Have you read any books by this author before? If not, just start right here. This book is SIMPLY GREAT! This book set its hook from the beginning chapter with new hooks and twists all the way through to the end. Easy to read, easy to believe and highly recommended. Five stars from me. I am grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC. This review is my own.

This is my favorite Sally Hepworth to date.

"That's another funny thing about marriage. Sometimes, when you look back on it, the worst moments are in fact the best."

Gabe, Pippa and their two children live in a cute bungalow by the sea. In fact their backyard faces a place called The Drop, which is a place where many people come to jump to their death. In the short time they have lived there, Gabe has actually become quite adept at talking people out of jumping, and has become a local hero. So it isn't unusual for Gabe to approach the woman he sees standing at The Drop. But then she jumps. Or does she?

I'm not always a fan of the slow reveal of information but it worked SO well in this novel. Usually I feel like it's the author trying to be tricky but in this case I just loved as the layers were peeled back to reveal more information.

So clever and such a great reading experience--this will be a book I will be recommending often in the future.

The Soulmate
By Sally Hepworth


Following a rough spell, Pippa and Gabe are looking for a fresh start. They find their cliffside dream home with an ocean view in Melbourne where they move with their two young daughters. Entranced, they disregard the notoriety that The Drop is a spot favored by those wishing to end their days. In short course, Gabe earns a reputation for talking people off the edge. One day, Pippa looks out their kitchen window and sees a woman standing at The Drop. Gabe makes his way to the woman while Pippa distracts the girls. Minutes later she looks up to see that Gabe is much closer to the woman and the edge than “the rules” permit. The next time she looks up, the space where the woman stood is vacant and Gabe’s hand are stretched out before him. Pippa isn’t sure what she’s seen or whether she can trust what she’s seen. Things get complicate when it’s discovered that Gabe was acquainted with the woman.

I requested The Soulmate based on the reputation of the author and the synopsis. I think I’m an outlier when I say that I was disappointed. Right from the start I couldn’t buy in on the fact that caring parents would endanger their daughters by purchasing a house where the wind alone might blow them over the side of the steep cliff. But don’t worry, they’ll put up a fence and tell them never to go near the edge. I’ll not mention spoilers here, but I also found it hard to suspend my belief at other critical points of the plot. I’m sorry to say The Soulmate was not for me.

My thanks to @NetGalley and @StMartinPress for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: 04 April 2023

I loved everything about this domestic thriller and could not put it down. Told in dual POV and also dual timelines, I could not read this book fast enough. Pippa and Amanda are both women madly in love with their husbands. Both feel they have married their soulmate. The real question is, did they? What appears to be two happy marriages is actually secrets, betrayal and danger.

As with every Sally Hepworth book I’ve read, the surprises kept me on my toes. The short chapters make this a very quick read.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

In a sleepy town along the Australian coast, there is a family with lots of secrets. Across the street from their home is a tall cliff, people who want to end their lives, come here to jump. The husband has been successful at keeping 6 people from jumping to their deaths. However, 7 will be the unlucky number that causes secrets to be revealed.

THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTIC! Some of the chapter cliffhanger endings made me scream because the author would change character perspective and then I would have to wait. But that is ok. I never saw it coming.

I had high hopes for The Soulmate. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.

Pippa and Gabe moved to their dream house on the coast. The only drawback is that the cliff on their property is where people go to end their lives. Gabe has become something of an expert at talking them down, away from the edge. Until one makes it past him, and it turns out he knew the victim. The cracks begin to show in this seemingly perfect family.

This domestic suspense follows two POVs and two timelines. The short chapters make it a quick read. Although I thought the story went on for longer than it needed to.

This book discusses mental health, shady business deals, and loyalty.

Pippa’s character didn’t make much sense to me. She’s a lawyer, but she chose to ignore so many red flags. If you were to tell her to forget about something suspicious, she would.

While I didn’t love this book, it did successfully pull me out of a reading slump. It’s a compelling read if you just go with it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc via Netgaley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

Thanks to @NetGalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC!

Gabe and Pippa have recently moved to a house near a cliff, a cliff that is a well-known spot where people frequently come to end their lives. Gabe has a known reputation of being able to talk people out of jumping, until one day a woman jumps, or does she?

The story is told from two perspectives and two timelines, which can be tricky, but was done nicely. At no point was I lost or questioned who the narrator was. Hepworth did a fantastic job of creating complex characters and allowing the reader to really get to know them. Their complexities explained a lot of their story, yet kept you intrigued because you know there is more to them. I felt she kept me, as a reader, questioning Gabe's character the most. On the surface, he seems like a stand-up guy, but the author keeps you wondering if he really is.

The story moved along at a nice pace and tied everything together at the end, which I can appreciate as a reader, I really dislike when I don't get a clear picture of the outcome.

Warning this book bring mental health and suicide to light . This book was so good I finished in a day!!!
Takes place in Australia Pippy is a Laywer and the bread maker of her family that has two little girls and a husband. They live in the suburbs in a house off a famous cliff that is known for its deadly curse of suicides. Gabe, her husband has talked 7 people off the ledge this last one however he couldn’t. When the name of the last person to visit there is revealed they can’t believe it’s someone they know and the strength of knowing your soulmate how far will you go?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Absolutely love Sally Hepworth and this did not disappoint. Absolutely enthralling from beginning to end.

