This book follows up every time I go on vacation someone dies, and has Eleanor at the wedding of her best friend. Eleanor is a likable character and her footnotes add snark. This book didn’t grab my attention like the first one and it was less engaging.
I read the physical book, I do think this would be really enjoyable as an audiobook.

This is the second book in the Vacation Mystery series and made for a super fun read!

I like how the story breaks the fourth wall making me feel like I’m involved in the plot and adventures.

I enjoyed following up with characters from book one while meeting new people also; I feel the universe of this series growing bit by bit which again, makes me feel like I have a front row seat to the action as it’s happening.

The only thing that drove me nuts was Eleanor (and others) believing she has some sleuthing skills due to being a writer yet she points the finger at literally everyone, lol! It seems she merely uses process of elimination when finding “whodunit” and is constantly putting pieces together that just don’t fit.

But this was a quick, fun, and I’d say cozy, mystery that I enjoyed reading then listening to. While I LOVE the ease of having so many books on my e-reader, I still find that I’m more engrossed and engaged when I listen to books. When I have the opportunity to listen to an amazing voice actress or actor, narrating the story it’s just so so magical to me!

Thank you NetGalley, Catherine Mack, St.Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to the book, ahead of the May 13, 2025 proposed release date, in exchange for an honest review! It was a delight!

It was fun to jump back into things with this hilarious and quirky bunch of characters. I appreciated that this book picked up right after book 1 ended and we continue to hear all of Eleanor's antics as she gets herself wrapped up in a murder again. Overall, I enjoyed the book, however not as much as the first. I found the plot pacing good until the final 20%. At this point, I found the writing got fast and a bit chaotic as characters started discussing info about who what where and when. This left me feeling like info was being thrown at me to finish things instead of the reader piecing the mystery together.

I never win at guess who was the murderer. It was funny, entertaining and fun trying to solve a murder mystery while attending a wedding in an island. Jealous Oliver is my favorite Oliver. Every character has a purpose and they fulfilled it to perfection. The Connor and Oliver rivalry is a favorite mostly because Connor has no boundaries.

4-Star Book Review: "Murder, Matrimony, and Mayhem"

This book is a delightful blend of cozy mystery, Hollywood glam, and wedding chaos, anchored by a charming and sharp-witted heroine, Eleanor Dash. As a bestselling mystery author who can’t seem to escape real-life murder plots, Eleanor brings both humor and heart to this twisty, entertaining whodunit.

The setting—a stormy, isolated Catalina Island wedding—adds just the right amount of drama and suspense, with plenty of red herrings, quirky suspects, and behind-the-scenes Hollywood tension. The dynamic between Eleanor and her best friend Emma is genuinely touching, giving the story emotional depth beyond the murder mystery. And the meta-layer of Eleanor’s fictional world colliding with reality (including her ex playing her leading man!) is clever and fun.

What keeps this from being a full five stars is that a few plot points felt a bit too convenient, and the ending, while satisfying, wrapped up a little too neatly. Still, the journey was a joy, full of witty dialogue, a strong sense of place, and a protagonist you’ll want to follow wherever murder next strikes.

Highly recommended for fans of cozy mysteries with a Hollywood twist!

Okay, this book was fun, but it was a bit too much chaos. There is definitely mayhem, and reading book 1 is a must. 2 love triangles, debts to be paid, past love affairs, murders and Hollywood glam in the middle of a wedding. I liked it but was confused at times.

#NoOneWasSupposedtoDieatThisWedding #NetGalley

Just what I needed after a completely crappy start to the week — No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding was a breath of fresh air. Sometimes I just crave a really solid whodunit, and this series has not let me down yet. The concept is so fun, and the wild twists and turns had me hooked the whole way through. It's sharp, funny, and honestly just a good time. Huge thanks to @macmillanaudio & @minotaur_books for the chaotic, twisty, murder-filled ride.

Eleanore and most of the crew from book 1 are back to their sleuthing ways for an island wedding happening during Hurricane Isabella - and if you don't know why that's humorous, please go read Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies.

