I really enjoy a lot of Hepworth's books, but unfortunately there are also several that fall flat. This one had potential, but in the end it was pretty boring and I didn't really care about any of the characters.

The Soulmate captured my attention from the start, with a woman standing on a cliff (and known jumping spot) overlooking the ocean, within sight of the Gerard home. Told between alternating views from the past and present, we learn the twists and turns of the story and how the woman may be connected to Gabe Gerard. While Gabe and his wife Pippa may have a picture-perfect life surrounded by supportive family and friends, the facade is shattered that night, and I was left guessing until the end how the story would end.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this copy.

I absolutely love all of Sally Hepworth’s books! I loved the twists and turns of the book. I thought there was really great character development. I read it very quickly because I couldn’t put it down!

A+ for story telling, C for the story itself. Hepworth is a master of pacing. I wanted to read "just one more chapter" for hours on end. But, ultimately, I found the story rather convoluted, similar to her last novel. I didn't feel like I really knew any of the characters well. They didn't feel real to me. I'm still a fan, but loved her earlier novels much more than her recent ones.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth.

Anyone could covet Gabe and Pippa's life, with their two beautiful girls and dreamy cottage overlooking the coast just outside of Melbourne. Except for one absolutely nightmarish feature, The Spot, where people go to end it all. So well known that Gabe has become well known for talking people out of their escape.

So when Pippa sees Gabe approach a woman at The Spot, she is confident that he will do the same for her, except after looking away for one second, finds her gone, with Gabe's palms up. Who was she? And was it possible that Gabe knew her? Bouncing between Pippa and Amanda, the mystery woman at the cliff, we learn exactly how intertwined these couples really were.

I am a big Sally Hepworth fan, and I will always happily pick her books up. But this just wasn't my favorite. Every detail just felt like a biiiiiiit of a stretch. The first and biggest stretch being the GIANT CLIFF that they chose to live on. A popular "off yourself" spot? With two little girls? I wouldn't live there with my cats! And the story just kind of stretched from there, even the ending was like...nah. Just didn't buy it. I didn't hate it, but I wasn't feeling it.

Gabe and Pippa love their perfect little cottage on the edge of a sleepy coastal town. Yet the tall cliffs bordering their property are a magnet for jumpers. Usually, Gabe talks them off the edge, until one woman falls to her death. Was she jumped or was she pushed? When Pippa realizes the victim was Amanda, the wife of Gabe's former boss, she begins to question everything about her marriage.

Hepworth is the queen of domestic thrillers and her latest book on marriage and murder is a bit more focused on marriage than murder. Chronicling the ups and downs of Pippa and Amanda's marriages, Hepworth hits all the hot topics - love and passion but also mental illness and infidelity. While not as suspenseful as some of her other thrillers, <em>The Soulmate</em> is still an enjoyable weekend read.

Thank you NetGalley and Sally Hepworth for this advanced copy read I was not influenced or reimburst for this honest review.


If there was ever a Merriam Webster Textbook Definition for "Domestic Suspense" (note I did not say Domestic Thriller) this books would check all the boxes.
-Lies
-Secrets
-Affairs
-Family Secrets
-Scandal
-Tense Relationships
-Not so perfect marriages behind closed doors

This book read so easily, I mean the pages literally turned themselves. The short(ish) chapters alternated between Pippa and Amanda (Before and After), and typical of alternating character POVs we quickly realize that the perfect life they create in chapter 1 is not quite the full truth....my how quickly that white clean veneer is stripped to reveal a rotten tooth (Okay my grandfather is an orthodontist thats where that came from...)

Like I said Pippa is perfectly married to Gabe. Ha! Amanda (her character is a ghost) was married to Max. One night Pippa sees Gabe and Amanda out on the Cliff (Suicide Destination) and Amanda ends up dead....was she pushed? Did She Jump? Well you have to read to find out!!

Okay, so 4 stars....here is why.
Totally engrossed in the book. Like I was at the gym blow drying my hair and reading this book, TMI?
The plot was just spot on what I wanted
The Characters:
While I thought Pippa was a complete soggy noodle and Gabe an uber creeper cry baby(I hated the way Pippa held him up as this "god" and he could do no wrong--umm girl, you should have left him years ago), Hepworth has a way of writing characters that you dislike but you can tell that is her objective (unlike some authors who just write characters you hate--ahem Lisa Jewell) Pippa had some pretty funny comments that made me chuckle.
I really liked Ghost Amanda, she seemed like she would be fun to grab a cup of coffee with.Of course if you know me I would go have coffee with anyone, including any of the women from the View-that is how much I love it....

