3.5 ⭐

I can't help sounding like a fan-girl when talking about Sally Hepworth's books, I just love her writing. I love her developed and complex characters, and find them to be relatable and believable. She writes characters I either love or hate fully. The Soulmate sounded intriguing from the synopsis, so I was really looking forward to reading this. But if I'm honest, I'd probably read a reimagining of a phone book if she wrote it.

The Soulmate is at it's core about the lengths we'll go to for the ones we love. It's told in an alternating (Then) and (Now) time lines, and from the POV of two wives, who both endure more than they should from the men they love. I was originally as enamored with Gabe as everyone else who comes across him  and I liked Pippa and their girls, but by the end, wanted to put the whole lot of them in timeout. I felt it when Pippa's mom said: "Are you sure it's the house? Because if it were me, I'd be asking if it was something else causing your problems." And her sister Kat said: "I can't support you anymore. Not when you keep acting so damn stupid." Because I was also absolutely over her blatantly ignoring the red flags and allowing Gabe's destructive behavior because he's 'gorgeous', especially as there were children involved. I left the book heartbroken for Amanda and Max, but realizing I never connected to any of the characters.

In the end I didn't love this story as much as I was expecting to, and was a bit let down by the twists. In that there were either too many, or perhaps I found them to be "too much". TW: suicide, mental illness

I do still absolutely recommend The Soulmate to anyone who will listen. Sally Hepworth can't release her next book fast enough, as far as I'm concerned.

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

I can rely on Hepworth to give me a provocative read and this one is no different.
However, Hepworth made me work for it. Every time I believed I had a firm grasp on the story and knew what would happen next, she wrote think again and sent me careening down another side path.
It’s a juicy read with many twisted angles that made me not resurface until I had finished.
Great book!

The Soulmate is a compulsively readable domestic mystery, which Hepworth is so skilled at executing. The story opens with the “suicide” of a woman while pipers husband is standing over the cliff with her. Piper didn’t see anything, but as the story unfolds, readers get the sense all isn’t what it appears to be in this perfect marriage between piper and gabe. Told between “then” and “now” and from dual perspectives of piper and the dead woman, Amanda-the soulmate tracks the story of two marriages as it winds to the conclusion of what happened that day on the cliff. Some classic domestic thriller tropes are put on their head during the course of the novel and there are many unexpected twists and reveals along the way! While this book is not anything unique for Hepworth, that should appease the many fans and followers she has as she continues to churn out page-turning stories filled with murder, secrets, betrayals, false leads, etc. the pacing is expert and the way the past and all the intertwined secrets come out is a masterclass. A must read for hepworths fans or anyone who enjoys reading domestic and psychological thrillers and mystery’s that will keep you racing through the pages.

Arc provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
The Soulmate
By Sally Hepworth
St. Martin’s Press
Pub date: 4/4/2023
Mystery/Thriller
Trigger warnings: suicide, mental health issues, marriage issues.

This is my first Hepworth novel. I thought it was pretty fast paced for the most part with flawed characters. Lies, betrayals, and secrets run rampant throughout and make for great characters. I loved the short chapters. I’m not usually a fan of multiple POV’s (the two wives-Pippa and Amanda) and dual timelines, but the author handled it very well and it was easy to understand. The ending was surprising and a bit sad.

Pippa and Gabe move to a small seaside town and reside on land at the edge of what is called The Drop, where people come to end their lives. Gabe has taken it upon himself to talk them off the ledge, literally, except for one. The question is, did that one jump or get pushed?

The story unfolds with Pippa and Amanda’s past and present view points. Family and marriage relationships and mental health issues are abundant in the telling of this tale.

What would you do for your Soulmate?

@netgalley @sallyhepworth @stmartinspress
#thesoulmate #netgalley #sallyhepworth #thriller #suspense #bookstagram #stmartinspress #bookreview

Gabe and Pippa don’t know that their new home (which is on the side of a cliff) is a popular spot for people to attempt suicide. Gabe has been successful at talking people down, until he’s not. After the identity of the latest person who jumped is revealed, Pippa begins to question Gabe’s innocence.

