I enjoyed this fast paced thriller turned family drama. There was a nice twist to this one and it kept you kind of knowing what to expect but still guessing along the way. I think Hepworth fans will enjoy it and if you haven't tried one of Hepworth's books yet, this would be a good one to start with to get a feel for how she tells a story through multiple POVs and converging timelines.

The Queen of domestic suspense is back. I always know when I sit down with a Hepworth, I won’t be moving for a while. She always does such a good job of writing characters that you don’t like, but you just can’t hate either. Plus, she is funny and that always helps.

Told from alternating POVs of Pippa (Now) and Amanda (Before). I thought that using the perspective of a person deceased and “in limbo” to be clever, refreshing and a bit of a mysterious way of telling us parts of the story.

There was a bit of weighty discussion on mental health/illness in this one which I appreciated. Hepworth usually takes a real-life challenge and sprinkles it into her stories with such ease. It never feels forced but she gets her point across.

This was entertaining from beginning to end, full of twists and jaw dropping turns. I was surprised by a few and felt this to be original popcorn fun! The cover is fantastic too!

Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy!

Listen if you like:
💔 Domestic Thriller
🔍 Mysteries
✌🏻Two POV
🧠 Mental Health Representation
📖 Short Chapters
🧐 Unreliable Narrator

Last year I read The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth so when this one was listed on NetGalley I couldn’t help but request it.

This one definitely missed some of that thriller/suspense I was hoping for and felt more like a mystery than a thriller of what happened versus a pulse pounding thriller.

One thing I really loved was getting a POV from beyond the grave as the pieces were slowly put together of what happened at the cliff that day and why.

If you like domestic mysteries with some slight thriller moments I’d highly recommend this one as it was well done! Thank you to St Martin’s Press for my ARC of this one!

Well, suffice it to say, this one definitely wasn't for me... where to start.
First, there is one POV (which I won't define with more detail because, well, spoilers... DM me if you want to talk more) that was so confusing and felt really unnecessary, The POV was explained at the end of the book and did make much better sense at that point, but I spend the majority of the book incredibly confused (also, can you say implausible?!).
If there's one thing I cannot stand in a book it's hot-mess, dumb, female MCs and unfortunately Pippa fits this bill perfectly. I understand some of her motivations and choices, but some of her actions are completely insane. Watch out for yourself, girlfriend! Your husband is, well, special, so please, please do us all a favor and make smarter choices. Overall, just kind of an annoying character in my opinion.
Okay, to end this review... let's talk ending. Don't get me wrong, I love a good "not perfect" conclusion if it's done effectively. But, just failing to conclude or concluding really quickly to answer all the remaining "questions" is not my idea of a good ending. While we do know what happens, and there's a somewhat satisfactory "conclusion" the way the story ended was so "blah" to me. And, I'm going to keep this vague (spoilers), but I hate endings where guilty characters don't live the consequences of their choices.
This review is, of course, just my opinion, and this story might be one you love, so please do not let my review put you off picking up this one for yourself!

**Note: this review will appear on my bookstagram @leannaslittlelibrary on the publish date, April 4th, 2023

This is the fifth book I've read by Hepworth and I always like her writing. This had a couple of minor issues for me and felt a bit slow in the middle, but I liked the ending and thought the twists were interesting. Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

The story is told from the dual perspectives of Pippa, who lives in the house on the cliffside with her husband Gabe, and Amanda, the woman who just died. Amanda was an interesting perspective and gave you insight into her marriage and her husband's activities.

I was frustrated by Pippa and her tolerance for certain things in her marriage. It made her come across as a bit pathetic to me at times. There were also some things she should have put together regarding the mystery, but she didn't, and on some level it seemed like she must have chosen not to. I was also very frustrated by a doctor due to a diagnosis that clearly didn't fit and seemed unrealistic to me.

Otherwise, I thought the story was great. I enjoyed trying to figure out what happened and why. Some small pieces I figured out and some I guessed at, but there were certainly more unexpected twists at the end. I liked the dual perspectives and thought they were well-spaced. I also found the shifts from before and after the death easy to follow. The chapters are labeled by who is narrating and when, but it was clear enough from the context in the chapters.

I look forward to seeing what Hepworth comes out with next. I plan to continue reading her work.