So what I did NOT care for...
The Ending.
It was so utterly blah. Totally anticlimactic.
Hepworth tries to tackle some serious mental health issues in this book, but I am not sure I liked how she did it. Casting blame on ADHD and BiPolar, I cannot quite put my finger on it on why it bothered me but it just felt....forced?
The ending chapters just all the sudden happened and left me totally unsatisfied.
The very last chapter has my blood boiling...I did not feel like true justice was served.

To sum up. This book was good. It was not great. You do not need to stop what you are doing to read it. But if you find a gap in your Book Shelf this would be the time to read it. You will not remember it, but if you are a Sally Hepworth fan don't leave it unread so you can complete your collection.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. I was not influenced or paid for this honest review.

***Off to read Holly's Review***I have a feeling our reviews will be similar because we had very similar thoughts as we read.

WAIT 1 MORE COMMENT
-Something that bothered me.....the kids were toted off to get their Vaccine--umm was that a "jab" at Sally reminding us to get the "Covid Jab".....eye roll...no thank you mam!

There are many twists and turns in this novel by Sally Hepworth, exploring the lives of Pippa and Gabe Gerard. The Gerards have two very young daughters, whom they both adore. The story becomes more complicated and interesting as Gabe's mental health issues become critical, and lives lie in the balance. Wonderful read!!

I've enjoyed Sally Hepworth's previous books, so I was so excited to read her new one early! The Soulmate was a fast paced, unpredictable story that I read in a day because I couldn't put it down! I loved the different points of view throughout the story, though I definitely enjoyed Amanda's sections more than Pippa's. It's a bit of a slow burn with a lot of secrets and breadcrumbs scattered throughout, but I still sped through it. I saw one of the final twists coming, but definitely did not expect the other! Overall, I would highly recommend and can't wait to read whatever Sally Hepworth comes out with next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this very enjoyable book!

I could not put this book down! Like the other Sally Hepworth books I’ve read, it seamlessly incorporates mystery, family/relationship struggles and a sense of humor. I also left the book with some actionable advice for my own life! Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller for the most part. Pippa and Gabe frustrated me - I couldn't figure out what was REALLY going on with them (I guess that's part of the suspense!) and their co-dependency and caginess was frustrating to read. It didn't make them very likable. Amanda and Max really drew me in though. Their part of the story was intriguing and kept you guessing as to whether they were sinister or not. The twist at the end really took me by surprise.

This was my first Sally Hepworth, but it defintely won't be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style, finding it to mesh with her storytelling style perfectly. The pacing was well managed. When the tension ramped up, so did the writing - it made for a very organic read that was easy to fall into.

I found some of the multi-layered
revelations to feel a bit obvious and the characters' refusal to see them to be odd, but in a domestic thriller the first order of business is to be prepared to suspend disbelief, so that didn't bother me. I found the plot to be a nice blend of conventional topics (infidelity, parenting) and unusual (suicide, woman as breadwinner), which made the read very enjoyable and fresh feeling. I read this one very quickly.

I am a huge Sally Hempworrh and this book was one of my favorites. Pippa and Gabe seem to have it all, a beautiful home on the cliffs 2 daughters and a sting marriage but as the story unfolds looks are quite deceiving.. there lives collide with another couple Amanda and Max.

Told from alternating perspective this story has depth and is brilliantly written. Told between before and after the readers all the pieces come together nicely.. Loved the characters, plot twists and cliffhangers put the one on to be read list!!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this wonderful advance copy
In exchange for my honest review..

Gabe and Pippa Gerard are a young couple with two children, living in their dream home on the Australian cliffside. Sadly, the cliffside has become a popular spot for those looking to end their life. Gabe has become a bit of a local hero for talking several people off the cliff, ultimately saving their lives. Until one day, he fails at this task, and a woman dies. Pippa was witness to this tragic event. However, something seemed off about this day. It almost looked as if Gabe had pushed the woman off?

As police begin to investigate what really happened that day on the cliffs, it becomes apparent that Gabe is hiding something, or maybe even a lot of somethings. Gabe continues to claim that he did not know the woman, and that he was not responsible for her death. But Pippa soon discovers that Gabe may not be telling the truth. As she peels back the layers, the secrets begin to unravel faster and faster. Did Pippa ever really even know Gabe, or has their whole life been based on a lie?

