Twin sisters Rose and Fern Castle are devoted to one another, though the two have completely different personalities. Rose, an interior designer, is charming and outgoing, while Fern is more introverted and is easily overwhelmed with the sights and sounds of the world around her. Their chaotic upbringing has strengthened their bond, and Rose is convinced Fern is unable to navigate the world without Rose’s help, and has convinced Fern of that as well, ever since their ill-fated camping trip when the girls were just twelve.

Rose is desperate to have a baby, but is unable to conceive due to a medical condition, so Fern decides she will get pregnant and give the baby to Rose. Her friend from the library, Wally (aka Rocco), is a likely candidate, but once Fern is pregnant, the influence from Wally and her library co-workers have her reconsidering her decision, infuriating Rose once she sees her control over Fern slipping away. Rose’s diary entries show Fern as incompetent at best, and dangerous at her worst. With their mother in a care facility, the girls have only each other to rely on, and Rose has always been the strong one.

Fern’s blind devotion to Rose is understandable given that the twins have never had any stability, but is also frightening when you realize Rose is hell-bent on getting her way, even if it means sacrificing her sister. Rose’s diary entries can be particularly chilling, and I definitely felt badly for the girls being raised in that environment of their mother’s addictions and revolving boyfriends. I was fascinated by this story, and appreciated the layers in this story that made me realize things are not always as they seem on the surface.

I really enjoyed this thriller. It wasn’t too scary but was an interesting and chilling depiction of sisterhood. I loved Fern and Wally/Rocco - they were both such sweet characters! The end wasn’t a surprise for me but it was still well-written and clever. This was a quick read and I would recommend it!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fern and Rose are twin sisters who have always been able to count on each other. Fern is the quirky one. The librarian who will tell you exactly what is what and has not a single ounce of pretense about her. Rose is the more responsible sister. She has always looked out for Fern and has been "her person." Fern knows Rose will do anything for her, so when Fern discovers she has the opportunity to help out Rose, she considers making the selfless offer. And when Ferrn meets a man who she calls "Wally" because of his resemblance to the character in "Where's Waldo?" she makes the final decision to help Rose. Wally is a bit quirky himself, he lives in a van after all, but he accepts Fern for who she is and he is somebody she actually enjoys spending time with him. When Rose finds out about Wally, she forces Fern to make a tough decision. Will Fern let Rose make all of the decisions for her yet again, or will she finally realize that not everybody wants what is best for Rose.

The Good Sister was an absolutely delightful read. The book is told from alternating perspectives. Ferns in present day and Rose from her journal entries. Rose's journal entries go all the way back to their childhood and paint a pretty disturbing picture. Fern, on the other hand, was quite likable with her quirky ways and sensory processing issues. I liked how she warmed up to Wally and how her new boss warmed up to her. It was endearing in a Sheldon Cooper sort of way. Unfortunately, not everybody had Fern's best interest at heart. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS


Bottom Line - The Good Sister was a fast read that had me hooked from the first page. With intriguing characters and a clever plot, you have the perfect mix for a splendid book.



Details:

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
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Pages: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 4/13/2021
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Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Okay so to give an honest review I have to admit I was not into this book at all in the beginning. A friend of mine started it and only got to 30% and quit. I’m not going to lie, I almost quit too. The beginning was annoying and I couldn’t stand Fern’s character at all. The ONLY reason I kept going was because the reviews are so high and I needed to see why? I thought (and hoped) it must get better. And yes it did! I would say the first half of the book was only about a 3 star for me but when I hit the second half it got so much better!! If the whole book had been like the second half, it would have gotten 5 stars from me!! As always with mysteries, I made some predictions as I was reading and I did figure out a few things, but even though I was right, I still enjoyed watching it unfold in the book. By the time I hit about 75%, I really took a liking to Fern. I definitley wish the beginning of this book would have been better but I still do recommend it. Since I did enjoy the author’s writing style, I’m really looking forward to reading The Mother-In-Law sometime soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I had read another book by this author so I was a little surprised by this book at first. I was feeling like I had misunderstood the genre of this book. I ended up really enjoying this read!! I enjoyed the characters and the twist that I didn’t see coming! Great job, I will definitely recommend this book to others!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Two sisters that are totally different from each other. Rose is a career woman with her husband that has left for London. Fern works in the library and is a little bit different from the rest of society. She meets a guy she thinks is homeless and she calls him Wally from the Where’s Waldo? books.
I kept hearing about this psychological thriller and people are right it is great. Now I admit it started a little slow but then it took off and I could not put it down.

