Ok wait dare I say it it’s like Agatha Christie with a touch of saw. I know those sound like they would never go together but it does. Sooo many mysteries and twists and I can’t imagine being stuck with all these people close to me only to figure out it’s a whole mystery at the same time. Who would you trust

I’m not used to this style of writing/plot type and was caught off guard as the story went on. I tried to give this story a chance, but I personally cannot get along with this plot. It’s perfect for fans of Agatha Christie

The Main Character
by Jaclyn Goldis
Pub Date: May 21, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Another stylish and compulsively readable mystery from Jaclyn Goldis, this is the perfect read for fans of Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley, and Paula Hawkins.
Jaclyn Goldis has been on my radar ever since her debut novel, The Chateau, was released last year. Once I saw this gorgeous cover, I knew that THE MAIN CHARACTER was a book that I needed to read.
This book has a great premise but it ultimately fell flat for me in the execution. I won't say that it's not worth a read because it isn't terrible and I'm sure lots of other readers will enjoy it more than I did, but definitely don't go into it expecting the genius of Christie's works.
3 stars

The concept of a Orient Express retelling was really fun, but this was incredibly slow moving and skimmable. I was considering DNFing around the 40% mark, but read other reviews saying there's a lot crammed in at the end, so I skimmed forward and finished the book from there. There was SO MUCH at the end. Like big revelation after big revelation, and I think if they had been better spread throughout the book, it would've been much more engaging. Overall the writing isn't bad and if you like a slow burn, I think this isn't a ~bad~ read, but it wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed this book! It had a great twist that I was not expecting! The setting and location was awesome and was a great addition to the book. Also, I LOVED how she took a real person and fictionalizing their real life to fit into what she was writing. The author did a great job creating the relationships and characters in the book. Great read.

Rory boards a train in Europe that has been paid for by an author whose writing a book with Rory as the main character. After months of interviews, Rory is excited to relax.

But the trip is anything but relaxing as 3 people are on board she wasn't anticipating seeing. With copies of the soon to be released book, the characters have secrets to hide from Rory.

Loved the story and overall premise of the book. There's a lot of character development in the beginning but once the story starts to really unfold I enjoyed it and couldn't wait to see what was next.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

Mystery, intrigue, history and a dash of Agatha Christie add up to an entertaining and page-turning read. This was my first Jaclyn Goldis book and definitely won't be my last. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I really liked The Chateau, but it is very possible that I like this book even more.

Based on the Preface (Prologue?), I thought for sure that I had this all figured out. And I was so wrong, but in the best way. This author is very clever and I hope that she keeps it up.

The setting is Italy, and the Orient Express, so she's getting extra points there.

I highly recommend this one if you like a good mystery.

What a cool premise for a book! A well known author gets to know REAL people and writes them into the plots of her mystery novels. This time, it's Rory, and after Rory has spent 3 months overseas in interviews with said author, the author thanks her with an all expense paid trip in Italy on a very fancy train. To her surprise, when she arrives, those closest to her are on said train, including her ex-boyfriend she is FINALLY getting over. This was a really fun setup, and I was excited to read. I did find this moved somewhat slow at at times, and I felt as though the author gave away some of the tension a bit too early--for example, they characters so easily assumed the author had something up her sleeve when they all saw each other on the train. Anyway, it was still good! Would recommend.

Loved this Homage to The Orient Express. I’d you are looking for a mystery and would enjoy a bit of historical fiction along the way, this is a book to be put on your TBR list!

This book was different from other thrillers I have read recently. The story definitely had some amazing un-guessable twists but at the same time, it also was touching, beautiful, and fun. The story follows Rory, who has been chosen as a "Main Character" for popular author Ginevra Ex. The author interviews her characters and then constructs a story around them, creating bestsellers out of peoples' lives. However, the story does not go as planned, and secrets long kept are revealed. The character building was amazing, as were all of the twists that even I, someone who reads thrillers and mysteries very frequently, did not guess at any point in the book. The book was a quick read, and I got attached to the characters to the point where I was not able to stop reading even when I wanted to. I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for something to break a book slump, or if you want something fast which you know will be well-done.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun trapped mystery that kept me guessing! The ending was wild. I would have loved more intense scenes throughout the story.

This is a good story with intriguing characters and lots of twists and turns. It has a little history lesson regarding Russian Jews which was interesting. The premise was a little far fetched with characters agreeing to this trip even though they each had something they were hiding. There were definitely red herrings, and a large cast of characters, with complex back stories, locked together - so the comparison to Agatha Christie rang true for me. This was quick read and interesting enough to keep me turning pages to finish. I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity to read this book - this did not impact my opinion.

The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis is a book about an author who chooses a person to become the “main character” of her books. She ran out of interesting things to write about in her own life and came up with a plan to use interesting things from other people’s lives as plots for her books.

The author chooses a news anchor, Rory, who had been fired from her job to be the topic of her latest book. She sends Rory on a luxury trip on the Orient Express. Unknown to Rory, the author also sends her brother, her best friend as well as her former fiancé on the train. This leads to some situations which make Rory the Main Character uncomfortable, to say the least.

The premise makes for an interesting and at times suspenseful read. Thanks to Netgalley for the prepublication copy to read and review.

Agatha Christie lovers can rejoice with this homage to Murder on the Orient Express that will make a splash just in time for summer.

I loved the mystery and characters, and I'm a sucker for any book or author that wants to write like Christie. This did not disappoint, and will be a great beach or poolside read.

This was such an interesting read and an homage to Murder on the Orient Express. Rory is the next main character Ginerva Ex picked for her latest murder mystery book and as a bonus Rory is treated to a 3-day train ride on the newly renovated Orient Express. When she gets on the train she is met with her ex-boyfriend Nate, her best friend Caroline and her brother Max also Ginervas lawyer is present who gives everyone an ARC of the new book for everyone to read. Unbeknownst to Rory everyone has secrets they are trying to keep under wraps which unravel as the train chugs along until disaster strikes and someone is dead. This was a very twisty mystery and while the ending was very abrupt it was still interesting even if it was not what I was expecting. This was a great fast read.

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

A nice light escape and a good beach. read. Nicely written. Good luck with the book and thanks for the opportunity to read.

Love love loved this one!!!!!!!! I’ve been looking forward to this book since I heard about its release date and this book did not disappoint!!!!! I absolutely highly recommend this one to every one!!!!

I had really high hopes for this book after reading the premise. Comparing the story to Agatha Christie really drew me in but unfortunately I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped for. Many of the characters were hard to like and the book seemed to drag on. I found myself bored with the story and just hoping it would hurry up in end. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review the ARC.

I enjoyed this book! I found the beginning slow while they introduced characters, but I was sucked in about halfway through and devoured it! I didn’t care too much for the flashbacks from Ginevra, but I understand how it was important to the story!