Figured I’d try a cozy mystery and find out what all the hype was about, but Every Time I Go on Vacation was not for me. Maybe it was the flippant attitude of the MC, or maybe all the footnotes through and immature commentary. I just couldn’t get into the substance of the story. I did question many times who the main suspect was, and was surprised at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Publishing/ Minotaur Books for this arc in return for my honest review.

Pub date: 30 April 2024

This was a fun and clever cozy mystery. It was reminiscent of Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone, with its narrative style and breaking the fourth wall. I was engaged in the mystery the whole time and was surprised by the endings. I think I would have enjoyed more hijinks and action throughout the story--it was a little slow in terms of the mystery/murder element of the story. I was surprised by the ending and all my theories ended up being wrong!

This is a novel written in a unique and entertaining way. Footnotes, for example. Who ever heard of copious footnotes in a novel. (For the record, I skipped most of them.) But Mack says she always wanted to add them so did. And there are a few other interesting features like boxed text and the narrator talking to readers.

The characters are developed well. Eleanor is a kick, going on a trip but not reading the itinerary. That gets her into all kinds of situations she does not enjoy. Harper, her sister and efficient assistant to the rescue. Connor is well portrayed as a troublesome past love and current irritant.

I like the plot where a famous author wants to get rid of one of the characters in her novels (who also happens to be a real person) but other people die. There are a number of suspects from jealous authors to stalking fans but Eleanor is on the case.

This is an enjoyable and clever mystery with fun locations and a good dose of humor from time to time.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

I am sure there is a good story buried here somewhere, as this book seems to check all the boxes for a cozy mystery. Unfortunately, the “footnotes” were a major distraction. As much as I love a book written in the first person, I did not like the “editorializing” before and during the last third of the book. A work of fiction where the author/major character has to review and tell me what has happened and what may happen in the story also distracts from my enjoyment of the book. Perhaps I just don’t like this writer’s style, but as stated previously, the actual story was good. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Many thanks to Netgalley for this book. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

I loved this book so much. The author even added footnotes in the main characters pov which adds something different from other cozy mysteries. I love cozy mysteries and this is officially a new cozy mystery series that I will read whenever a new book comes out. Eleanor Dash is the main character of this series and she has written a series called the Vacation Mystery Series and it's the tenth anniversary. Eleanor goes on a tenth anniversary book tour and someone is trying to kill Connor who is also a character in Eleanor's book series. Eleanor fell in love with Connor when she was twenty five and when she wrote her first book she didn't change his name in the book so her blackmail's her into paying him off and has for the last nine books. Eleanor decides to kill Connor off in the series but not in real life. When Connor admits to someone trying to kill him Eleanor thinks that he is doing it for attention and doesn't believe it until she sees it with her own eyes. Then someone ends up trying to kill her and another author ends up dying from poison. The investigator ends up making Eleanore the number one suspect. It ends up being the wife, brother in law, and daughters of the capo that they had arrested in Italy that inspired the Vacation Mystery Series. This book is so cute and witty and I can't wait for the next book to come out.

This book was cute! I like a good “cozy” mystery. The characters were developed very nicely and the whitty banter was great! I didn’t love all the footnotes the author had as I thought they were a tad too much too often. I liked the Italy setting which was perfect for a spring/ summer read!

There are enough twists in this fabulous beach read to fuel an entire fleet of martinis at an all-inclusive resort! (1)

This summer you need to save space in your carry on for a copy of “Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies” Catherine Mack. The writing is sharp and quick (2) taking you on a literary tour featuring murders galore (3)

Here’s the gist: Bestselling author Eleanor Dash embarks on an anniversary book tour through Italy (4), only to find herself caught up in a real-life murder plot that *gasp* involves her and her ex-lover/inspiration for her book series (5). With literary rivals, rabid fans, and a stalker all in tow, Eleanor must solve the case while her life imitates her own fictional world.

I loved Eleanor’s footnote commentary. It helped pace the story by showing you behind the curtain. There are also a few chapters where she breaks the fourth wall, making it very engaging.