El's best friend, a movie star named Emma, is using the cover of making the movie version of El's book "When in Rome" to get married to her leading man, Fred. The book 1 folks are all in some way apart of the movie: El & Harper are extras (and of course, El wrote the book the movie is based on), Connor has been hired by the producer to investigate Fred, Allison has a part in the movie & Oliver is back as well, not in the movie but still dating El.

Things begin going wrong right from the start of the wedding weekend - ominous notes, vaguely threatening tweets, changes to the schedule, a hurricane that is not heading out to sea, death traps, all eventually culminating in a dead body and a mystery with many more twists than book 1. This ending was far more of a surprise to me than the first book.

I really appreciated that the footnotes were toned down a bit. I liked them in book 1 but thought there were just FAR too many, this time around they felt more reasonable, I think there was even a chapter or 2 with none! Though there was also no 4th wall breaking chapters which I really enjoyed in book 1. Maybe book 3 will find more of a balance. My other issue was El's feelings for Connor. I get that at 25 she was taken in by his charm, but she's 10 years older (hopefully wiser), and in a solid relationship, why he continues to creep into it as a foil for that is a bit much for me. Otherwise, it was a strong second entry into the series, with a lot of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged.

I loved the first one in this series for its originality, humor, and well-crafted mystery; this one is just as good, if not a little better! The series on the whole is a lot of fun and the characters are just as entertaining. The mystery itself left me guessing until the very end; I had no idea how this was going to play out. The writing, particularly the banter between Eleanor and the other characters as well as her inner monologues were witty and humorous. The ending is perfectly set up for the third, which I cannot wait to read.

Another ridiculous, campy mystery that hits all the right notes for contemporary cozies. This time we’re surrounded by Hollywood elites, with one going so far as to stay in character from his film persona the entire time, so it’s impossible to say who is telling the truth and who is putting on the performance of a lifetime, leaving the audience guessing until the very end. One thing I had a hard time keeping track of is there are a lot of group scenes and dialogue bouncing back and forth between group members, but no dialogue tags to say who is actually speaking. This book has a lot of dialogue and when it’s one on one, you can drop tags as they go back and forth to show it’s zippy, but when three or four people have already had lines on a page and suddenly there’s zippy, untagged dialogue, I have no idea who’s saying what.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

Additional note: due to the heavy use of footnotes in this series, I highly recommend reading a physical copy if you can, the formatting for footnotes on kindle is weird and you’re constantly having to tap in and out of them to read them, and if you’re like me and use the kindle stand with page turn clicker because of chronic pain in your wrist and elbow, it’s not just tiring but painful to be tapping in and out of these footnotes, and they really do enhance the story so I wouldn’t recommend just skipping them. This is just a kindle formatting thing so it does not reflect in my rating.

This was such a fun, lighthearted murder mystery! I loved the first book in this series, but I have to admit this one fell a little flat for me. The pacing near the middle was uneven compared to how fast the second half of the book was. It was challenging for me to keep track of all the characters, especially since this book was 90% dialogue. If it had some more prose and descriptive language, I think it would’ve been a much better reading experience for me — all the dialogue made it read more like a play than anything.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Catherine Mack for the advanced copy of No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding. This is the second book in The Vacation Series—I enjoyed the first and found the second just as entertaining. I absolutely adore Catherine Mack’s writing style; her books are witty, clever, and full of charm. I'm eager to see where this series goes next!

Publication date-May 13 2025
#NoOneWasSupposedtoDieatThisWedding #NetGalley

I loved the first book in this series and gave it 5 stars, but unfortunately this follow up was not as successful for me.

All the things I remember loving about the first book (the quirky voice, the breaking of the fourth wall, the characters) all came off as annoying and flat for me in this story. Because it's been a while since reading the first, I can't remember if something has changed with the books or if it's just my preferences changing over time, but writing "Ha ha." as a full sentence was nooooot working for me and the story felt cringey to me.

I didn't find the mystery compelling and as bodies hit the floor I wasn't finding myself getting more invested. None of the characters felt like real people to me either, which is odd to experience in a second book in a serious after liking the characters in the first? This is what I mean - I don't know if it was me or the book, but it was a weird time.

