Sally Hepworth gets better with each novel she writes! I was amazed by the plot line, twists, and character development throughout THE SOULMATE.

My first great thriller for the year.
This kept me hooked from beginning to end. I devoured each chapter and could not put it down. I enjoyed the dual timeline and had me invested in all the characters

This book had tragic love stories, plot twists (the author is known for) that surprised me! The story explores the signs of toxic and dysfunctional relationships, and the real pain and deep suffering when you have to deal with mental illnesses.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to preview the book.

The story is told from the POV of Pippa and Amanda. Two women who have married what may or may not be their soulmates. They are also two women who have different ideas of just how far one can and should go to protect their said soulmate. The timeline goes back and forth between “before” Amanda has a tragic accident(?) on the cliff behind Pippa's house and “after.” Amanda's storyline was my favorite of the two. In fact, I kind of wanted to push Pippa off the damn cliff for gushing on about how great Gabe was. Sally Hepworth writes great likeable and unlikeable characters and there are some of both here. Let’s add in a possible psycho child for some good family fun too!

Thanks to NetGalley @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress @sallyhepworth for an early audio copy in exchange for an honest review and I honestly loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Great book! Sally Hepworth did not disappoint!!!!
Secrets and lie... what else does one want??

This book definitely held my interest. Especially the connection between Amanda and Gabe. Was it just an affair they discussed?
Pippa and Gabe bought a gorgeous house - unbeknownst to them, with a cliff known for suicides. Gabe works hard to help those who come to the cliff - talking to them, lending them hope. He even has an article written in the paper.
A woman comes to cliff - stammering her husband had an affair. Gabe tries to help - though Pippa isn't quite convinced. They call the police - and Pippa's life unravels.
Great twists and surprises. An enjoyable read.

Overall a great read. Heavy on the infidelity and mental illness with lots of twists! Everything is not always as they seem. Living at the house on the cliff where people come to end their lives is crazy. Having a husband who is able to talk them down seems great until one day it isn't. Was it suicide or something else?

4 solid stars for The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth, narrated by Barrie Kreinik and Jessica Douglas-Henry. From the very start, this thriller sucked me right in and it was hard to put down. Loved how the mystery unfolded -it really kept me on my toes and I was eager to get to the end to see what happened. The narrators had two distinct voices and both fit the characters perfectly.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy of the audiobook. #Netgalley #TheSoulmate #sallyhepworth

I always love Sally Hepworth's writing and THE SOULMATE is no different Plenty of twists and also interesting parallels between two couples, each married to who they'd sincerely consider a soul mate, each with extraordinarily different circumstances defining their marriage and the fates of the relationships. I love how Sally introduces readers to characters with neuro-diversity. Very enjoyable!.

I was given an early audiobook to early review The naration was very good with the voices mainly of Amanda and Pippa. Looks into the marriages of these two couples and what you will do to hold the marriage together because they love their spouse so much. But what is it that can destroy Filled with twists and turns up to the very end. A part of this, while a bit interesting, I found to be implausible. I did find it intriguing enough to keep going nonstop. Yes, I would recommend the audiobook. Thanks to the following for allowing me the opportunity to review early.All opinions was my own and honest
#NetGalley
#MacMillanAudio
#SallyHepworth
#TheSoulmate
Pub.Date: 04 Apr 2023

This was a good domestic thriller! I wasn’t exactly sure what would happen but liked the couple twists at the end. As always the narration was excellent for. Hepworth book! Excited I got to read this one early!

When Pippa and Gabe move to a small seaside town outside Melbourne, it’s a chance to start over. They buy a cottage above the sea with a jagged cliff called “The Drop”. Gabe has become somewhat of a local hero as he has talked many people out of jumping. He has a perfect record until the day the inevitable happens and a women jumps … or did she. Pippa thought for a moment she saw something else. When she finds out they knew the victim, Amanda, more questions arise. Especially when her husband, Max, says she would never even contemplate suicide. The two couples have a history and soon Pippa is believing it’s her fault Amanda jumped. The story is told voices of Pippa and Amanda in the now and then. and narrated very nicely by Barrie Kreinik; Jessica Douglas-Henry. Little by little we find out more about the reason for Pippa and Gabe’s move and how it ties in to Amanda’s final moments. Hepworth does not disappoint with her newest domestic thriller. The twists just keep coming and the last one leaves you reeling! Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of this book.