Overall the book was a suspenseful and funny read that is the perfect companion on any vacation this summer (6)

1) That’s shaken not stirred, right?
2) And obviously I’m mimicking the sassy use of footnotes through out the entire novel.
3) dun dun DUN!
4) So 👏much👏pasta
5) I actually got annoyed with how much every character didn’t like Connor. It made some of the twists a bit easy to see through.
6) Hopefully no one dies on YOUR vacation

This book is well written with fully developed characters. It had a decent mystery and a cute romance. It was not my cup of tea. I thought the footnotes were kitschy and annoying. I heard they were much better done in audio.. I think if this is you like a cozy mystery, that you might enjoy this. I’m giving it four stars because there is nothing wrong with it. It just wasn’t for me.

Love it! It was quick and entertaining and your felt like you were trying to figure out who to trust along with the narrator. Can’t wait for the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. This did not affect the content of my review.

. I expected something funny, clever, and unique, but it wasn't really any of those things. Almost immediately, I had a negative reaction to the writing style and nearly DNFed it. However, my friend Paula, with whom I was buddy reading, encouraged me to give it more of a chance. With adjusted expectations, it was an okay read—not bad, but not great. I disliked the characters and still didn't enjoy the writing style, but the mystery was entertaining, and I loved the descriptions of food and the Italian setting. The meta elements weren't as enjoyable as the author probably intended.

Elizabeth Evans does the audio narration, and she's great as always. However, the audiobook production team made a poor decision by not distinguishing when Evans was reading footnotes. As a result, it was unclear what was text and what was a footnote. I've listened to audiobooks where a sound or a verbal cue indicates a footnote, and that definitely needed to happen here. I can't speak to how the footnotes are handled in the hard copy or e-book formats, but apparently, there were a lot of them.

The kindle edition of this book is formatted in a way that makes it impossible to read! The premise sounds so good but I couldn’t read past the first chapter. Would love to read if the formatting improves! Don’t want to give it a low star rating since I can’t read it so I’ll give it 3 stars.

Thanks for the chance to review this book! I loved the idea of it, but it just didn't really hit me. The annotations were a bit all over the place, almost taking me out of the story. I think the idea was good, execution put too much work on the reader. Still a fun summer read.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is filled with humor, self-growth, and mystery.

Will Eleanor figure out who is out to get her before she dies or ends up in jail?
I don’t think I have ever read a book with so many footnotes. At first, I was curious, then annoyed by them, but by the end, I looked forward to what the author had to say in them. The character dynamics are amazing. Oh, and the setting...Italy...what else can you say? However, the author’s writing style is so different and yet wonderfully witty and fresh.

The Cast
Eleanor Dash is the main character and our point of view. She went on vacation ten years ago to Italy and met Connor. They had a romantic affair, and she helped him solve a series of crimes. Eleanor then went home and wrote a book about it. She changed everyone’s names and descriptions except for Connor. Anyway, the book was a hit, and now she is working on the tenth book in the series. Her publisher has put together a tour for the anniversary of the first book and invited some fans and peers to join Eleanor in celebrating.

Eleanor is fantastic. She tries to be good and trustworthy, but underneath, she has secrets she doesn’t want anyone to know. Eleanor is frightened of success and failure at the same time. She is like a hot mess, stuck in her head but brilliant. I would so be her friend.

Connor Smith is the dashing star of the book series. He has a dark side that Eleanor is aware of but hides from everyone else. Connor is quite the playboy and fancies twenty-five-year-old women. She describes him as “like Captain America with a smirk.”

Let’s say Eleanor’s description of Connor would make me look twice, but I would like to think that even at twenty-five, I wouldn’t fall for his deceit. But...

Harper Dash is Eleanor’s younger sister. She takes care of everything when Eleanor writes and keeps her on track. Eleanor and Harper have a complicated relationship but love each other deeply. Harper, though, has some secrets she is keeping too.

Harper is a great character. She has a formidable job, and yet she does it beautifully. Maybe one day, she will be the star instead of the stage manager.

Oliver Forrest is Eleanor’s ex-boyfriend, and he hates Connor. So this tour will not be fun for him as he doesn’t seem to be over Eleanor.

Oliver is great, and comes across as a better person than Connor. Hopefully, Eleanor will figure that out.

Supporting Cast
Guy Charles was Connor’s partner in Rome before Eleanor’s book came out and made Connor famous. So Guy wrote a book about Connor, the person he knew.

Guy drinks his way through the tour and basically plays Mr. Negative.

