The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

Official rating: 4 stars
Page turner rating: 5 stars

Pippa and Gabe live on a dangerous plot of land known to locals as The Drop. Normally Gabe can coax people away from the edge, but this time the worst has happened and his family gets tied up in the death.

I keep reading Sally Hepworth's books and despite them all having family related titles, they are all so unique! This one was more classic thriller but had some other elements unexpectedly tied into it (I'll stay vague in lieu of spoilers)! We have one perspective in this book from the dead character, and I was very skeptical about that at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it. The characters were all very likable and unlikable at the same time, my mind wasn't sure where to go, but it all helped the story. Its not going to go down in my all time favorite thriller list, but I would still recommend this one highly!

Read if you:
Love short chapters and alternating perspectives
Like Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
Like Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

This book comes out on April 4! Thanks NetGalley for the early copy

A propulsive book that kept me turning page after page. The ending was quite a surprise and I enjoyed all the twists and turns along the way. This author is a reliable author for me. I think I have enjoyed everything I have read. I will definitely be recommending this to others.

This Sally Hepworth novel grabs you from the first pages and doesn’t let go. A seemingly ideal couple, shady business dealings, an unchecked mental illness, a multitude of secrets, and forgiveness are interwoven in these very satisfying pages. The reader has the privilege of peeling the layers in a story where nothing is as it seems. Well worth the read.

Gabe and Pippa's dream home is a cottage on a cliff in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect home hides a sinister secret. The cliffs their home rests on is the site of many suicides. Gabe always talks the jumpers down until one night he doesn't. Pippa finds out Gabe knew the jumper and that brings up the questions of did they really jump or were they pushed? Would Gabe lie to Pippa? Their seemingly perfect marriage starts to show cracks and and deep dark secrets begin to emerge.
I liked how the story played out from the POV of Pippa and the jumper (Amanda). Nothing is as it seems and this book was full of twists you won't see coming. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

This started out slow for me and I had to go back to it. I enjoyed the dynamics between husband and wife. The different POVs and time jumps were done well. I wish it was a bit faster paced.

I really liked The Soulmate! Sally Hepworth, so reminiscent of Liane Moriarty delivers a mystery filled with twists and turns to the very end. Some of the twists I saw coming, but not all, and I love when I'm surprised. I also really loved the setting - cliffside house, ocean below, charming Australian beach town. Told in alternating points of view - Pippa (Now/Then) and Amanda (Before/After - this book pushes the characters to the edge and asks "What would you do for love" and "How much would you risk for the love of your life, your soulmate?" The book also looks at mental health, and there is a lot of discussion about suicide, which some readers might want to be aware of.

First, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
TW: mental illness
I love Sally Hepworth and this book did not disappoint! This book is about secrets, marriage and murder! There were so many twists and turns, almost every chapter had a little cliff hanger. It’s told it multiple time lines but it was easy to keep track. If you like domestic thrillers, this one’s for you!

A HUGE thank you to @stmartenspress and @netgalley for sending me an ARC of this magnificent thriller by @sallyhepworth!

BOOK: The Soulmate
AUTHOR: @sallyhepworth
RATING: 5 STAR ALL THE WAY!
GENRE: Intrigue, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
PUBLISH DATE: 4/3/23
MY REVIEW:

Do you believe in Soulmates?
Is there one person out there for everyone that we are destined to be with?

Pippa & Gabe are Soulmates. The beginning of their love story is serendipitous, and one that seems straight from a romantic movie. Their love is fast and furious, and they have vowed that their marriage will always have LOYALTY. They live with their two young daughters in a beautiful, Australian cottage overlooking the tall, picturesque cliffs known as The Drop – a site notorious for those looking to end their lives.

Although the view from their backyard is spectacular, Pippa & Gabe’s home has come with a bit of chaos. Gabe seems to have a way with the downhearted, who arrive at cliffs near the back of their home to commit suicide. He's become somewhat of a town hero; a gentle and calming voice that, so far, has been able to talk seven, gloomy strangers out of ending it all...
that is until the evening that an 8th stranger arrives, and Gabe fails to save them.

Amanda & Max are Soulmates. They feel truly destined to have met, and although theirs isn't a deep, all-encompassing, knock-you-off-your-feet love, it's the perfect pairing and partnership that is bound to last forever as long as there is FIDELITY.

I truly could NOT put this book down! From the first page, it gripped me tightly and never let me go. I fell in love with Sally Hepworth's writing style. Each chapter flows so vividly, and while each are short, she somehow leaves you with a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter so that you have no choice but to turn the page! I kept telling myself, “just one more chapter”, and then…BAM!... another cliffhanger.

This was my first read by author, @sallyhepworth, and she is now one of my favorite authors. I can't stop thinking about this one! This was a complete 5 STAR for me.

WOW what a twisty psychological thriller! This is my second read by Sally Hepworth and she did not disappoint. This was really hard to put down. Make sure you check trigger warnings since this is a psychological thriller. I can't wait to read more by Sally. Next up for me is The Mother in Law.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read this ARC in advance.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and just like the first time I was pleasantly surprised by all of the twists. The story line was very dramatic and had me on the edge of my seat almost as soon as it took off. Sally has a way of writing not only story lines that leave you desperate for answers but also characters that you can connect with and root for. Her books leave long lasting impressions on the readers. While this story was written through multiple viewpoints and a past and present setting it still managed to get a strong story across and was very well explained. There was no confusion at all which was nice and hard to do when you are jumping around that much. This book starts out with an unfortunate suicide, or was it a suicide at all? Our main character Pippa lives on a beautiful cliff with her husband Gabe. Because of their location a lot of people down on their luck arrive at the cliffs read to do the unthinkable and end it all. Gabe thankfully tries to talk tot them and more often that not they both proceed back to stable ground until one day only Gabe returned, and a body was found on the rocks below. While it looks just like a failed attempt to save a woman Pippa is sure she saw Gabe’s hands rush out in a push motion as the woman fell, but that can’t be right, can it? And when what she saw contradicts what Gabe tells the police she really starts to wonder. I loved the characters in this story, they were very well written. The plot was the best part however because while I have read my fair share of thrillers there has never been anything quite like this one before. This story has an American Gothic feel and I loved it. As a reader I loved all the imagery, and I couldn’t wait to see what really happened and who was lying when both characters were very convincing. This book makes Sally a force to be reckoned with in the literary world and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next. Great read and I’m very glad that I got the chance to check it out.

