Loved, loved this book by Sally Hepworth. It’s my first book by this author and definitely won’t be the last. It was very interesting and thrilling and I enjoyed the shortish chapters and ‘then & now’ perspectives. Part of me wishes the author had Gabe’s perspective too, although I’m not sure it would have added much to the book and what the author wanted to achieve.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC.

Absolutely loved this one! I'm new to the thriller genre but this one kept me on the edge of my seat! Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this

This is the first book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth and I will definitely read more - I love her writing style! The plot was gripping, I read it quickly as I kept feeling myself drawn to pick it up and see what happens next. Authentic characters and addictive plotting - what more could you want from a thriller? Highly recommend!

The Soulmate by the amazing Sally Hepworth is FABULOUS! WOW!! What a twisty, gripping work of art it was! 5 stars for this wonderful book!! Ms Hepworth’s books never disappoint and she’s definitely one of my favourite authors.

This book was middle of the road which was sadly disappointing as I expected more. I struggled to feel sympathy or even like any of the main characters and Pippa annoyed me so much. Sorry wasn’t really for me

Two marriages filled with secrets, lies, infidelity and mental illness. The story is split between the wives pov past and present, the short chapters kept the momentum going and kept me gripped. Another 5* from SH.

Pippa und Gabe sind vor einem Jahr in ein Haus am Cliff in Portsea gezogen. Der Weg hinter ihrem eingezäunten Garten ist beliebt für seine tolle Aussicht aber lockt auch Menschen mit schwermütigen Absichten an. Im letzten Jahr waren es allein schon sieben Personen, die sich auffällig verhielten. Gabe hat sie alle retten können durch seine Ansprache und Präsenz. Es gab in der lokalen Zeitung sogar schon einen Artikel über ihn. An diesem Abend beobachten Pippa und Gabe beim Abspülen eine Frau die verdächtig am Abgrund verharrt. Sofort macht er sich auf den Weg nach draußen, um sie anzusprechen und sie informiert die Polizei, die schon an ihre Anrufe gewöhnt ist. Pippa und ihre Schwester, die zu Besuch ist, beobachten die beiden die sich stark gestikulierend unterhalten, viel zu nah am Rand des Cliffs. Kurz werden sie von den Kindern abgelenkt und beim nächsten Blick aus dem Fenster steht nur noch ihr Ehemann dort draußen.

Sie sind im Schock als die Polizei kurze Zeit später eintrifft. Dann folgt die erste übliche Vernehmung durch die Polizei. Sie ist irritiert über die Körperhaltung ihres Mannes nach dem Absturz der Frau und behauptet daher lieber, dass sie gar nichts gesehen hat. Sie ist sonst keine Lügnerin und wichtiger noch, sie ist Anwältin. Und doch hat sie nun die Polizisten angelogen.

Im Fortgang der Geschichte werden verwobene Beziehungsgeflechte aufgedeckt. Für die Protagonisten und Leser kommt es zu unerwarteten Enthüllungen. Die Erzählung springt schnell und oft zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. Die Verstrickungen werden immer enger, es warten weitere Überraschungen. Die Bedrohung wird immer spürbarer. Man ist gefesselt.

Das Buch endet in einem Finale voller letzter Überraschungen. Man erkennt, dass vieles von der Perspektive abhängt. Ohne viel zu verraten ist es schwer zu erklären, was einen an dem Buch so einnimmt, aber es hat mir sehr spannende Lesestunden beschert und ich kann es nur empfehlen.

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth was an addictive novel about marriage, betrayal, with lots of secrets that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat! You will find The Soulmate a great page turner from the beginning till the end.

There’s a cottage on a cliff. Which is Gabe and Pippa’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. With the tall cliffs now have become a popular spot for people to end their lives.
Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them down off the ledge. Until he doesn’t.

Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, and the questions spiral......

Did the victim jump? or was she pushed?

Now, would Gabe, who is the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate........lie to her? and why?
As the perfect facade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel.

Big Thank you to St. Martin’s Tess the Publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my third book I’ve now read by this author, and I am really liking her style of her writing, she really engages with her readers and sure does know how to tell a good story from start to finish. It’s made me want to read all of her other books that’s for sure.

