2.5/5

This book has 'Finlay Donovan' and 'Only Murders in the Building' vibe and humour - it's a really light and quirky murder mystery.

'Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies' is about a successful author, Eleanor Dash, who goes to Italy on a book tour with her colleagues and fans, where she plans to research different ways to kill off the main character in her series - Connor Smith. Because Connor is very much real (and also part of the book tour, since he IS the main character) and she wants him out of her life for good... and the only way to do that is to kill him (in a literal sense, but not literally). Except, it seems like someone else might be trying to kill Connor for real.

The story is told in first person, from the main character (Eleanor)'s POV, in which she constantly breaks the fourth wall and uses A LOT of footnotes (you've been warned).

I was expecting this to be a wildly entertaining cozy mystery but I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I thought I would enjoy the book more than I did, but I just didn't like any of the characters. I didn't like Eleanor at all (she was annoying, ditzy, selfish, and self-centered - I'm shocked she doesn't have more enemies), I didn't connect with any of the other characters (they were all pretty underdeveloped), and I wasn't a fan of the breaking-the-fourth-wall part either. I also felt like there was too much foreshadowing (it got kind of annoying, but I think that might just also be Eleanor's personality) and way too many pop culture references (honestly, I didn't know half of the celebrities mentioned, and I don't follow Bridgerton either so those references were lost on me too).

“Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies” by Catherine Mack
An Adventure in Italy
You read the description of this book and now you are wondering if you should crack the cover open. And I say, IF you love mysteries that are light, maybe even a bit whimsical, I am sure you will love or really like this story. Although I didn’t fall in love with this story and I blame my elderly e-reader; and its presentation of my copy of this book. Yet in spite of my e-reader I did enjoy this book. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Minotaur for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on April 30, 2024.

Author Eleanor Dash is on a book tour in Italy. While a group of her devoted fans has been invited along, it’s her ex who’s presents makes her most annoyed. While the protagonist in her book is based on Connor, she realizes that she must be done with him once, and for all. So she decides to kill her main character in her books.

Apparently someone else has the same idea, and several attempts are made on Connor’s life during the trip. Is it life imitating art, or is it art imitating life?

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I absolutely adored it. The story was fast paced, the mystery, well written, and I absolutely love the setting as a story move throughout Italy. I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future.

Cute fun cozy mystery that I am hoping will have more to follow. While on a book tour author Eleanor Dash finds out there is someone trying to kill the subject of her books, her ex-boyfriend who also happens to be a con-man. I thought this book was a lot of fun and had some really funny moments and I was definitely connected to Eleanor and enjoyed all the other characters involved. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book this genre usually isn't my favorite but I will be looking for more in this series! I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Author Eleanor Dash, is on book tour in Italy and is thinking of killing off her main character , Connor Smith, in her next book. But, someone has tried to actually kill him. He enlists Eleanor to help solve the case. With her ex appearing, fans stalking her and more, she must figure out who is trying to get away with murder. A delightful new character to be enjoyed.

The tongue-in-cheek title of this book beautifully describes the humorous murder mystery between the covers. Eleanor Dash is a bestselling author on a book tour with her manager/sister, a group of die-hard fans, and her ex-boyfriend, the man she based her novel's (and its sequels') hero on, but now secretly wants to kill off. When someone actually tries to kill him, Eleanor must figure out who's responsible before she becomes a victim herself. The book is written so you feel like Eleanor is talking directly to you, and her asides refer you to footnotes. The book tour is in Italy so you'll enjoy the amazing views and historical references while trying to figure out whodunnit. Thoroughly enjoyable read! I can't wait for the next in the series.

This was a cute cozy mystery written in an interactive format and footnotes to keep you engaged. Although I wasn't personally invested in the characters, I think people who like casual "who done it" books will enjoy this. I found the footnotes distracting and didn't feel like they added to the story but know some readers like this.

