Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @Netgalley for the ALC of No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack. All opinions are my own. This is book number two in the Vacation Mysteries Series, and since I LOVED the first one, Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, I HAD to read this one as soon as I could!

Eleanor Dash, best-selling mystery author is back, and her book turned movie, When in Rome, takes her to Catalina Island for a wedding scene. Murder ensues. This “locked island” mystery is just as fun as the first book, and I remain hooked. I love the characters, and while Eleanor says writing “dialogue is her thing”, I feel the same about Catherine Mack! Eleanor is a hilarious and smart main character, and talks directly to us in footnotes, which I love. Narrator Elizabeth Evans does an INCREDIBLE job. She seamlessly weaves the footnotes in, often in whispers like an aside, and life is easy as an audiobook listener for this one- we don’t even need to look up the footnotes as does a hardcover or paperback reader! Evans is the perfect Eleanor and uses many other voices to tell the story. She is GREAT and may this series and her voice reading them carry on forever à la Stephanie Plum.

This is a new one- a book recommendation from the author through the author starring in this book. And I quote, “Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland. So fun. Read it immediately after you finish this.” I will obey Eleanor/ Catherine on this suggestion. NO ONE needs to ask me to read the third book in this series; I am already impatiently waiting.

5/5 stars
8 hours 45 minutes at 1x on audio
Off-page love scene
Locations: Santa Monica CA and Catalina Island

I was so excited for this book as I love the first one. This one didn't disappoint. I didn't love it as much as the first one but the writing style again did it for me. I am hoping there will be more to this series because I always have such a good time

This one fell a little flat for me. Liked the lighthearted mystery vibe, but enjoyed the first book more.

I enjoyed this and will recommend to my customers. Thank you for the opportunity to read. It was a fun read.

I love this series!!!! This series has everything I love in a book: a witty narrator, breaking down the fourth wall (the footnotes!), a smart mystery, complex set of characters, and an ending I can't figure out until the last page. I can't wait to continue on with the next one, whenever that one comes out!

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding was a hilarious success of a second installment, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!
In this novel, we follow most of the usual suspects from the first book ;) after the disastrous events of their Italian trip. We are at the wedding of two famous Hollywood actors and their socialite scene during the wrapping of a film - that is also SURPRISE... their wedding! As you would guess, murder does indeed ensue.
Similarly to Everytime I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies, the setting feels so lush and real and the characters truly jump off the page with their individualization. I did not suspect where the mystery ended up, which I appreciated.
Overall, this book certainly did not suffer a sophomore slump and I will be looking forward to the remaining books in the series.
4 stars

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is the sequel to Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies, and I love that the tone of the book was the same, we see a lot of the same characters, and the mystery had enough depth to be actively interesting. I liked the anticipation of already knowing someone died based on how ETIGOVSD ended and the note that Emma received at the beginning of the story. The added twist to the end when you think it's all wrapped up was a bit of a surprise this time for me, so that was nice.

I do wish there was some kind of character development that happened a bit more in both books, that at least one person kind of became better for the events that take place, but it doesn't really feel like that happens. It makes sense that the main focus is on the series of events and the whodunnit of it all, but I just wish that there was a little more to be said for the characters becoming actively affected by their experiences.

I will be on the lookout for book 3 when it comes out!

I would give this book 3 stars... I like the mystery and concept of the book. The character development was good but at times I was getting confused on characters. The setting was nice and I would love to visit the island. The narrator did a great job however at times the flow of the reading of the story was slower. I wish the book listened a little faster.

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

Really liked this book. The narrator was good and not put you to sleep! Funny cute little story! Good to listen to in audio!

✨ ARC REVIEW ✨

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

4.5⭐️

OUT NOW!

Well thank goodness, we have another absolutely hilarious and fun mystery from Catherine Mack to add to our summer reading lists and I for one, am extremely grateful!

When Eleanor Dash heads to Catalina to attend her best friend Emma’s start-studded wedding, she is really hoping for a low-key vacation! But when she receives an anonymous tip that someone is about to be murdered during the celebrations, chaos ensues and Eleanor is thrust into another murder mystery and let me tell you… it’s a wild ride.

What I love most about this series is that I am totally absorbed in the mystery and trying to figure out whodunnit but I’m also so INVESTED in the drama surrounding this messy group of characters. I loved that the gang was back for book two and that their web of interconnected relationships and the Hollywood drama that seems to follow them everywhere continued to cause some trouble…

I had the opportunity to read an e-ARC and listen to an ALC of this book and thoroughly enjoyed both formats. However, I have to give credit where it is due because Elizabeth Evans is truly the perfect narrator, she brought the cleverness and cheekiness of Eleanor to life which made for such a fun reading experience!

