The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is a 2021 St. Martin’s Press publication.

Fern and Rose are fraternal twins. Yet, Rose is stable and mature, while Fern is on the autism spectrum. After a tumultuous childhood, Rose looks after her sister, who works at a library. Because Fern once did something really, really, bad, and because Rose’s marriage has hit a rough patch, Fern wants to make everyone happy again- and she knows just what she can do to make that happen.

While Rose is away, Fern sets her plan in motion…

What could possibly go wrong?

I breezed through this one in record time. For a little while I was not exactly sure where Hepworth was leading me and sat nervously on the edge of my seat waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Obviously, some terrible things have already transpired as we get a glimpse into the twins’ childhood. We also know that the girls were directly involved in a disquieting tragedy as children, and now it looks as if trouble may be brewing again. What is so alarming is that we don’t know WHO will strike, or when, or how…

The only downside to being a lifelong crime fiction loyalist, is that original plots are often far and few between. The good/bad sister trope is hardly original, having been done six ways from Sunday.

Once it became clear which direction the story was headed, the wind went out of my sails a little, but I was so concerned about the characters, I kept turning pages at warp speed. Turns out that although I knew- and I suspect, once most readers reach a certain point in the book, they will have caught on, as well- what the big plot twist was, there were a few stunning developments I did not see coming and the last chapter was truly psycho!!

Once I had a little time to think about the story, I realized that, in hindsight, it was much more cunning than I had originally given it credit. Still, the cleverness is in the well-drawn characterizations, without which, the doubts, concerns, and suspense, wouldn’t have been possible.

This is only the third book I have read by this author- but this one is a little different, having an edgier quality, utilizing another form of suspense from what I was expecting. Some of the emotional depth and relatability were lacking here, but overall, this was an absorbing, twisted little page turner!!

Every new offering from Sally Hepworth gets better and better! I enjoy all her books. This book was a fun and engaging read. Highly recommend.

Fern & Rose are twins. They don't look alike or even act alike, Fern is tall, thin and has a sensory disorder. Rose on the other hand is short, chubby and has diabetes. Rose is the protector. Being raised by a single mom who was mean with her children, Rose felt she needed to look out for Fern, protect her. She will even cover for Fern when young Fern does something that will ruin Fern's life forever.

I really enjoyed this novel. I got sucked right into the story with all the characters. Wondering what Fern really did that was so bad and what is Rose's agenda with her sister. Rose is very protected of Fern. To me she is very possessive and manipulative and I really didn't like Rose from the beginning.
I love the character development of Fern and her new friend "Wally". Both are quirky and their personalities fit together so well. The author does a great job with having the reader feel and understand what Fern is going through with her sensory issues.

I can't wait to read more by Sally Hepworth in the future.
I would give this novel a 5 stars! I had a hard time putting it down and was said to see the story end. I will miss Fern & Wally.

downloaded for my mother to read not my type of book. I will never read this type of book, not for me, no thank you

I loved The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth and have recommended this to many people so was really looking forward to The Good Sister. Unfortunately, for me, this just didn't quite succeed in the same way. It wasn't really a thriller and it was easy to guess where things were going. I'd put this in the "easy page-turner" category.

I read the Mother in Law by Sally Hepworth and really enjoyed it. The Good Sister is a suspense novel, but it manages to keep the reader entertained and surprised without being over the top and fast paced. This really is a book about two sisters and their relationship.
Twin sisters Fern and Rose have always been close. It was Rose who protected Fern from their sociopathic mother. Since Fern has always been different, it was Rose who looked out for her. So when Fern finds out that Rose wants a baby, Fern decides to get pregnant and give the baby to Rose. However, it isn't long before the sister's secrets start to unravel.

I received a free digital ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a great book with a great plot and many twists I was not expecting.

