The Soulmate: A Novel
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“One of the best thrillers of the year”—The New York Times
"The book is many things: a crime story, a psychological study, a blueprint for how and when to mete out information in a thriller. But most of all it is an inquiry into the mysteries of marriage and commitment, and into what we owe our spouses and one another." --The New York Times Book Review
Prepare yourself for a thrilling, addictive novel about marriage, betrayal, and the secrets that push us to the edge in this next book from the bestselling author of The Good Sister and The Younger Wife.
Picture a lovely cottage on a cliff, with sloping lawns, walking paths, and beautiful flowers. It’s Gabe and Pippa Gerard’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. Over the past several months, Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge.
Until one day, 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 façade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel. Because sometimes, the most convincing lies are the ones we tell ourselves.
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Readers say *Soulmate* by Sally Hepworth is a gripping domestic thriller anchored by an intriguing cliffside-backdrop where one character tries to sto...
This is my first time reading a novel by Sally Hepworth, but it is obvious to see why she is so popular. The short chapters, many of which ending with a plot twist, kept me engaged throughout the book and I ended up finishing it in one sitting.
Ultimately, this was a 3.5 read for me and I’ve rounded up on account of Hepworth’s writing style.
The Soulmate tells the story of two marriages told through two wives, Pippa and Amanda. Centered around one suicide, the novel explores themes of fidelity, trust, and loyalty.
While I loved the premise and found the story fairly unique, I found myself frequently frustrated with Pippa (the primary POV). For a character who is seemingly rational, she is pretty clueless. At times her decisions made zero sense to me & with out going into spoilers I didn’t understand how she was so oblivious to things around her.
I’d recommend The Soulmate to lovers of domestic suspense or anyone looking for a quick read that will keep them on the edge of their seats.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my Advanced Reader Copy of The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. Publication date: April 4, 2023.
Ultimately, this was a 3.5 read for me and I’ve rounded up on account of Hepworth’s writing style.
The Soulmate tells the story of two marriages told through two wives, Pippa and Amanda. Centered around one suicide, the novel explores themes of fidelity, trust, and loyalty.
While I loved the premise and found the story fairly unique, I found myself frequently frustrated with Pippa (the primary POV). For a character who is seemingly rational, she is pretty clueless. At times her decisions made zero sense to me & with out going into spoilers I didn’t understand how she was so oblivious to things around her.
I’d recommend The Soulmate to lovers of domestic suspense or anyone looking for a quick read that will keep them on the edge of their seats.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my Advanced Reader Copy of The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. Publication date: April 4, 2023.
Soulmate??? I’ve always had mixed feelings about this word and have often been suspect of it based on the interpretations of it by so many. Hubby says it’s because of the “cautious optimist” in me, which he says he loves😊 Anyway, the book summary is kind of vague and basically just introduces the MC’s and the primary premise.
The story begins with a short history of the suicide cliffs that are outside of Gabe’s and Pippa’s backyard and can be viewed by their kitchen window. It’s the perfect place for people to jump off and kill themselves and over the years, Gabe has managed to talk quite a few people off the cliffs until the night that a local woman, Amanda, dies. Gabe says she jumped but Pippa is pretty sure that’s not what she saw from the kitchen window. This is not a spoiler since it is revealed very early in the story.
After that, we get the Reader’s Digest version of Gabe and Pippa’s whirlwind romance, marriage, and parenthood (thus far) of two, preschooler, daughters. Good grief!!! It became apparent pretty early (at least to me) that Pippa is an idiot!!! Although, some will say that she is just a hopeless romantic the way that she ignored all the red flags about Gabe and their brief courtship. However, these days, it’s just plain stupid for single women to ignore certain character flaws and defects about a date and a relationship. This is also not a spoiler because it too is revealed early in the story.
It’s been nearly 30yrs since I was single and dating, but the kind of behavior that Gabe exhibits is just as suspect now as it ever was back in the early 90’s when I was out there dating. I have single friends and relatives and they would describe Gabe’s pursuit of Pippa as “love bombing”, same old crap as before, just a different name. Don’t even get me started on his behavior after they married, but then Pippa is no angel either. Anyway, I guess the author had to characterize Pippa and Gabe in such a way in order to move the story along.
The entire story flips back and forth between Pippa and Amanda as well as back forth between the present day (after Amanda dies) and the past (before Amanda dies). I’ve always found it kind of weird reading a story where one of the MC’s is already dead and their narration is portrayed like they’re some kind of spirit watching over the living as they tell their story. Even Amanda finds it kind of weird indicating that she can’t tell if she’s in heaven or hell. She also admits, she’s no angel.
Anyway, by the halfway mark, there is clearly a secondary storyline that I won’t mention it because that would be a spoiler. The details of this storyline pop up periodically in the story. By the 60-70% mark, the reader has had a pretty good view of the screwed-up marriages of both Pippa and Amanda and their respective hubby's, Gabe and Max.
