I quite enjoyed this book, and the footnotes were really fun little additions. (My ARC version wasn't formatted the greatest for my Kindle app, so trying to *find* the footnotes was an adventure in itself sometimes, but I digress.) The story definitely kept me on my toes and guessing about what was happening and who was behind it, and I slightly figured it out just before the big reveal, but still not entirely, which I liked. I will absolutely be picking up the sequel once it's available. =)

4 stars

**I received an advanced review copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving this review. All thoughts and comments contained within are my own.**

This book was good and at times I was laughing out loud at the comments and footnotes. Throughout the story you’re wondering who is trying to kill the protagonist and the main character in her books. random occurrences keep happening and trying to figure out if someone really is trying to kill them or not.

This is a fun vacation book. We have a bunch of authors and their fans going on a trip to Italy. Some of the participants are not welcome, don’t get along, and some are hooking up or have hooked up in the past, see have a bit of everything in this one.

Eleanor is the author that the tour is set up for, and she is plotting her next book, in which she plans on killing off Connor, her main character. Plans tend to change and Connor appears to be on a hit list in real life. This is where the book has drama with some deaths and some funny scenarios.

The book was enjoyable on my road trip and I will recommend it for that purpose. You don’t have to think, just enjoy.

this was a fun read! i loved the voice of the main character, it absolutely propelled me through the book. i didn't love the resolution, but i will definitely be continuing the series.

This story follows Eleanor Dash a best-selling author on a book tour through Italy. Along the way, it turns into a real-life murder mystery.

I enjoyed this story it was a fun, cozy, murder mystery read set in Italy. Everyone was a suspect, the characters were fun and the dialogue was witty. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to @stmartinspress, @netgalley, and the author of this ARC

Eleanor Dash became a mystery author by accident. She went to Italy, got involved in a real-life murder, and turned her vacation fling into a wildly successful novel.

That was ten years ago. Now, the con artist she fell in love with during that trip — who became the lead of her mystery series — is blackmailing her; her younger, prettier sister Harper is her personal assistant; and they’re trapped on a ridiculous promotional trip to Italy. Along with them are a bunch of fans, including one who’s so extreme there’s a restraining order; Eleanor’s ex-boyfriend, another mystery writer whom she’s still not over; and a younger, hotter, upcoming author who’s copying her plots.

Eleanor wants to kill off Connor, the blackmailer, but only in her book. Then he declares he needs her help in finding out who’s really trying to kill him. In Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, Catherine Mack has given us a very modern Agatha Christie-style mystery with lots of twists, emotional potential motives, and both comedy and drama.

But it’s the style of the book that makes it stand out — it’s dual-tracked. By which I mean, there’s the story, narrated by Eleanor, and then there are her footnotes, commenting on what’s she’s just said. It’s reminiscent of social media, where everything’s up for discussion, or watching TV with a snarky friend.

It’s easy to read, great fun, and wonderful escapism as all this happens during a hot summer in Italy. (The publisher provided a digital advance review copy.)

In "Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies," Eleanor Dash's book tour takes a chaotic turn when it seems like someone is trying to murder someone else on the tour. The almost victim, Connor, also happens to be the inspiration for a character in Eleanor’s bestselling books and a major thorn in her side. As he begs for her help in finding who the attempted murderer is, Eleanor realizes that most people on their tour have a motive for murder, including Eleanor.

This cozy-ish mystery novel gives Finlay Donovan and Ernest Cunningham vibes, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The book had potential for a solid 4-star rating, but I would say this was somewhere around 3.5 because I figured out who the murderer was too early. I prefer my mysteries to keep me guessing a bit longer.

One of the things I liked was Eleanor breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the reader, much like the protagonist in the Ernest Cunningham series. This narrative technique added a fun twist and was an engaging way to recap key parts of the story. Overall, it was an enjoyable read that I’d recommend if you want a light mystery for a day at the beach.

Thank you to NetGalley, Catherine Mack, and St Martin’s press for the arc.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book!

I’ve been in a huge reading slump lately and decided to pick this one up as a buddy read hoping it could get me out of this funk, and it didn’t disappoint!

“𝘛𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴, 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴....𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳."

I found this book to be a lot of fun to read. I laughed out loud and enjoyed the light sarcastic humour and dialogue. Everyone is a suspect and it is an easy page turner that keeps you guessing.

And it’s always fun to read books set it beautiful settings and this one takes place in Italy!

I will say that I’m thankful I did the audio for this one and actually suggest it.
This book has footnotes that I found difficult to read in print, but absolutely loved with the audio.

If you love a good cozy mystery that is a quick read I highly suggest picking this one up.

This is the first book in The Vacation Mystery series and I look forward to reading the next one!

Mack's storytelling is both engaging and witty, as Eleanor navigates through literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker, and her ex, Oliver, who unexpectedly turns up. The plot thickens when an attempt is made on the life of Connor Smith, the charming con man from Eleanor’s past, mirroring the murder she planned for his namesake in her next book.

