I wish I hadn't finished this book so quickly but I was so entranced in the story I couldn't put it down!
I had no idea what to expect from this book as I knew nothing about the author or the book itself, I had just liked the cover and the premise. WHAT A GOOD SURPRISE THIS BOOK WAS!!!!

If I could give it more stars I would... it was so well written, and I believe any woman in their late 20s or early 30s can relate to Poppy regardless of what you look like or where you come from. I cried many times while reading it, sometimes out of sadness, sometimes out of happiness but I truly loved this book for so many reasons. 5/5 stars.

- Poppy as a character had so much development throughout the plot.
- There was a lot of great advice especially from Margot & Sebastian, I've taken most of it and vowed to be better about loving myself.
- The slow-burn romance aspect was really cute as well.
- I love how feminist but in a positive way this book was.
- I've visited Nice & lived in Paris for many years and the little tidbits and imagery she provided through her words were very accurate, it made me feel like I was transported back to my time there.
- I want to be a writer myself, and I loved the tidbits of advice scattered throughout the book, the most important one is to just start regardless of if it's good or not.
- I could see the twist coming, but that's mostly cause I've watched hundreds of movies and read hundreds of books as well, but other people probably wouldn't have seen it coming so 10/10 for the surprise.

Would recommend if you're feeling low on morale, if you're lost, or if you just want to read a novel that will leave you feeling good about yourself and motivated in life.

Note: received a free ARC for an honest unbiased opinion.

All Poppy has ever wanted to be was a writer. The only one that has ever believed in her thought is her Aunt Margot, who she meets each February in secret. Her mom would be furious if she found out. She has finally decided to give up on her dreams when she finds out her Aunt has passes and left a very odd gift behind. A flight to France….someone will meet you when you land. With a push from her best friend, Poppy decides to take the plunge and head to France.

Oh man did I feel for Poppy and how she felt about her family relationship. Totally been there which made my heart hurt for her throughout the book. I hated how much Poppy doubted herself and her worth, but I also loved seeing her begin to believe in herself again. All the characters were so fantastic, I just wanted to visit and hang out with Caroline, Sebastian and Olly! This book also really made me want to head to France again!

This was a DNF for me. I loved the idea of Poppy's aunt pushing her in the right direction to chase her dreams, but the character's constant whining about student loans and hate for white men sort of put me off. Once I didn't really like the character, I didn't care about her story. I appear to be an outlier here, but that has a lot to do with feeling bombarded by the type of comments made in the book with reading being my escape from that. This seems to be well loved by many other readers.

Book: Main Character Energy
Author: Jamie Varon
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Park Row, for sending me an ARC. Let me start by saying that I didn’t think this was a bad book. It was just one of those middle-of-the-road books for me. I enjoyed it, but it did not make me want to go back to and keep reading.

In this one, we follow Poppy who is struggling to find herself. She is in her early thirties and feels like she had done nothing with her life. She wants to write thrillers but is stuck in a dead-end job. Her mother ridicules everything she does. To make matters worse, her brother is a best-selling author. She is compared to everyone and everything. She feels isolated and trapped. The only thing she has going for her is her yearly lunches with her aunt Margot. Margot and her mother don’t speak, so this has been something done in secret. When Margot passes away, she leaves Poppy a villa in France and its writing retreat. All Poppy has to do is go to France for six months, run the writing retreat, and finish a book. After that, the villa is hers to do whatever she wants.

This is a find-yourself book along with a bit of romance. Poppy is out to discover herself. Her entire life has been about her being the side character, the best friend, not the main role. She is full of doubt and has no faith in herself. She believes everything that she has been told her whole life. She is unhappy. She takes the plunge and goes to France. As it turns out, this is what she needs. She needs to get away from her family and from all of the doubt that was being put into her life. She put herself out there. It’s not always pretty, but she does change. She finds her voice. She becomes happy and her person. She builds herself and finds out just how strong she is. Now, I will admit that there were parts that were very cliché. I figured out the twist very early on and I couldn’t believe that the characters didn’t see it right away. I think there were bits of Poppy’s self-discovery journey that could have been done better. For example, the resolution with her mom felt weak and very unbelievable. Poppy’s mom has put her through so much pain and suffering and what we got did not feel all that real.

The whole ending of the story felt rushed to me. The build-up was great, but I came away from this book feeling disappointed by the ending. So much was revealed and resolved in the last little bit that it was almost jarring. I would have liked to have seen things fleshed out a little bit more. I would not have been against making the book longer to see this happen. For example, Poppy wants to be a writer. We get to see her give up, then go back, and finish a book. She wants to publish. Well, for something that has been a big part of the book, this felt rushed at the end. It was almost like an afterthought. I would have loved to see her go through the process of becoming published, not just finishing the book and getting an epilogue. I guess that what I am getting is I would have liked more from the ending.

