How well do you know your spouse? Can you believe everything they tell you?

Pills and Gabe seem to have the perfect life but with the decision to buy that cliffside home, it changed everything. The Drop has brought those seeking to end things and with that, the need to save them. Until one day when one isn’t able to be unsaved. The unraveling soon begins and only once they want to see the truth will they be set free.

At first glance, this book has all the makings of a captivating read. With an enticing synopsis and stunning cover art, I couldn’t wait to dive in (pun count: 1). However, while the story had its moments, it ultimately fell a little flat for me (pun count: 2).

Pippa Gerard and her husband, Gabe, move to their cliffside dream home just outside of Melbourne with their two young daughters. The view is to die for (pun count: 3)! The cliffs, infamously known as “The Drop,” have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Gabe has successfully prevented seven suicides but when he attempts to rescue a woman at the edge, she jumps to her death… or did she? Once Pippa discovers that Gabe knew the victim and chose to withhold that piece of information from the police, we’re left questioning if Gabe is hiding something. What really happened on that cliff?

Told through alternating PoV and brief, engaging chapters on two different timelines (before and after Amanda’s demise) between Pippa and Amanda (yes, the deceased victim!), we learn more about them and the secrets they’ve kept hidden within their marriages. The mystery slowly begins to unravel as we uncover imminent truths and rationalize the deceptive facades.

Yet, once everything was resolved, I was still trying to grapple with the concept of how two parents could even consider living in a home like this without having some type of fencing or safety precautions in place to prevent their young children from straying near the cliff to their death. This is certainly my mom-brain doing a metaphorical finger wag here but this tiny, bothersome detail took away a sense of believability for me. At the same time, no one is in their right mind here. *shrug*

Furthermore, while the book explores themes of love, marriage, family, [in]fidelity, and death, it read more like a suspenseful domestic drama as opposed to a [domestic] thriller. It’s a very fine line but I feel like it would’ve been more impressive marketed/tagged as the former. Since I expected a thriller and the unexpected twists and turns that come with it, I was less than thrilled by the end of the book. I think I stoically said to myself, “well, that all made sense.”

Still, I think readers that are drawn to slower-paced, character-driven centric stories would enjoy this book more than I did (it looks like most already do, heh) so don’t let my review talk you off the proverbial ledge (pun count: 4)!

My sincere thanks and appreciation to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this advance copy with me in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Wow! This book hooked me in from the first page. I could not read this fast enough. The Soulmate is my favorite Sally Hepworth book!

I feel very lucky to have read early copies of Sally Hepworth’s last few books. In The Soulmate, the story starts out with a beautiful seaside setting in Australia. Beautiful setting, perfect family with everything seeming to be idyllic. Slowly the perfection is dismantled. Everything is not as perfect as it seems, particularly the flawed characters. I also loved that it was told from two points of view in both the past and present. The story builds to a startling conclusion. This is Sally Hepworth at her best.

I read this one very quickly. I've read several Sally Hepworth books and she does a fantastic job of reeling you in, and keeping you engaged. The characters were all pretty likeable even though they had some indiscretions, I was still rooting for them. Overall I think some of it fell a bit flat for me. Maybe it was the story seemed a little unbelievable. Maybe I needed some more character development to care about the outcome in a de

🌊 A (literal) cliffhanger like NO OTHER … “The Soulmate” by Sally Hepworth is a fast paced thriller that will GRIP you from the beginning and keep you GUESSING!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Pippa and Gabe have settled into their dream house in a quiet coastal town in Australia with their two young daughters. At the edge of their yard is a high cliff that drops down to the ocean … and is also a known place for people to jump their death!

Gabe is known around town for his natural ability to stop people from committing suicide on the cliff. Until one woman actually goes through with it … and she is NO stranger to Gabe or Pippa.

As the identity of the jumper is revealed … Pippa finds cracks in Gabe’s story to the police. WHY did he lie about not knowing the victim?? And what else is her soulmate hiding from her and the police?? This story moves between past and present and digs up the dirt of their marriage. On the outside it looks like Pippa and Gabe have the perfect marriage, but underneath the surface is filled with lies, betrayals, secrets and sinister behaviours.

This domestic thriller is dark and twisted, atmospheric to the core and character driven in the best way! It is told from different character POVs in the past and present, including the woman who jumped off the cliff!!! I loved it and easily could have binged it in one sitting if work didn’t get in the way!

Thank you kindly to @sallyhepworth @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on April 4, 2023!

The Soulmate was a page turning novel that I would classify more as domestic suspense than anything else.

Hepworth writes characters really well- which as a character based reader, I appreciate- and while there are definitely things happening, it is in my opinion, character driven.

