Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a captivating and humorous mystery novel by Catherin Mack. The story follows Eleanor Dash, a bestselling mystery writer who embarks on a book tour in Italy. Eleanor's main goal is to kill off her fictional character, Connor Smith, who is based on her real-life ex-boyfriend, a con man also named Connor Smith. As she navigates the tour, Eleanor finds herself entangled in real-life murder mysteries, with deadly dangers lurking at every turn.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies excels in its ability to blend humour and mystery, creating an enjoyable and engaging read. The strengths of the book lie in Mack's witty writing and the dynamic between Eleanor and Connor. The setting of an Italian book tour adds a picturesque backdrop that enhances the story's appeal. The primary weakness noted by some readers is the occasional disjointed flow of the narrative, but this does not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment of the book.

In conclusion, Catherin Mack's debut novel is a delightful addition to the cozy mystery genre, offering a perfect blend of suspense, humour, and romance. It is highly recommended for readers looking for a light-hearted yet thrilling read.

This book was a blast! If you like the Finlay Donovan series you’ll enjoy this one! It’s the same over the top story with a barrel of laughs and a touch of awkward moments! It’s so fast paced and full of travel adventures. It was a great time!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book.

2.5

In Catherine Mack's debut novel, it shows how a vacation can turn from good to bad to worse:

All Eleanor wants to do is get through the latest book tour. The Pros is that it is taking place in Italy, the MAJOR Con is that her ex and blackmailer and muse for the male lead in the series, Connor is also going to be on the tour. That is why Eleanor has decided to finally Kill Connor, well not in real life, but in her series so that she can move on and start writing something different. But when someone tries to kill Connor in real life, and the only thing they know that there is only 10 days to figure out who the killer is, but as other bodies start falling, the suspect list keeps getting shorter. This is the vacation to die for, literally.

As a debut novel I appreciate that Mack was trying to do something a bit different here with the format of the book and how all the information is laid out and I think that Mack succeeded on some points but not on others. I really enjoyed the ideas that Mack presented of an author who's first book is based upon real events of her vacation as well as that the book was only told from Eleanor's POV. However, I wasn’t a fan of the format of Eleanor talking to the readers instead of just telling the story and the never-ending footnotes. I can say that I did not read all the footnotes. Also how does this translate in other formats like audio, are the footnotes at the end of each chapters?

I did like the overall plot of this book and I think that Mack did a good job of placing people against each other, and determining that the killer was in or connected to their group in some ways. I also thought that the methods of murder were different from a lot of books that I read. I was able to figure out most of the twist at the end.

I’m not sure a ever like Eleanor as a character, she was annoying a lot of the time, and pretty selfish throughout the book, even when she realizes that she was being selfish she never changes from being so. But I did like she is an unreliable narrator as we only get her POV and there are always 2 sides of the story you know as the reader you are not getting all the information or sides to the relationship and story.

This book really took me down memory lane from a trip to Italy 10 years ago and that was probably the best part of the book, getting to relive some of my own memories.

This book was just not for me. I think that Mack tried to do a bit too much with this book and that lead it to not be for me.

Cheers!!!!!

What a unique concept for a mystery series! 🕵️‍♂️ I was really intrigued by the premise and couldn’t wait to dive in. Unfortunately, all the characters were pretty terrible, and I found myself wishing for just one or two I could root for. 😅

It was a solid read, but I’m not sure I’m motivated to pick up the next book in the series. 🤷‍♀️

This cozy mystery is the first book in the Vacation Mysteries series, and although I am a big fan of both cozy mysteries and the author (known a Catherine Mackenzie), I did not like this one. I did not like the main character (which did not help), the story felt a bit all over the place, it lacked grounding, for the genre the crime (murder in this case) happens waaaaaaay too late in the story (it usually happens in the first 10% if it hasn't happened already when the book opens), so there wasn't enough (or much) sleuthing, aside from Eleanor trying to find who was trying to kill Connor (I didn't think she tried very hard, understandably, but for a mystery, it was lacking). An author bashing on GoodReads in a book? Cringey. And the whole "behind the curtains" approach was not my favorite. I hate when narrators break the fourth wall and address the reader directly (totally a me thing). So.... it's safe to say this book was not for me, and I would recommend any other book by this author before this one, but I have read many fantastic reviews, so do no let my review deter you from reading this one! Also, in the audio book, the narrator did a great job.
I have received a copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Enjoyable read. From the very cover the scene is set as this read entertains page after page. I found myself enjoying the characters and quickly falling into the plot.

Oh, how I love a book where I feel like the narrator and I are working together and could be best friends. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies does the wonderfully amusing task of breaking the fourth wall with the best of them. We get the main character and narrator talking to us about clues, reminding us that she told us something earlier, and begging us to pay attention and help her solve the mystery. Her tone is sarcastic and quirky and she's both likable and grating in just the right way. Do we trust the narrator? Does the fact that she tells us she's unreliable mean we should? I loved it all! The scenery and characters are well-written and the entire book feels like an updated version of a vintage Agatha Christie mystery. I flew through this book in almost one sitting and I couldn't put it down. The audiobook was well done, and the over-the-top accents on purpose made me laugh. As a beach read or a vacation from your day-to-day, this book was lots of fun!