I did like how Poppy and the other women at the retreat built each other up. So many books feature women tearing one another down. Why? Why do we do this to each other? Here we get a safe environment for women to work and do what they love without the fear of being judged or hated. They build bonds and want to help each other grow. I love seeing friendships in books. I am so happy that the author included this in the book. I also like the other friendships that Poppy develops along the way.

Overall, this was just an average book for me. I loved parts of it and not so much other parts.

This book comes out on September 5, 2023.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row for the ARC.
This was such a great read. Poppy is real and many can relate to her. She self-sabotages due to her perception of herself. We get to read about her journey and how she felt during her many experiences. I was constantly cheering her on. I read this in a couple of days and Jamie Varon will be an automatic author read for me.

Poppy is an aspiring writer who, like many in the world, thinks that her dreams will never come to fruition, that they are out of reach. When Margot, her lively, brave, and courageous aunt, passes away, she leads Poppy on a mysterious trip across the world. Poppy arrives in France and discovers that Margot owned a villa that operated as a writers retreat, and she left the villa to Poppy. Poppy, who always takes the safe route, is stuck with this villa and needs to decide what to do with it. She can sell it and pay off all of her student loans, or she can keep it and take on running the retreat. The only stipulation is that Poppy has to write a manuscript within 6 months to receive the villa inheritance.

This story isn't just a love story to writing or steamy and dreamy men, but a love story to one's self. With higher risk comes higher reward and Poppy shows us how much we should all believe in ourselves and go after our dreams. The proof lies in how much we root for her and hope that she makes the "right" decisions to keep the villa, write the book, and not be scared of falling in love. Now we just need to learn to cheer ourselves on the same way ❤️

Jamie knocked it out of the part with her debut novel, Main Character Energy. It's so rare that we get such a real character like Poppy, who self-sabotages due to her perception of herself. To go through her journey felt like so many experiences I've had in my life, and I felt myself constantly cheering her on. While yes, the book was predictable at times, the story and imagery was beautifully written. I can't wait for more novels from Jamie!

this one was really special. it touches upon so many issues that i really identify with (i.e feeling lost, jealousy of others success) and so much more. i'd love to see this transformed for TV- thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

For most of the book, Main Character Energy didn’t have a main character or the energy that I really wanted. Poppy strongly reminds me of someone I used to know that was constantly criticized by the people closest to her, that should have been building her up. The end result is a person wracked by insecurities that makes monumental decisions when in a low emotional state. Occasionally Poppy makes a choice to engage in life without worrying what other people think, and those are definitely the better moments of the book. The book also reads like a situation too good to be true. The aunt who gifts her writer’s villa in the south of France to her niece who’s always wanted to write? And the instant attraction to a man that was in her aunt’s orbit for years? I guess it’s almost necessary for the reader to want to browbeat the living daylights out of Poppy, because if she dove straight into her aunt’s legacy there’d be no plot line whatsoever. The ending does provide some satisfaction, as Poppy finally has it out with her mother and begins to see her older brother in a different light. I can’t say I love how the author chose to go with the relationship between Poppy and Oliver. It feels like Poppy isn’t aggressive enough in being accountable for her actions and lays the responsibility for possible reconciliation squarely on Oliver’s shoulders. This is definitely a beach read for those that are looking for something relatively light and fun. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story was slow to start but became interesting and easy to read. The parts set in the South of France were my favorite with an interesting mix of characters.

My first book by this author and I would definitely pick up others by her.

“I’ve realized that another person’s greatness takes nothing from my own. And that the bravest thing you can do is support people and celebrate their success with as much excitement as it deserves. It’s funny, the more you celebrate others, the more you celebrate yourself.”

Wow. I was completely enraptured by this story. I’ve followed Jamie Varon for awhile now and have always connected with her writing.

This novel is no different.

I loved watching Poppy truly come into her power and start living for the plot. Stepping into main character energy is something that so many women aspire to do throughout their life.

I loved seeing the journey of Poppy and her mother’s relationship as well. I think it’s one many people will connect to.

And that plot twist!? Amazing.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

Knowing that the author has written for Thought Catalog, this was perhaps a little meta, but enjoyable nonetheless! Parts felt like they came straight out of Greta Gerwig's Barbieland (in a good way), and other sections may have been a little predictable, but that's what you come to an escape read like this for.

