This book was amazing! The story was so entertaining and I could not stop reading the story. And the cliffhanger😭!

Okay, I've got to tell you about this book that completely hijacked my weekend - "No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding" is exactly the kind of ridiculous, fun mystery I live for!

Eleanor Dash is back, and if you thought her first adventure was wild, buckle up. She's heading to her best friend Emma's wedding on Catalina Island - you know, just a nice, peaceful destination wedding with a movie star groom. Spoiler alert: nothing goes according to plan.

I'm obsessed with how Eleanor basically turns a wedding into a murder investigation. Her inner commentary is hilarious - like, if Sherlock Holmes had a snarky millennial cousin who writes mystery novels, she'd be Eleanor. Those trademark footnotes are back and they're just as cheeky as ever. I legitimately snort-laughed more times than I can count.

The setup is brilliant. A storm traps everyone on the island, mysterious threats are flying around, and suddenly this picture-perfect wedding looks more like a crime scene waiting to happen. And can we talk about the drama? There's her ex at the wedding, complicated family dynamics, and a killer who's definitely not on the guest list.

What I love is how Eleanor isn't some perfect detective. She's messy, she's funny, and she's absolutely determined to figure out what's going on - even if it means creating total chaos in the process. The mystery itself is clever enough that I couldn't guess the ending, which is exactly what I want in a good whodunit.

If you're into mysteries that don't take themselves too seriously but still keep you guessing, this is absolutely your book. It's like if a cozy mystery had a wild night out with a comedy special - completely unpredictable and a total blast.

4/5 stars - Grab this for your next beach read or when you need something that'll make you laugh and keep you guessing.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for sharing this brilliant cozy mystery's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Another witty, twisty, cozy mystery! I will never stop enjoying the footnotes and the internal dialogue associated with Eleanor Dash! If you read the first novel in this series and enjoyed it, you will not be disappointed in this follow-up!

This one was really good, I didn’t see any of that coming! But girllll you keep leaving us on a cliffhanger 😭

I was so hopeful that the second book in this series would be just as fun as the first—and it absolutely delivered! The inner monologue is an absolute dream: witty, funny, and refreshingly unique. This book feels like a breath of fresh air in the best way.

One of my favorite features from the first book made a triumphant return: the footnotes. They are hands-down my favorite part and add so much personality to the story. The clever chapter titles and razor-sharp banter are just icing on the cake.

I could go on and on about how much I adored this book. It was such a joy to read, and now I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't read the first book in this series but that didn't stop me from loving these characters. This is a great mystery that is woven together super smartly. It keeps you guessing until the very last page. Definitely one to read!

writers, contemporary, laugh-riot, threats, series, sisters, verbal-humor, situational-humor, amateur-sleuth, cozy-fiction, chick-lit, tv-film-industry, twisty, California, whodunit****

Good silly fun with the Hollywood crowd. The characters are just too much fun, and the interactions sometimes had me having giggle fits! The publisher's blurb gives good hints about the plot (but not the twists). Fine mystery and even better distraction from whatever.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected digital galley from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Avail May 13, 2025 #NoOneWasSupposedToDieAtThisWedding by Catherine Mack #TheVacationMysteriesBk2 #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble @kobobooks @waterstones ***** #Review @booksamillion @bookshop_org @bookshop_org_uk #CozyMystery #laughYourSoxOff

This was just a good as the first one. Set in california this time around we follow along as another mysterious murder mystery unfolds. A great who did it that keeps you desperate for more.

This book picks up right where the first one left off, plunging us into a whirlwind investigation of a murder at the narrator's best friend's wedding. We get the same footnotes we got in the last book that really add to the enjoyment of this book series!

And just when you think it's over, there's a tantalizing hint of a third book on the horizon! If you enjoyed the first installment, brace yourself for another exhilarating ride. I can't wait for the third installment!

Happy reading, and get ready to be captivated!

This book picks up where the first leaves off, taking the reader along with the narrator as she investigates a murder at her best friend's wedding. The footnotes we all grew to love in the first book are back and snarky and informative and enjoyable! The twists are unpredictable, the ending fantastic, and the tease of a third book was tempting! If you enjoyed the first in this series, get ready for another heckuva ride!!

I was so excited to get to read No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding by Catherine Mack. This was a great book!

“No One was Supposed to Die at this Wedding” by Catherine Mack
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🤓🤓🤓🤓

Hello again to my new favorite series!! I LOVE these books so much. The characters, the footnotes, the humor, the twists and turns: it’s just all SO good! This one comes out in May of 2025 and I can’t wait for you all to read it! (There will be one more book after this too! Thank you, @catherinemckenzieauthor for bringing these stories to life!)

I love this series! The banter, Eleanor’s inner monologue, the chapter titles and footnotes, the reader as a passive participant in the story, all the twists and misdirections, and of course, the characters! This is such a brilliantly plotted story - it reads like Agatha Christie, but with a fresh and wholly original voice. These stories are so much fun, and I cannot wait to get my hands on book three!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in Catherine Mack's "The Vacation Mysteries." It can be read as a standalone (which I read it as) but it may help to read the first one just to get some context, background info, and insight into a few of the characters.