Sally Hepworth is officially an auto buy author for me! Her stories are always entertaining and the best on audiobooks! The short chapters pulled me in and kept me listening all the time. Gabe’s mental health was focused on in a way that I thought was really well done. Gabe and Pippa’s relationship was complex (as most marriages are) and I liked reading about them. I was less invested in Amanda’s timeline and there wasn’t really a big twist.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Pippa and Gabe live on the coast in Australia near a cliff that's become notorious for people ending their lives. Gabe has become well-known as someone who has been able to talk most of them off the ledge (excuse the phrasing), but one person with a close connection to Gabe seems to be the one he couldn't save. Or did this happen in the way that we think?

I like that Sally Hepworth showcased the effect that mental illness can have on family and friends. I also like that all the details are tied into a nice bow at the end of the story. That being said, it became incredibly irritating that Hepworth kept prolonging the connections between characters and what really happened. I get it; it's not what really happened. Move on and give me some more interesting clues that are going to keep me engaged in the story. Lastly, I found several of the scenes that were supposed to be suspenseful to be rather underwhelming and slightly predictable.

I was surprised that I didn't like this book. I loved "The Good Sister" and was hoping for a similar feeling upon completing this book, but I was just more relieved to have finished it.

Source: DRC via Netgalley (St. Martin’s Press) in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date: April 4, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

Why did I choose to read this book?

This book was a spontaneous arrival in my DRC list on NetGalley. I want to thank St. Martin’s Press for putting me on whatever list I am on so that I keep getting to review Sally Hepworth’s writing. I am so grateful!

So technically I did not choose to read this one, BUT I would have because I enjoyed The Good Sister and The Younger Wife very much. I have reached the point in my book reviewing career(?) where I am starting to have a list of authors that I trust explicitly with my entertainment, and Sally Hepworth is definitely on that list.

What is this book about?

This book is about how difficult marriage is. That’s it, that’s the tweet. (Don’t forget to click the Goodreads link up above for a better synopsis of the plot.)

I mean, I think this book is about how men manage to train their women to carry all their burdens for them, both physical and emotional, by being gigantic babies. Being a wife means becoming a mother without ever giving birth. Being a manager, a psychologist, a care nurse, the bearer of guilt and worry so the husband isn’t bothered, because if the husband is bothered he gets angry/sad and has a tantrum, and for most it’s just easier to avoid the tantrum than to stand up and demand equal, decent treatment. And divorce is expensive, so your life just becomes about survival instead of being in a partnership where you thrive and learn to live your best life.

What is notable about this story?

This is the first book that I have read by Hepworth that kept me guessing about what was going on until the very end. I could not figure out who the bad guy was, or who had wronged who, or who was telling the truth or lying. The short chapters helped keep me hooked and moving through the story and the mystery was thick and tense right until the conclusion. It is very difficult to keep me guessing this long, so I wasn’t just pleased with the book I had just finished, I was impressed yet again by Hepworth’s writing ability. Book after book she just keeps writing amazing stories. HOW DO YOU DO THIS SALLY???

Was anything not so great?

Trigger warnings abound in this one, but nothing was so graphic that I would say not to read it. There’s a lot of suicide talk (the main couple lives in an ocean house that has “The Drop” in front of it, which is a place famous for having people come and jump to their death on the rocks below) and many mental illnesses are displayed. There is a lot of that imbalance of roles in a marriage, so if you know how this feels you may experience some anxiety as you read. But Hepworth handles all these topics so well that they never stray into the realm of disturbing, they remain in the real world and are portrayed realistically.

What’s the verdict?

4 stars on Goodreads and as always with Sally Hepworth’s work, it receives a resounding endorsement from me. It’s a perfect book to request from your local library to enjoy, and then return so another patron can enjoy it too! If you like psychological thrillers this book is definitely for you!

