Man I haven’t read a cozy mystery in awhile and was not disappointed. This was just a fun read and loved all the twists and turns. And this was such a funny and unique writing style. Breaking the fourth wall was such a cool thing to experience in a book and loved every second of it. I think for me when I read books like this I go in knowing these type of books don’t take themselves so seriously and I’m not mad at that. If you like a who dunnit this book is for you! Also did a great job recapping book one so you essentially could read this without having read the first book prior. Would love you continue this series in this world because the characters seem like a lot of fun and want to see where things go. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a charge to read this early.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Minotaur Books, and Catherine Mack for the advanced copy!

I absolutely loved 'Everytime I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies' (Book #1) and was really excited to read Book #2, 'No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding.' It is just as good! This series is fun, cozy, fast-paced, and filled with hilarious sarcasm. I love the footnotes, and I think Catherine Mack nails the whole breaking the fourth wall thing. Elizabeth Evans does such a great job narrating! If you haven't checked out 'Everytime I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies' (Book #1), you might want to read that first. This series is perfect for your next vacation or a day at the beach! I can't wait for Book #3!

Eleanor Dash is back in No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding.

"Eleanor's best frien since childhood, Emma, is starring in a movie based on Eleanor's first book, When In Rome. After filming wraps everyone travels to Catalina Island for the wedding of Emma and Fred, her costar. Everything is going great until Emma gets a note - "Somebody is going to die at this wedding" And oh yeah - a hurricance is headed their way. Eleanor will do everything she can to uncover the murderer so true love can prevail."

The voice of Eleanor makes this a fun book. Her sarcasm and sense of humor keep you chuckling all the way through. She continually breaks the Fourth Wall so it feels like you're having a conversation with her the whole time and that you're there with her every time she stumbles over a body. There's still the tension between Eleanor and Connor and Ollie - not really a love triangle but enough sparks flying to make you wonder. Lots of red herrings and misdirection. The hurricane gives it the feel of a locked-room mystery. Big surprise at the end - didn't see that coming.

Elizabeth Evans is wonderful as the narrator. This is one of those times where you can see the character because the narration is so good. And Evans has just the right amount of snark.

Fans of cozy mysteries and destination weddings will love this.

No One Was Supposed To Die At This Wedding is book 2 of the Vacation Mysteries series, it can read as a standalone but to get a full feel of some events and character interactions I recommend starting with book 1. It is a witty, funny and addictive mystery. I love this type of escapism read where you just have fun with it! Mack absolutely hits the spot with this one. It doesn't take itself too seriously and honestly I needed that. Perfect to binge this summer by the pool or beach.

Eleonor is such a hilarious character, her inner dialogue is the funniest and had me chuckling so many times. The witty footnotes are back and funnier than ever. I loved the setting and how the author set the mystery up. The investigation is in no way perfect and I think that's what truly makes the charm of this book. The whole process to get to the whodunnit, which I hadn't guessed !

Overall, this was a truly entertaining read. If you're up for a really fun and witty mystery, this is definitely the series for you. It'll keep you laughing the whole way through while still trying to figure out who the killer is.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillanaudio, @minotaurbooks & @catherinemack for my gifted ARC & ALC in exchange for an honest review.

To fully enjoy this lively mystery, start with Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies (The Vacation Mysteries, #1). Catherine Mack builds on the world and characters from the first book, and much of the humor, tension, and emotional payoff relies on that foundation.

The audiobook is the best way to experience both the original and this sequel. The main character has a lot of internal dialogue, and the narrator masterfully shifts tone to distinguish between inner thoughts and spoken words. This adds clarity, personality, and a layer of humor that really elevates the listening experience.

What really shines is the banter and chemistry among the large cast of characters. The drama—between family, friends, and coworkers—secrets, and clever quips keep the pace brisk and the mood engaging. Despite the murder mystery at the center, the story maintains a fun, snappy tone that makes it a fast and enjoyable read (or listen).

Highly recommended for fans of witty, fast-paced mysteries with smart female leads and ensemble casts that feel like real people you’d love (or love to side-eye) at a wedding.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. This is my honest review.

Eleanor Dash is back for another crazy adventure! After closing production on the movie based on her best-selling book, the cast and crew head to the stars' Emma Wood and Fred Winters' secret wedding! With death threats arriving, her ex-boyfriend and current boyfriend in attendance, and all sorts of personality drama, will Eleanor be able to save the day?

I hadn't read the first installment in The Vacation Mysteries, so it took me a little while to get connected to the story, but overall, it was good. You do not need to have read it, but it would help to understand some of the background of the main characters. It's a funny, cozy mystery, but I felt there were a few too many misdirects and asides (footnotes in the physical copy) to push it into greatness.

Advanced Listening copy provided by Netgalley and Macmillan Audio. All opinions are my own.

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!

I knew from the title someone wasn’t making it to the honeymoon, but I did not expect to laugh, cringe, spiral, and fully fall for a snarky, murder-obsessed writer in a cocktail dress while she unraveled both a crime and her love life in front of a room full of actors. “No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding” is messy, meta, and downright unhinged — in the best possible way. Like, if Eleanor Dash is on the guest list, just go ahead and RSVP “Regretfully cannot attend (for safety reasons).”

