Member Reviews
So well written! Kept me questioning all the characters and their motives throughout the entire book!
I have read books by Sally Hepworth and this is another great one I will be recommending!
The Soulmate was the first book I read by Hepworth and I definitely want to read more. This one was just okay for me, but I did like Hepworth’s writing and how easy it was for me to get into the book.
The POVs in this story were interesting as well and provided a cool perspective that readers don’t always see. Most of the characters kind of drove me crazy and I didn’t know who to trust.
Overall, the book was entertaining but the details of what happened are already fuzzy.
Another book I read by Hepworth that I can’t put down once I start. Just as I like them. This book is twisty, tragic and even heartwarming.
I think the perspective of a dead character
was brilliant. I imagined her in nothingness witnessing everything with after- death wisdom. Btw, that’s one version I have of the after life LOL.
I particuly fell for Amanda and Max’s love story which unfolded unexpectedly into an admirable relationship- and this is the greatest tragedy in the novel for me because of how it ended. The other tragedy was the co- dependency that Pippa had with Gabe for many years. She deserved that end so much.
These were some of my guesses along the story:
Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis- Right
Asha is daughter of Max- wrong
Max and Gabe planned Amandas death- wrong
Pippa somehow was the murderer- wrong
I would have never in a thousand years imagined the final twist.
In various ways the main characters portrayed the “gray” areas of human nature. It reminded me Bad/good and similar labels are useless to describe a person or know what to expect from someone.
Gabe character was well developed, as a mental health professional I appreciated the thorough and accurate psychological profile the author created.
And the super twist at the end- wow left me hanging with mouth opened for 2 straight minutes.
Thank you Netgalley for the e book, it was a pleasure to read.
Sally Hepworth does it again! I always love a Sally Hepworth book, and this did not disappoint. With alternating narrators, the book moved at a quick pace and kept me guessing. I usually lean toward enjoying having at least one somewhat likeable character but with The Soulmate, I had trouble sympathizing with anyone...and I liked it! Pippa and her husband Gabe move from Melbourne with their two young daughters to "start over" after an unknown event. Their new seaside cottage seems perfect except for the well-known suicide spot called "The Drop" being right outside their backdoor. Gabe finds his calling talking would be jumpers out of their plans and even is featured in a news article about the lives he has saved. All seems to be looking up in their life until one night a woman is seen at The Drop. Gabe goes out to talk to her but the woman jumps anyway. But why did Pippa see Gabe's hands out with his palms forward? And why did the woman look so familiar? The Soulmate was a great, quick read with some good plot twists. It was a little different from the usual Sally Hepworth book and I liked the changes. The only thing keeping me from giving The Soulmate 5 stars was the twist being a little predictable and far-fetched at the same time. It worked, but it wasn't as shocking as I would have hoped. All in all, another great book by a great author!
In typical Sally Hepworth, I was fully engrossed and engaged in every page of this thriller. This one was different than her others, while still maintaining the usual elements of any Hepworth novel. Well-done, easy to read, and fun!
This was a fun and easy read! I always enjoy a book that has someone who died as a narrator, and I like that it was told through the perspectives of the two women at different time periods. There were a lot of unanswered questions and I didn’t love how bipolar disorder was made to seem so extreme, but I would recommend this book to others.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Overall, I enjoyed the book; what caused me to lower my rating was the main female character. While I understand that these sort of relationships exist in the real world, her glaring lack of awareness in her own life and relationship was a little too much, almost comedic in how much the male main character “got away with.”
It was distracting, and I found myself having to stop myself from attempting to blame the victim as more details were released.
Other than this detail, I found the pacing of the story to be very enjoyable.
I really have to stop reading any and all domestic suspense, because even when they're just "meh" like this one, I still get inordinately angry at the time I wasted reading them. This is a pointless mystery about something that isn't very interesting, with no real surprises and absolutely nothing to show for the time I spent reading it. I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because I guess this is what this kind of book is supposed to be like? I don't know. I read the premise of these books and think maybe one of them will be good one day, but it really isn't going to happen, is it?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this novel. It took me way too long to get to it, and I should have left it alone.