This is a hard one to review but for all the right reasons. Twists and turns I didn’t anticipate at all.!
This story focuses on two couples, mainly from the wives perspectives in past and present tense. Sometime audiobooks with different voices and timelines can be hard to follow but this was super easy to keep track of. As the book synopsis notes, one couple lives near a cliff where people often go to end their lives. When a person comes to the cliff that has social connections to the couple, the rest of the story explores was it a push or a jump and why in either case.
To say more about who is reliable and who is not and how people are connected, etc, would be to steal your joy! I’d recommend this to Lisa jewell fans, Alice feeney fans and the like.

The Soulmate just didn’t work for me, unfortunately.  The beginning was interesting: Pippa and her husband Gabe live on a cliff overlooking the ocean, and people come there regularly to end their lives by jumping off the cliff.  Gabe is a charming man who normally talks them down, saving their lives before the police even arrive.  One day, Pippa sees Gabe out speaking to a new woman, who jumps—but Pippa thinks she may have seen Gabe push the woman.

It seems odd that no one would put a fence or some sort of other safety measure up at this location, especially since Pippa and Gabe have kids, but I went with it.

The mystery goes back and forth between two narrators.  There’s Pippa’s narration in present day, as she grows suspicious of her husband and flashes back to troubles they’ve had in the past.  There’s also Amanda, the woman who jumped, who is narrating her portion as a ghost.

The dead narrator conceit didn’t really work for me, and the mystery of why Amanda jumped or was pushed never really drew me in.  I found most of the characters pretty unlikable, and not in a fascinating way -- though I did find Amanda and Max a little more interesting by the end.  

I listened to the whole book, and the narrators were engaging, but it never really caught my attention.  The female protagonists seemed to have very little agency and there wasn’t a sense of danger to really hook me into the mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my review copy of this audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-audiobook.

The novel was great. It kept me guessing throughout and the ending, I never expected.

I love how Sally has minimal characters, but enough to keep you wondering and gain a deep understanding of each.

Pippa was deceitful which led to a lot of the drama, but it kept me wondering how much I could trust her and second guessed everything. While I tried to figure out the mystery on my own, I failed miserably. Ha! She was the easier of the two characters to follow though.

It was a lot of back and forth in the novel with time swaps, and sometimes made it difficult to follow. Although, I think that added to the mystery of this title.

Great novel!

Sally Hepworth can always deliver a twisty, unputdownable thriller when I need one. Her latest, THE SOULMATE, is no exception! This book covers a lot of ground and is intertwined with a lot of storylines that had me hooked the entire read. Just as I thought I had it all mapped out, Hepworth dropped another subtle twist I didn’t see coming.

Between the short chapters, multiple POVs, and pacing, this might be one of my favorite builds yet. As the story begins to bob and weave, the mystery deepens while keeping a steady pace and dangling a carrot out in front of the reader. I think all Hepworth’s ties within the story were very strategically placed, and she didn’t include tid bits for the “just because” factor. Everything truly made sense.

Beyond the mystery, Hepworth showcased relationships of everyday life in a very simple way. Marriages, family, uncovering family secrets, and what you’d do to protect the ones you love. It was eerie, relatable, griping and took me on a rollercoaster of feelings.

My only gripe (boo) was the ending. While it made sense and embodied the story, I was kind of left thinking, “that’s it!?” I thought there would be a tad more. What more exactly? That, I don’t know.

Content warnings: suicide, mental illness, death, infidelity, murder

Big thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC! You can get your copy April 4.

TW: Suicide, Infidelity, Mental Health

Gabe and Pippa live in a dream home in a coastal town. But their perfect house sits close to tall cliffs that have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Gabe comes to their rescue, talking them off the ledge. Until a woman shows up one day and Gabe is unable to save her, at least Pippa isn't entirely sure what she saw.

When it turns out that Gabe actually knows the woman.

