THE SOULMATE is such a fun, popcorn thriller. The story has a unique setting and it really amps up the mystery of why a woman died the way she did.

Pippa and Gabe have had a bit of a dramatic marriage. In order to make life better they've purchased a beautiful house located on a cliff where many people have gone to commit suicide. Gabe, however, has such a calming personality he was able to talk down many people "down from the ledge" so to speak.

When a woman dies from falling off the cliff, Pippa is left wondering if Gabe actually had something to do with her falling.

We get various points-of-view, including the dead woman's. I wasn't sure if this concept would work or if it would seem too supernatural-ish for a thriller. However, I thought those chapters gave us a good look at why the woman was so desperate to get on that cliff.

I thought parts of it were a bit unbelievable in that I don't think many women would have done what Pippa did (no spoilers!). Other than that, it was a fast-paced, interesting thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-copy of THE SOULMATE to review.

I rate THE SOULMATE four out of five stars.

I love a good thriller and this one is a blast. I enjoyed it from page one and let myself get sucked into the world of The Soulmate. A fun read that will take you on a journey that is worth it. Great characters and the writing is great. Chapters that keep you wanting to know what is going to happen next. Get this one and enjoy. You won’t regret it.

**3.5 stars rounded to 4**

Pippa and Gabe live in a house on a cliff. The cliff is known at “The Drop” where people come to commit suicide. So far, Gabe has saved 7 people from jumping to their death.. that is until he doesn’t save one.

Pippa tries to comfort him until she finds out that her and her husband knew the victim. So was it an actual suicide? Or was it something more sinister?

This book kept my interest and kept me turning pages quick! however, I am not a big fan of the shady financial/business trope… which you get a lot of in this book.

I did enjoy that there was a quite a bit of twists in the book. And there was one twist that made me audibly gasp, which you don’t get often.

The book was definitely thrilling and made you question who to trust… overall, a entertaining read.

The Soulmate is available August 4, 2023.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an easy to read but a lot to think about book. There is growth and many lessons on who we are and who we think the people we love are. There is a mystery at the heart of the book. Did the woman kill herself or was she pushed and how that affects the survivors.

A seemingly simple book that has a lot of truths in it. two marriages, a death and complicated relationships between all of them. Information is slowly dropped and is surprising at times. Nothing is as it seems. I enjoyed this book a lot. 4.5

I received this book from NetGalley. I really liked this book. It kept my interest the entire time and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on. It is told in dual POV in first person. When I saw it was being told from Amanda as the second POV I wasn’t sure how I was gonna like it because I usually don’t enjoy that type of element in a book. That being said I think Sally did a good job.

I didn’t figure out the ending but looking back I feel like people will figure it out if they pay attention.. It was very well written. Although it isn’t an unheard of concept for a book it wasn’t something I feel like I have already read a bunch of times. I feel like a lot of thrillers lately seem so beyond anything that can happen in reality. This although unlikely, didn’t feel like a fever dream like some of the books that have recently come out.

Hepworth delivers another sharp, compelling page-turner with flawed characters and plenty of intrigue. Excellent plot pacing and includes her keen observation and wit woven throughout the book. A pleasure to devour with a satisfying ending.

The Soulmate
"That's another funny thing about marriage. Sometimes,when you look back on it, the worst moments are in fact the best."
What a ride! Every time I turned a page in The Soulmate it felt like another can of worms was being freshly opened. The setting is our characters' home: a beautiful house set on a cliff overlooking the ocean, which seems idyllic, but proves to be much the opposite for Gabe and Pippa. The view may be beautiful, but it's also an ideal spot for anyone wishing to end their life. In just the first year living there Gabe has talked seven individuals off the ledge. That is, until one stormy night... he fails!
Pippa sees it happen and is unsure of what she watched through her kitchen window that stormy night. It becomes even more complicated for her when she finds out that Gabe knew the victim. It is at this point her life begins to unravel.
Gabe and Pippa's characters are so well developed at the beginning of the story that you feel like you know them intimately until little by little you realize you don't know them at all. Tiny clues are dropped throughout the story leading me to feel I had it all figured out, only to realize I clearly didn't as more and more details and plot points are revealed. This is my first Sally Hepworth story and I can't wait to read more!

The Soulmate was my first read by Hepworth and it won’t be my last! This is a gripping, popcorn thriller that keeps your attention from the first page til the last. I was invested in the story and cared more for the characters than I typically do in domestic thrillers. I thought the premise, especially Hepworth’s idea of “The Drop”, was unsettling (in the best way) and made for an atmospheric setting. The plot twists weren’t super shocking, which is usually required for a thriller to earn a full 5-star review, but I would highly recommend this as a quick read for fans of domestic thrillers.

