This book hooked me from the start. Did not see the twists coming at all. Great story! Go read this book right now.

Fern and Rose are twin sisters who would do anything for one another. Rose has always protected Fern who has sensory processing issues. But all is not as it seems. When Fern meets Rocco at the library where she works, she finds herself letting a new person into her life. Rose is not pleased and is soon manipulating a pregnant Fern. Who's memories of the past are true? Was Rose really Fern's protector or was something more sinister happening? This psychological thriller is filled with twists and turns as family secret's are revealed. I read it in one sitting

Wow!

I did NOT see this one coming! While I don’t want stories to be predictable, I’ve always prided myself on my ability to figure it all out before the last page. The twist in The Good Sister? Amazing!

I started to believe I knew where the author was going with the story, but I soon found out I was wrong. Then I had an inkling: wrong again!!! Finally she led me to the ending and I was floored!

Fern and Rose are twin sisters, as different as twins can be. They’ve lived together or near each other all their lives and Fern has relied on Rose to steer her through life. Fern struggles socially, she’s never quite sure what the proper response is to something. Ever since childhood, Rose has helped Fern deal: with their mother, with Mom’s boyfriends, with a tragedy that occurred when they were young teens, with life.

But now Fern is a librarian and has access to all sorts of books that help her deal with her “disorder” and she finds out one day that she can help Rose in a big way! So Fern starts to make decisions on her own, growing and living on her own with the intention of helping Rose.

And just WAIT until you find out how! And what happens next!
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Adding the rest of the author’s books to my TBR list immediately!

I enjoyed this book. It was different from most of the books I read. I needed a break from the dark, violent thrillers I typically read. This book was lighthearted, fun, humorous, and downright cute. I loved the innocent main character, Fern. She was humorous and sarcastic without knowing it. The love story between Fern and Wally was like no other love story I have read.

The description says thriller. I didn’t think of it as a thriller until the end. I was more focused on the cute love story.

If you liked Glass Castle you will like this book.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

I love a book with an unreliable narrator, so was excited to find two in this book. It opens with a bang, a shocking event where it's unclear if it's a malicious attack or an accident, but it paints a picture of who the "good sister" is. As the story continues it becomes clear both sisters are unreliable and my view shifted as I questioned who was good. I was cautious early on because Gone Girl made me forever suspicious of journal entries, so I was on to things earlier than I might have been otherwise. However, I found the story and characters completely compelling and I flew through the book. I loved seeing a protagonist on the spectrum, or with sensory sensitivities and limited social awareness, and to see her growth, support she receives, and that she ultimately "wins".

What a fantastic read! And how clever! All the while, the reader wonders just which of the Castle sisters is in fact ‘the good sister‘.

We must remember that each of the girls have different recollections of the same events. Whose is correct? Each sister displayed good and bad traits and their characters were complex and multi-layered. Is their sisterly relationship supportive and caring, or, is it manipulative and devious?

I’ll confess, I never really bonded with Rose despite the fact that she seemed caring and protective of Fern. Though being privy to her diaries made me sympathetic to her life and situation, I still had a feeling of unease about her.

I found myself loving Fern. Sure she was bizarre in many ways – but she was so genuine. Hyper-sensitive to sensory stimulus, socially inept, resistant to change, unable to maintain eye contact, and very literally minded, she nonetheless captured my heart. I also came to care for her boyfriend ‘Wally’ aka Rocco who understood and loved Fern for who she was.

This was an expertly written thriller that will doubtless make my list of Top Reads for 2021. A skilled character study masquerading as a thriller. Brilliant!

This was quite a book, a very slow build of a psychological land mine. Rose and Fern couldn't be more different twins which becomes even more apparent as Hepworth unravels their childhood through Rose's journal entries. They tell a harrowing tale of an unstable mother, child abuse on many levels and the lengths Rose goes to protect Fern (with her sensory processing issues). The first 65% of the story felt slow, there was a lot to work through, the past told through the journal entries and present day life, that laid the ground work for an emotional ride for the last 35%. Hepworth took you on a fast paced rollercoaster as the truth emerges and you see the depths of depravity one sister goes to in order to get what she wants.
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I went back and forth on my rating of this book. In the end, while the ending was fast paced and had the twists I was looking for throughout the book, the rest of the book was a little to slow for the ending to carry it and push it to a 4 star.