Allison Smith is Connor’s ex-wife. They were married when he and Eleanor had their trist. Of course, he didn’t mention that he was married. She is also the author of a tell-all about Connor. So, she is invited on the tour.

I like Allison. She seems to have moved forward and past all the Connor. I also like that she has a good divorce attorney.

Emily Ma is another author. Her first book came out two months ago. It is a big hit, and the kicker is that her story is very similar to the plot of Eleanor’s first book.

Emily is a new version of Eleanor, completely upstyled and prominent on social media.

Abishek Botha is an author with Eleanor’s publisher. He is a mystery writer, but his books don’t involve Connor. He is just along for the ride.

I didn’t think much about him expect that he doesn’t fit in with the group.

Isabella Joseph. She is a young woman Connor picked up on the plane and invited along as his plus one.

Then we have the Bookface Ladies. They are fans of Eleanor and Connor. Each day, they wear a different T-shirt with their face and one of Eleanor’s books. It seems a bit cheesy, but I can see some people doing it. I don’t think I would, but for a trip to Italy? Maybe?

The Mystery
For Eleanor, it does seem like “Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies.” Just on this vacation alone, there are three deaths that Eleanor is aware of. Yet, in this mystery, she is simultaneously a target and a suspect. I love how Ms. Mack brings people from Eleanor and Connor’s past into this storyline. She does a fantastic job of mixing everything up, keeping secrets, and ensuring everyone has a motive and opportunity. She also manages to keep things light with the perfect inflection of humor.

Five Stars
My rating for Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is five stars. I highly recommend this book. The author's writing style is entirely different from most cozy mysteries—heck, even mysteries—yet I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack.

Until the next time,
~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

I can't even believe I finished this. I did not enjoy it. I thought it was very obnoxious, so many characters. Some parts were funny but ugh it was not good. What a let down.

Thanks for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. I wanted to love this book.. I loved the plot idea..the style of having annotations sprinkled in honestly was a little tedious. There would be dialogue immediately followed by annotation from a previous thought. It made for a slow read for me personally and I would lose interest.

This book was so fun I flew through it!

It's very much giving Finlay Donovan if she went on a lavish vacation and the books following her were also written by her? I loved how the author broke the fourth wall and thought all the footnotes were a very fun and funny touch.

This is the type of book that you will FLY through in a few sittings at the pool or beach. All of the characters were a bit outlandish (exactly enough to enjoy) and the over all plot is paced very well! The twist was something you could see coming to an extent? I had guessed bits and pieces of the mystery but not all of it which made the reveal very fun.

I will definitely be recommending this book!

3.8 stars for me in this fun and quirky novel about a mystery novelist, Eleanor Dash. It has a Knvies out feel, but the backdrop is a book tour with 20 of Eleanor’s mega fans in Europe. It is a quick read with lots of sarcastic asides in the form of footnotes. Relatively quick read with lots of clues. A great summer whodunit!

"Everytime I Go on Vacation Someone Dies" by Catherine Mack begins promisingly, with a captivating setting that could have enhanced the ambiance of the narrative. I wanted more from the Italian setting. The initial entertainment and cleverness of the story engage the reader effectively. However, the inclusion of footnotes and the eventual breaking of the fourth wall disrupt the flow of the narrative, detracting from the overall experience. While these elements might work better in an audiobook format, in digital form, they contribute to a choppy reading experience that ultimately undermines the novel's potential. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, is a fun, light mystery. This novel is the first in a series that features Eleanor Dash, a bestselling fiction writer. Eleanor goes on a 10-day Italian book tour that turns into an actual murder mystery. Catherine Mack's writing style is grating between breaking the fourth wall and all of the footnotes. No beach read is complicated enough to warrant footnotes. The plot is enjoyable enough and makes ETIGOVSD a quick read and the plot twist is a bit surprising.


Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the eARC.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I DNF-ed around 20%.

I found the main character and how she was written annoying. I didn’t like how she kept comparing herself to her sister and had no self confidence despite being a bestselling author. The whole situation with her two exes was melodramatic and cringey.

The footnotes were terrible and distracting. I think they’re supposed to come across as a character quirk of the main character’s and make her more loveable, but they really failed in that. In the ARC digital copy, they were formatted in the middle of sentences or at the end of chapters, which didn’t make me like them any more.

Overall, I didn’t find this well written or particularly interesting. It had a promising plot, but the execution did not deliver.