To be fair, I didn’t read the first book ("Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies") and now I feel like I missed the origin story of a woman who runs on chaos and passive-aggressive footnotes. But it didn’t matter — I jumped in, got swept up in the storm (literal and emotional), and now I’m retroactively obsessed with everything Eleanor’s ever done, said, or internally judged.

The setup is chef’s kiss disaster energy with a full Agatha Christie flourish. Eleanor’s best friend Emma is marrying her movie-star fiancé on Catalina Island. The cast and crew of the film adaptation of Eleanor’s first book are the only guests. A hurricane is approaching, the island has been mostly evacuated and the ferries have been cut off. And then a murder makes it onto the printed itinerary. It’s giving “A Murder Is Announced,” if Miss Marple herself wrote popular mystery series (instead of her life just serving as one) and was part of an extremely chaotic group chat. In most books, that warning would be a dramatic flourish. In this book? It’s a scheduling heads-up.

Eleanor — novelist, reluctant sleuth, human emotional grenade — does what she does best: immediately gets involved. She’s not methodical. She’s not trained. But she’s highly observant, mostly correct, and powered entirely by curiosity, anxiety, and spite. Her narration is full of fourth-wall breaks, razor-sharp footnotes, and emotional detours that feel less like exposition and more like listening to your funniest friend spiral mid-voice memo. She doesn’t investigate so much as she accidentally unravels the plot.

The mystery is twisty enough to keep you guessing, but let’s be honest: we’re here for Eleanor. Her ex (Connor) is at the wedding, her current boyfriend (Oliver) is trying very hard to be emotionally available, and Eleanor is trying not to explode from unresolved tension, murder stress, and the overwhelming pressure of her first book being turned into a movie with her best friend in the lead role. She is barely holding it together and still somehow seeing through everyone else’s lies like a human lie detector with anxiety issues and a flair for the dramatic.

And the structure? Delicious. We’ve got movie-within-a-book layers, chapter titles that slap, and footnotes that are basically bonus jokes. The whole thing feels like a cozy mystery got locked in a hotel bar with a bottle of Prosecco and no emotional support. Do I think it’s perfect? Nope. But that’s not the point. The point is that it’s clever, fast, wildly entertaining, and deeply unbothered by whether or not it’s “realistic.”

So no, it’s not perfect — but it’s clever, chaotic, and wildly fun. The kind of book that knows exactly what it is and leans all the way into it, stilettos first. I’m giving it a very solid 4 stars and gently suggesting someone put Eleanor on a watchlist for future destination events and vacations. She is a walking disaster magnet, and I say that with love. And fear. And admiration. Honestly, she’s the kind of plus-one you invite if you're ready for a corpse and a character arc.

I listened to this on audio, and it was peak basement-cleanout content. I’m elbow-deep in old extension cords, and the narrator is delivering snark, panic, and murder vibes like it’s her full-time job. I wouldn't hesitate to declutter to this chaos again.

Whodunity Award: Best Use of Footnotes as Weapons of Emotional and Investigative Warfare

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook.

I really enjoy the narrator of this book. Their voice helps set the tone for this lighthearted, fun mystery. She kept my attention and really contributed to my overall opinion of the novel.

Audiobook Review: No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack
Narrated by Elizabeth Evans

I received this audiobook from NetGalley, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to discover new authors and share my thoughts.

This was my first book by Catherine Mack, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I didn’t realize until after I started that it’s actually the second book in a series, but I didn’t feel lost at all. While there were a few moments that seemed to reference the first book, nothing felt too critical to the plot, so I was able to follow along without needing to backtrack.

The story follows a destination wedding at a private island off the coast of Maine, where a glamorous couple is about to say “I do”… until a body turns up. Chaos, secrets, and over-the-top wedding drama unfold quickly, but instead of being dark and heavy, the book leans more toward comedic suspense. In fact, I found myself laughing out loud more than once. It’s witty, clever, and full of quirky characters that make the mystery feel lighthearted and fun.

Elizabeth Evans, the narrator, did a great job throughout. She maintained consistent voices for different characters, and her inflections made the humor and tension come through clearly. Her performance really brought the story to life and kept me engaged the entire time.

Overall, No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding felt more like a comedy of errors wrapped in a mystery, rather than a traditional thriller—and I really liked that. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from Catherine Mack!

Thank you again to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook.

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.

This was a good “who done it” book, full of funny banter and great characters! I loved Eleanor and Oliver but never was a big fan of Connor through the entire book. The murder mystery aspects of the book was great and probably my favorite aspect of the entire book! I can’t give it a full 5 stars as some of the story just got lost at parts, which is very upsetting because I did love all the other aspects of the book. The narrators did a fantastic job and the fluctuation in their voices and emotions really kept me engaged. I would definitely listen to future books in this series!! Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ability to listen and review this book!

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.

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

Thank you NetGalley & MacMillian Audio for the ALC!
No one Was supposed to Die at This Wedding is book 2 in a series of cozy mystery novel. It will be released on May 13th.
Narration: Elizabeth Evans (Amazing deep voice!)
Speed: 2X
My opinion: This one didn’t quite work for me as an audiobook—there are footnotes, scene numbers, and character names being read aloud, which really pulled me out of the story at times. That said, it’s a solid story with a unique narrative voice that speaks directly to the reader, which helped keep me engaged. I’d definitely recommend starting with book 1 first (I didn’t!), as I think it would’ve made things clearer and more enjoyable!

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