Quick, easy read that kept my attention. I liked the back and forth between characters and timelines building the story and piecing it together. I enjoyed the twist at the end. I recommend this book and will definitely be reading more of her books.

SALLY DOES IT AGAIN!!!! This book had me hooked from the start and I love the alternating timelines and characters POV. I loved Amanda's unique perspective it made the book unique from others I have read. I kept wanting to know what would happen and how the story would play out. I loved the twists at the end. Such a great book!!!

Wow, this is an amazing book! I couldn’t put it down. There are so many twists and turns that I really could not predict - and I tried! Pippa, her charming husband Gabe, and their 2 daughters recently moved into “the cliff house” which has a clear view of a popular spot called “The Drop” where people are known to go and end their lives. Gabe has taken the initiative to talk these individuals off the ledge, literally, and save their lives. Then comes the day where he wasn’t able to save the life of a woman, Amanda, and everything starts to spiral from then on. Each chapter is either written from Pippa or Amanda’s point of view and takes place simply as: “before”, “then”, “now”, or “after”. I sometimes get confused by timelines that constantly jump around but it all fit together in the end and I appreciated how carefully the timeline/ story was laid out. 5 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-ARC for an honest review.

But Gabe said she jumped off the cliff. It must be true..Gabe, my soulmate, wouldn't lie...or would he?
That my friends is the crux of the novel which focuses on a local hero who lives near the Drop Off point, where he has talked down several people who visited there to end their lives. His wife cherishes him, but a history of erratic behavior, and the name of the woman who fell, puts a kernel of doubt into his adoring wife's mind. She happened to have viewed the scene, but her mind wrestled what she actually saw.
Another thread line is the husband who lost his wife-who also happens to be Gabe's boss. Chapters are devoted to the past and present storylines by all 4 characters, including thoughts from the dead wife. Following a remarkable truth unveiled, the storyline accelerates to a climaxing end. However, I just couldn't get really invested in the characters. I found the back and forth time line somewhat redundant, and contrary to most reviewers did not find this an immersive experience. The women did not feel fully realized to me. Trauma did abound for all from mental illness, depression, job emergencies and frustrations, loyalty issues, and suicide. Somehow though it just didn't ring true for me. As a Hepworth fan, I was disappointed but I think others loyal to her writing should give it a try. Her signature style is still there.

Two couples, one suicide, two POVs—one living narrator, one beyond-the-grave narrator, and obsessive lovers, only we need to find out if this was a suicide or a homicide.
“And in the year we’ve been here, they’ve never gone beyond the fence, and they’ve certainly never seen anyone jump. They couldn’t have because out of the seven souls who have come to the cliff since we moved in, seven have walked away. Gabe has saved them all.”
Until tonight.
This is my first read of Sally Hepworth’s, and need I say; I can’t wait to read her other fictional works. In this gripping, heartbreaking, and triggering story, Sally takes us through the interwoven lives of Amanda, Max, Pippa, and Gabe.
This book is about Pippa and Gabe, as it is about Amanda and Max. Pippa and Gabe move to a cliffside cottage to start anew from their struggles, except the cliff is a popular suicide spot known as “The Drop.” In the 7 years that they have moved into the cottage, there have been 7 suicidal attempts but none successful because Gabe is blessed with the ability to talk people out of taking their own lives…until tonight. Gabe goes out to talk Amanda off the cliff, Pippa looks away to call 911, and Amanda falls off the cliff at that moment. The problem is Pippa thinks there is something off with the situation, given Gabe’s stance when Amanda fell, but Gabe insists she jumped.
“The fact is, I did see something. I saw Gabe, cliffside, talking to the woman. I saw her throw up her arms, and I saw him take a step toward her. Then I saw Gabe alone, his arms extended, palms forward. The more I think about it, there’s something about his stance that bothers me. I can’t get it out of my head. He was holding his hands the way you would if you’d pushed someone.”
This is where their lives take a turn for the worse; why? Because when the police arrive, Gabe lies about knowing the woman or the woman giving him her name. Pippa later discovers the woman’s identity, and she is shocked. Regardless, Pippa is stuck in a world where she believes her marriage is perfect and would do anything to keep it that way.
Pipa narrates her story from the before and the now perspective. Amanda narrates her side of the story from beyond the grave. Her story is told from the before and after her death perspective. “
“So, this is it. I’m dead.
The police are retrieving my body. An arduous process, apparently, and they are out of practice to boot.”
Max is rattled and angry as he insists his wife was not suicidal and is hell-bent on getting to the bottom of it all. Now we are all wondering if this is a case of homicide or suicide, and where have Max and Gabe crossed paths before?? This is a domestic thriller fiction with interesting twists and turns. Some you see coming, others you don’t, but all enjoyable nonetheless. Sally Hepworth handles the issue of mental health quite well, and that is one thing I find a number of authors struggle to do. She shows us the struggles of the patient and the stress it can put on caregivers, how it puts a strain on the family if the patient doesn’t take their situation seriously, and the problems with misdiagnosis.
A big thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Soulmate.

