I was really interested in the premise of this book. I love thrillers that have a secluded location (in this case, a train). However, this book was very slow for me. It was fun reading to figure out the connection between Rory (the main character) and Ginevra (the author) all while exploring the relationships between Rory and her friends. Throughout the story, it continued to feel as though random things were happening that had little to do with the main plot. I was excited to finish it to see it all come together, but overall I wanted more from this one. It is definitely a fun concept and an interesting book!

This book's premise sounded incredibly exciting, but sadly it fell short of expectations. This novel deviates greatly from the premise; it's not like an Agatha Christie mystery, and there's no actual murder to solve. This book is okay; it's just not the story it's claimed to be.

The plot is somewhat unique if you overlook the passages that are blatantly lifted from Christie's novels. Both Ginevra's mystery and the concept of a contemporary Orient Express were interesting.

Although I must admit that I really liked the first half of this book, the second half took a different turn and felt a little disorganized.
There was just too much happening on at once. Chapter to chapter, the points of view also shifted, making it difficult for me to follow who was telling the story.

The Main Character's premise was intriguing, but until the final few pages, the plot didn't really take any exciting turns. In addition, a lot of questions remain unanswered and the ending is a little abrupt.

Even though I wasn't very impressed by this novel, it was still a passable read if you needed something to pass the time.

Overall a pretty solid thriller-i did not guess the twist! I would say this perhaps suffered from too many viewpoints-it’s multi POV (5 i believe) and my head was continuously spinning since all were in first person, I’d easily lose track of my narrator. Perhaps this would have been less annoying in paper book form! Ultimately this wasn’t the most exciting thriller I’d ever read-i wasn’t on the edge of my seat-but it was a solid “beach read” thriller!

After The Golden Spoon I was willing to give this author another try. Again, I think this fell flat. The premise was very promising and the first half of the book had me invested but again, the second half dragged on. The climax wasn’t anything to write home about.

A great mystery. Definitely Agatha Christie inspired and a lot of fun to read. I’d go into the plot, but it’s so twisty, I don’t know where to begin.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Toot toot! all aboard this murder mystery story with a feel of Agatha Christie sprinkled throughout. This was a well done story starting out with a murder of an unknown character. A basic and unrevealing summary of this book is that we follow a main character which a popular and famous author has gifted a train trip to. Our MC, Rory embarks on her dream trip to find that most of her near and dear family and friends were also invited. Slowly the secrets start to surface as the story moves along the itinerary, some shocking and maybe some expected but I will say all came together nicely! No spoilers here, so you'll have to read it for yourself.
Should be enjoyed by fans of Agatha Christie, MC Beaton, etc.

When people ask me for mystery/thriller recs, this going on top of the list! Love the nod to Murder on the Orient Express while still committing to telling an original story. I loved that each side character felt real and well developed.

Well, blah. I hate writing negative reviews because the author puts so much work into their book, but this one just wasn't for me. It included a trope I can't stand and an ending that was a bit predictable, the setting was great though!

This was a bit of a wild read and please never make me the main character of anything! There were some twists that I didn't see coming and I love that! This was my 1st book by Jaclyn Goldis but will not be my last!

The premise of this novel involves an author who uses real life individuals to create fictional characters and her most recent subject, Rory. As we read on we realize there is more to the author's relationship with Rory when she gifts her a magnificent 3 day trip on the re-imagined Orient Express after the novel is finished. Rory arrive to find her ex-fiance, her brother and best friend have also been invited on the trip as surprise, but all is not as it seems. Both the novel's version and the real-life of Rory find their lives are filled with deceit and lies from the people the should be ab;e to trust the most. This novel culminates in a shocking conclusion that you will not see coming.

he Main Character is a book with such a unique concept, that I was immediately captivated. Our Main Character of Main Character is an author named Ginevra Ex is unconventional, she uses the stories of real people to craft her stories. She hires main characters and interviews them about every aspect of their lives, giving her the details she needs to craft unforgettable stories. When Genevra hires ex journalist Rory, her generosity expands to taking her newest “main character” a trip on the Orient Express with her brother, best friend, and ex fiance. This cast of characters find themselves in tense situation after tense situation, leaving Genevra with a completely different story than expected.

It is interesting to read a book where the main character doesn't actually feel like the main character. Rory was clearly meant to be the main character, but despite having much fewer POV chapters, Genevra is clearly the driving force behind the flow of the story. She is the only character that felt fully fleshed out and three dimensional. Despite the wide cast of characters, Max, the brother, Nate, the ex fiance, and Caroline, the best friend, none of them were able to grab attention in the same way.

The secrets and betrayals that flowed between the group should have provided the book with delicious tension and a sense of urgency. Instead, the secrets fell flat after being hinted at for far too long without any answers. This also created a disjointed feeling between the plot itself and the characters. There were too many secrets and it was hard to judge what was actually important, and what was just filler.

The highlight of The Main Character was the fluidity between memories and the present. While the first memory was a bit jarring, once the flow was established, the memories provided huge amounts of context and helped to create a sense of tension that the secrets failed to provide.

Overall, Main Character and its Main Characters was a suitable read for anyone looking for an interesting mystery, but the chemistry and flow could leave some disappointed.

