Member Reviews
I really enjoy this author’s novels but this one was just an okay read for me. The pacing was quite slow until close to the end although I did enjoy the ending. Ultimately, the story just did not grab me or reel me in.
The novel was told from the two female main characters’ (MC) points of view but I think having Gabe, the male MC, be a narrator as well would have given insight into his actions and have provided more depth to his character.
While this novel was just an average read for me, I am looking forward to this author’s next novel as I have really loved her other stories.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
When two seemingly perfect couples are involved in what may either be suicide or a potential murder, their idyllic marriages quickly crumble.
The pacing on this was a little slow and the reveal was much too predictable. The plot started off strong, but I eventually found myself not really caring for any of the characters (except maybe Amanda). Every plot twist was just a little too obvious and nothing about this really wowed me. It was decent enough, so I'll round up to 3 stars, but 2.5 would honestly be more accurate.
So many twists and turns that had me glued to the story of Gabe, Poppa! The suspense of this novel was so captivating. I found the Before and After so intriguing especially Amanda and the telling of her story! Absolutely loved the writing!
*****Publishing April 4, 2023*****
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pippa and Gabe buy a house overlooking a cliff with breath-taking views near Melbourne, Australia. Little did they know that people came here either for the views or to end their lives. In the first year of living there, they called the police 7 times to prevent people from jumping. Gabe has taken it upon himself to save them until one day he doesn’t and they jump. Is it what it seems? What secrets will be unveiled and what will be discovered? This book will keep you guessing what Gabe’s connection is until all is revealed!
Sally Hepworth is a master of unexpected twists and turns and shocking endings! This book will keep you entertained and turning the pages through it all. Just when you think you have figured it out, something else is revealed. I loved it!
A perfect book to take with you on vacation, where you can read for hours. Be sure to add this to your TBR list! This book is hard to put down!
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, I was provided an ARC of The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #Netgalley
Gabe and Pippa live in a picturesque cottage near an oceanside cliff with their two young daughters. Unfortunately, the cliff is also a spot where desperate people go to contemplate taking their own lives. Gabe, a "helper" by nature, has become. a local celebrity of sorts by speaking with prospective jumpers and convincing them to change their minds. One evening, Gabe fails at his mission and a woman falls to her death. More details begin to emerge and Gabe confesses to Pippa that he actually knew the woman who died. Is there more about that fateful exchange that Gabe is hiding?
I love a good domestic drama/suspense, and The Soulmate didn't disappoint. On the surface, Gabe seems like the perfect husband - he's super likable, incredibly handsome, and dotes on his family. There is so much more to Gabe than the reader first realizes. I love how the author slowly unraveled the inner workings of Gabe and Pippa's relationship to reveal that things aren't quite as they initially seemed. The Soulmate is told through multiple points-of-view, one being from the woman who fell from the cliff, which was a perspective that I really appreciated. I've enjoyed other books by this author and look forward to reading more!
Gabe and Pippa's home overlooks a cliff that has become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Gabe has talked several people off the ledge, until one night when he doesn't, and Pippa learns that Gabe knew the victim.
Sally Hepworth's books are a great blend of domestic suspense and family drama. The Soulmate is told with short chapters and alternates between Pippa and the victim Amanda's perspectives in the past and present. We peel back the layers of what looks like a perfect marriage and see the cracks in their foundation. There are some good twists that I didn't predict, and I appreciated Hepworth's mental health representation throughout. I didn't totally love the ending, but enjoyed this overall and look forward to discussing it with my book club.
Thank you St. Martin's Press for my advance copy; all opinions are my own.
First and foremost, thank you as always to @stmartinspress for allowing me the opportunity to read this thriller ahead of publishing in exchange for my honest review!
This was another one that I didn’t want to put down. I left a lot of my responsibilities at the door for this one! The characters are very well written and the twists are nearly endless. You feel/think one way about a character and then a wrench is thrown into your whole theory.
Things I particularly loved:
• all the twists/surprises regarding character personalities
• the setting and detail that helped me envision everything. I felt like like I watch watching a Netflix show while I read.
