Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for an arc of this book!
“The Soulmate” by Sally Hepworth @sallyhepworth is a book filled with suspense and thrill! This book contains multiple POVs which adds significant depth to the story. This book allows us to view two completely different marriages and shows that even though a relationship might seem solid, the past has a way of upending that stability.
This story parallels the marriages of Gabe and Pippa and Max and Amanda. We followed Pippa’s journey as she realized that she may have been wearing blinders throughout her relationship with her “soulmate” Gabe. This fact may have caused her to overlook many past issues that they would have faced. This book is filled with many plot twists and turns that will constantly keep the reader engaged!
I would recommend this thrilling read to anyone who is interested in a book filled with a bit of mystery, suspense and good character growth.
A young couple, Gabe and Pippa, and their two small daughters reboot their life by moving to a cliffside cottage. Unfortunately, their backyard butts up against The Spot, a favorite suicide location. Gabe, a stay-at-home dad, often talks people down who look ready to jump until the day he fails and a woman named Amanda falls to her death. But when it’s revealed that Amanda has a connection to the couple, it raises questions that form the backbone of the rest of the story.
This novel is told from both Pippa and Amanda’s point of view. I have no problem with multiple narrators but draw the line at a POV character who is deceased and sharing their thoughts from beyond the grave. To me, it’s a cheat and I don’t buy it. The other problem I had with this book was that no conscientious couple with small children would live in a home where a dangerous drop-off was only steps from their backyard. It’s just not logical. And if the real estate agent failed to disclose this, they would sue.
While I quibbled with these holes in logic, I did appreciate the subtle hand with which Hepworth examined mental illness and its effect on not only the individual but those around them. And the short, choppy chapters made this an easy read. It’s a fast-paced domestic thriller and Hepworth is a good writer – it’s just this one had some red flags for me that took me out of the story so I’m only giving it four stars.
A big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Hepworth's writing never fails to intrigue me. Just when you think you're settled into the motion of the story she feeds you a morsel of information that suddenly sends the plot in a new direction. Soon she follows with another and another and finally you find your characters deep in deception and and danger that you didn't see coming.
If you're already a fan of Hepworth's writing, I'm pretty sure you'll love this one. If you've never read one of her novels before, The Soulmate is a great one to begin with. I always find them to be a treat!
A fun, entertaining thriller! Pippa and Gabe live in their dream house, which happens to be located next to a cliff known as “The Drop”, a local suicide spot. Gabe has become known for always being there and talking them out of it, until one night he doesn’t. Did the woman jump? Or was she pushed? The story then starts digging into their complex lives and secrets and it’s a wild ride. Clever writing with some twists and turns I never saw coming. Pulled me in right away. Great characters. This was my first read by Sally Hepworth and I look forward to reading her others.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
When I see a favorite author is releasing a new book-I get excited! But, only a select few of those books go right to the top of my TBR list, no matter how far out the publication date is!! I was so excited to receive an early release copy of The Soulmate to read. Great job Sally! I really enjoyed your newest book.
The Soulmate finds a seemingly happily married couple Gabe and Pippa, along with their 2 young daughters enjoying their new home. The home is well known because it’s a site with a popular ledge for those who go there to end their life. One night Gabe finds a woman who appears to want to commit this act and Gabe was unable to stop her. Pippa thinks she saw Gabe’s hand in the outward position as if he pushed her instead of attempting to save her, especially after he tells the police a different story than what she witnessed. Pippa discovers the connection and that he knew the victim. Why did Gabe withhold this information? What is he hiding?
With different POVs, then/now timelines, the story is pieced together. It is beautifully told how little secrets and omissions build up to bigger and deadlier problems with tragic consequences in marriages. It made for an explosive conclusion. This was a 3.7* read! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the EArc and the chance to review it!
Rating: 3.75
I was hesitant to read this one since The Younger Wife let me down but I am happy to say this one was good. It had me hooked from the very beginning and kept me questioning where the story was going. I assumed there would be several twists but honestly, there weren't that many and the twists it did have were pretty obvious. Still none of that took away from my overall enjoyment. The first half of the book was much better than the second half. The first half had great pacing and the story kept progressing nicely. However, the second half felt much slower and felt like it dragged. The story could have been much shorter. I felt satisfied by the ending even if it did make me roll my eyes. Overall, I would recommend this one. I read it in 2 days and thought it was a good thriller. I liked that it was told in multiple POVs and switched back and forth between before and after Amanda died.