The story is told from the point of view of both Fern's current life and Rose's journal entries. We get a lot of background information about the sisters, including a narration of their unstable childhood. Rose explains that her sister's neurodiverse disorders have muddled her memories of their mom and acknowledges that noticing the toxic environment they grew up in caused her to bear the brunt of the abuse. Fern, on the other hand, sees her childhood as a carefree experience and holds no grudges against her mom. Their different perspectives explain how their lives and personalities turned out to be polar opposites.

The plot moves fast. The three events developing are Fern's choice to get pregnant to give her sister the baby, her developing relationship with Rocco, and the recollection of Fern and Rose's childhood memories. We get alternate chapters with Rose's diary entries that mostly focus on her memories of events during their childhood, including their friend Billy's drowning and their mom's overdose that almost killed her. From Fern's point of view, we learn her current routines and how her processing disorders have affected her life. We also see, through Fern's perspective, her love story with Rocco developing.


It is not explicitly said, but we can infer that Fern is on the autism spectrum, which explains some of her quirky personality traits such as her need to keep the same routines every week and her sensory processing issues. Rose explains Fern's disorders as a form of protection developed to overlook the abuse they suffered. Fern is happy and upbeat. She's a loyal and trusting person who is direct and has no filter, so she expects people to be the same. Overall, Fern is a well-rounded character who provides an excellent balance in a book with some unexpected and dark turns. The other main character, Rose, is somewhat of a pessimist with serious trust issues that have caused an issue in her marriage. She is skeptical of people's intentions, so when Rocco (or Wally) becomes a frequent presence in her sister's life, she's immediately suspicious.

The secondary characters are as well developed as the main ones, which I truly enjoyed. Not many writers get to tell a full story from different points of view while also creating well-rounded and developed secondary characters and storylines, so props to Sally Hepworth for creating such a unique domestic thriller.


The plot moves fast, which I greatly appreciated because I just couldn't put the book down. I was taken by surprise as the main plot twist is revealed although Hepworth did lay out the events in a way that, not only makes sense but fully explains the plot. I was caught off guard, and I truly enjoyed the ending.


Overall, an amazing read!

easy, fun read, but not what I would classify as a thriller. Fern's character was inconsistent -- seemed on the spectrum most of the time, but I would often be dragged out of the book at some comments and conversations that didn't fit with her previous comments. The relationship between the sisters was well done.

Sweet and twisty - another great Sally Hepworth book. A little bit Eleanor Oliphant with some mystery.

Wow. I honestly wasn't expecting pretty much anything that was in this book! What a great surprise! A book about twin sisters where one agrees to have a baby for the other who can't have a baby. What could go wrong? Seemed like a pretty straight forward plot for a thriller, but honestly, this was way different that what I expected - in the best way. There's so much depth to the characters and a lot of interesting backstory that is revealed throughout the book. Because this is kind of a slow burn, everything reveals itself & you don't really have anything to "figure out", but the slow reveal of everything had me shaking my head and trying to give the characters advice, which they obviously didn't take. Rude. Anyway, there's something so satisfying about kind of knowing what the main "thing" is, but being along for the ride to see how you get there, and that is what this book does really well.It reminded me of Liane Moriarty's writing style. I am a huge Liane Moriarty fan :)

There was also a great aspect of this book that focused on a woman with a neurodivergence. Because it was written from in first person, it really helped with the understanding of the what it is like to live with a sensory challenges.

I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth is so good! This one was thrilling, suspenseful and kept me turning the pages! The audio is really great too!

Thanks to NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this book.

The Good Sister is the story of twins, Fern and rose. Chapters alternate between Fern's story and Rose's journal. We learn that they had a difficult childhood marked by a tragedy that altered them forever. As the story opens, Rose has learned that she and her husband cannot conceive, and Fern decides to get pregnant and give the baby to her sister. Fern is on the spectrum but lives on her own with some oversight by her twin; as time goes on her interactions with Rose make the reader question whether or not Rose is caring for her sister out of love or to fulfill her own purposes. This book was a page turner from the beginning--once you start, you won't want to put it down!

