Happy Pub Day to @jaclyngoldis and The Main Character (my #1 mystery suspense /thriller of 2024)

This book was seriously so fun with so many moments where my jaw literally dropped and my mind kept guessing!

✨Bullet Pointed Mini Review:

🇮🇹Lux All-Expenses Paid Italian Trip
😩Strained relationships
🧐Twists and turns
👥Shady Caracters
⌨️Reclusive Disgraced Elderly Author
✨Multiple POVs
🎭Lots of D R A M A
🕰️Multiple Time Periods

Thank you to @atriabooks @atria thrillers for the review eARC and the gifted finished copy!!

#themaincharacter #jaclyngoldis #atriabooks #atriathrillers #AtriaPartner #thatbookbetchhh

So this book was definitely a trip…..it took me a while to get into this book and there were times when I just wanted it to end. There were little twists that kept you going along the way but I definitely started to get into it toward the end of the book when the action started taking place. Overall this book is about 3.5 stars and I liked the characters and the way the story built up but it took a lot for me to get into it and finish it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for this Advanced Readers Copy!

If you’re going to bill a book as modern Christie then it has to live up to it. The immaturity of the characters was unbelievable, and the drama did not help. The pacing was just not right, it didn’t hit those important marks when needed. I wish it was more thrilling because I love a good mindless thriller but sadly I just found it boring.

I loved this author’s first thriller novel, The Chateau so I wanted to love this book as well. The Main Character is inspired by Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express. It is well written and has some fantastic twists, especially towards the end. However, this book is not going to be for everyone. There are multiple narrators (5!) and two different storylines/time frames, which can make it a little confusing and hard to keep up with (especially if you typically read/listen to multiple books at the same time). Overall, the book was good, but in my opinion, not outstanding. I would recommend it if you enjoy complex stories that explore friend and family relationships that take place on an extravagant vacation.

Thank you @atriabooks for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Main Character is a fun, twisty, immersive ride. While it felt a bit more "mystery" than "thriller", I read it in just a couple of sittings and found it to be a great escapist read. A great choice for some casual summer reading!

I picked this one up and then put it down for about a month before coming back to it. The first chapter just didn't grab my attention at all with everything else going on. It picked up after that, though, and I finished it in a day. I was able to figure out a few of the solutions before the end, but also the end seemed kinda meh? The writing just lacked some conviction for me.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, all opinions are my own.

This murder mystery is prime escapist reading, especially for anyone who has dreamed of traveling the coast of Italy by train. With nods to Agatha Christie and plenty of picturesque scenery, there's a lot to like here for readers looking for a page-turner with summer travel vibes. Plus: a sub-plot set in the USSR in the 1980s, with historical details based on the author's own family's experiences, which I found fascinating. Regarding style, the writing is repetitive in places and leans heavily on metaphors which can feel trite. The story is told through the perspectives of multiple characters, although not equally and some characters are not fully fleshed out or carried through the entire book.

This book was a look into the world of the rich and famous lifestyle. The author describes each and every character in great detail. I had my own picture of how each one looked!! There are a lot of “colorful” characters and so many twists and turns as the story develops. I enjoyed it as I was able to “live in another world” as I read it.

The Main Character was such a fun read. I loved all its twists and turns I didn't see coming. I liked Rory and most of the other characters. If you enjoy atmospheric settings, you need this book on your shelf. This would be the ultimate beach read, but it would also be a great read for a rainy day or any day you want to escape to sunny Europe.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

The elements of this book should've come together to create an atmospheric mystery thriller with a satisfying conclusion, but somehow things didn't quite pull together in a way that felt authentic (at times I felt the hand of the author a bit too much in what characters were doing).

I am so sorry I tried really hard to love this! It had so much potential. Jaclyn truly writes beautifully and her words and meaning are artwork. However as a thriller it did not have enough wow factor or twists or turns to keep you invested. By over 50% the most crazy thing that had happened were the books bring stolen. The twists at the end were just kinda lame and I wasn’t caring anymore by the end. I’m so sorry!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I wouldn't categorize this as a thriller though and there are definitely mystery elements to it but it felt much more like a drama. There is a death that gets teased at the very beginning of the book but it doesn't happen until much much later. I was not expecting that twist at the end (it didn't feel like a twisty type of book) but it was needed but at the same time the ending felt abrupt. I get why it ended there but I wasn't a huge fan of how it ended.

