Sally Hepworth has WAYYY more shocking and thrilling books than this.

Yes this book was fast paced and an easy read but there really wasn’t a twist or anything that was jaw dropping

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy to review. This book had me hooked from the beginning. Little clues along the way helped me predict events and secrets before they showed up on the pages. Ultimately, I was disappointed in the ending. I truly felt “meh.” Whomp whomp, that happened. I look forward to reading more from Hepworth but this one was rather underwhelming.

The Soulmate
Sally Hepworth
3.75⭐️

The cottage by a cliff seems like a dreamy place to settle down. Pippa and Gabe thought so too. But that cliff has earned its name: The Drop has been a notorious location for suicides. Gabe comes to rescue each one, until there's one that he could not. Gabe was Pippa's soulmate, and they've been through thick and thin together. But after the last fall from the Drop, Pippa found gaps in his story and she has uncovered more secrets. Gabe knew the victim, but he hid it, from her and from the police. Their supposedly perfect marriage begins to fall apart. What else is he hiding?

This was an okay read for me. It was a bit slow at the beginning maybe up to about 40% of the book. The triple timeline can be confusing at first but I was able to catch on quick. I had suspicions and theories but I was caught off guard a couple of times. It kept me guessing. It picks up well and I basically could not put it down. The characters were built up okay, and I like that their whole persona weren't revealed straight up. The author gave it in bits and I think that added to the thrill of the story. I just wasn't too invested in them. The ending was a bit... anti-climactic? I did enjoy this book and I'd like to give it a 4⭐️ but it's not quite there for me.

I had to read the acknowledgements and I am glad that the author had sensitivity readers. I wish she had more professional input from it (if she did, that's great!) Mental health has always been a challenging topic and knowing that there are books and media that are attempting to bridge that gap makes me feel better. People have to be more aware of it, remove the stigma and reach out to those who need help.

Sally Hepworth is the queen of writing solid slow-burn domestic suspense novels. I love how her situations and characters are never what they appear to be on the surface. She slowly and deliberately peels back layers revealing more and more information as you turn the pages. And that's exactly what she's done with The Soulmate. The story is told from two alternating POVs and moves back and forth between the past and the present in such a way that it connects the storyline effortlessly and moves the plot along quite smoothly. This is another Hepworth gem!

Reader beware: this book contains several hot topics (suicide, mental illness, infidelity) so it might be a good idea to check trigger warnings before reading.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first book from this author, and I was really hoping to enjoy it more.

The story is told in alternating chapters from Pippa (a mom of two and wife to Gabe who lives in a cliff side cottage) and Amanda (the wife of Max, Pippa’s husband’s ex-boss). It centers around a suspicious suicide (was it or wasn’t it?) and the twists/secrets/connections of Pippa and Gabe (who is bipolar) to Amanda and her wealthy, powerful husband Max.

While there are twists and surprises, unfortunately the characters of Pippa and Gabe annoyed me most of the time, and there were some eye-roll worthy misunderstandings and blunders made. By the ending, I was pretty much ready to be done.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the free early arc of The Soulmate for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Sally Hepworth is easily one of my favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint - until the ending. It is not an exaggeration to say that I couldn’t put this book down, once I started I couldn’t stop. The plot was a twisting, turning roller coaster of “who done it” sorts. The only reason I won’t give this book 5 stars is because of the conclusion. Without giving away spoilers. Disappointing to see such a serious topic almost romanticized ala Romeo/Juliet. For those who are sensitive, trigger warnings may be appropriate. Further, there were alternate ways to end this book rather than rhapsodizing tragedy and mental illness. Again, thank you for the advanced copy. Hoping Hepworth rethinks this books strategy and ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Sally Hepworth for an advance copy of The Soulmate in exchange for an honest review! I always have to remind myself that “thrillers” aren’t always thrilling throughout the whole book. I was invested halfway into the book but when the last 20% hit, I was SHOOK! My god, how does Sally keep me wanting to figure out what is happening even with a slow build?! I was shocked with the twists and how this one ended- I’ll also add that I thought this would be 2-3 stars for me and after finishing it, it was an easy 4-4.5 stars!!! I can’t wait to see wait Sally has up her sleeve for us readers next! I believe this one is out on April 4th, 2023! Also, another quick thank you to SMP for letting me be one of your influencers!

I really loved the way this book ended!! I love Sally Hepworth style of writing thrillers with amazing endings! I finished this book in a mere 48 hours! The chapters were short and it was easy to fly through this book to find out what happened! This is a must read!!

Another really solid work from one of my must-buy authors. On its face, this book and many of Hepworth's other books are thrillers. But they're so much more than that: they're often insightful portraits of complex, well-rounded women, who have husbands, children, careers, mental health issues, dreams, and conflicting emotions. The "climax" of these books don't tend to pay off in a big bang like many other thrillers, although there usually is some mystery that you're waiting to have solved. You come for the fast-paced writing and time/perspective shifts and stay for the fantastic character studies. The Soulmate was no different, although I didn't like it as much as I've liked some of her other books. Regardless, I'll read anything Sally Hepworth writes.

Sally Hepworth is becoming one of my favorite auto-read authors! Her story telling keeps me engaged and I move quickly through her books. Pippa wears rose colored glasses and I can totally related. Keep them coming Sally!

This is another great Sally Hepworth book! It follows a similar format to her others; shorter, easy to follow chapters that go back and forth between characters/timelines and slowly reveal information. The premise was very intriguing, and the imagery of The Drop was very clear. Sometimes, the back and forth between timelines was hard to follow but otherwise it was a book you pick up and don't want to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

The Soulmate is one of Sally's best books so far...and that says a lot because I absolutely LOVE her! This one was a bit different from her others but no less engaging. I loved it!

