While I can appreciate good writing when I see it, I just genuinely think I wasn't the target audience for this book. I had a bit of a hard time connecting with the characters and felt slightly unmotivated to continue reading after 20% of the book. I do think this could be an incredible audiobook and when the book comes out, I'll probably be more inclined to listening to the audio.
Hope this book finds its audience to love it properly!

i enjoyed this book a lot (reading as an arc)! it did its key job as a suspense/mystery/thriller which is it kept me engaged. however it blended genre in a way that was interesting but i'm not sure it was my personal favorite (see more in spoiler section). kit was an interesting enough main character to follow but she was incredibly self aware to a degree that i think lessened the story a bit. that being said i was certainly entertained (i started this book at 1 am and finished it at 3 am).

SPOILERY STUFF AHEAD:
ok if i'm being honest. it was crazy that kit NEVER asked herself if she could have been the killer. i mean come on. and it would have been much more interesting if she had been EXPLICITLY trying to clear her name but alas. i liked the backstory for yolanda/kimberly but it got a little repetitve. "yeah we were close until she did this unspeakable horror to me" maxes out at like three instances and here there were i think seven.

the thing that i probably had the most difficulty with is yolanda's death was right in the middle of the book and it really felt like two different books. first half was a mona awad-esque weird girl competition thriller, second half was a classic whodunnit and i'm not sure that mix really worked for me.

Opera drama and a page-turning thriller-mystery. Two singers are competing for the lead role in a new opera in an off-broadway production in New York City. The singers, Yolanda and Kit, are more like “frenemies” and at least one one of them will do anything to earn the lead role. While working with the opera production, Yolanda tries multiple times to nefariously remove Kit from the lead role while they work together on stage.
When one of them ends up dead, there is a rush to find the murderer, keep the opera on track, and for the survivor to keep the lead role. The book starts a little slow, but keep reading because the unfolding events will take you on a wild ride.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC copy. This is my unbiased review.

Kit has the perfect opera voice after years of exacting practice, but she’s mousy—both externally and internally. She’s being given the chance of her lifetime to play Barbarella. She doesn’t have the body for it, but she knows how transforming costumes and makeup can be. But then she meets Yolanda, who goes far beyond mean girl from the start. Yolanda does have the body for it, as well as the ability to seduce men. The lengths Yolanda will go to involve all manner of illegal activities.
This is a twisty tale.
NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 05, 2025.

Coming August 5th, 2025
Kit Margolis, a classically trained opera singer, finally lands her breakout role until her understudy—Yolanda Archambeau, a stunning, seductive newcomer with raw talent and a dangerous edge. A brutal murder rocks the company. Kit, drugged and asleep in the same room when Yolanda is killed, becomes both a suspect and a target. To clear her name, she must unravel Yolanda’s dark past and confront the secrets buried in her own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Knopf for this thrilling Arc!

I would like to thank Net Galley and Knopf for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. This is an intriguing book. It is set in present day, in NY ,, in the world of Opera. The company is a small one, and they are doing new works, based on movies and tv shows- (Charlie's Angels, Barbarella), as opposed to classical ones. Kit was to be the understudy for Barbarella, but the lead left to take another part. Her understudy, Yolanda, is pretty and can sing well, but is undertrained and seems to have an overly familiar relationship with the director. And then, Yolanda tries to poison Kit on the first day. The book starts out as a cross between All About Eve, and Showgirls. It swerves into a murder mystery , with Kit as both suspect and amateur detective. There is a lot going on in this book. The characters are not likeable, but they are interesting. There is enough baggage to take on a 2 week cruise. The plot drags a bit at first, then speeds up towards the end. As an aside, I will never understand people who do not ask for a lawyer when they are taken in for questioning.O well, there are a few things in this book that are unrealistic. I saw someone , who is an opera singer, did a full review with the inaccuracies, so I won't go there, but there was a lot of"why did she do that" headscratching. Over all, I liked the story and the plot. I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it, so it was an enjoyable read.

Pleasantly surprised by this book and how much I enjoyed it and was entertained by the mystery of it and the behind the scenes look at the opera. While this book didn't have too many likable characters I was still interested and wanted to see how things were going to turn out. Giving this 3/3.5 stars I want to thank NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a murder mystery that will catch you by surprise.

