Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Soulmate

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

15 reviews

doodlebeanz's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Sally Hepworth has become a new auto-buy author for me! I love her writing style. It was so addictive and dual POVs always make a story more interesting, especially considering one was coming from beyond the grave. The characters were so developed and they felt real to me, like they were people you would meet at the local cafe or a PTA meeting. Were they entirely likable? No, but the way Hepworth brought them to life made up for it.

Gabe and Pippa were horrible; talk about codependent toxic relationships. I felt bad for Pippa that she put up with all the crap that Gabe put her through, but she also should've left a long, long time ago. Standing by someone through mental illness is one thing, but letting said mental illness excuse horrible behavior is another.

Max and Amanda really stole my heart by the end of the story, which I think was the point. I think 'The Soulmate' that the title of the book is referring to isn't about Gabe and Pippa's relationship, but Max and Amanda's. They were the couple that was meant for one another, the couple that got through hard shit together and communicated as best as they could. Amanda defended a lot of Max's bad decisions, and he wasn't perfect, but it wasn't in the same way that Pippa did with Gabe. Max and Amanda's relationship was such a great parallel to Gabe and Pippa's. The way Hepworth writes it, you think you are supposed to be rooting for Gabe and Pippa... but in the end, you realize they are not good together and you end up happy that they get divorced.

It was definitely a slow moving book, there were chapters that felt filler and they didn't add anything to the story, and that would probably be my only gripe. This book could've been finished in 40-50 chapters, but instead it was 87... I don't think any book needs to be 87 chapters unless it is a fantasy book, tbh.

I would recommend this book to anyone, really. It isn't a thriller, it's just a domestic drama with true crime elements. Anyone who appreciates good writing and an interesting and twisty plot would enjoy this book! I've seen some negative reviews online and I'm not quite sure why... this book deserves more praise!

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greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I was a little afraid that the narrative style choice was going to be kind of gimmicky, but I thought it worked pretty well. But also goddamn, can women stop dating super annoying and damaging men? At least this is super realistic. The husband is just such a nightmare. The female characters in this book seem to fall into the trope of women being too emotional to remember to be logical. And I do not like that.

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irenemarie's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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lovelymisanthrope's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

After hearing a few reviews about this book, I was curious and decided I needed to pick it up for myself.
"The Soulmate" is a mystery/thriller that follows a woman named Pippa. Pippa and her husband, Gabe, are building a seemingly picturesque life for themselves at their cottage on a cliffside. Unfortunately, their home tends to draw broken people who want to attempt suicide by jumping from the cliffs edge. Gabe has single-handedly prevented several suicides over the years, until he one night, he does not. But did Gabe fail to talk the young woman from the ledge, or did Gabe give her the push that killed her?
I really loved the idea of this story, and I really enjoyed learning more about Pippa and Gabe's relationship. They are both deeply flawed, and the reader learns how each has brought their own baggage into the marriage. I was far more invested in learning the mysteries about their marriage than I was about the actual mystery of the woman on the cliff.
The plot and mystery of this book was fine, but it did not blow me away. I was engaged and had a fine time, but I did not think the "big reveal" was anything new to me. I do think this book is well-written and a fine time for someone who enjoys the thriller genre.
I am still very much interested in Sally Hepworth as an author and will be picking up more from her in the future.

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bitesizedbeet's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

3.5

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meeklovestoread's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I liked the book for what it was. However, I wouldn't necessarily categorized this book as a thriller and more like a mystery/cozy mystery. So if you're expecting this book to be super thrilling then lower your expectations because that's not what this book is. Once I realized that and got over that fact the book was pretty entertaining to me.

I'll have to admit the book was messy. There was alot of drama going on here. It was kinda crazy. The book didn't give me crazy feelings or anything. In fact, I didn't really feel anything after I finished and I don't think I'll ever think about it again, but it was still entertaining for what it was.

Amanda being ghost make no sense the entire book. I saw a comment that said that it seemed like she was nowhere but everywhere at the same time and I completely agree. I also I lowkey still feel like Gabe pushed Amanda off that cliff. I'm so happy Pippa FINALLY left him. I felt like he was a red flag from the jump and I really wish her family didn't cottle her feelings and just told her how they felt about him because she endured all his drama and for what. Also his intial diagnosis of ADHD didn't make sense to me because he literally had a psychosis early on and that's not a symptom of ADHD. Even I saw that!

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