3.5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. The Chateau was such a favorite of mine last year, however this story read more like a family drama than a mystery. I found almost all of the characters unlikable lol. I did like all the Agatha Christie nods and the twists but I feel like I still have unanswered questions at the end.

This eARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a slow-burn kind of psych thriller you can curl up with, trying to unravel things before the characters do. I really enjoyed the way the threads were woven together. A thoroughly engrossing, though slower-paced, psychological thriller. .

The premise of the book sounded fascinating but the book was entirely too long. Nothing really happens for the first half of the book and the characters are very unlikeable and cringey. The second half really picks up but I wish we’d spent more time on the ending and less on the beginning fluff. The ending felt so rushed and abrupt. I’m normally a big fan of endings that leave stuff up to interpretation, but this felt a little incomplete.
I’ve never been able to get into Agatha Christie so maybe the slow burn thrillers just aren’t for me.
I did enjoy the small bits of history we get to learn through the flashbacks and the writing was good. I’d be intrigued to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide my honest review.

If you're looking for something original, then <i>The Main Character</i> is for you. I picked this book because the premise was intriguing and I hadn't read anything like this before, I wanted an original story that could give me something different.

Rory is hired by an author to be a main character. This means she's the new muse of Ginevra Ex and Ginevra will spend time learning about Rory's life in order to turn her into a character in Ex's next novel. When the interviewing is complete, Ginevra books Rory aboard the Orient Express (yes, THAT Orient Express). While Rory thinks this will be a trip for just her, she is shocked to find that her brother, her best friend, and her ex are all aboard the train as well.

This twisty murder mystery slowly builds up the suspense while this group travels to places that I've only dreamed of, and everyone has secrets. I loved being able to explore these places with the group while also trying to figure out exactly what everyone is hiding. I didn't guess the end until right before it happened, which I loved, and the explanations for what went down definitely locked this novel in as a great read.

I highly recommend this novel, especially if you're traveling.

What an interesting concept! The book is about a reclusive author who uses real people as inspiration for the main characters in her novels. She spends months interviewing these people and their loved ones. Then takes their personalities and weaves mysteries out of them. At the end of this character’s time with the author, the author decides to send her, her brother, and two close friends on a train ride through Italy with prepaid adventures at each stop.

Can I be a main character?

While they are traveling, secrets are revealed and old hurts are confronted. The book was really good after the first chapter. Be prepared for multiple points of view and time jumping. However, I enjoyed it so much that I am already planning to read it again!

A famous, reclusive mystery writer invites a small group on the vacation of a lifetime aboard the Orient Express. She has interviewed one of the travelers and is basing her new novel on her ( the main character) and the interactive lives of this  foursome. They will get to read the preview of the book in transit. The revelations in the book lead to discoveries and dissent among the quartet.
    As we read, we learn that this wasn't a random selection of an interesting group of friends to write about, but a well planned disclosure of the relationship of the author to the group.  The association is doled out in small increments which allows the reader to speculate along the way.  
    The four characters consists of long time friends, siblings and past lovers. But by the end of the book we realize that they were none of these to each other.......deceit, fear and scandal all rock their relationships.
    The author has given us a fascinating observation into the relationship of siblings, adoption, Alzheimers and mental health.........a bevy topics that add to the development of the book's characters and storyline.
    A thriller to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Main Character is a fun Agatha Christie-esque thriller to read at the beach or beside the pool. I enjoyed being carried along by this story but felt that it ran out of steam toward the middle of the narrative. At the beginning of the book I felt that there was a lot of potential for the story but it never really reached the twists I hoped it would. That being said, this was an enjoyable and entertaining read.

Long winded, but I enjoyed it for the most part. Liked that it was told from 4 different POv’s. I enjoyed The Château better.

Firstly, thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a free ARC of The Main Character in exchange for my honest review. This one was fun!

The Main Character tells the tale of a world renowned author (Ginverva Ex) and the lavish train trip through Italy for her novel's newest main character (Rory). Everything is planned down to a T, but not everything goes according to Ms. Ex's itinerary.

I seem to be in the minority on this one compared to other reviews, but I quite enjoyed this one. I found Rory to be very likable and found myself rooting for her to uncover all of the mysteries surrounding her life. I enjoyed the idyllic Italian setting, as well. This book gave serious Agatha Christie Murder on the Orient Express vibes, too, which I really enjoyed (even though I'm not the biggest Christie fan 🙈). That being said I usually always enjoy when an author pays homage to a work of classic literature.

