No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding: A Novel (The Vacation Mysteries, 2)

Look. I adored the first book. I wanted to frame it, marry it, and maybe send it to Catalina Island for a honeymoon. But this sequel? This was like RSVPing “Yes” to a glamorous destination wedding and showing up to find the open bar is a cash-only lemonade stand and someone just died in the broom closet.



Eleanor Dash, our sarcastic mystery author-turned-vacation-sleuth, is back—this time at her best friend’s wedding, which is held on a storm-ravaged island because apparently nobody in this series has ever watched a horror movie. We’ve got Hollywood drama, romantic exes, vague death threats, and a murder that feels less "Agatha Christie twisty" and more "Scooby-Doo if the gang had Instagram followers."

Where the first book sparkled with wit, heart, and plot that snapped like a beachy thriller, this one… kind of wandered around the resort in flip-flops trying to remember where it left its mystery. I mean, sure, I love Eleanor and her trademark sass, but even she seemed a little tired. Like, “I’ve solved six murders this year and forgot to pack Advil” tired.

And can we talk about the murders? Because wow, they sure did technically happen. It just didn’t feel like the emotional gut-punch or tightly paced chaos I signed up for. The stakes felt weirdly low for a wedding where folks literally die. I needed drama, not a vaguely ominous game of Clue: Celebrity Edition.

Still, the writing’s clever, the banter is fun, and if you’re already on the Eleanor Dash train, you’ll enjoy the ride—even if this one feels more like a scenic detour than a thrill ride. Here’s hoping book three brings the heat, the mystery, and fewer destination events with a body count.

I won this audiobook in a giveaway from The StoryGraph, and while the premise had me hooked (a murder at a celebrity wedding on storm-trapped Catalina Island? Yes please!), the audio format made it a little too chaotic for me to follow. Between the whirlwind pace and the large cast of characters, I found myself constantly confused, especially since only one narrator was used. Multiple voice actors would have really helped here. This is the second book in a series, and it leans heavily on context from book one. I hadn’t read it, and it showed. I couldn’t remember the main character’s name half the time, even though I liked her vibe. Her best friend Emma, a movie star, is marrying her co-star Fred Winters, and the wedding is being held right after they wrap filming When In Rome, which was based on the main character’s novel. The whole thing had A Simple Favor energy (if you’ve seen the Netflix movie with Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, you’ll get the comparison). A murder happens, and while our author-turned-sleuth gets to the bottom of it, the wedding is filled with near-misses, more threats, and lots of Hollywood gossip. The isolated island setting due to the storm was a nice touch for building tension, but I truly could not tell you who died or who did it. The reveal was so fast in the last chapter and epilogue, I felt like I missed half the conclusion. All that said, the writing itself is clever and bubbly, with plenty of friendship drama, celebrity antics, and a light romance (fade-to-black). I’d read this author again, just with my eyes next time instead of my ears.