The Good Sister, by Sally Hepworth, is one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read in a long time. The story revolves around a set of fraternal twins whose relationship with each other, and their mother is complicated and challenged. Every character is so nuanced that it is hard to not be thoroughly invested in the story and the outcome. Hepworth is a very talented writer who can make you laugh out loud and cry real tears within the same chapter. I’ve enjoyed one of her other books, and I’m determined to read every book she has written.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel. Highly recommend.

3.75 stars. Pretty solid psychological thriller, though predictable. Lots of funny moments that made the book stand out a little more.

I was so excited to get an early review copy of this book. I loved Sally Hepworth's last novel "The Mother-in-Law" and was eager to dig into this one.

The story revolves around Fern and Rose, twin sisters who experienced a sordid upbringing. Rose is desperately trying to get pregnant, and Fern is willing to go to extreme lengths to help that happen. Secrets from the sisters' past reveal themselves along the way.

I loved the character development in this novel, especially with Fern, who has become one of my favorite characters ever in a novel. The pacing is decent, and there are parts in the story that will frustrate the bejesus out of you - a sign of good storytelling from the author. While I didn't love it as much as "The Mother-in-Law", it's still a great read from Sally Hepworth.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s elinor oliphant is completely fine with a twin twist. Not too scary or creepy but very suspenseful! Love everything Hepworth has written and this is no exception!

Sally Hepworth is quickly becoming one of my most favorite authors, and even when I can predict what is happening it doesn't take away from my enjoyment of her novels. I don't have kids, let alone kids with special needs, but from what I hear from friends The Good Sister is excellent at portraying someone who is on the spectrum. Fern is one of my favorite characters of all time thanks to this, and I think the decision to have this type of character in the novel with proper representation has made Hepworth an even larger hit with readers. Fern really was the highlight of the entire book, and she made me laugh so many times, as well as making my heart just ache for her as she makes her way in the world. Is there anything more endearing than a character who calls someone Wally because he looks like the man in Where's Wally? (Where's Waldo? in the states)? I don't think so.

I listened to the audiobook and if you love audio then you need to listen to it because Barrie Kreinik hit it out of the park with her narration. I thought she was especially good as Fern, and if it's possible, made me love her even more. For me, there weren't a ton of surprises in The Good Sister because I have read a similar plot before, but there were still a few things I didn't see coming, and really I loved Fern so much that it didn't even matter. Hepworth's writing is very pacy and addictive, and I had a hard time putting the book down because of this. I will literally read anything she writes, but I think The Good Sister would be best for the newer thriller readers since the plot was something I had read before. However, if you love Hepworth you will probably still love this too, and Fern adds a little something more that I didn't get from the other book with this plot.

Thank you to Libro.fm and the publisher for both my advance listening copy and advance review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Self admittedly, I was a little apprehensive about this book. It reminded me a bit of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. The story of an interesting woman admittedly with sensory issues who struggles dating. However, with the addition of the twin sister and intertwined past and present storytelling, I fell in love with Fern and Wally! I did not foresee the incredible twist in this book…AT ALL! So twisty, premeditated, and unexpected!!
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Wow! I am a twin and am so glad this book didn’t describe our relationship! I loved the deep dive into these sisters, Fern and Rose! Fern is amazing and her relationship with Wally is heart warming even if frustrating at times. This was such a good story! I loved it from beginning to end!

3 stars.

Entertaining and actually a bit dark and twisted family drama/thriller. I read this one about a month ago and it's a bit forgettable, but I ended up really rooting for one of the sisters. For some reason, this book was difficult for me to get into in the beginning, but I stuck with it.

Enjoyable, but nothing really stands out to make this different in my view. I would recommend The Mother-in-Law over this one.

This book actually made me appreciate my brother and made me glad I don't have a sister! 🤣🤣