Told in two timelines, simply "then" and "now", and following dual POV's, one of which is the deceased, combined with short chapters -this story moves along quickly.

While things are unfolding I found myself thinking a lot about different comments, or wondering how I would deal with various scenarios going on if it was me in that place instead. No it wasn't intense or deep, but it made my reading more interesting. While I certainly enjoy that in my reading experience, I was surprised to experience that in this type of a novel and was here for it.

I appreciated the take on how mental illness impacts not only the one living with it, but the day to day impact in various areas on their lives and those around them as well. In this novel there is also exploration of/ commentary on marriage that I thought was done interestingly (in a good way), love, family and of course secrets/betrayal.

If you're in it for the mystery, you won't be disappointed as there was a lot of surprises along the way.
I thought I had something predicted and it turned out that while one could argue I was on the road to it, it completely veered and went in a different way which ended up being really interesting and well done. Also the ending was well done and had surprises of its own.

If you enjoy fast paced, domestic, character driven novels then I recommend checking this out.

*I was provided an advanced reader copy (e-galley) for a review. All opinions are honest and completely my own.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this novel. I enjoyed this book, it was twisty and entertaining but not outstanding. It’s the story of Gabe and Pippa, a married couple who live next to “The Drop” a cliff where people often go to end their lives. As the novel starts, a woman is on the cliff and Gabe is attempting to talk her down but fails. It turns out that he knows this woman- Amanda. The book is told in 4 voices: Amanda in the past and present and Pippa in the past and present. It’s an entertaining domestic thriller that also touches on more serious themes such as mental illness. I’d give it 3.5 stars.

The Soulmate is the fourth book I’ve read from Sally Hepworth. Gabe and Pippa's dream home on a cliff in a sleepy coastal town has become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Gabe has been talking them off the ledge until he fails to rescue a victim who he knew, raising questions about whether she jumped or was pushed and causing their seemingly perfect marriage to unravel. This thriller explores themes of marriage, betrayal, secrets, and compliance. This is one of those books where the outcome may feel predictable from the start, but the way the story dives into why it happened the way it did with twists makes this an entertaining read. The author's writing style kept me hooked. I liked the alternating perspectives between Pippa and Amanda (the victim) and the author's use of "before and after" chapters for each character added depth to the story that I found helpful to keep with the pacing of the storyline. I found that I liked Amanda’s chapters more because the author sheds light on the motives behind her actions. Though Pippa’s chapters were necessary for the progression of the story, I found her character to be quite frustrating due to the acceptance of her husband’s behavior. Overall, The Soulmate was 3.5 stars for me, but I rounded it up to 4 stars on GoodReads.

Looooooved this one! In true Sally Hepworth style, I was hooked from the first chapter and could not put it down until the final twisty ending.

Gabe and Pippa live with their 2 young daughters in Portsea, Australia in a cliff side house. Their property contains an unfortunate popular destination nicknamed “The Drop” because suicidal people come there to end their lives. Gabe is good at talking people off the ledge, literally, he has saved 7 souls in the short time they’ve lived there. But one night, a woman is spotted standing at the ledge, and Gabe goes out to work his magic. Pippa is trying to watch the interaction and it appears Gabe and the woman know each other. There is an obvious argument ensuing, lots of hand gesturing and Gabe is breaking the most important rule of stepping toward her. Pippa gets momentarily distracted with the after dinner activities and when she looks back out the window Gabe is standing at the ledge with his hands outstretched….and he is ALONE! Who was that woman? Why were they arguing? Was Gabe trying to save her….or did he push her?

This story was compulsively addictive to read, the pages just flipped themselves!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is available for purchase on April 4, 2023

For this one I did a combination of the audiobook and the kindle. As often happens when I have both I hit a point in the suspense where I can’t keep going so slowly and have to switch to kindle to binge it all and know what happens. The narrator grew on me. I didn’t love her in the beginning but as the story went on I think she did a great job bringing it together. This is a story about love and marriage and lies and mental health. I really liked the way past and present came together. Pippa and Gabe have moved to a cliff side home and Gabe finds his calling as being able to talk those suicidal folks who come to jump off their cliff away. Until the night he can’t. What follows throws their relationship and future into question. The only part I had a hard time believing was Gabe’s initial mental health diagnosis. I did like how that storyline ended up though. Overall I gave this one 4.5 stars rounded up for being such an engrossing story.

Addictive and all-consuming is the best way to describe this book. From the moment I started it until I finished, I couldn't stop thinking about the story and trying to figure out what was going on with these crazy characters. I was fortunate enough to receive both an early copy of the ebook and the audiobook -- so when I couldn't sit and read, I was listening. I was completely obsessed.

