This has everything I love in a thriller. I love the fact that they so many unexpected moments.

This is book 2 in a series and you don't necessarily have to read the first one to read this one, but it would significantly help and add to the reading experience if you do. Eleanor returns for her best friend's wedding.

Eleanor travels to her best friend Emma's destination wedding, and like the title says someone dies at this wedding. It starts off with just threatening letters but of course it escalates to murder.

I did thoroughly enjoy the first book in the series, but I liked this one so much more it there was just something about it that made me love the characters more and it might just be because I already know a lot of the backstory from the first book, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable thriller. I highly recommend picking up this series.

No One Was Supposed to Die at the Wedding
Author: Catherine Mack

Description:
And we are back with Eleanor Dash, who’s attending her best friend’s wedding on an exclusive island. And, of course, wherever Eleanor goes, there’s bound to be a murder mystery 😉!

My Thoughts:
This was such a cute read. My favorite part was Eleanor—she’s so quirky and fun! The phrase “having her foot in her mouth” perfectly describes her personality, and she’s what makes the story so enjoyable.

One part that really stuck with me was the idea that the type of partner you choose can bring out different sides of your personality—whether you’re calm, anxious, or somewhere in between. It was such a small detail but left an impression on me.

Overall, it’s your everyday fun murder mystery, and I loved it! My only critique is that it could have been a bit shorter.

Genre: Mystery, General Fiction
Age Range: Young Adult
Favorite Quote: “Because sometimes all you can do is laugh to escape the pain in life.”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

The review will be posted on my instagram page on January 7th 2025

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding started off a little slow for my taste and I struggled through the first half or so but I’m glad I stuck with it! The first third of the book set up for the murder(s) which is what I found to be a little slower but once I made it through that, the pace picked up a lot more. The banter between all of the characters kept the book very entertaining and only got better as the story went on. Once the murder(s) entered the story about two thirds of the way through, I couldn’t put it down and finished the rest of it so quickly. The plot twist had me absolutely gaping. The newest adventures of Eleanor Dash did not disappoint! I definitely recommend this for all mystery and thriller book lovers.

Huge thanks to the author for sending me the E-ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I gotta admit that this was such a fun read that was packed with equal amounts of suspense & humor. And I did like this a lot more than the first one cuz it was so fast paced, and there were quite a lot of surprising reveals in the second half too!! (A few of em left me screaming what the heck!!!)

In this second installment of the cozy mystery series, we follow the mystery writer, Eleanor Dash visiting Catalina Island to celebrate the wedding of her best friend, Emma Wood, who also plays Eleanor in the movie adaptation of the said writer's first novel. As is the case with every vacation that Eleanor goes to, there's a dead body amidst this celebration too, and she has to solve the case before someone else turns up dead as well!

What can you expect
- cozy mystery
- eccentric & sarcastic FMC
- funny chapter titles
- mixed media
- narrator breaking the fourth wall
- footnotes that aren't annoying
- book adaptation inside the book
- female friendship

What I love most about this cozy mystery is the narrator talking directly to us!! It makes for a more fun experience, and it also feels like you're the Watson to the Sherlock (Eleanor) in solving this crime. And Eleanor is so good at seeing through people (most of the time), and when she does her act of deducing & reasoning as to who's the perpetrator, it's completely satisfying for us to witness as well. I gotta appreciate the author for making the footnotes as something additional to the story, and not as something you definitely gotta read cuz it only gives more info about the author's inner thoughts, so you can omit it if you don't feel like reading it! (but I did read everything & it was so much fun)

Also, I really feel like Eleanor & Oliver makes for a great pair! They complement each other so well that I liked seeing the way they worked together & did the investigation of the suspects at every step together. I hope we get to see more of that in book 3 as well (uh-oh did I spoil that for you?!! But I feel like it ain't a surprise at this point that every time Eleanor goes on vacation, someone dies😉)

Overall, it's a solid murder mystery with cozy vibes that's perfect to read during the summer, so be sure to be on the lookout for the release!!!!

Eleanor Dash is ridiculous, so obviously I adore her. This was another madcap mystery with endless twists and betrayals, and I was totally here for it. My only (very small) niggle is that I felt we didn't get enough of my favourite characters from the first book - hello, Oliver - which was disappointing. Overall a fun mystery novel though!

Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy to review

This wasn't as light hearted and funny as the first book, but I still enjoyed it. The first part of the book felt like it was dragging on, but after 200 pages, it was quick and fast-paced. I loved the footnotes in the novel which provided clues, commentary, and explanations. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding
by Catherine Mack

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had me laughing out loud throughout the entire book! It is so fun! This is a sequel to ‘Every time I go on vacation someone dies’!

I love Mack’s writing style in these novels - she uses footnotes to convey additional clues, snark and commentary which makes it more fun to read!

The book takes place on Catalina Island during a hurricane (and Eleanor’s best friend (a hollywood starlet’s wedding)); however, the weather is the least of the characters’ problems as there is a murderer on the loose! The cast of characters are not really lovable to me and I can’t say that I am rooting for the main character Eleanor but I think that makes it more fun.

I just couldn’t put this book down!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur books for the digital advanced readers copy!! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This novel will be published May 13, 2025!

I did not know this was a series but it was definitely OK as a sttandalone, but i will go back and read the first one and anymore she has- Eleanor writes books mysteries specifically and when her book gets made into a movie and her bestie stars in it and then gets engaged to the handsome famous costar and the wedding is in fabulous Catilina Island (made famous by the wine mixer) sounds perfect right, not so fast something up amd everyone gets trapped and Eleanor is on the case reminds me of joanne fluke but not so cozy and plain (I'm from Minnesota i can say that) - definitely recommend!


Thank you netgalley for thr arc

I loved this book so much, although I really should have gone back and read the first novel before reading this one. It is technically a stand-alone book, but I was missing so many references by not reading in order like I usually do. I got this ARC from NetGalley and didn't realize it was a second novel. I have so many books on my too-read list that I decided to just read this one first to see if the series was worth putting more time into reading, and it definitely is! Loved it so much.

There was absolutely no way I could have guessed where the author was going with the ending. Pretty much the whole book I was the murderer was one character, but I really wanted it to be another character, who I was sure there was no possible way it could be, because I had developed a deep dislike for them (really for no reason, but sometimes that is just the way things go, in life and in books).

This is a clean, cozy mystery, with no graphic descriptions of the murders. I love the addition of the funny footnotes, although I wish they were on the same page instead of at the end of the chapter. It's one thing to flip back and forth in a non-fiction book to look at footnotes, but if you do that in a mystery, you are going to get spoilers. And then, if you do it at the end of the chapter and try to go backward, it just isn't the same as reading immediately. I am the kind of reader who loves footnotes, but this format was a bit annoying. It was the only problem I had with the book, with really amounts to nothing, especially since I know most people ignore the footnotes anyway.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

THIS WAS SO FUN & THE ENDING 🤯

I really loved the sarcastic personality of the narrator! I really felt like I was hurt listening to an author tell a story about how she basically writes a book, but it was what the author in the book was actually living through (revolves around a murder mystery author investigating a string do murders in real life).

I sometimes get bored during mysteries cuz the playful banter, angst, and comedy isn’t normally there and it’s very serious and that’s the vibe - which is fine. BUT the sarcasm of the lead mixed with the overall banter between all the characters really was probably my favorite part of this book!

I feel like I had absolutely no idea where the story was going when it comes to “who did it.” I was constantly changing my mind and absolutely did not see the ending coming!

There’s tons of action going on, so you won’t get bored. I also didn’t read the first book (but will be going back to read it) and didn’t feel confused about anything that was going on - I do feel like reading the first book first would just give you more context on certain events that happened previously to this book that are referenced.

overall, i loved this and will absolutely return to the series and the author in the future.

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is the second book in the Vacation Mysteries series by Catherine Mack.

I absolutely LOVED the first book [book:Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies|195790849]!

First can I say FOOTNOTES and CHAPTER TITLES! These add so much to the story!

Eleanor Dash is headed to her bestie Emma's wedding on Catalina Island.

A storm threatens everyone on the island, think locked room, but better!

The family dynamics are hilarious, I remember a wedding like this, well without a murder LOL

The mystery is so complex and well done.

