I don’t know what it was about this book, but I just could not get into it. Nor could I bring myself to care about the plot or any of the characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Catherine Mack for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding coming out May 13, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I didn’t read the first book in the series so I didn’t know what I was expecting. I thought it was an interesting quirky mystery. Nobody likes to have that at a wedding obviously. I thought the characters were pretty good. I would definitely check out more books by this author

I would recommend spoken to anyone who enjoys mysteries!

The ending was a twist i didn't seem coming. Well written, liked having the script parts and the twitters in there along with the story. Easy going murder mystery ended up being a quick read.

Definitely not a stand alone. Reading the previous book in this series really helps establish the relationship between Eleanor, Connor, and her sister, as well as the many of the other characters. I like the narrator much more in this book than the last. Overall this was a quick, fun mystery and a great summer time read.

The set up is cute. I liked this one much more than the first. I think part of it was that I had the hang of the footnotes. The footnotes work really well in audio. I think you could read this without the first, but it will be more fun in order.

The second book in Catherine Mack’s Vacation Mysteries series brings back Eleanor Dash, bestselling author-turned-accidental sleuth, for another vacation-turned-crime-scene—this time at her best friend’s star-studded wedding on Catalina Island.

There’s plenty to enjoy here: Eleanor’s sharp wit, the glitzy film world backdrop, and a classic locked-room setup with a storm isolating the cast and crew. The meta humor about cozy mystery tropes continues to be a fun thread, and I appreciated the callbacks to the first book, which I found more engaging overall.

That said, this sequel doesn’t quite stick the landing. The mystery unfolds at a slower pace, the cast of characters feels overcrowded, and the tension fizzles in key moments. Eleanor is still a fun narrator, but the stakes didn’t feel as high this time around, and the resolution was a bit too tidy for my taste.

Still, it’s a light, cheeky read with plenty of wedding drama and cozy mystery flair. I’ll likely keep following Eleanor’s adventures—but I’m hoping for more punch in book three.

I'm a huge Catherine Mach fan after this book! The voice she gives her characters is so relatable and funny. If you've enjoyed any of the Finally Donovan series or Riley Thorn (Lucy Score) you'll really enjoy this series! TBH, not the most realistic but neither are the series I just mentioned. Excited for the next one in the series!!! :) Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Eleanor Dash is such an amazing character with her author background and witty sense of humor. I’m so glad more of these books are coming. The cozy plot is entertaining with an intriguing mystery and secondary characters that always deliver entertainment. I read both books in this series in audiobook, and Elizabeth Evans did such a great job with the narration.

I was so happy to continue the adventures of Eleanor and her sister, Harper and the murder and mayhem that surround them. In this episode, Eleanor's best friend Emma is having a surprise wedding on Catalina Island following the filming of the movie about Eleanor's last book and to her co-star in that film. Most of the characters from the prior book are included in some way due to the movie of their earlier escapades and murder follows. While the book is a bit convoluted at the beginning with having to track the story of a story within a story and the movie inside that story (see what I mean) it does get its feet under it and take off int he second half. I both read and listened to this title and would recommend both. It was easier to read at times with the script pages and other characters monologues thrown in, but then again was easier to listen to as the footnotes flow more evenly in the audio version and the narrator is delightful. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early access to both in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cute, funny, and full of the cast of characters from the first book. That said, while I really enjoyed the first book, this one was just fine. The plot line just didn't move along as well. Not my favorite followup, but I'm still hopeful for the next!

