This one sadly didn’t do it for me. My biggest issue is that it was marketed as a thriller but read more so like a family drama with a dash of mystery. Sigh.

The setting is gorgeous, and I appreciate the nods to Agatha Christie! However, that comparison is always going to fuel high expectations. She was the Queen of Crime, after all. IMO there isn’t enough crime or mystery to hold up to the claim that this is a modern homage to Christie.

I also think there are one too many POVs. I get wanting to convey that everyone has something to hide, but a few times I had to flip back to remember whose chapter I was on; their voices kept blending together.

What I loved most: the many Ann Arbor references. So for that I’m grateful!

Ginevra Ex is a reclusive author, famous for the way that she hires real people and does in-depth interviews & investigations into their lives, then fictionalizes them as the main character in her novels. In this newest novel, Ginevra has hired Rory,, who recently lost her job as a news anchor, and is at odds with what direction she wants her life to go next. As a bonus, now that the novel is completed, Ginevra presents her with an all-expense-paid trip along Italy’s Mediterranean coast on the famed, newly renovated Orient Express. After Rory boards, she discovers that Ginevra also paid for her brother, her best friend, and her ex-fiancé as well. What Rory doesn't know is that they are all hiding secrets from her. With every stop, it becomes increasingly clear that Ginevra planned this trip as part of a twisty plot, and it is up to Rory, the main character, to figure out what that is.

The blurb on this book likened it to Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, but I didn't really get that from it. To me, it felt a lot like, Catherine Mack's novel "Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies", except this wasn't as humorous, The majority of the story took place outside of the train, on the various stops it made, and only at the end was there any real action that was on the train itself. The book was good, a bit slow at times, but overall a very enjoyable read that will keep the reader guessing.

The Main Character is a good homage to Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. I really liked the picturesque setting, the unique mystery set-up, and that each of the characters POVs were distinct. The ending was a little underwhelming and left a few loose ends.

To be honest, there were some things that were pretty obvious, but there were also a lot of things going on with each one of the characters, in the past and present. And, in the end, was incredible and satisfying story. Besides, the picturesque Italian landscapes are well described. Congrats to the author and thank you NetGalley for sending me this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a great time reading this book! It had strong mystery elements woven with great thriller elements that all played well together. I especially thought that all the twists were excellent, and I definitely didn’t see any of them coming! I thought some were kind of obvious at first, but then it took a turn that I didn’t expect. I truly love when a book does that!

The characters were all great, and I loved reading from each of their POVs. Figuring out what everyone’s secret(s) are and the lengths that they’ll go to in order to keep them from being revealed was super interesting to see. I also enjoyed how certain characters interacted with each other, and why they were nicer to some and cold to others. I appreciate reading about a group of people who don’t all get along.

One more thing I loved was all the Italian and Russian history that came up throughout this novel. I didn’t expect any of that, but it was a welcome treat. As someone who enjoys learning about another country’s history (especially its past), I truly enjoyed that! It also didn’t feel out of place; it all made sense with the book’s plot and characters. It never felt awkwardly thrown in.

The only issue I had with this book was the ending. While it was a solid ending and the climax was great, there were still some unanswered questions I had long after the last page. It wasn’t a bad ending- it just felt a tad undone, in my opinion. I really wished there had been one more chapter to tie up those loose ends.

This was still a solid mystery/thriller novel that I genuinely enjoyed. If you into that, I recommend it!

The Main Character had such a compelling blurb, a very promising plot - maybe a little TOO promising. Because while I was entertained, the grand reveal still left me feeling a little underwhelmed. It was certainly a little more subtle and subdued from The Chateau, but like the TC the author threw in antisemitism, infidelity, and the Holocaust. Unlike the TC, TMC took several pages from Agatha Christie’s book and the characters and plot are more tightly plotted and developed. And the descriptions of the scenery were a nice touch. But with how many other great thrillers are out there, I wouldn’t recommend reading this over all the others. It was entertaining but nothing I’d write home about.

Take a wild ride on the Orient Express through Italy. It will have you squealing in delight with all of the twists and turns in this one. Just a wonderful whodunit.

