Member Reviews
I was so excited to read this book. Plus the cover is beautiful! As I began reading I was hooked. I thought the pacing was handled well and the plot and characters had depth and intrigue. The back half of the book slowed down a little and the end was kind of obvious, but still a solid read.
Wow, I loved this. The final twist, the setup, this had it all for me. Happily I didn't read the description beforehand so I had no idea where this would go and it surprised me!
𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞🖤
Well friends, 6 days left till my board exam 🩺 (“its the FINAL COUNTDOWN beeeddooo beeedoooo beee do doo doooo”) and then I’ll have 2 WHOLE months off to do nothing but read and travel before I get placed in a hospital🤩
To say I’m excited for the break is an understatement haha though please bear with me through another week of silence, next week I will be back to reading and recommending🤓
Popping on briefly to share this book that comes out today! I actually really enjoyed it!
For fans of: slow burn domestic suspense, multiple POVs, & well written endings🌊
3.5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️
Quick synopsis:
“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.”
Have you read this one? Did you enjoy it? It is a bit of a slower, lounging type read so I would go into with that mindset:)
I really wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. I had a hard time following the story. I also didn't find the plot engaging and was disappointed. Maybe I need to physically read instead of listening to the audiobook version to be able to really keep track of everything that was going on.
3.5 stars
Sally Hepworth has become one of favorite and auto-read authors.! She has so much suspense, you never quite know where she is going with the story! You can't stop reading.
Sally Hepworth was well on her way to becoming a trusted author for me. Now that I've read The Soulmate, I think it's safe to say she's made the list! After a family moves to a nice house that's right next to a popular jumping (as in the mental health, death by suicide jumping) spot, secrets begin to come out. The husband goes and tries talking to the jumpers, saving many. But once he is unable to save someone, things begin to unravel. Did his wife see what she thought she saw? What's going to happen now? Who was that lady and why was she there? This book had so many different twists and turns and interconnections. It would be impossible for a lot of people to keep everything straight when writing it, but I was not confused at all while reading Hepworth's descriptions. She's truly an artist in her craft and I greatly enjoyed this book and audiobook.
This book, by Sally Hepworth, was entertaining and fast moving. It wasn't really believable, however, that wasn't what I was looking for in this psychological thriller book. I loved the characters, and it was very easy to see how they both went down a rabbit hole in their heads, and couldn't come back from it easily. Although the story was pretty out there, it was creative and certainly caught my attention.
The narrator made the story for me, and put me right there, in Australia, with this couple. She was easy to listen to, and I loved listening to this book on my way to and from work!
This book seemed too long for me. Felt like there was too much side things going on that made the book longer than it needed. I liked the ending. And the narrators were good too!
I’ll try to keep this one short and sweet. I liked it. I’m glad I read it. The characters were interesting. It just wasn’t catchy or fast paced enough. I feel like it falls into the domestic suspense genre more than thriller. And even then it wasn’t that suspenseful- just a slow build to what actually happened. It held my attention and I would recommend it, but I wasn’t blown away and I’ll probably forget about it in a couple days.
There are two couples, with ties to one another, that could be vying for best soulmates. Gabe and Pippa are the Australian parents of two young girls. They live in their dream home on the cliffs just above the ocean, where Gabe has made a name for himself as a sort of suicide whisperer. The cliff behind their house is a famous suicide spot, nicknamed the "Drop," and Gabe has spent hours talking many potential jumpers out of taking that drastic move. Pippa (the breadwinner of the family) and Gabe (the stay-at-home dad) have made it through some very tough times and are now a supportive team based on a common ideal of loyalty.
Max and Amanda are a somewhat older couple who have never had children but have built a strong foundation on their common goals and values. Max is an uber-wealthy tech company owner while Amanda manages the domestic side of his life flawlessly. Their bond is less emotional than that of Pippa and Gabe, but it is no less strong, based as it is upon a common ideal of fidelity.
The two couples' stories collide when Gabe and Pippa see a woman at the Drop. Gabe goes out to help and, for the first time, is unable to save her. When the police arrive to begin an investigation, Gabe's story doesn't fit with what Pippa thought she saw out of the window. Thus begins a trip for the reader into the past. Hepworth moves us through time, providing glimpses into how Gabe and Pippa, and Max and Amanda, became more than just married couples, but also soulmates. Given to us in small doses, the couples' stories intertwine keeping us turning the pages as we attempt to figure out what the characters' relationships are and how they led to the fate of the woman at the Drop. All four characters are extremely well developed. In spite of mistakes each has made, Hepworth makes us care for them all and wish for the best for each.
The plot is quite complex, told from the perspectives of Pippa and Amanda…past, present, and near future. There is a strong sense of closure as the book draws to a close, both for the characters and for the reader. The tragedy of what happened on the cliff that day, and how each of the four characters is complicit, makes sense in a surprisingly comforting manner. The writing is very strong. In addition to a twisty and engaging plot and fully developed characters, Hepworth has given us beautiful and evocative writing about the location.
Because of the relationships that drive the plot, there is a bit of romance in this novel. However, the romance feeds the plot, rather than vice-versa, moving the book out of the realm of romance into that of a mystery/suspense novel. In the audio version, Amanda's and Pippa's characters are voiced by two different readers, and this helps to differentiate them as the book moves through time and perspective. The narrators bring each of the women's personalities to life, adding to the experience of listening to the book.