If you’re a lover of light-hearted mysteries with a sprinkling of romance you absolutely need to pick up these books! They would make the perfect summer vacation read, you will have an amazing time!

Thanks to the author, @minotaur_books @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the opportunity to read and listen to advanced copies of this wonderful book!

NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE AT THIS WEDDING is available everywhere now! ☀️

I absolutely loved this audiobook! Elizabeth Evans is the perfect narrator for this cozy, hilarious, and delightfully twisty mystery. Her voice has a Selena Gomez-esque charm that instantly transported me into the world of the story—and, honestly, made me feel like I was dropped right into an episode of Only Murders in the Building.

I have to say that the first book was more of a winner for me, but I also loved the follow-up. You don't know how to trust and the twist-after-twist ending will have your head spinning. I will not be attending a wedding on Catalina Island any time soon! really hope the series continues and that Elizabeth Evans continues to lend her voice.

4/5 stars

This series is just getting better and better! I hope it just keeps going and we get lots more time with these characters. Another great audio book!

Thanks for the opportunity to read the e-book and audiobook review copies.

I was tickled by the first book in this series: quirky, winking, fourth-wall-breaking, lighthearted fun. The second book didn't work as well. The setting was a movie version of a book loosely based on the author, and I had an impossible time keeping everybody straight. Is this the author? The actor playing the author's bookish double? Who was dating whom? Who once dated whom? I was lost. I switched from the audiobook to the e-book to get my head straight, but was confronted with.... THE FOOTNOTES. The footnotes work seamlessly in audio format as the narrator says them as asides to the reader without breaking the flow of the story. But in eye-read format? Incredibly frustrating.

This is a fun series. I enjoyed bringing this cast of characters (plus a few extras) back for an island wedding. I've found using an e-reader to be a bit cumbersome for these due to the footnotes, but both the physical book and the audiobook were much more manageable. I listened to quite a bit of the audio and the narrator did a great job voicing Eleanor (and her inner dialog). My only minor gripe is that (view spoiler) nearly everyone on the island was accused of the murders at some point. To the point of ridiculousness. (end spoiler)

I will keep reading or listening to this series. They are quick, easy reads with entertaining characters.

I really liked this!

I read the first book in this series last year, and enjoyed it so much. I had been hoping they would continue on and make this a series, so I was so excited when the second came out. I did the audiobook mainly for both, and the audiobooks are absolutely amazing. This series is just so fun and funny! The author continues with her little footnotes in this one, and where she breaks the fourth wall by talking to the reader directly, and I just loved it all.

This book continued to surprise me, and I was unable to solve the mystery again. I’m not sure what’s holding me back from completely loving this series, but it’s definitely not by being predictable. I will be happy to hear if a third book will be coming out next year- crossing my fingers!

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑰'𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐:
Lovers of “fun” mystery series (like cozy, but more entertaining and will have you laughing out loud)

𝑨 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏:
Elizabeth Evans is the perfect choice for Eleanor Dash! I love these books even more for her narration alone!

4.5/5 rounded up

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack is a delightful mystery and comedy that is the second installment of The Vacation Mysteries series.

I loved the first book in this series, but was afraid I’d forgotten too much with the time between reads. Nope! The author does a great job reminding the reader about details without dumping backstory, so I felt immersed in the story and believe that it’s not even a requirement to read the first book first (but totally do, because why wouldn’t you?).

The main character of this series is absolutely hilarious. Bring in her head is so fun! (In the audiobook the cliff notes are read at the appropriate times in the story, so it all flows quite well.) The cast of characters surrounding her are intriguing and unique, and they keep secrets, which I love!

I listened to the audiobook version of this story (and the first in the series). It’s the same narrator for the series, and she does a fantastic job bringing Elenor to life. I listened at 1.5-1.75x speed (my normal audiobook listening speed is 1.75x).

If you have distractions while reading, or have time between reading availability, I recommend the audiobook version of this story. This comes from feedback from my step-momma, who I bought the physical book (book #1) for. She was trying to read during chemo, but kept getting sidetracked with chemo things, so couldn’t follow with cliff notes and such. She wanted to finish the story though, so picked up the audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced listening copy.

A good follow up with a few minor caveats. I feel bad for El at the end and I… to be honest I don’t like her with Oliver. It’s not a good match IMO since she’s SO people pleading toward him. Bonus for Bi Harper. Slay queen.

This is the second book in this series, I enjoyed both of them! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great, really added to the story. I love the humor mixed in with the mystery. Highly recommend!

Another great story from this author. I did start out a bit slow but after it got going it was easy to listen to and follow along.
I'm looking forward to reading what comes next!

Thanks for the opportunity!