Member Reviews
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I was fortunate to receive this one in audio and ebook so I listened in the car and read at night! The story starts out in a very unique way- a couple has purchased a home near a cliffs edge, a place where many people have given up on life and jumped from. But when Pippa and her husband move in, he is able to stop all the jumpers. Until he doesn’t and Pippa thinks she sees her husband push the woman from the cliff. But she lies to the police and then things take a drastic turn, Pippa and her husband know the woman who jumped. Did he push her? If so, why? As Pippa uncovers the truth and more lies, she starts to question if her husband is a kind man after all…This story kept me intrigued until the very end. I’ve always been a Sally Hepworth fan and this one did not disappoint.
This addictive domestic suspense will leave you not being able to turn the pages fast enough. I was hooked by the lies, coverups, and marriage issues. One of the things I love of Hepworth is her ability to describe mental illness so well and immerse the story with it. I loved how you would get small details throughout the book but you won’t figure out the whole picture until the very end. The end left my jaw on the floor.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I loved the narrators! The accents of the narrators transported my to Australia. Do yourself a favor and read (or listen to) THIS BOOK! You definitely won’t be sorry.
***** Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, St Martins Press, Sally Hepworth, and NetGalley for the #gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.
Sally Hepworth’s latest mystery thriller flips between two point of views and two time periods (now and then). The circumstances behind an unexpected death is gradually pieced together through a series of revelations. While the family dynamics in Hepworth’s story are entertaining, none of the adult characters are particularly likeable. I give 4 stars for how the mystery unraveled but 3 stars for the suspenseful buildup (which was missing at times). 3.5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.
Did I pick this book out because I liked the cover and the concept and kind of hoped I'd get a free book out of the deal? Maybe. Did I enjoy the book more than I expected, given that? I absolutely did.
The overarching concept of The Soulmate is not so different from most domestic thrillers: Pippa Gerard appears to have the perfect husband and perfect marriage, until one day something happened and everything Pippa thought she knew goes out the window, including the question of whether or not her husband might be a big murderer.
Where this story really excels is in its characters and their development. Hepworth draws incredibly complex characters whose actions and choices always felt human. In the early parts of the book, the way Pippa described her feelings about Gabe reminded me very much of the way I feel about my husband, down to some very idiosyncratic quirks. This made me identify with Pippa on a high level, so that when secrets from their past and details about Gabe's history started coming to light, the effect was very disconcerting. What if MY husband is secretly as troubled and deceitful as Gabe?! Of course, by the time I knew all the details at the end of the book, I knew our marriages were nothing at all alike, and that the honeymoon period in the early chapters when I thought someone understood me completely was -
Wait. This is some kind of giant metaphor, isn't it?
The theme of how you can never really know someone (a classic!) exists in the novel, but it isn't quite that simple. What look at first like lessons about never really being able to know someone changes at some point to lessons about how we remain willfully ignorant in order to protect ourselves, or to protect the façade we've placed around our lives.
I was surprised the first time I came to a chapter narrated by Amanda, who was already dead at that point. I hadn't expected that, and I found I rather liked the conceit and how it allows the reader to more easily see the parallels and contrasts between Pippa and Gabe's marriage and Amanda and Max's marriage. There's some solid book-club-worthy discussion material there. Who is really the Bad Guy? What is the best foundation for a marriage? Where did they make mistakes? How did their different life views allow them to navigate these mistakes, and how did that affect the long-term prospects of the relationships? Who is the title referring to?
Ultimately, this was a very satisfying read with a couple solid twists and some moments of true human insight. I will be happy to read more books by this author in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!
A typical thriller listen with a great narrator for the audiobook. Mostly predictable and still enjoyable, small twist at end I didn’t see coming but made sense.
My favorite thing about this book was that you didn't have to wait until the end for the plot twists! Every few chapters a new twist popped up that kept me on the edge of my seat! I couldn't put this one down! Dual POVs and timelines were woven together seamlessly, each one helping to further the mystery and twists of the story. The ending absolutely shocked me and wasn't at all what I was expecting. I have never read anything by Sally Hepworth, but this book makes me want to add everything she's ever written to my TBR!
Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio-ARC of The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth, narrated by Barrie Kreinik and Jessica Douglas-Henry.
This is a story of a possible suicide, mixed in with marital affairs, mental illness, and shady business deals. A lot of plot without enough suspense. For me, this book lacked the thriller suspense stuff and instead was a twisted soap opera type drama without much oomph. The narration was well done; adding a second voice for the dead character helped add emphasis to a different point of view.
Thanks so much for the audiobook ARC!
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth had me on the edge of my seat! Pippa & Gabe have a seemingly perfect life. They buy Gabe’s dream house but it happens to be on a cliff. Gabe has saved many people from jumping off said cliff. (What an intense way to live! No, thank you!) But at the beginning of the story we find he wasn’t able to rescue the most recent jumper.
As the story unravels we follow Gabe and Pippa from their meeting up to current time. It’s so interesting to watch their personalities and stories unfold. The more we learn the more suspicious everyone feels.
The recent jumper was Gabe’s ex business partners wife! When Gabe doesn’t automatically reveal this to the police he looks so guilty. Even his wife Pippa starts to believe there was more to this- maybe even in her defense? What really went on here?!
Sally Hepworth wrote this beautifully. It was such a great thriller/mystery. It kept me guessing the entire time and held my interest.
I really enjoyed the narrators accent! She held my attention the entire time. She really built in a feeling of suspense!
I think this will be a popular book, however if fell flat for me. It wasn't bad, but it was basic and predictable. I like the cover and the description. I will probably recommend this book because it is written for a mass market.
Thank you Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
This audiobook was a hit for me! I love novels that have multiple point of views. Hearing the story from both the past, present, living and the dead gave the story multiple dimensions. I liked how the text had you thinking you knew the answers but then as the characters were developed more you learned that the story wasn’t what you thought at all. The web weaved between all the characters by Hepworth kept me guessing and then when everything finally came together I was genuinely surprised. I also liked how Hepworth took us one year into the future after all the chaos had settled. I love when authors do this and give the story and characters closure that myself as a reader always enjoy! This story will be a hit in either both book and audiobook form. The narrators for the audiobook however did a great job. They had nice voices, clear dictation and their performances kept you engaged in what was happening. I would definitely recommend The Soulmate to others who enjoy mystery/thriller genres.
*I received an eARC audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I have read several books by this author and they are always enjoyable.
This book is told in multiple POV with a present/past timeline. It was easy to follow (even while listening to it) and kept my attention. There were a few twists that I didn't see coming and usually I am one to guess what's going to happen before it does.
A few of the main characters I just wanted to shake because they were just annoying but overall I enjoyed the book!
Do you stand by someone you love through anything? When does it become too much?
This was an essential question for me when listening to The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. This was my first book of hers and I’m ready to start my second one right away.
The Soulmate is a suspenseful family drama set on a beautiful seaside in Australia. In fact, the cliff where Pippa and Gabe live is a known suicide spot. Gabe is famous for talking people down until one day he doesn’t. What happened? Why couldn’t he stop her?
This book tells the story of two women before and after that fateful night on the cliff. It unwraps love, betrayal, and secrets.
I reveled in the twists and how they played out during this climatic novel.
Read on #NetGalley #TheSoulmate #StMartinPress #SallyHepworth
Gabe and Pippa and their 2 young daughters bought their dream home... the house that backs up to a cliff, and it's well known as the SPOT. The Spot where people come to jump to end their lives. Gabe had become the well-known for his special gift, the gift of talking to the suicidal soul not to jump. But on this unfortunate day, a woman jumps and dies. What happened? Who was she? Did Gabe know her? Why is Gabe so elusive? and Pippa was unsure of what she saw from the window and should she try to protect Gabe? Hepworth gave voice to this woman after life. Why is she in limbo between two worlds (life and afterlife)?
Domestic drama, mental health issues, secrets, crimes and lies all come with consequences. This thriller has kept me on my toes.
This is my first book from Sally Hepworth and I loved it. I will be looking forward to reading more of her books.
