Jeneva Rose’s The Perfect Divorce delivers exactly what the title promises – a swift and amicable separation – and then turns that promise into a violent, high-stakes legal thriller. Charting the highs and lows of a seemingly ideal marriage, Rose’s new novel draws its suspense through betrayal and ambition. The novel draws readers into the unraveling marriage of Sarah and Adam Morgan, which begins as a high-stakes custody battle, but soon escalates into a cat-and-mouse game of manipulation and deception.
I knew when I married Bob, I would divorce him one day, because men are like lawyers. They can’t be trusted. And I would know because I am one… and so is he. Bob’s eyes searched mine, desperate for something that no longer existed. Trust, to me, was like glass – once broken, it can’t be fixed. You only end up bleeding trying. So, you might as well throw it away.
Set in Chicago, the novel centers on Sarah Morgan, a powerful and successful divorce attorney, whose precisely controlled life is beginning to spiral. Her husband, Adam, has been accused of murder, an event that not only threatens to end her career but also blurs the line between her professional exterior and emotional turmoil at home. As Sarah navigates the disintegration of her perfect marriage, the novel unravels the tension between appearance and truth, order and chaos, demonstrating how even the most well-intentioned lives can be forcefully undone.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is the seamless manner in which it shifts its perspectives and tones. Rose’s story traverses multiple timelines and perspectives, slowly revealing layers of deceit while keeping the reader on their toes. She sustains a controlled dialogue with plot turns that arrive with intensity. Her depictions of the book’s legal proceedings carry a convincing authenticity that highlights her expert knowledge of the legal world.
The novel’s most compelling strength lies in its portrayal of Sarah, not as a legal powerhouse, but as a woman contending with the loss of everything she holds dear: her child, her house, her job, even her identity. As her husband becomes entangled in a murder investigation, her emotional defenses start to fall apart, exposing her fear and doubt. Rose refuses to make her protagonist, Sarah, overly likable. Instead, she renders her as flawed, intelligent, and organically human. Readers are drawn to Sarah because her vulnerability is honestly characterized, not because she always makes the right choices.
The novel occasionally veers into well-known genres – a secretive mistress, a wife with hidden knowledge, or an arrogant husband. The final third edges toward melodrama, with certain developments involving Adam and some supporting characters, such as courtroom adversaries or domestic figures, drifting into the stereotype. Nonetheless, narrative momentum never flags; Rose’s attention to character won’t let it. Her perspective holds the story together, allowing familiar plot twists to feel fresh.
At the center of The Perfect Divorce is the age-old question, “How well do you know your spouse?” Its answers (there are many) arrive in the form of legal suspense, complex emotions, and a protagonist who is equally commanding and conflicted. In a genre often populated by women undone by love, Jeneva Rose delivers us a woman undone by truth. From that unraveling, a story emerges that is bolder, more dangerous, and more gripping to read.
Katelyn Richardson is an incoming freshman at Cal State Fullerton.
Orange County Review of Books 