I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook I recently listened to. The narrator's performance was exceptional, and she brought the characters to life with her engaging delivery. Without her flawless execution, I might not have completed the book. Although the plot and storyline were well-designed and intriguing, they didn't translate as well in the audiobook format. I felt that I missed out on the intricate details of the setting and the depth of the characters that were better conveyed in the written book. That being said, the characters were brilliantly written, and their humor was a breath of fresh air.

However, I did find the middle of the book to be a bit long and repetitive. The same ideas and concepts were repeated multiple times, which made it feel drawn out. Despite this, I was still invested in the story and wanted to see how it ended.

This was my first time experiencing Catherine Mack's work, and I was impressed by her storytelling ability. I am eager to explore more of her literary works and see what other stories she has to offer.

I just reviewed Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack. #EveryTimeIGoonVacationSomeoneDies #NetGalley

Absolutely loved this! I'm usually not a fan of cozy mysteries, but I was completely invested and didn't want to leave when the book was over. I had so much fun with the the fourth wall breaks and enjoyed it more because the audiobook embedded the footnotes within the story (I heard the footnotes are literal footnotes in text copies, which would've probably gotten on my nerves).
I'm a little annoyed that this is a debut book as I can't read anything else by Mack right away. Hurry up with book two! 😂
Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ALC!

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. There were book recommendations, digs at authors, digs at the publishing industry and fun jabs at crazy readers. The thought of Agatha Christie picking fights with one star reviewers on Goodreads will live with me. Hilarious! All this paired with a really fun plot and a top notch mystery. I loved the footnotes and will be anxiously awaiting Catherine Mack’s next story. Every time I thought I had things figured out I ended up being wrong but I did figure out who the “bad guys” were and it was a great ending. The setting was amazing and it was like having an adventure in Italy..

I enjoyed the narrator but the Italian accents weren’t fabulous. It would have been better if they had just read it in a normal voice.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook. It was fabulous.

Read as an audiobook narrated by Elizabeth Evans.

This was an enjoyable, atmospheric read. There was a good balance of plot, exposition, and action, and I enjoyed Eleanor’s slightly rambling POV. I thought the plot and setting were good, if needing a little suspension of disbelief at times, and I liked that the main character’s messiness had real consequences in the story. This book translated so well to an audiobook, you would almost think it was designed with that in mind. The narrator did an amazing job with the accents and making her characters sound unique, as well as adding extra personality to the main character’s narration throughout the book. I highly recommend audiobook format for this read.

This book was written with frequent fourth wall breaks in the form of liner notes, and in the audiobook version they were inserted into the narration at the appropriate times. I thought these were generally fun, but I felt that it got a little excessive in the last third of the book. I also think it may not translate well to ebook format, but as an audiobook it was mostly seamless. As for the mystery aspect, I was able to guess a few of the big reveals, but I didn’t think they were too obvious and I second guessed myself multiple times. Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. This is my honest review.

4/5 A witty, sharp, vacation mystery.

I really enjoyed this book, but I think I prefer the written version as opposed to the audiobook. There is just something about the way it reads out loud that loses me a bit. I had a much better read with the book. That said it was fun, charming, witty, kept me guessing and well developed characters. Definitely a recommend from this reader.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

This was such a fun book! I really enjoyed the fmc and her whole attitude/vibe throughout this book... as well as her relationship with her sister, Harper. I also enjoyed both Connor and Oliver, I hope that they show back up in the next book. Elizabeth Evans was the *perfect* narrator to tell this story, like seriously, PERFECT. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook!

Bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash is on an Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery when her life starts to imitate the world in her books. Elizabeth Evans is one of my favorite narrators, but I'm not sold on this novel being a great fit for an audiobook. It was clear from listening that there's footnotes being read, but sometimes it was hard to guess what was a footnote and what was part of the story, and I found this to be very distracting. The story itself was clever and humorous. Fans of cozy mysteries will appreciate this novel, but I suspect (having only listened to the audio and not having seen the printed book) that this particular novel lends itself towards reading rather than listening.

This was such a fun read. I love how it’s narrated for the reader to follow it like a novel/outline mix. The narrator did a fantastic job. Would definitely read more from Cathrine Mack. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review!

I really wanted to love this one but for whatever reason there was just something that kept me from giving it the full 5 stars. I did like the characters and I liked how the story kept twisting and you never really knew what was happening.

Reflecting on my recent foray into the world of audio mysteries, I find myself grappling with a complex array of emotions. While I hesitate to outright declare my dissatisfaction, I cannot deny the lingering sense of disconnection that pervaded my experience.

The audio format, with its promise of immersive storytelling, initially intrigued me. However, as the mystery unfolded and characters came to life through the voices of talented narrators, I found myself struggling to fully connect with the narrative. Despite the presence of compelling dialogue and intriguing plot twists, I couldn't shake the feeling of being somewhat detached from the unfolding events.

Part of me acknowledges the effort and skill that went into crafting this audio mystery, another part of me cannot ignore the nagging sense of unfulfilled potential. Perhaps it was a case of mismatched expectations or simply an unfamiliarity with the genre, but regardless, I find myself unable to definitively express my feelings about the experience.

While I hesitate to pass judgment on this audio mystery, I cannot deny the conflicting emotions it has stirred within me. Despite my reservations, I remain open to exploring new genres and formats in the future, always in search of that elusive connection that elevates a story from mere words to a truly immersive experience.

