I love when a book gives readers a sneak peek into Hollywood life and how it is not as glamorous as we think. The characters were so well written, and Jenny will capture your heart. She came to LA like many young people, filled with dreams of stardom. And when her one shot goes down in flames, she does what she has to... pretend to be a psychic.
There are so many elements throughout this novel that make it work. The subtle humor and the twists kept me going. I enjoyed this book; it was a nice deviation from the typical thriller tropes I've been reading. I couldn't tell if this was the start of a series, as the ending was not definitive about whether or not we would see Jenny again. I would be open to continuing this story.

The Divide
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Morgan Richter

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Knopf and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: When Jenny St. John was eighteen, she moved to Los Angeles from her rural midwestern hometown and scored the lead role in an independent film called The Divide. She was working with the young auteur Serge Grumet and was on her way to becoming the next indie darling. But then the movie tanked, and Jenny never caught a second break. Now, two decades later, after floundering on the fringes of the entertainment industry, she’s barely keeping afloat running a low-level grift as a psychic life coach.

But when news surfaces that Serge has been murdered, Jenny’s life is turned upside down. Unbeknownst to Jenny, Serge’s ex-wife, painter Gena Santos, looks alarmingly similar to Jenny. So much so that when Gena goes missing, the cops think Jenny is Gena.

Jenny finds herself pulled into Gena’s world and manages to somehow leverage both her resemblance to Gena and her ersatz psychic abilities to infiltrate the affluent yet unstable inner circle of friends, which include a Korean pop idol–turned–social media star and an Oscar-winning actress–turned–wellness guru. Soon Jenny’s search to find Gena unearths dark secrets about her own past while putting her squarely in the sights of a killer.

My Thoughts: Jenny stared in a indie film when she was barely an adult called The Divide. She was working with Serge Grumet, and when the movie tanked, Jenny never caught another role. Twenty years later, she is working odd jobs, doing whatever she can to survive. Jenny is presently working as a psychic life coach, grifting style. News makes it to her that Serge has been murdered. Jenny did not realize that she is a mirror image of Serge’s ex-wife, Gena Santos, who is now missing. She is pulled into Gena’s world and has to balance her resemblance to the missing woman, while trying to find who murdered Serge. While investigating, she is thrown into her own dark past, making her a prime mark for the killer. Will Jenny find the answers she needs before she becomes the killer’s next victim? Or will she walk away more damaged than she was prior to the murder? This follows the tropes of amateur sleuths.

There is a plethora of characters, or suspects. Jenny is not really a psychic, she just has an uncanny ability to get a vibe from people. She holds her own against the upper set. She is an unreliable narrator who begins to question her own past. The relationship between Gena and Jenny is explained but lacks details and felt like a big character hole. You could not help but to root for Jenny. Some of the decisions that Jenny makes are questionable at best, and leaves you scratching your head. You also have some supernatural elements thrown in to explain some of the far fetched plot, which made the storyline seem chaotic. The characters were developed but more tenuous lines between them could have been drawn, they were mysterious, secretive, and intriguing to a point. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, twisty, and suspenseful.

At times, the storyline got a little weird and plot goes off the rails. You really could not tell where the story was going until the very end. The starting premise is what intrigued me but I struggled with parts of this book. Some of the plot lines were just too far of a reach. I am all for suspending belief for a good novel but this one was just little far fetched. In the end, there were too many unresolved plot holes and the ending really didn’t satisfy the plot. I was left with more questions than answers by the end of the novel. Having said this, I still enjoyed this story and would read other works by Richter. I would still recommend this story to other readers, especially this readers who love a guessing game until the end.

I really really enjoyed this book, I wasn’t sure what I was requesting cause I thought the cover looked really awesome, but this book ended up being a great read and kept me intrigued from beginning to end!

Jenny St. John moved to LA at 18 and starred in a movie called The Divide. Years later she is a down on her luck she's a psychic life coach. She soon finds herself embroiled in the murder of the director of The Divide by someone who looks like her. She embarks on a crazy journey to find out the truth and she never saw what was coming.

