I didn’t love this one as much as I was hoping to. It was twisty and interesting, but I didn’t click with it like the good sister or the mother in law. I liked most of the characters and the setting. A first I wasn’t sure about amanda’s pov but it worked. I thought the ending was a wee bit anticlimactic. Anyway. I didn’t hate it at all, I will continue to read Sally Hepworth, this one just wasn’t a hit for me and that’s ok.

Hepworth creates a thrilling page-turner with an examination of obsessive relationships. Two couples, Max and Amanda and Pippa and Gabe, their passions and traumas, their inter- and co-dependency, their secrets and lies.

POVs switch from Pippa to Amanda, then to now. Amanda falls from a cliff in front of Gabe and Pippa’s house in an apparent suicide. Amanda speaks to the reader after her death, from an omnipresent “in-between” place. Pippa is scrambling to protect her family as the investigation in Amanda’s death exposes that Gabe knows her.

Fast-moving, thrilling, yet logical and cleverly well-paced, this was a great read.

This was a mixed bag for me. While I LOVED Sally Hepworths The Good Sister, this lacked the twists and emotional punch of her previous novels. I did enjoy the deep dive and exploration into each of the couples' relationships, but the mystery was just middle of the road. I was hoping for a more dynamic ending.

The narration was extremely done. I really enjoyed audiobook.

Previousy reading The Good Sister and The Younger Wife and loving them, I knew I needed to pick up Sally Hepworth's newest thriller, The Soulmate.

Within the opening pages, we meet Gabe, a family man and a good father. Gabe has become somewhat of a local hero since they moved to a cliff house. He has talked seven people down from stepping off the edge of "the drop." But Gabe’s involvement in trying to stop suicidal strangers takes an dramatic turn when investigators wonder about the woman he was unable to save.

Hepworth sensitively addresses suicide, workplace stress, parenthood, bipolar disease, depression and infidelity. Page after page, in this quick read, I kept wondering what secrets and admissions were coming? Ultimately, Hepworth has us thinking about love and what would you/wouldnt you do for your soulmate?

Lastly, I was lucky enough to enjoy both a book and and audio version of the Soulmate. I appreciated them equally. Barrie Kreinik; Jessica Douglas-Henry really made the story come alive in the audio version.

Many thanks to Netgalley, St. Martins Press and McMillan Audio for this twisty tale. With so many discussion points - Hepworth has given us the perfect book club read!

Oof, this book was sadly a let down for me. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and I was intrigued just from that alone. I enjoyed the concept of having one of the POV’s being a ghost and was excited about having that part of the story. Sadly, though, this book just fell so flat for me. I honestly was bored for a good majority of the time and didn’t understand why there had to be four different timeline POVs. The ending definitely was anticlimactic for me and I felt like it could’ve been shorter since nothing really major happened.

I know this book touched on mental health, main ones being bipolar disorder and suicide, but even after finishing the book I don’t know how I feel about how it did it. I just feel like it could’ve been done better.

Overall, the short chapters kept me listening and made it a quick listen, but sadly this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Sally Hepworth for allowing me to preview this book!

I was a little disappointed at the beginning due to the slow start. Then the ultimate love story of Pipa and Gabe turns into a page turner that makes you wonder, is this really a story of soul mates or tragic lovers who just depend on each other?

Once you think you have it figured out, you realize you don’t. Gabe has found this wonderful gift to offer people in their new house with his wife PIpa, who has been very forgiving and the main breadwinner, but we all have secrets don’t we?

The real soulmates, end up the tragedy in the end and no one can really be trusted.

A great read!

I really enjoyed the twists and turns. I appreciate the nuanced characters- no one is truly good or truly evil- everyone is struggling and doing their best to get by and support each other despite their challenges.

This book had me hooked from the start! The twists and turns in this thriller kept me on my toes the whole time. I loved how the lives of two couples, Pippa and Gabe, and Max and Amanda, were intertwined with secrets and deceit slowly revealed. The added element of hearing from the dead was so unique and intriguing. The complex relationships and darker sides of marriage were explored in such an engrossing way. This book was a fast-paced and compelling read, perfect for fans of thrilling mysteries with well-developed characters. I highly recommend it!

“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.”

This was a wild ride.

Who’s lying? Who’s telling the truth? Who do you WANT to be lying/truth-telling?

Loved the premise and the setting.

Any book where I can hear the crashing waves when I read? Gold star.

Loved the dual perspectives, the little curve-balls along the way (I’m looking at you, Pippa) and how the past is micro-dosed.

I don’t love an ambiguous ending, so unfortunately, I was left mildly unsatisfied, but I’m definitely looking up Hepworth’s back catalogue.

7.5/10

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this twisty ARC.

The Soulmate was such a gripping story it had me on the edge of my seat and I thought I knew the answers at first but then as I continued to listen to the audiobook, it had many twists and turns and was a great mystery told by two (2) main female characters which was great. The story would go from present to past and it wove itself into both a mystery, and a love story. I really enjoyed it, the narrators were great also.

I really enjoyed The Soulmate. Narrated by Pippa and Amanda in alternating chapters, both in the past and the present, it tells the story of two marriages. It’s about love and loyalty, mental illness and support systems, fidelity and family. And when you get to the end and all the pieces come together into the bigger picture, it’s a remarkable moment of clarity and awe at what Hepworth has been able to put together. This is an exceptional domestic thriller and a compelling read.

Holly moley this was a good page-turner right to the end. I loved the plot twists and couldn't believe everything that happened.

