, you’ll enjoy this cozy mystery. The book is about an author and all the author-y things they have to do besides write a book. I loved the breaking of the fourth wall, something I’ve enjoyed ever since I saw the Hope and Crosby films and Burns and Allen TV show ages ago. I loved all the insider dish on what really goes on in the publishing world. The whole ride is a crazy, wild, and fun mess of a good time.

Warning: this isn’t a straight-up mystery. It’s a tongue-in-cheek look at murder mysteries as a whole, and the satire is biting, which I loved. And while there is some contemporary romance in the book, that almost seems shoehorned into the plot.

I noticed that most people who have complained about this book had the eBook. I highly recommend getting the audiobook, because it had none of the issues the eBook had.

This was one of the highlights of my year so far when it comes to my book consumption. Highly recommend!

I received a complimentary digital audiobook from MacMillan Audio and NetGalley; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Very fun romcom/murder mystery. The "mystery" was extremely obvious, but it seemed like that was sort of the point.

This author name is a pseudonym for Catherine McKenzie, and I love her books so I was excited to get this one and happy to see it will be a series. This is The Vacation Mysteries #1 in the series.

Eleanor Dash is the bestselling author of the Vacation Mysteries series. Her character are loosely based on her own life, the main character is based on her ex-boyfriend Connor. He realizes how popular her series is and is know asking for royalties. Eleanor wants to kill his character from the series and this creates tension, BUT someone wants him killed in real life. Who would have a motif besides Elanor for having Connor out of her life.

This novel is witty, clever and just plan fun! I will look for more in this series. Bring it on!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio/Minotaur Books for the gifted audiobook/book!

This was overall a fun cozy mystery that was easy and enjoyable to read!

I know people are probably sick of hearing "this is for fans of Finlay Donovan", but this is the only one that has actually seemed to capture the perfect balance of humor and plot and fun like the beloved (by many, but especially me) Finlay Donovan books.

Eleanor Dash was truly an easy character to love and root for! I loved hearing all of her internal thoughts as "footnotes" and following along on her crazy tour through Rome. I always love books about authors (once again, hello Finlay Donovan) so this was right up my alley!

I think everyone will be falling in love with Eleanor Dash and her shenanigans soon!

Also, I would be remiss not to mention how ADORABLE this cover is! Clearly cute cover art sells because this one sold me and I'm glad it did!

I'm so glad to hear that this is a series and will be first in line ready to read book 2 when it comes out!

3.5 rounded up to 4 for GR

This will be available on April 30th!

Oh my goodness did I love everything about this book. The way it was written from the main character's POV but also adding all the info in about writing books & being an author herself was so much fun!

When I tell you I had no idea exactly what was going on & who was truly guilty I mean it. Everyone was a suspect in my mind & I worked out ways in my head where every single person could be a murderer. This was TRUE whodunit. I felt like I was playing a game of Clue in Italy.

It was full of humor & I really enjoyed that. As someone who reads dark thrillers on the regular, this was a breath or fresh air & perfect for readers that love thrillers & mystery but in a lighter way.

Thank you SO much Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, & Catherine Mack for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

Sometimes, nothing hits like a cozy, and this modern version offers readers a chance to enjoy some humor with a dash of the tame mystery.

Eleanor, an author, it's on a fabulous vacation but surrounded by a slew of characters who complicate any chance she may have had at really enjoying herself on this trip. The cast includes Eleanor's stalker, a plagiarist, exes, and her sister (whose storyline is interesting - I hope she'll be featured more in future installments). There is a lot of fourth wall breaking, and that just felt too distracting for me. As is often the case in cozies, this isn't the most shocking or thrilling set of circumstances. I was onto the likely endgame faster than I'd have liked.

I enjoyed the premise and the characters, and while I hoped for a little more depth and less personal asides from Eleanor, I am excited to read more from this author and this series.