• Gabe being a great stay-at-home dad… great dad in general tbh.
• Pippa’s love for Gabe. Made me look at my husband with Bambi eyes a few times.
• The JAW DROPPING ending!!! I made my husband listen to me explain it all after (bless his soul).
Again, this one was a quick read for ~me~ and I’m so, so sure anyone who takes my review to heart will fly through it too 😌
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Good but not great. Bouncing around between two women and different timelines made it very difficult to keep track in the beginning about who and what was going on.
Storyline and plot were interesting but it all just sort of fell a bit flat.
I wouldn’t consider this thrilling more of a mystery.
Ahh, Sally Hepworth does it again!
Gabe and Pippa are happily married and have recently moved to The Cliff House with their two four year old daughters. Life is idyllic except for one little problem? The Drop. The Drop has become a well known place for suicide. From their kitchen window they have a view of The Drop and Gabe has become a bit of a local celebrity for having successfully talked down 7 potential victims.
One leisurely Sunday afternoon Pippa sees a woman on the cliffs edge so Gabe hurries out the door to see what he can do. Pippa is watching nervously from the window when her daughter calls out distracting her and when she turns back to the window she isn't sure what she just saw. Did Gabe try to reach out to that woman or did he push her?
Turns out that the woman wasn't a stranger at all.
Another page-turner from one of my favorite authors. This book is loaded with secrets that are just waiting to be revealed. We have alternating chapters between Pippa and Amanda (the woman from the cliff) and between the two of them we learn that all sorts of devious deceptions were afoot long before that fateful day. Sally Hepworth held my attention once again and I am already eagerly awaiting her next standout psychological thriller! 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my complimentary copy.
This wasn't my favorite Hepworth novel - it might be because I'm worn out of domestic thrillers. I felt like the plot was very similar to the recently published "just the nicest couple."
Gabe is gorgeous and charismatic. He is also crazy in love with his wife, Pippa. But when Gabe fails to save a woman who is standing at the edge of a 100’ drop, everyone’s life changes, and Pippa starts to question who Gabe really is.
Well-written and fast-paced, “The Soulmate” provides enough suspense and intrigue to make this a one-day, gotta-see-how-it-ends read! But, perhaps more importantly, at its heart, this book is about marriage — that complicated, sometimes lovely, sometimes devestating institution.
Hepworth’s “The Soulmate” comes out in the US on April 4th, so get your pre-orders in or get on that library waiting list now!
Side Note: If you haven’t already read Hepworth’s “The Good Sister” and “The Mother-in-Law,” then run, don’t walk to get your hands on those! They are so good! They’re listed as mystery/thrillers, but they are actually just really awesome works of fiction and family dymanics … with a mystery element.
This fast-paced thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat!
The short chapters are sure to keep you hooked as more and more secrets and lies get uncovered!
The story is told through two POVs, as well as alternating timelines (the before the event and the present). There were a lot of shocking twists, some of which I managed to guess correctly, but the others I didn't see coming at all!
I really love domestic thrillers as a genre and The Soulmate checked all the boxes. There was also themes of tragic love and mental illness that played a role in the story.
Overall, a great read! I definitely recommend for fans of domestic and psychological thrillers!
Hepworth is one of my go-to authors, so I was excited to read this book, and it didn't disappoint.
I love dual timeline (past and present) stories, and this, along with the dual POVs, (Pippa and Amanda) was really well done. The reader is able to witness how the two women's lives intersected. Short chapters keep the pace active, and the writing quickly pulls the reader in, then keeps them on the edge of their seat guessing throughout. It's hard to put the book aside, as you'll want to see what happens next. Hepworth has again outdone herself with this twisty domestic thriller.
This is my second time reading Sally Hepworth and it won't be my last. This story is so well told. The characters are relatable and sympathetic. The author does a really good job portraying undiagnosed mental illness.
