Kit finally gets her big break in an opera adaptation of Barbarella, but her understudy is determined to do whatever it takes to steal the role, even murder.

I was hooked from the very first sentence, and I love when a character haunts the narrative in a way that adds constant tension. While I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, that actually worked in the story’s favor, making everyone feel like a believable suspect and increasing the suspense. However, some things seemed underdeveloped, like Kit’s relationship with her mother, it felt like there was something missing there. I think this was due to the fact that the mystery didn’t slowly unravel into a moment where everything clicks together. Instead, everything was revealed through long paragraphs of backstory that didn’t feel as satisfying as being able to pick up on clues throughout the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Understudy by Morgan Richter is the first thriller I've read that takes place in the world of opera.

"After performing at the back of the stage for many years, Kit finally gets her chance as a lead in a new opera based on Barbella. Her understudy, Yolanda, tries to kill her on the first day. It was just a prank - she didn't mean anything. Yolanda is not classically trained but seems sure that she will have the lead role on opening night. When a murder destabilizes the company, Kit finds all of the people hurt and left in Yolanda's wake - and just how far she's willing to go to get what she wants."

Kit is a character that is trying to find her stage presence. She is described as having a very good technical voice but with no passion or feeling in her notes. Yolanda is the opposite - no vocal training, but an adequate voice and lots of sex appeal. And Yolanda will do whatever it takes to get what she wants. There are some other things going on behind the scenes at this small opera company - things that Kit has to fight against.
Richter gives us a little tongue-in-cheek with the Charlie's Angels and Barbarella operas but the characters always treat them as serious art.
Richter has done her research into opera. I've been around music my whole life and had never heard of a coloratura soprano. (I have heard of a castrato tenor)
Richter keeps you guessing about what's really going on, especially after the surprise murder.

Good story from Morgan Richter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the eARC.

This book was so much fun. I really enjoyed the twists, the plot, the characters, all of it. What a delight!

Wow! Who knew that the opera could be so dangerous? I don’t want to spoil the book, but just let me say that Katherine “Kit” (Katerina) Margolis is cast in the lead of an opera and the person who is her understudy will do anything to be the one that is on stage on opening night from putting eye drops in Kit’s tea to trying to shove her in the path of an oncoming subway train. There are many other twists and turns but like I said, don’t want to spoil the book for other readers.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive and read an advance copy of this book!

I loved THE DIVIDE so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of THE UNDERSTUDY.

This unusual mystery, set in the opera world, was on pace through 80 percent of the book to be five stars (for me).

The last 20 percent of the book sort of lost its way by introducing new characters that had not been around for most of the story.

*** spoiler alert ***

It felt like when Velma in Scooby Doo (hang in there with me) would know clues that we, the audience, didn't see or know about. It was sometimes unsatisfying at the end.

Our main character. who was mostly unlikeable - she really was if you think about it - still pulled off a win in the end by solving the whodunit and achieving her "goal."

For most of the book I loved the flow and the pacing. I wish we had gotten to know our main character a bit more - especially about her mother. I thought for sure her mother would turn up at some point in the story.

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

I rate THE UNDERSTUDY four out of five stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Initially, the story unfolds at a leisurely pace, presenting a familiar narrative of women in competition. The suspenseful elements don't emerge until halfway through, and the climax feels hurried. I settled on a three-star rating because it left me feeling ambivalent.

THE UNDERSTUDY by Morgan Richter is a gripping story about Kit an opera star and her ambitious understudy Yolanda. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book focusing on opera so that was fascinating.

Kit is a bit socially awkward and Yolanda is absolutely cut throat and over confident who literally tried to kill Kit the first day they meet. I don’t want to give away anything but there is a shift half way through that turns the book into more of a mystery. Kit is a bit naive at times but it fun to see how her character develops.

An off-beat gem.

There were so many things I didn't like about this book. The beginning offered no real intro to any character; they just appeared and had very strange characteristics for no reason that the reader just had to be okay with. Also, an actual crime happened at the beginning, which no one seemed to care about. I felt like I was reading headlines instead of getting any sort of depth. Thank you, NetGalley.

