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If I could describe this book I would say wow. So many twists and turns it was incredible. I liked how it was told from the POV from Pippa and Amanda and with each of their POV you get an interesting dynamic on how the story is told. With each POV comes secrets along with some juicy details. By the end of the book my mouth was on the floor. I thoroughly enjoyed this book

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4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5 on here)

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
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I absolutely LOVE Sally Hepworth and was so excited to receive a widget for this book! First off, I loved the short chapters of the book and her writing style! She just draws you in from the beginning and keeps you so invested in the characters of the book! There are so many secrets that get revealed throughout the book and it is a well paced thriller!

I love how she approached the mental illness part and does a great job at discussing how misdiagnoses can happen. If you are apart of the mental health field, you definitely know that this is an unfortunate possibility that happens at times. But she does an amazing job discussing mental health and how it can impact all parts of a person life! Overall, this book is sooo good, fast paced, and keeps the reader entertained the entire time! Definitely recommend!

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

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**𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟒𝐭𝐡
𝑻𝑾: 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆  

Gabe and Pippa have a beautiful home except for the tall cliffs that surround their home.  It's a spot many have gone to end their lives.  Gabe is great with talking people out of jumping off the cliff.  So much that there was even an article in the paper about it.  One night a woman comes that he's unable to save and when Pippa finds out Gabe knew who it was she begins to wonder if the woman actually jumped or if something else was going on. Turns out everyone is hiding something. 
Dual timelines and perspectives makes this a fast read that kept me questioning and guessing until the very end. There is also something unique about the story being told this way but I'll let you experience that when you read it. There were a few things I didn't see coming which is always nice in a story.  
Certain parts were far-fetched for me.  I am not sure a family with a history of mental health (I don't want to give too much away) or a family with small children would really move to a home with a giant cliff right out their front door.  

Overall a pretty solid thriller that's on par with what this author has done in the past.

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Loved loved loved! Literally couldn’t put it down! My favorite Sally Hepworth book to date!
Thank you NetGalley!!

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5 Stars

This was my first Sally Hepworth and I really had so much fun with it! I loved the writing style how they were told from Amanda and Pippa's point of view. That we got then and now of both women. Amanda's now point of view was seriously so interesting and I loved that aspect.

This follows the story of Pippa and Gabe plus their two young daughters. They have just moved to a beach home that overlooks a giant cliff. This cliff is known as the "the drop". A location where people choose to end their lives, but since moving there Gabe has successfully talked two people out of making a irreversible decision. Now there is a woman at the cliff side. Pippa watches her husband try to talk this woman down from inside the house and turns away for a moment to help their children. When she turns back only Gabe is left standing at the cliff and his hands are outstretched. Duh duh duhhhhhH!!!

Then the story takes off from here. I found both sides of the story to be really interesting. The story is a super fast read with short chapters. I loved the pacing, it was perfect. There were quite a few things that took me by surprise and in the end I felt super satisfied.

I would highly recommend this book to other fans of thrillers. This was a fun one and I will be checking out more from Sally Hepworth in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review on my instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites on or close to publication.

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Let it be known, that I have never been disappointed by a Sally Hepworth book, and after reading this one, I'm still not! This is the type of thriller (and romance ish!) you call in sick for and spend your day in bed binging. Need I say more?

***Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!***

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The Soulmate was an interesting read that was from both Pippa and Amanda's perspective, even in Amanda's death. At first I was worried this would be a supernatural story, but quickly realized that Amanda's POV was crucial to understanding the whole story. It went back and forth between " then " and "now" allowing us to understand the events leading up.

Pippa, her husband Gabe and their two children live near a popular cliff where people go to commit suicide. Gabe has always been able to talk the jumpers out of their decision until Amanda comes one evening. The only problem is Gabe has a connection to Amanda... Which requires an investigation into Gabe's life. This novel is full of secrets, addictions, love and suspense.

I can honestly say I did not see the ending coming. While this book started out slow for me, I quickly devoured it once I really sat down and became invested. Make sure to add this to your TBR!

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This wasnt my favorite Sally Hepworth but its def in my top 3. There is something about her writing style that gets you hooked and keeps you engaged. This is what i call a "popcorn" thriller. Secrets, twists and well paced. Sally has a formula but it works and I wont stop. Thanks netgalley!

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WHOLLY MOLY is this packed full of surprises 🫢😳.. it’s a WILD ride so hold on to your seat! 🎟🎢 This is about two married couples, all perceived as “good people,” that look ✨perfect ✨ from the outside.. but, I can guarantee you won’t guess what is really being hidden! Betrayal, secrets, SHOCKING twists and turns🌪.. suicide?.. SH has written her best book yet. Marriage + murder? = one unpredictable gem of a story that you never know what tricks SH has up her sleeve next. Slowly these marriages, perfect lives are dismantled, layer upon layer 🧅.. in this mind-bending domestic suspense/psychological thriller that ends with something COMPLETELY unexpected!!! 👏🏻🙌🏻🫣 5 stars — Pub. 4/4/23

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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The Soulmate surprisingly is my first Sally Hepworth novel, and it definitely won't be my last! This was a gripping thriller that is entertaining all the way through. I loved the discussion around those who struggle with mental illness and how their illness affects the people who care for them.

