In this sequel to Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies, Eleanor and crew are headed to Catalina Island for the high profile but also very secret wedding of Eleanor's childhood best friend, Emma. Emma just happens to be the actress playing one of the main characters in the movie based on Eleanor's first book, When in Rome. And the groom is none other than her co-star, Fred Winter. Almost as soon as they arrive things begin to go wrong: an impending hurricane, threatening notes, and a close call with electrocution. Emma thinks someone is trying to sabotage her wedding and she asks Eleanor to investigate.

It was so fun to read a book set on Catalina Island, a place that I have spent time both in my middle school and adult years. Eleanor is still her delightful, sarcastic and quirky self. Many of the main cast of characters from book 1 reprise their roles here, with Connor still playing the foil to Eleanor's character. On top of that was an entirely new cast of characters: all of the movie people. At that point, there were a lot of characters to keep track of--so many that it felt like character development was less important that moving the plot forward. While the resolution made sense, it wasn't so much an "a-ha!" moment as it was an "ok" moment for me. I hope Catherine Mack keeps writing this series because I would really like to see more of Eleanor.

Catherine Mack’s No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is a whirlwind of mystery and excitement, set against the ominous backdrop of a rare Pacific coast hurricane that traps the characters on Catalina Island. With communication down and no help coming due to the storm’s intensity, the stakes are sky-high as the danger escalates, from near-deaths to actual ones. The setting becomes a character in the story, amplifying the tension and keeping readers on edge.
The cast of characters is exceptionally believable, even those that lean into familiar stereotypes. Mack brings them to life with authentic personalities, giving each a depth that makes their motives and decisions feel true to the situation. Their intertwined histories add layers to the mystery, creating a rich, complex puzzle that only deepens as secrets unravel. You’ll find yourself genuinely invested in their fates, suspecting everyone at some point in the story.
Told in the first person with clever fourth-wall breaks, the narrative is both entertaining and self-aware. It offers a playful nod to classic mysteries while keeping the suspense fresh and unexpected. Mack expertly uses humor, twists, and tension to craft a fast-paced story that’s impossible to put down.
If you love twisty mysteries with heart, humor, and a dash of storm-fueled chaos, No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is a highly enjoyable read.

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is a fantastic second installment in the Vacation Mysteries series.

The style of this is why I was hooked on the series immediately. It’s written in first person and very conversational. That isn’t for everyone, but it works for this quippy storytelling.

Is it a red herring? Can you guess it? I had suspicions but didn’t see the final twist coming!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.75 stars)

Eleanor is back—and so is the chaos.

In the second installment of Catherine Mack’s witty and murder-filled Vacation Mystery series, Eleanor, along with a sprawling cast of friends, family, coworkers, and even an ex, heads to Catalina Island for what’s supposed to be a surprise wedding for her longtime friend Emma. But instead of just saying "I do," the weekend delivers threatening notes, a looming hurricane, a visit from People magazine... and of course, a murder. Because, as the title screams, No One Was Supposed To Die At This Wedding!

Like the first book, this one is packed with Eleanor’s snarky footnotes and clue-laced chapter titles (or are they?). Fans of the debut—Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies—will appreciate the return of familiar characters and inside jokes. However, the large cast can be a bit overwhelming. At times, I had to stop and backtrack just to keep everyone straight, which slowed the pacing for me.

Still, the charm and humor shine through, and I’d definitely recommend reading the first book before diving into this one—it makes the experience richer and much more fun. Once you do, you’ll be right there with the rest of us, eagerly awaiting book three.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy. I was more than happy to voluntarily review this delightful mystery.

Book 2 in the “Vacation” series with Eleanor Dash. I listened to the first book about a year ago and LOVED it. I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on the next book ever since. While I continue to love the unique sarcastic witty inner monologue of Eleanor, the storyline this time around never fully grabbed my attention.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date May 13 2025

I have not read the first book in the series but was intrigued by the description. This is cute, twisty, sarcastic and at times a very chaotic Hollywood mystery. The story for me was a bit laggy in some areas. It just didnt quite fully immerse me or grab me. This is a classic, easy going whodunnit. The twists were unique and I didn’t fully see the ending coming. If you are in the mood for some light, quirky wedding drama mystery it might be for you.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC.