After the filming wrap of Eleanor’s book adaptation, her best friend and star of the movie Emma is set to marry her co-star Fred. But when threatening notes start arriving and near-miss murder attempts start to derail the festivities, Eleanor must try to figure out what’s going on before someone (else) ends up dead. This has all the witty banter and comic relief of the first book in the series, and I enjoyed it just as much! It did get a little confusing as to who was plotting against whom for what reason, but I had a blast, and I look forward to the next book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my copy! ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book and having the author talk directly to you. Reading on my Kindle, I could access the footnotes as they occurred in the text so they were easy to follow and often very humorous. Since I read the first book, I knew many of the characters in this sequel but I did not feel the new characters had much character development. I was surprised by the ending/murderer but will not reveal that here. I had a few ideas of my own but they were debunked in the end. This book is a fun, light read despite the murders. It would help to read the first novel before diving into this one. I look forward to the next book in the series.

I was so dissapointed with this book. First off, I was so confused by all the characters and the inferences to things that happened in the first book that I dont think I could absorb everyones role in this one. This is definitely not a stand alone book so if your going to read it do yourself a favor and read the first. Also the author does not do a good job of making you feel anything for the characters so I could have cared less what happened to any of them. Everything felt rushed. Even her acknowledgment said “Another book done” like shes rushing through them. The murders were super underwhelming, I never felt suspenseful. Just disappointed

This was a fun ride! Exactly the silly murder mystery I needed. I loved Eleanor Dash in book 1 of the series and the sequel was even better. Her character is funny, goofy, and determined. I really enjoyed it! Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the eARC.

I enjoyed this sequel to Everytime I Go on Vacation Someone Dies - I love the breaking of the fourth wall + footnotes and the narrator's voice. I expect a lot of red herrings and "we solved it" while being wrong in this type of book and that is what we got. I will definitely continue to read this series and look forward to the next installment. It's a great series to bust a reading slump and have a fun, quick read!

Eleanor’s book, When In Rome, has been made into a movie. No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding follows the movie cast as they gather for the wedding of the two lead actors on Catalina Island. They are stuck on the island for a weekend when a storm moves in and a body is found.

I liked having Eleanor, Harper, Oliver and even Conner back together in the same place, but we didn’t get as much personal life development during this book as we did in the first one. Breaking of the 4th Wall and Eleanor talking directly to the reader was still fun for me. Reading this physically did make reading the footnotes a bit clunky, so I switched to the audio and that might have been my biggest problem. Something about the way Elizabeth Evans narrates this series really grates on me. Her voices have a snooty air to them. The audiobook does make following the footnotes easier because she reads them throughout. I’m not sure if I’ll continue in this series. I’ll probably wait for reviews on the third book before deciding.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun, cozy mystery! Itis the second book with Eleanor and this time the murder takes place at her best friends wedding! If you enjoy a fun cozy, mystery give this one try!

A murder mystery with a wedding, a storm, a film crew, and just enough chaos to keep you turning the pages.

Attending your best friend's wedding should be a relaxing break, but not for Eleanor Dash, bestselling author and reluctant amateur sleuth. With a storm closing in on the Island and a cryptic death threat delivered before the vows, things go from festive to fatal in no time.

This book is pure entertainment—clever, funny, and full of heart. Eleanor is a delightfully sharp and self-aware protagonist, balancing loyalty to her best friend with the mounting pressure of another murder mystery landing squarely in her lap. The layers of tension between Eleanor and her ex, between the cast and crew, and the ticking-clock of the wedding day—make for a satisfying puzzle with plenty of red herrings.

What I loved most was how meta it felt: a mystery author caught in a real-life mystery, surrounded by actors playing her characters. It’s smartly done without ever becoming too self-indulgent.

If you love cozy mysteries with witty banter, romantic entanglements, and high-stakes whodunits, this one’s a must-read.

This was fun. It wasn't quite what I was hoping for and it fell flat in some ways through the "suspenseful" moments. If there are more in the series, I will read them as they are an easy and cozy mystery read. I will admit the Taylor Swift references got a little old (and I am a huge Taylor Swift fan).

I absolutely love this series! It’s such a fun ride, with writing that’s delightfully quippy and full of joy. While this installment didn’t hit quite as hard for me as Book 1, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read. I had a great time with it and will definitely be continuing the series!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books for the ARC!!!