In "Every time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies" we try to solve attempted murder, and actual murder, along with the narrator, a successful author of murder mystery books. This is the second book I've read that breaks the 4th wall and I'm quickly learning it's something I enjoy in my books.

We get to meet the author, her sister, a few love interests and friends in her circle as we try to unravel the mystery surrounding her. Part of the twist I did figure out early on, but I didn't figure all of it out until the reveal. The author does a good job mixing in humor, intrigue, and closed-door spice throughout the plot.

While it's not among my "top book of the year" contenders, I did enjoy this book and I will look to read additional books from this Catherine Mack.

This was cute and enjoyable and a sweet summer read. Pick this one up when you're on holiday and have an umbrella drink in your hand!

✈️ Everytime I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack ✈️

Pages: 352 pages 🎧
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Goal 2024: 51/100 🎧
Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans

✨Do you hate when you’re reading a book and they spoil an ending for another book or a movie?✨

“That’s me, I’m the liar”

“We’re all drunk. Drunkity Drunk Drunk Drunk.”

“Day drinking, day murder… wait that’s not a thing is it?”

I will be forever thankful for the ARC audio copy of this book! 😂 Thank you macmillian audio, Catherine Mack, Elizabeth evans and netgalley for making me almost die with laughter. I found myself laughing at multiple parts.

This book/narration was an interesting take because there were parts of the story where the main character is talking to you! Asking if you have seen any of the clues or if you have solved the mystery! It was a really fun take because I felt like I was playing a game of clue!

Who was it? Eleanor on the boat with the posion? This book is giving… Murder Mystery (staring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler) meets Clue, meets Knives Out. It’s such an interesting take and I spent the entire time laughing and trying to figure out who wants everyone dead. It was like RomCom meets Murder Mystery.

Also that Epilogue was to died for… I mean No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding…
👩🏼‍🍳💋👌🏼

#reads #0to100 #review #reading #book #books #bookstagram #reading100 #bookworm #lovereading #netgalley #ETIGOVSD #rating #catherinemack

Everytime I go on Vacation
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was such a Fun great book. I loved it. It will make you laugh out loud!! I could put it down. All the twist & turns were so good.
You will get totally involved with all the characters.
Thank U NetGalley!!

This book is a light-hearted, easy listen for anyone who enjoys the classic mystery style, but it is offered up in a contemporary setting. It also gives you an insight into the publishing industry, author talks, and the relationships between publishers, authors and their "adoring" fans. A great beach read in the form of a mystery.

3.5 stars
This book has a unique vibe. If you like your mysteries breaking the fourth wall and the reader being warned of upcoming events, this is your book! I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first as everyone felt very unlikable at the beginning of the story and Ellie’s decisions/motivations seemed kind of sus. The narration was great— I’ve only heard Elizabeth Evans narrate fantasy books but she absolutely nailed the performance and was the best thing about this book for me. As I kept listening, I found myself more absorbed in the characters’ motivations and trying to figure out the mystery. There were a lot of hints about what happens in the next book, which I thought did a great job of hooking people into wanting to keep reading!

This was such a great audiobook! Talk about laugh out loud, captivating, and thrilling. This was my first by this author!

I loved this book so much! The characters are so dramatic and so fun! It was a riot! Eleanor Dash, the main character, is hilariously relatable as she stumbles through a murder mystery while on her book tour in Italy. The blend of humor and suspense was perfect, and the footnotes had me laughing out loud. It’s a cozy mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is exactly what I needed. Can’t wait for the next book in the series! 🕵️‍♀️🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!

This was a fun and twisty cozy mystery for fans of the Finlay Donovan series. I enjoyed the narrator as well and for me she really brought the characters to life.

*slight spoilers ahead*


I’m rating this one 3 stars because of reasons that are purely my own. I feel like a lot of people will enjoy Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies. It would be a great beach read.

Unfortunately I found the constant talk of alcohol (I’m sober), TikTok and Taylor Swift to be a bit redundant.

The breaking of the fourth wall was very clever and I got a kick out of the priest scene at the beginning.

