Really enjoyed it. It was super fast paced and a quick easy read for me. It was a little predictable towards the end but I still enjoyed it very much.

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

Gabe and Pippa’s house is located near “the drop,” a cliff on the Australian coast where people have come to jump to their death. Gabe has successfully talked seven people out of jumping. When the couple sees someone out at the drop, Gabe goes to talk to her. Suddenly, Pippa sees the woman is gone and notices her husband’s hands outstretched. Did he push her? When it turns out Gabe and Pippa have a connection to the woman, a sequence of events unfold, leading to another death.

The author reveals information about the characters that entangles them more and more. The pace is wonderfully delivered throughout this engrossing mystery. The story kept me captivated and guessing until the end.

Likes
🌊Dual point of view
🌊Dual timelines
🌊Small town beach community
🌊Family secrets

Fans of mysteries and thrillers will likely enjoy this one. This is the first book I have read from the author but it won’t be my last. Thank you to @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time. It was extremely fast paced and it kept me at my edge of the seat. I enjoyed the alternating point of views and the shift between past and present. I never wanted it to end

Pippa thinks Gabe is her soulmate. They live in their dream house and are raising their daughters. The only not so perfect thing is that just behind their house is a cliff over the ocean well known for suicides and attempted suicides. Gabe has become somewhat of a local hero for talking numerous people out of jumping, until one woman he doesn't save. Pippa was glancing out the window off and on, while calling for assistance and at one point she felt off about the way or direction she rhought Gabe's hands looked.

Then she finds out they knew the woman and everything begins to unfold. I normally really enjoy Sally Hepworth's books. I liked this one, but nothing felt all that shocking to me. All the initial descriptions of Gabe as handsome and charming and all that kind of turned me off. If a male main character is described as too good to be true or "perfect'...it kind of is a red flag for something to come. Now don't get me wrong. There were twists and a couple of things I didn't see coming but overall this one was a little flat for me.

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

• family drama
• alternating POV and timeline
• unlikable characters

With themes like betrayal, family secrets and mental illness, this had the potential to be an interesting read. For me though, the execution wasn't quite there. But yay for short chapters!

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

This wasn’t my favorite book by the author I’ve read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It’s dark and atmospheric in a good way..

I went into this one blind and was hooked immediately, tearing through this one so fast that I thought my Kindle percentages were broken. I love domestic suspense — it’s really my comfort genre — and this one was so well done.

Gabe and Pippa live in their dream home on rocky coast in a sleepy town. Unfortunately, it’s become a popular destination for people to end their lives — except for the ones Gabe has talked out of it. Until the night he can’t convince a woman not to leap to her death — and he and Pippa’s world is forever changed when Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim.

If you’re looking for an all-consuming, read-it-one-sitting page turner, it’s this one!

3.5 Stars rounded up. There was mystery, intrigue and lots of secrets. It was an easy read mystery but didn't totally wow me. I enjoyed The Good Sister more than this one.

Read non stop in one big sitting! Loved this!
What a thrill ride, great character development, great twists and smooth plot that kept me going.
Highly recommend for mystery/thriller readers!
Thank you for the ARC!

I love a book with family secrets., and this book is full of them.

Pippa and Gabe with their 2 daughters live near a cliff that is most notably known as a suicide spot. Gabe prides himself on helping those who approach the cliff and saving their lives. Then one day, as Pippa watches from a window, Gabe tries to talk to a woman and she disappears over the cliff.

The story is told from the perspectives of Pippa and the dead woman, giving details of their lives and their husbands. I had no idea where the twists were coming from. I could not put this one down.

I received this e-book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for the copy!

This was my first Sally Hepworth and definitely not my last! Sally did a great job on character development, as well as setting the reader up to constantly be on the edge and questioning what might happen next. I did not see some of the things coming that happened in the novel. If you love short chapters, this one has them!

This thriller takes us through the past and present lives of Pippa and Amanda. Pippa and Gabe have just moved to a coastal town and live in a nice house. The catch is, the house is next to The Drop; a known place where people go to end their lives. But since moving in, Gabe has been able to talk down several people from jumping and choosing to live instead. Until he couldn't. But did she actually jump, or was it something else?

What really gives this book an edge is the telling of the story through the women it involves. Pippa and Amanda. Each woman has a unique story to tell about the events leading up to and after Amanda’s death off the cliff across from Pippa and her husband, Gabe’s cottage.

This is a domestic thriller and it brings the drama in spades. There are the requisite twists but I was especially shocked by what I thought I knew and didn’t! I love to be surprised and Sally does this in all her books. I’ll forever be a fan and will always recommend her books.

