Thank you to the publisher for an ARC.

This one just fell flat for me. I really enjoyed The Chateau and was looking forward to this one.

However, 25% in the characters are awful. The plot holds my attention little and this is just not for me.

I must be in the minority because I completely disagree with a lot of the reviews on this book. I actually almost didn’t read it based on the reviews but I’m so glad I gave it a chance. I think if you go into thinking it’s going to be like an Agatha Christie novel you maybe disappointed. This is more a story lies, deception, and less a who dunit.

Rory is a disgraced reporter who is asked by a famous author to be her “main character”. As a thank you Rory is invited to a trip of a life time on the Orient Express. When she gets on the train she finds her best friend, brother and ex boyfriend also on the train. Soon everyone seems to have secrets and Rory must try to learn the truth before it’s too late.

This story had the right mix of mystery, betrayal, and, surprisingly, historical significance. Having family that also left Russia as a Jew it was a nice surprise to see the history integrated into the story.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

Thank you to Atria books, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was really looking forward to this read, but for me it was a case of a thriller with just too much going on. The multiple POV, mixed in with time lines going back and forth, and several different plot points (a murder, an affair, an adoption, a refusenik fleeing the Soviet Union) made it a bit of a confusing read. It just felt like the story was going too many different ways all at once.

At 200 pages in, it felt like the story really hadn’t picked up yet, it was just a lot of mundane basic story telling. I did enjoy the last 75ish pages of the book because the action picked up, answers were beginning to come, and things started making sense in the big picture.

The ending was satisfying but the entire novel just felt so far fetched. So many moving parts attributed to the final puzzle, that it was almost coming too rapidly to comprehend. It also felt like there should have been an epilogue to explain how things continued to go in the aftermath of all that happened, the ending just felt abrupt.

I will say the author did a great job educating the realities of life in the Soviet Union, and the antisemitism that Jewish people suffered there.

I do think many will enjoy this thriller, it just wasn’t one of my favorites.

When it comes to new authors i have not had the honor of reading I usually look at the synopsis and where it takes place. Growing up I had an infatuation with Agatha Christie and while it has been a few years since I read one of her novels I found this book to be very intriguing and reminiscent of Christie's novels. I enjoy reading about Italy and a good novel over many time periods. While I often figure out important factors of a mystery quickly into the books, Goldis was able to throw some curve balls at me that I did not see. I think this is an amazing Rainy weekend read and look forward to reading more novels by Goldis.

This was disappointing. Promoted as an homage to Agatha Christie but was really a convoluted family drama. The only relationship I saw to Agatha Christie was that it was set on the Orient Express. Told from multiple perspectives, none of which had distinct enough voices to tell them apart, I was constantly looking back to the beginning of the chapter to see who the current narrater was. I never really engaged with any of the characters and by the end didn't really care what happened to them. Sorry, I can't really recommend this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for an advanced reader copy

The description gave the book cool Agatha Christie vibes but unfortunately it didn’t deliver. It was really more about the immature actions of the characters than any kind of mystery. The shifting back and forth viewpoints were confusing and made the story hard to follow. Many may like this but it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

"A bestselling thriller author arranges a luxury train trip that is not what it appears to be in this electrifying modern homage to Agatha Christie from the author of the "tense and twisty" (Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author) The Chateau.

Reclusive, mysterious author Ginevra Ex is famous for her unusual approach to crafting her big bestselling thrillers: she hires real people and conducts intensive interviews, then fictionalizes them. Her latest main character, Rory, is thrilled when Ginevra presents her with an extravagant bonus - a lavish trip along Italy's Mediterranean coast on the famed, newly renovated Orient Express. But when Rory boards the train, she's stunned to discover that her brother, her best friend, and even her ex-fiancé are passengers, as well. All invited by Ginevra, all hiding secrets.

With each stop, from Cinque Terre to Rome to Positano, it becomes increasingly clear that Ginevra has masterminded the ultimate real life twisty plot with Rory as her main character. And as Ginevra's deceptions mount, and the lies and machinations of Rory's travel companions pile up, Rory begins to fear that her trip will culminate like one of Ginevra's books: with a murder or two. In the opulent compartments of the iconic train, Rory must untangle the shocking reasons why Ginevra wanted them all aboard - and to what deadly end.

Another stylish and compulsively readable mystery from Jaclyn Goldis, this is the perfect read for fans of Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley, and Paula Hawkins."

I mean, someone who stages their books in real life? I want to meet this demented (sadly fictional) author!

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

This one took me a little longer to get into it once I was in, really in the story -holy cow! The twists I definitely didn’t see coming has me mouth open and shocked. Rory is in for the ride of a lifetime on the Orient Express but will the truth be too much for her to handle. A tale of betrayal, family drama and so much more. A great read for any fan of thrillers and mysteries.

Rory is shocked when author Ginevra Ex surprises her with a luxurious gift in exchange for helping her with her latest book- a lavish train ride through the coast of Italy. The dream trip seems to good to be true, and when dark secrets are revealed and someone is murdered on board, Rory must figure out the truths that lie below the fiction.

This book gave me such Murder On The Orient Express vibes! A luxury train ride, no where to hide- what a fantastic premise. I really enjoyed that this story was told in multiple POV which allowed for a fresh take on the chapters. I liked getting into each character's head as each of them had their own secrets, and it definitely gave me more to wonder about regarding who was telling the truth. This was more than just a mystery- it had elements of family drama, self-discovery, history, and even a love story.

I would also be remiss not to highlight the importance of the Jewish history lesson Goldis gives in this book (based on her own grandparent's story)! There are so many stories like this that need to be told, and each of them profound and different. If you know a Jewish grandparent (and it doesn't have to be yours), please ask them for their story- you won't regret it!