Yolanda, the understudy of a female opera singer was considered to be beautiful by the directors but she had an ugly past that followed her. She felt like the lead was hers to take. Yet, she didn’t realize that the principal singer, Kit, also had a past and would fight for her rightful position.

But wait…this is a book about an opera. I remember when Mike Myers in the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” said, “Are you aware that no one actually likes opera?” That was my first thought. It’s usually enjoyed by an older audience of wealthy patrons listening to a complex plot of love and betrayal. What was it doing in this book?

Yet, it didn’t take long before I was totally immersed. The rock band, Queen, announced that they were giving opera a new style and this story took the traditional opera music and updated it from a 1968 cult sci-fi film, Barbarella. I wanted to hear pieces of it.

The leading star, Roksana, backed out to take another role which meant that Kit was next in line with a perfect soprano voice. However, she didn’t seem to have the magnetism and charm of her understudy, Yolanda. Would Kit be replaced to get better reviews?

It always goes back to money and what would sell: voice or seductiveness? It’s what made me read quickly. There were times that I thought it seemed so unbelievable although the plot was exciting and kept me glued. What fascinated me the most was about the recent adjustments made with opera performances to entertain and build a larger appeal to audiences.

In the Author Notes, Morgan Richter talks about her admiration of the Seattle Public Library. When I lived there, it was one of my favorite places and I agree about the importance of public library systems.

My thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of August 5, 2025.

"An opera singer uncovers the dark secrets of her cruel and alluring understudy when a murder disrupts her disciplined world.

"The first time my understudy tried to kill me was on the day we met. We got off on the wrong foot, Yolanda and I, and while most of that was due to Yolanda being a very...complicated individual, some of the blame lies with me..."

After years of rigorous instruction and ensemble work, Kit finally gets her big break when she's hired to play the lead role in a new opera based on the 1960s cult classic film Barbarella. Entrusted with playing the beautiful and seductive titular role, Kit is on her way to the top of the highly competitive world of New York City opera. But then she walks into rehearsal and meets her understudy. Stunning, suggestive, and bursting with the unbridled confidence of a novice, Yolanda is physically everything Barbarella is meant to be. At first, Kit isn't threatened by the neophyte, until Yolanda reveals that she wants the role - and will do anything to get it.

As Yolanda's schemes become increasingly more reckless, she draws an unwitting Kit into her orbit. But when a brutal murder destabilizes the company and threatens her role, Kit discovers that Yolanda's glamorous veneer conceals something much more sinister. Hunting down the betrayed friends and discarded lovers from Yolanda's past and unearthing secrets she's worked hard to bury, Kit realizes just how far Yolanda is willing to go to get what she wants, and the number of enemies she made in the process."

I mean, isn't a killer attitude what you want in a Barbarella?

A drama about an opera with an unlikable main character, sign me up. Although to make matters worse…. She grows into someone you like while all the other main characters seem to become more despicable as the pages turn.
While the Opera in question seems far fetched, as the plot thickens you dream more and more about it and how you hope one day someone can pull this off.

Backstage Secrets and Spotlight Lies!

Morgan Richter’s The Understudy pulls back the velvet curtain on ambition, envy, and survival in the cutthroat world of showbiz. It’s a moody, character-driven story that blurs the line between performance and reality, following a struggling actor who finds himself entangled in secrets far more dangerous than bad reviews.

What I loved most was the slow build—the tension creeps in like a spotlight narrowing on its target. The writing is sharp and cinematic, full of biting wit and cleverly layered characters. While the pace may feel measured at times, the payoff is worth it.

A smart, dark, and slyly entertaining novel perfect for fans of psychological suspense with a showbiz twist.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

This was a trip! I was so invested in the absolutely atrocious decisions everyone in this book made. I don’t ever say this typically, but I truly feel like the cover of this book is doing it an injustice.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but I was pleasantly surprised. I felt like there was a bit of a split between the first and the second half. The first half with a lot of women in-fighting, which I didn’t love. But the second half became more engaging. I wish the first half had been better- it felt so dated and tired, I almost put it down. Second half was a good character study and really save the book.. I like the opera business setting

This book was quite the ride! What started off as a Single White Female type story (at least as far as the unhinged antics of a certain character) ended up turning in a wild story of twists and turns, which left me somewhat confused. While I did learn a bit about the opera world, I was hoping for more of it. Still, the story kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat throughout. I would definitely recommend!