First things first - the degree to which you will find this book delightful or annoying depends primarily upon the degree to which you enjoy books that play with formatting and the fourth wall as part of the storytelling. I love that kind of thing, but I also know plenty of people who don't. If you're in the latter category, this one won't be for you.

For the rest of us - this is a lot of fun. The core mystery is a bit underbaked, but you'll be enjoying yourself too much to worry about it. The introduction of characters by which celebrity would play them, the frequent references to other mysteries (but without making the reader feel left out if they're new to the genre), the pointing out of foreshadowing, clues, and other genre conventions, and the overall tone make for a reading or listening experience that will bring you back to the puzzles of Clue, The Westing Game, Murder by Death, etc.

This is the perfect accompaniment for a long drive or flight or relaxing on the beach, cruise ship, etc.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.75 ⭐️! Imagine murder mystery with Jennifer Anniston & Adam Sandler in book form. This was such a fun cozy mystery and I was always excited to pick it up and listen to it and kept me intrigued through the whole book. I’ll definitely read the next one whenever it comes out! Also I recommend the audiobook more than the physical book because the narrorator was great and the footnotes flow better via the audiobook

This book was the final nail in my coffin about if I love cozy mysteries. I listen to this in one day. It was fun, kind of absurd. I love that not only are we getting this mystery, but insight in to how you would write a book. The Breaking of the 4th wall was what made this book stand out and made it such a fun read. I need the next one tomorrow.

The Narrator was just a perfect fit for this book. Her voice just fit this story so well.

Excellent debut!! I loved this book! All of the characters are loveable and you won't be able to put it down! This book is the ultimate cozy mystery. If you're looking for a good whodunnit that isn't graphic and is mixed with a good helping of pop culture, grab this one!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook!

Every Time I go on Vacation, Someone Dies is fresh and funny. In this clever, light mystery, famed Eleanor Dash and a few other mystery novelists are the spotlight guests in a bookish tour of the location of Eleanor's first published novel. The twenty fans participating in the tour are merely extras as the story centers on mystery writers and the mystery in which they are embroiled.

Eleanor Dash is the narrator of this story. Author Catherine Mack gives her lead character an interesting voice and uses some unique techniques for Eleanor to reach out to her audience (we readers). In addition to everything else going on in the book, and there is a lot, Eleanor Dash talks directly to the reader, via "footnotes" to tell us about anything and everything from secrets of the publishing world and literary devices to drink recipes. These additions brought some insights and laughs. Through most of the book I enjoyed them, but it did feel a little overused towards the end of the book.

I found that I was easily sucked in by the red herrings and Eleanor's musing on who had motive and means to kill. I hit on the true antagonist a couple times, by author Catherine Mack made me doubt myself. For me, this is the sign of a good mystery. The book title hooked me, the fun read kept me engaged, and the narration by Elizabeth Evans was highly entertaining.

4.5 stars

3.5⭐
Genre ~ cozy mystery
Series ~ The Vacation Mysteries, #1
Setting ~ Italy
Publication date ~ April 30, 2024
Page Count ~ 344 (29 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 34 minutes
Narrator ~ Elizabeth Evans
POV ~ single 1st, present tense
Featuring ~ author, blackmail, murder

Eleanor is an author on tour in Italy, with a whole bunch of people, planning out her 10th book in a very popular series, which stars her 'friend', Connor. She's ready to kill him off in the series and he just so happens to think there's someone that actually wants him dead in real life, too.

Eleanor speaks directly to the reader (which was interesting) as we're along on the ride trying to figure out who the murderer is. With a cast of unlikable characters/suspects we are thrown for a few loops, but ultimately it's not super hard to figure out.

I can't remember exactly Eleanor's age, but I think she's in her 30's. I don't know if immature is the right word for her, but I just wish she had her act together more. She relies way too heavily on her younger sister, Harper, who is her assistant, for every little thing. The whole blackmail Connor bit was a meh, too.

Overall, cozy is not my go to for murder mysteries, but the humorous and fun moments kept me entertained, even if it took me an unusually long time (5 days) to get through it. So while I didn't hate it I'm not sure this is the right series for me.

*There are quite a bit of footnotes, which are not bothersome in the audio, and actually make listening quite fun, but I gather from those that read it that they cannot be read seamlessly. So take that into consideration if you choose to read this one*

Narration notes:
Elizabeth did an outstanding job giving each character a distinct voice.

Narrator really did a good job with all of the characters. This was a fun light mystery and will definitely lead to a fun series. A perfect summer by the pool read.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I found this book really funny. The audiobook was great. I felt like I was in Italy along with the characters. I would continue along with the series!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was such a fun read! I loved it and the cast of characters was great! The audio book done very well and I was kept guessing throughout. I hope to read more by this author!

I enjoyed this mystery -- I loved the setting of Italy and I enjoyed the main character immensely.

Eleanor is on a book tour in Italy with her sister Harper, as well as two of her exes and an assortment of other related people. When someone is killed, Eleanor goes in to detective mode to figure out who did it, as well as why.

I love the tone of this book -- I loved how often Eleanor broke the third wall and spoke directly to the listeners. I loved Eleanor and her quirks and all her pop culture references.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of and I definitely found myself a little confused on who was who.

I listened to this one and enjoyed the narrator as well.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a mystery with a sense of humor. Perfect for fans of Benjamin Stevenson. I will definitely be checking out the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!