⅗ stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

The concept for this story is tantalizing but the execution was lacking, unfortunately. The build up was slow, so slow in fact that I had to DNF at 40%. The characters were unlikable (which could be the total point) but the events did not snatch my attention at all. Nothing kept me turning the pages, I felt like every back story, event, and conversation was way too drug out. This one just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and Jaclyn Goldis for the ARC. I couldn't get into it at all, and ended up DNF'ing it around 10%. 5 stars because I'm not a fan of historical mysteries-- so I shouldn't have requested it.

Reclusive author, Ginerva X, is famous for her unique approach to her writing - she conducts in-depth interviews with real people and then fictionalizes them. Her latest main character is Rory, an unemployed news anchor. To celebrate the release of Ginerva’s novel, Rory is rewarded with a luxury train trip through Italy. Of course secrets are revealed and mayhem ensues. I struggled to get into this one. All the characters are unlikeable. The upside was the Italian setting. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

I enjoyed the general concept of this book, but I think the biggest problem was that the blurb explaining the plot kept comparing it to Agatha Christie. Beyond Taking place on the Orient express and including a murder… The characters didn’t have the depth or complexity of any Christie novel. I felt like a lot of these secrets that were being hidden from the audience were unveiled rapidly, and without real reason which made the book get dragged out for a very extended period of time.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
All opinions expressed are my own

2.5/5 stars, rounded up

Thank you Emily Bestler Books for the advanced reading copy!

SYNOPSIS -- Ginevra Ex is a fantastic writer, but she's most well known for the unique way she approaches her thrillers: using real people as the inspiration for her main characters. Rory is thrilled to be her latest character and being afforded the opportunity to spend an extended time in Italy interviewing with Ginevra, especially as she's recently unemployed. As a bonus for the work, Ginevra sends Rory on a dream trip aboard the Orient Express, traveling along the coast of Italy. What she's less thrilled about, however, are the passengers: her brother, best friend and ex-fiancé. Realizing that Ginevra may have ulterior motives, Rory spends the next three days reading between the lines of every word her friends say and every word Ginevra has written, trying to figure out what they're all REALLY doing on this train.

Ugh I wanted to like this book so much more than I did! The plot sounded super good and just didn't deliver for me. While the suspense was built generally well, the pacing of the book felt a little bit odd and got boring for a while in the middle. All of the characters were pretty unlikeable and I wasn't really invested in any of their stories or dynamics. The twist at the end was unpredictable and definitely adding .5 star for me overall! That being said, I feel like there was a major loose end and the book was unexpectedly sad? I wasn't really satisfied by how things played out and just didn't love it overall. Great premise, lacking execution. I'd read more by Jaclyn Goldis in the future, because there's definitely great potential there!

I'm not sure if I'm just not in my thriller/mystery era or if I'm especially critical of books that are compared to Agatha Christie, but either way, this just wasn't for me. It fell short on the hopes that I had for it

I am a fan of Jaclyn Goldis. She writes interesting mysteries that are always at a slower pace. In the Main Character she takes her time delving into each character, their psyche, and their backstory. While the main story doesn't cover much detail, the book instead highlights the characters instead of drawing out a long plot line. It's an interesting and unique way of writing. I think The Main Character has an exciting setting, The Orient Express, and very deeply expressed characters. For those that enjoy books really let you get to know the characters I think the Main Character is for you.

The Main Character
⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Author: Jaclyn Goldis

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Reclusive, mysterious author Ginevra Ex is famous for her unusual approach to crafting her big bestselling 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 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.

My Thoughts: This was a mystery mixed with family domestic drama. Ginevra Ex is known for usual method of interviewing actual people for her thrillers. Her latest thriller endeavor is featuring Rory. She is thrilled when an added incentive is presented of a lavish trip to Italy. However, on the train, she discovers her brother, her best friend, and ex-fiancee are also passengers, all have been invited to this lavish trip by Ginevra. As the deception from Ginevra begins to accumulate, the lies and secrets from the passengers start to rack up as well looking more like one of Ginevra’s novels and Rory begins to worry what is the deadly endgame?

This novel has been compared to Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. While there are definite similarities, I think it stands on its own. Narrated by multiple characters and in dual timelines. The characters were realistic, however, most were unlikable. While some of the characters were interesting, they did not have distinct voices. From chapter to chapter, I got confused who was narrating. The characters needed their individual personalties more defined. Then one of them did a complete flip during a plot twist that was very left field. There are multiple characters and at times, it was hard to keep up with who was who. The characters were created with depth, mystery, secretive, and were intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, twisty, and compelling. The characters were slowly build up. The plot was a character driven plot, was still delved into twisty layers. The conclusion unexpected, but a bit rushed and abrupt, and was kind of open, you had to make some assumptions.

The premise was interesting and unique. However, the execution of the plot just fell a little short for me. Having said that, I still enjoyed the novel and would recommend to other readers.

This was and unique and interesting premise for a story. I found it somewhat confusing at the beginning but it quickly became very entertaining. The story is filled with a multitude of drama and deceit that doesn’t resolve itself until the very end. The scenery is exceptional as is the description of the train itself. Fans of Agatha Christie will find this a must read.