*Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for early copy for review*

This was okay. It had a decent mystery with familiar faces that we got to know from the first book. The new faces, however, did not make as much of an impact. When establishing new characters I need more emotional impact otherwise I don't really care if they die or what happens to them.

The second book in Canadian mystery writer Catherine Mack's Vacation mystery series sees bestselling author Eleanor Dash playing a cameo role on the filmset adaptation of one of her books and attending the destination wedding of one of her friends. When threatening notes appear, Dash is determined to figure out who is behind the death threats as the bodies start to pile up. This was a great second chance romance full of suspense and fun breaking the fourth wall moments. It was also good on audio narrated by Elizabeth Evans and perfect for fans of the Miranda Ferguson series by Ian Ferguson. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed the breaking of the fourth wall and how the book never tries to take itself too seriously. The amount of times I caught myself laughing out loud is something I need more of in books. i can't wait for the next installment.

When mystery author Eleanor Dash attends a glamorous island wedding, a chilling threat turns the celebration into a locked-room whodunit. With sharp humor, clever twists, and stormy suspense, Catherine Mack’s latest is a breezy, bingeable delight for cozy mystery fans.

The Vacation Mysteries Series by Catherine Mack is my new must read when traveling. I read her first book, EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION SOMEONE DIES while beachside in Mexico last year and loved it. Fast forward to 2025 and I’m AGAIN in Mexico reading her newest release. Catherine, I’ll make a deal with you. You keep writing sharp, hilarious mysteries and I’ll keep reading them in Mexico. We good?

NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE AT THIS WEDDING is exactly the kind of tongue in cheek, witty mystery I crave. Funny, whip smart, super twisty and full of distinct, unforgettable characters; this book is pure entertainment. Mack’s use of footnotes to break the Fourth Wall works so well - more so in the audio version, if you can believe it. It adds a level of cheekiness to the story while foreshadowing things to come.

Back are our friend, mystery writer Eleanor Dash, and her troupe of relatives, friends, lovers, and stalkers. Her best seller is being made into a film and the co-stars are staging a wedding. At least that’s the plan until threatening messages start arriving and bodies start dropping. Ms. Dash once again turns amateur detective and it’s pure folly.

I highly recommend the audiobook narrated by Elizabeth Evans. I laughed out loud and smiled through the entire book. (And got ridiculously excited at the end! IYKYK)

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press (Minotaur Books) for the advance copies. All opinions are my own.

Eleanor is back - this time to celebrate her best friend Emma who is getting married! But in true Eleanor style, this wedding will not go off without everything, and I mean everything, that can do wrong, going wrong.

Once again we find ourselves with a colorful cast of characters - but we've met a few of them before while we were on vacation with Eleanor and the crew in Italy. Emma is getting married - to her co-star, as they film the movie adaption of Eleanor's book When In Rome, which became popular after she almost dies on a book tour (if you haven't read book 1 in this series, stop and go do that before your proceed). As a reader, I immediately found myself right back in the swing of things with Eleanor, and I truly dread the day this series ends because I adore the particular brand of chaos she brings.

Set on an island in a hurricane, Eleanor must solve a series of murders and might have been murders, while trying to get a wedding off without a hitch. I promise you tenured mystery readers, you won't even guess where this book is heading - and that's what makes it so much fun. If you love a mystery that also makes you laugh out loud, you're going to love this series. And the way it ends, well, I am eager for book 3.

This series is exceptional as an audio book as well - and the voice actor who does the narration is becoming one of my favorites. No matter what speed you are set at - you will hear every sarcastic tone and inflection of her line delivery, and she makes every single character in the cast distinct to listen to on 2.0 speed. I love a good narrator who I can speed up when the plot thickens - and this series is an example of how it should be done. She helps bring Eleanor and co to life and I honestly should just make this series an exclusive audio only series for myself going foward.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.
🎧: LOVED the narrator, she did a great job!

What a fun read with a fun group of characters! Eleanor is a likable main character and I got Finlay Donovan vibes from her. I had a clue about who the killer might be and was right… kind of. 😉

There was a lot going on with a somewhat large group of people to keep up with, but it wasn’t overwhelming and I was able to follow along pretty easily. I’d read more by this author!

Eleanor’s childhood best friend, Emma, is starring in the film adaptation of her book. And Emma is also marrying the actor who plays Conner, which is …awkward. Add to that, there are anonymous and vague death being sent, and it’s messy.

This book was as fun and chaotic as the first one. Most importantly, there are still footnotes.

Sometimes the book gets too chaotic, particularly with the third act reveals. It’s like Hercule Poirot with low executive functioning. Harper is still terrible, and I actually wish we had more Conner (I know!). But it’s a fun time.

3.5 ⭐️ Advanced Reader Review!

Author Eleanor Dash is having the first book in her best selling series adapted into a movie, starring her best friend Emma Wood. After filming wraps, Emma and her costar Fred Winters, a major movie star, shock everyone when they invite the cast and crew to their surprise wedding on an island off the coast of California. Nothing is going to ruin their perfect weekend, except a major storm. Oh and the possibility of somebody dying at the wedding.

My thoughts: I was SO excited for this release. I’ve had it on my radar for months. So I don’t know why I wasn’t as invested in this story. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Additionally, I thought that some of the connections between characters wasn’t fully explained well enough to make their actions make sense.

Elizabeth Evans knocked it out of the park with the narration! There’s quite a large cast of characters in this book. But she didn’t a fantastic job distinguishing characters and bringing them to life!

Overall, I liked the story. I thought it was entertaining and moved at a good pace. But I could have used more background on the connections between the characters. 3.5 stars.

Sequel to one of my favorite books! I’m sometimes hesitant to read sequels because I worry they won’t live up to the first but this one did not disappoint!!