First, I want to say that this was a such a unique book! While reading, there are various footnotes to refer to that provide extra information or comments. This was super interesting and it may be a personal preference thing but I didn't know how to feel about them. As an early copy, there were also a few grammatical mistakes such as 'desert' instead of 'dessert,' but I didn't mind or notice them too much!

It's a super fast read and keeps you guessing throughout. If you are a fan of mysteries and more of a light-hearted murder mystery then this book will appeal to you.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding
4 Stars
Pub Date: May 13, 2025

Ms. Eleanor Dash (and her fun footnotes) are back! This can be read as a standalone but I'd recommend going back and reading the first book: Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies. This book isn't a sequel but the prior book does give context and information that comes up in this one.

After filming for When in Rome wraps, the stars of the film are off to Catalina Island for their *surprise* wedding wit the cast. Threats received by the bride leading up to the wedding, leave her on edge and Ms. Dash is asked (and we know she cannot resist) to investigate.

There isn't a lack of twists and chaos to keep you on your toes and truly wondering "whodunit". Of course, this is all accompanied by some laugh out loud moments and Eleanor thinking out loud which tends to get her in trouble.

Thank you to Catherine Mack, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eleanor Dash, writer of “The Vacation Mysteries” and queen of the optional footnote (actually, don’t skip them), is back in “No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding.” Eleanor’s bestseller, “When in Rome,” has finally been adapted into a film and the co-stars, Fred and Emma, actually fell in love. They chose Catalina Island for their venue and, of course, a hurricane is headed their way.

I don’t think it’s necessary to read the first book, but it would help. Especially for the weird relationship between Connor and Eleanor (played by Fred and Emma and named in the movie as Connor and Cecilia — yes, Eleanor named Connor as Connor in her book). There’s also a stand-in Connor named Ken.

Anyway, Emma, the bride, has been getting unsettling messages like “someone will die at the wedding” as well as a bunch of passive aggressive tweets. Since they will be all stuck on Catalina, courtesy of Hurricane Isabella (the name of the previous book’s villain), you wonder if an “And Then There Were None” setup is coming. Eleanor, always wry and sarcastic, is great at creating mysteries on paper, but less efficient at deconstructing them. The inner dialogue and banter with others is terrifically funny — the delightful and whimsical plot does its necessary twists, turns and surprises, but it’s totally Eleanor that’s the star. I hope more “Vacation Mysteries” are being planned.*

The footnotes: I listened to author Mack’s “Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies” and, honestly, I wasn’t always aware while listening that Eleanor’s sarcastic explanations were footnotes. And Eleanor’s insights are what makes the novel so funny. Here, in an ebook version, the footnotes really are at the end of the chapter (the author warns us that the format might change and perhaps the print version notes will be on the physical page where they occur), so you have to choose to keep going forward if you want the comment explained immediately, or wait. Hmmm. I waited to read them since moving back and forth in an ebook is time-consuming. So, maybe you’d prefer a print version and a physical bookmark. And I do love the fun chapter titles of rhetorical questions. Any one of them is a prospective title!

5 stars!

*Maybe a third book called “This Weekend Isn’t Going to End Well for Anyone.”

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Shawna has pale green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES Peonies and poppies (summer and spring flowers) in October are a rare sight. Plus, no way an October bride gets tulips in her bouquet.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

4.5
Am I in love with the characters? No, reader, I am not.
But.
I could live in this narrative style for the rest of my life. I love the forth wall issue. I adore the fictional footnotes. I'm having a great time feeling like...like I'm, if not there with them, then helping somehow.

4.25 stars out of 5.

Wow, what a fun ride! I thought this book was a lot better than the first book in the series. It had me guessing the entire way, even into the ending. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, another twist was thrown in. There was a lot of well timed humor in the book and all the characters were well developed. I think this book can be read as a standalone but you will get a better picture of the characters if the first book is read before this one. Overall, a solid thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

In No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding, Eleanor's best friend Emma is getting married to her co-star Fred. Emma and Fred are filming "When in Rome", the first book that Eleanor wrote. After filming is over, everyone heads to Catalina Island for their wedding. It turns out a storm is going to hit the island and people were urged to evacuate. But the wedding must go on. In the itinerary given to guest, someone has edited it to reveal someone will die. Of course Eleanor is trying to figure everything out. Will she be in time to stop the murder?

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Great characters trapped together on an island during a storm at a wedding where everyone has secrets.
Lots of red herrings and motives so this book keeps you guessing until the last chapter and even a bit of the epilogue.
Really enjoyed the first book and this one was a wild ride as well.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I am so behind on books I’m currently reading & those I need to read but when I got this arc I dropped everything & spent the afternoon reading this.

Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies is my comfort book (which I realize sounds very strange), it’s the book I immediately jump to when someone asks for a recommendation. So this book had a lot to live up to, & I’m happy to say it was just as good as the first book!

It was funny with a good mystery that kept me invested until the very end. I love that the foot notes were in this book too, although I feel like there weren’t as many as before & these were more “just the facts ma’am” than the last book.

I cannot wait for this book to come out in May so I can start recommending this book too!