This book had me completely hooked! It’s a gripping, emotional story that weaves together family drama, secrets, and the complexities of love and loyalty. The characters felt so real—flawed, relatable, and impossible not to root for. The writing is immersive, and the tension builds in a way that keeps you turning the pages. If you love stories that dive deep into relationships and the choices that shape us, this one is definitely worth reading!

After a traumatic incident at eighteen, Shiela left home in Iowa for Los Angeles. Shedding her name, she became Jenny St. John, a much more appropriate moniker for the actor she wanted to be, and managed to land the leading part in an independent film called The Divide. Created by an up and coming director called Serge, Jenny plays the same character but in different parallel worlds. Jenny did fantastic work, and she also had a short relationship with Serge during the filming. Unfortunately, the film was never released, and all the promise of this role fizzled, along with the relationship. And though Serge's career was on an upward trajectory afterwards, Jenny's stalled. Though she worked for a while as an actor, she never fulfilled her dream of making it big.

Twenty years later, Jenny is working as an "intuitive counselor", or psychic, or really, con artist. She's getting by, barely, and has lost her apartment, finding herself living illegally out of her office.

When a detective arrives one day, she's wondering about Jenny, and her uncanny resemblance to the recently murdered Serge, whose ex-wife Gena is prime suspect. Gena was an actor who became an artist, and is now missing. Jenny is told that Gena claimed to have starred in The Divide, and this not only infuriates Jenny, who discovers that her one, cherished project and the praise she did receive for her work in it, had been appropriated by Gena.

Jenny decides to check out an exhibition of Gena's work, and meets one of Gena's friends, a powerful, wealthy influencer, who wants Jenny to get close to Serge's and Gena's friends, using Jenny's resemblance to Gena, and find out who killed Serge, thereby exonerating Gena.

It's a crazy idea, but Jenny acquiesces, as she'll be paid for her trouble. So, she worms her way into the lives of Gena's former boyfriend, her friends, her home, and finds connections to Jenny's time on The Divide, as well as more recent information pointing to someone close to Gena who might have a decent motive.

I was entertained and could not put this book down. Jenny is a nicely complex character, making not great but also understandable choices as she gets ever more enmeshed in Gena's former life.

Though I was able to figure out who the murderer was, I still found the book compelling and interesting, and liked how the author played with perception and memory, providing a possible explanation for the weird resemblance and connections between Jenny/Shiela and Gena. It makes for occasionally perplexing reading, but also for a compelling plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I didn't know anything about this book when I got an advanced copy, and it was a very wild ride! This is a book that keeps you on your toes -- it is hard to know who to believe or what the truth is. I was compelled the whole time to keep going -- and was very curious where it was headed.

I found Jenny to be a very endearing character -- I wanted her to figure out what was going on and enjoyed learning more about her life. The side characters and glimpse in to Hollywood was very entertaining as well.

I will definitely check out more by Morgan Richter in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Thank you to Knopf and Net Galley for the advanced digital copy.
This is my first novel by this author and I went in pretty blind about the basis of the story. This is a mystery/thriller with a vague view of two sides of Hollywood - the glamorous side and the grungy side. While those are not explored in detail, it is more the vibe that you get while reading.
I enjoyed this novel, following the main character Jenny while she was trying to solve a murder that she was dragged into. The plot waxed and waned a bit, but towards the last 25% it started to pick up. I didn't try too hard to figure out the whodunit part, so it was a satisfying reveal for me. The thing that kept me from giving it a higher rating was that the ending was unsatisfying - I still don't understand some of the plot points, which leaves me a little disappointed. Who was Gena and how did she fit in with Jenny?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a reader’s edition of this book. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
The story of a young actress who made one film and is now a down on her luck fake psychic. The director of the film has been murdered and his former wife (who is a dead ringer for said psychic) is missing.

Her search to find her doppelgänger and find out why she took credit for starring in the film leads the actress into the world of the director and his inner circle.

Interesting characters and the story flows nicely. Not the best mystery I’ve ever read, but a good read.

A strange little thriller that did not quite captivate me enough. A web of lives and dopplegangers on the backdrop of Hollywood.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows a woman who was a failed actress. She starred in a movie, The Divide, in the past and then never did land another role after that. She is now a fake psychic. When the director of her one claim to fame movie is murdered and she is suspected to be the missing wife in disguise (since they look a lot alike), she starts to investigate on her own to figure out the killer.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! The average rating is a bit low and the synopsis didn't totally sound like something I would like but I ended up really enjoying this one. The whole set-up sounded a bit confusing, but I don't think it was hard to understand while reading.

