Another good story from Sally Hepworth! I can count on her to write a page-turning domestic suspense book. I particularly liked the story being told from the two points of view, interesting choice and it worked! (Trying not to give anything away!)

4.5 stars rounded up

In The Soulmate, author Sally Hepworth has crafted a complex story of marriage and murder. Told in three timelines—then/before, now, and after—and from two POVs, the main protagonists are strong, determined women with husbands and various relationship troubles. Pippa is a busy estates lawyer married to Gabe, a complicated man who parents their preschool girls Freya and Asha. Amanda is the wife of uber-wealthy businessman Max Cameron. They are child free by choice, and keep fidelity the touchstone of their marriage.
Beginning as a murder mystery, this story also morphs into an exploration of the good versus the difficult sides of marriage, and the complications of parenthood, wealth, and mental illness.
The author’s skill at juggling three timelines and multiple POVs made this domestic drama unfold beautifully with each character becoming more fully fleshed out and multidimensional as the chapters went on.
No spoilers here: I was surprised a couple times, and found the twists and reveals in the last several chapters riveting! The development of a character that is omniscient and who comments from multiple perspectives is particularly effective—you guess which one!
Hepworth is so adept at crafting suspenseful domestic thrillers that I always look forward to her new books, and believe this is one of her best works!!

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

This was my first Sally Hepworth novel but it certainly won't be my last. I loved the dual point of view on different timelines. The past and the present and how they diverged to make a very thrilling and suspenseful story. Gabe, Pippa, Amanda and Max are such interesting characters with history that played well into the plot. I would recommend this book!

Dear Sally,

You’ve done it again. How absolutely brilliant of you.

Love,

Amanda

Do not - I repeat - do not schedule ANYTHING when this book is published. I can guarantee it will soak up every bit of attention you have and then some.

This is a beautifully written book about the ups and downs of marriages. It’s also about murder and the lies we tell ourselves and the secrets we keep.

I LOVE that there was a twist at the beginning, middle, and end. I didn’t have to read the entire book only to find the big reveal within the last few pages. I was treated to the delightfully twisted throughout the novel. I batted 1 for 3 on the twists. Sally has this genius way of giving you a little, letting you in on the secret, and then revealing the secret in its entirety that has your head bobbing all confidently- I KNEW IT- until she continues and you suddenly stop- wait…WHAT?!

I believe it to be interesting that I walked away from this novel with more insight into the husbands - both Gabe and Max- than I did into the women. Maybe it’s because I identified more with the wives? Maybe it was intentional. Either way, Sally paints a painfully accurate picture of mental health that gives a glimpse into what it is like being married to someone with an illness. I feel, in the actions taken by Pippa - or perhaps her inaction at times - I see her a bit more clearly. Amanda, a bit difficult to understand her motives at times, shines through in her later years with Max.

I’m not going to recap the story. You can read the description. Just know that this is an edge of your seat thriller that will reward your reading time and time again.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital reviewer copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this read. I kept putting off other things to read it and trying to finding small pockets and windows to get back to this story and find out what was going to happen next. This was a unique found family story and mystery all rolled into one and I enjoyed how the story unfolded, and how both Amanda and Pippa were the story tellers from two different vantage points. I was happy that Pippa was able to find the peace that she needed, even though I was a little bummed that Gabe, was alone in the end.

I’ve been seeing nothing but good reviews for this book, so I was really excited for it. I really enjoyed this one! It checked off some of my favorite things in a book - short chapters, multiple POVS, dual timelines and multiple twists that I did not see coming! Highly recommend, especially if you’re looking for a quick read!

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Pages: 336
Goodreads: 4.0

Finally out of my reading slump and this was definitely the best way to come back! This book kept me on the edge (LITERALLY!!) the whole time. The author had perfectly placed twists and had me guessing what the heck was going on the whole time. The Soulmate is about the crazy things you do, how long you will turn a blind eye, and what secrets you will keep for the people you love.

