Skip to main content

Member Reviews

A popcorn thriller that went in a direction I didn't expect. Loved the atmospheric setting and the characters that kept me guessing until the end. Really fun book to read on a snowy day!

Was this review helpful?

✨Book Review✨

The Soulmate 📚 by Sally Hepworth

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
This book was so good! Gabe & Pippa buy a house with a gorgeous view on a cliff. Little do they know it is a popular spot where people commit suicide. Gabe having struggled with his own mental health issues finds purpose in helping the people who come to the cliff and is recognized as a small town hero. Until one day, a woman jumps and he couldn't help save her. Gabe proves to not be a reliable character with a dark past, so the reader is left guessing did the girl jump or did Gabe push her? The story unfolds with twists you don't see coming. A must read! Sally Hepworth's best book yet!
.
Thank you to @netgalley and St. Martin's press for the arc! This book is released April 2023 📖
.
.
.#thesoulmate #netgalley #winterreads #justread #bookstack #booklovers #thriller #alwaysreading #readersofinstagram #bookreview #instareads #goodreads #bookworm #bookaddict #readersofig #bookreviewer #bookaddict #bookstagram

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth was overall quite an enjoyable read! The twists and turns of this book were difficult to anticipate due to the unpredictable nature of the characters previous actions, as well as the unreliable narration of the main character. I read this book in a couple of sittings, as it was difficult to put down, and the writing had me on the edge of my seat.

I overall rated this book 4/5 stars, and it was definitely an enjoyable read. I would recommend The Soulmate to those who enjoy the domestic thriller genre.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoy novels with multiple viewpoints and sinking into another character's perspective. When you pair that with a riveting plot and compelling characters, you have a real treat on your hands. I highly recommend this wonderful domestic thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publish for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Oh, this was a fun ride. I was absolutely engaged with the story and while I found a few things mildly predictable, they were just that: mild.

Gabe and Pippa and their two little girls live in a spectacular cliffside house that's also a well-known suicide attempt spot. When they see people come to The Drop, they know what to do: Gabe goes outside to talk to them while Pippa calls the police and distracts the kiddos. One day, a woman comes who Gabe isn't able to stop. While tragic, Pippa's ready to move on until she realizes the personal connection between Gabe and the woman.

From that point on, you learn more and more about Pippa and Gabe's relationship and the problems they believe they've overcome in their marriage, only to see that each problem wasn't solved but rather left a crack in their foundation. Time brings out the secrets and shows the cracks and we see that nothing is really what it seems.

This was a great example of an unreliable narrator who didn't drive me crazy. So frequently, I'm reading an unreliable narrator who is struggling with mental illness, addiction, or insomnia (and there seems to be a lot of insomniacs in thrillers). Pippa was just unreliable because she was trying to prop up her life to make it look a certain way--the way so many of us do. I found the connection between Pippa and Gabe to be tenuous at times--other than how hot Gabe was, I struggled to see why she'd stay with him after some of the stunts he pulled. I also diagnosed him pretty early on in the book, so the end result wasn't too much of a surprise to me.

Great book. Really enjoyed it, and recommend it highly. Special thanks to NetGalley for my Advanced Readers Copy

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book. Multiple suicides near the dream home of Pippa are interrupted by Gabe. Why does he let one victim follow through? The twists and turns are great and I love it when I can't figure out a story until the very end. Thank you Hepworth for another fabulous psychological thriller! 5 stars

Was this review helpful?

I definitely could not put this book down!! The way it's written made it so good to read and I am certainly going to recommend it to my friends!

Was this review helpful?

The thing I love about Sally is that her books- and her characters- are never quite as they seem on the surface. She takes everyday, domestic households and situations and turns them on their heads. Her books NEVER end where you expect them to.

This is another great story that shows you ...nothing is ever quite as it seems. It's a slow burn. Hepworth removes layer after layer until you are left with the truth. And it's stunning.


I enjoy reading a nice, solid story. No ridiculous twists and turns and no chaotic (and unbelievable) plot points. There are twists here, but they are REALISTIC. And surprising, but it a believable way. Sally Hepworth is an excellent and dependable story teller and I love her for it!

4 stars.

This advance copy was gifted to me from St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

The Soulmate was a page turner I couldn’t put down! There was a slow build of character personalities, a mystery involving a death, and so many twists that culminated in an ending I didn’t see coming. I may not have always liked the characters, at times I was downright angry with some of the decisions that were made, but it just made me more invested in how this story would end.

Was this review helpful?

Pippa and Gabe live in a gorgeous house with one drawback, The Dropoff is is frequented by those wanting to end their life. Gabe has become a rescuer and frequently talks people away from the ledge - until one night he doesn’t. A series of twists and turns between past and present lead us to try to answer one question - what would you do for your soulmate?

This book was a phenomenal read. I finished in 24 hours and found myself reading it every chance I could (including in a line to check out at the store). There was just the right amount of characters and you could clearly follow the two stories. I loved the juxtaposition of before vs after, and Pippa and Amanda. Truly a great book and felt like it was a fresh idea I hadn’t read before.

Was this review helpful?

The Soulmate
by Sally Hepworth

Ahhh this book pushed me off the edge and that was quite literally. The Soulmate is an atmospheric domestic suspense/murder mystery read about marriage, mental illness, defining families,, and of course secrets.

The book cover is absolutely gorgeous and just imagine living in your dream home with that view… Gabe and Pippa did just that until they eventually discover that their dream backyard is the perfect spot to jump off to end your life. Luckily Gabe has the gift of gab, and the kind of person that can talk many people off the ledge, until one night when a woman (Amanda) falls off the ledge - was she pushed or did she jump?

