I loved this one from beginning to end and could not put it down.
Fern and Rose are fraternal twins, close as can be. Fern has sensory issues and depends on Rose to be “her person”.
Rose is having marital woes and is separated from her husband. She also desperately wants a baby. Rose also seemingly depends on Fern more than Fern realizes.
When a stranger walks into the library where Fern works and turns her little, controlled world upside down, truths about both sisters come to light.

This story played out so well and didn’t skip a beat. There’s no lag, not one minute of word use just to take up space. It’s twisty, heartwarming and fabulous.

I Did not enjoy this book-too weird. Did not finish so unable to give a review for this author. The story was a jumbled mess.

sick & dark & completely loveable.

fern and wally/rocco 🥺 please. i loved them so much and i only wanted good for them. i wanted them to find their way, to find themselves and each other through the mess.

i wasn’t sure what i should be looking for or what to expect at the beginning, i wasn’t sure who’s account was true and who’s was false. but about halfway through i started getting suspicious, and i’d say i knew what to expect...to a certain extent.

sisters do anything for each other don’t they? they protect them and guide them, they are a support system for one another. but how much is too much? where does one like end and the other begin?

I enjoyed reading this book! Sally has a knack for developing strong characters and a super suspenseful plot,

This is the first book by Sally Hepworth that I have read. He Good sister is the story of twin sisters, Fern and Rose, who could not be more different. Rose is married, has a career and is aching to have a child. Fern suffers from sensory processing disorder. All types of stimuli - light, sound touch -are overbearing and stressful to her to the point of causing occasional meltdowns. Fern works in the local library, which she loves. This is her world, her space where she fits.
One day Fern offers a toiletry kit to a man who she assumes to be homeless. Wally lives in a van, by choice, and has some complicated emotional issues of his own. A friendship begins.
Rose is very protective of her sister, who she see as vulnerable to the outside world. She reinforces her belief by constantly reminding Fern of her limitations and telling her how she was the one to protect Fern from their horrible mother and her boyfriends during their childhood. Rose has also kept a terrible secret of something Fern did when they were 12. Rose has always been such a good sister.
I enjoyed the portions of the book that took me into the world of Fern and Wally. Their proclivities were well written without being overly dramatic. It was a clumsy, loving space that they lived in. I could also feel the stress in the sections from Rose’s diary. Each character was well written, but I felt not fully developed.
It was quite obvious where the story was leading from early on in the book. The fun in reading the story was in seeing how the author would take us there. I wish the Author had not shown her hand so early, it would have made a pleasant ride more exciting.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of The Good Sister in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of The Good Sister. The opinions in my review are entirely my own and not influenced by receiving this book.

Fern is sweet and quirky, and Rose is the good responsible one. Rose, like a good sister, is there to always protect Fern and rescue her whenever her when she is overwhelmed by life. But when Fern falls in love, the reality Rose has created is threatened.

Sally Hepworth portrays a diabolical love-you hate-you relationship between two twin sisters. The writing flows across the pages, capturing two sides of a sisterly bond that's both loving and hurting. Trust also plays large in this sibling relationship.

While I found the story a little slow to develop at first, it revs into high gear thereafter that will keep you reading well into the night. The characters are well developed, and how the story unfolds between Fern and Rose's diary entries works well. I found Hepworth's inspiration for the story intriguing and unique - well done!

I am adding Sally Hepworth to my list of “automatic buy“ authors. She captures the reader from the first page in her latest book, The Good Sister. She captures the emotions and characteristics of the sisters so perfectly. Her research is spot-on.

The Good Sister is a highly entertaining, psychological thriller/domestic drama about twin sisters, and the lengths one sister will go to get what she desires, even if it means costing her twin her sanity.

This is the second book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth and it’s phenomenal. Fern is a very interesting character. As a librarian, I loved the fact that she was one. She is very detail oriented due to being on the spectrum, which makes her good at her job. My favorite line in the book has to be, "taking a child to the library is the very best education you can give a child".

It seems like Rose is the protector of Fern from their physically and emotionally abusive mother (she would take all the blame for anything done wrong to protect Fern), but as readers go through the book, and read both sides of stories, we start to wonder if Rose is who we think she is. Is she really a caring and protective sister, or is there something more sinister, controlling and manipulative about her?

My favorite chapters were those spent in the present day with Fern and Rocco (called “Wally” by Fern due to his resemblance to Where’s Wally). I enjoyed how the reader found out that Wally was a bit like Fern (he also doesn't like to be touched). I loved Wally and Ferns date at the restaurant. He really knows her and tries to do whatever he can to make her more comfortable (headphones, goggles, unscented flowers). He is very considerate and perceptive. He has bad feelings he about Rose and how much she controls Fern’s life saying "Something's not right about her. She doesn't know where she ends and you begin. She thinks you belong to her". Once Fern becomes closer with Wally, Rose feels like Fern isn’t paying enough attention to her and seems to go out of her way to make Fern uncomfortable. Rose says she’s concerned about Fern, but it seems like she’s trying to keep her hold on Fern.

Overall, I loved the twisty, riveting story and the well-crafted characters. Fern and Wally stole my heart! Sally Hepworth is a wonderful thriller author and I can't wait to read more from her. I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys drama, mystery and family relationships.

