" I'm starting to realize it's a rare family that doesn't have a few problems."

In Soulmate, a picture-perfect young family lives in a cottage on "millionaires' walk" in a coastal town close to Melbourne. Gabe and Pippa fell in love with the cliffside property before they realized that the location's curse is the reason why they could afford this home with a spectacular view. Apparently "millionaires' walk" is a very popular place to jump for those who have lost the will to live. But in the year since Pippa and family have moved in, charismatic, stay-at-home-dad Gabe has talked seven out of seven suicidal persons into stepping away from death. Until one evening, the eighth person who suspiciously lingered at the precipice was gone despite Gabe's efforts.

"We trust people based on the strangest, most arbitrary things, none of which have any bearing on whether or not you are inherently good. "

The story alternated between two women's POVs. Initially Pippa shared her observations about that fateful night and occasionally hinted at problems in their family. And the second narrator was the all-seeing ghost of Amanda, the woman who died.

"People always talk about love like it's a magical thing, a gift from the gods, a sunbeam from above! But it's horrible, being in love. The vulnerability it exposes. The person it makes you. It sent me nutty for a while. Made me lose my edge."

As these two narrators progressed, they revealed the crumbling foundations within two households. They also showcased two very different concepts of romantic relationships. Only one of the two couples included soulmates.

The Soulmate is my first novel written by Hepworth. It was a Netgalley ARC that took me a long time to get to and then to finish. The first few chapters alluded to dark secrets and worse information eventually emerged. When I finished it, I felt unsettled, just a tick below perturbed. I got into crime fiction because I liked the puzzle aspect and because most mysteries feature justice – ie. that there will be karmic balance. The Soulmate is not a classic mystery but a domestic thriller. What I didn't like was the lack of karmic balance and the way mental illness was deployed in the plotline. The writing was good; I had no complaints. But with alternating female narrators, I'd recommend the printed book over the audiobook, which is how I had completed this story. The plotline and its resolution, however, were a bit of a stretch. Maybe domestic thrillers are not for me.

Meh, not my favorite, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly why. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This was a good book! I went in entirely blind and was happily surprised with a family drama kind of thriller. I would compare this to Rock Paper Scissors, maybe? Told from the perspective of multiple people (even a dead person), this book takes you on a ride through several years of ups and downs; children’s bath times, sketchy investors, affairs, an illegitimate child, and unspoken love. Honestly so many good parts of this book, I can’t choose just one.

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline felt a bit more unique and I found myself continuously going back and forth on how it was going to end, which made it even better. I enjoyed the short chapters and multiple POVs as well. This author can be hit or miss for me, but I enjoyed this one!

I loved this one! It had me hooked from the very first page and had me flipping the pages to see what would happen next. This one had so many shocking secrets and revelations and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Highly recommend this one!

Another case of why did I wait to read this one? It was intense, and there was a lot going on in "The Soulmate: A Novel" by Sally Hepworth, but good lord it was so well done. I spent my entire time thinking I knew what was going on, but at the same time, I didn't. I thought everything was cut and dry, but things were tangled among the four main characters in the story, leaving you constantly wondering if you have it all figured out. In short, you don't. You have no idea what is going on, and there is so much more beneath the surface that remains just out of reach throughout the book.

Did she jump? Was she pushed? What is everyone hiding? This one deals with heavy topics of suicide, murder, mental illness, infidelity, and a marriage of convenience. "The Soulmate: A Novel" by Sally Hepworth draws you in from the very first page and keeps your attention until the unexpected end.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this blacklist eARC!

Pippa and Gabe live in a picturesque home on a seaside cliff. It is everything they could hope for except for the fact that the cliff has become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Gabe has gained a reputation for talking many off the ledge and saving their life. Until one day, he isn't able to and a woman jumps to her death. Or did she?

This was a perfectly fine domestic thriller. The story overall unfolded in an expected manor that didn't have any surprises for me. It was a quick read but very forgettable. I didn't find much connection with Gabe or Pippa and found them to be a bit flat. This was my first Sally Hemsworth book and I am willing to read more before saying the author isn't for me.

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Such an easy, great read! A happy ending is guaranteed and it kept me on my toes! 10/10 The characters are well written and the plot was easy to hang on to!

I’m a fan of Sally Hepworth’s thriller style. It’s refreshing as it doesn’t follow the usual formula of women in peril and murder mysteries. Instead, her stories are intricately woven into the fabric of domestic life, featuring well-developed characters with a touch of self-awareness.

In her latest novel, we’re introduced to Gabe and Pippa, parents of two young daughters who’ve just purchased a house overlooking a notorious cliff known as the “drop” – a site associated with suicides. Gabe has taken it upon himself to prevent these tragedies by talking people down from the precipice.

The story kicks off with the appearance of a woman on the cliff, and as Gabe engages with her, Pippa watches in shock as the woman either jumps or is pushed by Gabe.

The narrative unfolds through two perspectives: Pippa’s and Amanda’s, the woman who leapt from the cliff and now exists in ghostly form. While the ghostly perspective might initially seem unusual, it becomes absorbing as Amanda gradually reveals the events leading up to her death.

