Main Characters

Hardback Published on: 02/07/2026
Price: £20.00
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Bookseller Reviews

View all
Main Characters
Fresh concept, wonderfully told.
3.75/5 An inventive and emotionally resonant romance with a fresh narrative structure. Alongside the constant shifting perspectives, Palmer's writing is ... READ MORE
Ronnie
Main Characters
Bobby Palmer might just have distilled the exquisite essence of being alive into these pages.
This book blew me away. Main Characters is a love story. It’s the story of Clara and Seb, but Clara and Seb are not telling the story. With each chapter to... READ MORE
Hermione at Waterstones Salisbury

Synopsis

Some love stories are bigger than just two people. This one is told by friends, flatmates, exes and strangers - everybody but the main characters.

'A fresh and original take on the telling of a love story - but somehow timeless' CLAIRE DAVERLEY

'Destined to be on everyone's sun loungers this summer' STYLIST

'If you love a smart, poignant, funny, gripping book, you will love this' JOANNA CANNON

---

Clara and Seb are about to fall in love.
They don't know it yet.
But everybody else does.

When Clara and Seb meet in a quiet corner of London, it's the start of something. She wants to be a director. He's an actor, unsure what he wants from life.

Their connection is magnetic. Everyone can see that falling in love looks something like this. But when Clara casts Seb in the film that will make her name, what should be the happiest time of their lives ends with a gut-wrenching betrayal.

Some love stories are bigger than just two people. This one is told through the eyes of friends, flatmates, exes and strangers who see all the sides of Seb and Clara, from their first date to the moment they fell apart.

Everyone has their version of events. But only Clara and Seb can decide how their story ends...

---

Readers everywhere are talking about Main Characters, the highly anticipated novel about love, friendship, dysfunctional families and life-changing connections.

'I laughed, I teared up, I couldn't put it down. This is a love story like no other'
'This book gave me genuine joy and broke my heart'
'For fans of Heartburn, David Nicholls, Sally Rooney'
'A beautifully written, emotionally rich story that surprised me in the best way'
'These characters live in your head long after you've closed the book'
'Recommended for people watchers'
'So much more than it first appears. The characters are incredibly lifelike and layered'
'I truly felt like I was in the story'

PRAISE FOR MAIN CHARACTERS

'Gorgeous, clever, utterly addictive' PANDORA SYKES

'Moving, funny, wise and beautifully written. I love the idea of people's lives crossing over, the impressions we get from what we see and hear. I was so invested in the characters. If you love a smart, poignant, funny, gripping book, you will love this. I cannot recommend it enough' JOANNA CANNON

'Cinematic and swoon-worthy (but not without its gut punches), this felt like a Nora Ephron movie... a fresh and original take on the telling of a love story - but somehow timeless' CLAIRE DAVERLEY

'If you love clever literary fiction, you will love this novel. If you love immersive commercial fiction, you will love this novel. If you love a portrayal of London that feels like a Richard Curtis movie, you will love this novel' GEORGINA MOORE

'The perfect book for anyone who's ever sat opposite a mysterious stranger on a train and wondered what's really going on behind those eyes' JUSTIN MYERS

