There were so many things I loved about this book: short chapters, very fast paced, lots of breadcrumbs and mystery sprinkled in throughout the entire book.
Every character is somewhat unreliable, and has secrets that are discovered throughout. I really enjoyed how my perspective of Gabe and Pippa changed throughout the book after learning some of their pasts. Gabe and Pippa’s marriage is mirrored by the marriage of the woman who killed herself. I loved the aspects of domesticity portrayed in the book - motherhood, parenthood, running a home, and keeping a marriage alive. I’m not sure the mental illness aspect/angle really tracked for me especially at the end. Overall I loved the perspectives in the book, it was extremely unique.

Love, love, LOVE Sally Hepworth!!! Her thrillers are always original and so suspenseful and I cannot get enough of them. I will be impatiently waiting for the next one...

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC. I think I am going to be in the minority on this, but I would give this 3.5 stars and am going to round down. The first half moved fast and kept me wondering, but the second half felt really long and repetitive. This felt less thriller and more sad family story. It wasn't quite what I was looking for. I really like Sally Hepworth, so I will definitely look out for her next book.

When Pippa and Gabe move to a small seaside town outside Melbourne, it’s a chance to start over. They buy a cottage above the sea with a jagged cliff called “The Drop”. Gabe has become somewhat of a local hero as he has talked many people out of jumping. He has a perfect record until the day the inevitable happens and a women jumps … or did she. Pippa thought for a moment she saw something else. When she finds out they knew the victim, Amanda, more questions arise. Especially when her husband, Max, says she would never even contemplate suicide. The two couples have a history and soon Pippa is believing it’s her fault Amanda jumped. The story is told in the voices of Pippa and Amanda in the now and then. Little by little we find out more about the reason for Pippa and Gabe’s move and how it ties in to Amanda’s final moments. Hepworth does not disappoint with her newest domestic thriller. The twists just keep coming and the last one leaves you reeling! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book

This book was thoroughly enjoyable! It’s my 4th book by this author and I love how her stories unfold. We meet Pippi and Gabe, a married couple with 2 young daughters who live near a cliff. We meet another married couple, Max and Amanda. They share some secrets.

Amanda is seen at The Spot, the place by the cliff where people jump to their deaths. She’s there with Gabe. Gave has a history of literally talking people off the edge but he can’t save Amanda. Pippa sees it all happen and senses there’s more to the story than “she jumped.”

Told from alternating points of view and both past and present, the truth unfolds slowly and perfectly.
It instantly grabbed me and I read it in 2 days.
Highly recommend!

The Soulmate is a 2023 release from author Sally Hepworth. I never miss one of Hepworth's books, and was excited to get to read her latest one. Set in Australia, the story follows Gabe and Pippa's marriage and the subsequent trials and tribulations they go through... from affairs to murder to suicide and mental illness. It sounds far more complicated than it actually is, but due to the repercussions of not talking to one another or the problems resulting from other people's interference, this couple has had some major obstacles. Told in the past and the present, along with POVs from two different women, there is much to confuse readers who aren't carefully paying attention. In the end, the mystery has merit, but I felt the consequences of one's actions weren't properly balanced. A murderer, albeit accidental, doesn't suffer. A man confesses but the police seem to do nothing. I'm not giving away spoilers as these are all tangential to the main plots... that said, the writing is strong and the pages quickly turned for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for a Netgalley of this one.

After feeling meh about Hepworth's last two books. this one was by far my favorite of hers. A well written storyline, that switches timelines. We even get the before and after for the woman who falls from the cliff. I thought this was also really cleverly done.

The ending and how it all tied together did not disappoint. It had multiple layers for each character, and it was packed up nice nicely!

Sally Hepworth can always deliver a twisty, unputdownable thriller when I need one. Her latest, THE SOULMATE, is no exception! This book covers a lot of ground and is intertwined with a lot of storylines that had me hooked the entire read. Just as I thought I had it all mapped out, Hepworth dropped another subtle twist I didn’t see coming.