The book maintains a well-crafted pace, and while part of the ending may be predictable, there’s a surprising twist that catches readers off guard. It’s a compulsively readable story, tailor-made for those who relish domestic suspense.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

The Soulmate by sally Hepworth introduces us to the idyllic-seeming life of Pippa and Gabe who live in a beautiful house high up on a cliff above the sea. Beautiful, but also dangerous and known as a local suicide location. Gabe has recently taken it upon himself to try to save as many people "The Drop" as he can - and he does! But when the most recent woman shows up on the cliff Gabe goes out to talk with her, Gabe is unable to save her. But Pippa was watching from the kitchen window and couldn't help but wonder - did she jump, fall, or was she pushed?

So begins the secrets and lies between Pippa, Gabe, his boss Max, and Max's wife Amanda.

This book started off strong and the first half kept up the suspense pretty good. The alternating viewpoints between Pippa and Amanda in the present and in the past were interesting. But the second half of the book seemed to drag on and become repetitive. Everyone was keeping secrets from each other. Everyone was trying to "help" the other person by lying. No one wanted to just explain things to their spouse which made for even more confusion between them. This type of domestic thriller was not my favorite.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Sally Hepworth is one of the few thriller authors I still pick up but I swear I salivate at the idea of a new book from her. She writes everything I want in a book and I am recommending her books like I get a cut at this point and I will not stop. Full five star read here and I would suggest it to everyone especially a fun girl read, Sally gets the girls.

This book gripped me from the minute I began reading. It was a thrilling book that I could not put down. The characters all had their own mystery, and I didn't know who I could trust. I tore through this book.

The Soulmate was a great read...the first chapter where Gabe is talking to the strange woman, I thought the book was going in a different direction...and then, I read Amanda's chapter and I was hooked. I loved the continuous back and forth between present/past Amanda/Pippa, the structure of the chapters and the hook at the end of most of them, it made this book to go very quickly.

I enjoyed the sad happy ending...to be honest, it pulled at my heart a little bit.

Definitely recommending this one to my friends. A few months have gone by since I wrote this review, and I keep thinking how good this book was.

Thank you Sally Hepworth for this amazing book, thanks St Martin's Press for the ARC, and NetGalley for the platform

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this suspense novel.

I enjoyed the plot twists and how the story unfolded. The characters were well developed. It’s a fast read that will keep you wondering what’s going to happen next. I recommend it.

I haven’t read many books with alternating POV’s and I really enjoyed this one! The intentional misleading in this book kept me guessing and questioning throughout. There were lots of twists and turns that made it difficult to ever put the book down. I liked the short chapters, it kept the pages turning! The characters were unstable and believable. A great thriller!

This was my first Sally Hepworth, and it will not be my last. I'm a sucker for setting, and the setting of this one was practically a character in itself. I'm also way of thrillers that have a twist that is absolutely impossible. It's even pushed me from thrillers altogether. However, I enjoyed this one because it was one of those that you end up saying, "this could happen!" I highly recommend.

This book was beyond great! Love Sally Hepworth! The ending! OMG! I do not think I will ever want to stop talking about this one! I am recommending to everyone I know! I need all the Sally Hepworth books! ALL of them!

I have read Sally Hepworth’s last few novels and really enjoyed them, but The Soulmate broke that pattern.

The Soulmate is about a couple, Pippa & Gabe, who moves to their dream home – a cliffside cottage. Shortly after moving in, they discover that the stretch of cliff in front of their house is a go-to location for jumpers looking to end their lives. Gabe intervenes and prevents someone from jumping, becoming a local hero. And he continues to talk those at the cliff’s edge down, until one day he doesn’t.

Despite being marked as a thriller, The Soulmate is a domestic suspense novel, at best. There is virtually no mystery among the pages. Instead, readers know the bad outcome from the start. The book instead focuses on why that was the outcome.

I am sorry to say that The Soulmate felt like every other mediocre domestic suspense novel. I thought that the story lacked a unique premise or hook. It also failed to put anything at stake. The worst that could happen? A divorce. For me, this translated to a lack of investment in the plot. In addition, the book uses a mental health disorder as a plot crutch. I thought, or at the very least desperately hoped, we were past this, but apparently not.

One thing I have loved about past Sally Hepworth novels is their unique, memorable characters. I found that The Soulmate lacked this aspect. I never really warmed up to the characters. I thought the ghost narrator was odd and did not care for it. Pippa was frustrating as a narrator and seemed to have the same flaws as most female characters in typical novels of this genre.

Was The Soulmate compulsively readable? Yes, Sally Hepworth can write a novel that grips you and makes you race through its pages. Hepworth skillfully crafted dual timelines and multiple narrators that created an undeniably quick, entertaining book. It is a testament to her writing that I sped through the despite feeling apathetic towards the characters and storyline.

Overall, The Soulmate is a unoriginal, yet entertaining domestic suspense novel. While I still would not recommend reading it, I do recommend other Sally Hepworth books.

Another winner for Sally Hepworth! I am a huge fan. The short cliffhanging chapters told from different perspectives and “then” and “now” make it the kind of book you cannot put down. The Soulmate balances the story of the crime itself with the story of the inner workings of two marriages: Pippa and Gabe, Amanda and Max. It is a story of love, betrayal, secrets, lies and overall commitment. It also covers the very relevant topic of mental health issues. There are a few head-scratching moments for me with choices that especially Pippa makes - starting with how quickly she falls for Gabe and marries him. The whirlwind of their romance is critical to understanding where her head and heart are throughout their ups and downs. The thriller part of this book is great. Love the setting. Loved this book - highly recommend! 4.5 ⭐️
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Sally Hepworth is a consistent go to. Her books keep me intrigued from start to finish and I can hardly put them down. Well thought out and quick reads, I also enjoyed this one.