I loved the previous book so I was very excited for this one. It had a great blend of romance, mystery and suspense that kept me gripped.

What a disaster of life these poor people have, haha! They are like the commercials of people completing every day tasks very poorly so they can sell as seen on tv products. If it can go wrong, it will.
Overall, funny and an easy read.
An mystery author attends a wedding and someone is murdered. (It's really all in the title).
I would probably recommend the audio on this one - multiple parts made me LOL

I loved the first in the series and Mack's fun conversational voice. This didn't disappoint and the Catalina Island setting is a win for me since I'm very familiar with it! Some of the characters from the first book make an appearance which is always a delight and I loved that this murder mystery doesn't take itself too seriously. The author seems to be having so much fun writing this that it's hard not to enjoy reading it! Another cozy mystery standout from Mack.

Eleanor Dash, a renowned author of crime fiction, drew inspiration from her trip to Italy when she was 25 for her first book. During her stay, she met the charming Connor Smith, and they had a whirlwind romance. Their lives took an unexpected turn when they teamed up to solve a series of bank robberies. Dash skillfully crafted a fictionalized account of their experiences, which became an international bestseller.

Hollywood has now adapted her first book into a movie, and several characters from the original novel have made a comeback. Connor, the charming cad of an ex-boyfriend, his ex-wife Allison, her sister Harper, and her current boyfriend Oliver are all featured in the book. Notably, Eleanor’s childhood best friend, Emma, and her fiancé, Fred, are also starring in the movie.

As filming nears its conclusion, the entire cast embarks on a trip to Catalina Island to attend the wedding of Emma and Fred. However, an unexpected turn of events occurs when a rare Pacific hurricane strikes the island, isolating the wedding party. Tragically, the bodies of several individuals begin to accumulate, and almost everyone becomes a potential suspect. Eleanor must solve the mystery before the body count rises.

Overall, this movie is a delightful and entertaining cozy mystery that combines humor, suspense, and heartwarming moments.

I received an arc of this book from NetGalley from r my honest review.

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is the hilarious follow up to Everytime I Go On Vacation Someone Dies (also loads of fun). Eleanor Dash is looking forward to her best friend's wedding on Catalina Island. Emma Wood (best friend and costar of When in Rome, the adaptationon Eleanor's book) is marring her costar, Fred Winter. Eleanor is worried, she has received an anymous note that someone will die. During the reception, Eleanor finds a dead body, to think all she wanted was a bathroom! The corpse has a cake knife sticking in their back. Add to all this a storm that leaves everyone stuck on the island, more murders and Eleanor's ex, Connor, who showed up.

The novel really gets going and we follow the plot with Eleanor's first person narrative. I love Catherine Mack's writing style. You feel as if Eleanor is speaking directly to you, and the footnotes are a great addition. Eleanor gets help from her boyfriend, Oliver, as she works to find the culprit. There are some twists and turns and the suspense ramps up as truths and secrets are discovered. If you like fun and a heroine you would want to be friends with, and maybe go on vacation with, this series is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for an ARC. The review is my own.

Thank you to Minotaur for providing me with an advanced copy of the next book in the series!

Eleanor Dash is off on another adventure—this time, faced with yet another murder. Her last book has been turned into a movie, with her best friend Emma starring in the lead role. Emma is marrying Fred, who also plays the leading man in the film she’s starring in.

Many familiar faces from the previous book return, but this time the group heads to the remote Catalina Island. What should be a romantic and memorable setting for a wedding quickly turns ominous when a murderer is among them—and with a hurricane underway, no one can leave the island.

The book is sprinkled with humorous footnotes, which worked especially well in the eBook version I read.

This is another delightful cozy mystery with twists along the way. It’s a fun read that can easily be enjoyed as a standalone. I believe the first book is being adapted into a television series, which I think will be fantastic!

Thank you Netgalley & Minotaur Books for an eARC ♥️♥️♥️


"No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding" – or, How I Accidentally Burned Through 300 Pages Instead of Adulting 🫣
So. You know that feeling when you pick up a book just to "read a few pages," and suddenly it's 3 AM, you've eaten an entire family-sized bag of chips, and you're emotionally invested in a fictional wedding disaster like it's your own personal soap opera? Yeah. That's this book.
Eleanor Dash is back, and she's still the human equivalent of a train wreck you can't look away from—except this time, she's crashing a destination wedding. Catalina Island. Movie star groom. Picture-perfect vibes—until, surprise! Someone's probably about to get murdered. (Spoiler: The title isn't lying.)
Here’s the thing: This book is ridiculous in the best possible way. It's like if someone took a cozy mystery, gave it three shots of espresso, and then dared it to start drama at an open bar. Eleanor's narration? Hilarious. The footnotes? Unhinged. The fact that she's somehow both the worst and best person to solve a crime? Iconic.
The actual mystery is solid—red herrings, suspicious guests, the whole "storm trapping everyone on the island" trope—but let's be real, you're not here for just the plot. You're here for the chaos. The ex-boyfriend tension. The passive-aggressive bridesmaids. The way Eleanor overthinks everything while still somehow missing the obvious. It's a vibe.
If you want a mystery that takes itself just seriously enough to work but not so seriously that it forgets to have fun, this is your book. Perfect for when you need something smart enough to keep you guessing but silly enough to make you snort-laugh in public.
4/5, only because I’m still mad I didn’t get an invite to this disaster wedding. (Eleanor, call me. Let’s collab on the next one.)