I think this book was well-written and it kept me intrigued the whole time. It had a bit of weirdness and that made it different than a lot of other thriller/mystery books. The killer was maybe a bit obvious, however, I still enjoying reading it to find out the killer and also what happened to the missing wife.

I will say that I wish things were tied up a bit better. Without spoiling anything, I will say that I wish the author went a little further into the "weirdness" and gave us readers a bit more explanation and closure.

I would recommend this book!

I struggled with this one - it reminded me of an old school Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone in many ways. Jenny St. John’s down on her luck life gets exciting when her doppelgänger Gena is missing after a man connecting them is murdered. The plot was good but it’s more of a “quick plane read” than a literary masterpiece.

2.75. Thanks to Penguin Random House for the widget. I had really high hopes for this story Jenny stared in a movie The Divide that never made it to the big screen. 20 years or so later the director is killed and his ex wife is missing, and Jenny becomes a suspect and then tries to uncover what happened. The start and even the middle was really good but then it just started to go downhill and I still stayed with alot of questions that I feel didnt get answered. like who is Gena??

This was a fun, interesting, and quirky mystery with a delightfully eccentric main character and a unique premise. The setting gave off “old Hollywood” and noir vibes while simultaneously evoking the feel of modern-day Los Angeles. The cast of characters was believable and realistic without being too cliché or stereotypical.

Richter is a very good writer; the prose is concise and easy to read, whilst containing vivid details that aid the reader in visualizing the characters and setting.

The plot was a bit of a slow-build; the first 25% of the book (or so) left me feeling a bit antsy, but that is partially my personal preference.

I think this novel has major potential for a sequel, or perhaps a series of novels featuring Jenny St. John, who reminds me a bit of Hercule Poirot (albeit a non-mustachioed, psychic life coach version of him)!

Looking forward to Richter’s future novels!

This book started out really strong but just kept getting weaker as it went on. The last half of the book was just so ridiculous and useless to the plot honestly.

This slow burn mystery was well plotted with a captivating set of characters. The ending left a lot of loose ends, which usually is ok with me, but, in this story, left me wishing for more answers. All in all, this was a good story and I will be looking for more from this author.

I just finished reading The Divide by Morgan Richter, and I’m so excited to share my thoughts with you!

This book is a thrilling ride through Hollywood’s dark underbelly, filled with mystery, suspense, and unexpected twists. Richter’s storytelling is both gripping and immersive, making it hard to put down.

One of the standout moments for me is when the protagonist, Jenny St. John, a failed actress turned grifting psychic, discovers that her doppelgänger, Gena Santos, has been claiming credit for her one big role in an indie film. The tension in this scene is palpable as Jenny confronts Gena’s friends and uncovers shocking secrets about her own past. This moment perfectly captures the book’s blend of personal drama and high-stakes intrigue.

What I love most about The Divide is how it delves into themes of identity, deception, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets. The characters are richly developed, each with their own hidden agendas and complex motivations. Richter’s ability to weave together a fast-paced plot with deep emotional resonance makes this book a true standout.

If you’re looking for a novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you think twice about the glamorous world of Hollywood, The Divide is a must-read. Trust me, you’ll be hooked from the very first page!

This one will keep you guessing. I could not put it down and thought about it long after I was through reading.

The Divide is a story about a young woman, Jenny, who can’t seem to catch a break. She is down on her luck and finds herself to be a chief suspect in a murder. As she tries to clear her name she discovers that someone has built their life based on the only positive thing she ever accomplished in her life. As she tries to clear her name she finds that she is drawn deeper into a psychic mystery which makes her the prime target of a killer.
This story was interesting. If you are looking for a quick diversion with an interesting twist I recommend it to you. #TheDivide #netgalley #psychicmystery

I love a good gritty Hollywood mystery. I loved the idea behind the former access turned psychic but the book turned towards an unbelievable direction and the ending left a lot of questions.