Gabe and Pippa have two beautiful little girls and live in a nice seaside house. Pippa has reservations about the house though. In view through their windows is The Drop. A popular suicide spot and Pippa doesn't know how they will explain to their daughters about suicide, once they get old enough to ask questions. Then that day arrives. Until now Gabe has been able to talk to and calm the people who come to The Drop, since they have moved into the house. He provides a calm and understanding ear as they talk through their troubles. This time though, a woman still goes off the cliff whole Gabe is there and Pippa watches from the house waiting g on the police to arrive. Pippa is unsure what she really saw though. Their lives and marriage will never be the same after this.
The story unfolds around two couples in two timelines. Pippa and Gabe when they first met and everything that happened leading up to Before alternating with what is unfolding Now. The same timeline layout for Amanda and Max. Max was really my favorite character.
The story twists are not predictable, there are so many layers and none of the characters are aware of all the information themselves. Everyone has a secret, some big and some small but all impactful to the outcome. It was a bittersweet ending.
This isn't the first Sally Hepworth book that I have read and definitely will not be the last! This thriller was fast paced and definitely kept my attention and kept me guessing. A lot of the time I can figure out the twists in books, but this one I definitely did not! One thing I really liked about this book was the shorter chapters - lately it seems that I am reading books with super long chapters and that is not my thing.
Overall, super enjoyed this book!
I enjoyed this one, probably not my favorite of this author's, but definitely a good solid thriller. I could not put it down, which in my mind, is always a successful book. It was highly readable, and there was a ton going on with a lot of twists (part of why it didn't get 5 stars for me), but fans of the genre will like this one.
4.5 domestic thriller stars!
Gabe and Pippa moved to a house backing onto a seaside cliff known as The Drop. Over the last year of living there, Gabe has talked several people out of jumping off the cliff and has become somewhat of a local celebrity for doing so. One morning Gabe rushes out to a woman standing near the edge and he isn’t successful in stopping her from falling to her death. Turns out this woman isn’t a stranger he was trying to save. She and Gabe have a history…
I LOVED this multiple perspective book! It was fresh, timely, fast-paced and gripping! The short chapters had me flying through the book and never wanting to put it down. It was so easy to get lost in. I was literally hooked and invested from chapter one right until the very last page. The characters were all so unique and endearing in their own way. I loved each of their side stories that brought enough background detail to the storyline to make me feel invested in them, yet didn’t distract me from the main plot. The Past and Present timelines flowed seamlessly. The suspense, atmosphere and tension were consistent throughout the novel, never ceasing to keep me curious and intrigued.
This novel deals with some heavy topics surrounding mental health. I thought the author did an excellent job with this aspect of the storyline — it was my main takeaway from the book. It was eye-opening, informative and easy for the reader to relate and feel for the characters.
I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy domestic dramas and atmospheric thrillers. Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!
🌊Book Review🌊
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Summary:
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.
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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My thoughts: thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress and @sallyhepworth for this advanced copy out April 4th, I loved it 😍 this story starts off with a bang and just continues all the way through, I almost finished this in one sitting. Beautifully written with such a lovely and spooky setting this one will hook you right away! Pippa is such a lovely main character and I really enjoyed the alternating points of view, I promise you won’t predict the ending of this one !
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QOTD: how was your weekend?! Mine flew by, I can’t believe I’m already at work again!
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#thesoulmate #sallyhepworth #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #bookreview #bookobsessed #booksofig #booksofinsta #bibliophile #bookish #booklover #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #bookworm #booknerd #bookwormsunite #bookish #readersofinstagram
After seeing a wide range of reviews, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from this one, but I ended up really enjoying it! I finished it in a day. I found the plot to be woven together seamlessly. The alternating timeline and POVs were done very well, which is usually a make or break for me. The reveals were awesome and came out of nowhere. I found myself flipping back a few pages to make sure I hadn’t missed a detail because I was so shocked! I think this is my favorite Sally Hepworth yet.
The perfect marriage and idyllic life! Or is it? Twists and turns abound and no one is who they seem in this domestic thriller. Engaging and moving, Sally Hepworth does it again.