130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery 🚀 Auckland Bookstore • Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Main Characters

'gorgeous, clever, utterly addictive' Pandora Sykes
Brief Description
Some love stories are bigger than just two people. This one is told by friends, flatmates, exes and strangers—everybody but the main characters. 'I laughed, I teared up, I couldn't put it down. This is a love story like no other' 'This book gave me genuine... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2499
Elsewhere:
$2799
Pre-order
Releases 11th February 2027 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Main Characters" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

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

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

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

'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'

'Fresh and original—but somehow timeless' CLAIRE DAVERLEY

'An epic, heart-wrenching love story' KATE SAWYER

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

'Moving, funny, wise and beautifully written' 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...

Main Characters is the highly anticipated novel about love, friendship, dysfunctional families and life-changing connections.

'Just gorgeous' ABIGAIL DEAN

'A portrayal of London that feels like a Richard Curtis movie' GEORGINA MOORE

'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

'Bobby Palmer has the rare talent of making us fall in love' SETH INSUA

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781035435357

Publisher: Headline Publishing Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 February 2027

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Headline Review

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 416

About the Author

Bobby Palmer is both an author and journalist. His critically acclaimed debut novel, Isaac and the Egg, was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year in 2022; his second novel Small Hours was published in 2024. Bobby co-hosted the podcast Book Chat with Pandora Sykes and his writing has appeared in GQ, Esquire, Men's Health, Cosmopolitan amongst others. He lives with his family in Sussex.

Also by Bobby Palmer

View all
  • Isaac and the Egg
    THE INSTANT SATURDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER A PANDORA SYKES/FANE BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON BBC R4 OPEN BOOK Bobby Palmer's spellbinding new novel, SMALL HOURS, is available now 'A tender story of love, grief and the transformative power of friendship' GUARDIAN 'Truly one of the most beautiful stories you'll ever read' JOANNA CANNON 'Unique and tender' PANDORA SYKES...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Small Hours
    From the bestselling author of Isaac and the Egg... 'I devoured this... my very favourite reading topic: dysfunctional families and the many ways in which they can both fracture and heal' Jennie Godfrey 'One to turn to if you want to laugh and cry on alternating pages' Lottie Hazell There is a fox, roaming in the early hours, watching, waiting...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Main Characters
    Irresistible, all-consuming and decades-spanning, this is the love story of theyear, told from the perspective of everyone but the main characters. 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. Shewants to be a director. He's an...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Small Hours
    'Powerful' JOANNA GLEN 'Beautiful' KATE SAWYER 'A triumph' JENNIE GODFREY The eagerly awaited new novel from Bobby Palmer, author of the critically acclaimed debut Isaac and the Egg. If you stood before sunrise in this wild old place, looking through the trees into the garden, here's what you'd see: A father and son, a fox standing between them. Jack, home...
    Paperback
    $3799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Romance

View all
  • Grim Tidings
    New Release
    Grim Tidings
    'Infinity stars. I smiled, laughed, squealed with delight, wept, and then smiled again' ★★★★★'This book ripped my heart out, trampled on it, put it back together, and still had amazing smut' ★★★★★'Fun, witty, sexy and made me cry at the end (in a good way, don't worry)…B.K. Borison has written one of my favourite reads of the year' ★★★★★ A...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2899
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates
    A hilarious, swoony and downright terrifying horror romance in which a cinephile gets caught in the middle of a murder spree at a speed-dating event and must use her encyclopedic knowledge of the rom-com and horror genres to make it as a real-life Final Girl. When cinephile Jamie Prescott attends a speed-dating event, she expects to meet some mediocre men...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • My Dreadful Darling
    New Release
    My Dreadful Darling
    My darling, it is you who is dreadful. Reverie Adams has only one goal in life: to keep her head above water with her father's sinister legacy weighing on her shoulders. But she's no stranger to drowning—it is her very first memory, after all, and if her demons have their way, it will also be her last. Even with the...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Fever Dream
    From #1 New York Times bestselling author Elsie Silver comes a small-town, forbidden, rivals-to-lovers romance, the first book in the brand-new Western romance series Emerald Lake. Limited copies with sprayed edges!Professional bull rider Emmett Bush is not looking for love. He’s looking for a paycheque to save his family’s farm from bankruptcy. So when he agrees to be the leading man on...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2899
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Midnight Curfew
    New Release
    Midnight Curfew
    The Jaeger family return in the brand new queer, dark romance from New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas, in which two rivals must fight their forbidden and burning attraction to one another. Summertime is quiet in southern Florida. In the humidity, the streets are empty, and the nights are still—perfect for a little mischief while the police aren't looking....
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell
    New Release
    I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell
    What could go wrong on a road trip to Hell? ⭐ corporate hell vibes ⭐ only one bed ⭐ a road trip through the underworld ⭐ forced proximity ⭐ slow burn romance 'A delirious, clever romp of a book. Best time I've had with a book in ages!' JENNA LEVINE Brie Benson lives life in survival mode, right down to...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Psychotic Obsession
    From USA Today bestselling author and TikTok sensation comes the steamy, emotional dark romance spin-off that everyone is talking about!'Filled with TENSION, HEARTBREAK and ELECTRIC CHEMISTRY. This one will tear your heart right out of your chest before tossing it back in and sewing you up' No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Brynne Weaver'Leigh Rivers is THE QUEEN OF...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Eldritch
    New Release
    Eldritch
    From the author of Nocticadia comes the sequel to Anathema, a spellbinding gothic dark fantasy about a shunned woman who is forced beyond the mortal realm's forbidden boundary, into a terrifying world of cursed souls and grotesque creatures. In the grimly captivating sequel to Anathema, Maevyth and Zevander must navigate the perilous mortal lands to deliver Zevander from the clutches...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Broken Rival
    From #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey comes a gripping, heated romance about a girl trapped in a new reality, forced to make a choice between two brothers—one who is the high school golden boy, the other sworn to hunt down her kind—time travelers. This is Tessa Bailey as you’ve never seen her before.  Magnolia Brown loves Friday night football...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Taming The Heart
    On Sale
    10% off
    New Release
    Taming The Heart
    Taming The Heart is a steamy, forbidden-love cowboy romance and the third book in the CRIMSON RIDGE series by internationally bestselling author Elliott Rose. Being hired by a ranch for the summer sounds picture-perfect, right? Except your new boss is your every fantasy come to life—oh, and he's already accidentally seen your favourite "toy." I've always been a free spirit....
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    20% off
    New Release
    Shield of Sparrows
    Accolades: AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Feature film now in development at Amazon MGM Studios with John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad attached - Amazon Best Romantasy Books of the Year 2025 - Apple Books Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Novel Best Sellers 2025, #27 - Audible Top Ten Best Romantasy Listens of 2025 - Indigo Best Fantasy Books...
    Paperback
    $5200
    Usually:
    $6499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    20% off
    New Release
    The Love Hypothesis
    The Love Hypothesis is the global phenomenon and debut novel from TikTok sensation, Ali Hazelwood. It is now available in a beautiful movie tie-in collector's edition featuring exclusive artwork from the Amazon movie starring Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman, plus two bonus chapters from Adam's point of view. As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic...
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.