Between the short chapters, multiple POVs, and pacing, this might be one of my favorite builds yet. As the story begins to bob and weave, the mystery deepens while keeping a steady pace and dangling a carrot out in front of the reader. I think all Hepworth’s ties within the story were very strategically placed, and she didn’t include tid bits for the “just because” factor. Everything truly made sense.

Beyond the mystery, Hepworth showcased relationships of everyday life in a very simple way. Marriages, family, uncovering family secrets, and what you’d do to protect the ones you love. It was eerie, relatable, griping and took me on a rollercoaster of feelings.

My only gripe (boo) was the ending. While it made sense and embodied the story, I was kind of left thinking, “that’s it!?” I thought there would be a tad more. What more exactly? That, I don’t know.

Content warnings: suicide, mental illness, death, infidelity, murder

Big thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC! You can get your copy April 4.

I loved this book and couldn’t put it down- I devoured it in less than a day. I went in blind, expecting a regular, ordinary thriller, albeit a good one, and it was so much more.

The story is told through the dual timelines and POV of two wives, and it’s done so well. The characters are well written, it’s fast paced, and keeps you guessing the entire time.

Piece by piece things start to come together- or fall apart actually, with twists along the way. The ending in particular I didn’t see coming, and I gasped out loud.

Sally Hepworth was another first time author for me (how?!?) and now I can’t wait to read more.

Thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for the ARC.

I devoured this book on a weekend away. In true Sally Hempworth fashion, it kept me guessing until the very end. Quick read!

Sally Hepworth is an auto-read author for me and one of my favorite Instagram follows. So when St. Martin’s Press sent me an advance reader copy of The Soulmate on NetGalley (out April 4th!), it moved to the top of my TBR pile. I binged it over a few days, and it entertained me the entire time. Read this when you’re in the mood for a solid domestic thriller about a love quadrangle with a divinely creepy setting: a cottage on a cliff. It is The Guest List by Lucy Foley meets The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston. Best paired with mussels and pinot grigio. XO, Tara

This is an excellent book! It's the first I've read by Sally Hepworth but it will definitely not be the last. I loved the way she weaved the story together was so enthralling. I was kept guessing what was really going on from the beginning and every time I thought I had it figured out another layer would be uncovered and I'd be left reeling again. Listening to this on audio was fantastic. I loved the narrator! The dualing POV between Pippa and Amanda, and their two timelines, kept me on my toes. I absolutely loved this book!

“To society, there is nothing purer than a family with small children. Except, perhaps, being elderly and enjoying gardening. We trust people based on the strangest, most arbitrary things, none of which have any bearing on whether or not you are inherently good. The Hegartys have no idea what we are capable of. No one does.”

I could sum of the book by the quote above… wow, this thriller was a ride. I felt all of the pent up energy from Sally’s covid lockdowns, trying to burst from her mind.

Main Takeaways:

1. This was a solid thriller - I loved that the chapters were short, full of dysfunction and kept me turning pages. I literally could not put this book down.

2. The character arcs were very well done. I was not expecting the ending, but after those details came to light, suddenly, much more of the story made sense.

3. Marriage is work. Hard work. You have to put in energy every single day. And I guess that goes with all relationships too. I thought Sally described marriage perfectly - that tousle and sometimes turmoil, especially when you’re stuck inside together for so long.

I'm definitely the outlier compared to the other reviews I've read, but I thought The Soulmate one was just okay. Unfortunately, this was another thriller where something interesting happened at the very beginning, nothing happened at all for the middle 75%, and then the ending was just okay. The big reveal wasn't all that shocking. I switched to other books multiple times while listening to this one because it wasn't quite holding my interest.