This is a cozy mystery on steroids!!!!!! Mystery, incredible characters, laughs and red herrings everywhere.

I am so excited to read more in this series.

I am pretty sure I will read this book again. when its published. Its just THAT good!

I wasn't a huge fan of this book. The story just felt a little juvenile, and while I wanted to know the conclusion of the mystery, I think it was trying too hard to be brilliant. Overall, not my cup of tea.

This book is a continuation of “No One was Supposed to Die in Italy” which is referenced several times in this book. At times, it can be confusing in regard to the characters. Eleanor, the main character whose book has been optioned as a movie. Her best friend, Emma along with her fiancée, Fred are the stars of the movie. They decide to hold the wedding on Catalina Island as a major hurricane is barreling down on it. The whole island is evacuated except for the wedding party. As the storm intensifies, the dead bodies start stacking up and Eleanor and her arch nemesis can’t help but investigate. I found the script dialogue worth skipping to get on with the story. It tends to drag in a few places and the ending was disappointing.

I loved "Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies" and was excited to get an ARC of the second installment in the series. As in the first book, I enjoyed the quirky characters and fast-paced plot, and the twist at the end was unexpected. However, I found the storyline to be a little too complicated/convoluted for my liking, and there were a lot of new characters to keep track of. After a while, I gave up on the footnotes, as their functionality was hit or miss in the advance copy, and it got to be annoying when I had to flip backward multiple pages. All in all an enjoyable book and I will pick up the next in the series (though I did like the first one better).

I’m so thankful I received an eARC of this book! I absolutely loved the first book in this series (with a well-deserved 5-star rating), I can confidently say this sequel deserves the same praise. Set on a picturesque island during a raging storm, the wedding turns into a mystery weekend with multiple murders.

I enjoyed the exploration of childhood best friends, both new and old relationships, and the dynamics of where everyone stands with each other.

The fun wedding setting combined with the suspense of the storm and the twists of multiple murders created a perfect cozy mystery atmosphere. While I might have a slight preference for the first book, "No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding" is still an amazing read that I highly recommend!

I'm so thankful the footnotes were linked up and working in this one (they weren't working in the first when I read it). They did add some fun snarkiness! I was also so excited the ending had the very obvious teaser for the next book in the series!

I adored this book. I read this book on Net Galley. I saw the author post on IG there were 100 copies on Net Galley and I ran to get one. I am so glad I did. I adore Eleanor and her footnotes. I adore the wit and sarcasm. And the murder mystery was delightful. I absolutely didn’t see the ending coming. I cannot wait for book 3!

I loved the first book and this one was just as good! I loved seeing these characters develop in book two and a secret wedding is so fun!

“But we’re all a bunch of contradictions. It’s what makes life interesting.”

I was blessed with receiving an arc for the first book in this series last year, and now returning to this series has been a blessing. However, I definitely enjoyed the first book better. Eleanor as a narrator got a bit annoying at times. For example:
“Oh well.
Can’t be good at everything.
Not that I’m good at everything.
We just established that I’m not.”
Now, I’m aware that it’s a quote incredibly out of context, but it was just moments like this that really took me out of the story. Other than that, the storyline was good.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and of course, Ms. Catherine Mack for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm incredibly grateful to Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack. Thank you so much.

This was such a fun read, as always in this series by Catherine Mack. I've been thoroughly enjoying this series, and while the first one, set in Italy (where some of my family is from), holds a special place in my heart, I love the footnotes and the vibes of the mystery through these books. Looking forward to enjoying the rest of this series.

Eleanor and her cast of amazing characters are back for more fun in “No One Was Supposed to Die At This Wedding.” The fun murder mystery brings author Eleanor Dash onto a movie set of her adapted novel, where the lead actress and close friend Emma is getting some odd notes leading up to her secret wedding to the lead actor. The wedding is set to happen on an island, where there is a significant storm forecasted and most have evacuated, but Hollywood isn’t stopped by any storms! Shenanigans abound and Eleanor, mystery novelist and amateur detective* (she’s not very good) attempts to follow the clues. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, and the footnotes throughout the chapters will keep you giggling. As someone who enjoys puzzles but not a lot of suspense, I loved the tone of the book and had so much fun with the characters.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!