Eleanor Dash is a best selling author of the Vacation Mysteries series. Her last book, When in Rome is being made into a movie, and she and her sister Harper are on-set as extras in the movie. The lead actress in the movie is Eleanor’s best friend from childhood, Emma Wood who is conveniently engaged to the lead actor, Fred Winters. The engaged couple has decided to have the wrap party at Catalina Island, and combine that with the wedding, despite the fact that a hurricane is headed their way. The only problem is - someone wants someone dead. Much of the book is devoted to the inner thoughts of Eleanor (mostly in footnotes, which are hilarious - don’t skip them!), as she tries to unravel who is behind the murder (spoiler alert - there’s more than one!) and the motive. Another fun, fast read that will keep you guessing - I had to reread the last few chapters just to get it all straight in my head again! Loved the first book in the series - Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies - and enjoyed this one too! Fans of the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich will enjoy these books, as El remind me a lot of Stephanie. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books, for an ARC of this book; all opinions are my own.

Another quirky story with a murder at an event. How rude is it to get murdered at a wedding??? Here, once again, we see Eleanor Dash in the middle of a murder investigation. I find that it is very helpful to read these books in order to really get a feel for the characters. This was a quick, fun read that also had me laughing!

{ Witty. Puzzling. Amusing. }

This second installment in The Vacation Mysteries is just as fun as the first, and a perfect pick for summer reading.

The series is already in development for television, and I think that's a smart move! Each book takes place in a different vacation destination, with the same core cast of characters, plus additional characters that are unique to the particular story. 

The mysteries are satisfactory, and the characters are entertaining. A third book is in the works, and I'm looking forward to it!

I really enjoyed thee first book of this series so I was excited to read the follow up. You don't need to read the first one but recommend that you do so you get a feeling of all the characters and their backstory.

This is set in Catalina and it's about filming When in Rome and the wedding of Emma and Fred. Emma and Eleanor have been best friends are is there for her wedding.

This was a lock room mystery as there is a hurricane looming and the people on Catalina are stuck there. The mystery of someone dying at the wedding was entertaining.

Like the previous book, we get a lot of Eleanor's personality through her footnotes addressing the reader.

I think this story had a lot going on and lost me in some parts.

I enjoyed the recurring characters as well and Elizabeth Evan's narration.

Thank you @minotaur_books @macmillan.audio for a copy of the book.

4.5 stars

I read book 1 of the Vacation Mystery series back in January and knew I immediately had to read book 2. I’d read book 1 as an audiobook and really wanted to try reading it in a different format, so getting an eARC of this book was perfect.

No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding brought back all of our favorite characters and introduced several new ones. It had all the fun and charm that the first book did – what with breaking the fourth wall and the absolute delight that Eleanor Dash is – though, in my opinion, felt a bit heavier.

I loved that it kept me on my toes and I was never able to piece together the clues – even though they were basically plopped onto my lap. I was simply along for the ride. I also loved the setting of a deserted Catalina Island with a storm on the horizon (though I did expect it to play a slightly bigger – or, maybe longer? – part).

Overall, an insanely fun read and I’m very excited to see where the series goes. I’m really hoping to see the relationship between Eleanor and Oliver grow and deepen, and just can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

My review can already be found on Goodreads and will be up on my Instagram by Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

Eleanor Dash can't catch a break in the latest in The Vacation Mysteries. Just like in book #1, she involved in solving a "Whodunit" at her best friends wedding.

This book would've landed better if I remembered the first book, and its characters. There were too many references to the past book that took me out of the story.

