From the Publisher
"Main Character Energy absolutely dazzled me from the opening scene until the very last page. Poppy Banks is an immensely relatable and likable heroine on a journey of self-discovery with the potential to achieve her dreams and live her very best life in the French Riviera. Needless to say, I was hooked! I read this wonderful novel compulsively and with great joy. Highly recommend!" —Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Reading
“Main Character Energy embraces the best and worst parts of writing with candor and heart. Poppy is bright and complicated and utterly enchanting in Jamie Varon’s debut.” —Ashley Poston, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Dead Romantics
“A smartly crafted and spunky romantic comedy...Varon delivers an immensely fun travel adventure. This well-plotted, lively rom-com is populated by a large cast of diverse, colorful characters, beguiling romance, and lots of pleasant surprises.” —Shelf Awareness
"Varon’s debut features a likable, plus-size heroine capable of achieving her dreams... This uplifting novel is ideal for fans of Beth Morrey and Kate Clayborn." —Booklist
“Sparkling fiction debut… Varon crafts fully realized protagonists whose authorial ambitions and frustrations will resonate with bookish readers. Varon has a promising career in fiction in front of her.” —Publishers Weekly
"[Main Character Energy] deftly captures how it feels to be of a certain age without possessing the life one had hoped for." —Kirkus Reviews
New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay
Absolutely dazzled me from the opening scene until the very last page.”
author of The Dead Romantics Ashley Poston
Main Character Energy embraces the best and worst parts of writing with candor and heart. Poppy is bright and complicated and utterly enchanting.”
NOVEMBER 2023 - AudioFile
Tara Sands deftly narrates this heartwarming debut novel. Poppy, a 32-year-old would-be writer, has been meeting secretly with her Aunt Margot, who is estranged from the rest of their family. When Margot dies, she bequeaths Poppy a vacation to the French Riviera. During a grueling dinner with her family, Poppy realizes the vacation is a real opportunity. Once in France, she discovers her aunt secretly owned and ran a writer's colony. The colony could be Poppy's--if she can finish writing a book in six months. Sands does an outstanding job of giving distinctive voices to all the characters, French and Italian accents notwithstanding. Sands also hits all the right notes of Poppy's emotions as she mobilizes her confidence in her writing and her life. S.K.G. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2023-07-13
A floundering 30-something searches for purpose at a writers residency in the French Riviera.
When 23-year-old Poppy Banks met her elusive Aunt Margot for the first time, she wasn't sure what to expect. But Margot, who had been estranged from Poppy’s mother for decades, turned out to be the exact opposite of her sister, who had always fat-shamed Poppy and belittled her dreams of becoming a novelist. Full of infectious joie de vivre and endless encouragement, Margot became a beloved figure in Poppy’s life through secret annual lunch dates over the next nine years. Now, at 32, Poppy is no closer to being a published writer outside her soul-sucking job at content mill Thought Buzz. When Poppy tells Margot she’s ready to give up on writing, Margot cryptically makes her promise to say yes to anything good that comes her way. Six months later, Margot is dead and Poppy learns the truth: Margot ran a writers colony at her villa on the French Riviera, and she left it to Poppy to keep or sell, with two stipulations: Poppy must remain in France for at least six months, and she must draft a book while she’s there. When Poppy arrives, she’s met with gorgeous vistas, a handsome man who works for The Colony, and a life-changing $700,000 offer to sell the estate. Is this Poppy’s big chance to become a writer or to get out for good? Poppy’s struggles with her body image often feel shoehorned into the plot, and her relationship with her mother—far more interesting than the book’s romance—isn’t explored deeply enough. But the author deftly captures how it feels to be of a certain age without possessing the life one had hoped for, and descriptions of the sun-soaked French Riviera are rich and vivid.
A heartfelt debut.