A quick two day read and I can officially say, after this book and The Mother-In-Law, Sally Hepworth is an auto-buy author for me! I highly recommend her to anyone that enjoys the Mystery genre.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Pippa and Gabe purchase a new house on the coast with a beautiful view, but what they later find out is that the cliff outside of their kitchen window is called “The Drop” where people go to commit suicide.

Handsome and charming Gabe, can always talk the person off the edge of jumping and is somewhat of a hero in the town for literally saving lives. Until one day a woman shows up and within moments of Gabe talking to her she disappears with his hands stretched out…reaching for her? Pushing her? With no one around to see what happened, Pippa has to trust that her husband is telling her all of the truth.

Thank you for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a review!

Be sure to add this book to your cart for when it publishes on April 4th and happy reading! 📚

The Soulmate- By Sally Hepworth
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy Pub Day!

Trigger Warning- This Novel contains mental illness and suicide.

🖤 Review

Pippa and Gabe live on a cottage on a cliff known as "the drop". The tall cliffs have become a place where people often jump to end their lives. So often, Gabe comes to their rescuse by talking them off the edge. One particular day, this does not seem to be the case.

This book was filled with twisted dark turns. Really kept me invested with several secrets coming to life. Told in dual points of view from different time periods. Which could get confusing, but in this case, it did not. And it helped the story unfold. Short chapters, which I love. I could see this becoming a movie!

Thank you to netgalley, Salley Hepworth and St.Martins press for allowing me to read this ARC.


#bookstagram #pubday #review #thriller #thrillerreview #canadiangirlsread #canadianbookstagram #books #readingaddict #bookaholic #bookaddict #booknerd #bookworm

A bit of a slow burn but it definitely kept me wanting to know how and why Amanda died. Was it a suicide? Did Gabe push her? What was he hiding? I absolutely loved the dialogue from Amanda from the dead. It was almost like she was in purgatory awaiting her fate depending on how the events back on earth played out. It was creepy and oh so worth it!

Can someone really be your soulmate if there isn't any trust between you? I was excited about this book - first it's Sally Hepworth and I love her books and secondly, the storyline intrigued me.

This one fell a little flat for me.

Here are the positives from the book - it reads super fast. Hepworth is the queen of twisty novels and there are definitely alot of twists in this one. A few I didn't see coming, which is always a nice surprise as a reader.

This is what I wasn't crazy about with the book - she organizes it by "Before" and "After" from Amanda and Pippa's POV. This back and forth got a little repetitive and cumbersome. It didn't flow as smoothly as it could have. I struggled with Pippa's character - so many red flags with Gabe she ignored and who moves their preschool kids into a house with a cliff that people jump off (not for fun)?? A few aspects of the book were a little unbelievable.

Overall it's not a bad book, just not one of Hepworth's best, in my opinion. Having said that, I still love her writing and will eagerly read her next book.

My thanks to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Gabe and Pippa found their dream home, and were overjoyed to find out they could afford to buy it. This beautiful cottage stands on the top of a cliff in a sleepy coastal town. They worried about their two young daughters venturing near the edge of the cliff, but that could be solved by putting up a fence. What they weren't prepared for was the fact that the tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Then one night a woman comes to the edge of the cliff, and Gabe goes out there. This time he doesn't save her. As more and more facts come out about this woman's death, questions start buzzing through Pippa's mind. Did she really jump or did Gabe push her? Is her soulmate lying.... or even worse, is he a murderer?
I am a huge fan of this author's books. I read every one that she writes. This one was really good, definitely one of my favorites. It was told in the alternating viewpoints of Pippa (then), Pippa (now) and Amanda (now) - Amanda being the person who died on the cliffs. There is a lot of action and suspense, some twists, and of course a really fresh storyline. If you enjoy a good thriller, then you will want to add this to your TBR pile.