Rose and Fern are fraternal twin sisters. Raised by their single mother after their father left, their memories of their mother and their upbringing are completely different. The story is told primarily from the viewpoint of Fern, with excerpts from Rose's journal interspersed every few chapters. We don't learn as much about Rose's current life except that she is believed to be married, have a good job, and takes credit for taking care of her sister for most of their lives.
Fern has completed college and is a well liked librarian, but is considered to be a little "different". She has oddities of speech and perception, and is most likely on the autism spectrum. She, also, gives credit to Rose for always being there for her and helping her through life.
The story of their current lives is a very good one. The interception of perceptions and reality is told slowly, with amazing revelations of the truth. This is an excellent, well written story which I enjoyed reading immensely. I found myself liking and rooting for Fern throughout, and was very happy about how things turned out for her. The revelations about Rose were more than I expected, but very believable.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for a chance to read it. This review is an honest and freely given.

In THE GOOD SISTER by Sally Hepworth twin sisters, Fern and Rose, grapple with the results their unpalatable early life with an unstable mother who currently resides in a nursing home after a failed suicide attempt.

Sister Fern, a librarian who suffers from a form of autism has somewhat adjusted to her lot in life and even has fallen in love while Rose is attempting to save her failing marriage by having a baby.

Ms. Hepworth brings magic to the seemingly mundane as she alternates her tale between Ferns current experiences and Rose’s diary entries building layer upon layer of clues (like pastry and butter in the best croissants) luring the reader in with a false sense of familiarity only to reveal something else entirely.

Ultimately the author has her readers examining their own relationships and posing the question “Do we really understand the perspective of others and how words and actions have a different meaning to each individual”.

I have been a fan of Sally Hepworth since I read "The Mother-in Law". This is a story about twin sisters and their complicated relationship. It takes turns being told from each sister's point of view. The story is very compelling and there are some twists and turns to the plot. I couldn't put it down and I highly recommend it.

Review of The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book. If I could give more than five stars I would. This book is everything. A mystery yes. A thriller yes. But, to me, it was mostly a book about neurodiversity. As many of you know by now, I have a son with level three autism. He is nonverbal. He needs me for everything. He has sensory processing disorder. Fern, one of the main characters, is verbal, but clearly on the spectrum and with major sensory issues. Sally Hepworth, you wrote this character to PERFECTION. There are no words to describe how you NAILED THIS. The best depiction I’ve read since I became very educated on the topic both through my son and some with my job.

Fern and Rose are twins. Rose always looks after Fern. They had a very difficult upbringing with their single mother. In adulthood they have their own struggles. Rose is in a struggling marriage due to infertility concerns. Fern is a librarian who struggles to remember important things and she has problems with coworker interactions and sensory concerns. But then Fern meets “Wally” AKA Rocco, and their problems all collectively improve. The relationship between these two literally melted my heart. Melted. We all need a Wally. Then the mystery and thriller part kicks in. My jaw dropped. The twists and turns were crazy. Nothing is as it seems. I don’t want to give away details but it was mindblowing.

This book has so much. You can’t put it into one box or genre. This is almost certainly my book of the year for 2021. So please go now and buy it.

OMG!!!! This is as good as everyone is shouting about!! This is a story of two fraternal twin sisters, Rose and Fern, who share a dark secret and lose their mom at young age. At the core it is about sisterly love, loyalty and betrayal of epic proportions. Obviously I love it even more because Fern is a librarian and the quotidian details of life working in a library are captured so accurately! I also really love that Sally Hepworth has written a neuro diverse main character (Fern and her boyfriend are both on the spectrum and have sensory processing disorders) and she shows so beautifully that they can live fulfilling, productive and happy lives just like anyone else. It's VERY hard to talk about this book without giving away too much but it is a deep dive into pathological manipulation to the EXTREME! I am also in love with the very last line - it is the best mic drop line I've read in such a long time. RUN to get your hands on this book, you will be on the edge of your seat to the very end especially if you love a gripping psychological thriller! Thanks NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

TW: sexual assault/molestation/rape of a minor

Sally Hepworth just gets better and better. THE GOOD SISTER, was so good I love Fern. Would make a great movie as well.
Thanks Netgalley.

