This is my first book by Sally Hepworth, but it won't be my last! I really enjoyed reading this, it was fast paced and an easy read. This is a great suspense book with a nice little twist at the end, something that I enjoy!

This was better than I was anticipating! I thought it was such a good idea to have the main protagonist be on the spectrum and have issues with understanding someone’s true intentions and sometimes her own actions. Is she a danger to herself or others? Or are those around her the real danger? A really good, twisty story! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I LOVED this book. I read it and listened to it when I couldn't read it because I had to know what was going to happen. I highly recommend the audio. This is a fantastic, page-turning, domestic/psychological thriller. Twins who couldn't be more different or more dependent on one another, tell very different stories. One chapter I would be smiling and happy and the next chapter I would be shocked and horrified - quite the see-saw of emotions and perceptions.

Such a good book!! Don’t know that I would consider this a thriller so much as domestic suspense? But still an awesome read nonetheless!

This book! So good!!! Loved the twists it took!! I truly did not know what to believe, and then when the final twist came, I was shell shocked. I will read everything by this author from now on, and thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars.
This was an interesting thriller. I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the early copy!

This was just an OK book for me. While I appreciated having a neurodiverse character I just couldn't get into the plot of the book. It was pretty predictable and a quick read and I definitely haven't read anything like this before, which sometimes happens with authors recycling the same main plot points.

Another novel I really enjoyed from Sally Hepworth. I was immediately drawn in by Fern and Rose. You could tell from the get go something wasn't right but never could quite tell what it was. With a full cast of supporting characters Sally Hepworth builds a story with just enough tension to keep the pages turning quickly but also have the story be completely realistic and ground. I always love picking up one of her books and this one was no different.

This was a page turner of all page turners. Fraternal twins, Rose and Fern who had a very different story about their past. A mother who was believed to be less than, but in the end the truth or what is believed to be the truth comes out to all. I really enjoyed the break up of the current to the past from Rose’s diary entries that ends with a twist that I didn’t see coming.

Fern and Rose are fraternal twin sisters. who are very different but have a bond that has kept them together through their difficult childhood. Fern is on the spectrum with sensory processing disorder and the author did an outstanding job portraying this in a realistic way. I have worked with children on the spectrum and can say this was well done and the author got it right.

I loved Fern and her quirkiness, honesty and good heart. Her boyfriend Wally was a perfect fit for her with his understanding of her and his own quirkiness. I loved the library where Fern worked as a librarian and her love for books. Her relationship with her sister Rose was complicated and much is revealed as the story unfolds.

I am a fan of Sally Hepworth and her writing and she is a must read author for me. The Good Sister is a page-turner that is not easy to put down as you are turning the pages to find out what will happen next. I highly recommend the digital, book or audio editions of The Good Sister. I listened on audio with a fantastic narrator that draws you into the lives of Fern and Rose in Australia. I alternated reading with the e-galley compliments of St.Martin's Press and Netgalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I am a HUGE Sally Hepworth fan. If you are also then you will love this book! This book is about two sisters and their insanely complicated past. The dynamic between the sisters is enjoyable as well as the twists and turns the book takes.

While this may not be a revolutionary story, it is still really well written. Thriller fans will love it and it’s a quick read.

Different and Interesting

This is my second book by Sally Hepworth I loved the mother in law and when I saw this on NetGalley I was thrilled. This is a really good read. Thank you, NetGalley, and all parties involved for my arc, and my sincerest apology for my delay.
This new book is the story of twin sisters who grow up in less than ideal circumstances. Fern is now a librarian and is sensitive to too many stimuli. Rose, an interior designer for businesses, has always acted as Fern's protector. Sadly, Rose discovers that she is unable to have a baby so Fern decides to get pregnant and give the baby to Rose since she has been her lifelong champion and beloved sister. Now as I was turning pages the author tossed me hints that something between these two sisters is not what we think it is. I loved that aspect of the story it added more curiosity to the story that I didn’t think I needed.
I will say that I found myself feeling bad for Fern and all his social anxieties and I loved how she tried to make the best of things. What is hard is the flashes of the past that you as the reader don't know if it is real or not. I loved how everything was not what it seems and that everything seemed to be going as Rose wanted because she was the good sister or so we are meant to believe. In the end everything I thought would happen was done in reverse. Thank you again for this arc I can not wait to see what comes next from this author.

