What an amazing book! I was so excited to be able to read this! I highly suggest it to anyone who's looking for a good page turner!

This book is ONE HELL OF A MIND F**K!!!!!!!

I began reading it and got done in around an hour because I COULD NOT put it down!

It started off a bit like you would expect particularly if you read the synopsis. Man dies, daughter finds out he had another family and she had a sister, all goes boom.

I had the privilege of reading another of Jess Ryder’s books not long ago so I knew it couldn’t simply be another tale of man is leading two lives and gets discovered. Ryder does not simply take something that’s been done before and redo it – she blows the theme out of the water. She carries on in that grand tradition with this novel.

I’m still in shock and awe, shaking my head in disbelief, as I write this because I can’t believe the twists she throws at you. Yes there’s a few predictable moments but even those she writes with such vivid detail you don’t care if you’ve read/seen this decision to have a character choose this path before. She writes with such excitement, almost with primal animal instinct, you are so deeply involved in the train wreck that is the relationship between the sisters you will not, can not, look away lest you miss the moment that crosses into the “Holy crap did that just happen” realm. Trust me – it exists

When Josie's father dies in a motorbike accident she is shocked to find out that he had lived a double life. He had another woman in his life and they had a daughter together. Josie finds her half sister Valentina but Valentina wants Josie's life and even her partner. This is a good psychological thriller with twists that will keep you guessing.

Josie and Valentina are sisters who discover each other when their father dies in a motorcycle accident. The book blurb describes them as Josie – Sweet, reserved, jealous, thief.
Valentina – Care-free, confident, dangerous, liar. The book is narrated by the two sisters and sometimes gets a little lost. The final 1/3 of the book was more suspenseful and exciting . I didn't care for either of the girls.

The Good Sister is a well-done suspense novel told from the point of view of two sisters. When Josie’s father dies, she discovers she has a half-sister named Valentina who looks like her. They were born only a few days apart, and though her father is technically married to her mother, he has spent half his life living with Valentina and her mother. All those times he said he was at conferences or when he took an apartment in Manchester to be closer to his job, it was a ruse so he could have two families.

The twists in the novel were good. It wasn’t always clear which character was speaking or telling the story from her point of view, but you figure it out eventually. I liked the way Ryder opened each chapter with the Viking lore that the sisters’ father was so enthralled with.

Valentina is a troubled woman, but Josie, who has a loving boyfriend and a good job, wants to be connected to her sister, so she ignores the warnings of her boyfriend and aunt and uncle, causing her a tremendous amount of trouble.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to review this book.

You know how you've been on this massive rollercoaster ride and you get off and your legs are all wobbly and the world is spinning and you need to sit down? Yeah, that. 

When Josie's much beloved father dies while riding his motorcycle late at night, she's left devastated. But things soon get even worse when she discovers her father has been leading a double life for years and has another woman and daughter stashed away. Josie and her half-sister Valentina look so much alike that they could be twins. But they are very different from one another and their lives have taken quite different paths as well.

Josie's father was obsessed with all things relating to the Vikings and I have to say that I absolutely loved how each chapter began with some Viking knowledge. These aren't just random facts and tidbits. They truly add to the atmosphere and make for one cohesive theme. The chapters and points of view alternate between the two half-sisters but it's not always obvious from the start which sister is talking so Jess Ryder keeps you guessing for a while. Especially when we get nearer the end of the story, when the lines become a bit blurred and you're having a hard time keeping them apart. Fabulously done!

I felt the characters were all realistic and believable, even if I rolled my eyes at their stupidity and lack of judgment at certain points along the way. Josie particularly seemed a tad too naive sometimes. However, it did add to the whole "holy cow, who can you even trust anymore?" vibe that flowed through the story.

The Good Sister is so incredibly dark and twisty! The twists and turns had me reeling. This story has one heck of a devilish plot and is brilliantly suspenseful and tense. There was only ever going to be one conclusion that made sense, as the book description mentions "one survivor", but the journey to get there was a nail-biting one. I found this psychological thriller to be utterly gripping and engrossing. A true and exciting page-turner!

I've just finished The Good Sister this morning before work. I had to. The book was fantastic!

A true psychological thriller that gets it teeth into you and you want to keep reading until the end.

Jodie's father had died and she and her mother are distraught but then Josie discovers he had a secret life. Another family and another daughter, Valentina, who looks almost the same as her. You could mistake Josie and Valentina for twins but that's where the similarities end.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter. It's well written and draws you into the story with ease. A fantastic piece of work and I look forward to reading more from Jess Ryder.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

'The Good Sister' is a interesting relatively fast paced psychological thriller which explores two lives colliding in the most spectacular way. Although confusing at times there is enough to keep you hooked. I especially loved all of the Viking facts that the author included at the start of each paragraph.

A superb thriller from Jess Ryder, just who is The Good Sister ? Josie and Valentina are thrown together when their father Jerry dies and they discover he was living a double life with 2 families. When Josie comes across Valentina whilst in Manchester at her dads house their lives become embroiled together and when Valentina moves to London to be nearer Josie events start to take a turn for the worst for Josie and Arun her boyfriend.As the story develops you start to wonder though who is actually the good sister ?? A great 5 star read that i read in 3 days which had plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very end.Highly recommended.

