Another great book from Sally Hepworth!
Twin sisters Fern and Rose seem to have had a difficult childhood. They are very different. Fern has sensory difficulties while Rose leads a normal life. As the story progresses, you find out how different they are and truths about their childhood.

This was a great book! The first part of the book gave a lot of background and developed the characters. The second half was full of new information and twists that greatly impact the story. I loved the way everything came together and was resolved in the end.

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is a psychological thriller, family drama, about fraternal twin sisters, Rose and Fern. Growing up with a single mother who inflicts mental abuse on her daughters, as portrayed through journal entries written by Rose, Rose is Fern’s protector. Fern is on the autism spectrum, and Rose makes sure Fern is taken care of, even as an adult. Fern is a free spirit, smart, a librarian who avoids social interaction, becomes over-stimulated quickly in certain situations, however it doesn’t affect how well she does her job. It seems to everyone that the twin sisters are as close as can be, and after a tragic event when the girls were pre teens, they hold a secret that could destroy everything they wish for. Rose is married, unable to have children, but seems to mother Fern in every aspect of her life. Fern finds love with a quirky guy who comes into the library one day, although she thinks he’s homeless, but he’s not...he just lives out of his van. She nicknames him “Wally”, because he resembles the character “Where’s Wally” in the Australian book series. The two quickly find they are very much alike, and “Wally” is not exactly the character you would think he is.

As Fern becomes more and more independent in her personal life, Rose feels she is losing all control of the sister she has taken care of her entire life. As the secrets of the past start revealing themselves, Fern is faced with the task of figuring out the truth vs. what she has been led to believe to be the true. When Fern comes up with a plan to help her sister by giving her the ultimate gift, we see the relationship unravel and the differences between the two sisters are more prevalent than ever.

The story will lure you in from the first page. It is told in alternating chapters through the point of view of Fern and Rose, including Rose’s journal entries as snippets of the past. Fern is my favorite character. The author’s perspective of Fern’s world was eye opening. She does a fantastic job of allowing the reader to really feel the world through the eyes of someone with sensory issues and how they deal with it in every day life. To see how Fern’s mind processed information, in such a literal fashion, was really eye opening and written so well. It was a nice process to see the development of Fern’s character throughout the story, and be part of her relationships with her fellow library co-workers. You can’t help but cheer for her relationship with “Wally”, and see how she develops her own sense of worth in society. As for Rose, you start to see how her life isn’t what she wants people to think it is. While Fern may be the twin with the ‘issues’, we start to understand Rose may have some of her own unresolved issues from the past.

I have to start by saying I am a huge fan of Sally Hepworth. This is the fourth book I have read by her, and my third five star review. Each chapter just gets better and better, and about halfway through, I found myself needing to finish it without stopping. I wouldn’t consider this book a thriller, but it is a psychological drama with many dark turns and a creepiness you won’t be able to get out of your head. This will definitely be a must read of 2021!

I would like to thank Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sally Hepworth for an advanced read copy of The Good Sister in exchange for an honest review. I would recommend this book, as well as many other books by Ms. Hepworth no matter what your preferred genre may be.

Sally Hepworth has done it again!

Fern and Rose are twins, in their late twenties. They take turns telling their stories. Fern mostly tells about her life nowadays, while Rose fills in the present. Though it’s never explicitly stated, Fern almost definitely has autism and Rose has spent most of her life helping a Fern navigate her world. However, Fern is very humanized- something that I think is lacking with a lot of characters with autism in other books.

The characters are phenomenally developed and Hepworth once again proves herself a great writer. The story flows and it kept me glued to my kindle.

I cannot wait to recommend this to all of my friends. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Sally, you did it again. I’m a huge Sally Hepworth fan to begin with and this new novel didn’t disappoint!

This is a story about two sisters, fraternal twins growing up and in modern day. The story is told front their respective Points of View. There are triggers like alcoholism and child neglect.

In true Sally fashion, this is a suspenseful ride, with a twisty and satisfying conclusion. Take nothing for granted as you read, because you’ll find yourself very surprised at the end.

I recommend this one highly and categorize this in the “unputdownable category.”

Thank you for the ARC!