I didn't like Pippa at all or agree with any of her choices. Most notably, moving her toddlers next to a dangerous, jumpable cliff. If so many people have died here--enough to write a newspaper article about Gabe saving so many people--why wouldn't the town put up netting or a fence to prevent jumpers? The way it was described in the audiobook made it sound like the cliff was just out their back door. Who would want to have to hold onto their toddlers every time they go outside?

The long gap in the action left me with a lot of time to fixate on these little things.

All the other reviews showing up on my Goodreads are glowing, though, so there's a good chance you'll like it!

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress for the eARC
•••
The Soulmate • Sally Hepworth
[releases April 2023]
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Sally Hepworth is a great thriller writer and this one definitely had that eerie feeling throughout. This book focused on a marriage and secrets that can become twisted. Set against a cliff that draws people to their deaths, this one is very atmospheric. It was hard to root for these characters, and I would bill this as more domestic drama than thriller. If you’re a fan of The Push or other Sally Hepworth stories, this one may be for you!

So, I am starting off with I didn't Love nor Hate this. It was entertaining. It wasn't anything spectacular but it did its job to keep you interested.
It is a shorter book so you can read it pretty fast.
The story line was a little predictable but all it all it was a good book.

This was my first book by Sally Hepworth, and I was not disappointed. It took a minute to draw me in, but once it did; I didn’t want to put it down.

This book has many twists and turns. It definitely falls in the thriller category, but there is a strong romance trope written within the pages as well. While we get the perspective of the perfect marriage from Pippa’s point of view, we slowly see that crumble the more we learn about Gabe.

As the story unfolds, the other perspective is told by Amanda. Post mortem. And it was a fabulous way to reveal the secrets and deceptions amongst these characters.

I definitely did not see the ending going where it did, but I was very satisfied. I appreciated a very real story dealing with marriage and relationships, infidelity and the huge impact mental illness can have on those. Ultimately, I can’t wait to try out something else by Ms. Hepworth!

A quick paced read that drops you right into the action and grabs you from the first page. An idyllic little spot with a perfectly happy family, but there's more than meets the eye. Chapter by chapter the truth is exposed, peeling back all the layers. There aren't so much twists as revelations as we get to know Gabe and Pippa and Max and Amanda. The truth is so much more complicated than the lies we tell ourselves to keep us going, and so much changes with perspective. What makes a marriage, what makes soulmates? An enjoyable read, and the Sally Hepworth title I'll be pointing people to to discover this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced readers copy.

4 out of 5 stars. Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sally Hepworth for a copy of this ARC. I really enjoyed this book. It sucked me in from the very beginning.

A woman on a cliff where people go to end their lives. Did she jump? Or did something more sinister happen when Pippa’s husband tried to talk her off the edge?

The story was very well written and had a couple of twists in it that I didn’t see coming. I liked how it was written around two marriages and how even the smallest misconception can bring a whirlwind of consequences.

I would recommend this book. It was a quick, medium paced read that held my attention the whole time.

Where to begin is the question! The Soulmate is one of those books that hits you hard in the first chapter. Gabe and Pippa have a beautiful home that overlooks the blue waters of the coast. They spent a lot of energy finding the perfect home, and this house was just that, minus people coming to the cliff to end their lives mere feet from their home.

Gabe has been praised for his ability to pay attention to the visitors of “The Drop”, due to the amount of lives he has saved while having heartfelt conversations that ultimately end him with the title of a hero.

But when one woman presents herself on that cliff, despite every effort of Gabe to talk her to safety…she jumps. Or so we think. Pippa SAW GABE push that woman. Once Pippa learns of the connection to the woman she quickly reevaluates her entire relationship.

This is a slow burn for sure. There isn’t the dramatic buildup to a huge twist, and if you’re only interested in fast paced, suspenseful thrillers, then I would probably skip this one. At the end of the day, I really enjoyed the book. I would absolutely recommend it to others. Four stars out of five simply for the fact that it lacked drama, suspense, and was very light on the psychological aspect. In can’t wait to read more of this author in the future.