I'll be hesitant to continue in the series now, but if the next book sounds interesting I might give it a a go.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an arc
If you liked the first one I’m sure you will love this one as well as it reminded me a lot of it and pulled from things that happened there a few times
One thing I love about these books is the writting, it is very funny and feels like the author is talking directly to you

Also, the ending alludes to a third book coming out in this series so be on the lookout

Celebrities and hurricanes and murders, oh my!

Eleanor Dash should be riding high: filming just wrapped on a movie adaptation of her novel and she’s heading to Santa Catalina Island for the wedding of the film’s two biggest stars—one of whom just happens to be her best friend.

But there’s a hurricane stirring up the waves and winds, and that’s not the only thing that’s brewing. Can’t Eleanor leave home without a murder or three occurring? Is that too much to ask?

With twists and turns, the return of many characters from book one as well as some new additions thrown into the mix, a touch of romance, and the wit and humor abundant in the first book, No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is another entertaining ride.

It’s not quite a locked room mystery, but it gets pretty close with that hurricane approaching the island. And the dropping of the fourth wall is just as fun in this book as it is in Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies.

I recommend this series to fans of Elle Cosimano and Benjamin Stevenson.

4.5⭐️

I received an advance copy of the book from Minotaur Books. All review opinions are my own.

I was sooo excited for this book! After Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies, I needed this follow up. Eleanor Dash, Queen of writing mystery novels, is back with her colourful crew of Hollywood friends for another adventure gone wrong. This time they’re headed to Catalina Island in the midst of a hurricane for her best friend and actress Emma’s wedding. When In Rome is being made into a movie and with a set of old and new characters, one dead body after another begins piling up and Eleanor must work with Conor, Oliver and Harper to solve the real life murders. One thing I absolutely love about Catherine’s writing style is her humour and wit. She’s the only author I’ve ever seen to use footnotes as a story telling device and not only are they funny, they hide clues! I think this is so unique and makes the reading experience so fun. The plot keeps you captivated the whole time, with short chapters and funny chapter titles. There are always twists I don’t see coming. These characters are bizarre, so Hollywood, so dramatic, so quirky and I just love these murder mysteries. 5 stars.

Book 2 but you can read it as a standalone. I wish I would have read the first book first, however. But I was able to catch up. Read if you like the Simi Chopra or Finlay Donovan series for a similar vibe. If you watched Murder Mystery on Netflix and loved it, read this. It was fun! Thank you to Minotaur Books, NetGalley and Catherine Mack for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The 2nd book in the series, and I am already looking forward to the third! I love the titles...of the books and at the beginning of each chapter. They are cute, and also provide clues as to what is going on in the chapter.

In this book, all of the crew from the first book is back. Eleanore's book has been optioned for a Hollywood movie, and her best friend Emma will be playing Eleanore's part. Better yet, the actor playing Conner is someone Emma has had a crush on her whole life. So it comes as no big surprise when they decide to have a secret wedding on an island...with a very bad storm moving in. Right from the start there are all kinds of attempts at murder, and then several actual murders. Everyone is turning against each other as they try to figure out the who, what and where.

There are also clues in each chapter, along with footnotes at the end of each chapter which may or may not help you try to play along and come to your own conclusions.

The second installment to this series follows all of the main characters from book one as they embark on the journey of making Eleanor Dash's book 'When in Rome' into a movie. When the film finally wraps up, Eleanor's befriend Emma is to be married to her co-star Fred. The only problem? Someone at this wedding will be murdered.

I enjoyed the second book in this series a lot more than the first one. While this book is a cozy mystery it features a ton of humor and suspense. The author actually writes as if Eleanor Dash is speaking to the reader and includes footnotes throughout the book to make you feel as if you are also solving crimes. I am really excited to continue this series as there was a sneak peak into what the third book will be about at the end of the epilogue.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and Catherine Mack for allowing me the privilege of reading the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the series. Eleanor Dash is winding up a movie based on her book about the murder in Italy. Her best friend is playing lead and getting married to her costar on Catalina Island right after the wrap. Of course a storm and murder happens instead.
A little confusing being reintroduced to so many characters, and the main character always comes across as a pain. . As with the last book, the footnotes are completely unnecessary and don’t add anything positive to the book, especially as they’re not formatted for ereaders. I found the whole book too frenetic, too many characters, and Eleanor Dash way too hyper.