Main Character by Jacqueline Goldis is about Rory who months ago lost her job and her fiancé and one fell swoop luckily one of the most famous authors Generva X wanted to make Rory her next main character so for a few months Rory lived in Italy while Generva interviewed her for an upcoming book and it ended with a grand trip on the new Orient express in one of the grand‘s suites on the train Rory believes she’s taking the trip alone but when she goes to the bar car she sees her best friend her brother and her ex fiancé to top things off she also sees Gabriella he is there with his daughter Kira and he informs Rory he has copies of the upcoming book for her and her friends and an envelope she’s to open by herself. When she finally opens the envelope it has earth shattering news not only for her but those with her but she puts her best face forward and decides to deal with it at a later date. It’s hard to have a grand vacation when you have such devastating end in Rory‘s case sometimes debilitating news swimming in your head but like most great books things only get worse for poor Rory. She is not only confronted with lies she thinks her beloved father told her but also even more lies from her best friend an ex fiancé not to mention the ending finale. It is hard to give a good summary of this book and let you know about the twist without giving spoilers away more than just a who done it the book is more like wow I can’t believe they did that and I really thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to be honest and say I didn’t like the authors first book but now after reading this one I think I’m going to give it another chance because I truly enjoyed the main character and even though no one has mentioned it in their reviews… Do authors really find main characters like this? I mean that seems like a lot to go through when most riders I’m aware of just make up characters out of whole cloth and their own imagination. In any event this is a great book and when I truly enjoyed I thought the author did a fabulous job connecting all the dots and creating them. They do have talk about adoption xenophobia and I’m sure other things I’m forgetting. I want to thank atria/Emily Bessler books for my free art copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes I am blind and dictate my review.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster for advanced copy for honest review.

Happy Pub Day!

This is the second book of Jaclyn Goldis I've read. And just like her first book The Chateau, this book is very detailed in transporting you to the location. In this story we travel through the beautifully described Italian terrain. We are taken on a train ride as a retreat to write courtesy of Ginevra. Many points of view with this one, but the main character learns quickly this has been a set up because with each stop someone they are close with climbs aboard. IT'S A 4 STAR TICKET TO RIDE!

I was so excited to dive into ‘The Main Character’ because I love reading books about books, and I’m a sucker for mysteries. Mastering the many twists and turns that mysteries entail is a true skill, and I was ready to put on my detective hat once I started this one.

The story follows a woman named Rory, who has just boarded the Orient Express. Her 3-day vacay is courtesy of a famous writer named Ginevra Ex who has interviewed Rory to become the main character in her newest fictional thriller. However, when Rory boards the train, she is surprised to be met by a few people from her past, all plotted by mastermind Ginevra. Throughout the three day excursion, their secrets are all revealed —thanks to Ginevra’s book — and these secrets are eventually big enough to lead to an off-the-page murder.

While the first chapter of ‘The Main Character’ teases the big murder that takes place, the pacing mimics more of a complicated family drama as we wait for the actual murder to unfold in the last quarter of the book. The relationships between the characters and the secrets they are keeping from one another take center stage instead. While murder does eventually take place, this story felt like it falls into a family drama genre more so than a murder mystery (as implied by its Agatha Christie comparison and Orient Express setting) — so if you enjoy stories about dark family dynamics over suspenseful murder mysteries, this could be the book for you.

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The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis is an engaging, character-driven story.
I enjoyed the characters, the twists, the writing and how intriguing the story was.
A tightly plotted mystery with so many twisty angles.
Full of dizzying twists and turns that will keep readers riveted to its pages.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

First thank you to atria and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: giinevra is a famous author that hires real people and conducts extensive interviews and fictionalize their life story. Rory gets a trip abroad on a luxury train when her story is done. Will thus train ride end like her books do?

What I liked: the story premise was so unique buying a main character story. I also liked the nod to Agatha Christie with the luxury train ride. However I felt the pacing was off and moved too slow in some parts (middle) and went too fast in others(ending). There was also a story line involving her papa and his immigrant story that was very interesting. I have not read anything else by this author so maybe it was me.

3 stars.

After reading the synopsis, I instantly wanted to read this ASAP. This story sounded really intriguing but sadly, I felt like it took forever to get to the actual plot. I did the like the dynamic between all the characters but I just wished there was more plot, more thrill to the story. I also think this was supposed to be inspired by an Agatha Christie book and I just didn't see it.

Thank you Netgalley, Jaclyn Goldis, and Atria Books for the ebook!! A great and thrilling read that takes you into the heart and mind of an author! But what happens when the story flips and the author is no longer in control of the narrative?? I love how Jaclyn always ties in something that means so much to her. She really can weave a tale!