Our main characters, Gabe and Pippa are living the picture perfect life in an ocean front home with their two precious little girls. But is everything as it seems? Or are there lies hidden underneath the pretty surface just waiting to be told? This book is full of secrets and betrayals but you won't be sure just who is lying to who until the very end.

When you start this gem, carve out a chunk of time because you won't want to put it down. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration was wonderful. It really pulled me into the story and helped me to feel immersed. I lost myself in this book and the audio was really part of what helped me to do that. 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to read/listen to and review them and the opinions contained within are my own.

@sallyhepworth is an author I discovered on bookstagram and I am glad for it! I love her writing and, if you don’t follow her on IG what are you waiting for? She is an absolute gem!

I was so excited to get an ARC of The Soulmate!! I couldn’t wait to dive in and I devoured it in one sitting.

This story starts with a person jumping to her death from the tall cliffs behind Pippa and Gabe’s beautiful home. Although Gabe had recently become known for talking potential suicide victims away from jumping, he apparently wasn’t able to rescue this one.

But there was something odd about the incident that didn’t sit right with Pippa. When she finds out that Gabe knew the victim things feel even more unsettled.

Here starts the slow reveal as the truth of the past and present unfolds in true Sally Hepworth style. You will be completely absorbed by this tale of marriage, friendship, trust, and betrayal.

“It’s as if, while living your life, you view the world through a straw. You see only the tiniest sliver, all of it from your own perspective.”

This book is available in North America April 4th! Thank you NetGalley, @StMartinspress and @sallyhepworth for this glorious book!

Always a fan of Sally Hepworth! Mysteries without the gore. The character development and interweavings in this book are great. And as always, there’s a connection I never expected!

This was a fast paced, throughly fun, character driven thrill ride. I was obsessed with figuring out who was stuck in limbo, and totally invested in Pippa and Gabe’s relationship. Twist after twist after twist had the pages practically turning themselves.

Thank you for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This was my first Sally Hepworth book and I enjoyed it! It was a pretty solid mystery and less so a thriller, but that didn't bother me. You're following two characters' perspectives in both the past and the present. As they tell their stories, both in the aftermath of a tragedy and in the early days of their marriages, the plot weaves itself together almost seamlessly. I enjoyed putting together their histories from this way of storytelling. This book really centers on marriage problems and the inner dynamics that only those involved can truly know. I found it fascinating to see how the female characters reacted to, overlooked, and responded to the events in their respective relationships. It made for a compelling plot and I though it all came together really well.

I also liked the atmosphere of the secluded cliff house, although I thought the setting was going to be more prominent, especially considering the premise of the book. I guess I just wanted MORE ambiance. The short chapters and unresolved events at the end of each one were just enough to keep me interested, but not frustrated at the switching perspectives from chapter to chapter. My only real complaint is that I could have used a bit more excitement, like twists and turns, to increase my star rating. Overall, though, solid enjoyment and a quick read. I would try this author again.

Sally Hepworth does it again! Another fast-paced domestic thriller, that kept me flipping pages at a frantic pace to find out how it all works out in the end. Gabe and Pippa have purchased their dream home, a beautiful cottage overlooking the beaches. The only drawback is that the cliff at the end of their backyard is well known as a spot where desperate people often jump to their deaths. But in the past year, Gabe has stopped 7 people from dying, by talking to them, and offering a compassionate ear in their worst moments. But then it happens, he isn't able to stop one woman from jumping. As secrets are uncovered, and lies are told, Pippa is left to wonder what will happen to her idyllic life.

Hepworth has covered many tough topics in this book - marriage, betrayal, mental health, suicide - with grace and dexterity. Her characters are flawed and realistic. Told from multiple viewpoints, with a look at both present and past, the reader is drawn in to the highs and lows of marriage and love, and the lengths to which people will go when they have been hurt. I flew through this book, and was absolutely satisfied with the ending. Highly recommend this one for readers who love a good bit of domestic suspense in their reading life.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review. Releases Apr 4, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before publication and to the author for writing such a great book! This book did not go how I initially thought. While yes, it is a murder, there is so much more. The marriage dynamics, familial ties, and mental health aspects all added unexpected elements to this book.

The Soulmate is a domestic thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat with its twists and turns -- I absolutely did not see the climax unfolding the way it did!

Thoughts

First, this was a page turner! I finished this in a day. I simply did not want to stop reading it. It was a little different from other thrillers while still having a lot of the same elements.

Second, I am glad the author got sensitivity readers for this books because I was really worried since mental illness was playing a huge part in the story. And we know how thriller writers like to use that to make people bad. But I think what she did was showed how untreated mental illness can cause harm to oneself and their relationships.

This is probably my favorite thriller in a while. But she rarely misses.

There were a lot of hard topics in this one so please check trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.