Book Description
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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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
THE SOULMATE by Sally Hepworth is a twisted domestic psychological suspense/thriller that continually surprised me. I have been avoiding this genre because I felt they all read alike and began to bore me, but this story is anything but cookie cutter and boring. This is a standalone book that you will want to make time to read.
Gabe and Pippa and their two small daughters have moved to their dream cottage in a small coastal Australian town. The only problem is the cottage has a cliff behind their home called “The Drop” at the end of the street that people use to end their lives. Since their move, Gabe has been very successful at talking people away from the ledge, until Pippa watching through the kitchen window, sees a woman Gabe is talking to go over the cliff.
Did she jump or was she pushed?
When Pippa discovers the identity of the woman, questions and doubts begin to tear their seemingly perfect marriage apart.
While the protagonists of this story are Gabe and Pippa, another couple Max and Amanda play a pivotal role throughout this always surprising plot. The story itself is narrated by Pippa in the now and in the then, while intertwining with Amanda telling her narration in the before and the after. It may sound confusing, but it is surprisingly easy to follow as they tell the reader about their marriages. This story focuses on how each couple looked at their own marriage, fidelity and partnership with the suspense occurring whenever their lives intersected. There are many secrets that I cannot reveal, but I will say that every time I felt I knew where the plot was headed, I was wrong. The author did an excellent job of showing Gabe’s mental illness through his actions and the codependence Pippa displayed. This is an exciting read that showed me there are still some domestic suspense stories worth reading even though I am not sure I liked the climax.
I recommend this domestic psychological suspense/thriller.
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About the Author
Sally Hepworth is the bestselling author of The Secrets of Midwives (2015), The Things We Keep (2016) The Mother’s Promise (2017), The Family Next Door (2018), The Mother In Law (April 2019), The Good Sister (April 2021) and The Younger Wife (April 2022). Hollywood actress and producer, Amy Poehler, has optioned The Mother In Law for a TV series.
Sally’s books have been labelled “enchanting” by The Herald Sun, “smart and engaging” by Publisher’s Weekly, and New York Times bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Emily Giffin have praised Sally’s novels as “women’s fiction at its finest” and “totally absorbing”. Sally’s novels are available worldwide in English and have been translated into 10+ languages.
Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children.
Social Media Links
Website: https://www.sallyhepworthauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sallyhepworthauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SallyHepworth
Sounds good.
It surprised me, Martie. 🙂