Thank you Netgalley.
Sally Hepworth is the queen of domestic thrillers. I love her intertwining of mental health into her works, and this was no exception! I really FELT the drama and tension amongst all parties, and I every time I had to put it down, I was clamoring to consume more!
Salt Hepworth never disappoints. This was great on audio—and like the narrators. Very subtle twists and turns and a very satisfying ending. Related to a lot of the parenting co text which was refreshing.
Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the advanced listening copy!
I’m a big Sally Hepworth fan and I always choose to listen to her books because Barrie is one of the best narrators out there. She delivered another five star performance in The Soulmate. For this reason, I absolutely recommend the audio version of this book.
The Soulmate is told through alternating POVs and dual timelines. I did like the originality of getting Amanda’s POV. The story starts strong, but does drag a little 3/4ths in. I was confident I had everything sorted on my own, but Sally dropped several last minute twists that caught me off guard.
Mental health is a big focus of this book, and for that reason it did feel rather heavy. I would have liked a little levity sprinkled in.
Overall, a quick and engaging listen. Will definitely recommend to friends.
This book was intriguing to say the least.
Pippa and Gabe move to a new house with their two young girls for a fresh start. Their backyard is a cliff, overlooking the ocean, and a known suicide spot. Gabe becomes somewhat of a local celebrity after talking down several people who go to the cliff to jump. Then one day, he can't talk the woman down.
After the woman falls to her death, it is discovered that she is the wife of Gabe's former boss. A job that ended contentiously after Gabe was fired, and Pippa had an affair with his boss. It appears the wife discovered the infidelity, and specifically came to that spot to end her life.
As the book begins to unravel, the story and connections unfold.
I enjoyed that the book toggled back and forth between Pippa's perspective, and that of the woman who jumped. You get two versions of events leading up to her death, until finally the stories converge and you find out the truth.
There is a little bit of a mobster type feeling when it comes to Gabe's boss and his shady dealings. You start to wonder if the affair is really the cause of the wife's death, or if there is something more.
I received a complimentary egalley of THE SOULMATE by Sally Hepworth thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley. I also received the advance listener copy thanks to Macmillan Audio!
THE SOULMATE begins with a house on a cliff. Gabe and Pippa are living in the home of their dreams, but the place has a darker context as well. Being placed on a steep cliff over the sea, their location is known as a popular spot for suicides. Gabe and Pippa are known to the local first responders after several close calls when Gabe has successfully talked people off the ledge.
On this occasion things are different and the woman goes over the edge. It is tragic, but surely no one is to blame that Gabe wasn’t able to save her. When the woman is identified and a connection to Gabe and to the family is found, Pippa must begin to question everything.
I have enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s books in the past, some more than others, and I am happy to say that this one really worked well for me. I wound up binge reading the whole book in one afternoon! It deals with some heavy concepts with suicide being a central theme, but it delivers a really strong and twisty story along the way.
This book primarily follows two POVs between Pippa and the woman who dies going over the cliff ledge. Both perspectives go back and forth in time to tell the story of how they all came to be here. The story delves into complicated relationships and a lot of secrets from the past.
The author managed to pull a few surprises into the story that I didn’t predict and I really had fun with the book overall!
I really enjoyed this book. Well developed characters and a twisty plot. I read this in one day. I had a hard ti.e putting it down, as it was quite propelling.
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Sally Hepworth for the advanced copy of The Soulmate in exchange for my honest review.
I will level with ya'll. At about 80% in I was fully prepared to not like this one, but the ending truly saved it. I definitely don't want to spoil anything so I will only say there are two main reasons I ended up enjoying it so much: 1. The big twist at the end, and 2. Pippa's ultimate character arc.
I also loved the alternating point of view chapters (and they were nice and short, hooray!), as well as one of the viewpoints being from the victim!
The narration in this one was done very well, it's always a win when you enjoy all the voice actors!
I adore Sally Hepworth as a human being and an author, and I'm thrilled this one ended up delivering for me in the end!
The Soulmate will be on US bookshelves April 4!