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Since reading The Mother-In-Law, Sally Hepworth has been one of my favorite authors. So when I had the opportunity to get an ARC of this book I jumped on it, and decided to buy a physical copy since she is such a beloved author!

Synopsis:

Gabe and Pippa have had a less than stale marriage over the years. Their love started off as with a fate encounter and blossomed from there but once Pippa married Gabe she noticed his erratic behavior; constantly switching jobs, drinking, lying and betrayal. Their house at the point was supposed to be a fresh start. That soon changes when a woman goes over the cliff close to thier home which is also a popular place for jumpers. The latest jumper, Amanda, is his previous employer’s wife. Now tangled in the investigation of the her death Pippa and Gabe learn they both had secrets in their marriage.

My Thoughts:

This wasn’t my favorite Hepworth but still a solid thriller! The ending was very satisfying and I loved how Hepworth wrapped everything up! I also like the dual timeline and hearing the POV from Amanda the woman who dies at the beginning of the book.

Ever since I read 'The Exorcist' as a young girl, I tend to peek to see if I can deal with the ending. This was one that I peeked at but it didn't spoil the story for me and only gave me part of the answer. Instead I was riveted. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love how the story was told by two points of view: the wife Pippa and the woman who went over the cliff Amanda. Flashing between the present and the past, we get to know the characters and what really happened on the cliff. I also love how the story dealt with fidelity, loyalty, and what is a soulmate. I love reading books by Sally Hepworth. She peels the layers off the characters so we really know who they are.

Sally Hepworth has cemented her place in my 'must-read' category for any of her upcoming books. She has the dynamics of a marriage down-pat, and writes psychological thrillers like no one else. The Soulmate starts with a bang, as Gabe and Pippa are finishing dinner with their daughters and see a woman on the edge of the cliff behind their house...not a completely unusual circumstance as this is a known location to commit suicide and Gabe has earned a reputation for talking people down from the literal cliff. His unsuccessful intervention in this case precedes the revelation that the woman is someone he and Pippa know, and the secrets that are forthcoming weave a very twisted tale. The novel is told from dual points of view, Pippa and Amanda (the woman at the cliff) and dual timelines--present day as the police investigation proceeds and the past as the reader learns about the secrets and how Pippa, Gabe, Amanda, and Max (Amanda's husband) and intertwined.

I loved this mystery, at least until the conclusion, which I thought was a little bit of an eye-roll. The ending did not ruin the book by any means, just was a bit cliche in my opinion. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a good mystery, with a bit of real-life love story and family drama mixed in.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. The opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for this eARC! You can read The Soulmate when it is published April 4, 2023!

4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

"There’s a cottage on a cliff. Gabe and Pippa’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Until he doesn’t.

When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral...Did the victim jump? Was she pushed?"

This book centers around two couples. There are lies, betrayal, and secrets. The ending left me feeling heavy. I found myself rooting for one couple in particular, and somewhat despising the other pair. The chapters were short (which I love), and aside from a couple slow points, it kept me engaged!

The Soulmate is a well-crafted thriller about secrets, marriage and mental health. It was propulsive and entertaining.

Having read several of Sally Hepworth’s books before, I couldn’t wait to start reading The Soulmate. Told from multiple points of view and dual timelines, this book did not disappoint.

Pippa and Gabe are a happily married couple who have recently moved into a new home. Their property runs adjacent to a cliff which they quickly learn is a popular spot for suicidal persons. Gabe has become a bit of an expert in talking people off the cliff while awaiting a police response.

That is until the day a woman is seen on the edge of the cliff.