Pippa Wright met, fell in love with, and married Gabe in a matter of months. They have had their ups and downs over the course of their relationship, but things have gotten better since they moved to a seaside cottage with their two young daughters. The house is secluded and serene, but it is also situated next to 'The Drop,' a place where people often come to end their lives. So far, Gabe has talked everyone off the ledge, until a mysterious woman appears one night and is dead minutes later. Now Pippa wonders if this woman jumped or if she was pushed...
What I Enjoyed: Hepworth's most-recent novel is fast-paced and full of twists and turns. I enjoyed the short chapters and alternating perspectives. I also liked how Hepworth uses both women and both marriages to complicate the romanticized idea of a 'soulmate'
What I Didn't Enjoy: I loved this one at first. I was immediately invested in the conflict and I liked Hepworth's protagonist, Pippa. But once the author introduced Amanda's perspective after her death, I started to lose interest (I don't love a ghost narrator, I've decided). I thought the author relied too much on Amanda's almost omniscient perspective to reveal character actions and motivations. I think the book would have been better with a bit more mystery
Overall, this is a quick read and one that would perfect for a rainy day at home. I still prefer The Good Sister and The Mother-in-Law, but I look forward to reading The Younger Wife!
Loved the meaning/ending. Took a while to get into and it’s a slow paced read.
Thank you to #netgalley for an arc copy. I really appreciate it.
Thank you NetGalley & St Martins Press for the eARC of this book! I read this one essentially in one sitting (on a flight). It was fast paced with some interesting twists and an ending that I was really happy with.
I’m not a huge thriller reader, but I have enjoyed the Sally Hepworth novels that I’ve read. The plot of this one was interesting and I thought the mental illness rep was well handled in the context of the story. Overall, really well done and enjoyable!
Gabe and Pippa live in a house on a cliff where many people have come to end their lives. Gabe has been able to convince many of them not to jump, but then one of them cannot be convinced. When it comes out that Gabe knew the victim, questions arise. The book becomes a story of the two couples, told in past and present timelines and I really liked this family drama with twists along the way. It does include mental illness and violence.
Sally Hepworth does it again! This book had me hooked from the start. I couldn’t put it down! It is a must read for summer 2023. I have already recommended it to several of my friends.
This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. The character development was excellent. I would definitely recommend to others, a must read!
Gabe and Pippa Gerard’s cliff house is a dream home for them, but a nightmare location for others.
As a known spot for people to take their lives, the police have become familiar with the Gerard family from Pippa's calls. Gabe has the ability to talk people off the ledge, until one day, a woman does not survive. When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, she starts to see that day at the cliff in another light. What really happened?
The Soulmate hovered between present and past, with multiple perspectives and storylines. I wanted to like this novel, but the overall complexity of the spiderweb of deceit ended up falling apart in the final pages. None of the main characters were that likable and the plot did not flow well because of the constant time shifts. Having liked other books by this author, I would not recommend this particular novel to other readers.
Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this novel was entirely my own.
Sally Hepworth is a god among authors. She really just hits the head on the nail every time! I love her books and this was no exception. Thriller Queen.
Gabe and Pippa bought their dream home. Little did they know that the cliff on their property is known as the suicide cliff. People come there to end their lives, but since Gabe and Pippa moved it, there have been no casualties. Gave has been able to talk everyone out of it until one day he couldn't.
Pippa was watching through the window as Gabe talked to the distraught woman. She got distracted momentarily, looked back at the scene, and the woman was gone!
After that,Gabe started acting strange, and Pippa began to uncover what really happened that night on the cliff.
I enjoyed this one. I love the authors writing style, and it kept me intrigued.
Pick this up if you're looking for a solid thriller. It held my interest and I liked the multiple perspectives it offered. I will say, however, that it wasn't my favorite from this author. It lacked a bit of the emotional depth that some of her other books brought to the table. In The Soulmate, we do get some scenic imagery, though. Overall, a good read but not a great read.
Sally Hepworth just keeps getting better and better, and at this point, she is easily one of my top auto-reads. I think anyone who has enjoyed Hepworth's previous books or loves a well-written thriller will gobble this one up.
I was hooked from page 1. The story is suspenseful, interesting, and compelling. The writing is amazing, which I knew it would be. While I didn’t find the end to be anything majorly shocking, it did wrap up nicely with all loose threads coming together.