I really enjoyed reading this book. Love that the story takes place on a train and that it's set in Italy. I knew the story was an homage to Agatha Christie, but since I'm not too familiar with her books I only read this book as its own thing and still liked it.

Although the pacing was good overall, it was a little slow for me at times and there were parts I wanted to skim through to get to the more interesting parts (particularly when the characters had the same memories going through their minds more than once). I also felt like the characters' voices sounded too similar and there were a couple times where I had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to see whose point of view I was reading from. The last thing I wasn't a fan of was when the characters seemed to jump to conclusions about other characters without proper evidence and seemed a bit forced.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this story. I loved the characters' backstories and the idea of an author writing stories based on real people and putting them all on the same train to see what they would do. I normally see twists coming from miles away, but there were twists in this book that I did not see coming, and I'm always pleasantly surprised when that happens. I don't want to give anything away so I won't mention what the twists were, but I will say I was very satisfied with the ending.

Thank you so much to the publisher Atria Books for the ARC of this book.

The Main Character is a an entertaining and intriguing read that captures your attention and keeps your guessing .

The story is a take off on the infamous book Murder on The Orient Express so that alone keeps you interest invested to see how the story will go.

Rory is hired by the famous author Ginevra to tell her story and as Ginevra is known to do she then puts that story into a book.

Much to Rory's surprise on the train is her brother, ex-fiance, her best friend and a man she once dated.

All of them have secrets and secrets have a way of coming out.

Jaclyn Gold has cleverly plotted The Main Character and with red herrings, twists and turns I did not see that surprise ending coming.

The Main Character is well worth picking up and settling in for a good story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books Atria/Emily Bestler Books for a the privilege of reading and reviewing The Main Character.

1.5/5

After thoroughly enjoying The Château, I was very excited to check this one out but I'm sorry to say it didn't land for me at all.

The characters felt mostly one dimensional with first person dialogue/POVs that ended up clunky and inauthentic. The plot itself... confusing, complex but also repetitive with very little happening until the final few chapters.

The main character mentions about 693 times how her three day train ride was the longest ride of her life and I'm sorry to say that's definitely how I felt reading this, just didn't jive with it at all.

In spite of the fact I didn't care for it, I am incredibly thankful to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest (sorry) review.

I love going into a book not knowing what’s going to happen. That’s what I suggest for this book. The blurb mentions Agatha Christie, but it’s really better if you go in not expecting a Christie mystery. Even better if you go in totally blind. :)

I was really excited to read this one, but it ended up feeling a bit overwhelming and rushed.
Ginevra Ex is a famous mystery author, known for her unique style of storytelling. She finds real people to be her main character, interviews them and their friends and family, and then fictionalizes them. Her new story revolves around Rory. To celebrate the book, Ginevra puts Rory and some surprise guests on a luxury train vacation across the Italian coast. But once on board, secrets come out and things turn deadly.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the setting. I love how the story was on a train. I enjoyed going on the excursions with the guests and going to the dining cart to relax. I love a good isolated setting mystery, and the train definitely made the book more special.
The twist at the end was so good! I didn't see it coming, and it was a nice surprise. However, it felt rushed. The story also just ends, and I found Ginerva’s storyline to be a little unrealistic.
I felt like I was reading two books at once. Normally I'm ok with that and although I enjoyed both stories here, I felt a bit overwhelmed by having both of them there. The book felt very busy to me. Aside from the main story on the train, we also get an interesting glimpse at the history behind Jews living in Russia. I felt like I learned a little bit about history I didn't know.

When I started reading this novel, I presumed I would not like it in the least (I am not remotely an Agatha Christie fan), but I quickly got involved with this story. It is the tale of Rory (she is the main character of this novel about a novel) and the trip she, her brother Max, her life sister Caroline and her ex-fiancé Nate take on The Orient Express that has been funded by Generva the author. The plot, written simply, is genuinely complex and most everything is not what it appears to be. Perfect for a psychological thriller and a long weekend! Thanks to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC for an honest review.

The setting and premise of this one are really fun & entertaining enough as a domestic thriller type plot. However, I was hoping for a Christie-esque mystery which this did not delivery IMO - more family drama than whodunnit

Though this was billed as an homage to Murder on the Orient Express, the comparison is quite thin and, despite an interesting cast of characters, the mystery plot is weak and discombobulated. The luxury train setting doesn't gel at all with the tangled family drama Goldis weaves.

Two climactic moments are extremely abrupt with no denouement and there are oodles of loose threads left dangling, particularly in the way of secondary characters tossed into the periphery of a very different story than the one set up.

CW: losing a parent to Alzheimer's; lots of antisemitism

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I really wanted to love this book. As a classics fan I love a good retelling or “based on” but this left a lot to be desired. This book was so hard to get into. One minute I was totally interested in the plot and the next minute it felt like the book was dragging on and I was struggling to figure out why this scene was even relevant to the story. And the book constantly felt like it was building to something but the ending was just meh.

The characters were superficial and unlikable. Towards the end I didn’t really care who the victim/perpetrator was because none of them had any redeeming qualities.

Overall an okay book. It did take me some time to become interested in it.. I feel like it is a unique plot, however could have been delivered better.

I had been looking forward to a new book by this author since reading The Chateau, and I was not disappointed with The Main Character. The lush descriptions of the Orient Express and Italy's Mediterranean coast, combined with multiple tense mysteries including gasp worthy twists around every track, made for a superbly atmospheric read! This book felt deeper, more emotional, and very timely with its flashbacks to 1980"s Moscow and the Soviet Union's treatment of its Jewish citizens. This is an excellent read for lovers of mystery, thrillers and historical fiction.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for both arcs I was sent!