While The Soulmate was definitely a page-turner, I was ultimately disappointed in it. Sally Hepworth has written a story about two different couples whose lives intersect. Pippa and Gabe live, with their two little girls, in a house right near a cliff that is known for people trying to jump off there to commit suicide. It seems that it’s right by a walking path and the first thought that struck me was - why on earth isn’t there some sort of big fence or other barrier by this place? It’s well-known enough to have a nickname of The Drop! Who in their right mind would buy a house right next to this spot when you have two very young children? So right away, I had my doubts about the sanity of this couple. Pippa’s husband Gabe seems to be talented at talking people “down.” So far, as the book begins, he has prevented seven possible suicides.

Chapters are told from either Pippa’s point of view (POV) or that of another woman, Amanda. They are labeled as Now or Before for Pippa’s chapters and After or Before for Amanda’s. I didn’t really enjoy the constant back and forth of this, but the author did a good job of labeling the chapters so it wasn’t confusing for the reader/listener.

There are plenty of twists and turns along the way, including one huge reveal/twist near the end of the book. That one I didn’t see coming, although there were some clues along the way, once I’d thought about it.

Unfortunately, none of the main characters were particularly appealing, which made it a bit hard to get fully invested in their lives.

The author, in a note at the end of the book says it’s “an exploration of the bad and good sides of marriage… I like to think of it as a murderous love story.” So it that sounds like something you’d like, pick this one up. For me, it wasn’t her best book.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient and allowed me to speed through the story. The audiobook has two distinct narrators, one for Pippa and one for Amanda, who both do a wonderful job: Barrie Kreinik and Jessica Douglas-Henry. Since the story takes place in Australia, I enjoyed listening to the Australian accents of the narrators.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

An outstanding author who delivered another 5 star book! I didn't want to go to work but stay home and soak every word up, but reality had me put it aside. It will hold you in suspense as you watch marriages unravel with their deceptions and lies. With a house only feet away from a cliff designated as "the drop" for suicide missions, it left an eerie feel by the ocean. The cover is a beautiful deception of their final fleeting moments of life faced before their demise.
Told from different viewpoints, Pippa reveals a perfect marriage on the outside to her love at first sight husband, Gabe. He was a beautiful being, yet suffers from a mental illness misdiagnosed at first. They have two beautiful daughters with one of them being from Gabe's infidelity. Pippa practices law while Gabe is the daily protector of the girls. At times, Pippa reveals herself as a mother that suffered postpartum in the beginning, but Gabe has been deemed as the hero of the small community saving many contemplating suicide. The one time Gabe did not save a woman that did jump, Pippa tried to resolve what she saw from the window. Did Gabe push her? Know her? Lie to the police? To Pippa?
This is an amazing setup that will have you pondering all the ways that this could go, but none of them prepared me for that final ending. Outstanding!
A lot of dark, elusive stories are going on throughout and never a dull moment especially when the woman that jumped tells her side from purgatory.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press this copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars

I liked the atmospheric setting and I was intrigued by the story but it did really drag at parts. I found myself wanting to skim some parts in the middle, unfortunately. I pushed through because I wanted to see how all the relationships came together. This felt more like a domestic mystery than a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC!

This was my second novel from Sally Hepworth and I really enjoyed it! I find her style of literary suspense to be very engaging. I love the way she takes time to develop her characters and gets readers to feel invested in the outcomes of their stories. This was such a quick page turner that I'd recommend to other fans of literary suspense stories!

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was really great. I was gripped from the first chapter and read most of the book in one sitting. I did find the last 25% or so dragged on but the twists near the end made up for it.

Whenever I open a new Sally Hepworth novel, I know I'm in for a gripping and twisty story, and this certainly delivered on that front! Gabe and Pippa live in their dream home on a cliff in a sleepy coastal town. Unfortunately, their front yard is a top choice for people who want to commit suicide by jumping off the cliff, and Gabe has earned a reputation for talking them off the ledge. One day, a woman arrives and Gabe can't save her - or did he possibly push her? As her story and Pippa's unwind between past and present, Hepworth delivers plenty of plot twists as she delves into an examination of love and betrayal. The only part that really didn't work for me was the sections of narration from the dead woman. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital review copy.

