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.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for providing me with an eARC of The Divide in exchange for my honest review!

This gritty little mystery-thriller is a decent time here, especially considering it gives off neo-noir vibes, and that's something I'll always devour. The Vertigo evocation is very much present, too, in this atmospheric tale that drags Jenny into more trouble than she's willing to deal with. I do think the plot slows down in the middle, and this is also perfectly capable of relying on familiar tropes that can keep this book from standing out as memorably as it could. But I still click with it enough as it builds its way up to the conclusion—one that I'm surprised is fairly... well, optimistic, I suppose. Sometimes, we have these stories wrapping up in the bleakest fashion, which I'm all up for, to be clear. But with The Divide, I'm left feeling like this journey manages to stay out of that territory and leave us on a somewhat triumphant note.

Overall, I'm officially rating The Divide 3.25 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to 3 stars.

The Divide certainly was a wild ride. The story follows Jenny, a failed actress turned struggling psychic who is questioned for the murder of Serge, someone from her past life. The director of the movie that sank her career. She soon learns that someone out there may be using her identity, which sends her on a journey that ends up being a dangerous journey of uncovering secrets and self discovery. At times I got a bit bored with the “what ifs” and the different directions the author was taking us, but overall it was a good read! 3.5 ⭐️

I really wish this book had gotten more attention at the publication release. It's incredibly interesting what with a woman who has gone around imitating another woman (let's call her the original woman) and WHY? WHY is she doing this? What's her motives behind this? I kept asking myself these questions over and over.

When the woman's ex-husband is found murdered the woman disappears. But our original woman is questioned about the murder.

As we get older we often wonder how different our life had been had we made even one or two different choices. Our original woman is faced with viewing how the other half lived and if only, back then, she had ....

Parts were relatable and the whodunit was interesting because our original woman became an amateur sleuth, even with her faux psychic abilities.

I will say the ending was a tad predictable, but nonetheless, this was a fun ride.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for an e-copy of THE DIVIDE to review.

I rate THE DIVIDE four out of five stars.

I wanted this to be a story of split personality disorder. I wanted it bad. Otherwise how can you explain how you have the same genetic markup as someone else who is not your twin?! We went down that route for a hot minute but then we stopped. That was when my mind hit the divide

I'm sure you feel violated when you hear someone was posing as you, taking credit for your accomplishments, and bring police to your door calling you person of interest. Jenny St. John probably felt that way. She was this medium trying make ends meet while holding on to the only good thing happened to her: the movie, The Divide. Gena Santos, not another name for Jenny St. John, was chased by police for potentially killing her husband, who was the director of The Divide.

You would want this to be the end of the story, but then there wouldn't be a story if it did. As reach for Gena continued and Jenny was investigating her whereabouts, similarities passed beyond the name. There was something little bit more sinister here. Get ready for a trippy ride

Jenny, who now works as a psychic, is questioned by an officer of the law in a murder case. She finds out that Serge, the director of the movie she stared in was murdered, and his wife Gena is missing. Interestingly enough, Gena looks just like Jenny and even tells people that she was the star of the film. Jenny is furious and vows to find Gena to find out why she would take credit for a movie she was not in and if Serge knew it was not her. I really enjoyed most of this book but the ending left me very unsatisfied and with so many questions that were never answered.

As a teen, Jenny St. John moved to Hollywood in hopes of making it big. Getting a break, she’s cast in a movie, only to have it sit on the shelf and be released later to little fanfare. A no hit wonder, Jenny is now a psychic wanna be. What the heck, it pays the bills … sometimes. When Jenny is visited by the police she is completely flummoxed. The director of her no hit has been found dead and his ex wife is missing. The catch?? The ex wife looks identical to Jenny. How can that be? She knows she was an only child and now she’s connected to a murder. One that some think she might have committed. Jenny is not happy that the ex wife claimed to be in her movie and with nothing to lose, she starts her own investigation. With a cast of eccentric Hollywood characters, this was a fun read. Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I was very intrigued at the beginning of this story. Then slowly as it went on, I just couldn’t get behind where it went,