"The Good Sister" by Sally Hepworth is a domestic thriller that has all the right ingredients—secrets, family dynamics, and twists. The story revolves around two sisters, Fern and Rose, who seem to have a perfect relationship on the surface, but as the book unfolds, we learn that there's a lot more lurking beneath.

Fern, who has a bit of a quirky personality and is on the autism spectrum, is easy to root for. Her perspective gives the book a unique feel, and her voice is distinct. Rose, the more "normal" of the two, has her own set of struggles, and as the story progresses, you realize that not everything is as it seems.

The pacing is good, and there are some genuine twists that kept me turning the pages. However, I did feel that the plot could have been a bit tighter in places, with a few things that were either too predictable or a bit too far-fetched. While I enjoyed the overall experience, the ending didn't quite hit as hard as I hoped it would—it felt like it wrapped up a little too neatly.

All in all, "The Good Sister" is an engaging read that fans of psychological thrillers will likely enjoy, but it's not the most mind-blowing one out there. If you're looking for something light, with a mix of suspense and family drama, this one's worth checking out.

Gave this book a try but overall didn’t enjoy it. Wasn’t able to get into the story as much as I wanted to.

What happens when you leave your Netgalley shelf alone for so long...you end up buying a physical copy of a book you were fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of! Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my advance copy of The Good Sister in exchange for my honest review.

The story is about twin sisters, Fern and Rose, who grew up with a less than stellar mother. Fern works in a library and sees her sister multiple times a week. Rose is married, desperate to have a child, and ensures her sister is well taken care of.

Fern is neurodivergent and I thought the way Hepworth wrote her character was absolutely fantastic. I loved Fern so much and found myself wanting to protect her through the pages. This story is also told from Fern's point of view in the current time and through Rose's journal entries where she talks about the past.

The real question is...who is the good sister? As this story unfolds, we start to see a few things that have us questioning a lot. Was their mother really abusive and a user? She did have an overdose when they were 12 years old that sent them to foster care. Fern regularly visits her mother in an assisted living home. Rose refuses and has not seen her mother in 10 years.

Fern works at a library and is pretty much an outcast. She never partakes in activities with her colleagues and they all kind of leave her alone. No one really understands her...

Without giving too much away...Fern finds a way to get her sister a baby. A baby she gets warned about to not give to her sister. With everything that has happened in her past, Fern is in no way capable of raising a child, nor should she really be trusted. Rose has done nothing but protect her, shelter her, and take care of her, it makes sense she should raise the baby...right?

4 stars.  The suspense part of this book doesn't really kick in until the last part of the book, it reads more as a fiction/literary tale up until that point, but once it kicks in, it's a WILD ride. I absolutely loved how Hepworth kept us guessing and strung us along. I also really enjoyed Fern's friend Wally aka Rocco and loved what he added to the story, along with her colleagues. This put a smile on my face at the end with everything that happened, absolutely delightful read, highly recommend!

Sally Hepworth does it again with a quick and interesting read including twists and turns you don’t see coming. Both the storyline and characters immediately grab your attention, keeping the reader hungry to find out what happens next. We initially meet Rose as told through her diary, while we meet twin sister, Fern in real time present day. We find out very early that Fern is on the spectrum and when the girls were young, Fern drowns their mother’s boyfriend’s son, Billy.

Fern’s story is very much focused on her current life and things happening around her. Her job at the library, her desire to get pregnant for Rose, meeting Wally - a genius, neurodivergent millionaire who lives in a van. We also learn that because of Fern being on the spectrum she can’t be trusted, like when she was supposed to take care of her mother’s dog.

We learn about Rose through her diary which spends quite a bit of time looking back on her traumatic childhood. Rose shares how abusive their mom was, how she starved her and left them, finally ODing on drugs when the girls were 14. While the overdose didn’t kill her, it did incapacitate her where she lives in a care center and is non-verbal. Fern goes to visit her while Rose never does.

Through dually narrated story, we learn that the good sister may not always be the one you think. I enjoyed this book so much and don’t want to give anything away. Run, don’t walk, if you enjoy a read that has great character development and will keep you on your toes!

Brilliant thriller what a thrilling fast paced edge of your seat read it kept guessing right until the end this is definitely worth a read

My first by this author but won’t be my last. Great main character with plenty of quirks. Nice suspense and kept me interested

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. Sally Hepworth always does a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

Rose and Fern are twins and couldn't be more different. Rose seems to be perfect in every way and Fern can never get things quite right. Rose has always had to look after Fern since they were young girls. Even to this day, Fern checks with Rose before she does a lot of things. But when Fern becomes pregnant, Rose convinces her that the best thing to do would be to let Rose raise the baby. Fern is perfectly happy with this because shes really not too keen on kids anyway. But as time goes on, Rose is growing stranger and stranger. With the help of the new man in her life and other people, Fern begins to see Rose in a different light and comes to learn she's not who she thought she was their whole lives.

It's apparent in this book that Fern has autism. I'm not sure if they ever say it, but as a mother with a child with autism, all the signs are there. So it's plausible that Rose would look after her, even in adulthood. But when you get to the core of this book, you really feel for Fern and for Rose to an extent. I highly recommend this book.