A couple is tickled to find an amazing cottage on the coast in their price range. The only problem is the cliff behind their house is a place frequented by people wanting to commit suicide. So buy it anyway, right?! I mean, they have 2 little kids, but the kids will stay away from it if they tell them to and build a fence. I mean kids ALWAYS listen right?!

Gabe, the husband of this brilliant parenting duo, ends up getting reputation for talking jumpers down. He's even been featured in a local newspaper for his heroism. However this night is different. Amanda, the woman standing at The Drop, ends up at the bottom. And Gabe as well as his wife, Pippa, knew her.

The story alternates between Pippa's and Amanda's perspectives, both now and before. There's a lot going on, but it's not difficult to follow both stories. And just when you think you have it all figured out, you realize that you are a whole bunch of wrong. Very entertaining read, and the narrator was excellent.

I LOVED this book. Sally Hepworth is definitely one of my favorite authors. I couldn’t put this down! (Well, I couldn’t stop listening!!)

“From what I could see, marrying your soulmate was reckless.”

Compelling fast-paced story of 2 marriages, 2 POVs, mental illness, a questionable business, and a known suicide drop, all packaged under the umbrella of loyalty vs fidelity.

The story is full of tension. I mean, it unfolds in a backyard of a family’s cliff side house known as The Spot… a known suicide spot. Hello… your house has a front row seat to a known suicide spot. Let that sink in. Why would you ever live there?? And the husband has become a local hero who successfully talked MULTIPLE people off the drop. It’s too much! But it is compelling and keeps you reading even though the characters aren’t likable, especially Pippa. I just wanted to shake her. Mental illness is an important theme in the book. And the behaviors described felt authentic.

Dwelling on the story, I realize the writing intricately yet subtly lays out parallels and contrasts between the marriages/families where things aren’t all they appear to be. Some interesting comparisons between the families: children vs childless ideal, acceptance of an illegitimate child, support from extended families, the ways both husbands try to help suicidal people. My favorite comparisons: (1) significance of loyalty vs fidelity and (2) how the book starts by highlighting one couple and their belief that they are soulmates and then ends highlighting the other couple as soulmates.

Hepworth is the queen of domestic thriller/drama. I didn’t love this as much as I loved The Good Sister, but it was a worthwhile read. I LOVE the use of short chapters as a device for propelling the story forward. It keeps tension throughout. This was such a fast read! The 2 POVs written in 4? timelines (now, then, before, after) was clever, but initially confusing. And the parallels in the character backgrounds added to the confusion of what happened to whom. But you catch on for the most part after awhile.

Gorgeous cover! And great 2 narrator audio for 2 different POVs.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Sally Hepworth’s books are a perfect thriller for me because they are so bingeable with short chapters and fast pacing and not scary. I love the twists and turns she introduces. I’m never able to guess them, although more seasoned thriller readers may be able to guess the twists.

This is one of her more atmospheric books thanks to the ominous cliff at the edge of their yard, complete with a look at marriage, mental health, and family. I thought the dual timelines and dual POV in this story were a unique way to reveal secrets kept by the characters. I listened to the audio and couldn’t stop listening. Every time I thought I had things figured out, more was revealed. The author played on all my emotions with making me love, hate, and feel sorry for the characters in rapid succession. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end as it cleared up some things that made me cringe while reading.

Great book! Truly enjoyed this from start to finish. It took me a little to follow the back & forth perspectives of characters and time frames (then and now) but once I kept it straight in my head, I was hooked and wanted to hear how it was going to end! I appreciated the short chapters which made it easy to sneak in a little at a time when driving somewhere quick or in between classes during the day.

Overall, would recommend to anyone who enjoys different POVs & thriller/mystery books! 4 stars!

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"He was the air that I breathed. As difficult as life could be with him it had to better than life without him. Didn't it?"

"I always thought the line between desperation and attraction was very thin."

There are many thin lines stretched to their limit for the captivating characters in the extremely addictive The Soulmate by riveting author Sally Hepworth.

This story is one where going in blind as much as possible adds to the shocking twists that I absolutely never saw or anticipated but when revealed left me dumbfounded and full of glee how this writer, once again, got me, shocked me and spun me all around in my brain.

Gabe is the man every woman dreams of loving her. Handsome, debonair, witty, attentive and a loving father. Pippa can't believe he chose her. Gabe and Pippa move to a lovely home on a cliff that unbeknownst to them is a spot for suicide jumps. Luckily, now that Gabe lives there, people stop jumping and let him talk them down. He's a bit of a town legend. He has lost no one...until the woman...from the window she looks like she might be stepping away from the ledge...wait she's gone! Did Gabe try to stop her? Why are his hands in a push position not a grab position? It must be Pippa's imagination.

The always incomparable Barrie Kreinik and Jessica' Douglas-Henry are just brilliant as these morally gray characters. As the ex wife of a man that stretched every limit I had; I completely understood Pippa's confusion, hurt, and stubbornness to be there for Gabe. He is not necessarily a bad man. He has issues, maybe mental health issues. Then there is the woman. What's her story? All I can say it's not what you think. Some soulmates are found and some are made but some may be better off left alone.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Fantastic narration and an unputdownable story! This was my first novel by Sally Hepworth and I’m so excited to binge her backlist. The Soulmate had so many twists and turns up until the very end. This would be the PERFECT beach read to finish in a sitting or two. Such an atmospheric setting and overall just a really solid and original thriller. 4 stars from me! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for my honest review!

A quick domestic suspense! Loved the setting of a cliff side home in the outskirts of Melbourne. Loved the two POVs, Amanda and Pippa. The ending was okay..
Narrator really brought the novel to life!