Ah, this was a fun read! This is the story of twins who are close and yet are very different. The author did a good job with the character with sensory processing issues, showing her in a real way. The author also did a good job of telling the story, leading the reader down a path in a way that we think we know where it will lead... and then the path takes a dark turn.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Was a great book about relationships of sisters and how each person views their childhood and growing up differently. The twins in this book are soo different in so many ways and yet very close. Loved the suspense and plot twists. Highly recommend reading!

The Good Sister is Sally Hepworth's latest novel. Thank you #netgalley for the ARC to read and review. Wow! In her usual way, Hepworth leads the reader down a twisty and surprising path. Rose and Fern are fraternal twin sisters. The story is told by Fern, in the present, and by Rose, mainly through her journal entries, which reveal what their life was like growing up with an unstable single mom. The sisters are unusually close, in part because Fern has some sensory processing issues and has always relied on Rose to help her understand people and situations. Hepworth puts a new spin on the unreliable narrator conceit; the question for the reader- which sister is the good sister? Even with things seemingly neatly tied up, the surprise ending is unsettling. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for my Kindle.
I got caught up in the story and thought I knew what was going on, but the last few chapters completely surprised me. A great suspense novel.

Fern and Rose are twins who are extremely close. Fern is on the spectrum and Rose is always there to take care of her- or is she? full of secrets, family drama, and a mother who treated the girls differently. I loved the way the story was told in both voices, including Rose's diary where she tells her store. Sally Hepworth grabbed my attention from page one and didn't let go until the last page. Highly recommend!

Loved this one! The Good Sister is yet another brilliant suspense/thriller by Sally Hepworth. I was drawn into the story of the sisters Rose & Fern right from the start of the book. It was a compelling read with a lot of tense moments. The plot was wonderful & started & ended very well. All characters featured were given a lot of background which made me feel very invested in the story. I loved all of them. I also loved the way each chapter provided alternating POV's - between Rose & Fern. There were such good subtle shifts in the story that I didn't know when I switched teams & went from rooting for team A to team B. I thought I had the story figured out at the start but was so very wrong. I loved that this was so unpredictable. The twist/reveal in the end was done so very well. Highly recommend reading this. This is one book that gets everything right, starting from the beautiful cover, the plot, the characters, the twists - everything.

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Sally Hepworth for an arc!

The Good Sister is such a fantastic book! Fern is currently one of my favorite characters I've read recently, I love her quirky challenges and manner of interacting with others - she's just great! I honestly was 100% convinced this was going to be just a family drama of some sort until about half way through, and then it got really wild. Excellent, excellent book, I'm definitely going to have to grab Hepworth's other novel!

I loved the other Sally Hepworth books that I have read but this one missed the mark for me. It is the story of fraternal twins, Rose and Fern, who were brought up by a single mother who seemed to have a variety of boyfriends. I felt the book really dragged until I was 80% done and then it picked up somewhat. Overall, I was disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth was an unsettling novel, the story of twin sisters, Rosie and Fern who were the children of an abusive, neglectful mother who was admitted to a home after a drug overdose when they were 12. Rosie was the "normal" child who took care of Fern, who had a sensory processing disability. Rosie was happily married and wanted a child. Fern, who knew she could never marry or have children because of her issues was a librarian. When Rosie mentioned that she couldn't have a child, Fern decided to have one for her. The first man she met that was a likely father for this child was Rocco Ryan, who she called Wally, a man she met in the library and who she thought was homeless.

But things aren't always as they seem and Fern fell into a relationship with Wally and when she became pregnant, Rosie convinced her to break off the relationship, which she did. But was it the right thing to do? The story is told both by Fern and by entries in Rosie's diary so that you get both sisters' points of view. Rosie constantly reminds Fern that she can't be responsible because of something that happened when they were young that they have to keep hidden, but as the novel goes on, the reader begins to question what happened all those years ago, and what is happening now.

The novel is very suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat until the final twists and turns of the plot brought it to a very satisfying conclusion. After reading the first few pages I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but once through the first two chapters I couldn't put it down! Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

‘I know you love your sister, but … ‘

Rose and Fern are fraternal twin sisters, who seem to be particularly close. Rose is the responsible twin, married and wanting a child. Fern is a librarian who avoids social interaction. Rose is very protective of Fern and becomes concerned about some of Fern’s choices. You see, Fern did something terrible years earlier and Rose has always had to look out for her.