I loved this book! I read it all in one sitting. Pippa, the female main character, was very intriguing. Gabe, the male main character, kept me on my toes. I loved being able to peel back layers of the mystery as I read. I did not see the 9th hour twist coming at all. This was one of the first books in a while where I did not guess what happened. I did like that there were some loose ends left unsaid at the end. I was not the biggest fan of the ending or explanation, however I did like that I did not guess it.

Gabe and Pippa live in a beautiful seaside house with their two daughters, and their lives seem perfect. The only visible dark spot is that their stunning view of the cliffs happens to be a spot known for suicides. Gabe, it turns out, has a skill for talking people back from the cliffs--until the one time he doesn't. Now there is a dead body waiting to be recovered, and Pippa questions how well she really knows her husband.

This was my third novel from Sally Hepworth, and all of them have held my attention until the end. My favorite thing about this popcorn thriller was that it was filled with short, snappy chapters that begged me to read "just one more." The point of view and timeline switched between both Pippa and Amanda (the dead woman) and "then" and "now," peeling back layers of the story.

It ended a little too neatly for me, but it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced manuscript copy.

What can I say, this is such a delightful and twisty book. I love the multiple points of view! I kept trying to insert myself into this storyline to figure out what I would do in this situation and I can tell ya what, it ended perfectly. Not at all what I was expecting. I would say if you are triggered by suicide or mental health related issues you may want to know that in advance. I don't think I've read a Sally Hepworth book I haven't loved. Can not wait for whatever she is working on next.

I loved the storyline of this book and was really looking forward to enjoying it but I felt like it was dragging on. I think certain parts could have been left out and it could have been shorter. For me I guessed the twist early on too. Which was disappointing. Sadly this book just wasn’t for me.

The house on the cliff - it's beautiful, but with its flaws. And one of the flaws is that those who wish to end their lives come to the property to fling themselves into the water. Pippa and Gabe love their home, and Gabe is known as somewhat of a local celebrity for being able to talk people down from the cliffside. However, it doesn't always work, and this time, Gabe knew the victim. This leads Pippa into a spiral - why did he know her, and what does it mean for their marriage?

Overall, this was a good thriller that kept me reading because I needed to know what happened next. In fact, I stayed up way past my bedtime to figure out what was going to happen with Gabe and Pippa, as well as the woman who threw herself off the cliff. I always enjoy Sally Hepworth's novels, and I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Five stars for The Soulmate!!! I can always count on Sally Hepworth to take me on a ride that brings me higher and higher only to have a free fall of twists, turns and an ending I wasn’t prepared for. The Soulmate is told through the perspectives of the two female protagonists in alternating timeframes of Then and Now and Before and After (the tragedy).

Pippa lives with her husband Gabe and their two daughters in a cottage high on the coastal bluffs known as The Drop, a popular suicide spot. Amanda comes from meager beginnings and with her marriage to Max she also marries into wealth. What really happened at The Drop? How are these couples connected to one another?

With themes of marital lies, secrets, suicide and mental illness, this fast paced domestic thriller covers these topics deftly and in a respectable way. Hepworth fans will love taking another ride with this queen of domestic suspense and for new readers, “Welcome Aboard” and hold on tight!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Release date: April 4, 2023

This is a must read. I usually listen to audiobooks, but NetGalley approved me for the digital read. I have spent my weekend totally enthralled with this book. Sally Hepworth never disappoints, and this one is no exception. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+. What to read next?!?!

This was my first novel by Sally Hepworth and it did not disappoint! The author hooks the reader right from the beginning and keeps you turning the pages to see what happens! The plot is told between two viewpoints of two main characters and goes between the past and present. I thought it was very easy to follow and I absolutely love the short chapters. Additionally, I think the author did a phenomenal job with character development and the storyline was original. I really appreciate how she didn’t waste time going on and on like some novels seem to never end, but not this one! The storyline never veers off track and keeps you engaged and wanting to find out what happens. I am excited to read more from this author and if you haven’t checked out this book, you NEED to! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

The Soulmate

4.5 ⭐️

Sally Hepworth’s latest is so good. It’s her usual domestic thriller that slowly unwinds as you hear more parts of the story.

I enjoyed this the whole way through. Short chapters from a couple perspectives kept it moving and they were just brief enough that it kept you on the edge of your seat.

I really thought the ending was good. Without spoiling anything, it’s bittersweet and just as it should be.

Thanks to @netgalley for this eARC.

This book is full of twists and unexpected turns. The story is told from the alternating point of views of Pippa and Amanda and there is a huge focus on their relationships with their husbands. In the beginning, each couple’s love story is shared and you are kept wondering how anything so sweet could go so wrong. There was something ominous brewing during the first half of the book and the more I read the more complex everything became. I was kept guessing all the way until the end! If you like domestic or suspense thrillers-add this to your TBR list!

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.