Another fun read by Morgan Richter. The cut throat lives of opera stars and their understudy. The main character is a bit dull and the understudy is just bursting with life and sexuality. Well written to express the differences in the two lead characters. A bit of a slow burn and lots of internal dialogue. Enjoyed it!
Thank you NetGalley, Morgan Richter and Knopf Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this incredible novel! Thank you so, so much to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title!

Blurb:
An opera singer uncovers the dark secrets of her cruel and alluring understudy when a murder disrupts her disciplined world.

"The first time my understudy tried to kill me was on the day we met. We got off on the wrong foot, Yolanda and I, and while most of that was due to Yolanda being a very . . . complicated individual, some of the blame lies with me..."

After years of rigorous instruction and ensemble work, Kit finally gets her big break when she’s hired to play the lead role in a new opera based on the 1960s cult classic film Barbarella. Entrusted with playing the beautiful and seductive titular role, Kit is on her way to the top of the highly competitive world of New York City opera. But then she walks into rehearsal and meets her understudy. Stunning, suggestive, and bursting with the unbridled confidence of a novice, Yolanda is physically everything Barbarella is meant to be. At first, Kit isn’t threatened by the neophyte, until Yolanda reveals that she wants the role—and will do anything to get it.

As Yolanda's schemes become increasingly more reckless, she draws an unwitting Kit into her orbit. But when a brutal murder destabilizes the company and threatens her role, Kit discovers that Yolanda's glamorous veneer conceals something much more sinister. Hunting down the betrayed friends and discarded lovers from Yolanda’s past and unearthing secrets she’s worked hard to bury, Kit realizes just how far Yolanda is willing to go to get what she wants, and the number of enemies she made in the process.

Thrilling, shocking, and full of adventure describes this story. The main character is almost killed after meeting her understudy. Which leads to a long complicated journey of friendship, lies, the cops, and death.

This was a fun look into the competitive side of the NYC Opera, a world I know absolutely nothing about. Add in the murder mystery and I am in love. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book ahead of publication!

Thank you, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for providing the copy of The Understudy by Morgan Richter. Stories about conniving understudies have been around for years. This story, set in the world of opera, could have been interesting but the writing style didn’t build any suspense or tension between Kit and Yolanda, and it didn’t help that Kit wanted to be Yolanda’s friend. Kit wasn’t just unlikeable, she was also boring. I don’t know if she was written that way on purpose but I never warmed up to her. After the murder, the book got better. I still didn’t like Kit but the story finally took off and started to intrigue me. (Though I did love how Kit finally found a backbone.) The search into Yolanda’s background answered lots of questions, but the denouement still fell flat for me, both for the mystery and for Kit’s life. 3 stars

"The first time my understudy tried to kill me was on the day we met." And thus begins a sordid tale of deception, ambition, and begrudging admiration. Kit "Katerina" Margolis is on the verge of a career breakthrough when she lands the titular role of Barbella in a new opera based on the cult classic film. She'd been training and working tirelessly for this moment, and just when things finally seem to go her way in struts disaster.

Enter Yolanda Archambeau. Cast as Kit's understudy, Yolanda appears to be everything Barbella is meant to be: devastatingly beautiful with a magnetic personality and natural talent. Though Kit has more than proven herself, Yolanda is a bigger threat to her leading lady status than she'd like to admit and everyone knows it. Unfortunately, Yolanda wants the role by any means necessary.

"The Understudy" is a gripping story about the desperate search for success and infamy in an industry that favors the extraordinary. As Kit tries to pin down what exactly makes Yolanda so entrancing and dangerous, she discovers dirty deeds and a dark past that has left many people praying for her downfall. As Kit continues her investigation, she also uncovers some shocking truths about what she's willing to do to achieve greatness.

A twisted thrill ride for fans of "Showgirls" and "Black Swan", "The Understudy" shows just what can happen when you spend your life constantly seeking the approval of others.