Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
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. Featuring ~ dual timeline ~ now and then & before and after, suicide, infidelity, mental illness, short chapters Overall, The Soulmate was just OK. It has that wonderfully tense Sally Hepworth feel of wondering who to trust and who’s twisting the truth, but it kinda felt like the whole book was a fakeout. I like to be able to guess a little bit of a thriller, but it’s less interesting when the baddie is too clear and obvious. Pippa is horrified, of course, but what confuses her is that it LOOKS to her like the victim didn't take a leap...and Gabe's chat with the female stranger seemed different than most. The police determine the jump was indeed a suicide, but the victim's husband is adamant that his wife would NEVER have intentionally ended her life. Pippa then learns that the stranger wasn't exactly a stranger to Gabe...and that final conversation may have been a far cry from helpful. Could the perfect man, the man she knows inside and out, her very best friend be hiding a secret so dark, so dangerous, that it was worth dying for....or even worth KILLING for?
ABOUT 'THE SOULMATE': Before the woman went over the cliff, Pippa and Gabe were happy. They have the kind of marriage that everyone envies, as well as two sweet young daughters, a supportive family, and a picturesque cliff-side home - which would have been idyllic had the tall beachside cliffs not become so popular among those wishing to end their lives.
Gabe and Pippa have a terrific marriage and are the parents to two wonderful little girls. They now live in the home they have always dreamed about. The view on the cliffs is gorgeous. Unfortunately, there are people using the cliffs as a place to end their lives. Until recently, Gabe has been able to save people from following through on the plan to end their lives.
Pippa and Gabe Gerard move to a cliffside cottage in a scenic coastal town on the outskirts of Melbourne with their two daughters with hopes of starting over after a difficult phase in their marriage. Their new home is close to the edge of a cliff, "The Drop" – an area frequented by those who chose to end their lives. Gabe, a sensitive person who has struggled with mental health issues, has made a name for himself by being able to persuade people from jumping to death. On one fateful night, Pippa sees a woman hovering close to the edge and calls the authorities as Gabe approaches the woman to talk to her. Pippa sees them talking but in a tragic turn of events, the woman plunges to her death and Pippa notices Gabe standing with his hands outstretched, which he later tells her was so that he could try to save the woman. Pippa isn’t quite convinced but chooses to believe her husband. Then it is revealed that the woman was none other than Amanda Cameron, the wife of Gabe’s former employer, Max Cameron – a fact that Gabe had not shared with Pippa initially. Was there more to what transpired that night of which Pippa is unaware? What is Gabe hiding from her and why? I keep my voice quiet, steady. I don’t have the privilege of hysteria given the proximity of our curious four-year-olds. The Soulmate is a book best gone into cold. Know no more than what is written in the blurb. Be prepared to be surprised in the very best way. a b c d e f Hardy, Karen (21 February 2015). "Sally Hepworth: How I gave birth to writing The Secrets of Midwives". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 13 July 2015.Dun dun dun! Okay, that premise sounds awesome. I can't help but be drawn in, and it turned out to be a riveting read. This easily could've been one of those books I read in one sitting if I had the time. The Soulmate starts off with a married couple, Gabe and Pippa, who have moved to a house atop a cliff. It is a hazardous spot where the mentally ill are known to take their lives. Since moving to the house, Gabe meets each potential jumper and talks him or her away from the ledge. This time, a woman falls from the cliff. Only Gabe knew this woman. Did she really jump or was she pushed? And what other secrets will be revealed? Because of this, when they spot a woman on the ledge one day, it seems almost natural for Gabe to go out and approach her. To try to help.
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! As the inquiry into the woman's death begins, it is revealed that Gabe actually knew her, unbeknownst to Pippa. What was said on the cliff that day? Did Gabe have a motive to push her? If so, what could it possibly be. Pippa is hurt, scared and confused. The couple has no secrets, do they? 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. Overall: as always I give any Sally Hepworth book five stars! I’m loyal to my tradition so I’m giving my well deserved, five deliciously twisty, heartbreaking, psychological thriller stars!Basically by the time Pippa started to notice that maybe Gabe wasn’t reliable, I was already hoping he would get arrested and leave her alone. The most interesting part of this book was reading a thriller and rooting against the main character, in favor of the guy getting caught and sent to jail. The story is told through the alternating points of view of Pippa and Amanda, both before and after Amanda’s death. This worked quite well, as it allows a slow reveal of the facts to the reader. Secrets and lies come home to roost with devastating consequences. This is nothing new in domestic thrillers, but the author has a fresh spin on the genre. Sally Hepworth recs some novels that feature midwives". USA Today. 11 February 2015 . Retrieved 13 July 2015.
Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors. Many of her novels are on my favorite reads list. I will read and/or listen to anything she writes. Once I start her books, I find it difficult to put down until I'm finished. This book is about what women can do when they hopelessly and a little madly in love! It’s great approach to the anatomy of toxic and dysfunctional relationships, real pain and deep suffering to deal with mental illnesses! 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. Gabe and Pippa Gerard have just moved into their dream house: a cliffside cottage in a sleepy coastal town outside Melbourne. It’s a fresh start to their marriage, and the perfect place to raise their two young daughters. But the house’s perfect façade hides something more sinister: The Spot, where the tall cliffs have become a popular place for those wishing to end their lives. After talking someone down from the ledge, Gabe becomes a local hero, saving person after person… until one night, he doesn’t. And Pippa sees Gabe the moment after it happened, standing alone at the cliff’s edge, arms outstretched, palms facing out.
This is the third Sally Hepworth I've read, and now that I have my expectations set correctly, I've really come to enjoy her stories and writing style. Whenever I want a family drama with a dash of suspense mixed in, she's definitely an author I reach for. It’s a very clever dual narrative mostly from Pippa’s past and present POV, but also from the victim Amanda’s past and present POV AFTER her death. It was extra fun to see things from her now omniscient perspective!
Great Deal 
New Comment