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Author Eleanor Dash goes on an Italian book tour with entourage and fans. Should be fun touring the Amalfi coast and eating great food, but it seems someone wants Eleanor and her ex boyfriend Connor dead.

This entertaining novel is well written and well narrated (I listened to the audiobook). Great characters, lots of twists and turns. Good locations and food throughout the novel. Why does someone want them dead and will they succeed? Have fun finding out.

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4.5 star!
Thank you Netgalley and Catherine Mack for the audiobook arc!

This book was so good! It was the perfect summertime murder mystery that will grab your attention completely.
The audiobook is so immersive, it's like talking to the person as they go through the book's events. I would definitely recommend picking this book up as an audiobook.

I love a book with realistic and complex characters especially when they each have flaws. I also really loved that although the book has a good amount of characters, it doesn't feel overwhelming or hard to keep track of them all.

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This is a fun, entertaining book. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great at all the different characters, easy to follow them all. She prompted all the chapters well read the story well.

Elenor is an author who’s about to write her tenth book, she wants to kill off the the main character Connor. They are on a book tour in Italy and people are ending up dead. Who’s killing them? Elenor is a great character, funny and easy going. The plot is fun and it’s a quick read. It’s well written, but the footnotes and play material is hard to get into while listening to the book, might be a better to read this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

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🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies
Catherine Mack

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I absolutely loved the unique format of this brilliant whodunit mystery thriller.

Best-selling author, Eleanor, is taking part in a book tour across the Amalfi Coast with her sister.
Arranged by the publicist, she soon finds out that there a few others attending the party alongside them and as ever, she was too distracted to read the itinerary.
Things get complicated when her ex boyfriend and book protagonist announces that someone is trying to kill him.

I don't really want to talk much about the plot as there's a lot going on and it's way easier to read this than explain.
There is so much going on that at times it's hard to keep up, but don't worry, the format of this will keep you upto date throughout.

With Eleanor narrating this almost as though it's her own plot notes, this really does immerse us into the bookish world and I really loved this.
We almost get an inside view into the planning, plotting and writing of a mystery novel whilst also seeing a behind the scenes life of author promotions too.

Along with all of that, we have our own (attempted) murder mystery to solve and we work through this with the help of our narrator and the clues which are laid as we read through the events of the book tour.

There were many suspects and I'm pretty sure I got the who fairly early on, but not only did I have no clue why, I also doubted my choice many times!
This also didn't spoil the journey one bit because as intriguing and tense as this was, there was such a fun vibe throughout making this hilarious in places too.

I loved the writing style and unique format and going off the epilogue, I'm really hoping that this may be the start of a great series - I'd definitely love to spend some more time in their company.




💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

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"Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" by Catherine Mack, narrated by Elizabeth Evans, was an absolute delight to listen to. Eleanor Dash, the famous author on a book tour in Italy with the intent of killing off her main character, finds herself in the midst of a real-life murder mystery when someone tries to kill the real Connor Smith. The present-tense perspective and casual writing style, complemented by Elizabeth Evans' excellent narration, made for an engaging and enjoyable audiobook experience.
From the moment we meet the unlikeable Connor, the plot twists and turns as Eleanor delves into the mystery surrounding his attempted murder. The unique storyline, filled with suspects and unexpected twists, kept me hooked from start to finish. I appreciated the humour and witty banter sprinkled throughout the book, making it a light and entertaining read.
The rich descriptions of Italian locations and insights into the culture added depth to the story, immersing the listener in the setting. Eleanor Dash, with her dysfunctional and chaotic personality, makes for a compelling protagonist as she navigates the complexities of the murder investigation and attempts to solve the mystery. The references to Agatha Christie, Goodreads, and the vibrant cast of suspects made for an engaging and enjoyable read.
Catherine Mack's intricate and well-plotted murder mystery is a refreshing addition to the genre, offering a blend of humour, suspense, and captivating storytelling.
"Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" is for fans of crime and mystery novels, especially those looking for a lighter and more humorous take on the genre. Choosing the audiobook format, with Elizabeth Evans' excellent narration, enhances the overall experience and brings the story to life in a captivating way.

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Every Time I Go On Vacation by Catherine Mack is a delightfully entertaining and humorous mystery novel, the first in The Vacation Mysteries series, which I both read and listened to on audio, just over 9 hours and 30 minutes long, marvellously narrated by Elizabeth Evans, who juggles the wide cast of different characters, the drama, and foot notes with aplomb, keeping me joyously engaged from beginning to end. There are beautiful rich and vivid descriptions of the Italian locations and the coast, along with insights into Italian culture. The reader gets deeply immersed in the narrative, what with the author using the handy device of having well known, best selling and established author, Eleanor Dash, speaking directly to the reader in the present tense.

The dysfunctional and chaotic Eleanor is on a 10 day book tour organised by her publisher on the Amalfi coast with quite the entourage that includes her sister, Harper, other authors, fans and stalker, Oliver, and the dislikeable con man Connor Smith, ex-lover and blackmailer. He is certainly no hero, but he has featured in her mystery series, and she is desperately trying to kill him off in a literary sense, but this proves not to be so easy! Her goal meets the muddying and mystifying waters of the real life harsh reality of someone actually trying to kill Connor, and is Eleanor herself facing dangers too? Eleanor turns sleuth in this mystery of twists and turns, with its references to Agatha Christie and Goodreads, and a vibrantly colourful large collection of suspects to look into.

