I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book from the very first page!

Poppy is at a crossroads in her life and needing something good. Then her aunt dies and leaves her a chance to head up a writers residency in France and her confidence and resolve is put to the test.

While I always knew where this one was headed, I enjoyed rooting for Poppy to blossom. I appreciate that Poppy is an unconventional character and is part of an underrepresented group, I do wish her inner monologue didn't remind me she was fat and not confident a little less often.

Overall a heartwarming coming into one's best self novel.

A writer's residency in a gorgeous home in France? Sign me up! As the main character, Poppy, is writing on a fixed time frame, this is the perfect read during National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo!) Poppy is a Bridget Jones-esque MC, dealing with relatable issues such as body positivity, productivity, and creative insecurities. She's entertaining and witty, while still being a down-to-earth narrator that you root for. This novel is the ideal mix of fairytale situations (inheriting a beautiful home in the French Riviera out of nowhere) and realistic moments. I thoroughly enjoyed tagging along on Poppy's grand adventure of self discovery!

I love Jamie’s work but this book missed the mark. The story was cute and hit all the plot points you’d expect in a romcom but the writing fell flat. It was quite pedantic at times and took me out of the story.

Ever since Poppy was a little girl, all she has ever dreamed about is becoming a writer. However, for her life never quite turned out that way especially as her mum is always telling her that if she is thin and pretty - things will turn out great for her. She feels she has no encouragement and then on top of that her perfect older brother - Mr. Golden Child and great at everything Jake. Tried his hand at a romance and just like that, it became a bestseller and now he graces the top authors lists. One day, Poppy gets a message from her Aunt Margo - she has never heard her mother talk about her at all. The two had a falling out when they were younger and so every year, Margo and Poppy have a private lunch. This continues for years until one day Poppy discovers that Aunt Margo has passed away and is heartbroken. The next week, Poppy receives a strange package from Aunt Margo with a ticket to Paris and a set of instructions - very mysterious. Poppy decides to quit her job and then heads on an adventure to Paris where she learns about her aunt’s life and some family secrets. Meanwhile Poppy also learns her aunt ran an exclusive writing retreat for writers and she wants Poppy to inherit it. The catch though is that Poppy must stay there for six months and write her book. During the stay, Poppy meets the new batch of writers and finds her writing muse is back. She also falls in love and reignites her passion for writing, what happens though when a group of investors wants to buy the Villa and offer Poppy a lot of money? Will she end up taking the cash which could solve a lot of problems or will she find herself and boost that Main Character Energy and carry on her aunt’s legacy? Find out in Main Character Energy by Jamie Varon. As a budding writer myself, I did enjoy this book as it made me want to go on a writing retreat, I also would love to own a retreat like this too and a villa in France - sounds amazing.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy of this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

1 star for an interesting plot. I so disliked the main character that I had trouble finishing the book. I picked it up and put it down many times. Poppy is that person you hate to be around, bummed and bummer to be around. She miserable and makes everyone around her miserable too, there is one friend who's on the phone mostly. Most of the other characters are not fleshed out enough to be interesting, even the love interest is blah. The aunt, Margot was interesting until she died. They mystery wrapped in a mystery got old real quick. Poppy never pushed anyone for answers, she gave up when they said Margot wouldn't want them to answer. Geeze lady, show some real interest. The ending didn't appeal to me either. It seemed like the number of pages was up and the ending had to come together whether it was ready or not.
#Netgalley #ParkRowBooks #MainCharacterEnergy #JamieVaron #contemparyromance

Fun read!

Jamie Varon's Main Character Energy tackles the themes of being a woman, being a bigger-sized woman, and being a writer in such a beautiful way. As a mid-sized woman writer who has struggled both with my weight and my self-esteem my whole life, this book made me feel so seen. Even with such heavy topics, it was still a fun, heartwarming, and beautiful read. Varon writes the setting in a really lovely way. I felt the characters fell a little flat and much of the dialogue felt undisguisable between the multiple characters and some of the familial relationships felt unrealistic.