The author unfolds a series of reflections about the health of individuals and of their marriages. Backstories and secrets are also revealed. The story is well-crafted giving the reader just enough information to have them guessing what will happen next. Mental health is discussed and the author writes this with respect. The conclusion is satisfying.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy Mysteries & Thrillers.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the ARC’s of this book and audiobook. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

NetGalley Review — my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
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I enjoyed this one a lot! Took me a couple days to get through but I loved the two POVs and two timelines. I really enjoyed the plot and the reveals as they came.
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Dropped a star off because I didn’t feel like the twist was enough (if that makes sense), and it did drag at times.
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All in all, recommend this one for sure. Snag it next week! It releases April 4, 2023!
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Thank you to @stmartinspress for the ARC!
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#thesoulmate #sallyhepworth #stmartinspress #netgalley

There's something about Sally's books that just gets me hooked from chapter one. I love the twists, and I love that they're usually predictable domestic thrillers, but they can still have a little twist that you didn't see coming.

This one was an interesting thriller, full of affairs, and something unique: chapter POVs of the person who was murdered. Or was it a suicide? Or an accident?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED how this story was told with dual point of views and different time periods within those views. It was so gripping and had me on the edge of my seat throughout. I could not put this book down and devoured this book in a few days. This was an amazing thriller!

4.5 rounded up!

After reading the last 3 books published by Sally Hepworth I was excited to get a copy of The Soulmate, and I was not disappointed. It's was exactly what I love about Sally Hepworth's books.

I think this is a love story in the end. A story about what we do for love and the hold that it has on us. The secrets we keep, those we'll never know, and how they guide our lives.

There are multiple POVs (one from a dead woman) that give insight into the different sides of this story. Twists and turns that aren't shocking, but move the story along and make it compulsively readable.

There is talk of mental illness and suicide, and I can't speak to the representation here so check out those reviews of people who have better insight than me and can speak better to that.

Gabe and Pippa find their dream house overlooking the ocean, on a high cliff that is known for its jumpers. Gabe saves suiciders' lives by stopping them when he sees them at the cliff and convincing them to change their minds and live. But the novel's suspense begins when Gabe fails to save another jumper, Amanda, who turns out to be the wife of Gabe's ex-boss, Max.

Gabe turns out to be a very interesting and curious character, with a mental illness that makes him erratic, unpredictable, involved in shady dealings at work. His wife Pippa stands by him as Max demands the return of sensitive information that could compromise Max's business dealings.

I was kept in suspense wanting to know if Gabe had allowed Amanda to jump or if he had pushed her off the cliff. And who is the soulmate?

An entertaining thriller, suspense novel and domestic drama.

Gabe and Pippa buy their dream home high up on a cliff, but little do they know... this is a cliff where people go to jump, ending their lives. Gabe, being the charming chap that he is, has had success with talking people 'off the edge'. But, not this particular day when the jumper, jumps, or... was she pushed?

I've read a few of Sally Hepworths books and they are always twisty with a bit of crazy. This one is no different. I enjoyed all the twists and turns, sometimes getting dizzy along the way. After reading I had to ask myself, was that a good or bad thing. Definitely good! I enjoyed this one for sure and was invested in it. I had to know the truth about what happened on that cliff. But, not only that, I had to know the secrets that were being kept.

I will say, there were times where the story was slow for me; however, it did not make me want to stop reading. If you're a fan of SH, or a fan of twisty psychological thrillers I would recommend giving this one a go!

4ish stars

This was a captivating, suspenseful story right from the beginning. It was definitely one where no one was fully reliable, and several of the characters were well-rounded and realistic enough that a lot of flaws or issues were front and centre to the story. I mostly enjoyed how the story unfolded, and I didn’t expect the final twist(s). I’m not really sure why…but I liked (not loved) this one. Either way, it was a fun story, it’s interesting to connect the title to the actual plot/characters, and the cover is gorgeous.

Wow what a fantastic read. It had it all mystery, and suspense. This is the first book I read of this author. You bet I'll be read more of her books.
This book had me hooked from the first page I couldn't read it fast enough. But I did read it in 2 days

Thanks net gallery for this fantastic read