Even with the things I didn’t enjoy, I would consider reading more of this series in the future. It was nice to turn my brain off and have a thriller explained to me and tied with a pretty bow at the end! Very similar to the Benoit Blanc movies, in the best way.

This was great! An easy read, lighthearted, and hilarious. It’s a book about an author being an author, it breaks the fourth wall giving you insights to what it’s like while speaking directly to you the reader. It’s like we’re a team trying to figure out everything together. I will say the main character Eleanor did seem almost a little immature, she just doesn’t have her act together relying on her assistant (her younger sister) for everything. All and all though great, fun read!

Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies

by Catherine Mack

⭐️⭐️.5 🌶️ 😇

Eleanor Dash accidentally became a writer. She fell in love with the dashing con man Conner Smith. When a scam with Connor goes astray Eleanor decides that it would make a perfect story. While surrounded by writers she surely can pull it off. Well she pulled it off and then some. She wrote the very popular Vacation Mystery series. So what’s the problem? Connor. He is still in the picture because he conned his way into profiting from each book. Which mean every book tour, signing, and book promotion, he is right there beside her. Well she has had enough of him. But the handsome leach is still profiting from her books therefore he just won’t leave.

A literary trip with some of your favorite authors (and handsome Connor) around Italy? Yes please! Eleanor, her infuriating sidekick, and the lucky winners of a contest, embark on a ten day dream vacation around Italy. What could possibly go wrong? Oh and did I mention she is going to kill off her main character in her books, Connor? She is tired of that smuck and if she gets rid of him in her books, she won’t have to deal with him anymore. One problem. Someone actually attempts to kill him on vacation. With five authors, eight suspects, and three murders, maybe Eleanor won’t have to worry about writing Connor out of her stories after all. Or maybe she won’t have any future stories herself when stalkers, literary rivals, ex lovers, and obsessed fans run amuck. Find out in this comical cat and mouse mystery that is made for book lovers.

What I liked:

I loved the fun, cozy, and comical mystery element.

The book worm elements sprinkled throughout the book. All book lovers will appreciate the references made.

The setting in Italy.

The unique writing style. Although I listened to this one, the author writes as if she talking to you in a conversation. I have heard however that is you physically read this it is very hard because there are a lot of blurbs and having to flip back and fourth in the book is just too much and too confusing. So something to think about when deciding to read versus listen.

What I disliked:

There were a lot of slow parts and repetition where I felt like a good majority of the book could have been cut out. Add the rambling and meandering it became boring often.

While there were indeed some genuine comical scenes in the book, there was also a sense of trying too hard to be funny. A lot of see what I just did right there moments that didn’t work for me.

Nearly all of the characters were unlikable. So it’s hard to enjoy a story when there is no one to root for in a murder mystery.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this read with fairly low expectations and mostly blind - and was so pleasantly surprised! I loved the background of the characters being in the literary world. This book felt self-aware, and didn’t take itself too seriously. The tone reminded me a little of Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone, which I also loved.

This was a very quick and funny read, with some extremely ridiculous situations. Despite that, the characters had intriguing back stories, and I can see myself reading sequels and enjoying learning more about them!

I would recommend this as a fun and quick cozy mystery, perfect for summertime!

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝚊𝚌𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘 𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠.

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

I want to preface this by saying that if you’ve ever watched an episode of Only Murders In The Building, go read this right now. Bonus: if you’re a fan of Selena Gomez, Elizabeth Evans could totally pass as her and knocked the narration for this book out of the park. The audio version of this was by far one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to.

Eleanor Dash is a bestselling author who embarks on a book tour in Italy. Her plan is to get through the tour and kill off main character Connor, but then that all comes to a halt when a murder attempt is made on the real Connor’s life (who has joined the tour also). Suddenly, Eleanor’s fictional life turns real and she has to help solve the case of who is out to get them (how fitting!) all while dealing with past flame Oliver who bounces back into her life too.

I loved Eleanor’s character and she was one of my favourite female protagonists I’ve ever read. Eleanor is witty and talks to you (the reader) directly, as she narrates her own story or her murdery book tour. You almost feel like you’re engrossed in a first-person true crime podcast. The book has her own footnotes too which completely adds to the sassiness of her character.