3.5 stars

Gabe and Pippa have found their dream home, an adorable cottage on the coast. There’s only one problem, in their backyard is a cliff where many suicides have taken place.

Loving the home and not wanting to give it up they move in. And maybe that was for the best as Gabe seems to be a hero, talking 7 people off the ledge. However one night he’s not so successful and a woman jumps. Or was she pushed? When it comes to light that Gabe knew the victim Pippa is left questioning everything. What really happened that night?

The story is told in multiple timeline and POV, which is something I love. However it was a bit confusing at first as one character is told in now/then and other in before/after. But after a few chapters I got the hang of it and actually enjoyed the back and forth.

Although the chapters are short, the overall pace was more on the slow side. And while I was definitely interested by the story, it wasn’t in a way where I had to keep reading to know what happened. Part of that might have been the fact I didn’t love any of the characters or because to me it was fairly obvious what had happened. There just weren’t a ton of twists and turns to look forward to. It was more focused on the characters and their relationships. So if you’re a fan of character driven, domestic suspense then you should definitely put this on your radar.

Overall, not my favorite by Sally Hepworth but still a decent read!

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the review copy in exchange for an honest review!

“𝑼𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒆.”

Sally Hepworth is an auto-buy/read author for me, and I couldn’t wait to dive into her latest book!

Hepworth‘s skill at creating domestic suspense novels is always so good; the action simmers gently until a reveal causes things to overflow. This book is no exception; it starts with a gasp worthy moment as a woman seemingly jumps off a cliff, which has you guessing at everyone’s motives and questioning what characters tell you. The narrative is super intriguing, going back and forth between Pippa and Amanda’s points of view. Both Pippa and Gabe are complicated characters who make mistakes and lean on each other to deal with the consequences of their actions; throughout I couldn’t help but feel very attached to them (could it be because I, too, agree hot dogs from Ikea are so good?). Even as more layers to their marriage are revealed, I still rooted for them. Amanda and Max’s marriage story offers an interesting contrast, especially in the definition of soulmates. Short chapters make for a propulsive and quick read; you can never assume to know the whole story with Hepburn’s writing (things aren’t always as they seem!). I also thought the impact that mental illness can have on a relationship was well portrayed and researched.

The Soulmate is a story of loyalty, infidelity, secrets, mental health, and the messiness of humanity. It highlights the dangers of being a soulmate to someone and letting it consume all of you. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth is nothing but a thrilling read that truly keeps the reader on the edge of their seats begging to read just one more chapter. Hepworth is a master at leaving breadcrumbs for the reader, leading them straight into an unexpected twist in the plot.

The Soulmate follows two couple who deeply love each other individually, but whose lives cross paths a few too many times. Told from alternating perspectives and in present and past timelines, Hepworth lays out the suspense beautifully.

Pippa and Gabe live in a lovely house in Australia, next to a steep cliff. Gabe has made it a mission of his to talk potential suicides off of the ledge and he is very good at it, until he finds he can't save everyone. As the police investigate the latest accident at the cliff, secrets from all parties come out into the open and wreck havoc on multiple marriages.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

Loved the twists and turns of this one. I was gripped from the very first page. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this eARC!

What's it about (in a nutshell):
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth is a suspenseful psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat with its slow reveals.

My Reading Experience:
I love that there is an actual psychological disorder in this thriller. I had fun diagnosing one of the characters as the story unfolded, and it was quite a puzzle. In the end, I did have the correct differential diagnosis, which says a lot about the authenticity of the portrayal.

I also loved that this story isn't just a psychological thriller but also a love story, as the title would suggest. The love stories, and there is more than one, are compelling from start to finish and add an emotional element not often seen in a thriller of this type. The end was truly tragic and has stuck with me ever since.

I enjoyed the pacing of the reveals most of all. There are so many secrets and layers to each secret, and the breadcrumbs are scattered strategically to keep the pace flowing quickly. I, of course, loved the red herrings and subtle twists and turns, aided by a slight atmospheric quality.