If you enjoy an atmospheric "who done it" then I don't think you'll be sorry for picking this one up. Although it was a slow burn at times (and I did find the ending to be a bit unsatisfying), overall I give this one 3.75. Rounded up to 4⭐️ (I'm feeling generous today 🙃).

DNF at 15%. I thought this was an interesting premise and love the setting of the Orient Express but this one wasn’t working for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

I made it 77% through this and still did not really care what happened. I was not invested in the story, nor any of the characters. This one qualifies as a ‘not for me’ book.

I don't need my books to be rooted in truth all of the time, but I do need them to well written to compensate for the utter inanity that some of these plots involve. This one was not it.

I enjoyed the setting, concept, and development of this story. I wish it would have been a little faster paced.

Ginevra Ex, a successful mystery writer, bases her stories on actual people. Her latest subject is Rory, who spent three months with Genevra in Rome, being interviewed and providing information on her family and friends. Recently unemployed and broken up with her fiancé the project comes at the perfect time. With their interviews completed, Genevra provides a three day luxury vacation aboard the Orient Express. She also has a surprise for Rory on the train. Her best friend Caroline, her brother Max and her ex-fiancé Nate are all in the bar car when she enters. There is tension between Rory and her brother, who has a volatile temper, she has not talked to Caroline for some time and Nate is pressuring her to get back together even though he is the one who left her. There are whispers and secrets that some are afraid will show up in the book. Genevra writes murder mysteries and one of her characters will die. Before the trip is over, revelations also lead to the death of someone in Rory’s circle.

Rory and Max were raised by their father, who now has Alzheimer’s. He left Russia with the help of two Italian sisters, one of whom he loved. As children, Max and Rory were always told the story of the duke who was rescued by sisters, one who was beautiful and one who was evil. As Rory discovers more of her family history she begins to suspect that she was chosen by Genevra because she has a connection to her father’s story. The murder and several surprising twists make this suspenseful tale from Jaclyn Goldis a real treat. I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this book.

I enjoyed the author's last book and was so excited to receive an ARC of this one, as the description sounded awesome. Unfortunately, I think my expectations were a bit too high! The Main Character was a twisty destination mystery that made me want to visit Italy again, but something about it just didn't work for me. The characters were all so annoying and deeply unlikeable that I didn't find myself rooting for any of them. The story was pretty slow moving and it took me a while to get everyone straight. The first ~60% was a bit of a slow burn to set everything up, but the second half flew by. I guessed a couple minor twists and I think there were some plot points that were unresolved, but this book was mostly enjoyable! I'd recommend it to any mystery lovers, as it was definitely less of a thriller than I anticipated.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy!

This book was not for me. I appreciate the publishers and netgalley giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was so excited for an Agatha Christie retelling. I mean, come on, The Orient Express was involved. But this was not executed well. I couldn’t stand any of the cast of characters and I couldn’t wait to get through it.

I really enjoyed this one! I love that it was a new age Murder on the Orient Express. It just felt very original and a great refresh- exactly what I was looking for! I’ve already recommended it to several people!

THE MAIN CHARACTER is one of those mystery novels that nails all the details. Goldis delivers a story with complex and layered characters while still maintaining the tension and forward-moving trajectory of the plot.

There is something so wonderful about setting a thriller on a train. I guess it could be brought back to my love of Agatha Christie’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Yet, I think there is something special about the setting of a train. You are confined in a space, but still in a state of movement. This allows the reader to have the experience of a locked room and atmospheric mystery at the same time. And this author uses everything she has at her disposal to make this book a compelling read.

With the twists, turns, and secrets bubbling to the surface, THE MAIN CHARACTER will not disappoint. The characters are nuanced and interesting in a way that comes across as real. They have flaws…oh do they have flaws, but this is what makes the story so good. Rory, Ginevra Ex, and the full cast leap to life as they are put on this train and in a way, forced to confront decisions made, deceptions hidden, and emotions just waiting to come out. If you love a suspenseful thriller propelled by its characters, this one is for you.

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. I was excited to read this one as I really enjoyed Jaclyn's other novel, but this one absolutely did not reach my expectations. I could not connect with any of the characters and none of the story lines. The scenery described was a plus for me, but I really had to drag myself through this one. I ended up giving it two stars because I did finish it. It is not something I would recommend to friends... just not for me.