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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.
If you're looking for something original, then The Main Character 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.
If you're looking for something original, then The Main Character 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.
Genre: Fiction/Mystery Thriller
Rating: DNF
Ginevra Ex is a bestselling thriller author who hires real people to interview and fictionalize for her books. Her most recent “main character,” Rory, is thrilled when she’s gifted a bonus trip along Italy’s coast via the infamous Orient Express. However, this trip comes with strings attached— it includes her brother, her best friend, and two of her exes. Each of her bonus passengers are hiding secrets from her, and they all begin to unravel. Rory begins to wonder if this trip was given with ulterior motives.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jaclyn Goldis for an ARC copy of this book!
I was super excited for this one after reading Goldis’ other book, The Chateau. I had very high hopes for the premise— a thriller author using real people?? How intriguing! The possibilities! However, this one fell flat for me. I found myself disconnected from/disliking all of the characters, waiting for *something* to happen and grab my attention, and consistently wondering if it was over yet. I powered through about 80% before I decided to DNF. Besides disliking all of the characters and feeling like the storyline wasn’t progressing, I think this was also giving more Historical Fiction vibes (which I’ve discovered isn’t really my cup of tea) rather than the labeled mystery/thriller vibes.
Rating: DNF
Ginevra Ex is a bestselling thriller author who hires real people to interview and fictionalize for her books. Her most recent “main character,” Rory, is thrilled when she’s gifted a bonus trip along Italy’s coast via the infamous Orient Express. However, this trip comes with strings attached— it includes her brother, her best friend, and two of her exes. Each of her bonus passengers are hiding secrets from her, and they all begin to unravel. Rory begins to wonder if this trip was given with ulterior motives.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jaclyn Goldis for an ARC copy of this book!
I was super excited for this one after reading Goldis’ other book, The Chateau. I had very high hopes for the premise— a thriller author using real people?? How intriguing! The possibilities! However, this one fell flat for me. I found myself disconnected from/disliking all of the characters, waiting for *something* to happen and grab my attention, and consistently wondering if it was over yet. I powered through about 80% before I decided to DNF. Besides disliking all of the characters and feeling like the storyline wasn’t progressing, I think this was also giving more Historical Fiction vibes (which I’ve discovered isn’t really my cup of tea) rather than the labeled mystery/thriller vibes.
I had high hopes for this book, the story was good until it wasn't! The ending felt rush & some details of the storyline felt unnecessary, enjoyed it till I didn't.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jaclyn Goldis for this ARC.
This nod to Agatha Christie sadly fell flat for me. The premise sounded good, but unfortunately I found the characters to be boring and unlikeable.
Had this not been given to me for an early review, I likely would have DNF’d at ~35%. I am glad I pushed to finish the book; however, as a traditional reader of this story I doubt I would have carried on the the end.
2 ⭐️
This nod to Agatha Christie sadly fell flat for me. The premise sounded good, but unfortunately I found the characters to be boring and unlikeable.
Had this not been given to me for an early review, I likely would have DNF’d at ~35%. I am glad I pushed to finish the book; however, as a traditional reader of this story I doubt I would have carried on the the end.
2 ⭐️
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly… this book pissed me off.
Let me start by saying this book had such strong potential to be an amazing read. It felt like even after being handed so many keys to the castle, they still couldn’t get in. By the description alone, I really thought we were going to have a suspenseful thriller with bodies dropping left and right. And to add to that, the setting of the Orient Express—already a classic scene—set expectations even higher, only for them to be let down even further. I’m not sure what frustrated me more about this book: the lack of utilization in the setting, or the fact that nothing actually happens until about 80% into the read. Or maybe it was that the main character was so insufferable and so many of the choices made just did not add up.
This book centers around Rory, who has been offered the deal of a lifetime—or so you’d think. She’s chosen to be the main character for a famous mystery writer, Ginevra X. After all the interviews are complete, Ginevra offers Rory a trip of a lifetime to celebrate the advance reader copy of her book. But to Rory’s surprise, she’s not the only one on this adventure. When she boards the train, she’s shocked to see her brother, her childhood best friend, and her ex. I just wish we, as readers, felt as shocked as she did. Rory felt hyperbolic in ways that made it hard to really relate to her reactions. And while the book is told through multiple POVs, none of them seemed deep enough to allow readers to actually care.
There are also plot points that keep being hammered in to the point where I was like, “OK, we get it.” The brother is working on a cure. The dad has Alzheimer’s. Nate is her ex. And as if the repetition wasn’t enough, the slow, slow, slow burn of this book definitely blew out any flame I had for it. By the time we get to the big reveals, they almost bore you, and we don’t even see an attempt at the death happen until nearly the end of the book. But what really bothered me was that everyone on this train was interviewed for this book, yet they had secrets they didn’t want to get out. Like… huh? Make it make sense.
So, for me, this was beyond disappointing. I might recommend this to someone who likes familial drama, but I would not recommend it to anyone expecting a crazy, suspenseful, emotional thriller. Because thrill it did not.
Let me start by saying this book had such strong potential to be an amazing read. It felt like even after being handed so many keys to the castle, they still couldn’t get in. By the description alone, I really thought we were going to have a suspenseful thriller with bodies dropping left and right. And to add to that, the setting of the Orient Express—already a classic scene—set expectations even higher, only for them to be let down even further. I’m not sure what frustrated me more about this book: the lack of utilization in the setting, or the fact that nothing actually happens until about 80% into the read. Or maybe it was that the main character was so insufferable and so many of the choices made just did not add up.
This book centers around Rory, who has been offered the deal of a lifetime—or so you’d think. She’s chosen to be the main character for a famous mystery writer, Ginevra X. After all the interviews are complete, Ginevra offers Rory a trip of a lifetime to celebrate the advance reader copy of her book. But to Rory’s surprise, she’s not the only one on this adventure. When she boards the train, she’s shocked to see her brother, her childhood best friend, and her ex. I just wish we, as readers, felt as shocked as she did. Rory felt hyperbolic in ways that made it hard to really relate to her reactions. And while the book is told through multiple POVs, none of them seemed deep enough to allow readers to actually care.
There are also plot points that keep being hammered in to the point where I was like, “OK, we get it.” The brother is working on a cure. The dad has Alzheimer’s. Nate is her ex. And as if the repetition wasn’t enough, the slow, slow, slow burn of this book definitely blew out any flame I had for it. By the time we get to the big reveals, they almost bore you, and we don’t even see an attempt at the death happen until nearly the end of the book. But what really bothered me was that everyone on this train was interviewed for this book, yet they had secrets they didn’t want to get out. Like… huh? Make it make sense.
So, for me, this was beyond disappointing. I might recommend this to someone who likes familial drama, but I would not recommend it to anyone expecting a crazy, suspenseful, emotional thriller. Because thrill it did not.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Whoa, so twisty
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes