This novels keeps you hooked even past the end! A real page turner with a classic unreliable narrator, it was a very good thriller

Wow, I read this book in just over a day. I've really enjoyed Sally Hepworth's books in the past and this one did not disappoint. The Good Sister hit all the marks that keep me engaged in a thriller.

Fern and Rose are twin sisters but very different from one another. They were raised by a not-so-great mom and Rose has always tried to protect Fern even into their adult years. Rose wants a baby more than anything and Fern decides she can help as Rose has always helped her. Be ready for lies, secrets, and a page-turning story.

I loved Fern’s character. She’s on the autism spectrum, and I think the author does a good job of portraying her character’s sensory issues without it seeming to take over the story.

This was a page-turner intertwining Fern’s life and Rose’s diary. The short chapters will cause you to keep saying “just one more chapter” and keep you up way too late. It wasn’t full of shocking twists but was so satisfying that I’d recommend to anyone that loves thrillers or family dramas.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this digital copy!

3.5 Rounded Up

I received a reviewer copy of The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth from the publisher St. Martin’s Press from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Manipulation, Murder, Neurodiverse Characters (the author is not neurodiverse, so not own voices, but she has neurodiverse children), Infertility.

What It’s About: Fern and Rose are twin sisters who depend on one another. Fern Castle is dependent on routine and has significant sensitivity to overstimulation like bright lights or loud noises. She works at the library which has always been her happy place. Yet, the sister’s share a hidden secret and challenging life, their mother overdosed when they were young and one day when Fern was trying to be helpful she made a devastating mistake and Rose protected her. So when Rose is struggling to get pregnant, Fern immediately wants to have a baby for Rose, all she need is a man. And so it begins and things are not what they seem.

What I Loved: I loved Sally Hepworth’s last book the Mother In-Law and it was fabulous. As someone who likes family sagas and more literary fiction, Sally Hepworth’s mysteries (or slow moving thrillers) are really ideal because the ‘who did it’ is only an aspect of the story, the majority of the story plays with family and character dynamics. Sally Hepworth is excellent at this and here is no difference. This book explores family dynamics and sister dynamics as well as a character trying to process a world where she misses a lot of subtlety. Honestly, what Sally Hepworth accomplished here is a feat.

What I Didn't Like So Much: To be honest, I appreciate the literary method for sure and to weave this story is skill. That said, the unreliable narrator doesn’t often work for me because I get frustrated and this book definitely has it. One of the biggest problems I had with the book was I thought that Hepworth was making her neurodivergent character a villain and so reading it made me cringe because I wasn’t supportive of this. That said, Sally Hepworth delivers and I should have trust her but my discomfort with where I thought it was going made me so annoyed, it kind of wrecked my experience to an extent.

Who Should Read This: People who love ‘slow burn thrillers (I know that’s not a thriller by definition but ya know)’. People who have loved Sally Hepworth in the past. People who love an unreliable narrator.

Quick Summary: A story of two sisters who have gone to hell and back together and are making another trip.

Although I felt like it started slow, it got to the point where I couldn’t put it down. I had a feeling Rose wasn’t going to be the “good sister,” but had no idea it would turn out the way it did. A good, quick mystery that I surprisingly enjoyed.

I was given at advance copy of the book from NetGalley.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is the first book I read of hers, but it will not be the last.

It appeared Fern and Rose are as close as twin sisters can be. In reality, their relationship is much different. Rose is the responsible, pragmatic sister who always looks out for Fern. Fern is the quirky one who always sees the good in everyone. People do not realize Rose looks out for Fern because of her publicly perfect mother, who in secret is a sociopath, and because of what Fern did when she was younger.

The book is much more than I thought it would be. It is a psychological thriller that explores how people with high-functioning autism are treated and how they view everyday occurrences. It is also a family drama, a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless.

Hepworth builds the main characters and the people surrounding them well. She describes their world well enough to be in their world but without too much detail slowing down the story. Her storytelling and the story made Sally Hepworth an author. I want to read more of her work.

On Goodreads, Hepworth is the #1 most followed author in Australia.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com.

This was by far the epitome of a psychological thriller.
Chapters alternate between the fraternal twin sisters and their lives growing up in a dysfunctional single parent home with their Mother.
Even though the chapters didn't run into each other it still makes for a well written page turner.
Who is the good Sister you ask? Well you'll have to read to the end to find out.!
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press and the Author, Sally Hepworth for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second Sally Hepworth book I have read and my favorite so far. A cleverly written domestic suspense, this one is packed with complicated and dysfunctional relationships, multi-layered yet relatable characters and secrets. Told in dual POV with unreliable narrators, I found this well written story to be mostly believable, in fact the ending had my stomach in knots with tension praying for the right outcome. A compulsively addictive read, I was immediately drawn in and while it was a bit predictable at times, the suspense still compelled me to keep turning the pages late into the night. Highly recommend to lovers of domestic or psychological thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"That's the strangest thing about having a sister, in my opinion. The way you can be mad at them and want their approval all at once. In books, it makes it look like it's all sunshine and lollipops or blood and guts. it's actually both all the time. Sunshine and guts, lollipops and blood. Good and bad. The bad is essential to the relationship as the good."

THE GOOD SISTER was not what I expected, but I think that made it even better. I loved the dual-POV, alternating between Rose's journal (which mainly reflected upon the past) and Fern's experiences in the present. Fern was a delightful surprise, and she is easily one of my new favorite literary characters. Furthermore, the tension near the end had me turning the pages in a race to know what the outcome would be. Kudos to the author for writing a neurodivergent character with compassion while simultaneously creating the atmospheric tension so essential to the genre. This may have been my first Hepworth novel, but it won’t be my last. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the Advance Readers' Edition in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.5, rounding up.

this is my first book by this author and i really really enjoyed it. maybe it's because this isn't my usual genre, or because it's my first book by SH, but i was really surprised and did not expect it to go where it went. it took me over a month to get more than a couple chapters in, but that was me, not the book - and once i did, i read the bulk of it in one sitting. i thought it was a super quick and interesting read. I really liked Fern, the library and all the side characters at the library.

my favourite part was educating readers about Where's Wally. I had no idea there were others in other countries, but every time someone says Where's Waldo, it's like nails on a chalkboard to me ;) Wally all the way. (also, how freaking cute was that).

Sally Hepworth is quickly becoming a go-to for me. I loved this book! It had me hooked from the beginning and I could not put it down. It was exactly what I want in a thriller.

Sally Hepworth knows how to write a page-turner of a read! Incredibly gripping family story that kept me wondering until the end. Hepworth is becoming a must-read author for me.

Ya'll. This book grabbed me and kept me engaged from beginning to end. This was my first time to read Sally Hepworth and I really enjoyed it. It kept me guessing and I loved all of the library references! I will definitely read more by her and have recommended it to all of my friends to read!

I have not read many Sally Hepworth books, but I have really enjoyed the ones I have read. Fern and Rose are twins who were raised by a mother that was not loving and nurturing. So, they depended on each other, particularly Fern. She knows that she is different and needs to have someone help her with her processing and sensory issues. Rose has always been the person for her. Fern decided that since Rose has not been able to get pregnant, she could have a baby for Rose and her husband. Then she meets Wally at the library where she works. He seems to understand her and he is not taken back by her peculiarities. What a fun couple they were to read about. So supportive and positive. I loved the relationships in the book. Fern was such a real character. Someone that had faults and difficulties, but was also so honest and genuine. I highly recommend this book with real characters who love and hate and keep secrets. but also characters that are dark and misleading. It is a great book.

First of all I have to say that I was really amazed at how well the author brought out the different personalities of the main characters - Rose, Fern and Wally. Especially given Fern’s sensory issues. I really enjoyed Fern and Wally. I enjoyed the entire book. Very good.

WOW! The Good Sister is a twisted psychological thriller that will have you guessing who the bad sister is till the very end.

I really enjoyed this book. The dual perspective writing really gave us an insight into each sister’s thoughts. I couldn’t help but route for Fern the entire time. I wanted so much for her to get her happy ever after. Rose seemed off from the very beginning but I didn’t figure out how off she was till the very last page! I loved how fast paced this novel was. I found myself racing to the very last page to figure out the true villain.

My only complaint is I wish the ending could have been a little longer. I feel like everything happened so fast after Fern broke out of the hospital to the police telling her Rose killed their mom. I just wanted a little more.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to pick up another one of Sally Hepworth’s books. If you are a psychological thriller fan, this book is for you.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Good Sister was interesting psychological fiction that revolved around twin sister, Fern and Rose, and relationship between them. The story was about manipulation, secrets, lies, trust, and family drama.

Writing was gripping, compelling with sense of foreboding from the beginning. It was written in first person narrative from alternative perspective of Fern and Rose with their present and past. We see Rose’s side of story through her journal entries.

Plot was character driven with steady to fast paced. I went blind into this book by just author’s name. I didn’t know what synopsis said and I think you would enjoy this book more like that.

It was really clear which sister was good and which sister was giving bad feeling. I think author wasn’t trying to hide things and was laying hints throughout the book and yet author had a way that made me keep reading and captivated with sisters’ life. So, I would say, it’s not about who is bad and who is not but more about where it’s going and how far the bad sister would go and if the good sister can save herself from her or not.

It was interesting to see where Wally and Fern’s relationship was going, what will happen with news of pregnancy, what secrets Rose was keeping and how their mother would help?

First half the book was all about character building, both sisters’ childhood and their relationship with each other and with their mother, how they grew up and how that relationship changed over the time. Second half of the book was all about manipulation and revelation of secrets. I loved this part more. Best part of the book was setting of Library and characters.

Family dynamic was amazing. I couldn’t have imagined how twisted this family was. I didn’t like the sound of their mother from Rose’s diary entries. It was horrible and depressive to read how their childhood was. There was even mention of paedophile. So, whenever Fern mentioned their mother I was really confused, it was a mystery in itself and for this particular point I couldn’t see whom to believe. Oddly, I thought their mother died in first few chapters until Fern mentioned her but it shouldn’t have surprised me as it was there in synopsis.

Both sisters were realistic, flawed and complex. There were no boundaries in both sisters’ life that was also part of central theme. This line from the book was so true-

It’s like she doesn’t know where she ends and you begin. It’s like she thinks… you belong to her or something… And you don’t have great boundaries with her either…

Fern was librarian. She was odd but funny and really great. Her dry humour and logics made me smile so often that I almost forgot I was reading psychological fiction. She was loyal to fault, honest, and strong character. Her sensory processing issue was well presented. I didn’t know about this condition until I read this book. It made me feel for her and I could see how everyday life could be difficult with it in this noisy world. I really admired her passion for books and her job. I wish I could dive in book and work with her in library. She was actually easy to like and she grew on me pretty quick. I feared and worried for her throughout the book.

Rose was interior designer. She was dominating, ruled Fern’s life, and had a way being constantly there in Fern’s life. Her obsession of being mother was frightening.

Twist and turns were good. Most were predictable but author sure surprised me at few points in last 30% of the book. Climax was amazing. I was just surprised how one sister couldn’t see through the other or actually could see but be in denial mode. Most unbelievable was she knew she couldn’t trust other sister and yet asked to call her for support! All the events from this point made me all excited. End was great and satisfactory. I was so involved and so much in love with the good sister that if the end wasn’t satisfying, I swear, I would have broken something in house.

Why 4.5 Stars-

I don’t see anything wrong with this book except predictability but as I said I think it wasn’t about who or why but more like what now. And I have to say The Mother-in-Law was even better than this.

Overall, The Good Sister was riveting, compelling and engaging psychological thriller with amazing family dynamic and drama.

There was something about this novel that made me love it.

I don't know if it was Fern with the way she processed the world or if it was Wally and his hat or if it was the way the author decided on the resolution of the suspense. I just ended up being delighted by it!

Could I guess where the story was going? Certainly. Yet, I love and appreciate the delivery!

The book is about two fraternal twins.

Fern Castle is a tall blonde girl who has sensory processing disorder. She prefers to follow her routine day by day and hates when her schedule gets changed. Fern works as a librarian and loves her job except when the manager wants her to greet people or learn about the printer or copy machines, then Fern fines her hidey-hole and stays there until she feels safe enough that she can go out again.

Rose is the other sibling. She is a brunette, shorter than Fern. She's an interior decorator. She is married but she has always looked out for Fern. Her diary is full of passages about how her mother behaved when they were kids and how she protected Fern from her neglect.

When Rose confides in Fern that she can't have children due to premature ovarian failure, Fern decides that the best way to help Rose is to get pregnant herself and give the baby to Rose. She just needs to find a man and have sex with him.

Enters Wally, I mean Rocco, an IT genius who is living out of his van. He's nice to Fern. He's patient with her and he seems to understand Fern's limitations and tries to make things easier for her. Having himself some issues, it was easy for him to relate to Fern. Yet can their relationship work?

I love Fern with all her quirkiness, her love for books, her special hidden space. She made the book for me. I did fall for Wally too. Such a nice guy! I want to be friends with them and meet at the library. I just need to wear my goggles (which I already use for work--thank you, COVID) and borrow the noise-canceling headphones from my hubby.

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of Paula Hawkins, Shari Lapena or B.A. Paris will love this book! Sally Hepworth has crafted another brilliant domestic/suspense thriller. The title implies that only one of the sisters is "good," and as the narrative shifts between sisters Fern and Rose, our perception of which is which wavers. Fern is not neurotypical, and Hepworth writes sensitively about Fern's difficulties in crowds and social settings. At first the implication is that Rose received the healthy, "good" brain. But Rose's increasing desperation to have a baby soon changes the narrative: does she have the healthy brain while Fern enjoys good physical health? And how do these various situations inform their complex relationship? As Hepworth reveals more details, she ratchets up the suspense. I sped through the novel, fearing the worst outcome. The ending was quite satisfying, with a chilling conclusion. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two sisters, the tale of their past intertwined with the present, but which is ‘The Good Sister?!’

This will keep you guessing right up until the end!
As the story twists and turns you really get to know the characters and you may just change your mind about them!
I loved how the author developed the characters and how it was written with journal entries as well as what was happening now.
I really loved Ferns character and how the author normalised challenges she faced within her world, how we should all accept each other, whatever we see as ‘normal’. I really enjoyed how her relationship builds with ‘Wally’ and how we discover more about him and his similarities with Fern and how he helps her overcome obstacles in her life.

All in all a great read, definitely recommend it.
I would certainly read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and most importantly the author, for the chance to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.