I love reading twisty psychological thrillers, and even more so when they involve family. In The Good Sister, author Sally Hepworth has offered just this, along with interesting characters and a dash of mystery thrown in. As I got deeper into the story, I found myself rooting firmly for one particular sister over another, yet I still wanted to see how the story arc played out and learn more about the why's of each character. I did, unfortunately, figure out some of the twists earlier than I liked (thus the 4 stars), but still recommend this book for fans in the genre.

I must bite my tongue on some of what I want to say about this page turner of a novel so as to not spoil the story for others. I will say that what really loved so was the author’s dive into the personalitys of her characters. I was pretty sure that, from nearly the beginning, I had a handle on the direction of the story but my immersion in those characters kept me engrossed in this thriller to the very last page. As one of those characters might have changed her comment at the end with “Sally Hepworth can spin a good tale”.

I had a great time reading this book and had a hard time putting it down. This was my first book by Sally Hepworth and I will be seeking out more! This is a highly entertaining psychological thriller about two twin sisters and their relationship. I loved the characters and the two different views. Pick this one up when it releases you won’t regret it!

3.5 stars !! It was good but was starting to lose me about half way through. I knew there would be a twist and it does not disappoint. It really picked up for me in the last 25 percent. I really liked Ferns character and her relationship with “Wally”. I was team Fern all the way. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher did the ARC

Sally Hepworth has outdone herself with this one! She takes the unreliable narrative and turns it on its head. Who is the real good sister here? You'll be asking yourself just that as you find yourself immersed in a story about Fern and Rose who are two very different twins for very different reasons. It is so disturbing to see how one sister manipulates the other to the point where she doubts herself over every little thing.

The unreliable narrative isn't the only thing in which Ms. Hepworth is a master. Her gift for characterization is dead on. For example, one twin suffers from a sensory processing disorder and I have a strong belief that she has Asperger's. The author provides such detail about this character that I came away feeling that I'd learned quite a lot about sensory processing disorder. Also, she added to what I already did know about people with Asperger's.

Lastly, one of the twins experiences a sweet romance that definitely puts a smile on this romance book reader's lips..

Overall, this is a brilliant novel and I am so grateful to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Wow! Take one set of twins, a difficult history with a mother, a romantic relationship, money, and a baby, throw in some thriller notes, mix it up, and you have an excellent story. Fern and Rose could not be more different from each other; Fern is the quirky twin, the free spirit, while Rose is more of the logical one, the one who provides structure to their relationship. But she knows about something that happened in Fern's past, and is willing to do most anything to keep it secret. Or does she?

Fern is a likable character, someone you want to see succeed and have a great life. She's an awesome librarian and has slowly demonstrated her value to her colleagues. She seems to have herself put together, but then you start to question everything as the narrator alternates the story between Fern and Rose's point of view.

I found it interesting that Rose's sections primarily focus on the past, while Fern focuses on the present. This narration helps to set up the thriller aspect of the story, and we come to learn more about each twin and how they viewed their life growing up and how connected they remain today. This is a definite must read!

This book was not at all what I expected. I went in thinking that this was a thriller/suspense novel, and there are elements of that. But.....I would classify this as more contemporary fiction that addresses issues such as trauma, family dynamics, and living with a disability. I think if you go in thinking this is going to be suspenseful, you may be disappointed, but if you go in with a more open mindset, you will be pleased with this read. Hepworth's marketing team might want to reconsider their strategy. Side note - I love the Australian cover so much more than the anticipated USA cover.

This book was amazing! I laughed out loud multiple times and cried near the end. This was a book I could not put down and loved all the twists and turns.

I fell in love with Fern and Wally’s relationship. The scene where he takes her to dinner and helps with her sensory issues was so cute.

I highly recommend!

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for another twist to turn up in The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth. The book was an intriguing and exciting read. I kept second-guessing what was actually happening and who and what was going on. This book dives into the good and bad relationship between sisters. As the synopsis indicates, the story was unpredictable.

Thank you, Netgalley for an ebook copy of this spicy read. Loved this story of Fern and Rose, sisters of a different mold - very different yet come together to solve s few life problems.; The story moves along quickly, easy to just start and keep going. I loved Hepworth's Secrets of Midwives, and also found this book a keeper! Thank you!

This book is set to release April 13, 2021.

Rose and Fern are twin sisters and basically BFFs. “Rose is the responsible one, with a home and a husband and a fierce desire to become a mother. Fern is the quirky one, the free spirit, the librarian who avoids social interaction and whom the world might just describe as truly odd. But the sisters are devoted to one another and Rose has always been Fern's protector from the time they were small.” . . .

I almost always go into any kind of mystery/thriller without reading the summary (cause they seem to ruin a lot!) and I did the same with this one. I read Sally Hepworth’s last book “The Mother-in-Law” earlier this year and absolutely loved it. I loved this one too! Hepworth’s ability to craft characters is just masterful. She did it with Diana in “The Mother-in-Law” and wow did she do it again with Fern. Also, Wally is definitely my new book crush😆. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-book ARC!

Sisters best friends or worse enemies? Sally Hepworth weaves a drama that will make you wonder what the answer will be.