Sally Hepworth has written a heckuva psych thriller with The Soulmate. Just when you think you know what is going on, you most definitely don’t.
Pippa and her husband, Gabe, own a house by a popular cliff. Unfortunately, it is popular for people who want to jump off of it. The setting is almost as important as the characters.
The story unfolds from two perspectives, Pippa’s and Amanda’s. The latter’s chapters are…unique. I’m not going to give away why, but it is one of the more clever plot threads I’ve read in recent memory.
The action jumps between Pippa and Amanda (and “now” and “then” for each of them), but it is never confusing. In fact, the author does a great job of keeping the action moving even though it is not linear.
This is partly helped by how each character often drops a hint at the end of the preceding chapter before the action shifts to another time period.
I also liked that it was ambiguous about who the soulmate was to whom. Each woman had their own opinion on the matter, and each believes in their version of love and commitment. But it turns out only one of them is correct.
Without giving anything away, the author also tackled a very sensitive subject (mental health) with respect. And it weaves into the plot in important ways that are slowly revealed over the course of the book.
I was up late reading The Soulmate. It is the kind of psych thriller that you can lose yourself in. Sally Hepworth continues to write books that I can’t wait to read.
This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press.
NOTE: This book releases on April 4, 2023.
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