Thank you for the ARC for this book. It was from two different perspectives and two different timelines. The story did flow nicely and I did enjoy the book once I got into it. I had a hard time getting drawn into the beginning so stick with it. The storyline had a great turn of events and showed how not everything is as it seems. One of the perspectives were from a woman after she died so that was a bit odd to me. I do understand the need to share some of her insights after death but again it just struck me as odd. I do recommend this book as the ending was really good. It does talk about suicide and mental illness so if that is a trigger for you then I would pass on this. Otherwise it does give you some insight into those layers as well.

When I saw that Sally Hepworth was coming out with a new book, I knew I wanted to read it. (This is my third Hepworth novel, and I've enjoyed every one.) This book grabbed me from the first chapter. It starts with such an interesting premise about a family that lives in a beach house on a cliff with a steep drop. It's a dream house except for one problem, it's a popular suicide spot. (And that is the most I will give away.) This book is about marriage, parenting, and mental illness. It also explores perception and reality. The Soulmate is told from alternating points of view and alternating timelines. While this structure could lose readers, Hepworth presents it in a way that makes it easy to follow. While this book falls into the mystery/thriller genre, there is no gore or excessive violence. This book contained lots of twists and turns I definitely did not expect. (It makes me want to read it again!) Given the beach setting, this would make a great summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Potential Triggers: suicide, mental illness

An intense story about what led to the sudden death of a woman.
Was it suicide or murder?
And depending on the answer above, why?
What seemed like a simple accident, is so much more complex.

Pippa Gerard was the first to call attention to the woman by the cliff.
Having saved more than one person at this very spot, her husband, Gabe, decides to reach out to the woman to hopefully have a positive result once again. From there, what Pippa witnesses is very different from what Gabe claims to have happened. Is he hiding something?

A lot of the answers above are actually answered by the victim, Amanda Cameron. Yes, she is dead, but the author has chosen to give her spirit a POV. And that POV is very enlightening. In addition, we gradually get some background on Gabe that is far from glowing and had me questioning his mental state.

While the truths about that day are slow to be revealed, the outcome of the mystery was certainly unexpected. Like the author's previous work, the focus of this story is on character development, specifically what drives each character and their actions. It also delves into relationships and what limits one will set to say within a toxic one.

If you are a fan of this author and/or of domestic thrillers, be sure to check this one out!

Gabe and Pippa live in a coastal cottage with their two daughters. Unfortunately the cottage is on the edge of a cliff that has a reputation for being used by those looking to end their lives. When Gabe starts talking visitors of the Cliff to live another day, he becomes a local hero. But when he doesn’t save one who happens to be the wife of his last, shady, boss, things start to spiral. Secrets regarding their connections start to come out, and everyone starts asking, was she pushed?

Told in alternating storylines, you’ll find yourself wondering who the actual villain of this story is. A thriller that also serves as a reminder that everyone has more happening in their lives below the surface than we can see. Join Pippa, Gabe, Max, and Amanda and see who will make it out of the story alive.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

5⭐️

Parents Gabe and Pippa found their dream home on a cliff in a small costal town. The only problem I that cliff happens to be a popular spot for desperate people to end their lives. Gave is known in the town as a hero, having stopped every person from killing themselves since they moved into their house. But one night, that streak ends and a woman, Amanda, dies.

Amanda ends up being the wife of Max, the head of an anti-suicide charity as well as Gabe’s former boss at a tech company. That job ended with Gabe being fired and the small family having to flee Melbourne. No one knows why Amanda went to the cliff that day, but Pippa knows that Gabe’s story leading up to her “jumping” doesn’t add up.

This didn’t go where I thought it would at all. Starting with the death of Amanda who appears as just a random person and then diving into the connections between Max and Amanda and Gabe and Pippa was one surprise after another. The only thing I was truly able to guess ahead of time was Gabe’s diagnosis.

I feel like Pippa is a bit of an unreliable narrator as she views almost everything Gabe does through rose colored glasses. She wants so hard to believe if she doesn’t acknowledge the problem it won’t be a problem. You can see where she truly starts to see things as they truly are and it’s only after her parents confront her. Pippa spends most of the books trying to downplay Gabe’s behavior as not that bad because she saw him as her other half and by covering for him essentially made things worse. I think this really showed the different ways people who think they found their soulmate behave and it’s not always a picture perfect story.


I’m always leery when a book discusses mental health issues; a lot of times it comes across as just bad stereotypes. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this was handled. Gabe wasn’t seen as a villain solely because of his mental illness and that while he was sick, it wasn’t the reason behind all of his behavior. I also appreciated the way Pippa grew as well-going from thinking everything was exciting to realizing that fluttering feeling she got might have been anxiety.

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC to me!

Twists on twists on twists! This one kept me up late to finish it! A very entertaining, quick read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is another absolute home run from Hepworth. A must purchase for all libraries regardless of size

Very interesting story. I really like Sally Hepworth’s writing style. You think you know where the story is going, but nope, it heads off in another direction. This book had me going back and forth on many things. And really throughout the entire book I wanted to shake Pippa and tell her to wake up to the way Gabe was acting and treating her. I felt many times she was only hurting him by allowing him to continue down the path he was going. I didn’t necessarily think Gabe was a bad guy, just someone who clearly needed some help.

Another thing I really like was Amanda’s side of the story. It definitely added a lot of depth to the story hearing things from her point of view.

Overall I really liked The Soulmate. Anytime I see a new book from Sally I k ow it will be an instant read because I always end up loving her writing!