In the end, its a good, cozy mystery to escape away with for the summer.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack

Eleanor, Eleanor, Eleanor... she’s quirky, awkward, unlucky, and honestly, a bit of a hot mess—but in the best way. She’s also deeply flawed, which makes her oddly relatable. I mean, I can definitely connect with her mistakes and anxieties, but thankfully, I don’t stumble upon dead bodies as often as she does. 😂
This is the second book in The Vacation Mysteries series. I read the first one last year and was really happy to get an ARC of this follow-up. Technically, you could read this one without the first, but I highly recommend starting at the beginning. The first book lays out the character backstories and dynamics really well. Without that context, the second book’s short intros to everyone might feel a bit overwhelming.
This one gives you everything you want in a cozy murder mystery: secrets, twists, and a wild ride through a destination wedding gone wrong. Eleanor narrates the story with an erratic energy that makes it feel like you're listening to someone caffeinated to the max (or, as I joked, a bit coked up) explain their chaotic day and it's a blast.
I would have rated this a solid 4/5, but I had a few personal issues about this book. The footnotes, while optional and gives character to the story, were hard to navigate on Kindle, and I eventually opted out of reading them. They worked better in the physical copy, but still disrupted the flow a bit.
Overall, though, this is a really fun read. The quirky murder mystery vibe is strong, and Eleanor's chaotic energy keeps you entertained from start to finish. I’ll definitely keep following this series, I want to see how many more murders Eleanor can stumble into.
Recommended for readers who enjoy lighthearted mysteries with an offbeat, unreliable narrator and lots of twists.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the ARC!

Of course the title is self explanatory, but it’s always a good ride. Eleanor finds herself in the same situation - where people around her are dying. Who is the culprit though??

I love the audio for this series. The narrator makes it hilarious. Footnotes are great as always.

Thanks Netgalley for the advance copy!

Eleanor is back! One think I loved is how well the first book in this series set us up for the sequel. As we know from the first epilogue, this wedding weekend may not be what the bride and groom always dreamed of. When Eleanor finds a body at the wedding reception, she’s back to her investigating roots and ready to find the killer.

One thing I love is El’s sarcasm and ability to really feel like a well rounded character and not just another protagonist. She acknowledges her flaws and truly does try to make herself a better person. I can’t wait for the next installment of this series!

The only thing I didn’t love about this book was the sheer number of footnotes. While some of them were funny, there were 5-10 footnotes for each chapter and by the time I got to the footnotes, I sometimes had to flip back to see what specific word it was attached to.

Thank you so much for Katherine Mack, the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.

Eleanor Dash is back! This book is so funny! I love how she talks directly to the reader and gives us hints about what might (or might not) be coming next. I laughed out loud at all the craziness and can't wait for the next one!

I loved the first in this series, "Everytime I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies," so I was very excited to get this book to review. It did not disappoint. I love Eleanor Dash, her internal dialogue, her sister, boyfriend, and the whole crew. Mack does a great job of developing fun, engaging characters who the reader can root for (even if they're not great people). I was kept guessing throughout and found this to be a super fun mystery novel!

The quirky and endearing Eleanor Dash is back for another wild adventure in the second vacation mystery series as she sets off for a destination wedding on Catalina Island. As usual for Eleanor, and to the delight of readers, nothing goes according to plan. Drama and death seem to follow Eleanor everywhere like a jealous ex. After the end of production on the film being made about the events that took place the the first book, Eleanor, along with the others from the film set off for a secret wedding taking place between the two stars of the film. When a storm arrives on the island, trapping everyone who arrived for the wedding, threats start to surface, turning the fun filled wedding festivities into a potential crime scene. And if this isn't enough to throw a wrench into Eleanor's carefully laid plans, her ex and her current boyfriend just so happens to be attending the wedding as well along with a killer (or two). Eleanor is forced to once again become the investigator she really only writes about in books.

The first in the series, Every time I go on Vacation Somebody Dies was one of my favorite reads last year so I was beyond excited to see another adventure following our witty amateur detective Eleanor Dash. The sequel did not disappoint. No one was supposed to die at this wedding was equal parts suspenseful mystery and sardonic humor, the perfect combination to get lost in. Eleanor's chaotic but loving energy combined with the high stakes and swiftly moving plot was a recipe for success. The mystery is well paced and creative and will keep you guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book, along with the first in the series for readers looking for a good mystery that doesn't take itself too seriously.

3.5 stars rounded up. No One was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack is a fun romcom murder mystery and the second book in The Vacation Mysteries. I had the first book in this series and I really enjoyed both stories. I had the ARC for both book 1 and book 2. In both stories, our FMC is Eleanor Dash. In this story her first novel is being developed into a film. The film's two stars are getting married on Catalina Island and someone seems to be stalking our lovely bride and sending her death threats. The bride and groom ask the novelist, Eleanor Dash, to investigate. Clearly, they weren't serious about investigating. I love the light touch of the book, the comedic nature, and the complete breaking down of the fourth wall. Overall, enjoyable read. I did not care for the complete lack of character development for Eleanor and even her regression with regards to an emotionally abusive ex. I mean what is that all about? That's not tension or cute. The other totally implausible plot point was the impending hurricane to Catalina. Although it is possible, it is very, very rare. That's not tension or cute. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for my ARC.