This was an interesting book. Lots of twists and intrigue. I never knew where it would take me next. I will definitely look for others by this author.

Having read and loved the author’s debut book ‘Lie to me’, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would want to read her second book The Good Sister and wow am I glad that I did.

The story plot and characters were very well written, and I really enjoyed getting to know each and every one of the characters especially the two sisters. There were times throughout the story when I liked one sister more than the other sister, but then again this did keep changing throughout.

This was a truly outstanding story, very cleverly done, I was gripped from start to finish and I literally couldn’t turn the pages fast enough for wanting to see what was going to happen next. There were so many twists and turns within the story that I think I spent majority of the book sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation.

So if you love psychological thrillers, then this book is definitely for you. I truly can’t recommend it enough.

Thank you to Netgallery, Bookotoure and Jess Ryder for the advanced copy of The Good Sister

This is the first of Jess Ryder's books we have read and it's no disappointment. The Good Sister has you hooked from chapter one and as the plot thickens, you can't put it down. I found myself reading it at every opportunity. I was definitely hooked from page 1 and couldn't stop turning the pages.

Josie doesn't know she has a sister until her father dies. Each brought up with different backgrounds and different personalities. Or are they different? It becomes very difficult to tell which sister is good and which is bad.

The story is told from both sisters viewpoint, it's difficult to tell which sister is which, the chapters are not named and this adds to the plot and story.

It's a story of relationships, lies, deceit and family love. It's based around "The deepest secret" which both sisters seek to unravel.

I didn't see the end coming. I didn't want this book to end. Great read and recommended. This will appear in our next book recommendation blog. recommendation

A real thriller with a twist could not put the book down a lot of turns and twists never could imagine the ending,something to make you think A must read keeps you in suspence all the time

Stories about sisters are definitely having a Moment in publishing right now. Good sisters, bad sisters, little sisters, big sisters, there are sisters all over the place; it's clearly a subject which strikes a chord with people, perhaps because the sisterly relationship is one so many women have experienced and can relate to, for good or for bad. (Not me, though. I haven't got a sister.)

Neither does Josie at the start of this book, not as far as she knows. Josie is twenty-four, stable, sensible - she has a responsible job, an affluent background, two loving parents, lives in a flat with boyfriend Arun. When her adored father Jerry, "The Viking", dies in an accident - losing control of his motorcycle on a country road in the middle of the night - Josie's world begins to unravel. She learns that her father had another family - another daughter, Valentina, of very similar age and appearance but very different in personality. Valentina is wild, unpredictable, a troubled troublemaker with a chaotic lifestyle. As the worlds of the two sisters collide, Josie's life too begins to spiral more and more out of control.

I found The Good Sister a very compelling read. Chapters are narrated by both Josie and Valentina - contrary to convention the chapter heading doesn't tell you which, and while it's usually obvious, this enables the author to effectively mislead the reader on occasion. There are plenty of twists and turns here and the eventual denouement is a surprise, though I did guess the identity of one character before it was revealed (the careful avoidance of certain pronouns is always a sign of authorial trickery!).

The late Jerry prided himself on his romanticised Viking heritage, regaling his daughters with stories, and snippets of Viking lore are woven through the narrative. This adds an unusual dimension, though ultimately I did sympathise with Valentina's final verdict on "all that Viking stuff".

There are some great descriptions here. The characters jump off the page and Valentina's chaotic life and living conditions are particularly well drawn.

A cleverly crafted and highly engaging read which I can thoroughly recommend.

Many thanks to Bookuture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Whoa boy! This novel is a deeply scary and chilling psychological thriller that made my nerves buzz with tension.
The Good Sister is a riveting story that draws you in and grabs you by the neck and holds you. Two half-sisters, unknown to each other, encounter each other when their father dies. They learn that they were born just days apart and that their father has led a double life, keeping each family a deep dark secret from one of the mothers. Josie is an even keel, stable woman with a steady job and long term boyfriend. Her mother was married to the father, Jerry. Valentina is a dark, unstable, undisciplined woman. She weaves a web around Josie destroying Josie's life with lies and with pulling her into uncharacteristic situations. Valentina's destruction wreaks havoc until the terrifying end.

Really enjoyed this thriller one of my favorite things about any thriller is when through the whole time your reading it you end up second guessing your own self as to what's going on. The dynamics of these to sisters makes for a awesome plotline and with a shocking ending I definitely recommend this thriller.