Catherine McKenzie has a gift and I'm glad I, as an avid reader, get to enjoy her work. This is out of her usual genre, but she's still there, writing as Catherine Mack. It is a quick and easy read, but there's still a pretty good mystery to be solved. Just like her other books, you don't often know who the bad guy is until she wants you to. Then it all makes sense. There are quite a few funny moments, mostly in the snark and wit of the banter between characters. This would be a great read for traveling or on vacation. You can put it down and pick it up and not be lost.
I received a pre-pub copy for my honest opinion. In the beginning of the ARC, you are warned that there are footnotes that may show up in an odd way, depending on your e-reader. I have a 13 yr old Kindle Keyboard (I know, I know, but it still works beautifully and I'll use it until it dies) and the footnotes were a distraction. I think in the paper copy of the book, the footnotes would work exactly as they're supposed to, but on my 'vintage' e-reader, I had to keep paging back to see to what phrase the footnote was referring. That said, go read this one. I do indeed recommend it! It'd be good for a book club, too.

This was so cute and such a fun read! I was really looking forward to reading this and it was so fun to read. I would recommend this to friends.

Eleanor Dash has made a career writing mystery novels and is struggling with her next book, mainly because she intends to kill off her main character, who happens to be based on a real life man, Connor Smith. In the midst of a book tour through Italy filled with fans, friends, enemies and two ex-lovers(1), people start dying. And everyone has a reason to want someone on the tour dead. Add in a crazy stalker, a pretty hapless inspector, and footnotes(2), and it's an entertaining trip for the reader.

(1) One of whom happens to be the aforementioned Connor.
(2) Seriously, it's worth reading for the footnotes alone. Eleanor's comments had me laughing through the whole book.

This was such a cute cozy mystery. The main character Eleanor is a lot to deal with. She's just one of those people that immediately becomes too much. So at no point did I ever really feel terribly. Sorry for the things she was going through but at the same time I found myself rooting for her to survive and solve the mystery.

In the story you take a group of very loud obnoxious and strong-willed individuals and put them together. Mix that with current and former love interests, a lot of attempted murder. Some actual murder and some humor and you get this lovely chaos of a book.

Like in any good mystery There were plenty of red herrings and moments where you think. Finally, things are going to go right but then alas something goes wrong. So it was delightful to read in that aspect.

I will say I was a little annoyed even though I knew that this was the first book in a series of the way it ended because I hate cliffhangers yet it really worked for this book. You kind of couldn't end it any other way.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Perhaps I'd feel differently if I read a physical copy of this, but on a Kindle, the numerous footnotes was extremely distracting. I had to alter the font back and forth to read them. I understand the reason for the footnotes, but I would've preferred they'd been handled in another manner, such as just working them into the main text. The premise was intriguing, but it fell short in the execution. I didn't find the mystery/suspense angle as engaging as I'd expect for the genre. There were some unexpected twists.

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

Bestselling author Eleanor Dash is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the first novel in her Vacation Mysteries series with a book tour in Italy. Accompanying her on the book tour are fellow authors, excited fans, a stalker, and her ex, Connor, who inspired the main character of her series. Eleanor is ready to end the series by killing off her main character, but when an attempt is made on the real Connor's life, Eleanor is enlisted to help solve the case. As Eleanor's Italian book tour turns into a real-life murder mystery, rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed.

"Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" is a hilarious and action-packed murder mystery that I could not put down. If you are a fan of "Knives Out" or the Finlay Donovan series, then you will love this series debut from Catherine Mack. With its picturesque setting, charming characters, and fun plot, this book will be the perfect beach read this summer. From its captivating title to its witty footnotes, this book is razor-sharp and laugh-out-loud funny. Eleanor is a fantastic main character, and her breaking of the fourth wall was just so much fun. I am beyond excited to see that two sequels are already planned and that this book has even been picked up for a TV series. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is a fun mystery packed full of humor and an interesting cast of suspects, I mean characters. The reader is thrust into the mystery as our narrator Eleanor is on a publicity book tour in Italy with her main character the dashing Connor Smith. Most main characters are not living, breathing humans but Eleanor wrote her first book based on a real adventure and forgot to change his name. He has since blackmailed her into giving him part of the royalties for the book which is now a bestselling series. With her next book, she plans on killing him off in the book series, if someone doesn't kill him in real life first.