After losing her job, and getting dumped by her fiancé, Rory agrees to become Ginevra Ex’s main character. It’s how Ginevra writes her books…she digs into a persons life, and then builds the book around them. But Rory has nothing to hide so why not? The hundred grand doesn’t hurt either! When they finish their work together, Ginevra sends Rory on a lavish train trip as a thank you. What Rory didn’t expect, was to see her brother, her best friend, and her ex fiancé also on the train. As she reads the arc of the book, Rory feels like something is just not right.

This was such an intriguing idea for a book! I loved that Ginevra would choose a person and write her story around them and their life. It was obvious from the start that everyone here was hiding something, and I loved following along as Rory tried to piece together the lies. I aways love a book in a book, so that added to this story, though I wish we got to see a bit more of the final book! It was so interesting to see how each of the characters connected to the story in the end, and I truly enjoyed this book!

Ginevra Ex is a well known author living in Italy whose last book has not done well. Promising to fictionalize the story, she pays Rory, an American woman who has recently lost her job as a news anchor, to tell about her life. After their arrangement is done, she offers Rory an all expense paid trip on the luxurious Orient Express train through Italy. Rory's shocked to find that her best friend, her ex fiancé, an Italian man she dated, and her brother are all on the trip too, courtesy of Ginevra. What is Ginevra's motivation? We learn that each person has shocking secrets which will all be revealed by the end of the trip.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-arc.*

I am torn about this review because there were parts I so enjoyed, but things that I didn’t.This book started out with such an interesting premise, but it didn’t shine for me because it felt more historical fiction than thriller so I feel a bit tricked. There were some shocking twists, but you can tell the main focus and interest of the author is the post-WWII story and not the main character story. It felt like 2 book ideas merged into 1.

I think this will be enjoyable for anyone who goes in for a light thriller knowing it is more historical than an Orient-Express inspired story.

I liked:
🚂 the descriptions of the luxury of the orient express and the different travel locations
🔀There were some shocking twists
🌏 The past characters were intriguing

What didn’t work for ME:
🫓 PRESENT characters just didn’t feel like they had a lot of depth; more like each had a certain perspective and a few small facts and just kept spinning.
🤷🏼‍♀️There were 0 likable characters in this book.
📖There were still many things that were never explained or never came together, or the explanations seemed weak
🚂I would not compare this to an Agatha Christie novel.

For fans of Lucy Foley, Paula Hawkins, and Ruth Ware, The Main Character is a character-driven mystery filled with thrilling twists and a touch of dark intrigue. Even though this book had plenty of psychological suspense and plot twists, I found it rather difficult to stay engaged and keep reading. The characters felt like they blended together even with the multiple POV format. Additionally, I found that much of the plot was sacrificed in place of unnecessary details and drawn out descriptions or commentary.
Altogether, I’m not sure I’d recommend this book. It had parts that I enjoyed, such as the twists and turns, but I don’t think that was enough. I need a book that keeps me engaged and this one just didn’t do it for me.

The main character, Goldis’ follow-up to the chateau-is a modern day homage to murder on the orient express. A successful Mystery author has a unique set-up to create her stories-she follows real-life people and places them into situations that create good stories and turns them into fiction. Her newest main character-Rory-is shocked to discover that after participating as the main character in her newest novel, she is gifted with an elaborate Mediterranean trip on a luxury train. However, when she arrives she’s finds intimate people from her life with her on the trip, people she never knew were going-her best friend, her ex, her brother. Soon it becomes clear there are reasons for them all to be there and Rory tries to parse together what they all are hiding. Secrets are revealed, bodies pile up, and complicated family dynamics emerge during the trip.

I didn’t find this as much as a homage to murder on the orient express as more a homage to Christie herself and her mark on the genre. I think I was in the minority-I enjoyed the book through the first half and was really into it-the last half didn’t hold my attention as much and the ending didn’t do it for me! However, I still really enjoyed this and this would make a great beach or pool read this summer!

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

How do I know early on that a book will probably be 2 stars or less? When I find myself on goodreads looking for spoilers to find out what will happen and if the book is worth reading . I couldn’t find spoilers so I had to keep on going …

One of the things I do not like about ebooks is that I can’t easily flip to the end of the book 😂
It was pretty torturous trying to get to the end of this one but I did want to find out what happened
✔️ love the setting - The Orient Express & Italy - 💫
✔️ a unique concept ⭐️
✔️ a good start 💫

✖️pages and pages of being “told” stuff that just isn’t even relevant to the story for the most part … I’m a good slimmer but hey I could have almost skipped whole chapters 🤦‍♀️
✖️the ending and the story or the author was just way too much in the end - honestly couldn’t believe that ending 🤦‍♀️