Thank you so much St. Martin's Press for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A sentence describing The Soulmate mentions “secrets that push us to the edge”, and the edge of a cliff is just where Pippa and. Gabe live with their two little girls. There’s something sinister about the way people gravitate to this spot when they are struggling and considering jumping to their death. Gabe has had much success in intervening and counseling these individuals to reconsider their decision. But there comes an individual who he cannot save, and that is where the real story begins. Some things don’t seem to add up, causing Pippa to doubt this man who she had always thought of as her Soulmate. Surprising twists kept me turning pages and made for a suspenseful read by a much favored author. I appreciated the opportunity for an advanced read in return for an honest review.
#NetGalley. #The Soulmate
Synopsis of my review: READ THIS BOOK.
It took me at least 50/100 pages to really get hooked but after that this felt like a modern day Agatha Christie novel. There were so many thoughtful layers of suspense and surprises. You question everything and everyone and live in a constant state of distrust up until the ending (which is so satisfying). I wish I could say more but don’t want to give away any spoilers! I highly recommend this book and think it would be a great book club book!
I loved the title after I realized how it played into the two relationships the story follows: Pippa and Gabe, Amanda and Max. What does a soulmate look like in a relationship built off passion versys another built from comfort? How will deceit, suspicion and murder test your connection with “your person?”
I was lucky enough to receive this as an ARC. Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth for the opportunity to read and review this story. The Soulmate will be published on April 4, 2023.
This was a good book, some twists, though you could see most of them coming, but still a good storyline. Easy to follow between then and now timelines. Does a good job of portraying some characters as suspect characters and up till the end you may not see it coming.
Sally does it again! Read this one with intensity trying to find out what is going on. I thoroughly enjoy her writing style and the twists and turns she drops in. I find myself always guessing up until the last pages. Sally is an auto buy for me after this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for sending me a early e-copy of The Soulmate. I thought this book was pretty good and had a lot going on with tons of suspense!! You get multiple POV's in this one which was alright. I am not a huge fan of too many POVs but this one was alright for it. I also really enjoyed all the short chapters which made the read that much quicker to get through. It kept you wanting to turn the page to see what was going to happen next.
Def would recommend this one to others.
Holy Twists!! The Soulmate is an absolutely unputdownable domestic suspense.
My onpy issue is that I’m left a little underwhelmed with the ending. I think I was expecting something quite different. Still recommending
Thanks Netgalley and publisher.
All thoughts and opinions are my own
Sally Hepworth, author of "The Soulmate", continues her pattern of expertly writing thrilling and spellbinding mysteries! "The Soulmate" focuses on two couples: Gabe & Pippa and Max & Amanda. Their lives are intertwined by one horrifying moment at Gabe & Pippa's house when Amanda jumps off a cliff and dies. However, as evidence is uncovered, some start to wonder if Amanda really jumped or if she was pushed.
I really enjoyed the varying viewpoints in this book and liked being able to read the character's internal motivations. This book caught my attention early and I sped through it to get to the ending. Very enjoyable! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because I adore Hepworth and couldn’t fathom rounding down for that reason. I have read a number of other reviews of this book, and can only determine that I am the problem with this one. I love Hepworth’s writing style, and will always pick up anything she writes. I just didn’t connect with this story, I wasn’t engaged, and I didn’t like any of the characters. The twists weren’t quite twisty enough for me, and I guessed most of them pretty early on. That said, I still love Hepworth and will always support her new books because she is a true gem. Based on reading other reviews, I think most people will really enjoy this one!
Hepworth writes yet another fantastic suspense novel! The start of this novel was so strong that I had a hard time putting it down. Loved the short chapters and loved Pippa as a narrator.
Around the 25% mark it does become more of a slow burn, and none of the revelations are mind bending, but it was a good solid read with interesting characters.
A great domestic suspense novel that I will be recommending to my fellow book nerds!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review
The book was decent. Not awful but didn’t blow me away either. There were some twists and turns but sometimes they didn’t make a lot of sense.
It is a decent read.
I thought I had this story figured out and then the author throws her usual twist that had me shaking my head that I didn’t see the twist coming. The Soulmate is a fast read with interesting characters and a great storyline. This author is a must read for me. 4.5 stars
Thank you for the ARC of The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. This book took me a little to get into, but once I got into it I was hooked. This story looks at the dynamics of a couple, and one with mental illness. I was impressed how respectful this book was written about mania and ADHD, but also understanding the nuances. I recommend!
Man, this book was intense - and I loved every single second of it! It's a super quick read with an ending I didn't quite expect. I really thought it was going in one direction, but was happily surprised that I hadn't guessed the plot. The writing is super descriptive, and I found myself super invested in each of the characters. Definitely a great twisty read.