The premise of the book is very interesting and I was happy to see that the characters weren't stuck on the train the entire time. I also love the idea of an author interviewing someone so in depth and turning them into the main character of their book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wild (train) ride of a book. The concept was unique and the story was heavily character driven. There were so many mysteries to unravel as the story went on and I was left with a sense of closure at the end that I desperately needed after all the unanswered questions that were posed throughout the book! I also really appreciated the Agatha Christie vibes and the travel theme. This book is a perfect summer read!

HE MAIN CHARACTER
Jaclyn Goldis

Are you THE MAIN CHARACTER in your life?

Invited on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, a leisurely train ride across Italy with planned idyllic stops, and promised relaxation amidst the ultimate in luxury land travel on the revamped ORIENT EXPRESS, Rory cannot wait. She wants to be THE MAIN CHARACTER in her life, and she thinks this trip is the beginning of being just that.

She’s looking forward to sipping tea window side, people watching, and maybe losing herself somewhere between the pages of a great book.

But when she shows up it is obvious that someone has something else in mind entirely. Shortly after her arrival other passengers, and familiar passengers start to arrive. Her brother, ex-fiancé, and best friend. Something is underfoot, and we follow along as Rory figures out exactly what that is.

THE MAIN CHARACTER was straightforward, and I can’t imagine it’s going to surprise many readers. The storyline is used without enough of a deviation from the original to be warranted.

The writing is not inspiring and combined with a storyline most people know well (considering the famous novel and several following adaptations) it just didn’t work. Without plot or language, there isn’t much left except for THE MAIN CHARACTER by Jaclyn Goldis.

Thanks to Netgalley, Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advanced copy!

THE MAIN CHARACTER…⭐⭐

The Main Character is a gorgeously crafted homage to the Queen of Whodunnits, Ms. Agatha Christie, and is so robustly entertaining and engaging that it defies you to stop reading once you start.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story - while I’m a sucker for an excellent whodunnit, I really appreciate when it comes with a beautiful setting and interesting characters which @jaclyngoldis served up on a silver platter. The added element of flashbacks to Soviet Russia in the 80’s was brilliantly woven in, and I truly loved the moving character POV’s each chapter which kept me on my toes as clues were revealed. Everything about this story is pure satisfaction, and that is exactly the sort of book I love to get lost in.

Truly a perfect pick for summer TBR’s for those who love a little mystery, a little family drama and a lot of twists and turns along the way. Don’t miss this one, it’s a must have.

Many thanks to @atriabooks for the copy and to @jaclyngoldis for making me want to book a trip to Italy, stat.

The premise of "The Main Character" is what initially peaked my interest but I had a really hard time getting into this story.

I think that it will do well with it's intended audience and I look forward to checking out more releases in the future.

Thank you to the Jaclyn Goldis, Atria and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the concept of this book! It was really intriguing to have an author that makes an actual person the main character in their own story with all types of twists and turns added in. The backdrop of the orient express fit the story perfectly and the characters were well developed and complex. I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes mysteries and familial drama!

Rory has agreed to be the newest main character in author Geneva Ex’s book, an author who interviews real people and puts them in her stories. As a reward, Ginerva has sent Rory on a trip on the Orient Express, as well as some people from her life Rory did not expect to see. With secrets spilled and tension rising, Rory senses something is about to happen, though she doesn’t yet know what.

This was a good book, but not, for me, great. The characters are distinctive and each have a deeply personal stake in what is going on. There is an overarching mystery that is very intriguing. The descriptions of Italy are beautiful as well.

Where the book falls apart to me is the ending. Things seem to come out of left field, and characters suddenly seem wildly out of character. It’s a great premise, and the writing style is very good, but the plot just doesn’t work for me in the end.

The premise of this book was unresistable and it didn't disappoint. I read it as a homage to Murder on the Orient Express and loved every minute. I don't think there's been a book in my TBR list that I was as excited for as I was for this title and I'm so glad I saved it for a time when I could read it in one sitting.

Thank you Atria for The Main Character, I really found myself engaged with a lot of the mystery of this story, I love a story that gives locked room vibes, a mysterious puppet master behind the scenes feeling, and add in a train setting and a book within a book/author theme... I am sold. I though Goldis offers a fun homage to these themes and Christie's Oriental Express while still being it's own story. I was hooked on the idea of a popular and powerful writer developing her stories through the lived experiences and interactions she has with a person/people she selects, it gave me an immediate sense of unease but also intrigue in the story.
What worked a little less for me were the multiple POVs, esp at the start of the story, as I had trouble getting to know each character, getting into the pace and rhythm of the story was a struggle as I tend to like to have a little more time to get into the story, to get to know the main character (pun intended) but overall this was a fun, escapist mystery, perfect for a train ride or an airport read during your summer travels!