This book was interesting and a good thriller it kept me wondering what exactly was going on. There were quite a few things that I knew what was going on but it was still a good read for me.

I received an ARC of this novel from St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for my review. If you haven't hopped on the Sally Hepworth train of must-read novels you really should! Sally is known for her suspenseful, fast-paced, twisty novels and The Good Sister is a perfect example! It is the story of fraternal twins Fern and Rose. Without spoilers, the sisters have had some traumatic events in their past that has shaped their co-dependent lives and set the stage for some very twisted plot points! Sally Hepworth is at the top of her game in this novel!

Fern depends on her faternal twin sister Rose for everything. She doesn't know any better. She knows her sister is lways on her and keeps her on a strict schedule. When ROse wants a baby that is when things really get crazy. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat with many twists and turns. It was a great read

Well damn this one was SO good. I didn’t see any of the twists and turns. I think the representation of a character with a sensory disorder was well written. An excellent thriller I would recommend to anyone!

I find it difficult to give this book 3 stars, as there are moments of brilliance and certain sections that absolutely terrified me, and a main character I adored. But those were just moments, and for the most part it was difficult to keep my attention on the book.

I loved Fern, the sister who has Asperger's and some sensory issues, and I was interested in her life but... not enough happened in her life to be interesting for the first 50% of the book. I go into books blind, so I didn't know this was supposed to be a thriller, and there was no hint of it anywhere in the first half of the book. The only weird thing was that one of the sisters had to be lying about their past, but one sister was so sweet and forthright that it made it easy to guess who the liar was, we just don't know why. And the side story of Owen made such little sense that it was easy to guess the truth so that the reveal was just... "Yeah, we all knew that, right?"

Once we understand what is going on with the sisters, the book becomes terrifying and moves incredibly fast. It took me almost 3 months to get through the first half and I read the second half in an afternoon. There is also a Gone Girl element here that, since we've all read Gone Girl, didn't serve as any credible misdirection at a certain point and was therefore a waste.

I think if the first half had moved along more quickly, or any sort of real time suspense had built up through it, the entire book would have been greatly elevated. But even though I loved Fern, very little happened and I don't think the second half makes up for it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, who always has fantastic books, for the ARC. I did not hate it, it just couldn't keep my interest for the first half and I can't give it more than 3 stars in that case.

Fern and Rose are twins. Fern, works in a library, and due sensory processing disorder, relies on her sister Rose for a lot of things. They have a painful upbringing, with their past told in journal entries from Rose. Something terrible happened when they were 12, and Rose helped cover it up and continues to protect Fern all these years. Fern realizes she can give Rose what she desires most - a baby - and decides to get pregnant to provide her a child. She just needs to find a father. What could go wrong?

I loved this book. One of my favorites of 2021. I enjoyed the alternating voices told by Fern and then through Rose’s journal.

A huge thank you to @Netgalley and @stmartinspress for the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth and it was so much better than I expected.  I went into this book thinking it was going to be another generic domestic thriller but I couldn't have been farther off. This book is part mystery, part family drama, while diving into the depths of sisterly bonds and how those with autism live their daily lives. I read this book in two sittings and easily could have finished it in one day.
Twenty-eight-year-old twin sisters Rose and Fern couldn't be more polar opposites. Although the book never says it straight out, we can assume Fern is somewhere on the high functioning autism spectrum. She struggles with sensory processing- lights, sounds, smells, crowds and touching all affect her. Fern is a unique individual who enjoys keeping to herself and loves her job at the library. Rose is the older sister who is married and who acts as Fern's protector.

The story is told through two points of view. Fern in present day, as well as through Rose's diary entries. We find out that the sisters had a painful upbringing with their mental ill mother and that their childhood was filled with terrible events. Fern believes that she needs Rose, since she has been protecting her all her life. Fern slowly starts deciding to live her life how she wants and Rose isn't okay with this new dynamic between them.

Without giving too much more away, this story dives into this family's past and how dysfunctional a family can be. Those you love best have a way of manipulating you into doing things that would best suit them. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a great twist and family mystery.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53137974-the-good-sister
Top notch thriller--better than most in the genre. Highly recommend if suspense is what you're in the mood to read suspense.