I really appreciated the epilogue. This might be a bit of a spoiler, so proceed with caution. It was nice to see a woman make a difficult decision that was for her own benefit. Remember: No matter what you may do for someone else, you don’t owe anyone anything (except for maybe money if you’ve borrowed it). Coincidentally, this is a theme in another book I’m reading at the moment, The Girls Who Disappeared. But one day a woman in early fifties approaches to their house. Pippa watches Gabe and the mysterious woman through the window: seeing her husband arms outstretched, palms facing out, standing close to the woman. And woman falls down! Did she really jump or was she pushed down? But her kind hearted husband cannot be involved in something so sinister, can he?

Sympathetic characters combined with powerful themes of guilt, love, and loyalty will lead readers to consider the power of self-delusion. Recommended for fans of Liane Moriarty and Fiona Barton." --Booklist The narrative is shared across “Now” and “Then” (Pippa’s Pov) and “Before" and “After" (Amanda’s PoV). The author touches upon themes of love, marriage and fidelity and mental health, among others. None of the characters are particularly likable, though I could sympathize with Amanda to an extent and Gabe for his personal struggles. On this note, I had serious issues with how the topic of mental health was handled in this story. We are shown that Gabe was receiving professional help, but I found it hard to believe Pippa did not question the initial diagnosis. As the narrative begins to shed light on past events, I thought Pippa, a lawyer by profession who has dealt with Gabe’s past indiscretions and mental health issues in the past, chose to ignore or rather was in denial over the gravity of the situation in the present timeline. With two young children at home, one would expect her to be circumspect and act on it, instead of wishing her troubles away and second-guessing her suspicions. As a plot point, I found this aspect of the story utterly unconvincing. Hepworth worked in both event management and Human Resources prior to her career as a writer. [5] While on maternity leave with her first child, Hepworth wrote Love Like the French, a novel about a British woman who goes to France after an accident leaves her husband in a coma. [6] The character goes to France to see what the French could teach her about living. [6] Hepworth was unable to finish the book immediately after her son Oscar was born, but the book was eventually published in Germany in 2014. [5] When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral...Did the victim jump? Was she pushed? In The Soulmate, Sally Hepworth explores the (mis)perceptions of a perfect marriage. What those see on the outside isn't so perfect behind closed doors.Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this AMAZING digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions. This is an amazing setup that will have you pondering all the ways that this could go, but none of them prepared me for that final ending. Outstanding! The Soulmate surprisingly is my first Sally Hepworth novel, and it definitely won't be my last! This was a gripping popcorn thriller that is entertaining from beginning to end with a substantial discussion around those who struggle with mental illness and how their illness affects the people who care for them. Gabe and Pippa, along with their two four-year-old daughters, have moved to a cliffside home in Portsea, Australia. They’re hoping for a fresh start after Gabe’s unstable work history and increasingly erratic behavior have led to yet another move. Unfortunately, the cliff on their property is a well-known spot called “The Drop” for those who want to end their lives. Fortunately, Gabe seems to have a gift for talking people away from the edge … at least he did until this most recent woman shows up. Now she’s dead, and Pippa’s left to make sense of what she saw from the window. Gabe and Pippa, hoping for a fresh start to their marriage, buy a cliffside home in an idyllic seaside location. The problem? The location is known as “The Drop” a place where people commit suicide by jumping to their deaths.

Emotional and touching...Hepworth is the master of misdirection as she cleverly causes us to believe one thing only to unveil the truth later. But she saves the biggest surprises, and the most touching ones, to the very end. How much will a woman put up with in the name of love? That is a question with enough depth to keep any book club talking well past the first bottle of wine." --Bookreporter I remove my gloves and drape them over the tap. Sometimes I wonder if I should be a little more like Gabe. More of a hero. Instead, I am a helper. In times of crisis, I am a creator of meal rosters, a collector of donations, dispenser of information. Last year, when news of the pandemic started to filter through, my entire family—parents, sister, sister-in-law, sister-in-law’s parents—all called me with their questions on social distancing, masks, and vaccinations, hanging on my every word and taking notes as if I were an epidemiologist rather than a wills and estates lawyer. I rose to the challenge, dishing out advice gleaned from reputable verified sources and subduing family panic. But the kind of emergency happening outside right now? That is Gabe’s domain. It surprised me that Pippa was a lawyer and never suggested hiring a lawyer to help manage the police questioning. Why did Pippa tell Gabe that she slept with Max?Then a woman shows up on the cliff, Gage tries talk her down and she goes over the cliff. At least that is what Pippa hopes really happened but she's not sure. Something is not right with what she saw and Gabe is acting strange. Hopefully the police will rule the woman's death a suicide, it was a suicide wasn't it? Gabe becomes a local hero of sorts when he talks someone down from the ledge. And, then he succeeds time and time again until the day he doesn’t. He is devastated. This is my second book by Sally Hepworth. My first was The Younger Wife. What did you think of the concept of soulmates in the book? Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 4.4!!** But, it has also become a popular place for people to come to end their lives. Ragged cliffs above the ocean, 30 meters below- You DON’T survive the fall.