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
  • ISBN: 9781035435333
  • Number of pages: 416
  • Dimensions: 238 x 160 x 38 mm
  • Weight: 640g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Main Characters
Captivating
What a brilliant concept for a novel. A love story written from the point of view of the people Seb and Clara meet. Be it a nosy passenger reading their te... READ MORE
Samantha Schofield
Main Characters
A Fresh and Absorbing Read
I love this book so very much. I am so sad to have finished it! I miss the characters and being so utterly absorbed in their lives. The novel follows Clar... READ MORE
Shonaigh Mudie
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
“Unlikable Characters”
The approach Bobby Palmer takes in ‘Main Characters’, whereby the story of Clara and Seb’s relationship is told through the perspectives of those around th... READ MORE
BB
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
A fabulous read!
Initially I wasn't sure about this book. Then as I got further into the story I began to appreciate the very unique way the author is telling the story of ... READ MORE
Psychoticpat
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
Main Characters
I struggled to get into this book as it changed from character to character but so pleased I carried on. I really enjoyed the story and the way it all cam... READ MORE
Monica Hanna
Main Characters
More structure than plot
Imagine Sleepless In Seattle as told by everyone the main characters encounter, but you never hear from Meg Ryan or Tom Hanks. Or Titanic with Kate Winslet... READ MORE
Huttson Lo
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
A clever premise - absorbing and emotional
I really enjoyed this emotional and clever novel. It has a unique concept which I thought it was really interesting: we’re watching the evolving relationsh... READ MORE
Laura Nazmdeh
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
What do you think is going on with Clara and Sed
I love the way the story was told. I loved that we get different points of view from almost everyone around Clara and Sed about what they think is going o... READ MORE
Regina Mastrogiacomo
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
fabulous
Every year I try to start my reading off with something I know I’m going to like, so picked this from the list of things NetGalley has kindly sent me, as I... READ MORE
Nicola Mackenzie-Smaller
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
Just brilliant
This was an absolutely incredible book in so many different ways. I absolutely loved the structure... observations, eavesdropping, reading of private email... READ MORE
Rebecca Jenkins
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
Faultless
What a brilliant concept for a novel. A love story written from the point of view of the people Seb and Clara meet. Be it a nosy passenger reading their te... READ MORE
Samantha Schofield
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.Verified Purchase
Main Characters
Unique storytelling
A unique format that follows a love story over a number of years but through the eye witness observations of their friends, family, neighbours , strangers ... READ MORE
Gem Fletcher
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
FRESH APPROACH TO LOVE
BOBBY PALMER – MAIN CHARACTERS***** Another love story? Yawn. Except that this is a love story with a difference. Seb and Clara are the main character... READ MORE
Charles Coussens
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
totally immersive
Having adored Bobby Palmer's first two books I couldn't wait to read Main Characters. It's quite different to the others but no less fantastic, and as alwa... READ MORE
Sam Whittaker
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
Brilliant
A brilliant read. Five stars. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.
Emma Renshaw
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
An epic love story, wonderful characters, and a few tears along the way
A chance meeting between Clara and Seb sparks a romance that will span decades. The couple seems perfect together, but, as the saying goes, the course of t... READ MORE
D Hart
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
An interesting experiment
I can't lie, it took me a while to get into this, but I think that's by design. I was aching to see inside these characters, and I was resisting the experi... READ MORE
Nicole Burstein
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
4.25 richard curtis vibes
thank you to netgalley and headline for sending me an arc of this book to review! an epic, tragic, decades-long love story, told from the perspectives of e... READ MORE
Olivia Jones
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
A definite 5star read!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an arc of 'Main Characters'. I have never read a book like this! At first I was unsure of the writin... READ MORE
Frances
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
An enduring love story
An enduring love story told by onlookers. Clara and Seb 's story of love, friendship and the lasting effects of grief. An enthralling story, perfect holida... READ MORE
susan prosser
Main Characters
Totally Original Way to Tell a Great Love Story
4.5 stars. What an interesting way to tell a love story: through the eyes of others. Ranging from people who fleetingly see the couple, Clara and Seb, to t... READ MORE
Kerry Young
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
May break your heart…
I really loved this book. Not normally one for a romance novel, this quirkily told story took me completely by surprise with its emotional depth. And it ha... READ MORE
Rachel White
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
A love story told in an unconventional way
A love story with a difference, in that it is told by everyone else except the couple themselves. And I do mean everyone else - from the woman sitting next... READ MORE
Kateoshea
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
A poignant and compelling read
I really loved the concept of this novel. Clara and Seb’s story is not told by them, but through the perspectives of those around them, onlookers who witne... READ MORE
Cass Mead
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
Emotional and clever novel
I really enjoyed this emotional and clever novel. It has a unique concept which I thought it was really interesting: we’re watching the evolving relationsh... READ MORE
Laura Nazmdeh
Main Characters
Unique romantic concept
This is a 3.5/5 review, rounded up. This was such a fun concept for a romance novel and as a lover of third person POV, I was really excited to see how th... READ MORE
Chelsea Owens
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
The perfect love story told from a very unique angle!
3.75⭐️? Clara and Seb are about to fall in love. They don't know it yet. But everybody else does. When Clara and Seb meet in a quiet corner of London, it's... READ MORE
Shona Holmes-Berry
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
compulsive reading
Fantastic way of writing, telling the story from everyones pov apart from the main characters Clara and seb.Compulsive and addictive. Enjoy I did, sure to ... READ MORE
Helen Wilkinson
Main Characters
Amazing
Once I started reading this book I did not want to stop. Unfortunately life gets in the way, but even when I was not reading, I was thinking about the two... READ MORE
Jen1010
Main Characters
One Day meets Normal People with a good helping of Dolly Alderton
I thought this book was so wonderful! I was intrigued by the premise and hooked from the start – I was initially concerned that I wouldn't properly connect... READ MORE
Liv
Main Characters
So original
Such an original way to present the story and I adored it. Seb and Clara meet by chance and from that moment on, we follow their lives through the eyes of ... READ MORE
Janet Strellis
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
A compelling read.
I enjoyed this very much. A proper love story, no pounding hearts and fluttering butterflies in the tummy here, they just clicked….until they didn’t. Seb s... READ MORE
Bookandbrew
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
The perfect summer read!
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.I love Bobby Palmer’s books and so I was really excited to read this one. I love how eac... READ MORE
Mrs G Librarian
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
Ingenious concept, almost perfectly executed
There's no doubt this is an ingenious concept. After all, no relationship - especially one that spans so many years - takes place in complete isolation; pa... READ MORE
Sarah Wilson
Main Characters
absorbing and fresh!
The telling of this book is a gloriously unique concept - a love story through the lens of various different people in the main characters' lives, from the... READ MORE
Emma Sue
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
Unique story telling
I've realised that the books I give five stars to are the ones that I can't stop thinking about, not necessarily the ones that I've enjoyed the most. In th... READ MORE
booksintheblueroom
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
Brilliant! A 5star read.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an arc of 'Main Characters'. I have never read a book like this! At first I was unsure of the writin... READ MORE
Frances
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
Main Characters
This novel is a romance, but a romance like you’ve never read before. It’s told from the perspectives of everyone apart from the main characters (hence the... READ MORE
Katie Hewlett
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
NOT JUST ANOTHER LOVE STORY
BOBBY PALMER – MAIN CHARACTERS***** Another love story? Yawn. Except that this is a love story with a difference. Seb and Clara are the main character... READ MORE
Charles Coussens
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Main Characters
Smart and unique - you will become immersed into theirs lives, questioning and wanting to know more!!
Main Characters By Bobby Palmer Published by Headline Publishing Group This beautifully written novel tells the romantic story of Clara and Seb. Who ... READ MORE
Joanne Bardgett
Main Characters
Loved it!
I really loved this book. Not normally one for a romance novel, this quirkily told story took me completely by surprise with its emotional depth. And it ha... READ MORE
Rachel White
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.