Really fun read. The main character Eleanor is a famous writer on book tour in Italy with her ex-boyfriend Connor who is most odious and a fellow author who is stealing her book ideas. She has a stalker and someone is out to kill her. There is romance, humor, and mystery. I loved the writing and setting. Thank you NetGalley for the virtual copy in exchange for my review.

In 'Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies,' we delve into the world of attempted murder and actual murder alongside the narrator, a successful author of murder mystery novels. This is only the second book I've encountered that breaks the fourth wall, and I find myself increasingly drawn to this narrative style.

Throughout the story, we are introduced to the author herself, her sister, various love interests, and friends within her social circle, all while unraveling the mystery surrounding her. While I did manage to anticipate some of the twists early on, the full extent of the plot only became clear during the reveal. The author skillfully blends humor, intrigue, and tantalizing secrets, keeping the reader engaged from start to finish.

While it may not be a contender for my top book of the year, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will definitely be seeking out more works by Catherine Mack.

Well it's different. Starts out feeling like a travelog. All the notes are rather humorous. Took way to long for someone to die. Is it just me or does everyone seem guilty? Story was okay but didn't really grab me.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the early copy of this book.

This book is by an author about an author. Author Elenor Dash is on her book tour in Italy with her ex and main character of her books who she’s trying to kill off, another ex and a stalker! What could go wrong? Well now they are trying to solve a real life Murder Mystery. 10 days and 8 suspects.

This book has a lot of humor and is a cozy murder mystery. While some people enjoy this style for me, it wasn’t my favorite. There were times when I wanted to DNF the book (there are a ton of footnotes that made reading this a little annoying) After I was done, I saw that those who listened to the audio version enjoyed it and the footnotes were seamless. But I did like it overall. Just didn’t love it. For me it just moved super slow and it was hard to keep my attention. I really wanted to pick up something or anything else at times.

2.5 ⭐️

“Never tag an author in any review less than four stars (out of five). You’re entitled to your opinion, of course. We just don’t want to hear that you think our books sucked. Or that they were “meh.” That one’s the worst.”
(Footnote 50 — of 236 😬)

Unfortunately for me, this book was in fact “meh” and despite how often Eleanor complained about Goodreads and bad reviews, I think this book warrants it. To be totally honest, I almost DNF’d this one and I won’t be reading #2.

Pros:

- Really made me want to visit Italy
- I did not expect the ending

Cons:

- Footnotes were so completely overused. At first it was fun with actor/character castings but by the end it felt repetitive, annoying, unnecessary, distracting and at times condescending. (We get it, that was foreshadowing and/or a clue). I understand that nobody forced me to read the footnotes but I couldn’t not read them and some (albeit rarely) felt informative
- I was really annoyed by Eleanor. She came across as helpless and incompetent and I don’t blame Harper for wanting to quit, especially when Eleanor can’t even be bothered to read an itinerary. “You’re on your own kid”? No, your sister does everything for you. I also thought she was whiney and entitled. Sorry.
- Lastly, the MANY pop culture references killed me. The sheer amount of book, movie, TV and music references felt like overkill and an appeal to a younger audience. Or really any audience that would listen. As someone who likes Taylor Swift, I was rolling my eyes by the end.

Overall I felt like this book tried too hard to be ✨quirky✨ and it didn’t do it for me

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for this ARC

This book is easy to read, made me lol, couldn’t put it down. Will be recommending this book to my TikTok. Looking forward to more of this series.

I loved the fourth wall breaks! The novel is written like you are reading Eleanor's latest manuscript including footnotes and draft outlines. In some parts it feels more like reading a journal but the personality and humor comes through strongly. This book doesn't take itself seriously and so I didn't either. I was reading it for the vibes and it delivered vibes just fine. 

I know there has been a lot of discussion of on social media about readers opinion of inclusion of social media sites in fiction. This book walked the line for me. I thought the majority of references to TikTok and Twitter were appropriate to help move the story along. There were also a fair amount of references to pop culture like Bridgerton and Taylor Swift. Again I thought the author walked the line on the inclusion of these references to add to the story and plot. 

Without spoilers: I was actually surprised at some of the pacing in this novel and ultimately that is why I only gave it four stars. I made it to the 49% mark waiting for the action to pick up as I expected. It didn't.  In fact actually took too long for the stakes to raise and for the story to form.  The twist was predictable.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

Well, this was just a hoot. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but it turned out to be a load of fun. In a very meta-manner, our narrator, Eleanor Dash--a successful writer, who wrote her fictional first book about a real life experience--goes back to the "scene" of that crime, so to speak. Mixing fiction and (meta)reality, Eleanor is on a publicity trip for her 10th series book and, along with her are other writers (and a particular muse) who are all part of the world building that Eleanor created with her popular Vacation Mystery series. The catch? Eleanor wants to be done and kill off her leading man--who just happens to be a real person on the trip with them . . . and who also has someone trying to kill him in real life. Oh, and it looks like Eleanor might be in the killer's crosshairs as well.

This might sound a bit convoluted but it's not. It's really so much fun. The best part is that Eleanor constantly breaks the 4th wall--and the 5th wall as well-- both in her story telling but also in her regular footnotes she adds to every chapter. The whole thing is a super fun ride and will have you laughing out loud.

After I finished this, I found out that Catherine Mack is a pseudonym for Catherine McKenzie, who writes (quite good) thrillers. Just another reason to pick this up. I suspect this will be a huge hit. And I'm already hoping for a second in the series!

As much as I wanted to enjoy and read this book in its entirety, I was unable to complete it after getting about 10% of the way into the story.

A few things contributed to this, but the biggest reasons are the footnotes in the novel and the format of the eGalley. I found it very hard to follow the story and the footnotes were distracting. Part of me wonders if it was just the Kindle format or something specific on my eReader, regardless, I chose to DNF this ARC at 10%.

In the future, I would strongly consider giving this book another try in a different format, whether it be print or audio, because the premise did sound interesting and I typically enjoy cozy mysteries.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. By no means do I mean harm to the author or the novel by stating my difficulties with the ARC's format. It is clear other readers have rated this story highly and I am glad to see their positive reviews.

This is a comedic take on a murder mystery.

I was not a fan.

The constant inner monologue which was constantly breaking the fourth wall served as an info dumping ground, and this is where the comic timing was also meant to be happening. Unfortunately I found it obnoxious rather than giving levity. Honestly, this style of story telling just isn't my cup of tea.

Tha k you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a complimentary digital copy of this book in advance.

This is a near perfect example of what i think of as a truly good beach read. Fun, charming, and snappily paced, but still truly clever and well structured.

Book within a book doesn’t always sit well with me as a whole remorse for a novel, but this is a slightly different spin on that and it worked really well. The plot is clever and compelling, and it’s funny without being too madcap or slapstick for some readers’ tastes.

The mystery itself isn’t anything terribly sophisticated, but it doesn’t need to be, because the fun of this one is in the getting there, and the solve is a logical one that (while not exactly shocking) doesn’t detract from the quality of the book.

It’s a great cast of characters and structured around the solidly plotted and entertaining dynamics between them, and in Eleanor we have a funny and lovable heroine who is more than worthy of a continued series.

Update:
I just finished the audiobook and I liked it even more than the ebook. The seemless integration of the footnotes made the book better! The narrator was incredible at finding a voice for each character.

This book was so much fun! Ever since the first time I saw the title of this book I knew it was going to be amazing. Mack delivered! It’s laugh out loud funny, fast paced, and witty! The characters were all fun and interesting and the story was light, it is the perfect beach read! Highly recommend and I can’t wait for the next books in the series!

I enjoyed this book and the setting, There were a lot of characters to keep track of but I really loved how the author broke the 3rd wall and spoke right to us readers.

I found myself in the minority with this book, as it didn't quite resonate with me despite my usual enjoyment of cozy mysteries. I struggled to connect with the main character, and none of the other characters grabbed my attention either. The excessive use of footnotes felt distracting and overdone, and the author's attempts at humor fell flat for me. The story felt like a slow slog, taking far too long to get to anything interesting. Despite my anticipation, this book just didn't work for me. However, it's worth noting that others have enjoyed it, so my opinion is just one perspective among many.

Eleanor Dash, a bestselling author is sent on a book tour to Italy, with a handful of other authors, her main character, her sister, and her book club which includes her stalker. What could possibly go wrong? Oh, someone dies!



Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a fast paced and hilarious cozy mystery that gives all the summer feels. The premise was entertaining, and I enjoyed how the story unfolded. The author breaking the fourth wall, however, didn’t work for me with this book. I found Eleanor’s character beyond annoying, so it just added to my overall irritation.



Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I had high hopes for this book. I was looking forward to a lighthearted, cozy mystery in beautiful Italy. Famous author Eleanor is on a 10th-anniversary book trip with fellow authors and fans, celebrating her first book’s tenth anniversary. Throughout the journey, there is an attempted murder and an actual murder of the travelers. Why was I disappointed? Nothing happens until more than halfway through the book, but we get many of Eleanor’s inner musings about her fellow authors and fans. Plus, there are a lot of footnotes in this story where the author makes pithy observations. These observations are just dull and annoying. I will say that I didn’t figure out the mystery until the end, so that’s a positive and why I kept turning the pages. This book is best for people who don’t mind a slow-moving plot but want to feel like they are in Italy. Oh, this book is also for you if you like footnotes.

5% The format of the eBook is really hard to read. Some words are mixed up and out of place, but humorous so far. This is also a very dialogue heavy book. Also a warning, there are footnotes, for people who do not like them.
12% I didn't realize because of the ebook that this book actually has some mixed media in it, So that's fun.
17% honestly the protagonists (Eleanor) voice is pretty funny in the footnotes. I wasn't sure I would like them, but they are truly growing on me. I have giggled a few times.
26% this book is making me so hungry with all the Italian pasta descriptions. I'm gonna die lol
30% Wow. I actually did not at all expect that in any way... Nevermind. I hate this guy.
31% I will admit there are a lot of pop culture references in here that I just don't get, because I am not a huge reality TV girlie.
35% The way the eBook is from netgalley, the footnotes seem to kind of mesh with the regular paragraph so I have had kind of a hard time distinguishing where they are so that is slightly irritating, and that is obviously none of the author or the book's fault, it's just the way the e book was published for the arc. Still thoroughly enjoying this book!
38% wtf.....
63% I feel like this poor girl is being ragged on so hard. Which leads me to root for her innocence lol also DAMN the sass is real.
67% holy... I don't even know what is or how things are happening right now lol this is getting TWISTY.
69% god.... I could kill Connor myself. What a prick. Also, just like real life, the place are SO corrupt.
Lol "has anyone researched alcohol as an interrogation method"..... Listen, I bear it all when I drink so they must have 😅
72% I'm honestly loving the quick recap at this point like we are going into a new season of a show.
78% I feel like I am going to be disappointed in more than one way.
82% these footnotes are killing me lol I need to know!
84% I still have no idea who the bad guy is. I normally manage to guess at this point!
85% coke zero over diet coke any, and all day!
91% in the last 10% this book has me googling and doing research to get some tea 🤣
93% all the pop culture refrences have me rolling sometimes.

THAT ENDING, THO.

Final thoughts: I had the BEST time with this book. I absolutely will be picking up the next volume. The narrator has me in a chokehold. They had me giggling with some of these footnotes. I will most definitely be purchasing this for my physical library.

As much as I wanted to read this book, I cannot. Due to the format with the footnotes is hard to follow.

DNF’d at 30%

How do I put this, the book is fun, punchy, and interesting. I should be giving it all the stars but the way it's written makes me want to unalive myself not read about Conner and his need to be unalived. I love a good footnote but the amount of them and the context for them takes me put of the story repeatedly and I can't begin to imagine how it works with the audio. The story is so fast paced and fun, and is really good if you ignore the footnotes every couple of pages. I feel like it was meant to read kinda like a diary where you want to add context but it just didn't land that way for me. I also should note I couldn't read this on my kindle because of this reason and had to read it in the Netgalley app which is fine but the formatting in the Kindle edition I got was horrendous.

This novel is described as a cozy mystery. This author writes about an author being an author. The protagonist is author Eleanor Dash, a writer of mystery vacation books. This is the first in her series, although in Eleanor Dash’s writing journey, it is hopefully her last. There is a large cast of characters, which the author describes fully and you feel like you really understand their personalities. There will be characters you will like, and others that you won’t. What they all have in common is that they are traveling together on a book tour with Eleanor and they are all considered to be suspects of a possible murder.
Eleanor believes that she is being targeted and someone may be trying to kill her. Connor, her ex also believes that he is being targeted and someone may be trying to kill him. So, who is targeting who and will someone die??
The author explains the writing process to you, the reader. You are let into her private thoughts along the way, often with the use of footnotes. While you could easily skip reading the footnotes, why would you? They provide a great deal of inside information and foreshadowing.
The book reads quickly, with a great deal of dialogue. The visits to monuments and historical places in Italy make you feel like you are actually there. This novel contains a great deal of humor, and is both entertaining and full of twists and turns.
If you are looking for a lighthearted read, this may be the book for you!
Many thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published on April 30, 2024.