Wow, this book was a page turner. For those wanting the recommendation up front, I will say that I loved the story and would highly recommend reading this book. The author does an awesome job drawing you into the lives of these twin sisters. She keeps you guessing about who is good and really if any of the characters are. The author does a terrific job building these characters fully. You will identify and sympathize with the twists and turns their lives present. The following summary attempts to avoid spoilers.

Twin sisters Rose and Fern have spend their lives always together. Even as adults, they have specifics nights the dine together, other errands they do together and shared rituals. Rose greatest desire is to have children and when it becomes definitely not a possibility for her, she struggles to deal with it. Fern lives her life in a very logical way and makes decisions with a cloud of past mistakes in mind. Circumstances begin to evolve into life choices that could be family bliss or a complete disaster.

From the beginning you wonder if this sister bond is healthy or not. The twins alternately narrate this story about what is happening in their present lives. The story focuses on what seems like attempts to flourish but things aren’t always what they seem.

A story of two lives entwined and tangled together. A mother who played mind games with her twin daughters,often trying to separate their loyalties. A mother one sister refuses to visit not that she is incapacitated. One sister Fern is on the autism spectrum and offer misses cues given. The other sister Rose may not be married very soon, her husband has accepted a job far away and taken legal measures to end their union. Rose the protector, wants a child that it appears she cannot have due to the neglect of their mother. Fern who chooses to give her sister the one thing she wants engages a young man she mistakes for homeless and an alliance is formed. The story has significant flashbacks to underline the narrative but still does not prepare us for what unfolds. Happy Reading

The Good Sister is billed as a thriller, but it's really not. It's more of a domestic drama with most of the tension between twin sisters Rose and Fern. They each recall their childhood differently, Rose's through diary entries and Fern through talking about it. Fern has sensory processing disorder and seems to potentially be on the spectrum as well. She doesn't understand sarcasm, facial expressions or literary expressions. She works as a librarian and is excellent at her job. As a character, she was excellent. She was well-developed and flawed, but perfectly.

Rose is only developed through her diary entries. She talks about their childhood and how their mother treated them. She talks about her marriage and her desire for a child. She talks about Fern and how she's always had to protect her because of her issues. She's looked out for her sister all her life and is worried about her.

I figured out the "twist" in this book early on, which took away a little bit from it. However, the storyline was still well done and I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen and how the book was going to end. Everything was resolved, and I did appreciate that. I guess my main criticism was that I figured out a lot of "mystery" as I read through.

I enjoyed this book . . . until I didn't. When it all came together in the end, I felt as if I had been lied to (because I had). I am a big fan of the unreliable narrator; I am not a big fan of the narrator as liar. Because of this, I dropped it a star.

I did like that the author kept me guessing. At one point, I thought Fern had killed Rose which is why we were reading Rose's story via her diary; at another point, I thought Rose had killed Owen, so I was clearly all over the map. I *thought* the author's description of a character with a sensory processing disorder was accurate, but perhaps those who have personal experience feel differently. I really enjoyed the library setting and, as someone who has worked in a public library, I can tell you NO ONE ever wants to deal with the printer. EVER.

I own other books by this author but haven't read them yet. I loved this book, and will move her other books up my TBR list.
I don't have a sister, but always wanted one, although I'd heard plenty of bad with the good perks of having a sister from my friends. These twin sisters put a whole new twist on the ups and downs of sisterhood!
My favorite character in the mix is Waldo (Rocco.) He's lovable, patient, kind, smart, and yes, you envision "Where's Waldo." The story plays out well, even though you have an idea of how it may end, so many things are woven into the story and the author does an excellent job of slowly peeling away the layers to give us a glimpse into the adult sister's past, their personalities, and how they perceive themselves and life.
Thanks much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this great read!

A diabolical and compelling read filled with emotional drama that tugs at the heartstrings and entertains with its twists and turns.