I enjoyed The Good Sister and am looking forward to Sally Hepworth's next novel! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review it.

This one was so addictive. It was so well done to keep the suspense going throughout the entire book. Loved Fern and Wally/Rocco so much. And any book with a good amount of the setting in a library is always a positive thing for me!

I was so excited to receive an early copy of this book to read and review. However, I did not end up enjoying it the way I thought I would. It was very slow and there was nothing thrilling about it. If you go into this book knowing it's not a thriller and more of a family drama, then you will enjoy this one.

I love books about complicated sibling relationships. The story is told from the POVs of twin sisters, Rose and Fern. The narrator did a fantastic job with the twins' voices. They were almost the same but Rose's was a tiny bit softer and more relaxed. The Rose chapters are told in the format of a diary she is keeping to cope with her fertility issues and efforts to repair her marriage. Fern is neurodiverse and she struggles with sensory processing. Her chapters are mostly about getting to know her through her daily routine, including her job at the library, which is way more interesting than it sounds. She's a well-developed and loveable character who I wanted to root for. After surviving their traumatic childhood, Rose and Fern both want to look out for and take care of each other, but not everything is what it seems. The story had me hooked from the beginning, but those last 2 hours had me pacing the floor! There was no chance of sleep until I finished!

The Good Sister seemed like a bit of a change in direction from Sally's prior books, but I loved it all of the same. I really enjoy how she picks a deep topis whether early on-set alzheimers, family relationships or in this case learning disabilities and successfully weaves it in to the story. It is very clear that Sally does a ton of research to ensure she represents these issues accurately in her story telling.

I really enjoyed the Good Sister - it left me guessing until the last page! If you enjoyed The Mother In Law by Hepworth, I would give this one a read. I'm pretty particular about thrillers but both of these have had great character development and weren't over the top in ridiculous scenarios like many other thrillers.

This is the fourth novel I have read by Hepworth and I have enjoyed them all! The Good Sister. is not a thriller per se, but more of a domestic drama. We have dual narrators, both Fern and Rose (via her journal). The reader will have their opinions of both twin sisters-- which can change throughout the novel-- and of their mother. Fern is on the Autism spectrum, but functions relatively well on her own and works in a library(!) which is many readers dream job.

The sisters are twins and 28 years old who could not be more different from each other-- including their appearance-- but they take care of each other. They had a very difficult childhood, which the novel goes into. There is a little bit of a romance with one of the sisters and if you read thrillers like I do, you may figure out what is going on. But then what keeps you reading is the drama! I enjoyed the drama in this case and still had some surprises along the way.

If you like reading mysteries and enjoy drama dealing with family relationships (because who doesn’t have that!?!?) then you should read this book.

It looks like I have found another ‘go to’ author to read with Hepworth!

I received a copy to read and review from the publisher via NetGalley.

🌺 5 Star Alert 🌺

This book was SO good! I DEVOURED it!

By no means is this your average thriller!

Fern and Rose are twins, but they’re almost nothing alike. While Rose is almost always put together, Fern is naive. Fern is socially awkward but very outgoing whereas Rose is more reserved. Something has always been a little off with Fern but no one ever took her for a diagnosis. She has trouble with sensory processing and often suffers from overstimulation.

“Rose says my absentmindedness is part of my charm, but I find it highly irritating. I hate the feeling of not knowing my own mind, not trusting myself, even if the fact is I’m not to be trusted.”

They would do ANYTHING for one another and Rose has always been Fern’s protector. Their mother is a sociopath and often takes things out on her children, so Rose would step up to the plate for punishment, knowing that her sister couldn’t bear it. But, after years of battling there’s zero bond left between Rose and her mother who now resides in a nursing home. But while Rose feels that there is no real love lost there, Fern remains dedicated to her mom.