Thank you to Atria Books, NetGalley, and Jaclyn Goldis for the opportunity to review an amazing advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Who would not want to be immortalized in a book as a Main Character? Well, Rory may not be liking it after this dream trip aboard the famed Orient Express that reclusive author Generva Ex has treated her and her family and friends with. She is surprised to see not only her her brother and best friend but her ex-fiancé meet her at the train. Thankfully there is a very nice man that Genevra sent along to help with all the travel details and Rory is content to get to know him until she finds out that everyone gets an advance copy of the book she is in and everyone has secrets that they really don’t want people to know. When the books get stolen Rory starts to wonder what people are hiding that they don’t want the world to know? Very interesting and enjoyable characters, love the settings and really a fun read for the day.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for a complimentary copy of this novel!

Ginerva Ex is a mysterious author whom no one knows much about. She is well-known because she bases all her novels off real people she hires to do interviews of them and their families. She then writes fictional novels from those interviews. So when Rory gets offered to be the next main character, she is thrilled. She is also offered a trip on the Orient Express along the Italian Coast. But when she arrives aboard the train, she receives the surprise of her life! Already on board is her brother, Max; best friend, Caroline; and ex-fiancé, Nate. As part of Ginerva’s plot, they’ve all been invited. But not all is as it seems because they all harbor secrets of their own, including Ginerva! As they are visiting stops along the Italian Coast, Rory almost gets killed by a falling boulder. Who would want her dead? As the train slowly approaches its final destination, Rory tried to uncover why Ginerva orchestrated this entire trip. Four copies of Ginerva’s manuscript were handed out at the beginning of the train ride to Rory, Max, Carline, and Nate. Now all four copies have gone missing. And Rory didn’t finish reading it. Who took the manuscripts and why? What secrets did Ginerva reveal in her upcoming book that someone didn’t want getting out? But it’s not over yet, because before the train ride if finished, a death will occur.

For the most part, I enjoyed reading this novel. It was a cozy mystery and kept me wanting to find out what secrets Ginerva and the other characters were keeping. Although a death occurs in this novel, there is no actual murder mystery to solve. The only similarity to Agatha Christie was that a death took place on the Orient Express. This novel definitely does not compare to Agatha Christie’s writing. This novel is not a murder mystery per se. There is no actual murder to uncover. Whereas Agatha Christie’s novels have an actual who-dun-it murder mystery to solve.
This novel will be available for purchase May 21, 2024

US pub date: 5/21/24
Genre: mystery/thriller
Quick summary: Ginevra Ex writes about real people who she places in unexpected scenarios. Her latest main character, Rory, finds herself on a dream train trip with a not-so-dream cast, including her ex-fiance, her brother, her best friend, and all their secrets.

THE CHATEAU by Goldis is on my list of underrated books of 2023, so I was really excited to read THE MAIN CHARACTER. The blurb describes it as an homage to Agatha Christie, and it seems like every reviewer wants to complain that Goldis is not Christie. We get it, no one is - can we just review the book??

IMO this book is entertaining, twisty and fun. If you like books about unlikeable people with secrets, you'll probably enjoy it. Since I sadly have no immediate plans to take a train trip through Italy, I was happy to be a passenger on this ride! I loved that the twists kept coming and that everything still tied together at the end. Italy with a side of murder - exactly the kind of escape I needed after long days at work!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like comparing books to Agatha Christie is SUCH a double edged sword because sure, it draws readers in, but it also sets the bar SO high. And unfortunately this one missed it by a mile.

The Main Character starts off with a murder which is always a good way to start. We find out that famed author Ginevra Ex interviews different main characters for her book. Her newest main character is Rory. We then follow Rory as she’s rewarded a vacation on the Orient Express and confronted with her brother, best friend and ex and she has unfinished business with all of them.

I truly hate giving ARC reads negative reviews but this one missed the mark for me so much. Rory was truly insufferable. All of the characters were honestly. They seemed insanely immature for being mid 30s. I was truly bored throughout most of the book.

The first twist didn’t shock me or interest me. The twist at the end though was really good and I didn’t see it coming. It was definitely a satisfying and shocking twist.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I GUESS you can call this an homage to Agatha Christie and Murder on the Orient Express. That said, don't think that you will get any character development, or maturity from the characters. It's an overlong story that has been told time and time again, but by better writers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book .

The writing was easy to read and the story easy to get into at first. I felt like it took me a bit to finish this and felt unsatisfied at the ending. I felt everything was unbelievable and wanted to like the characters but they fell flat for me.

The characters in this novel vary in likeability—and I like that. The relationships are complex and evolving, and the same can be said for my feelings about them. I loved the concept, basing a novel's main character on a real person—and how the ramifications of that echoed throughout the story. And the overreaching mystery had depth, thanks to the historical details and beautiful settings.

4 stars!

I really liked this! I read this entire book while on vacation in a sunny location, and I think that really contributed to my excitement about this book. Historically, I love mysteries about authors, and then add in an isolated setting - I'm sold! I think where this shined was the tension between all of the characters - we knew everyone had secrets, and even though I could guess some secrets I didn't get all of them. I also really liked our main character, Rory, and thought it was fun and unique that Ginevra wrote her books by interviewing people and turning them into her characters.

Where this did fall apart for me was in the ending, unfortunately. I don't mind a bit of absurdity in a mystery-thriller but it was just a bit absurd and I wish she had done something a little different.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and I would definitely read more from Jaclyn Goldis in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

An engaging, twisty, Christie-esque mystery. I really enjoyed reading about a mystery author being pulled into one of her own.