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth is a suspenseful thriller told in alternating points of view, moving back and forth in time. Different from most books, is that one POV is deceased.

Pippa and Gabe appear to have a charmed life. Two beautiful daughters, careers and a house by the sea. But all is not what it seems, of course. I loved the way the author revealed bits and pieces of information that were surprising. The story was very well paced. Hepworth is a go to author- I have read many of her prior works and look forward to her future works. She always manages to put a unique twist into her novels.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read the digital ARC.

I really enjoyed reading this! I didn’t predict any of the twists and had me on the edge of my seat. Will definitely be recommending!

Title: The Soulmate
Author: Sally Hepworth
Pub Date: April 4, 2023

Wow! This was one of those books that enticed me right away. The book starts with a person jumping off the cliff outside of Gabe and Pippa’s house. The spot where she jumped is called “The Spot” because it is the place known for people jumping to their death.

Read if you love:
🤍 Dual points of view
🤍 short chapters
🤍 domestic thrillers
🤍 twists and turns that keep you guessing

Sally Hepworth this a must read author for me. I have enjoyed all of the books I have read by her. This might be one of my favorites!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Twists aren't just for the end of a book!
I read the majority of Sally Hepworth's newest, The Soulmate, in one evening. It's perfectly bingeable.
Pippa, husband Gabe, and daughters Freya and Asha, appear to be the perfect family. But any thriller reader knows this is never the case.
The story is told from the points of view of two characters. Each is in two time frames - before/after, and then/now.
I'm a big fan of domestic suspense and I did not see the twists of The Soulmate coming, built in along the way to keep us off balance. And I definitely did not anticipate the ending!
There are great characters and excellent pacing, as well as solid representation of heavy themes such as suicide, infidelity, and mental illness.
Recommended.
For release on April 4.

Gabe and Pippa's new house features a stunning view overlook the cliffs; however, this place, called <b>the drop</b> is notorious for suicides. Gabe becomes a good samaritan, talking people off the edge both literally and figuratively. But when a woman from their past shows up at the drop, it sets up a chain reaction, forcing Pippa to contend with their past. Sally Hepworth's <i>The Soulmate</i> contends with loss, mental illness, and the lengths we'll go for the people we love.

Hepworth crafts a twisty novel full of suprises you'll never see coming (and a few you'll see a mile away). The story is meticulously crafted, dangling more and more information in front of readers without giving too much of it away. <i>The Soulmate</i> shifts both in time and POV, alternating between Pippa and the woman on the cliff (Amanda), shifting before and after the jump.

Despite, or perhaps because of, the meticulous crafting, none of the characters are particularly likeable. That's not to say all characters have to be likeable, but they weren't particularly unlikeable either; they just kinda were. I also found the depiction of mental illness to be, at time, uncomfortable.

Overall, Hepworth crafted a twisty, turny, fun novel that will keep you reading. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for providing a digital copy of The Soulmate in exchange of a honest review.

I just love a good family-drama thriller. This one was short, it kept my interest, and there was just the right amount of punch to keep me wanting to know more.

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booklover #booknerd #bookcommunity #canadianbookstagrammer

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

If you looked up popcorn thriller in the dictionary, you’d find The Soulmate. On its face, it’s exactly what you’d expect: short chapters, unreliable characters involved in all sorts of shady activities, many twists that are well-placed and balanced. Some of the surprises were predictable, some I found more shocking. It’s a perfectly fine book.

But it’s also completely mindless. None of the characters are all that fleshed out. The writing is blah and full of redundant phrases. And the plot details lack specificity (at one point a character literally googles “how to find hidden files.” Come on.)

So if you’re looking for a generic thriller to hit the spot, pick this up. But if you want something with a bit more oomph, skip it.

3/5

Sally Hepworth is a master at slowly unfolding a story, and The Soulmate is no different. This book kept me guessing as new details emerged and I couldn't want to find out what happened.

SO GOOD! Sally Hepworth has done it again!! Everytime I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was totally taken off guard by what actually happened. I truly think it takes a genius to write thrillers that aren’t super overdone/predictable.

*CONTAINS SPOILERS
Solid domestic thriller but no super exciting twists. Got a little boring in the middle of the book. I was a bit turned off by one of the characters narrating from the afterlife lol. I was annoyed that it was never addressed how Pippa basically caused the whole thing with her lie about Max! I did appreciate the side plot of Asher not being Pippa's biological daughter, and how fully she embraced her into their family.

The Soulmate
by Sally Hepworth
Pub Date: 04 Apr 2023

I highly recommend this 5 star psychological thriller. It's full of twists, secrets and betrayals, a very exciting read. One of the best books I've read this year. Once you start reading you will not want to stop until the shocking ending!

Sypnosis:

There’s a cottage on a cliff. Gabe and Pippa’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. 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. Until he doesn’t.

When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral...Did the victim jump? Was she pushed?

And would Gabe, the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate...lie? As the perfect facade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #St.Martin’sPress for sharing this AMAZING digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.