Mack writes a intricate and well plotted murder mystery, with its fabulous locations, and an appealing protagonist in Eleanor Dash with her own brand of snark and wit, embarking on a career as sleuth. This has me greatly anticipating the next in the series! I can recommend this to readers of crime and mysteries, particularly those looking for a break from the intense and heavy darkness of the genre. I would urge readers to consider listening to the audio as the narrator is simply wonderful. Many thanks to the publisher for the ALC and the ARC.

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Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack. This book releases on 2 May 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley for my audio ARC.

What is interesting about this book is that Eleanor Dash, the main character, speaks directly to her reading audience.

She is a bestselling author of the Vacation series and has been forced to go on a book tour in Italy with her sister, a couple of other authors as well as a group of fans who won a trip to join her for 10 days in Italy.

It’s the 10th anniversary of her first book, When In Rome, and she is supposed to be finalising her latest in the Vacation series but she just wants to kill off the main character, Connor Smith. Connor Smith just happens to be a real person who the main character is based on and he is also on the trip.

Then Connor is really in trouble when someone tries to push him into a busy road in Rome. He narrowly escapes when a passerby pulls him back at the last second. But that is not the last of the attempts on his life, nor on others. Who is wanting to kill them? Does it have anything to do with why Connor is still in Eleanor’s life 10 years later, despite them not being a couple anymore? What hold does he have over Eleanor?

This is a cosy mystery with a stalker, book fans, an ex who arrives unexpectedly, and her sister is trying to tell her something important, but keeps stalling.

4 out of 5 stars
I have shared on Goodreads and Bookstagram under books.bubbles.beach but am unable to link here.

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This book had no problem hooking me from the very first chapter. It has a very interesting premise and has just the front cover and story description to draw me in!

I had absolutely no issue throwing myself into this book as it was so easy to loose yourself in it. It’s super addicting and hard to put down, with the audiobook helping me with my listening addiction! It was so well read and narrated, immersiveness was easy.

I was rooting for the main character immediately and it made it even more addicting and enjoyable. It’s a very easy 5 stars from me.

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This was a really enjoyable murder mystery that broke the 4th wall. I really loved the main character, the chatty vibe and the foot notes really added that bit extra. I had several theories through out (none of which were right) and I loved that the clues were pointed out in the footprints.

This really was like discovering a new age Miss Marple and I was so here for it .

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Bright, breezy and fun, with a snarky narrator, an engaging mystery, colourful characters, and delightful locations, this is an entertaining listen. Think Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum) meets Benjamin Stevenson (Everyone in my family has killed someone).

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I was suspicious of the guilty party as soon as they first appeared but Mack distracted me and had me spinning out more elaborate solutions. So, the reveal wasn't so much a thunderbolt as a confirmation of my original suspicion and my reaction was mostly "OK, so the characters were dumb".

There's a lot of the MC speaking to her readers, which is mostly fun but gets a bit excessive in places.

I could've done without the rekindled romance; it served the plot but did nothing to make me care more for the characters.

This was an ARC and while I might not buy the sequel, I'd definitely borrow it from the library.

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Author of a series of cosy crime novels, Eleanor Dash is fed up of her morally bankrupt ex who is blackmailing her. He’s the co-star of her series and the fans and her publishers love him. So how will they take it if Eleanor kills him? Not literally you understand, just in book form. But then life starts imitating art. With her notebook full of possible sticky endings as evidence is Eleanor going down for a crime she literally plotted?
Just when you think you’ve read every take on a cosy crime novel this book comes along. I listened to this audio book in two sittings - great narration - this book is an absolute joy! Yes, I may have guessed whodunnit, but it didn’t detract from a brilliantly cleverly written tale and the author did break the fourth wall and encourage us to solve the mystery? Setting the book on the Italian Amalfi Coast with armchair sightseeing and menu perusal was a delicious added bonus. I defy you not to want to head to the travel agents to book yourself a trip. In the meantime I’m off to MeanReads to post my review - IYKYK.

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Interesting plot, a murder mystery about a writer of murder mystery’s.
The characters were well developed and quite likeable. The setting was pretty perfect for the plot. I did enjoy this book, and I liked the voices the narrator used. She was pretty good at an English and American accent.

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Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies is the first book in The Vacation Mysteries series. In this book, bestselling author Eleanor Dash embarks on her book tour in Italy with one simple goal: to kill off her main character, Connor Smith. But when someone tries to kill the real Connor, Eleanor is pulled into a real-life murder mystery. With literary rivals, obsessed fans, and unexpected exes complicating matters, Eleanor must uncover the truth before it's too late.

I listened to the audiobook of this novel and it was a really easy listen. The book is told in Eleanor's first person, present tense perspective. Present tense isn't my favourite normally (in fact I normally moan about it) but it did actually work really well here because of the pace of this book and its pretty casual style, probably because of all the fourth wall breaking that happens and Eleanor's slightly messy personality. The narrator, Elizabeth Evans, did a great job of portraying this casual style, and she did a range of American and European accents to differentiate all the characters. There seems to be lots of footnotes in the book, which work for some people and not for others, but they were read out in the audiobook as if they were in the main text, so this didn't impact my enjoyment at all.

This was a really solid modern and funny murder mystery. As soon as we met Connor, I was looking forward to his murder as he was just so unlikeable (intentionally!). What follows is a unique mystery plot, with lots of suspects. I'm happy that I figured out most of the plot but that was probably just gut instinct and I loved seeing how the plot and all the twists developed. I loved the running jokes and the jokes about authors, publishers and readers and generally enjoyed the humour!

There are many teases to future books in the series dropped, and the Epilogue is a pretty direct lead in to the sequel. I will definitely choose the audiobook format for future books because it works so well with the tone/voice of Eleanor!

Disclaimer: I received an ALC from NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.

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