This book gave me exactly what I look for and expect in a Sally Hepworth novel- it's a fast paced thriller with well drawn characters, and I devoured it in about 24 hours. The only thing that kept it from being a 5 star for me was that I was sometimes confused whether I was reading Pippa or Amanda, but it could just be that I was reading it so fast. Great beach/vacation type read. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

I discovered Australian author Sally Hepworth byway of her 2021 novel The Good Sister, which I absolutely loved! Hepworth immediately became a must-read author for me, but I have to admit that her subsequent follow-ups - The Younger Wife & The Soulmate - just did not resonate with me like The Good Sister did. Nonetheless, Hepworth is a solid suspense writer capable of delivering compelling novels with jaw-dropping twists.

In her latest release, The Soulmate, a young couple and their two daughters live in a rambling beach home near a cliff where suicidal people are known to jump to their death. Gabe, the husband, is deft at literally talking people off the ledge, and has saved many lives until recently. A woman came to the cliff who Gabe was unable to save. Pippa, Gabe’s utterly devoted wife and soulmate, feels that she is not getting the whole truth from her husband about this woman’s suicide, but she wants to trust him so badly that she looks the other way, despite some rather erratic behavior from him in the past. As more secrets come to light, Pippa has to make the ultimate decision whether to stand by her man or uncover what he is hiding.

While many people will love the style in which The Soulmate is written, it made it difficult for me to connect and keep up with the characters while listening to it on audio. This book has very short chapters that end in cliffhangers that cover two characters’ POVs and traverse between past and present - that’s a lot to contend with! I felt like I could never settle down with any one character and get to know and understand them before the POV changed. Thus, listening to this book on audio, I felt disconnected from and not engaged with the characters and their stories for most of this novel. Perhaps a change in the approach of this book would have enhanced my enjoyment of it.

I really really enjoyed this book of Hepworth's, and I love her classic slow-build mystery. The settings in Australia are an added bonus.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this!

‘The Soulmate’ by Sally Hepworth is a thought-provoking novel that delves into the complexities of love, family dysfunctions, mental health, and the power of human connections.

With rich character development, Hepworth presents a diverse cast of individuals whose lives intersect, illustrating how relationships can be both extraordinary and unpredictable.

What sets ‘The Soulmate’ apart is Hepworth's ability to explore deep emotional nuances. Through her vivid prose, she invites readers to ponder profound questions surrounding love and the role of choices in our lives.

The story unfolds at a steady pace, and Hepworth's writing style is engaging and accessible. She effortlessly alternates between different characters' perspectives, providing a multi-dimensional view of their experiences.

‘The Soulmate’ is a compelling exploration of the intricate webs that connect us all. Whether you believe in soulmates or not, this novel will make you reflect on the power of love and the choices we make along the way.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy of ‘The Soulmate’. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Thank you @stmartinspress @netgalley for my digital copy and @macmillan.audio for my audio copy. My thoughts are my own.

Pippa and Doug live in a house on a seaside cliff. They thought they were buying a dream home until within the first year Doug stopped several people from committing suicide by jumping off their cliff. Doug received public recognition for his success as an amateur suicide negotiator—until the day when someone did jump. And suddenly Pippa finds herself wondering if Gabe actually helped the jumper to her death!

This character-driven novel unfolds in two viewpoints: Pippa and Amanda (the woman who fell to her death). There is also a dual timeline…before and after the death. I enjoyed both timelines/storylines but I may have enjoyed Amanda’s more. There were a few twists in this one that I didn’t see coming. The only thing I did not enjoy was how mental illness was presented.

First off I would like to think Net Galley, St. Martin's Press as well as Sally Hepworth for for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review! The story takes place at cottage located in a coastal town. This story comes with a few twists and turns. Gabe has a "gift" of negotiating people off this cliff because it is a place where most come to unalive themselves but the unexpected comes and questions start to pop up. I loved the short chapters in this book, but overall i enjoyed how Sally writes and one day I will be picking up another book of hers! I would also like to note I bought this in hardcover from BOTM because I absolutely loved the cover! Review 3.5 stars!

3.5 stars!

This was such a bingeable domestic thriller featuring two POVs and dual timelines. It had themes of marriage, love, loss, and of course murder, and I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audio and thought the narration was great.

*many thanks to SMP and Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy

Gabe and Pippa have the perfect life from the outside. A perfect marriage, two beautiful daughters, and their dream house on a cliff in a coastal town. But that cliff also happens to be a popular suicide spot. Gabe has a knack for talking people off the edge until one shows up that he couldn't save. When Pippa finds out that Gabe knew the victim, she starts to wonder if it was really an accident.

Sally Hepworth has a way of writing mysteries from multiple viewpoints that make them hard to put down. Everyone has a secret, and the suspense will keep you flipping pages until you know what those secrets are. While the secrets were compelling, I didn't particularly enjoy any of the characters. There are twists and turns throughout the story so if you like a good mystery full of surprises, this one will definitely be for you.