I love the narrator, Elizabeth Evans is always phenomenal.
This could’ve been great, but for me the footnotes were redundant and it felt like it was half of the book. It really frustrated me, because I wanted to keep going with the current story. It could’ve been great. While I enjoyed the FMC, there was no character I really related to or enjoyed enough to be memorable.

This vacation cozy follows a best selling mystery author who stumbled into success after solving a bank robbery with her ex-vacation fling, a chauvinistic detective, Connor, who is now the much-loved star of her series. She wants nothing more than to be rid of him for good, so she begins plotting how to kill off his character while with him on a multi-author book tour in Italy. The only problem? Someone else seems determined to kills the real Connor.

There are a lot of great ingredients here - a snarky antihero who exists with her tongue firmly planted in cheek, a gorgeous setting to escape to, loud characters - and it’s all carried along at a quick enough clip to keep the reader flipping pages.
Unfortunately, the footnotes throughout the story were distracting (especially in the audiobook version) and didn’t add anything for me. I would recommend reading this as a physical book to minimize how much the footnotes detract from the reading experience.

Thanks, NetGalley and Minotaur, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by this author, and while I loved the premise and found the book title engaging, I am still torn on how I feel about this book. I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. I can't quite put my finger on it.

I definitely agree with other reviewers that all the end notes were confusing. It might be better with a print copy, but as someone who usually prefers audiobooks, I imagine these will be even worse (if included) when listening to the audiobook narration.

The mystery was well thought out and there were definitely A LOT of suspects, but I didn't really care for our snarky MC. I think the book could have been a bit shorter, perhaps one or two fewer suspects would have helped there.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Book 1 of the Vacation Mystery Series, Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, by Catherine Mack, begins with bestselling author, Eleanor Dash, goes on a book tour in Italy with her sister, Harper, who handles all of her affairs, and the main character in her book series, Connor Smith, who is very good looking, but very manipulative and evil – because she used his real name in her books and he blackmailed her into giving him a percentage of her sales, as well as her ex-boyfriend, Oliver. Eleanor is saddled with the task of finding out who is trying to murder Connor.

The narration of this audio book is excellent and if it were a better book, it would be a fun one to listen to.

Cozies are supposed to be fun, fast, light reads for readers of all ages because they don’t contain graphic violence, sex, or foul language. However, apparently Mack didn’t get the memo. The characters are obviously low classed people because they use profanity like a sailor. The profanity isn’t there to develop a character and show that that character is unsavory, rather all of the characters, including the protagonist, show that they are skuzzy as people. Usually the protagonist in a cozy is a delightful person that everyone loves. And while Eleanor is, for the most part, delightful and funny, she still swears constantly, and it doesn’t add anything to the novel; actually it makes it unreadable. While I understand that many young people talk like that, it doesn’t make it right. There is also a fair amount of sexual innuendo.

If that doesn’t bother readers, then maybe they can get through this novel and enjoy it. Apparently the author thinks that if she doesn’t have a big enough vocabulary, she can inject swear words to fill the pages instead of writing a quality book. Anyone with an ounce of class will skip this book.

I wouldn’t recommend this cozy series to anyone. There are plenty of good cozies out there that follow the protocol

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This book was absoultely phenomenal! Not only is it super meta but the breaking down of the fourth wall was done so well that I felt like I was part of the book too! This book really lends itself to being an audiobook and is extremely entertaining!

I loved Eleanor's character and how she really brings the audience into the book to help solve the mystery along with her. I was certainly left guessing who did it until the very end and was shocked when all the pieces came together. I loved how all the characters were connected and anyone could have done it and several were accused throughout the book.

I really hope this will not be the last time we hear from Eleanor and her book series!

If you are fan of the Ernest Cunningham series by Benjamin Stevenson and the game Clue then this book is for you!

The audiobook was narrated by Elizabeth Evans and she did a fantastic job! Her ability to put on different voices for different characters was well done.