Short, snappy chapters, paired with alternating POVs, one of which is from the deceased who is stuck in limbo before passing on, provide a clever and suspenseful way of telling the story of what really happened the night that Amanda fell from "The Spot", which is a ledge/cliff behind Pippa and Gabe Gerard's home outside of Melbourne. This experience is unique, but not unbelievable, as Gabe has talked 7 previous strangers off of the ledge but failed with this latest woman.

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Sally Hepworth crushed it again! She is the new Liane Moriarty for me- her books are so twisty but also FUN and human. The Soulmate is my absolute favorite of hers so far. It's a book of little shocks instead of big "gotcha" moments. (Which I prefer because if you read enough thrillers it becomes too easy to spot the big plot twists and it's kind of boring having to wait for the reveals.)

Plotwise, The Soulmate is about a suspicious suicide and the events leading to it and immediately following. But really it's about two marriages and how loyalty is interpreted. I read this FAST because of the writing style and propulsive plot, but after I finished I kept thinking of the characters and their relationships. There are some dark elements to this book, but it's very satisfying. I recommend it to anyone in a long-term committed relationship/marriage, who doesn't want to read about relationships and instead wants to read twisty fun domestic thrillers.

Happy Valentine's Day, and big thanks to Sally Hepworth, Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press.<3

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This one was SO GOOD. A classic whodunit that tugs on your heart strings and makes you wanting more with every plot development. Propulsive, addictive, fraught, and VERY suspenseful. Perfect for getting out of a reading slump!

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I closed this book and just kinda went "hmm". There was no big huge jaw dropping twist. And honestly when it ended I felt a little unsatisfied. I was expecting more.

However, if I think back. to the other Hepworth books, they aren't jaw dropping, twisty turning thrillers- they are all more real life domestic drama. So maybe it was my mindset and expectations going into this read.

I didn't dislike it. I think I just thought it was going to be something more.But for what it was, it was interesting and page turning.

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Gabe and Pippa have moved into their dream house on the coast. It also happens to be on the edge of a cliff, in a spot that is notorious for people jumping to their death. Gabe has gone out to talk people down several times, until one night, the woman he speaks to actually jumps. Pippa finds out that her husband knew the woman, and his story of what happened doesn’t add up. As Pippa tries to get to the truth, she begins to wonder if her husband - her soulmate - is the man she thought he was.

Another solid domestic thriller by Sally Hepworth! This story had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning and kept me there til the very end. I loved the coastal setting, the unsettling vibes I got from the main characters, and I loved the supporting characters of Pippa’s family too. Told from dual perspectives, we get to see how Pippa and Gabe’s story began and how their history plays a part in their current life. As the layers were peeled back, each twist left me shocked.

Trigger warning: mental illness, suicide

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth for the ARC! This book releases April 4, 2023.

This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly.

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Gabe and Pippa live in a gorgeous home, but one side of the yard backs to a cliff called "The Drop" - where people come to die by suicide. Gabe has become a local hero for talking people away from the ledge, but this time, a woman goes over the edge... and the woman, Amanda, is not a stranger, but someone Gabe knows. When Pippa realizes this, she wonders: what happened?! I loved this mystery and couldn't put it down. There were a bunch of interesting twists and turns, and the book is told from two POVs (Pippa and Amanda) to keep things moving. While I don't always love a beyond-the-grave perspective, this one felt realistic and balanced. There were a few somewhat far-fetched plot points, but I suppose that's to be expected in a suspense novel that contemplates murder. Overall, I loved it, especially the discussion around mental illnesses.

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3.5⭐️ I was so excited for this, but it fell a little short for me! I was really interested in the beginning, but I felt like it was dragging a little by the end. The ending shocked me but I also wasn’t satisfied with the ending. However, still love this author and will continue to read what she comes out with! Thank you netgalley for the free copy!

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Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
A great book! This is the first book by Sally Hepworth I've read. Soulmate was a wonderfully written to draw you into the story from the get go. The characters were likable and easy to connect with. Its another book of what's going on behind closed doors. You never know about someone's marriage till you see it. I would highly recommend this book. It is adventurous, suspenseful and keeps you hooked to the very end.

I received this complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

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“It goes to show how dangerous it can be, thinking that you know someone.”


In the acknowledgements, Sally Hepworth says she writes: “funny books about family and murder.”

This fits the other two Hepworth books I read: The Good Sister and The Younger Wife— both of which I thought were really good.

I also thought The Soulmate was really good but it didn’t have quite the same humor.

It was a fast read with a few twists, some more surprising than others. The ending wasn’t as satisfying as I was hoping for, but it was at least more resolved than her other books I’ve read which are a bit open-ended.

