The Soulmate

Product Information

The Soulmate is a compulsively readable novel that I had to pull myself away from. It is fast-paced and intriguing. It is also very easy to read. I could have done with fewer twists, but overall, this was a win for me! Harris, Joyce Saenz (20 February 2015). "Fiction Review – The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth". Dallas Morning News . Retrieved 13 July 2015. Gabe makes a name for himself as someone who can talk people down from the edge, preventing many suicides. Until one day he fails. Despite his best efforts, he is unable to save Amanda. What Gabe doesn’t mention to the police is he knows the woman, while Pippa doesn’t mention that she is unsure of what she saw unfold before her eyes from the kitchen window. Told from different viewpoints, Pippa reveals a perfect marriage on the outside to her love at first sight husband, Gabe. He was a beautiful being, yet suffers from a mental illness misdiagnosed at first. They bought a house by the cliffs near Melbourne, known as Millionaire's Walk, and have two beautiful daughters....one of them being from Gabe's infidelity. Pippa practices law while Gabe is the daily protector of the girls. At times, Pippa reveals herself as a mother that suffered postpartum in the beginning, but Gabe has been deemed as the hero of the small community saving many contemplating suicide. The one time Gabe did not save a woman that did jump, Pippa tried to resolve what she saw from the window. Did Gabe push her? Know her? Lie to the police? To Pippa?

Their new cliff side home-20 meters from “The Drop” is meant to be a fresh start, for the couple and their two young daughters, Freya and Asha, and at first it is. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Waitomo District Library for the copy of The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.I absolutely loved The Good Sister and The Mother-in-Law. The reveals in a Sally Hepworth novel have made me literally gasp out loud before. So I was very excited to get The Soulmate, and immediately put aside any other reading (or, let’s be honest, pre-semester paperwork) to see what wild and twisty ride she has for us this time. You can't reason with your heart; it has its own laws, and thumps about things which the intellect scorns."-Mark Twain I keep my voice quiet, steady. I don’t have the privilege of hysteria given the proximity of our curious four-year-olds. Dell'Antonia, KJ (7 April 2015). "Shelf, iPad, Bed Table: Reading March 2015". The New York Times . Retrieved 13 July 2015.

This book has tragic love stories, reflecting dark sense of humor of Hepworth perfectly! Twists are mostly surprising and unforeseen! Especially the last one: broke my heart and made me scream a lot! Once the identity of the deceased is released, Pippa realizes the woman is the wife of Gabe's former boss, Max, and things escalate from there. I can't go into detail, but there was one aspect of the story that I was bracing myself for a cliche, offensive tangent, and color me surprised when the author handled it with a responsible manner that did not perpetuate stereotypes. Secrets, betrayals, and twists galore, it is quite an exciting read. 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. The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Pippa in two timelines – Then and Now, and also in the first person perspective of Amanda (the victim) in two timelines – Before and After.Amanda, on the other hand, is a fifty-two-year old photographer, married to Max, a wealthy media mogul who appears, on the surface, to be a good man, a steady and dependable man, richly deserving of her fidelity. Or is he? 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? THE AUTHOR: Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone. Issues aside, I still mostly enjoyed this, and will continue to devour anything Sally Hepworth writes!

I loved how the book is told through the POV of Pippa and Amanda (the dead woman). Through each POV we get to learn more about the women, their marriages, and their secrets. Juicy, juicy, juicy. As for the big reveal at the end, there really wasn't anything like that. While everything is explained and resolved, there certainly weren't any jaw-dropping or even eyebrow-raising moments. But it still feels like a satisfying conclusion. Well, Pippa and Gabe are about to do just that! And oh yes…desperate people do still come to the cliff with the intension of ending it all. But interestingly since they’ve moved in, no one has actually followed through with their suicidal intent. You see, Gabe has a unique gift of talking the jumpers off the cliff side. Though my head kept telling me over and over that this was a 3 star read, there is just something indescribable and truly exceptional about Hepworth and her craft that tipped the scales and compelled me to give this book a 4. More and more, I've really come to enjoy Sally Hepworth's brand of domestic suspense, and The Soulmate is another worthy one to add to the collection.I was thrilled to be able to read and review both the audiobook and e-book for The Soulmate. This may not have been my favorite from this author (The Good Sister will be hard to top!) However, I still thought it was a great read .The audiobook was very well performed. The reading style of both narrators was excellent. In my opinion they brought even more life to an already enjoyable story.