Twenty-eight-year-old twin sisters Rose and Fern are completely different in both looks and personality. Fern works as a librarian. She's not your typical librarian. She wears her hair like Princess Leia (it’s practical!) and she’s partial to bright and sparkly clothing adorned with things like rainbows and unicorns. Fern takes her job VERY seriously. However, if a patron needs assistance with the photocopiers she’ll do almost anything she can to avoid them. Rose is married and works as an interior designer. She’s quick to point out that she’s the type “who designs office spaces, not the type who chooses scatter cushions.”

The sisters spend a lot of time together. Fern has dinner at Rose’s house at least three times a week.

Rose’s husband, Owen has been in London working for the last three months. Rose was not able to accompany him. She needed to stay to help Fern. Rose has always felt the need to protect her sister. They had a difficult childhood with a very manipulative mother. Something happened when they were twelve years old that changed their lives forever. Only Rose and Fern know what really happened that day. It’s a secret they have both kept all these years.

Some people find Fern very peculiar. She has sensory issues and gets overloaded easily by bright lights, loud noises, large groups of people, and more. She also has difficulty reading social cues. These things can make life difficult for Fern. Rose understands all of this tries to make things easier for her. Fern appreciates how much her sister does for her. That’s one of the reasons why she wants to help Rose fulfill her lifelong dream.

“This could be my chance to pay Rose back for everything she’s always done for me.”

But things don’t always go the way we think they’ll go.

And sometimes, things aren’t always what they seem…

Will the secret the sisters are keeping finally come to light? And what if that isn’t the only secret being kept?

I loved this book!!

This was the perfect read to help me escape from reality for a while. Sally Hepworth writes about family drama in a way that’s often relatable. There were many endearing characters in this novel and the interactions between them had me laughing out loud at times.

The story alternates between Rose and Fern’s point of view and includes flashbacks to their childhood. Some things may seem obvious but I feel like the author intended it to be that way. So while I did figure out a few things early on, I was so engrossed and entertained that it didn’t bother me at all.

A clever story about family dynamics and dysfunction, manipulation, complicated relationships, and of course secrets!


I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This is my 2nd Sally Hepworth novel and she is now officially one of my must read authors.

Fern and Rose are twin sisters. Rose is the responsible one whereas Fern is the absent minded one. Rose has spent her life protecting Fern, taking the blame and getting punished to spare Fern from harm and discipline. Fern did something very bad at the age of 12 and Rose has kept that secret to keep Fern safe.

Now it's Fern's turn to repay Rose. You see, Rose is having trouble conceiving a child and Fern thinks she can finally be the one to help. But Fern starts to realize that Rose is harboring some secrets of her own.

This book is fantastic and so addictive. The characters are well developed and I especially liked Wally, a friend of Fern's. Their interactions were heartwarming at times and hilarious at others.

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

Oh my! Who is The Good Sister? Is it Rose or Fern? Twins Rose and Fern are total opposites. Rose has spent her life taking care of Fern, and Fern has needed Rose to help her function. Rose has always protected Fern growing up with their unstable mother, and even kept her secrets, especially Fern’s darkest secret. Fern is not good in social situations and gets overwhelmed easily. She also takes things literally and misses social cues, but she has a good job as a librarian and is excellent at figuring out what people need. Rose has a great job and a husband, but she is also diabetic and has recently found out that she cannot have children. Knowing she can never leave Fern; she and her husband are attempting a long-distance relationship when he gets a job in London. When Fern finds out Rose cannot have children, she realizes that the best way she can pay her sister back for everything is to have a baby for her. So, she puts her plan in motion, not expecting to meet the perfect man for her.
Told by alternating points of view between Rose’s journal (her therapist suggested she keep one to deal with her childhood trauma) and Fern’s present, we start to learn about each sister’s personality and how they see their relationship and view their past. Fern’s budding relationship with Wally (Rocco) brings more changes to the sister’s dynamic, especially when Fern finds out she is pregnant. What will happen next? The more you read the more you will wonder if either narrator is reliable. I enjoyed the character development and I found myself rooting for one sister.
I don’t want to give anything away but suffice to say that things started to niggle at my brain, and I started to wonder. Sally Hepworth’s THE GOOD SISTER kept me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t put it down.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#TheGoodSister #SallyHepworth #stmartinspress