With vibrant characters and an intriguing blend of humor and suspense, this novel keeps readers guessing until the very end. Mack masterfully reveals rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts, making this book a must-read for mystery lovers. If you enjoy a good laugh mixed with a thrilling whodunit, "Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" is the perfect pick for your next read.

📖 Book Review 📖

📱🎧 "Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies" by Catherine Mack

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
published April 30, 2024

Narration is by Elizabeth Evans, who does a wonderful job making each character’s voice distinctive and different. The point of view is 1st person and present tense, which was well done but the main character speaks to the readers which is probably my biggest complaint.

Eleanor Dash, is a best selling author of a series of who-done-it books that all started when she met Connor Smith in Italy on vacation. She is now on a book tour, back in Italy promoting the 10th book with some friends and super fans. Connor has been a thorn in her side for too long so Eleanor has decided to kill him off in the series. Well he just so happens to think there's someone that actually wants him dead in real life.

This was a cute, entertaining listen which was about 80% of how I “read” the book. There were a lot of footnotes when reading on my kindle and that was quite difficult.

#somanybooks #readsomemore #audiobooks #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #booklover #bookishlove #readersgonnaread #bookishaf

A quick read, even if the copious amount of footnotes at times were distracting. Loved how the main character was the narrator/author although at times she was absurd. Connor was annoying, loved the pop culture references thru out and the book tour setting. A good mystery for summer reading. 3.5 stars

I LOVED this book - one of my favorite reads this year. While the format is probably not for everyone, it totally worked for me. I could not put it down, and enjoyed the twists and turns. I also thought the narration/breaking of the 4th wall was well done. This is the perfect summer/beach read murder mystery, and I would highly recommend!

Thank you to the author, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing a copy to review.

This was so fun!! I loved the writing and how Eleanor made us feel like we were right there solving the crime with her. I liked all the characters and how the story evolved. This story was definitely giving Finlay Donovan and I loved it!

Catherine Mack has begun a new cozy series about Eleanor, a best-selling author who was caught up in a bank heist by then-boyfriend, Conner. Ten books later, her publishing company sends her on a book tour in Italy with Conner, a various crew of other authors, and her sister, Hannah. Someone tries to kill both El and Conner, and the rest of the tour group are suspects.

El narrates the book as she tries to unravel who it could be. She's very funny, and adds footnotes to the story, to be explanatory and to address the reader. It's fresh and comedic, self-deprecating, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment of the Vacation Murders.

I really tried to like this book more than anyone knows but I couldnt get into it. The footnotes were really hard to not be distracted by and i saw someone else switched to the audio version and I had to do the same. Reading in on a kindle just didnt work. Other than that the content was okay and wasnt anything too special. It was what I would consider a cozy mystery and quick read or a beach read.

3.5 Stars
Switched to audio at 30% and it made all the difference! Those footnotes were driving me nuts on the page, but they were read seamlessly in the audio. I hope the author re-thinks them in the coming books.

I was rooting for Eleanor, but I found her hard to connect with as she was clueless, frustrating and TSTL in spots. The whole situation with Conner was annoying.

I think the story was supposed to be like the Ernest Cunningham series (Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone) but it lacked some of its humor and charm, IMO.

Still, the story was entertaining enough to keep me listening to the end and Italy was a beautiful backdrop.

I'll be honest. I don't usually like cozy mysteries. I normally find them boring. But I really liked the format and style of this book. The author was addressing the book directly to the reader. I loved all the snarky, funny, interesting footnotes and hints. It was a really fun read. Maybe the start of a fun series? I'd definitely read more and recommend it.

The format of the ARC was very distracting and probably took me out of the story too often.
But I did enjoy the story and the format, it was unique. The Taylor Swift and other very recent pop culture references were nicely thrown in, too. The MC felt real and human.

"Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" is a delightful romp through Italy consisting of a book tour with a hand-selected group of fans. Since the publisher coordinated the tour, there are actually multiple authors on the trip. The problem is, they each have a reason for wanting the others dead.

So when Connor Smith tells author Eleanor Dash that he suspects someone is trying to kill him, she doesn't know what to think at first. After all, he's a weasel who has been blackmailing her for years. So, if someone wants to go to the trouble of knocking him off, why should she care?

But then when she begins to suspect that she might actually be the intended target, she has a change of heart. The question is, who can she trust with her life?

This was a cleverly written story that reminded me of Knives Out with all its complexity. It certainly wasn't easy to figure out "whodunit" since so many people had the means, motive and opportunity! And I loved how Eleanor walked us through the whole situation, frequently breaking the fourth wall through her footnotes to help point out relevant clues or gives us necessary backstories.

This truly was a fun book to read!

Thank you to Catherine Mack, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance review copy!

I really wanted to like this story, but it missed the mark for me. I know a lot of people really enjoyed the story, but I did not like the footnotes, I thought the main character spent too much time foreshadowing rather than actually writing about what was happening. The romance was lackluster and the sister relationship left much to be desired. It was a quick read, but I found myself struggling to pick this up.