This book really fell flat for me. Hepworth was trying to combine too many plot elements....suspense, mystery, mental illness, etc. I also found the wrap up to be really confusing. There were just too many characters and it just did not gel together smoothly. This would not be a book that I would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fantastic mystery by an exceptional author! I flew right through this one simply because I couldn't put it down. It was a quick and easy read that I think will interest a wide range of readers.

I will say, without giving too much away, that I especially enjoyed the remarkable way that the dual POVs were executed. It was different and unexpected, an approach to a supernatural element that is not often used and I loved it.

I also thought that the past and present chapters blended together seamlessly, creating a simple and easy to follow plotline. Sally Hepworth is a master at leaving tiny crumb trails of clues that will keep you wondering... questioning what has happened in the past and what is yet to unfold.

Additionally, I found Pippa's relationship with her soulmate Gabe to be completely fascinating and enjoyed how this family drama aspect played an integral part of this suspense novel.

Highly recommend!!!

Don't go into this, or really any of Sally Hepworth's books expecting a thriller. You'll be disappointed.
INSTEAD, go into it knowing it's going to be a domestic suspense. And an incredibly well written one, at that.

I really liked the dual POV's, it gave such great insight into Amanda's life before it ended at the cliff. I also really loved Pippa's and her intense love for her family. Because that much is incredibly obvious, she loves her family immensely and will do anything to protect them. Gabe's character was sad to read, because I just knew what his initial first diagnosis should have been, and when it was brushed off as ADHD, I was pretty infuriated. He deserved better. And it kind of killed me that Max knew that.

Speaking of Max, though, holy plot twist. I didn't see that one coming. It made sense, of course, but it still saddened me that Gabe never knew. That he actually ended up being a decent man, who really did love his wife. It was interesting to me, though, that Max joined Amanda at the end. But mainly because throughout the book it didn't seem as though he loved her as much as he SAID he did. For me, actions speak louder than words, and I just didn't think they were as "in love" as the ending portrayed it to be.

There were a few other minor things in the book that were a bit unbelievable, and the ending just felt like it was rushed. Another great one from Sally Hepworth, and I can't wait to read what's next!

Thank you so much Netgalley for my advanced e-galley!

WOW! THIS ONE BLEW MY MIND!
Sally Hempworth’s latest novel THE SOULMATE had me glued to my seat and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I read this one long into the night telling myself, “Just one more chapter”. That ‘one more’ ended up being most of the book and night.
I love the way Ms. Hempworth weaves the past and the present telling a complete, shocking psychological thriller. “I like to think of it as a murderous love story” she says in the acknowledgments. And indeed it is. We see how the lives (and losses) of Gabe, Pippa, Max and Amanda are interwoven throughout until the final reveal and shocking conclusion. Twists and turns abound throughout the book, touching on themes of love, loyalty, infidelity, high stakes business, secrets and mental health, we follow along after a shocking beginning, not leaving all of them until the end.
If you want to escape, withdraw and have a fine time doing so, DON’T MISS THIS ONE! 5+ STARS.

DNF. I was so excited when this was a Read Now on NetGalley. Sally is one of my auto-buy authors and the premise of this sounded so good. But it was way longer than it needed to be and was also pretty predictable. I lost interest around the 35% mark and skipped to the end to find out what happened. The ending is also underwhelming. This is only the second of Sally's books that I've DNFed, so I'm confident I'll love the next one. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Pippa and Gabe buy their dream cottage that is on a cliff overlooking the coast. The excitement of their new home quickly wears off as they realize the cliff is where many come to end their life. Gabe has connections to the latest victim and what follows will keep you reading to uncover the truth.
The Soulmate has a dark storyline but was full of twists and turns. It was an enjoyable read. Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

I’ve read a few Sally Hepworth novels and I enjoyed them, so when I saw The Soulmates’ gorgeous cover I knew I had to read it!

This is a fast-paced domestic thriller about love, marriage and loyalty. Gabe & Pippa live on a cliff where a woman ends her life… or is there more to the story?

As with previous Hepworth books, I found myself picking this one up at every free moment (and may have skipped a few workouts to keep reading). I was very invested in all of the characters and was rooting for a happy ending (you’ll have to read it to find out how it pans out). I enjoy when an author can weave all of the characters together and tie up loose ends.

Definitely recommend!