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is an interesting lens into the family dynamic between two sisters. You can pick your fiends but not your family or can you? If you like thrillers then this is the book for you. Happy Reading!

This book started out a bit slow for me - about a third of the way in, I started wondering if this was all it was? A story about 2 sisters going about their very different lives? Then the story starts to change, Fern’s perspective starts to change, and you start to know something is not right…so I guess my though on this one is that it is good if you like a slow-burning psychological type of thriller. It isn’t quick, it isn’t full of twists and turns, but it is a decent book.

Listened to this on audio and it was an absolutely brilliant listen/read. I just whizzed through this 8 hour audiobook and finished it in one day - I just couldn't stop!

Writing, pacing, plot and character development was amazing and an unreliable narrator too. My favourite book so far this year! I loved how it started out almost like a family drama but then about halfway through the mystery rears it's head and the story just takes off like a runaway train. Crazy entertaining!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

Quite an interesting story here---one that I enjoyed for about 85% of the book. However, like so many mysteries/ thrillers I read, I feel like the ending was way too abrupt, wrapping up a complex plot very quickly. This usually means there is a surprise (which I always hope for!), but it feels jarring like some jumping out at you in the dark with facts that were never hinted at rather than a slow realization or connection of dots that have been shared along the way. For me, that is not very satisfying, but others obviously don't mind, as these types of books are quite popular. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

Twin sisters, devoted to one another, hiding a big secret. The love and support that they had for one another was remarkable and as I read about their lives growing up, I understood why this had grown so deep. An event when the girls were 12, has their lips sealed but ties the girls even closer.

Growing up in a strict household, their mother expected perfection from them. She wanted her children to adore her and now, Fern is the only one who visits her mother in the care center. Why hasn’t Rose visited her mom in 16 years? These two girls were total opposites. Fern enjoys her job at the library. She’s the quiet twin who enjoys being alone and the simpler things in life. Rose on the other hand, is more outgoing and vocal. Rose has taken on the job of Fern’s protector, a role that she takes very seriously.

Fern meets a guy at the library who has taken an interest in her. She calls him Wally and like her, he’s quirky. I liked their relationship as it gets interesting, and I enjoyed their characters. Rose was married but I felt that she was more devoted to Fern than to her own husband, Fern discovers that Rose is having difficulties getting pregnant so without Rose’s knowledge, Fern decides she’s going to help her sister. How? Fern will get pregnant and give the baby to her sister. If only it were that easy, Fern. The novel speeds along as everything is moving now but what will happen to the girls and their relationship once the dust has all settled.
This was a page-turning, exciting book to read and I really enjoyed it. 5 stars

Hepworth is another hit or miss for me but this time, Fern’s character really sold it. Did it have the most surprising ending? No. But I did enjoy the path getting there. The relationship dynamics made this story interesting but I do wish there’d been a bit more of a punchy twist. It’s not the type of story you’d think about much after it ends, but it was still entertaining in the moment.

Sally Hepworth will be an auto buy author for me. Another fantastic thriller by Hepworth that brings familial trauma and drama into a very realistic world,

I have read other books by this author, and to be honest I didn’t even read the premise. I had liked her other books, so I blindly gave it a shot.

The first half of the book was not what I expected. I thought it would be more of a mystery, when instead, the story followed Fern, a young librarian with sensory issues.

Suddenly, the book did make a turn and there were twists I didn’t expect.

This was a great read!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I’ve had this in my TBR pile for quite some time. I’m so glad I decided to read this as I needed something different than my normal genre. This is the first book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth and I enjoyed her storytelling.

There are many twists and turns along the way..although some were predictable..I really enjoyed this story.

Uncertain about the book's thriller element, and the notion of it being a mystery feels somewhat stretched.

Within the narrative, twin sisters Fern and Rose share a tumultuous upbringing in a dysfunctional household devoid of a paternal figure. Their mother's emotionally abusive behavior, marked by gaslighting and mind games, has left a lasting impact on them. The tale unfolds through the perspectives of both sisters, each offering their unique version of the events.

The book adopts an unconventional approach, with a central storyline intertwined with diary entries from Rose 🌹. Fern, along with her colleagues at the library and her friend Wally, adds an enjoyable dynamic to the narrative. Fern's struggle with sensory issues, including sensitivity to noises, smells, and lights, has made it challenging for her to connect with others, but her steadfast relationship with Rose remains a constant source of support.

While the story features these elements, it gives the impression of being somewhat disjointed, lacking a truly surprising plot. The conclusion appears evident, and it diverges from the author's previous works that may have resonated more with readers. In this case, the story fails to captivate, leaving the reader with a desire to move on from it, despite finishing it.

Couldn't really get into this one. Even half way through I just found it so forgettable. I didn't feel invested in what happened to any of the characters

Have you ever picked up a book because the reviews were outstanding? That's what this one was and I just didn't care for it. I don't know why this seems to happen with every book that everyone else raves about.

If I'm frank, I didn't think I could finish it and I only did so that I could see how it ended.