“She overdosed when I was twelve and my sister and I were put into foster care.”

On the outside it seems that Rose and Owen are happily married and have the world at their fingertips. But while Owen is “supposedly” away for work in London Fern figures out a secret that her sister’s been hiding from her: they’re unable to conceive. Premature ovarian aging at 28; it’s devastating news.

“Ever since I was a child I longed to be perfect.”

Rose has done so much for Fern throughout her life, including helping her to cover up a situation gone WAY wrong when they were children. She has to do this one thing for her, be a surrogate. Rose will be forever grateful. That is until she realizes that she’s made a terrible mistake and it’s too late to go back.

“Blurred boundaries, I think, are what sisters do best.”

Fern is one of my favorite characters EVER.

Thank you to Netgalley, St.Martin’s Press & Sally Hepworth for a #gifted e-arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received an eARC of The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
I give this dramatic thriller 4 stars. The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is a well-written, domestic drama of twin sisters. The characters were well developed, and the plot sucked me in from page one. Sally Hepworth is becoming one of my favorite authors.

Fern holds a dangerous past that her sister could not help her. She leads a super structured life in a lightly isolated state. She works in a library, she sees her sister three times a week and she avoids pretty much every other scenario. Her sister finds out that she can't have a child and Fern sees this as her chance to help. Yet her isolation has managed to remove all her social skills so finding a man proves to be more complicated then she thought.

Rose and Fern Castle are as different as twins can get. Rose is short, Fern is tall. Rose is practical while Fern is...odd...the kind of sibling who needs someone to protect her. Ironically, it’s their mother who poses the greatest threat of all. A narcissist and a sociopath, she doesn’t hesitate to punish her daughters for the slightest mistakes—most of which aren’t mistakes at all.

When Fern makes the biggest mistake of her life and accidentally drowns a boy, what can Rose do but make up a story to keep her sister safe? And what better way to repay Rose than to give her the child she can’t conceive? To Fern, who appears to have Asperger’s, the idea starts out as a logical way to make things right. She may have a photographic memory and immense knowledge, but she can be naïve—almost childlike—when it comes to matters of the heart. Fern knows she can never raise a child on her own, so it makes sense to let responsible Rose do it.

Of course, things aren’t quite what they seem, which makes The Good Sister such a fun, fast page-turner. The chapters alternate between Fern’s point-of-view and Rose’s journal entries, which her therapist suggested she write to help process her traumatic childhood. If you’ve read your share of psychological thrillers, the plot isn’t going to come as much of a surprise, despite the twists and turns. And there were times when these characters were a bit too unreal (hence the fairytale names) for my liking. . .

BUT I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in one day. I got caught up in the dramatic plot and in the sisters’ evolving relationship with each other and with their mother. I also loved the Australian library setting, the secondary characters and the humor sprinkled throughout the book. Like Fern, the book itself is…well, quirky. And I love quirky. When I got to end I couldn’t help cheering—just a bit—because I’m a sucker for a satisfying, rollicking ending.

Much thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reading The Good Sister made me happy that I don’t have a sister.

First, I want to address genre expectations. This is being called a “domestic thriller.” It’s not a thriller, and even calling it suspense is a stretch. It’s much more domestic drama, with a suspenseful undercurrent.

I loved Fern’s character. She was my favorite part of this story.

I saw the direction the plot was heading early on, and I wasn’t surprised by the twists. Still, I enjoyed getting there.

In my effort to catch up on eARCs, I listened to this one on audio via Scribd. The narration is excellent. The narrator’s storytelling style and ability to capture the characters’ moods and emotions kept me engaged and totally sold this one for me.

The Good Sister is a domestic thriller that explores the relationship between fraternal twin sisters. The story takes you on a journey through this complex relationship, adding many twists and turns. I loved that Sally Hepworth made the main character have sensory issues that were completely believable.