All this author wants to do is get thru this book tour in Italy and then write off the main character in the tenth book of her series which is based on her ex. Her sister is her manager and is along to help. But it's not going to be easy.

I found this book to be witty & humorous… but I found the chapters to be too long and difficult to get through. The footnotes were different and I definitely enjoyed those. I didn’t like the foreshadowing through them though. With that being said, I DNF the book after 25% in.

Author Eleanor Mack is on a book tour of Italy promoting her latest "murder in" book. Eleanor writes a series of murder mysteries that take place in various countries each one features her ex-boyfriend, Conner Smith. No one knows that Eleanor is being blackmailed by Connor because she innocently used his real name in her first published book without getting his legal okay. She can't wait to wrap up this tour so that she can "kill Connor off" in her tenth and final book in the series. No book equals no more blackmailing from Connor. But her fans love the Connor character and Connor loves the money too much to let her get away with "murder." So why is someone trying to murder the both of them while in Rome?

The author speaks directly to the reader through numerous footnotes which are hilarious. It was hard though to read them in context as my Kindle put all of the footnotes for each chapter at the end of each chapter instead of at the bottom of each page where they would have made more sense. Even though the footnotes are enjoyable and give readers insight into Eleanor's inner thoughts they could have been edited down a bit more so that there aren't quite so many as they interrupt the flow of the narrative. Overall, a fun and quick read. I look forward to more in this series,

What a fabulous read! Loved this author's voice and her humor such a creative book as well! I will be keeping an eye out for more from this author. A huge thank you to Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC.

Eleanor Dash is a best selling writer of a series of mysteries set in different travel destinations, ie When in Rome, Murder in Nice, Death on the Thames etc. Her first book was based on her experiences on a trip to Rome after her college graduation, during which she meets and falls in love with Connor Smith and helps solve a series of bank robberies. Her big mistake is not fictionalizing Connor in the first book and using his real name, which opens her up to blackmail for a percentage of royalties from Connor. He turns out to be such a popular character that her fans and publisher insists he appears in all the books of the series.

She is starting to write her tenth book, to be the finale to the series in which she plans to kill off the Connor character and free herself of him, when she is summoned to a tenth anniversary tour in Rome, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, accompanied by Connor (of course), her manager sister, another ex boyfriend, fellow writers represented by the publisher and a group of fans. During the trip Connor quickly believes that someone is trying to kill him and shortly thereafter Eleanor believes her life is also in danger.

Narrated by Eleanor, the structure is fun - she is quite self aware and reveals clues and motivations as she goes along, urging the reader to solve the mystery. She includes amusing footnotes, breaking the "fourth wall" by addressing her readers directly. It's a fun, breezy book - the plot moves forward at a quick pace. I look forward to more in the series as both Eleanor and her manager/sister Harper are enjoyable, relatable characters.

Thanks to "MinotaurBooks and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and advanced copy.

I found myself laughing out loud several times during this fun novel! It breaks the fourth wall (which I always find to be a fun POV!) We get a peek into the underbelly of the publishing world and a front-row seat of Eleanor's hot-mess life! Definitely enjoyed this one!

Thank you so much to Catherine Mack and St. Martin's Press for the Digital Arc of this book. This book was full of laughs and an easy read. It is a mystery about a book author on a book tour in Italy. Lots of twists and turns. Definitely a must read and recommend it to anyone who loves a great mystery!

This book is a fun mystery about Eleanor Dash, mystery writer, who is on a book tour in Italy. Her sister and her 2 ex boyfriends, Oliver and Conner, are also on the tour. Eleanor has made the star of her book series a fictionalized Conner Smith, her ex boyfriend. She is ready to kill him off when the real Conner Smith suspects that someone is really trying to kill him. The plot becomes interesting when everyone seems to have a motive for killing Eleanor and Conner. Eleanor is funny as the narrator. I loved the footnotes. I am looking forward to the next book in this fun series. Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur books for this advanced copy to review.

This was an amusing mystery that takes place on book tour in Italy. Fictional author, Eleanor Dash is looking for ways to kill off the character in her book that has been a thorn in her side for the past ten years when the man that character is based on announces that someone is trying to kill him. Yes, a little confusing and twisted, very amusing. The reader is directly addressed in the footnotes. I am sure when the footnotes are optimized for reader that part will become much more of an asset to the flow of the book. In the ARC that I read the footnotes are out of place and so a bit confusing at times, but not enough to detract from the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this. I am voluntarily reviewing. My favorite part was the setting. I would love to be on vacation in Italy!

Super fast read for the first installment of this series. I liked the style that the author used to tell her story. It didn't seem forced and covered all the bases unlike some other cozy mysteries. The method of murder was also interesting.

I was reminded at times of the movie Clue, which I adore, especially 2/3 of the way through when we get to attempt to solve the puzzle. I guessed incorrectly. Will be interesting to see how the characters are brought forward in the next installment of the series.