This was a truly outstanding story, very cleverly done, I was gripped from start to finish and I literally couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. There were a fair few twists and turns within the story that I Had me captivated and sitting in my chair in eager anticipation of what will happen next. It is definitely intense reading at times, in a good way.

The characters were outstanding, all different and individual in their own way, with their own stories/secrets to tell. I really enjoyed getting to know the ins and outs of Pippa, Gabe, Max and Amanda, they were well developed and portrayed throughout. I also loved the two little 4 year old girls Freya and Asha, they both bought their own unique element to the story.

So if you like a good domestic psychological thriller, then look no further and go pick up this book super quick, as you’ll not regret it.

Wasn’t really gripped with the story immediately, which I’ve come to expect from Thrillers, and I really wasn’t a fan of Amanda’s narrative being part of it at all.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC! This was another of my most anticipated releases of 2023 so I was incredibly excited to receive this!

This is a mystery thriller following the perspectives of two different characters. We have Pippa who is married to her attractive and charming husband Gabe and lives in a house that faces a popular suicide spot on the cliffs called “The Drop”. Gabe has become somewhat of a hero in the local area for persuading people not to jump and in an essence saving their lives. One day however he can’t save someone. Amanda has just fallen to her death from the cliff and is taking us through the events that led up to that point from the grave. It turns out that perhaps Gabe had more to do with Amanda than he is letting on and therefore may be involved in her death.

This was super addicting and the chapters are short which made flipping through this compulsive. The only reason I didn’t devour this in one sitting is because my chronic illness has made it impossible to read for any length of time recently. This was through and through a domestic thriller and it was very much about the trials of marriage. The book also delves into mental illness as well which I thought was good seeing as this book is generally about a suspected suicide.

I absolutely hated Gabe with every fibre of my being and Pippa was so ridiculously naive it hurt but that was the point of the book so well done to Sally for provoking such a visceral reaction from me to her characters! There were so many twists and turns throughout, none of which I saw coming honestly which is rare for me. We get to see chapters from the past and the present so the story is slowly revealed to you which is one of my favourite tropes. Also you all know how much I love multiple perspectives, especially in a thriller because you get to see inside the minds of different players in the story which helps to give a bigger picture.

All in all I would definitely recommend this to all thriller lovers especially if you love a good twisty, dramatic domestic thriller focused on marriage. I have pretty much all of Sally Hepworth’s books so I’m excited to read more from her! This was released on 6th April 2023 so you can get this one now!

I found this book a little frustrating because it changed from Pippa to Amanda but it felt like the same information was just being shared again. Too slow and repetitive for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

I spent the weekend reading The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. I could have done something better!

The book seems to be quite popular with wonderful reviews on GR. My review might be in the minority.

Hepworth is dealing with a lot of themes in this book. Mental health, marriage, infidelity, adoption, toxic relationships, etc to name a few in this book.

Part domestic fiction, thriller, and suspense, this story has a dual narrative. While Pippa’s narration is set in the present, Amanda’s story has a dual timeline–then and now.
I love stories that have memorable characters. This book failed in this regard. The lead pair is not someone I would ever root for.

The chapters are brief, but the story became slow and repetitive in the middle. The revelations are too convenient. Pippa, as a lawyer, should have shown exhibited better morals.

There are gaping plot holes with not-so-great twists and an ending that caused my blood pressure to shoot up. I would have preferred a different ending. Something more befitting to the lead couple.
I read The Lie in Our Marriage by Anna-Lou Weatherley earlier this year (same genre) and I loved it much more than this.

The Soulmate is a lacklustre domestic drama.

(2.5/3)

“I saw Gabe, cliffside, talking to the woman. I saw her throw up her arms, and I saw him take a step toward her. Then I saw Gabe alone, his arms extended, palms forward. The more I think about it, there’s something about his stance that bothers me. I can’t get it out of my head. He was holding his hands the way you would if you’d pushed someone.”

The Soulmate is the eighth novel by Australian author, Sally Hepworth. The audio version is narrated by Annabelle Tudor. For a year Pippa and Gabe Gerard have lived with their two daughters in their ramshackle clifftop cottage right near the place often known as The Drop. In that time, seven people have come there to end their lives; seven people have been talked out of it by Gabe. The eighth is another story.

