For some reason, I haven’t been a fan of Sally Hepworth…but The Soulmate sounded intriguing, and was described as a “one night stand” – you know, one of those books you have to stay up reading until you finish it! With thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley (for providing a copy in exchange for this honest review), I dove in. 

The Soulmate follows Pippa and Gabe Gerard, who have  moved to a beautiful house with a backyard overlooking the ocean from its perch on a huge cliff ( known as The Drop). The Gerards realize that The Drop is a popular location for people who are contemplating suicide.  Gabe has come to be known as “the suicide whisperer,” since he has saved 6 people from death in the year since they moved in. One day a woman shows up, and Gabe goes out to  try to convince her not to jump while Pippa watches from the window. Pippa thinks the woman looks vaguely familiar, and thinks that something seems  off with Gabe. Pippa looks away briefly and, when she looks back, the woman is gone. Did she jump? Was she pushed? It looked like Gabe’s hands were stretched out–WTF?  

The story is told from alternating POVs (Pippa and Amanda, who as it turns out is known to Greg!) and jumps around in time as well, with a “then and now” or “before and after” type of storytelling. It works well! I did in fact stay up WAY past my usual bedtime to finish it, and will definitely read more of Ms. Hepworth’s work. Four stars.