I was really looking forward to reading "The Soulmate: by Sally Hepworth because I've found her previous works to be very entertaining reads. Maybe it is because my expectations were so high going into it, but the book was a bit of a let-down for me. It's a fast read, and I was entertained at points, but I never truly got lost in the story and I was indifferent to the fates of the characters, due to the lack of any real character development. This book never completely grabbed my interest, even through its twists and turns. This book is definitely more plot-driven than character-driven and it lacked the fleshed-out characters that make a book come alive to me. It had a lot of potential, but fell flat.

I also feel that the unstable-character-with-bipolar-depression trope is a tired one. The book would have been much more interesting if mental illness wasn't behind everything that occurs. Maybe I'm just sensitive because of my own mental health issues, but I'm sick of bad acts being explained away in books by mental illness. I'm weary from reading books that equate bad acts with mental illness; they increase the stigma and make lives like mine more difficult. I acknowledge and am grateful for the author's use of sensitivity readers, but I guess they weren't sensitive enough for me. Oh well, we all have our triggers I guess.

I won't give up on this author, but this book was a dud for me. I'm giving it three stars because I didn't find it a complete waste of my time to read, I just find it to be an average, unexceptional, and uncreative read.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

I loved this book. I went in thinking the plot was going to be one thing, and at every turn, I was surprised. It is rare to find a suspense novel that doesn't have easily guessed plot arcs. And while I did figure out the overall huge mystery, all the various details and reasons why were a complete surprise. I was very satisfied with this book and gave it 5/5 stars.

First of all, we NEED to talk about this incredible cover. Forget everything I'm about to write below and buy this book for the aesthetic alone–wow 😍.

But yes, what I'm going to write is that I didn't love it, but damn if it wasn't an entertaining ride! It was the definition of fast-paced, page-turning, and 'I MUST know what happened'–all ingredients for those looking for a thriller that they can consume in a single sitting.

My qualms existed in character relationships and traits, all of which seemed to fit together like mismatched puzzle pieces. Their development felt extremely random and, at the most frustrating of times, very confusing. There was also a mental health aspect that I felt was mishandled, namely in terms of the role it played in a character's bad behavior and their eventual diagnosis.

But if it's plot-driven thrills and action you're looking for, I would definitely recommend THE SOULMATE.

*see review on audiobook, I didn't realize I had both and listened to this one instead of reading it*

This is a page turner FOR REAL!!!! I couldn’t put this book down. I loved the characters the different POV’s, and the suspense behind Gabe and the secrets that were revealed. I loved supportive characters too and Pippa gets that from her family. There is representation of mental illness so be careful these can be triggering. BUT OMG the DRAMA!!!!!!!! This family lives by a cliff that it’s called The Drop, where people go to end their lives, but Gabe has been saving lives. But this one time he couldn’t save the person and like I said before the DRAMA!!!!!!!!! It fell a little short for me in the end when everything was laid out for us, I was expecting more especially with the build up that we got through out the book, but other than that the book started so strong, I realized this is something this author does. Thanks for Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I love Sally Hepworth books and The Soulmate was another gripping story filled with twists that I didn’t see coming.

I loved the pace of this one and I’m always a fan of short chapters that keep the story moving and keep me hooked. The alternating point of views really added so much to this story and the slow reveal of secrets was nothing short of genius.

If you’re looking for an entertaining read, this is it! The Soulmate is available 4/4/23- thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book, it was different and had an interesting twist and I do like how it wasn't all wrapped up in a bow at the end. It left you to figure out what happened with Pip and Gabe, as well as what really happened and what was on that USB.

The characters were interesting and kept me engaged, I liked how everyone knew there was something more to Gabe and his mental health than what Pip and Gabe knew, when they were the closets to it.

Mental health is very important, Sally Hepworth did a great job of winding it and and making everyone aware that mental health illness many times have similar characterists and to keep digging if you think there is something more wrong, or if you don't think the diagnosis is accurate or if it could be more.

What a knockout!! Absolutely loved this one and could not put it down. Short chapters made for a speedy read, and the idea to have chapters from the point of view of the deceased was the perfect addition. Loved how the story flipped between the two female characters as well as from the past and present. It was not hard to follow (i think the short chapters helped with this as well). Did not see the final twist coming!
Highly recommend!

This was a great thriller! Lots of twists that I didn't see coming! I loved the alternating pov's telling the story. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.