In the last 20% of the story, it’s not really a merging of the two storylines since they’ve been merging for a while at this point. It’s more like that slow burn that has finally reached the point of combustion. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that big of a blast or surprise, at least not for me. Even the aftermath (which should have been designated as the epilogue) with its major reveal wasn’t that big of a surprise. I actually liked the aftermath, a lot, and felt it actually brought a satisfying end to the story.
For most of the story, this was really a 2-2.5star read, for me. However, I liked the finale, hence, the 3star rating. For me, a good ending can be the difference between a 2or3star rating. I typically don’t read a lot of these kinds of stories: domestic thrillers where the MC’s are screwed-up, married, couples. Hubby says that my horrible experiences with hubby #1 has probably jaded me in regards to bad husbands, real or otherwise. Perhaps. There’s probably some truth to that😊 However, I also don’t like the way some authors characterize some of the wives in these types of stories as ignorant saps. I’ve said this before and I feel compelled to say it again, my fave MC’s are smart, savvy, strong, bad@$$ women.
For me, the appeal for this book was the blurb in the book summary about Gabe talking people off the cliff that I found intriguing. I’ve always been fascinated with that type of scenario and the people who have the ability to do something like that. Additionally, a couple of GR members I follow really liked the book. I want to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
@NetGalley @StMartin’sPress @TheSoulmate
The story begins with a short history of the suicide cliffs that are outside of Gabe’s and Pippa’s backyard and can be viewed by their kitchen window. It’s the perfect place for people to jump off and kill themselves and over the years, Gabe has managed to talk quite a few people off the cliffs until the night that a local woman, Amanda, dies. Gabe says she jumped but Pippa is pretty sure that’s not what she saw from the kitchen window. This is not a spoiler since it is revealed very early in the story.
After that, we get the Reader’s Digest version of Gabe and Pippa’s whirlwind romance, marriage, and parenthood (thus far) of two, preschooler, daughters. Good grief!!! It became apparent pretty early (at least to me) that Pippa is an idiot!!! Although, some will say that she is just a hopeless romantic the way that she ignored all the red flags about Gabe and their brief courtship. However, these days, it’s just plain stupid for single women to ignore certain character flaws and defects about a date and a relationship. This is also not a spoiler because it too is revealed early in the story.
It’s been nearly 30yrs since I was single and dating, but the kind of behavior that Gabe exhibits is just as suspect now as it ever was back in the early 90’s when I was out there dating. I have single friends and relatives and they would describe Gabe’s pursuit of Pippa as “love bombing”, same old crap as before, just a different name. Don’t even get me started on his behavior after they married, but then Pippa is no angel either. Anyway, I guess the author had to characterize Pippa and Gabe in such a way in order to move the story along.
The entire story flips back and forth between Pippa and Amanda as well as back forth between the present day (after Amanda dies) and the past (before Amanda dies). I’ve always found it kind of weird reading a story where one of the MC’s is already dead and their narration is portrayed like they’re some kind of spirit watching over the living as they tell their story. Even Amanda finds it kind of weird indicating that she can’t tell if she’s in heaven or hell. She also admits, she’s no angel.
Anyway, by the halfway mark, there is clearly a secondary storyline that I won’t mention it because that would be a spoiler. The details of this storyline pop up periodically in the story. By the 60-70% mark, the reader has had a pretty good view of the screwed-up marriages of both Pippa and Amanda and their respective hubby's, Gabe and Max.
In the last 20% of the story, it’s not really a merging of the two storylines since they’ve been merging for a while at this point. It’s more like that slow burn that has finally reached the point of combustion. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that big of a blast or surprise, at least not for me. Even the aftermath (which should have been designated as the epilogue) with its major reveal wasn’t that big of a surprise. I actually liked the aftermath, a lot, and felt it actually brought a satisfying end to the story.
For most of the story, this was really a 2-2.5star read, for me. However, I liked the finale, hence, the 3star rating. For me, a good ending can be the difference between a 2or3star rating. I typically don’t read a lot of these kinds of stories: domestic thrillers where the MC’s are screwed-up, married, couples. Hubby says that my horrible experiences with hubby #1 has probably jaded me in regards to bad husbands, real or otherwise. Perhaps. There’s probably some truth to that😊 However, I also don’t like the way some authors characterize some of the wives in these types of stories as ignorant saps. I’ve said this before and I feel compelled to say it again, my fave MC’s are smart, savvy, strong, bad@$$ women.
For me, the appeal for this book was the blurb in the book summary about Gabe talking people off the cliff that I found intriguing. I’ve always been fascinated with that type of scenario and the people who have the ability to do something like that. Additionally, a couple of GR members I follow really liked the book. I want to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
@NetGalley @StMartin’sPress @TheSoulmate