What did Fern do? And what is driving Rose? Does Fern really need Rose’s protection? The story is told through the alternate perspectives of the sisters.

I can’t write much more without spoiling what is a dramatic story full of suspense. Suffice to say that life changes for both sisters when Fern makes friends with a man she calls Wally. Things are not always as they seem initially.

I really enjoyed this novel.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I really enjoyed this book. Often, I didn't know where the story was going, I just kept reading. At different times in the story, I liked one sister more than the other. About 3/4 of the way through the book, I realized what was happening and I couldn't wait to see what would happen. I love happy endings and thought that was what I was getting. Then, there was the last chapter...

Two sisters who have been through a rough childhood now navigating through adult hood. A great start to a slow book. Also, annoyed that the Librarian always seems like they made to be weird? I am librarian and I hate to see that they make those characters so strange. Book was good, but the Mother-In Law was a lot better!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth.

This is now my second Hepworth novel, and I think I'm hooked! She has such a quiet way of weaving a lovely tale, and then BOOM, darkness, intrigue, scandal!

Fern and Rose are such close twin sisters that they even have bracelets that they use for their own way to communicate. Having been raised in an unstable home, Rose has always taken care of Fern, who has sensory issues and is left vulnerable. But Fern has made a good life for herself. She works at the library, visits her mom in the nursing home, despite their difficult upbringing, and remains deeply devoted to Rose, who is her person. But Rose has just confided in Fern, she can't get pregnant, and is so desperate to have a child. Fern would love nothing more than to give her sister what she wants, but can she do this for her?

Like I said, a nice story, and I will say nothing more. I LOVED the characters, the slow unfolding, the writing, all of it was so compelling.

I was very excited to read this latest book by Sally Hepworth. The first book of hers I read was The Mother-in-Law, and I enjoyed that one so much, I quickly worked my way through the rest of her catalog. The Good Sister turned out to be another good read and features a fascinating female character.

Fern and Rose are sisters and as is the case with many siblings, they are very different from one another. Rose is the responsible one with a husband and spent most of her childhood protecting Fern from their sociopath mother. Fern is a librarian and tends to be more of a free spirit with a unique outlook on life. When the sisters were kids, Fern did something terrible, but Rose kept it a secret. The story goes back and forth between both sisters, featuring the present day plot of Rose wanting a baby, and info about their childhood when the big, bad, terrible thing took place.

This book features my favorite character out of all of the author's novels. (Am I going to reveal which character I am referring to? No way!) While the story definitely has thriller elements, I think it reads better as a regular fiction novel with strong character development. There really wasn't much that caught me off guard while reading, but I don't look at that as a negative because I still was heavily invested in watching the story play out.

If you have read and enjoyed other books by this author, I do recommend picking this one up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the quirkiest books I’ve ever read. Quirkier than Eleanor Oliphant, and that’s saying something. And I kinda loved it?? This isn’t a mystery novel like the cover would lead you to believe. It’s more of a psychological family drama. But it’s riveting.

The main character has sensory processing disorder, and I’ve never read a book with that before. It was fascinating. Led to some hilarious dialogue.

My biggest negatives with the book is that it’s kind of all over the place in that it’s told back and forth between Fern’s present day POV and her sister Rose’s diary, and they both have flashback moments to an incident when they were 12 throughout the book. But it’s slowly building up to a great ending. Was it kind of predictable? Yes! But the quality of Hepworth’s writing is phenomenal and I couldn’t put it down. Once I got about 25% in I set down today and read it straight through. I really loved it and look forward to reading more of Hepworth’s works.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This novel made me super anxious! I so badly wanted Fern to “snap out of it” and realize she was being manipulated.

Fern and Rose are fraternal twins. The novel bounces back and forth from Ferns POV and Rose’s diary entries. Fern has sensory issues and spends her whole life depending on Rose for help when things get overwhelming for her. Rose paints a picture in her diary of a terrible childhood- a mean mom that emotionally abuses them. But about 50% into the novel, things start to really pick up. A boy was murdered when they were teens and Fern was responsible. But was she? And was the mom really as bad as Rose said? It was a great summer read and I couldn’t put down the last half of the book. Thrilling with a splash of romance elements (Fern and Wally). I was not shocked by the twist, however I was so anxious to see how it was going to end!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy! I enjoyed it!