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is the follow up in the Vacation Mysteries series and while I liked this one I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book. There were still some good twists and some fun moments but it just didn't hit the same way for me as the previous book. I will still recommend and will absolutely look for the next book in the series rating 3/3.5 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 11%

Yeah, so there wasn’t really anything wring with this. I think it’s well written, I just didn’t mesh with the style. Like the asides and interruption and I don’t know, too casual conversational. I just couldn’t do it. I think this book will be excellent for someone else. It was interesting what I did read. It just wasn’t for me sadly.

Thank you to NetGalley & Minotaur Books for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC in exchange for my review.

This is the sequel to "Every time I go on Vacation, Someone Dies", which I didn't really love. IT was supposed to be cute and funny, but I really didn't enjoy that one. I was hesitant to go into this one, but I crossed my fingers and gave it a shot. I didn't care for this one either. Adding the footnotes to the book didn't come off as cute and funny, it just made for more distractions. Also, I was reading an uncorrected proof ebook, not the final edition, so hopefully the foot notes are cleaned up before publication.

This was just a huge miss for me.

2 stars - it was ok. I wouldn't spend money on it, but if you're bored and it's at your library, might give it a try.

3.5 stars

Thanks so much to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book! While you don’t have to read Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies before you read this, it would help put some things into context for you.

Eleanor, the author of the Vacation Murders series, is tremendously excited that When in Rome, the first book in the series, is finally being adapted for the movies. Her childhood best friend Emma is starring as the character modeled after Eleanor herself, and the handsome Fred Winters, an Oscar-winning actor, is playing the male lead, based on Eleanor’s ex (and frequent nemesis), Connor.

In an example of life imitating art, Emma and Fred fell in love while filming and plan to get married once the movie wraps. Everyone is invited to Catalina Island for the wedding. Eleanor will be Emma’s maid of honor.

But before the wedding festivities begin, Emma tells Eleanor that she’s received a threatening note which promises that someone will die at the wedding. She asks Eleanor to try and figure out who’s behind the threats. Of course, Eleanor isn’t expecting Connor to be at the wedding as well, nor is she surprised that he wants to help investigate.

As people start dying and close calls keep occurring, Eleanor starts to uncover a confusing web of secrets and lies. Every time she thinks she’s figured things out, something shifts. At the same time, a hurricane is heading for Catalina. (Naturally.)

This is a fun cozy series that definitely keeps you guessing. There are a lot of characters, and some are actors portraying the characters, so at times it’s hard to keep track of everyone. Eleanor is an appealing, yet sarcastic and insecure character that I really enjoy, and I’m excited there’s a third book on the horizon!

This book publishes 5/13/2025.

This one was such a fun romp and a delightful follow up to the first in the series! Eleanor Dash is back at it for her best friend's wedding to celebrate but unfortunately things start to go awry, as they often do for Eleanor.

I did feel like a lot of the names were confusing and I needed a bit of a refresher on everyone. I wish this had been a little more seamless within the story itself. Despite that, I still very much enjoyed the story and had a great time with this novel.

I was thoroughly blown away by the twist as I was in denial about who were potentially suspects and could have been committing murders.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This second book in the Vacation Mysteries was an engaging romp. Eleanor Dash is on the set of a movie being made from her first book - the book that launched her career. Her best friend Emma is playing her main character and A-List movie star Fred Winters is playing the part of Connor Smith. Unfortunately, the director is a childhood frenemy. Things should be going well despite her disputes with the screenwriter who has seemingly changed not only her dialog but the ending of the story.

The finale of the filming is a trip to Catalina Island for the wedding of Emma and Fred. Eleanor is convinced the Emma is moving too fast. Sure, she's had a crush on Fred for years, but she doesn't really know him. Then the notes start arriving - vaguely threatening and cut out of letters from recent scripts.

Does someone want Emma dead? Or is something else going on? Connor has shown up claiming to be hired by the director who wants Connor to look into Fred's finances. Fred owes him bunches of money. And not only are there threats but a hurricane is bearing down on Catalina Island leaving one lone rookie cop when threats escalate to suspicious deaths.