If you read this - what were your initial thoughts of who the killer was? Did it take you by surprise too?

Catherine Mack, I love that this is going to be a series because I need more! Cannot wait for The Vacation Mysteries #2 😩

Definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a light and airy suspenseful read that is full of humour, and will keep you guessing until the end (my Goodreads updates are proof) ✅

You guys. This book. So very much fun. It’s like if Finlay Donovan/Stephanie Plum and Ferris Bueller/The Spellmans (Lisa Lutz) had a baby.

It’s the perfect beach read and I think everyone will be talking about this one. It’s has humor, and a mystery, and a little romance, and Italy!!!

It’s set in the publishing world. Eleanor Dash is a writer on a book tour and she wants to kill the real life inspiration for her book. Well not really but she does. Then someone really is trying to kill him.

She talks to the reader both in the book and in footnotes. It gave it a fresh feeling.

There’s a lot of banter between the characters, in Eleanor’s mind and with the third wall musings with the audience.

This was pure fun. It’s entertaining and kept me wanting to never stop reading.

Elizabeth Evans narrates the audiobook and was a perfect choice. She nailed the whimsy and perfectly fit my thoughts for Eleanor. And the footnotes I mentioned, wasn’t an issue listening. They flowed seamlessly in the narrative.

I can’t believe I have to wait a year to see what happens next.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, is the first book in a wonderful new cozy mystery series by Catherine Mack. While I’ll admit the beginning had me a bit puzzled, in that the way it was being told had me doubled checking to make sure I hadn’t missed a previous book (I hadn’t. This is in fact book 1 of the The Vacation Mystery series but Mack is clever in how she weaves the story and had me thinking how much I’d love to read about the main character’s previous adventures), I absolutely loved everything about this one. You see Eleanor, the main character, is an author, currently on the tenth anniversary tour of her first book. And when you learn about how she came up with the idea for her first book I’ve no doubt you’ll be wishing that was a separate book as well. While on this tour she begins to believe that someone is trying to kill Connor Smith (a recurring character from her books who is based on a very real person who she has a complicated history with.) And then she begins to suspect someone might actually be trying to her as well! Suspects? Oh, there are a ton of them, and they all have their reasons to want Connor dead…and perhaps Eleanor as well. I loved the style of the writing, Eleanor is constantly breaking the 4th wall, talking directly to her readers (or in my case listener). It’s a wonderfully fun, twisting, and clever plot and the epilogue actually teases us with Eleanor’s next adventure. Elizabeth Evans absolutely nails the narration and I hope they’ll keep her on as the voice of the series. And I for one can’t wait to see the trouble she gets into next. I’d like to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audio version of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1JGVOZSC2186G/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This book is very much impressed with itself. I was not as impressed with it. It tried to hard to be quirky and cute. I just found it annoying. I’m a nerd. I love footnotes. Here they were unnecessary and distracting.

This book was gifted by Netgalley & The Publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun time! We are following Eleanor, who is the famous author of a mystery series.

She is on a trip with some of her closest friends, enemies, and fans. She is also plotting a book whilst in paradise.

We get snippets into what is actually happening and also in Eleanor's mind.

I think that this book would be perfect for Fans of Finlay Donavan and it looks like this one will be a series too!

If you enjoyed 'Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone,' you're going to enjoy this one too. The main character is a mystery novel writer, and she often breaks the third wall to interact with the reader. She hints at clues, things we should notice, and explains how mystery novels are meant to work. The plot of the story is both a mystery and a romance, and it's everything I love in a book. The humor is cheesy, just like the romance. This is the beginning of a series, and I cannot wait for more.
The only thing I didn't like was just how disparaging the main character was about herself. I understand that it can be difficult to make sure a first person character shows their flaws, but she was basically just shouting hers out all the time. I hope the second book dials that down a bit.
The narrator of the audiobook version did a great job. It was easy to keep track of different character, and she brought life to the story.