I devoured this dreamy escape of a novel in a single day. The picturesque setting makes for a stunning backdrop to Poppy's story, which touches on themes of confidence, courage, and resilience. She's the kind of protagonist you root for right from the beginning, and her journey to trusting her own power makes for such a satisfying read. I loved getting to see how Poppy's inner growth affected an entire range of relationships—the ones she shares with her family, her swoony romance with Oliver, and especially the relationship she has with herself. There's so much to love (and relate to) in Poppy's complicated feelings about her work, and it's invigorating to see her push through feelings of inadequacy to stay true to her biggest dreams. I'll be recommending MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY to friends and fantasizing about a French escape for the foreseeable future.

@jamievaron debut fiction novel Main Character Energy was a delight. Thanks to @netgalley and @parkrowbooks for the advanced copy. It’s out on September 5, 2023.

Poppy Banks has always dreamed of being a writer, but after countless rejections (who else can relate? 🙋🏻‍♀️) she shelves her dreams of publishing a book and takes a job writing clickbait for Thought Buzz. The only thing keeping her going are her annual lunches with her awesome Aunt Margot who challenges her to “do it for the plot!” After Margot passes, she gives Poppy a trip to her villa in Southern France and the promise that if she can write a book in six months, the villa and the writer’s residency are hers. Seems simple, right? Less simple are overcoming decades of feeling inadequate, family drama and romances that threaten to have her stray from her course. What happens when Poppy decides to be the Main Character in her own life?

It’s a dazzling debut full of heart and an amazing message about the courage it takes to follow your dreams.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam: 🔥
Tropes: bad mom, writer’s block, cool setting

I enjoyed the voice of this book. Poppy is a very relatable character with her insecurities but eventual courage and strength. The story examines the themes of courage, fear, family relationships, grief, self-acceptance and love. The community that is developed in this book is amazing and the reader will find themselves wanting to create their own retreats of supporting women.

I’ve followed Jamie Varon on Instagram for a few years and have always resonated with her writing & perspective on life. I’ve been slowly making my way through her book, Radically Content and was very excited when she announced her first novel, Main Character Energy.

Poppy Banks isn’t living the life she’d dreamt of. Just before she’s about to leave her writing dreams behind, her Aunt Margot sends Poppy a ticket to France and a challenge to write a novel in 6 months at her writing retreat.

I think we’d all benefit from having an aunt Margot (and a Sebastian) in our lives - someone who doles out great advice, unconditional love, and pushes us to live the life of our dreams.

There were times when I found Poppy’s self doubt and reservations to be infuriating; As the reader I found myself daring her to be bold and take risks. But overall I enjoyed the light-hearted story and sweet themes within the book. I devoured the novel in a few short days and remained a Poppy cheerleader til the end.

This book made me want to travel to France.
And get back to writing.
And made me grateful for the love in my life.

“Do it for the plot”

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for a chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I connected with Poppy on so many levels, This was such an enjoyable novel that I couldn't help but tear right through it. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys general fiction, women's fiction, and even mysteries. I will be purchasing it for the library.

Reading “Main Character Energy” is like taking an amazing vacation to the South of France. Jamie Varon’s gorgeous descriptions of the food, the sights, the wine, the people will make you feel like you’re sitting on the patio of a lush villa, looking out at the sea.

When Poppy learns that her dear aunt Margot has passed away, she has already hit a low point in her life. To fulfill Margot’s last wish, she must take a trip to France. She decides to go, hoping to learn more about her mysterious aunt. Margot has set things up in advance to help Poppy realize her own potential but first, she will have to conquer her biggest fears and stop listening to her outer critics as well as her inner critic.

Main Character Energy is part uplifting pep talk, part luxurious travelogue and part romance… and ooh la la! Oliver is so swoony. He is sometimes gruff but underneath is a soft, romantic side.

With a host of lovely, enchanting characters and one sweet dog, Poppy is finally getting to be the main character in her own story.

Some content warnings:
-Poppy has a troubled relationship with her mother (who often resorts to fat-shaming Poppy)
-sibling competition and resentment
-there is an aggressive, non-consensual date scene

I would like to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an ARC.

I loved this book, and I loved Poppy. Poppy is a very relatable character. Her struggles and especially her familial issues really spoke to me. Poppy has a that she struggles with, and her journey really brings her to finding herself and learning to prioritize what she wants. Varon does a fantastic job at creating Poppy and her story. I would highly recommend this book to most readers. It is a fun read with great characterization and powerful messaging.

The French Riviera setting was lovely to read, especially now that it's getting very hot and steamy outside! I enjoyed the discussions of stilted creative life a lot, but unfortunately a lot of the rest of this novel felt a bit dry to me, particularly the romance. I also felt like the will-she-wont-she plot went on a bit too long. Overall a sweet read about what it really means to follow your dreams.