As I process the book after finishing, I look back at the slow reveal and see more and more the crumbs of information Hepworth left for us to discover.

In all three of these books, she tackles some bigger topics— The Good Sister has an autistic character, The Younger Wife has three characters with vices- stealing, eating, alcohol, and The Soulmate has its own thing it gives insight to (it’s a spoiler or I’d tell you). How it can affect a person and a marriage.

“The line between normal and not normal had always been so thin for him; sometimes I didn’t know if I was talking to a genius or a madman.”

“He had just enough magic to make him brilliant, but not so much that it sent him mad—unlike his brother.”

What does it take to be soulmates and can they weather a potential murder investigation?


Brief Summary

Gabe and Pippa are soulmates with the picture-perfect family and marriage.

Gabe is the animated and engaged father to their two little girls. He is the hero. The kind of husband you marry where it feels like a dream.

“He’s your classic run toward a burning building kind of guy… When people meet Gabe, they feel safe. Seen.”

They live near a cliff, famously known as The Drop, where people come to commit suicide. Since they moved in, however: “out of the seven souls who have come to the cliff since we moved in, seven have walked away. Gabe has saved them all.”

Until the one he didn’t.

Their lives start to unravel when a woman (Amanda) jumps? falls? is pushed? off the cliff and dies. Because she and Gabe knew each other. She was the wife of Gabe’s former boss (Max) at a job he was fired from. And Gabe withheld that information from the police.

What really happened on that cliff? Why was she there? Is Gabe hiding something? Who is he protecting?

Max is convinced Amanda wouldn’t have jumped. She was not suicidal and she knew how suicide had already taken two of his family members and affected him deeply. He is determined to figure out the truth. He has ‘connections’ and will use whatever means necessary to get it.

Through alternating chapters between Pippa (before and after) and Amanda (before and after) we start putting the pieces together. And things are not what they seem.


Comments

One thing I wasn’t sure whether I liked or not were the Amanda chapters. I think the ‘before’ chapters make sense. It gives us background to who she is and what her marriage to Max is like.

But after her death, in order for the reader to know what’s going on with Max and give us some more ‘insider’ information, Hepworth writes the ‘after’ chapters from Amanda’s POV after death. It’s as if she is floating around and observing the investigation into her death.

Which, in a way, is fitting for the title. But there were a few times where it didn’t make sense. One in particular was her observing and narrating what was happening between a phone conversation between Max and Gabe as if she could see both of them even though they were far away from each other. I guess there aren’t any established rules with the afterlife, so maybe omnipresence is acceptable.


I liked how Pippa has a really good relationship with her family and her parents. It’s a very supportive group and it’s nice to see that stability— that they take care of each other. Plus her parents are the ones that bring the humor in this book.


“According to Mum, ‘All little kids are psychos. It’s a necessary, important phase of growth.’”

I love how much Pippa loves her people, even when it’s hard. She’s a very forgiving person, perhaps to a fault. But it’s a nice difference from the tropes of unstable and paranoid women who hate being a mom.

There were a lot of parts of this book that were relatable in terms of being a parent and the familial reactions so I enjoyed that connection point.

A couple examples: reading their kids the book- The Tiger Who Came to Tea. We bought that book in London to read to our kids and it’s a favorite; the way their girls fight and talk about food; two of the characters took a trip to Bora Bora and a safari in Tanzania, both of which are trips we’ve been considering.


Recommendation

I really enjoy Sally Hepworth’s books. They have good suspense, good characters, some humor, and are pretty clean.

I definitely recommend this book and the other two I already mentioned.

If you’re looking for a thriller that will read quickly, this is it.



New words I Learned:

limerence- the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, but typically nonsexually

‘Come on slowcoach’- the British version of slowpoke I guess?

doona- the Australian version of a down comforter

Freddo frogs- an Australian chocolate bar shaped like a frog

been on tenterhooks- another version of ‘on eggshells’; state of tension or anxiety



[Content Advisory: 7 f-words, 8 s-words; suicide; an LGBTQ couple]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

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Hepworth knows how to weave a tale that keeps you guessing until the end. This has been such a highly anticipated read for me and I enjoyed it so much..

I enjoy the way Hepworth present these characters to you. I enjoyed the twists and turns and the absolute humanity. They were all flawed and real, doing not so good things for a good reasons. The intertwining of these two very different families, discovering the ways in which they were connected, and ultimately, the secrets they are each keeping, all against the backdrop of this noteworthy cliff side property, was just fantastic.

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This is my first Sally Hepworth book and it found it to be okay. I didn’t love it nor hate it. I put it down a couple of times because I found the beginning to be a bit slow. The last third of the book is when the pace picked up and I couldn’t put it down. The characters were well developed, but I just felt as though something was missing throughout the book. Although I didn’t love this one, I will definitely read Hepworths backlist.

Thank you so much NetGalley for an advanced copy!

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