Mack's excessive use of footnotes, the constant breaking of the fourth wall, and a mad dash through some of Italy's most beautiful settings make this book a joy to read. I did figure out who did it, but Mack had me second-guessing myself the whole time, leaving enough twists to surprise me at the end. It had everything I love in a mystery including a humorous narrator, a never-ending line of suspects, and a page-turning pace.

When Eleanor goes on book tour with friends, family, exes, super fans, and maybe an enemy or two, she doesn't expect real life murders to overshadow her fictional crimes.

This is an easy read that I'd recommend to those who enjoy an easy cozy mystery. It's a little slower, in my opinion, but the quirky voice made it fun.

I will say, the formatting of the footnotes in the arc made it a little challenging to not have my reading experience interrupted, which took me out of the story fairly frequently. I'm sure the final reading experience will be much smoother.

Eleanor is a famous author who writes a mystery series. The first one was based on her real life experiences with mysterious and charming Connor Smith, but now she is linked to him forever because he is one of the main characters in her books. She is planning to end this though by killing him off (only in the books of course). She is using the book tour in Italy as inspiration to end her series. However, Connor reveals to her that someone is trying to kill him in real life, and soon Eleanor also finds herself a target.

I loved this one! I thought the writing was so witty and fun. Mack did a great job with building suspense, and Eleanor was such a fun and funny narrator (I'm obsessed with the footnotes). It had some clever nods to traditional mystery/detective style but was a great take on that. I hope the back of the book isn't a lie and this truly is the first in a new series (which it seems likely since the epilogue had another murder in it), because this was such a good read.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book! What a hoot! Famous author Eleanor, along with her sister Harper, and other assorted authors are on the book tour from hell. Who goes to Italy in hot steamy July? And why is the bane of her existence Connor there whining someone is trying to kill him, and Oliver, the ex love of her life as well?
Connor is right. Someone is trying to kill him and Eleanor doesn’t mind that at all until she realizes they’re trying to kill her as well. Written with humor and terrific characters, this is a fun mystery and I’m happy there will be more.

Now on to the footnotes. They were a pain to read on Kindle. The type was too small, they appeared at the end of the chapter when you forgot the original sentence being footnoted. Then I figured out if you touch the number next to the footnote it opened up a box with the footnote in it. Better, but still not necessary. I remember the footnotes in The Spellman Files, Lisa Lutz, and they worked because at the time people were reading hardcover and not ebooks. Now everyone reads on many different readers and the footnotes are more of a hindrance than being necessary. They add nothing to the story, and if you want to express those sentiments write it as part of the body of work. There’s no reason to have them. They actually took away from the enjoyment of the story.

This was a fun cozy mystery. I loved the humor and the characters. This is the first in a new series and I am looking forward to the next book. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for an early copy of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐.5/5
Release date: April 30th, 2024

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195790849-every-time-i-go-on-vacation-someone-dies?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=hL0MciEKyN&rank=1

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

If you’re reading this on a Kindle, get ready to be annoyed with the number of footnotes this novel has, which consists of side comments from the narrator and main character, Eleanor, that could have been easily included within the main text. I honestly did not see the point of adding the side comments as footnotes when there are already a lot of them within the main text.

Every Time I Go On Vacation’s blurb was very promising and intriguing, but the execution was quite meh. Eleanor’s narrative was always trying to be funny the way she puts the pieces of the mystery surrounding their trip was quite messy, given that she’s been a detective series author for ten years. She started writing accidentally/by chance, an amateur, but come on, within those ten years she might have picked up on getting her thoughts more organized, right?

Overall, the story didn’t quite meet my expectations and the suspense wasn’t that thrilling, but I did like how every clue that was mentioned throughout the book turned out to be something else entirely, it was a twist I didn’t really expect. I would have enjoyed this more if the author had given more explicit descriptions of the sights of Italy at least.