This is the first book by Sally Hepworth that I've read, although she has written many. I will definitely be looking for her in the future as well as reading some of her earlier novels.
The audiobook was such a pleasure to listen to. Barrie Kreinik and Jessica Douglas-Henry are both riveting. Unfortunately, this novel wasn’t for me. It leaned a little more domestic than suspense.
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth immediately drew me in and didn't let go. It starts with a family who lives on a seaside cliff known for attracting people who want to end their lives. The story begins with husband and father, Gabe, trying to talk a woman away from the ledge. The story is told from the perspective of Pippa, Gabe's wife; and Amanda, the woman who died. I was fascinated by the story and characters as we learn more about them and the secrets our dearest loved ones can keep. I listened to the audiobook, which was perfectly narrated by Barrie Kreinik and Jessica Douglas-Henry.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ebook / audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.
Pippa and Gabe have bought a house that is near a cliff by the ocean. It is known as the suicide point. Gabe has received publicity for talking people off the point but when a woman appears one night and Gabe said she jumped, but Pippa‘s not so sure. The author does not tell the whole story, but different secrets are revealed towards the end. It’s almost unbelievable what has taken place. Thank you to Netgalley for the gifted arc audio copy, all opinions are my own.
Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors. Many of her novels are on my favorite reads list. I will read and/or listen to anything she writes. Once I start her books, I find it difficult to put down until I'm finished.
The Soulmate is an exciting story about love, marriage, loyalty, and secrets!!
Gabe and Pippa have a terrific marriage and are the parents to two wonderful little girls. They now live in the home they have always dreamed about. The view on the cliffs is gorgeous. Unfortunately, there are people using the cliffs as a place to end their lives. Until recently, Gabe has been able to save people from following through on the plan to end their lives.
What was different this last time? Why wasn't Gabe able to stop the woman from jumping?
You know what they say...
Things are not always what they seem.
Sally Hepworth's novels usually have great twists and turns that keep me guessing. The Soulmate was no different. The story had clever twists that took me by surprise. I thought the characters were well developed and the story flowed very well. I really liked the alternating points of view.
I was thrilled to be able to read and review both the audiobook and e-book for The Soulmate. This may not have been my favorite from this author (The Good Sister will be hard to top!) However, I still thought it was a great read .The audiobook was very well performed. The reading style of both narrators was excellent. In my opinion they brought even more life to an already enjoyable story.
The Soulmate was another terrific domestic suspense novel from Sally Hepworth.
I am on pins and needles waiting for more from this very talented author.
I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
Pippa and her family — her dreamy husband Gabe and their two little girls — just moved into a house on a cliff with a breathtaking view. It also happens to be the area's go-to spot for people looking to end their lives. When the family sees someone alone out there, Gabe goes to meet them to try to talk them down while Pippa calls the police and distracts the girls. Then one day, Gabe's efforts are unsuccessful and a woman dies — and Pippa is left to question why her husband's hands were extended out as if he just pushed that person to their death.
But the woman isn't a stranger, and as the truth unfolds, Pippa has to confront her husband and his lies — as well as her own role in the series of events that led to the death on the cliff.
I love Sally Hepworth so much. Her books always involve some delicious and salacious twists and turns — always reflecting some dramatic family dynamic. The chapters are super short and alternate perspectives and timelines — it made for a quick read! The audiobook is great and is less than 8 hours, so it truly flies by.
Maybe I’ve read too many similar books and need a palate cleanser, but this one was just average for me. I enjoy the author's style, and the writing was definitely excellent, compelling, etc. but I just couldn’t get into the characters for the most part. Three stars.
This was another great twisty novel by Sally Hepworth. What I love the most about her stories is even when you think you know where she’s going, she always surprises you. This was so perfect because I *thought* I knew where she was going with the story and then *bam* she surprised me with not one but three twists. Such an addicting story where it’s hard to put down but one that you’ll remember for years later.
I liked the tension in this book. I thought the suspense and the peeling back of the layers to uncover what was happening in the lives of the characters was done well.
What I really loved and stood out to me most was the setting and the concept. The cliff was incredibly intriguing and I loved that it was such a huge part of the story.
I wasn’t too surprised about the mental health component of the book, and there were definitely times where I wished there was a bit more depth to the main character.
Overall a fun thriller, but not one I see myself rereading or high on my recommendation list.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.
This story follows Pippa and Gabe, who moved a picture perfect house on a cliff. A cliff that is used at times by people wanting to end their lives. On numerous occasions, Gabe has been able to talk people out of this decision…until the night he couldn’t. Gabe says she jumped, but Pippa swears she saw Gabe push the person. What really happened?
I have to say that once I start a book by @sallyhepworth , I never want to put it down. The Soulmate is no exception. Told from two different points of view, this book was engaging and full of plot twists.
4 stars
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Twists, turns and imperfect protagonists make for a perfect domestic thriller. The Soulmate from Sally Hepworth is a tight, tense audiobook with a strong performance by the narrator to draw you into the story, but not give anything away. Recommended for a summer road trip when you need motivation to drive for nine hours and not want the trip to end. Trigger warning for suicide, mental illness.