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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
Worth reading, but don't go in expecting Agatha Christie.
Authors hire main characters? New to me, and in the book appropriately title, Genevra Ex has done exactly that. 26 times. 26 Main Characters. Genevra will go to any lengths to reesearch those who become her chosen ones. And then she can practice veritas, spinning truth from fiction. As a mostly successful author, her last book has bombed. Meanwhile, Genevra has orchestrated a three-month trip on the famed Orient Express for Rory, who is her latest main characters. Rory soon learns she is not on the trip alone, as she will be riding along her friends and her brother. However, it is Rory alone who will be enjoying decadent accommodations. Being one of Genevra’s main characters does not come without cost. In fact, it comes with dire consequences.
Excellent premise, to be sure. However, the execution fell short of my expectations. I admittedly struggled through this book, and it nearly reached the point of abandonment on several occasions. Maybe it was the storyline. Maybe it was the characters. As a diehard fan of Murder on the Orient Express, I was excited to imagine such a murder mystery, but that didn’t happen. Furthermore, the characters failed to evoke any emotional connection, making it difficult for me to remain engaged with the narrative.
Many thanks to and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Excellent premise, to be sure. However, the execution fell short of my expectations. I admittedly struggled through this book, and it nearly reached the point of abandonment on several occasions. Maybe it was the storyline. Maybe it was the characters. As a diehard fan of Murder on the Orient Express, I was excited to imagine such a murder mystery, but that didn’t happen. Furthermore, the characters failed to evoke any emotional connection, making it difficult for me to remain engaged with the narrative.
Many thanks to and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was a twisty thriller but I think there were a few too many twists for me. I really enjoyed the first half to three quarters of the book but it got to be too much for me at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Moderate: Dementia
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot twist after plot twist after plot twist!
I loved how Ginevra based all of her books after real people she met! Can you imagine being able to brag that one of the top authors chose to write about you? The flashbacks were perfectly placed, giving us enough info to collect over time as the plot built up.
Rory, the latest of Ginevra’s muses, is so excited when the author presents her with a trip across Italy on the Orient Express! To her chagrin, however, she’s greeted by some familiar faces: her older brother, Max, who is researching a cure for Alzheimer’s. Her best friend Caroline, who works on Max’s sales team, and Her ex fiancé, Nate, who she hasn’t wanted to see since the breakup. Each of her friends are hiding secrets of their own….quite possibly written on the pages of the early copies waiting for them on the train.
As secrets get closer and closer to coming out, there might be a real murder mystery on their hands- and Rory needs to put a stop to it.
I loved how Ginevra based all of her books after real people she met! Can you imagine being able to brag that one of the top authors chose to write about you? The flashbacks were perfectly placed, giving us enough info to collect over time as the plot built up.
Rory, the latest of Ginevra’s muses, is so excited when the author presents her with a trip across Italy on the Orient Express! To her chagrin, however, she’s greeted by some familiar faces: her older brother, Max, who is researching a cure for Alzheimer’s. Her best friend Caroline, who works on Max’s sales team, and Her ex fiancé, Nate, who she hasn’t wanted to see since the breakup. Each of her friends are hiding secrets of their own….quite possibly written on the pages of the early copies waiting for them on the train.
As secrets get closer and closer to coming out, there might be a real murder mystery on their hands- and Rory needs to put a stop to it.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Atria Books, Emily Bestler Books @AtriaBooks @AtriaThrillers and Netgalley @Netgalley for the e-arc. All thoughts are my own.
Author Ginevra Ex is famous for her unusual approach to writing thrillers. She hires people to conduct interviews and fictionalizes them. Rory is her latest character, and Ginevra presents her with the opportunity to take a lavish trip along Italy’s Mediterranean coast.
As she rides along, at each stop, it becomes increasingly clear that Ginevra has planted some mysterious twists along the way and its up to Rory to untangle things before it gets too deadly.
This wasn’t a bad book, but this wasn’t exactly my favorite read either. I really didn’t like any of the characters, and I couldn’t find anything to relate to, or even root for them. They were written in such a way that it just felt that they were bland and lacked depth as well as emotion. I also found that they were very similar, so similar in fact that it was hard to distinguish whose point of view it was supposed to be each chapter. It got confusing and I tend to get annoyed when I spend too much time confused when reading. Once I finally got into the story around the halfway mark, it felt that one of the characters shifted and left me confused and this time angry, yet again. When I finally made it to the end, which honestly I am asking myself why, it just ended. Over. Done. The end. What? Things were left wide open in a very unsatisfying way.
So many things about this book just left me unsatisfied, but hey it does have a really pretty cover and I’ve bought books for less.
Author Ginevra Ex is famous for her unusual approach to writing thrillers. She hires people to conduct interviews and fictionalizes them. Rory is her latest character, and Ginevra presents her with the opportunity to take a lavish trip along Italy’s Mediterranean coast.
As she rides along, at each stop, it becomes increasingly clear that Ginevra has planted some mysterious twists along the way and its up to Rory to untangle things before it gets too deadly.
This wasn’t a bad book, but this wasn’t exactly my favorite read either. I really didn’t like any of the characters, and I couldn’t find anything to relate to, or even root for them. They were written in such a way that it just felt that they were bland and lacked depth as well as emotion. I also found that they were very similar, so similar in fact that it was hard to distinguish whose point of view it was supposed to be each chapter. It got confusing and I tend to get annoyed when I spend too much time confused when reading. Once I finally got into the story around the halfway mark, it felt that one of the characters shifted and left me confused and this time angry, yet again. When I finally made it to the end, which honestly I am asking myself why, it just ended. Over. Done. The end. What? Things were left wide open in a very unsatisfying way.
So many things about this book just left me unsatisfied, but hey it does have a really pretty cover and I’ve bought books for less.
The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis is a riveting time slip mystery loaded with family (and other) drama and unexpected twists and turns. It took awhile to get immersed but slow burns and character-driven stories are my thing so after pulling me in, it didn't loosen its grip.
Ginevra was a best selling author who created her characters after interviewing real people which gave her writing a realistic slant. She gifted one of her newest characters, Rory, a luxurious trip on the sumptuous Orient Express (a personal dream of mine). As Rory began to settle into her lovely surroundings, she shockingly discovered people from her past on board, people she knew extremely well. While the train made stops at wonderful locales, mysteries deepened and skeletons in closets were exposed.
The Italian Mediterranean setting drew me in as I live on the Mediterranean part time and adore the traditions, culture, food, slow pace of life and atmosphere which the author beautifully describes. Though not besotted with the characters, the cunning plot and originality made me smile. However, this book did not remind me of Agatha Christie as touted so I enjoyed it for what it was without certain expectations.
My sincere thank you for the digital ARC which was provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ginevra was a best selling author who created her characters after interviewing real people which gave her writing a realistic slant. She gifted one of her newest characters, Rory, a luxurious trip on the sumptuous Orient Express (a personal dream of mine). As Rory began to settle into her lovely surroundings, she shockingly discovered people from her past on board, people she knew extremely well. While the train made stops at wonderful locales, mysteries deepened and skeletons in closets were exposed.
The Italian Mediterranean setting drew me in as I live on the Mediterranean part time and adore the traditions, culture, food, slow pace of life and atmosphere which the author beautifully describes. Though not besotted with the characters, the cunning plot and originality made me smile. However, this book did not remind me of Agatha Christie as touted so I enjoyed it for what it was without certain expectations.
My sincere thank you for the digital ARC which was provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a clever little mystery about a writer who turns IRL people into main characters! A fun, quick read. 3 stars because I would change a few small things but overall a really good summer read!