I'm not entirely sure I liked the use of the footnotes as they were turned into end notes on my Kindle for some odd reason. I'm hoping in the physical form of the book they are located at the bottom of the page so people don't have to keep flipping back and forth. I think a number of them could be cut, as well.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review, but all opinions are my own.

A fun ride through Italy with MURDER, Intrigue and a uniquely style of writing. Enjoyed the layers of who done it as well as the immersion in Italian travel. Lots of twists and turns and as the author broke the fourth wall chatting with the readers - we felt as we were part of the mystery! The footnotes were witty and irreverent- another point of entertainment within the already entertaining ride!

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is the perfect vacation read with a side of murder! A murder mystery writer is on vacation plotting her next book and the (fictional) murder of her ex. What could be better?

When I first started this book I was a bit confused with who was speaking. And who was telling the story. Once I got a few chapters in I figured it out and got my story straight.

All these characters are at an author vacation with fans that they’re doing a tour on. Things start going astray, Connor is convinced people are out to kill him and then Eleanor as well. They’re getting pushed, car accidents, an innocent bystander is murdered and then some. Lots of crazy stuff is going on.

It was really interesting, I thought there were just a. Few too many characters in the story it was hard to keep track. But I really enjoyed the humor and mystery of it all.

I did not expect the ending and wish there were a few more hints as to how everything ended up playing out. But the ending really wrapped the story up well.

Overall this was a 3.75⭐️ read -rounded up to 4⭐️

I would recommend this to people for sure. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest opinion!

This novel was so cute. I loved it and was hooked from the start! I could sympahtize with the characters so easily and really felt like I was sitting down with a friend when reading this. I felt some influence from Agatha Christie, but a modern take on it. This was also a very uniquely formatted novel with the addtion of footnotes that gave more insight into the novel. I truly felt that it was Eleanor writing the book. I really look forward to the next book in the series. I highly recommend this novel!

Fun murder mystery told from the point of view of the writer. Eleanor is on a book tour in Italy along with other writers her publisher represents. Eleanor's sister, Harper, who is also her manager, is also along. And, Eleanor's main character in her series, Connor, who is also her ex, is on the tour and thinks someone is trying to kill him. The irony is that Eleanor wants to kill off Connor's character, so she is torn between trying to help him and seeing how things unfold so she can write about it.
A fun mystery that has realistic characters, a beautiful setting, and a mystery that the reader is encouraged to solve.

This was such a fun read! The title drew me in. The narration and structure of the story was very different and fun to read. I found myself trying to figure out whodunit throughout the book and why certain characters were part of the story. There were a lot of mis-haps and funny situations that often make it seem like a comedy of errors.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a cheeky mystery packed with romance, blackmail, murder, and a ton of suspects. I loved the story's setting, Italy is on my travel bucket list, and the premise of of the anniversary book tour. This was a fun, quick read perfect to bring along on your own vacation.

There has been a lot of discussion about the use of footnotes in this book and honestly I'm ambivalent. I see how they can be really annoying for some people but also serve in furthering the story.

While we can't do half stars this is a 3.5/5 for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press

I loved how fresh the narration of this book felt. It's not often that a book is written that breaks the "fourth wall" (at least that I've read) and I really enjoyed feeling like the main character was talking right to me! I also loved that I felt enough of Italy to get an idea of where they were at each point without feeling overwhelmed by detail. The footnotes were a little hard to read on Kindle but it didn't overly detract from the story. I'm excited to read the next in the series!

I read Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies while on vacation which added a little fun to the experience. This is my first book by Catherine Mack and I found her tongue-in-cheek, self deprecating writing style to be very engaging. While the footnotes were a bit hard to follow at first, I developed a system for reading them and think they added quite a bit of snark and comic relief. The footnotes gave insight into the author’s thoughts and made the reading experience feel more intimate.

This is a highly entertaining, quirky mystery laden with humor and intrigue. There’s no shortage of potential victims or criminals which kept the pace moving. There were plenty of red herrings, plot twists, and unexpected reveals along the way.

Overall, this is a fun, easy read which will have the reader laughing while trying to solve the mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Book review of my latest read. Everytime I Go On Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

My last three books have been quick reads. Quirky, mystery books with a cast of super neat characters, that have laugh out loud moments. This one is set in Italy, so that was a bonus. It made me want to go back to all the places I visited.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this early copy. This one is out April 30, 2024. Grab a copy and dive right in.

Eleanor Dash is a mystery writer and she is on a book tour celebrating her 10th anniversary of her first books publication. She is in Rome and the Amalfi Coast, staying in Sorrento and visiting all the towns on the Amalfi Coast.
Her sister, Harper, who works for her, her ex, Connor, who is a main character in her books, but a major pain in her neck, as well as several others are all on the tour with her. She has decided in her next book in the series, she will kill Connor off. Funny thing is, someone is trying to kill him off in real life. After an attempt on his life, the team of merry bandits are trying to solve the caper.
It has a really good twist at the end!
I read this in a day!
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