I really enjoyed Hepworth’s latest thriller. The idea that this young couple lives near a known suicide spot and the husband has saved many peoples lives is an intriguing premise. As the story unravels you get to see how their past is affecting their future. The end of the book felt a bit rushed and like some things were thrown in that weren’t necessary.

Pippa and Gabe's story of how they came together as a couple is one so unexpected and almost near fairytale quality. Yet like any relationship not everything is picture perfect and meant as a fairy tale. As the marriage of Pippa and Gabe progresses, Pippa begins to realize that Gabe has flaws that go far beyond his mental illness. Some of his unique quirks are more outstanding attributes but when it comes down to it, Pippa begins to see that there is more to it than just the good. Some things with Gabe are just not right.

After a blip in their relationship and Gabe's mental health taking a turn for the worse, Pippa recommends a fresh start. Gabe has just lost his job and with starting their family nothing seems the right choice then starting over. Gabe and Pippa find a home by a cliff that is notorious for suicide attempts. As the years pass, Gabe takes it upon himself to save everyone that attempts to commit suicide from the Drop. However, when Gabe fails to save one jumper, Pippa truly begins to question how well she knows her husband.

The Soulmate is the type of story that pulls the readers right into the characters thoughts and emotions. Bouncing between characters in the then and the now, the reader gets a peek into the experiences of the jumper and of Pippa before the jump and after. Still, I couldn't help questioning even at the end if the jumper had actually jumped or if she was pushed.

You see the jumper is none other than the wife of Gabe's ex-boss. Without spoiling the book, there is more to it all then is at the surface level. To me it was interesting in how Hepworth gave such two separate views of marriage and the view of love amongst couples. Pippa seems near dependent on Gabe even while she is the main caretaker of Gabe when he has a low point. All but Pippa seem to realize this, but since Gabe saved Pippa at a low point she can't help but do the same for him.

The reader at first would have the mindset the title is symbolizing the relationship of two that would do whatever it took to stay together: Gabe and Pippa. However, as the reader continues reading on you can't help but realize the truth behind the title. It leaves to question until the very end just how satisfied one can be in a flawed relationship.

In the expected skill and style of Hepworth, The Soulmate twists and twines and draws in each and every character as much as it does the reader. While the story left me feeling like there may have been some loose ends, it does end rather poetically and suitable. If you have read any of Hepworth's works then I recommend The Soulmate for your next read in April. While it wasn't my favorite of her works, it was a book I didn't want to put down. Until next time, happy reading!

Sally Hepworth is one of my auto-buy authors! Along with her other books, this one did not disappoint. I was intrigued from the very beginning. I loved the before/after POVs. There were so many twists and turns that I was not expecting!

Great book. I loved her other books also so was excited to read this one. The writing is well rounded and easy to read, even the Australian lingo is easy to understand. Loved the characters mostly. I didn’t like how pipa enabled gabe, so I was excited when she finally got free. I also like the plot twist, for the first half of the book I thought max was the evil one and gabe killed Amanda for him but that wasn’t the case. I was excited to be wrong. One of my best reads so far in 2023

I am already a huge fan of Sally Hepworth and her writing style, and was beyond excited my first book approved on NetGalley was to read The Soulmate!

This book was amazing, and every chapter left me on the edge (no pun intended). I was immediately hooked from the very beginning, and just wanted to keep reading until the very end. Each chapters ending almost seemed to have a cliff hanger (pun intended this time) that I couldn't put it down!

I loved the different points of view, and how the story was not only told in present, but also past tense. There were so many twists throughout this book, and so many questions I had while reading. Hepworth did an amazing job at explaining everything neatly towards the end of the story. Her endings never feel rushed, and I am always left with a "wow" feeling.

Another phenomenal story by Sally, and I am already looking forward to the next!

Sally Hepworth can do no wrong!

I adore Sally and her writing style, and The Soulmate is no different. This book is written in dual POV, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Anytime I read a mystery, I attempt to uncover the twists beforehand, but I was not too successful with this book, which is always fun!

If you enjoy other Sally Hepworth’s books, then you should definitely read The Soulmate. Fast paced, dark, mysterious, *chefs kiss*