Quick Synopsis

Prepare yourself for a thrilling, addictive novel about marriage, betrayal, and the secrets that push us to the edge in this latest book from the bestselling author of The Good Sister and The Younger Wife.

Publisher’s 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. Because sometimes, the most convincing lies are the ones we tell ourselves.

Book Review

I have read Sally Hepworth’s last few novels and really enjoyed them, but The Soulmate broke that pattern.

The Soulmate is about a couple, Pippa & Gabe, who moves to their dream home – a cliffside cottage. Shortly after moving in, they discover that the stretch of cliff in front of their house is a go-to location for jumpers looking to end their lives. Gabe intervenes and prevents someone from jumping, becoming a local hero. And he continues to talk those at the cliff’s edge down, until one day he doesn’t.

Despite being marked as a thriller, The Soulmate is a domestic suspense novel, at best. There is virtually no mystery among the pages. Instead, readers know the bad outcome from the start. The book instead focuses on why that was the outcome.

I am sorry to say that The Soulmate felt like every other mediocre domestic suspense novel. I thought that the story lacked a unique premise or hook. It also failed to put anything at stake. The worst that could happen? A divorce. For me, this translated to a lack of investment in the plot. In addition, the book uses a mental health disorder as a plot crutch. I thought, or at the very least desperately hoped, we were past this, but apparently not.

One thing I have loved about past Sally Hepworth novels is their unique, memorable characters. I found that The Soulmate lacked this aspect. I never really warmed up to the characters. I thought the ghost narrator was odd and did not care for it. Pippa was frustrating as a narrator and seemed to have the same flaws as most female characters in typical novels of this genre.

Was The Soulmate compulsively readable? Yes, Sally Hepworth can write a novel that grips you and makes you race through its pages. Hepworth skillfully crafted dual timelines and multiple narrators that created an undeniably quick, entertaining book. It is a testament to her writing that I sped through the despite feeling apathetic towards the characters and storyline.

Overall, The Soulmate is a unoriginal, yet entertaining domestic suspense novel. While I still would not recommend reading it, I do recommend other Sally Hepworth books.

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