I received an advance audiobook copy of No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack from netgalley.

This is book 2 on a series. To understand the characters and many other references, you definitely need to listen to (or read) book 1.

The narration is well done. Easy to follow.

This story is just as the first. Comedy, romance, and a murder mystery. You don't want to travel with this group, but you definitely want to read a out it.

Highly recommend!

No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding is the second mystery in The Vacation Mystery series. Eleanor Dash, murder mystery writer, is on Catalina Island to attend her best friend’s wedding, but when a murder seems to follow her everywhere Eleanor is putting on her sleuthing hat once again. Filming has just wrapped for the movie based on Eleanor’s book and the whole cast is in attendance at the wedding, but at least one of the wedding guests is up to no good. Will Eleanor be able to unravel the mystery that seems to be following her around before anyone gets hurt or will she end up right in the killers path?

I enjoyed the first book in this series and couldn’t wait to check this one out. I wasn’t disappointed! This book is filled with the same humor and fun of the last one with a twisty mystery thrown in. I enjoyed seeing a lot of these characters again and thought the new characters were great additions. The mystery pulled me in from the very beginning and had me guessing until the final reveal shocked me. This was a great, funny mystery ride and I can’t wait to see what comes next in this series. The semi cliffhanger at the end was great and leaves me wanting so much more.

I really wanted to love No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack. The premise is a total winner: a bestselling mystery author attending her best friend’s glamorous, storm-threatened island wedding, only to discover someone might not make it out alive? Yes, please. Throw in a Hollywood cast, a famous ex, and a setting straight out of a rom-com thriller mash-up? I was sold.

And honestly, the idea is great. I also had a lot of fun spotting all the Taylor Swift references woven throughout the story—they were clever and added a nice layer of personality.

But unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to the setup for me. Eleanor Dash, the narrator and protagonist, just didn’t work for me in the way I hoped. My biggest issue? The constant fourth-wall breaking. Eleanor has a habit of talking directly to the reader, inserting snarky or explanatory asides mid-scene. While I can see how this might be charming to some, I personally found it distracting and a little exhausting. It pulled me out of the moment every time and made it hard to stay immersed in the story.

Here’s the gist: Eleanor Dash is famous for her Vacation Mysteries series, and she’s attending her childhood best friend Emma Wood’s wedding to Fred Winters, a major movie star. Fred just happens to be playing Eleanor’s ex-boyfriend—and her series’ leading man—in the movie adaptation of her first book. After filming wraps, the whole cast and crew are invited to a picture-perfect wedding on Catalina Island. But when a threatening note appears (“Someone is going to die at the wedding”), Eleanor has to spring into detective mode yet again—storm or no storm—before the big day turns deadly.

I loved the bones of this story, but I wish the narrative voice had trusted the reader a little more and let the plot do the heavy lifting. This one just didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

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.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

This cozy mystery was such a fun read! It went at the perfect fast-pace and I was hooked almost the whole time!

The perspective of this story is so unique and I was really into it. The main character, Eleanor, talks directly to the reader! She even leaves footnotes full of her witty commentary.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and really enjoyed the narration. I was impressed with how the narrator handled the footnotes, she just included them seamlessly into the text, and it worked really well!

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 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 read and listen to this book and when I'm not reading the narrator's voice is in my head because she IS Eleanor Dash. She did a great job!

Book # 2 in the series!

So, this time around, Eleanor’s (Ellie’s) book is being turned into a movie… and she is there. And, she can’t believe that she has NO SAY in what they are doing to her book! 😮😂

But anyway, her best friend Emma (who is playing the female lead) is marrying Fred (the male lead) in real life. And Ellie is the maid of honor!

The wedding is a surprise, and happening just after filming finishes… on a nearby island. Of course, everything is going as planned (Not…At…All!!). And a huge tropical storm is heading right for them. But…. They can’t evacuate. The wedding has been planned! 😮😮😮

And, Emma gets a very suspicious note stating that someone is going to die at the wedding! Oh! What a surprise! 😳

So, Ellie is on it…trying to investigate the murder.
But, this is only just the beginning! There are A LOT of surprises and twists and turns that follow!!

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 4!

#NoOneWasSupposedToDieAtThisWedding by #CatherineMack and narrated nicely by #ElizabethEvans.

*** RELEASE DATE IS COMING SOON….5/13/25! So, look for it then!! ***

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

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What a fantastic second installment in the Vacation Murders series! I loved that the author gave a quick recap of book one—it made it so easy to jump back in. Eleanor’s continued habit of breaking the 4th wall is one of my favorite touches; it adds so much charm and humor to the mystery.

This time, we’re swept into a picture-perfect wedding weekend…until everything goes terribly wrong (because of course it does!). The setting is everything you want in a cozy murder mystery—complete with the stereotypical bad weather that seems to signal something sinister is afoot.

What really stood out to me were the twists and turns. I was kept guessing all the way to the very end, and I love when a mystery can surprise me like that.

I’m crossing my fingers that the ending means we’ll get more adventures with Eleanor soon—because I am definitely here for it!

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration. The narrator brought Eleanor’s voice and personality to life so well. Highly recommend this one if you’re in the mood for a fun, twisty whodunit!

TY to Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook!

Another hilarious installment in the Vacation Mysteries series arrives 5/13! I’m seriously kicking myself for not starting the series sooner. Unlike book one, I didn’t guess the culprit this time — and I doubt most readers will. It’s clever, twisty, and keeps you guessing right up to the end.

Perfect for fans of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and the Finlay Donovan series — just make sure you start with book one!

Audio: Elizabeth Evans does a great job with the narration. The author uses footnotes to break the fourth wall, which I wasn’t sure would translate well to audio, but EE nails it.