I loved her first book and loved this as much. Nice and fast paced the way I like it

My, oh my, oh my. I was not expecting this book at all. From the very start you get a feeling of the mystery which surrounds Jerry Macauliffe. He is receiving ominous, almost threatening text messages but it is not clear who from. And it is in trying to escape from this constant stream of messages which sets in motion a chain of events that will change his family’s life forever. Travelling to the home he used for work to clear out Jerry’s belongings and coming face to face with a sister she never knew existed, his daughter, Josie Macauliffe, is faced with an impossible decision. To confess her father’s infidelity to her mother, or keep new sister Valentina and Jerry’s other life a secret. Whichever her choice she is bound to lose, but the question is, by how much?
Starting each chapter with a short piece on Viking Legend, author Jess Ryder had me immediately intrigued. Jerry Macauliffe was proud of his Viking heritage, something he instilled in both of his daughters, his Viking warriors, and some of the facts which are imparted upon us do inform the story, but you will not know how and by how much until the end of the book. The clues are all there if you wish to anticipate the ending, but the joy of reading this story is in letting everything gradually unfold in front of you for this is a very twisted tale where nobody is quite who they appear to be.
I love the way in which Josie and Valentina, although very alike in looks, could not be more different in terms of character. Josie is giving and caring, and far too trusting. Valentina is an altogether darker character and it is always clear that her motives for seeking to build a relationship with her sister are less than pure. Jess Ryder takes her time in revealing these motives to us as readers, which made me uncertain just how far to trust Valentina. You were never quite sure of whether soem of what she was thinking was memory or just some kind of psychosis or mania. She was one of those kinds of characters, charming and yet manipulative. But was that due to nature, nurture, or something far worse? All I knew for sure was that she was not being entirely honest with anyone and she revelled in the deception.
And that is part of the beauty of this book as it is essentially a tale centred around secrets. Not just the secrets Josie keeps from her mother, or that Valentina keeps from Josie, but also those which are deeper rooted in their respective family’s histories. It kept me as a reader hyper alert, waiting for the next revelation. There is a gradually building tension throughout, and you are permanently poised, ready for Valentina to do something and yet still taken unawares by her actions. The chapters are short and well paced, and as they alternate between the two girls points of view, it takes time at first to work out which one of the two sisters you are with.
There are subtle differences between the two in their ‘voice’, as well as the differences in their circumstances, which make it clear at first. But not telling the reader at the start of each chapter which sister is which, is a very clever plot device used by the author. It means that as you read on, as they start to become closer and their lives start to align more and more, certain things occur where you are never quite sure whether it is Valentina or Josie who is talking. You think you know but you are kept just the wrong side of being absolutely certain. And as for the ending … Well it makes both a metaphorical and literal splash, that’s for sure.
I was thoroughly engaged by this book, invested in the fates of both Josie and Valentina and desperate to know how much of what I was being fed was true and how much make believe. To find that out you are going to have to read the book for yourself.

Gripping and twisty throughout, kept me gripped from the word go. An absolute must read!
Definitely one of the best books of it's genre that I have read this year, a well deserved 5 stars.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the chance to read and review this novel for 5171 Miles Book Blog!

Jess Ryder is a new author to me and yet I was excited to head into The Good Sister, her latest psychological thriller that follows the lives of sisters Josie and Valentina.
After her father's sudden death, Josie finds out that he led a double life that included a secret house, a secret family and even a secret sister - a sister with the same red hair and the same icy blue eyes. But that is where is the similarities end. Whereas Josie is sweet, reserved and jealous, Valentina is care-free, confident and dangerous. But there can only be one sister and another dark secret might destroy them both.

Josie and Valentina's father always believed in his Viking heritage: he was tall, broad, pale and had that stiking red hair. Although his character was only short-lived in the story, the Viking theme was carried on through the entire book. I really enjoyed the historical facts that were given about the Vikings in the beginning of every chapter. Each one of those facts not only broadened my knowledge on Vikings, they also refered to the happenings in each chapter.

The beginning of the novel was slightly confusing which made it difficult for me to get into the story. One of the reasons was the alternating POV between Josie and Valentina. The chapters didn't mention which sister I was reading about and I only found out which through the course of the chapter. Although it was difficult in the beginning, there was a reason behind Ryder's not mentioning the names, which only made sense after finishing the book.
Josie was the character that the reader would root for from the beginning, the one who should 'win'. Because she was the good sister, right? Valentina was the bad and dangerous illegitimate sister, the character you would want to 'lose' as a reader. Valentina played her part well, she was batshit insane and the sister you shouldn't believe one word from. Josie, however, was different. I was rooting for her in the beginning, because she was the victim after all. But after about 1/3 into the book, I only had annoyance left for her. Her father's death, his lies, but especially Valentina's appearance made her act careless and make dumb decisions. She put herself in the most stupid situations, which made me only shake my head and role my eyes. It seemed like there was a second Valentina at one point.

The blurb for the this thriller promised a "nail-bitingly tense and unputdownable read that will keep you turning pages into the night". Unfortunately, I didn't experience any of it. The story really dragged and made me look at the "xx hours left in this book" on my kindle more than I can count. Don't get me wrong, it's not that nothing happened. There was some crazy stuff going on but that was not enough excitement or suspense for me. However, in the last 10 chapters or so things finally started to get interesting: lies were revealed and secrets were uncovered, things I never would've thought of. Those shocking twists made me give the book 3 star rating after all.

Pre-order your copy now: Jess Ryder's new psychological thriller The Good Sister releases on August 16th!