Pippa is a wills and estate lawyer, and she never lies to the police. Except this time, she does, because if she told them what she saw, it would put Gabe under suspicion, and he never would … would he?

Amanda Cameron didn’t expect to die. She definitely wasn’t at The Drop to commit suicide, but now, here she is, dead. And she is watching the fallout of her death: her husband Max’s reaction; what the Gerard family are telling the police; with much interest.

Little more can be said about the story without spoilers. Both Pippa’s and Amanda’s narratives switch back and forth between now and then, between before and after. Gradually revealed are the events and interactions that have ultimately led up to this tragic outcome, and the questions of whether Gabe did or did not push Amanda to her death, and why she was really there, keep the pages turning and the reader guessing right up to heart-breaking climax.

Hepworth gives the reader a tightly-plotted tale with some clever red herrings and twists. Her era and setting are skilfully rendered, and her characters are both credible and appealing for all their faults and charms.

Pippa’s initial depiction of Gabe will soon have readers wondering if this charismatic man, this wonderful father and loving husband, is too good to be true and, later, she admits: “The line between normal and not normal had always been so thin for Gabe; sometimes I didn’t know if I was talking to a genius or a madman.” It becomes clear that what he is telling her is part fabrication, part truth, and not the entire truth, at that.

Hepworth accords her characters with wise words and insightful observations. Amanda muses: “It’s as if, while living your life, you view the world through a straw. You see only the tiniest sliver, all of it from your own perspective. Other people have their motives, their backstories, their feelings, but you don’t know that unless they share them with you, and even then there’s every chance they’re lying or prevaricating. What strikes me most now is the audacity of people, walking around with such certainty while armed with only the scantest information.”

This is a novel of both the good and bad parts of marriage, of dishonesty and infidelity, of love and loyalty, of mental illness and illegitimate children, of families and finding the ability to stand strong. Hepworth’s latest is a brilliant read.

I enjoyed this book. It was sad at times and other times it was fine. A very thought provoking book about mental health which is a difficult topic at the best of times. Worth five stars. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I have read and enjoyed a couple of books by Sally Hepworth so was delighted to have the opportunity to read this one.. And it proved to be another page-turner - make sure you don’t have too much planned before you start this one because if you’re anything like me you won’t want to put it down.

Gabe and Pippa are living in the coastal house of their dreams - but it transpires that the cliff they overlook is a well-known spot for suicides. Gabe has gained a bit of a reputation locally having successfully talked several people out of jumping - but on this occasion a woman falls to her death. A tragic incident but no one blames him for not having been able to help this time - until. Pippa realises that what he is telling her and the police is not exactly is not what she witnessed from the window. Who is the woman and what is Gabe hiding?

The book alternates between Pippa, told both in the present and taking us back to the beginning of her relationship with Gabe, and the dead woman, who we not only see in the past but as some sort of ghostly presence looking down after her death. Cleverly constructed with short chapters that make you think “just one more” and certainly kept me turning the pages, it is a fascinating look at two marriages, undoubtedly full of love and devotion but both with a lot going on behind closed doors. Everyone seems to have secrets and nothing is quite what it seems - prepare to expect the unexpected! Full of twists and turns, there are some jaw dropping moments and I finished it in a couple of sittings. If you enjoy domestic thrillers and want a compulsive read, then this is one you need to add to your TBR.

I loved this - the setting (a suicide spot known locally as "the drop", the complex characters and two love stories combined into a fast paced character driven psychological drama. It's essentially the story of two marriages and two female characters madly in love with flawed men and the lies, secrets, betrayals and things people will do for love. The inclusion of Amanda's POV was a little odd / unbelievable for obvious reasons that I won't giveaway but was essential to the story and I really enjoyed her chapters. As with all the author's novels (well that I've read anyway) there was a heavy focus on mental health too which provokes a lot of thoughts and feelings. Another great read from Sally Hepworth, I can't wait for the next one.

This was a good book that kept me guessing & I did not predict how it would turn out. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review this book.

Sally Hepworth does not disappoint! I love her books and the soulmate is no exception. I loved the drama, the characters, the suspense, the gripping plot line and the many twists.

Fast paced and thrilling, the devoured this book in 24 hours. I liked the narration by the two wives, one from beyond the grave!

I take of love, murder, suicide, family, betrayal, secrets, mental health and choices. Brilliant.