I liked the author’s first book but this one was just not good. Rambling, hard to believe, a main character that acted in ways that made very little sense.

I also felt like I’d read wide sections of this book before in Modern Lovers and in Fitness Junkie. ( )

Dana, an attorney who is on the partner track working 90 hours a week discovers her estranged husband and his girlfriend have been found in what the police believe to be a murder-suicide in a remote area of the desert. She does not believe her husband is capable of murder or suicide and begins to investigate. This is possibly the most believable part of the story as it begins to unravel around Dana’s estranged husband’s involvement in a cult. The characters are stereotypical and lack depth, the ending left me wondering if it was intended to be sinister or a cliffhanger, either way, it missed the mark.

Many occurrences were not believable and too convenient; they struck me as only attempts to force the plot to work. ( )

Soulmates, a novel by Jessica Grose, is a cleverly told and witty story. Dana, the protagonist, has it all or so it seems. Divorced for two years and trying to move on she unexpectedly learns her ex-husband, Ethan, and the woman he left her for were found dead in a New Mexico cave. Unable to accept that Ethan may have had a part in their deaths, Dana tries to find out what really happened to the couple. She enters Ethan's former world in order to find answers. What she uncovers changes her life in ways she could not have predicted. This is a fascinating and engrossing story. It is filled with surprises and twists and turns. Definitely worth reading. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )

Soulmates, from Jessica Grose, is a novel that I enjoyed but at the same time was disappointed. Unlike some, I wasn't bothered by the ending (it was certainly a possibility from information given early in the book so was not out of the blue) and I did notice the differences in the voices of the characters which some readers missed (though they could have been made more distinct to make sure more readers caught the nuances) and I wasn't particularly annoyed at the idea that many might see this as a slam on all eastern-influenced practices since there were ample examples of them being helpful as well as part of someone's attempts at manipulation. What I found less compelling was the way things just sorta stumbled along and maybe a couple of unlikely events at just the right time to keep the plot moving rather than stalling out.

The mystery is indeed a mystery and there is closure for that part of the story. Character development, namely of the protagonist Dana, seems rather quick for someone who had been so driven but, that said, the indications were all presented throughout the novel in doubts and thoughts she had, so I don't think it was out of the realm of possibility, just not necessarily into the area of probability.

The idea that a spiritual system, or more accurately a mixtures of systems rolled into one, that teaches the unity of mind, body, and spirit could be misappropriated by a charismatic leader for his personal pleasure and gain is not a condemnation of those systems as such. Any more than acknowledging that aspects of any religion, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, can and have been misappropriated for harm necessarily means those religions have no good in them. They are tools, just as the various practices in the "New Age" retreat here are tools when used properly.

I would recommend this but not without reservations. There are not a lot of big surprises and the path Dana follows from beginning to end can seem a little too lucky (plot-wise, not necessarily for her herself, but maybe that too). If you don't care for too many coincidences you may find this too unlikely for your taste. There are some wonderful insights about how two people can experience the same events, yet they are not expressed particularly elegantly, so that could be a hit or miss for you. I tend to make a concerted effort to see as many positives in a book as I can even if I also see weaknesses. Perhaps from years of grading papers and finding helpful comments rather than the petulant "I couldn't even finish..." type of empty comments. If you lean toward looking for negatives rather than looking for positives, you might want to skip this one, there are weaknesses that a narrow reading can focus on to the detriment of both the book as a whole and the reader's potential enjoyment.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers. ( )