The Soulmate is told in the perspectives of Pippa in the then and now, and then of Amanda in the before and after. I love how Amanda’s perspective is like an all knowing perspective seeing what is happening after she has died.

Overall, I loved all the ways the story was revealed and finding out Gabe’s relationship with Amanda. With some twists in the end that I never saw coming, this read was exceptional that I highly recommend!

Sally Hepworth is the queen of suspenseful domestic thrillers!

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely love Sally Hepworth’s books! This one is a dark tangled web of lies and deceit unravels around a suspicious suicide, that tests the trust of one couple and raises the question, how much would you sacrifice for the one you love. This book also deals with bipolar depression.
It also has some twists. I highly recommend this novel. Thanks Sally!

Was this review helpful?

New thrilling novels about marriage, betrayal, and the power of secrets. Gabe and Pippa live in a cottage on a cliff, a popular suicide destination. Gabe has a knack for talking people off the ledge until one fateful night when he doesn’t. As the police start asking questions, Pippa questions what is real and what isn’t
* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review

Was this review helpful?

I could not put this book down. Sally Hepworth did an amazing job writing this novel and had me at the edge of my seat the entire time. I did not expect the twists, especially at the end. I really enjoyed both views of the narrators, Pippa and Amanda as well as the characters.
I highly recommended reading this thriller! This is one of my favorite reads! 5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Domestic drama set on a cliff with deadly views of the sea below, the ideal new home for Gabe, Pippa and their two young daughters. Like the famed Golden Gate Bridge this view has a dark side – desperate people ending their lives. This lovely area is just outside Melbourne. It’s an easy to read twisted mystery with solidly believable characters.
Pippa is the breadwinner working as an estate lawyer from home, while Gabe had more jobs in a year than most do in a decade. He’s now the local hunk stay-at-home Dad. He’s charismatic, smart, driven, hyperactive or lethargic. Just an ordinary family, married, young children, careers, etc. His personality lends itself to talking down potential jumpers. Until … the one that he can’t, doesn’t or wouldn’t save.
There are alternating POV’s from the primary characters before and after the untimely death of a suicidal woman. Trust, fidelity and honesty in the relationships is paramount to the plot. Cracks begin to appear in more than the steep cliffs. You just don’t ever know what happens inside a marriage. Lots of lessons to toss around and what ifs to contemplate. An author I’ve enjoyed reading before and will again.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “The Soulmate” by Sally Hepworth and to St Martin’s Press. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Was this review helpful?

I’ve never met a Sally Hepworth novel I didn’t love beyond all reason. She possesses a literary prowess that should be studied and emulated. It’s powerful. She has the uncanny ability to snatch me out of my everyday world and demand that I forsake all plans until I’ve devoured every word of her newest offering. As much as I’ve enjoyed her previous books, she’s outdone herself with this latest bundle of goodness.

From the very first page, I was captivated by this story of Pippa and Gabe and their dream home, a home that happens to sit on a cliff used by potential jumpers who want to end their lives. Gabe has the sympathetic ability to talk them down from the edge…until he doesn’t. Our story begins when Gabe loses one. Secrets, lies, and complicated pasts soon follow.

Sally Hepworth is a top-tier author. She dominates every trick in the book, expertly using them to create compelling characters. She builds them fully-fleshed, but then she plunges into their very souls to excavate their pasts and to examine everything that makes the unique. Each virtue and each vice feel authentic to the reader. Her pacing is perfection; she knows when to gallop, but she also knows when to slow things down to a leisurely pace so the reader can marinate in the details of this very captivating storyline.

If you’ve read her books before, still prepare to be shaken. This is a book that I’ll be thinking about for a while to come. If you’ve never read any of her work, what are you waiting for? Don’t let another day go by Hepworthless, but promise that you’ll start with this one. You’ll be glad you did.

Was this review helpful?

The was my second Sally Hepworth and certainly won't be my last. I love that her books aren't about one big twist, but small twists/reveals are dropped throughout. It keep the book moving in such a fun, fast-paced way! I couldn't put it down. I loved the setting of this one (gave me Big Little Lies vibes) and the dual narration style. This was a solid thriller and I think people are going to enjoy it!

Was this review helpful?

Pippa and Gabe are happily married and have two little girls. They have recently moved to a cliffside cottage in a small town. The one downside to their new home is that is a famous suicide spot. People have jumped to their deaths from the cliff. Since moving in, however, Gabe has managed to "save" seven people from jumping. He spends hours sometimes, helping them realize that life has so much more to offer. Unfortunately, Gabe is unable to save the 8th person. Gabe seems inconsolable, but Pippa wonders if the woman actually jumped, or was she pushed? Did Gabe actually know the woman? Is he responsible for her death?
I have enjoyed all of Sally Hepworth's books, so I was really excited for this one, especially after seeing so many high star reviews. I did not enjoy this one at all. I didn't like any of the characters and the story didn't engage me at all. I was hoping there would at least be some crazy, unexpected twist or two, but I was left disappointed.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I'll read anything by Sally Hepworth! I am so easily drawn into her stories and characters and The Soulmate was no exception!

Told from the alternating points of view of Pippa and Amanda, this story explores love, marriage, infidelity, as well as the impact of mental illness. I loved the short chapters which offered just enough information about the secrets and lies kept, as well as the reminders that nothing is as it seems, to keep me furiously turning the pages.

The Soulmate is a fast-paced, exciting, and intriguing suspense thriller, with twists and turns that I was here for!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. The Soulmate is out now, I highly recommend it!

Was this review helpful?

This my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. Definitely will be checking out some of her others. It was a great book. Great cliff hangers at the end of chapters, it really kept me on the edge of my seat and saying just one more chapter but ended up finishing it. The first part of it was very engaging but towards the end it did start to feel dragging but overall was good.

Was this review helpful?