What a great read - I devoured the book in one day and then listened to the audio the next. I can’t wait to read more.

I laughed out loud while listening to this book.
I cannot wait to read more adventures about the characters in this book.
The narrator gave a great performance - especially when she breaks the fourth wall and talks to the reader.
Highly recommended to fans of Dial A for Aunties!

Are you looking for the PERFECT summery cozy read .. look no further my friends! This is such a fun, good time! It’s atmospheric and the narrator did a fantastic job, I felt like I was right there within the story in Italy. The narration was great! I loved all the little asides aka the footnotes in the physical book. So well done!

This cozy mystery wins for the best humor! I did guess the whodunnit but it didn’t take away from this enjoyable listen!

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ALC to listen to through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review! All opinions are my own. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series and anything Catherine Mack puts out next! This was my first Catherine Mack book and it won’t be the last!

What did I just read?! Haha and I mean that in the best way. This was absolutely wild and I am here for it. With one narrator narrating a whole slew of characters, I was absolutely impressed at the narration. This murder mystery was downright bonkers and hilarious. I need more and can’t wait for the next installment!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC. My thoughts are my own.

I recently had the pleasure of reading this book, and I must say, it was an absolute joy from start to finish! The book is a perfect blend of light-heartedness and intrigue, making it a perfect summer read. The plot is engaging without being overly complex, striking the perfect balance between mystery and entertainment.

What really stood out to me was the author's sense of humor. The narrative has witty dialogue and charmingly absurd situations that kept me laughing out loud. It’s rare to find a mystery novel that can be both captivating and hilarious, but this one does it great. The pacing is really nice, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing without feeling overwhelmed.

This book made me a fan of this author and I can't wait for the release of the next book in the series. If you’re looking for a fun and engaging read this book is for you. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a good laugh along with their whodunits!

I listened to Murder by the Book while on my honeymoon in Italy, having saved it to enjoy during my travels. Unfortunately, the book didn’t live up to my expectations. Eleanor, the protagonist, is a popular author who’s planning to kill off her series’ star, Connor, and finds herself caught up in a real-life mystery. The unique touch of Eleanor speaking directly to the reader didn’t quite make up for the lackluster plot.

I found Eleanor to be somewhat childish and relied too heavily on her younger sister, Harper. The subplot involving Connor’s blackmail also didn’t add much. I was disappointed, especially since I was hoping for a more engaging read during my Italian getaway.

Additionally, I didn’t realize there were footnotes in the book because of the audio format, which led to some confusion until I figured out what they were.

Overall, while the book had some humorous moments, it wasn’t as captivating as I hoped and didn’t quite fit the cozy mystery genre I usually enjoy.

Thank you to Catherine Mack, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for sending me the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack was so much fun! I venture to say the most fun book I've had reading a book in a long time. It had intrigue, phenomenal storytelling, humor, a closed circle mystery, great character (both likable and unlikable) and... of course my favorite, a book about other books. You need to read this now! I rotated between the audiobook and kindle book. The audio was very crisp and narration superb.

This was a fun mystery! The characters were well developed, the scene was well set. I loved the narrator of this book. Made me want to listen a little longer.

There is a lot of positive hype around this book but it just wasn't for me. I thought it was really quite ridiculous and I just didn't care for the main character and how she could be bribed and manipulated so easily.

I absolutely adore this author, this was a bit new . I will admit the footnotes were a bit strange in the audio but overall a well thought out, well plotted book.

What a fun book! The plot was amusing and the narration great.
I would love to read the book that the main character, Eleanor, wrote. Fun journey of a book within a book. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Finlay Donovan meets Eat Pray Love, Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies. Is a light mystery with a wicked sense of humor.

Eleanor is an author on a book tour in Italy with a group of authors from her publishing house as well as 20 adoring fans. She’s written 9 murder mysteries and currently brainstorming her 10th. She wants to kill off her formal love interest, current blackmailer, Connor.

In real life, Connor thinks someone is trying to kill him. We quickly learn Connor is not the only target and go on a wild ride of Eleanor trying to stay safe and solve the case.

I listened to the audiobook and Elizabeth’s as fantastic at narrating the different characters and keeping me engaged in the story.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook

This book was a bit more "cozy" mystery than I gravitate to... but I really enjoyed it. It is a fun romp, definitely satisfying to any reader who enjoys the Finlay Donovan series. The narrator was EXCELLENT and added a lot to the story. This was fun and I really enjoyed what Catherine Mack did with the perspective, I loved how our protagonist spoke directly to reader and let us in with a wink and a nod on what was going on and what to look out for. Her self awareness was humorous and relatable and made for an enjoyable character to root for- flaws and all. Overall a creative book and one that is memorable.