Characters:
Pippa married her dream man, and they have a beautiful home with an extraordinary view and two lovely daughters that keep them on their toes. She is an estate planning attorney and the sole breadwinner of the family. But after a tragic event, the secrets she has been keeping begin to reveal themselves, and her whole life is coming unraveled at the very seams.

Gabe is handsome and charming and agrees to stay at home with his daughters after something happens to make the couple relocate. He has developed a reputation for being excellent at talking people away from the cliff and getting their needed help. Until he isn't, and all his secrets come to light.

Amanda is the other narrator, along with Pippa. She is recently deceased and watching everything happen with the clarity only death can provide. She also offers relevant past information on her life for the reader.

Narration & Pacing:
The story is told by two characters – one of them being the deceased victim – and takes place through each character's unique timeline - past and present. All of this change confused me at first, but I quickly adjusted to the flow of the story and had no issues following the when, where, and with whom.

The pacing stayed consistent throughout. With short chapters and well-timed reveals, the pace is fast from start to finish. I never felt bogged down by the story or the atmosphere.

Setting:
The novel is set in Australia, primarily in a house on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The characters could afford such a dream home because this part of the cliff is a spot where people on dire straights come to jump. This creates the perfect atmosphere and backdrop for this type of story.

Read if you like:
• Puzzling psychological thrillers
• Tragic love stories
• Fast-paced stories that keep you on the edge of your seat

Rating: 4/5

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC! This is the fourth title I've read by Sally Hepworth, and most certainly won't be my last. I love Hepworth's writing style and the way she is able to rope the reader in from the first few pages. The short chapters kept the plot moving while serving as mini-cliff-hangers throughout the whole book. I enjoyed the dual timelines and POVs as well - it created so much depth to the story and gave the reader so many layers to think about. I found some of the twists a bit expected, but others took me by complete surprise. I'll read anything and everything that SH writes! If you are a mystery/suspense/thriller fan...check this one out ASAP!

The Soulmate has drama right from the start. The marriage of Gabe and Pippa seems so perfect-until it isn't. In this story, we get to hear the story from Pippa and Amanda's point of view (a before and after/now and then).
I found myself wishing to hear some of the more dramatic scenes from Gabe's POV.
I was drawn in from the beginning, and thought it slowed near the middle. The end, however, I did not see coming. I always enjoy a little surprise near the end of the book. I do not like to give away the details in the reviews-as that is what you read the book for. However, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a nice twist, and a plot that includes characters who struggle with mental health, couples & infidelity, and a smooth story line.
This is my first Sally Hepworth book, and I will be reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author (Sally Hepworth) for providing me with a digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Soulmate is yet another utterly engaging winner from Sally Hepworth. I’m admittedly a huge fan of this author’s work, for good reason. Her novels are diverse, each unique from the next, well-written, plotted, crafted and absolutely enthralling.

The Soulmate is an addictive, domestic thriller about Gabe and Pippa, a happy couple, with two adorable girls, who live in a picturesque home on the cliffs of a coastal Melbourne town, over-looking the sea. The only problem is, it’s also a frequent place that people come to end it all and jump to their death. Gabe has become something of a whisperer, enticing people back from the cliff with his calm demeanor and soothing words. And then, one fateful day, it doesn’t work, and things begin to fall apart in this couple’s life.

The Soulmate contains secrets and backstories rich with personal history. Sally Hepworth is the queen of penning a plot that is a full-fledged fictional experience, as well as a mystery and thriller, with in-depth character development. I appreciate the way she featured mental illness in this novel in an impactful, realistic way because it is so pertinent and present in people’s lives these days. This is a thought-provoking novel and one you won’t want to miss!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for the chance to read this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Sally Hepworth and it definitely won't be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I could not put it down. The writing was beautiful and so descriptive and she kept me hooked the entire time!

Solid 4 star read for me and will definitely be recommending to all my friends!