Main Character Energy feels very much like a debut novel, but I think that is the beauty of it. With a wonderful plot, important themes, and great writing around the setting MCE is a book that many need to read. It is a great start to a literary career and I can't wait to read what Jamie Varon does next.

This book was so inspiring and exciting to read! Great story in a great setting with great problems. I highly recommend and will be purchasing as a present!

I'll start by saying that overall, I did enjoy this book! I'd give it 3.5 if that was an option, because it wasn't bad or a waste of my time reading. It was enjoyable enough. The storyline was interesting and I liked the characters, with the exception of the main character Poppy. Her self sabotaging got old quick and while I appreciated her growth throughout the book, I felt like the storyline quickly became a bit of a cliché by including so many stereotypical "everyday woman struggles" (with wrapped up in a pretty bow endings). I get that it was written that way so women reading could see themselves in the main character, but I think it was a little too over the top in that regard. It has solid "quick beach read" vibes.

I was really excited when I got this approval, but to be honest it took a few different times to get into it, and even then, it was just lacking that extra oomph.

Delightful story!
absolutely loved the setting of the book.
That was probably my favorite part,

The characters were great!
It was a story of finding yourself and was an emotional ride.


thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC copy

I loved this story of Poppy, but I honestly did not like Poppy at the start of the book. She was so self-centered and throwing a big pity party for herself that it was a bit annoying; but she changes, and that was great to see. I liked the romance in the story and I particularly liked that Poppy was described as plus-size so she seems authentic and real, and her problems and self-doubt and self-pity seemed believable.

This is Varon’s debut novel, so I look forward to others in the future from her!

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!

Main Character Energy by Jamie Varnin is a wonderful representation of a plus sized woman trying to find herself and her journey to do so. I felt connected to Poppy and related to her imposter syndrome. I loved seeing her grow into a positive and confident woman. The setting was idyllic and I sure wouldn’t mind going to the south of France now! This read as a women’s fiction to me and stands out in that category.

One of my favorite books this year! This book was everything I needed at the moment. It gave me the courage to do things that scare me. Will be recommending this to all of my friends. Can't wait for more fiction novels from Jamie Varon!

This def reads more in women's lit than romance but the story is so delightful!

Plus now I want to go to Europe and discover myself and write a book and have steamy nights lol!

Worth reading more for the setting (idyllic chateau in the south of France) than for the story and characters. The relationship felt a bit forced, and the secondary characters were the ones I connected with rather than the lead.

This book was a slow start for me and I had to come back to it a few times, but once it really started to get going I was committed. Poppy is a great main character and her journey to find herself was emotional and real. The setting (Nice, France) became a character of its own and was the perfect backdrop for this story of a woman struggling to figure out what she wants and what she’s willing to do to get it. I’d definitely read what Varon writes next.

Main Character Energy is the feel good book of the summer. I rooted for Poppy as she struggled over and over again to move forward and have some positivity.
Way more thought provoking than the cover suggests. Highly enjoyed!!

Review Links to come.

Poppy Banks has always dreamed of being a published author. Instead she suffers from horrid writers block, and works dead end jobs to barely make ends meet. Once a year she goes out to lunch with her aunt who is estranged from the rest of her family, where she is encouraged to follow her dreams and live her life authentically. Her mother tears her down, and her older brother has everything she wish she could have. Poppy Banks is ready to give up on everything, when her aunt makes her promise if an opportunity presents itself Poppy needs to take it.

Shortly after their latest annual lunch Poppy is informed her aunt has passed away and left her a surprise in France. A villa, a secret writers retreat, and it can all be hers if she can finish a novel in 6 months. She battles self doubt, family drama, and even a guy who complicates everything.

This was so much fun, and a wonderful debut. I love reading about a plus sized main character, finding her voice and her space in the world. The setting was top tier, it made me yearn to visit France. I like the idea that the writing retreat was all about uplifting female, and nb voices. Some of the family drama was not well explored, but over all I had a great time.

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.