Catherine Mack hit it out of the park with her follow up. No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding was a five star listen!

Honestly, I had a really hard time enjoying this story because the narrator was not engaging at all. At 1x the speed it was excruciating to listen to. Speeding it up to 1.5x the speed gave the narrator a little emotion and I was able to concentrate a little better.

🎧 LOVED Elizabeth Evans' narration

This was the first Catherine Mack book I've read, and for a mystery-comedy it was pretty good if you like books that are tongue-in-cheek and that break the 4th wall. I was only able to figure out 1/2 of the 'who done it' aspect, which is always fun. The main issue I had was that it seemed like the author was trying to promote her other books while reading this book (just odd feelings about that and it took me out of the story), plus she took a few dig at social media and publishers because their books never took off via that method (again, took me out of the story and didn't make me want to read more of the books because of how awkward it was-- like subtle digs are okay but the repetition was a bit much).

Just like Book 1, this was a blast! I highly recommend the audiobook — it’s a fantastic way to experience the story. I’m absolutely continuing with the next book in the series!

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio, 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!

The book was narrated by Elizabeth Evans, the performance was spot-on.

Publication date-May 13 2025
#NoOneWasSupposedtoDieatThisWedding #NetGalley

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.

The narration by Elizabeth Evans is an absolute blast. I like how she incorporates the footnotes into the storytelling—as if they’re asides written just for the audience, pulling the readers even more into the story. With distinct voices for each character, it’s easy to keep track of who’s speaking when, and she captures the sarcasm and humor well.

4.5⭐️

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

💒 No One my Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding - Catherine Mack

4 ⭐️ - Welcome back to the world of hilarious, whimsical murder mysteries. I was so happy to be back in Eleanor Dash’s chaotic author/detective life. This one is just as bantery, funny, and mysterious as the first book!

Attending your best friends wedding should be an easy task, but not for Eleanor Dash. Murder seems to follow her wherever she goes. Emma Wood, Eleanor’s childhood best friend, is staring in the movie adaptation for Eleanor’s book and she is also marrying her co-star Fred Winters, a major movie star. After filming, the whole cast and crew is invited to their wedding on Catalina Island, except a hurricane is heading their way and a cryptic note saying someone will die at the wedding have arrived. What could possibly go wrong?

It’s so weird to say that a murder mystery book is fun; but this series is! It gives me the same feeling as when I read Finlay Donovan. I am invested in the murder mystery as well as the characters and their banter and connection, the storylines, and the fun they also have. This one is a classic wedding on an island, bad storm, Agatha Christie vibe. It was fun, ridiculous, and mysterious at the same time. You don’t necessarily need to read the first book to read this one BUT I highly recommend that you do. There’s a lot of characters and their backstories, connections, and storylines will make more sense if you read book 1 first. I love this series and I can’t wait to continue reading it!

Thank you to Catherine Mack, Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the early audio and ARC! This one hits shelves on 5/13!

While I liked the first book in this series more, this one was still really fun.
In this one, Eleanor travels to Catalina Island for her best friend Emma's wedding to movie star Fred Winters. Eleanor's book When in Rome has just finished filming with Emma and Fred both starring in it. Before the wedding, Emma starts getting notes that someone is going to die at the wedding. Eleanor will do everything in her power to have her friend's wedding go off without a hitch.
Eleanor is a great main character. Her inner monologue is so funny (and still includes footnotes), but she's also smart. We get some characters from the first book like Oliver (Eleanor's now boyfriend) and Connor (the man who Eleanor's book series stars). We also get some new characters like Simone who is co-producing the movie. It was nice to have the familiar along with the new ones so it wasn't too confusing even with the amount of characters in the book.
This book takes place on an island and there is a storm coming, so it is kind of a locked room mystery since the ferries aren't running and no one can get off the island. Locked room mysteries are always fun because you know the killer has to be one of the characters we've already been introduced to and probably have gotten to know well. There were several good suspects with good motives.
The audiobook narrator was the same as the first one. I really enjoy her narration style for this series. She delivers the footnotes perfectly and really makes you feel involved in the story. She does an amazing job!
I am thoroughly invested in this series and I can't wait for the next one!

I love Catherine Mack's ability to tell a story! Not only are you reading about what is happening, you're getting personal narration from the main character. She gave the name for this skill in the book, but I've forgotten. These stories are always an entertaining ride...except for the dead people. But, they still read like a great cozy and there are so many twists and turns and absurdities that it is highly entertaining. I can't wait for the next title!

Once again Catherine Mack has written a light (if you can call a book where 3 people are murdered light) murder mystery that is a great break from reading dark thrillers. And, once again it is Eleanor’s very funny stream of consciousness dialogue that makes the book (actually audio) work for me. This time there are again plenty of red herrings, plenty of suspects and a surprise at the end, and as a bonus this time you learn all about screen writing and movie rights and movie production.

I just love this series! This installment had the cast at a remote location, a wedding, murder, mystery, and so many laugh out loud moments. This definitely falls in the cozy mystery category, which isn't always my favorite but the added comedic relief and the lead character, Eleanor make it so enjoyable. This did keep me guessing. I can't wait for the next one! I loved the narration of this story.

I had to read this follow up book from Catherine Mack. I really enjoyed the first one in the series and found this one equally enjoyable. I like how the narrator talks about events that happen in the first book. It was good to get those little flashbacks of what happened already and how it relates to what is happening now. I definitely recommend, especially those who read the first book.

Eleanor Dash is a very successful author and her book is being made into a movie. She's also about to head to Catalina Island to attend the wedding of her best friend. But everything isn't going to go smoothly. Eleanor reverts back into her role as an amateur detective as the murders and mysteries build up. The book is filled with unconventional characters and red-herrings. Funny and off-center situations abound.

I understand there are footnotes in the printed version but I listened to the audio version. The narrator reads them seamlessly into the story and they come across as Eleanor's thoughts. The writing is a little quirky and this is a lighthearted murder mystery.

The narrator did a wonderful job, bringing this book to life.

Book 2 in the “Vacation” series with Eleanor Dash. I listened to the first book about a year ago and LOVED it. I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on the next book ever since. While I continue to love the unique sarcastic witty inner monologue of Eleanor, the storyline this time around never fully grabbed my attention. I highly recommend the audiobook option for the footnotes seamlessly woven in vs hard copies if you would find that distracting.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio
for this ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date May 13 2025

The ARC uses the phrase "The 9/11 of [spoiler]" in the epilogue. Yes I am giving it 4 stars, and yes I am knocking a star off for that, because holy crap who on earth thought THAT was a good idea? Otherwise wonderful book. What the hell.

I feel bad even rating this because I quit so early on but within the first 20 minutes the author/FMC breaks the fourth wall to reference or reflect on the previous book at least a dozen times. Since I haven't read the previous book, it became draining. The summary made it seem like a cozy mystery that I could pick up without much previous knowledge but all the call backs and asides made me feel like I was coming in on the 3rd season of a TV serial

THANK YOU NETGALLEY AND MACMILLAN AUDIO FOR THIS BADASS ALC!!!

Elizabeth Evans is *chef’s kiss*, absolute freaking perfection.

I don’t think I am supposed to be laughing so much at a murder mystery. This sequel is everything and more. Intriguing, hilarious, and of course, ends on a very slight cliffhanger that I hope leads to a third book!

Catherine Mack, I love you. You are hilarious and I love the footnotes and how the leading lady talks to the reader. If you write it, I will read (or listen!).