I enjoyed this one. I love domestic thrillers, or any thriller involving couples, husbands, and wives. I love a well-crafted story that just sucks me right in. This one was told from the perspective of Pippa and the dead woman, both in the timelines of now and then. I thought that part was really interesting and added to the story as we watched it unfold.

I found the plotline engrossing and really wanted to know how it was all going to tie up in the end. I enjoyed the authors writing and how quick the chapters were, which is always appreciated. It was quick, it was entertaining.

But this was tough. Though I enjoyed the experience of the book for the most part, I really wanted to love it more. I found the ending to be kind of tragic, even if it did take me by surprise.

There was also just something about Pippa that I found frustrating, including not understanding why she chose to put up with some of the things that she did, for as long as she did.

Then there was the mental health representation that I just found kind of off-putting. I am unsure what it was, but there was just something about the undertone of it that just didn't work for me. I didn't think a positive representation was there. This is coming from a person that has a mental illness in their inner circle. Some might disagree with me and that's fine. I just did not like the way it was handled or used in the story.

Otherwise, I did enjoy it. It was a solid 3 star. I wish it was a 4, I really did. I thought the narrators in the audiobook did a fantastic job. I will be picking up more from this author.

I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

This is an excellent book! It's the first I've read by Sally Hepworth but it will definitely not be the last. I loved the way she weaved the story together was so enthralling. I was kept guessing what was really going on from the beginning and every time I thought I had it figured out another layer would be uncovered and I'd be left reeling again. Listening to this on audio was fantastic. I loved the narrator! The dualing POV between Pippa and Amanda, and their two timelines, kept me on my toes. I absolutely loved this book!

This is really something special about the stories Sally Hepworth tells and, whatever that secret ingredient is that she uses, I’m addicted to it! The Soulmate was, truly, so freaking bonkers. The twists were aplenty and very fun; I did catch on to one of the twists pretty quickly but the rest had me shook! I also really liked the character development within this story. Pippa was a very solid MC (I kind of thought of her as our MAIN main character) and her relationship with Gabe, her girls, and her family were very nice to read about despite the heavier themes. I didn’t enjoy Amanda’s POVs (yes, plural because there where multiple timelines going, which was a little exhausting 🙃) as much but I think that’s mostly because her story and the pieces to the puzzle she held weren’t necessarily the focus.

As I mentioned, there are some heavier themes to this story (i.e. talk of suicide, mental disorders, infidelity, etc.) so please check those before reading. I will say, though, that I think Sally did a good job at truthfully representing what it’s like to be in a relationship with someone who has an untreated mental disorder (I don’t want to dive too deep into that as I don’t want to spoil but trust me - she did good!)

I'm definitely the outlier compared to the other reviews I've read, but I thought The Soulmate one was just okay. Unfortunately, this was another thriller where something interesting happened at the very beginning, nothing happened at all for the middle 75%, and then the ending was just okay. The big reveal wasn't all that shocking. I switched to other books multiple times while listening to this one because it wasn't quite holding my interest.

I didn't like Pippa at all or agree with any of her choices. Most notably, moving her toddlers next to a dangerous, jumpable cliff. If so many people have died here--enough to write a newspaper article about Gabe saving so many people--why wouldn't the town put up netting or a fence to prevent jumpers? The way it was described in the audiobook made it sound like the cliff was just out their back door. Who would want to have to hold onto their toddlers every time they go outside?

The long gap in the action left me with a lot of time to fixate on these little things.

All the other reviews showing up on my Goodreads are glowing, though, so there's a good chance you'll like it!

Audio Review: I did love the audio production and the narrator's Australian accent. This was one of those books where the audio was 100% responsible for my enjoyment of the book, and I likely would have DNF'd if I was reading a physical copy.

This was only my second audiobook and I made it 41% through but unfortunately am not finishing it because this book is just not working in this format for me. With the way it’s set up in the NetGalley shelf, I cannot find my place and with the narrative structure it’s been impossible to find looking for it. Of what I did read, I unfortunately was not blown away and didn’t feel that this thriller was doing anything exciting or new. I still really appreciate the chance to read this one and have seen other good reviews on goodreads, this one just wasn’t for me.