Even though I didn't find the first half of the book terribly suspenseful- I was mostly just reading for the ride (pun intended)- the last 50 pages or so had me glued to my seat it was such a page turner and I was shocked by the big twist at the end. It had an emotional element to it as well which made it even more impactful.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for my arc/earc. For readers who like Agatha Christie, locked room mysteries, or have ever wanted to take a luxury trip by train.

A trip of the lifetime.

That is what Ginevra Ex wanted for Rory, Caroline, Nate, and Max.

She wanted them to experience a train trip through Italy and to bond with each other.

Her motive, though, was for them to read her book and to bring to light what she found out about each of them.

We also meet Gabriele - he is the person who brought them the manuscripts and says something chilling.

What he says is: one of you has to die in the book. But does Ginevra Ex mean to bring the things in her book to life?

But then the books disappeared after they left them on their chairs at the beach.

Who didn’t want anyone to know what is in the book and stole them?

THE MAIN CHARACTER has an interesting premise and beautiful writing, but I was lost most of the time even though I laughed at some of the things the MANY characters did.

It wasn't a book I was anxious to get back to. It was confusing and had too many characters to keep track of. 3/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Rory has recently been interviewed by a famous author with the purpose of being the inspiration for her new novel. Ginevra Ex gleans all of her main characters this way. Rory's been gifted a special trip on the Orient Express to wrap up her time with Ginevra, but unbenknowst to her, Ginevra has invited Rory's closest friends on the trip to accompany her: Max, her brother, Carolina, her best friend, and Nate, her recent ex-fiance. They've all been interviewed as well and are characters in the book as well. They've each been gifted a copy of the new book, but Ginevra seems to have included some secrets that are better kept out of the public eye. When all of the books go missing, everyone becomes suspicious. What are they trying to hide, and how far will they go to keep their secrets?

I found this book to be relatively entertaining, however I think there were some major plot holes that were left unaddressed. I like to have resolution to topics that are brought up several times, and it seems strange to me that something that was such a key character plot wasn't addressed. Also, the end really seemed like it was thrown together at the last minute. The last 20% of the book seemed like it wasn't thought out very well. It's a great idea for a novel, but I didn't care for the unbelievable ending.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this ebook!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Thank you so much to netgalley and Atria books for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to love this book. It is described as an ode to Agatha Christie and it is set on the Orient Express. A famous writer uses real people to model her main characters after. When a young woman is hired for this job, she is gifted this trip of a lifetime. However, things quickly go down hill.

This book did not work for me and I am so sad about it! I was sent this arc and I was so excited for it. I loved the train setting and the set up of this book. However, I did not like or connect with the characters. Everything felt very dramatic and unrealistic. I don't feel like there was much of a mystery in here, it was more just family drama.

I hope others love this one!

This was a hard one for me to get into. The characters are unlikable, but not in a super interesting way, and the dialogue felt off. However, I do think fans of Agatha Christie might like finding the similarities in this book to her work and the mystery aspect is always fun.

I LOVE me a book set in Italy for one thing. I also love the mix-in of historical fiction, I love the concept of the "main character" inspiration. This book had me eagerly turning the page to see what would happen next. Lovely. Now I'm dreaming of limoncello's on the coast.

This page-turner has so much to love: a reclusive author, gorgeous Italian scenery, the iconic Orient Express, and questionable motives. The characters are deliciously prickly, the settings are vividly rendered, and the plot deftly weaves fascinating details of Jewish and Ukrainian culture into the story. I cannot resist a group of well-drawn characters trapped together in potentially perilous circumstances, so it's a real treat for me. I also appreciate that the nods to Agatha Christie-esque are subtle — this isn't trying to be Miss Marple, and that's a good thing. Jaclyn Goldis builds character and suspense her way while winking at classics like Murder on the Orient Express. Thoroughly enjoyable.]

I enjoyed this! I really loved all the lush descriptions of the food, the scenery etc on the train and in Italy. I thought it would be a murder mystery and well, there were some mysteries going on, and someone did end up dead, but I wouldn’t strictly call it that. At first the whole family connection felt kiiind of contrived to me, but how it played out was interesting to me. I didn’t expect the historical aspect of it, but I liked that as well. I also didn’t guess who the bad guy(s) turned out to be but it ended up being very fitting and sad.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital ARC.

The Main Character was such a good book with such a unique premise. A famous Italian author interviews Rory to be the basis for the main character in her upcoming book. Rory’s loved ones are also interviewed and when Rory’s time spent with the author are over, the author books Rory a trip down the coast of Italy on the Orient Express with her brother, best friend, and ex-fiance as surprise guests. As the story progresses, we see not only how the groups lives and experiences and secrets are intertwined within the manuscript, but also how their stories stem from lives intertwined across generations and countries. I was enthralled by the story and the ending is incredible, shocking, tearjerking, and unforgettable. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect travel thriller!

The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis is a complex story of secrets revealed like layers of an onion, keeping the reader guessing up until the final twist at the end. Yet for me, it never quite captured my imagination, and I found it easy to put down and difficult to pick up again.
Given the premise, I was intrigued and really wanted to like the book. But the author never managed to make me care about the characters, who seemed to me to be immature and self-absorbed. All of their problems could have been avoided to some extent if they had just been open with each other, instead of keeping secrets.
The settings, where lavish, especially that of the Orient Express train, also fell flat for me. And the twist at the end is, in my opinion, a tad bit far fetched and difficult to believe, given the things revealed throughout the book.
The book is proficiently written, but falls short of the suspense it could have had. It's not one that will stick with me, which is a shame for such an interesting premise.
Thank you for the ARC of #TheMainCharacter to #NetGalley.