This was a very twisty story with generous punches of humor. One seldom reads a mystery with footnotes, but they are very successful here. And the story is told by Eleanor in the first person. She has a very quirky viewpoint and voice.

For fun and thrills, this is an excellent story.

This follow-up to Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies has Eleanor Dash at the impromptu wedding of her BFF after the movie adaptation of Eleanor's first book wraps. The wedding is on beautiful Catalina Island except there's a tropical storm on the way, everyone's stuck on the island and the bodies start piling up!

The story picks up a couple of days before the last book left off to give readers a heads up about where things ended (although I strongly recommend reading the first book to get your bearings). This locked room mystery features a large cast (and their complicated relationships) who were a challenge to keep track of but if you're reading on a Kindle or Kobo, using the search option will help remember who's who.

This is an easy-going whodunnit but it lagged in a few places for me. This sequel was a little less funny, less engaging and a touch too chaotic and despite feeling like it never quite grabbed my attention, the reveal was a nice surprise.

I really enjoyed the first book and like that Eleanor continues to be a flawed but endearing character. The footnotes (and their delightful snark) make another appearance and were handled without distracting this reader and added some levity.

If you're in the mood for a mystery, check out this new addition to the series where Mack provides some wedding drama and decent twists for readers who enjoy a story with a bit of a quirky cozy mystery vibe.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Minotaur Books for the complimentary advanced digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

Another fabulous read in this series. I really enjoyed the first book, and I am happy to say that the follow-up is just as good. This time, we find Eleanor Dash involved with the Hollywood production of "When in Rome", starring her best friend Emma and major movie star Fred Winters. Emma falls in love with her leading man and plans a secret wedding at the close of production at an exclusive resort on Catalina Island. However, a hurricane is blowing in, and that is not the only trouble ahead! Emma has received threatening notes that indicate that someone is going to die at the wedding. Can Eleanor figure it out before her friend's wedding is ruined? It's a witty, amusing and fast-paced murder mystery that breaks the fourth wall. Catherine Mack has great dialogue, and I love all the footnotes and banter. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

A Murder Mystery...written by a Swiftie. Need I say more?
I adored Every Time I Go On Vacation..., and needless to say I am a HUGE FAN! (Not Eleanor's stalker, Crazy Cathy type fan, jsyk)
This mystery has it all: beautiful setting, swoony MMC sidekick, hilarious banter, and all of the red herrings that will keep your guessing until you reach THE END. Thank you so much, Catherine Mack, for your wit and your Footnotes. They are top notch.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur, for an ARC of No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding. Pub Date: May 13, 2025.

I didn’t love this one. I really enjoyed Every Time I go on Vacation Someone Dies so I was excited for the next book in the series. A big issue for me was the footnoted. It was addressed before the start of the book that the formatting was off on the arc so I knew it going in. The footnotes are some of the funniest points so I felt like I really missed out. The story didn’t captivate me like the first one. Would recommend but I didn’t love.

I was obsessed with every time I go on vacation someone dies so when I got approved for this I immediately started it. This was just as much of a fun ride as the last.

Interesting format, more layers than a princess wedding dress! With a look into Hollywood movie production and the books they are based on setting up lots of opportunities for deceit and intrigue. This tale keeps the readers interest with the many twists and turns. A great read!

Fast-paced and funny, with a crazy group of characters (including many from the first book) and another vacation setting with a locked room vibe. Eleanor and crew are on an island for a wedding, with a hurricane bearing down and, it turns out, a murderer on the loose. While I did struggle a bit with the number of potential killers (everyone is a suspect! How can they all be so awful!?) and with the resolution, the story moved so fast and the footnotes were so much fun, it was easy to just ignore any overkill and enjoy reading!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book. I absolutely adore Eleanor Dash and the characters in her orbit. This book is the perfect cozy mystery to read this summer. The snippets of Hollywood glam and the California setting pair perfectly with a day in the sunshine. I don't always love when an author breaks the fourth wall but Catherine Mack does it right. Tell me why the footnotes bring back the nostalgia of Lizzie McGuire's inner dialogue via her cartoon self, makes for such a fun read!