Ten years ago, Eleanor Dash wrote the first book in her vacation mystery series. What many don't realize is she based the plot on her own adventures on an Italian vacation. Of course changing the names to protect the less than innocent except for main character, Connor Smith. The real Connor Smith turns out to be quite the cad who ends up wriggling his way into receiving part of El's royalties for making him a character (of course there's more to it, but that would be spoilery). Fortunately, or unfortunately, for Eleanor, the series is a huge success, but with each success she becomes more and more indebted to Connor.

Now, she's on a tour for the anniversary of the first book while late on her deadline for the 10th (and possibly final?) book. It's time, she's decided, to do away with Connor - the character, not the person - once and for all. Eleanor is ready to start fresh maybe write a new series, maybe take the vacation mysteries in a new direction. Regardless, she's finally ready to be out of his reach and grasp. However, it seems like Eleanor is not the only one with a grudge against Connor - the person, not the character. Connor has become increasingly convinced that someone is trying to murder him. . Looking at every one on the tour they all have a motive for potentially wanting Connor dead including but not limited to Eleanor herself. But then Eleanor, too, has a near deadly experience and one thing becomes abundantly clear: it's time for her to solve another mystery. Honestly, though, it's a lot more difficult in real life than fiction.

Listening to the audiobook was maybe the best way to go into this this story. Told from Eleanor's point of view, she's kind of chaotic and all over the place with her not-so-inner dialogue and I think it's easiest to get the full effect in audio format. However, there are quite a few footnotes in the story and I love a good footnote. I think it's interesting when authors include them, but it was difficult to tell in the audio narration when we were getting a footnote and when it was part of the main story. For that aspect, reading, as opposed to listening, was the best format.

I liked the twists and turns the story takes and how as a reader you feel like you're solving the mystery side by side with Eleanor. Mainly because at various points she is talking directly to readers giving hints or even going so far as to highlight things we should keep in mind. It's also a good indication that Eleanor has a certain knowledge about how everything is going to play out, if you catch my meaning. This is her reiteration of events that have already passed.

I liked the combination of side characters and their tie to either Eleanor and/or Connor. They have all somehow benefitted from or been influenced by the vacation series whether they readily admit so or not. Which also means that each of them is a plausible suspect and Catherine Mack toggles between each of these plausibilities with ease.

Where the story does slightly falter is that I found Eleanor to be a bit too much at times. A little irritatingly scattered to the point where her sister - also her assistant - has to get Eleanor up in the morning and packs for her and tells her where she needs to be/go. She kept making jokes at her expense about how reliant she is on her sister, Harper, but to me that doesn't suffice. It made her come across as a little self-absorbed at times.

Also, I understand the idea of a mystery is to keep the readers guessing until the big reveal but, for me, there were a few too many feints. We'd end the chapter on a cliffhanger with a character's life seemingly hanging in the balance, only to turn the page and it's not what was expected at all. This is fine to keep the suspense, but started to edge toward too much until we finally got some true forward momentum in the story.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. I liked the quirky approach to the storytelling. There's already a clear sign that we'll be getting another book, and I look forward to seeing how the mysteries continue to follow Eleanor around.

This is a murder mystery that will keep you guessing, set in scenic Italy with visits to important historical sites, the main character Eleanor along with her sister Harper travel on an 10 year anniversary tour with other authors all secretly competing with each other and the stakes are high. All seems to be going well until people start dying, and then it’s a race to find the killer and the motive before it’s too late.

I will say that I did like this book, and my rating is more so because the style of writing just wasn’t my thing and the narration from the Author took me out of the story every time I was about to get into it, but that is more of a personal preference thing, someone else may like it a lot!

I gotta say the mystery of the murders was really hard to follow. I feel like I had to be told what was happening because there was no way I could guess it. It felt like the plot had to be slowly explained to me for it to work, and there were still a lot of things that I still don’t see how they connected and lead to who the killer was. I like murder mysteries that keep you guessing but not ones that leave you confused.

Thank you Catherine Mack, the Narrator Elizabeth Evans, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my free audiobook advance review copy of “Every time I go on Vacation, Someone Dies”. 3/5⭐️

I received an advance copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.