Morgan Richter’s The Understudy is a delight—a murder mystery that’s less about the crime itself and more about the brilliantly drawn world surrounding it. The plot is deceptively simple: when someone is killed, our protagonist, Kit, finds herself under suspicion and must unravel the truth to clear her name. But Richter’s true talent lies in characterization, making the whodunit almost secondary to the vibrant, lived-in setting and the people who inhabit it.

Kit is a fantastic heroine—prickly, awkward, and deeply relatable, with a good heart that shines through her rough edges. What makes the novel truly special is Richter’s deft handling of relationships, particularly the unexpected care Kit receives from marginalized characters: a sex worker and a trans woman, whose kindness contrasts sharply with the machismo and carelessness of the wealthy men around them. These dynamics add depth and nuance, turning what could be a straightforward thriller into a layered exploration of power, vulnerability, and solidarity.

The use of the Barbarella opera as a framing device is both hilarious and clever, adding a layer of campy theatricality that perfectly complements the story’s tone. Richter’s writing is sharp, funny, and immersive, making it easy to get lost in Kit’s world. By the end, I was desperate to know what happens next to her—she’s the kind of character who lingers in your mind long after the book is closed.

The Understudy is a standout novel, blending mystery, wit, and heart in a way that feels fresh and utterly engaging. Highly recommended for anyone who loves character-driven stories with a bite.

OMG LOVED!!! The Understudy had me at the very first line: “The first time my understudy tried to kill me was on the day we met.”
Kit and Yolanda are such great complex characters and Morgan Richter was wonderful at making this very clear to see. And the way she described and wrote the character of Opal, even tho she didn’t take up much space in the story, was really remarkable. This is a fast paced, expertly written story about the backstage world of opera and what we’ll do for the price of fame. Great characters, unique and brilliant storyline and wonderful build of suspense! I could not put this book down!! Bravo!

The Understudy by Morgan Richter is a recommended suspense novel set in the competitive New York City opera world.

Kit Margolis, an aspiring trained opera singer, has been hired for the lead in a new opera, Barbarella. (Yes, based on the 1960s cult classic.) Success in this role will place her in competition for other lead roles. Her understudy, Yolanda Archambeau, is an unknown, untrained novice who is beautiful and confident. She also poisoned Kit on the first day of rehearsals. Then Kit finds a rat with a knife stuck in it on her doorstep. Things go downhill and the danger increases from there.

A heaping dose of disbelief must be set aside right from the start. When someone poisons you and it is obvious who did it, you immediately contact the police. When Kit doesn't, the quandary is to suspend disbelief and continue reading or set it aside. Adding to the indecision was the fact that Yolanda is an untrained singer. I decided to continue reading.

The preposterous scenarios continued, but they did become more entertaining in an absurd way and the action increased. Soon enough there is a fatality and Kit becomes an amateur detective. She sets out to discover what is really happening and digs into Yolanda's background. She manages to evade the police. Everyone she meets trusts her and tells her everything they know. She discovers everything about Yolanda's past.

The Understudy by Morgan Richter is for readers who can easily suspend disbelief. Thanks to Knopf Doubleday for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

This book is pretty interest but I am not sure about rating it. I’ll try to explain: it seems to me like they are two books in one. The first part, in fact, it’s a thriller, the second part is a classic whodunnit. The combination didn’t convince me. However, the book is well written and the characters are interesting!

The Understudy was a full of mystery and intrigue. Kit was nearly killed multiple times by her understudy but Yolanda ends up dead. Kit, trying to be a good friend, unravels much more than she expected. The ending let me down but otherwise it was enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

The unique setting in the world of opera gave The Understudy a fresh and intriguing backdrop. I especially enjoyed how Kit took it upon herself to uncover the truth—her determination pulled me in and kept the story moving. The plot was packed with twists and unexpected turns that kept me guessing throughout. While the beginning started off a bit slow, it gained momentum halfway through, leading to a conclusion that I genuinely did not see coming. The abundance of characters/aliases made it a bit tricky to keep track of everyone at times, but it ultimately added to the the intrigue of the story. Overall, The Understudy was a compelling read that was absolutely worth sticking with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

Please give the book a try as other reviewers enjoyed the mystery. Sadly I did not as the pace was very slow and repetitive so not the best match for me and DNF.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the opportunity to read this ARC.

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!