This was a new to me author and I was intrigued by the premise of the story. Maybe my expectations were too high but I felt like the story kind of dragged on and had a hard time focusing. As such, I did end up skimming through some parts of the story trying to get to the parts where the actual meat of the story would be revealed. I did love the interactions between Fern and Wally, and how her eyes were opened toward the end to the actual possibilities for her life.

Sally Hepworth is a genius of an author and this book is a masterpiece. Fern and Rose are twins who had a difficult upbringing. As adults, they remain close. Fern says that Rose is "her person". The one she can always depend on to understand her and be there for her. When she learns that Rose is unable to have children, she wants to help and, unbeknownst to Rose, sets out to do what she can to help.

The twist and turns Hepworth takes in this book are so masterfully crafted. The characters are real and deep and more than what appears on the surface. I loved Fern. She is so kind and resilient and has so much wit. I felt for Rose throughout the book. Her struggles were real and not so black and white as they may appear. The book is told from both Fern's point of view in real-time and Rose's point of view through her journal which keeps the book super intriguing and the pages turning well into the night. You start out thinking you know something and then the point of view changes and the story shakes up and shifts.

Plus, there is Wally. Fern meets Wally at the library where she works and I just fell in love with him right along her. I like that Hepworth writes Wally, a tertiary character, as someone real and flawed and the perfect compliment to Fern.

As someone with a sister of her own, I got so much enjoyment out of this book. It made me laugh, and feel, and cry and think. I had never read a book by the author (I know...where have I been?!). When I finished The Good Sister, her backlist was instantly added to my TBR. This book would be a great read for anyone looking for a fast, entertaining story.

Happy Publication Day!

Fern and Rose are twin sisters, but they couldn’t be more different. Rose seems to have her life together working as an interior decorator and happily married although her husband has been away on business for an extended amount of time. Fern has been single most of her life, works in a library, and has sensory issues. When she finds out Rose can’t have children she decides she can help her sister out.

Enter Wally! Fern meets him in the library, and there’s a connection between them. She asks him out thinking he can be the father. Problem is she starts to like him and forgets about her plan to have a baby for Rose.

I can’t say much more than that without giving away spoilers so you’ll just have to read the book to see what happens.

The Good Sister is told from Fern and Rose’s perspectives. Fern’s is told as present day while Rose’s is written as journal entries.

I loved Fern and Wally! Fern is such a unique character with her sensory issues, and Sally Hepworth did a great job writing this character and showing how she processes things differently. Wally and Fern’s relationship is so pure and caring. It was nice to read about a couple that wasn’t all about drama.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a slow burn, but the first half is so important to the story. We get to know all about these characters and what their lives are like. At about the 60% mark, we start getting more into the twists and turns of the thriller. At this point, the book picks up pace and flies by!

Although some of the twists might have been predictable there were so many I didn’t see coming, and don’t get me started on that ending!

This is the second book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth, and I look forward to reading more. She does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing and on their toes while building an enjoyable story where we get to know the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

“Maybe when it comes to sisters, boundaries are always a little bit blurry. Blurred boundaries, I think, are what sisters do best.”

I read THE GOOD SISTER in one sitting this past Saturday afternoon! I love how Sally Hepworth writes her domestic thrillers: they’re smart and compelling and don’t feel formulaic. this one is about two very different sisters and their secrets, and I really enjoyed it. if you read and liked THE MOTHER-IN-LAW, you will enjoy this one, too! 4.5/5⭐️—I really liked it!

This was my first Hepworth read and it did not disappoint! I found it to be a completely enthralling domestic suspense that hooked me immediately. I was so intrigued by its dark and sinister vibes that I just couldn’t put it down.

The story was plotted out so well and I absolutely loved getting both sisters perspectives as it rotated between Fern’s point of view and Rose’s diary entries. I also relishes in the dual timelines that were shifting back and forth between their childhood and present day.

It was truly chilling at times yet had some emotional and softhearted aspects as well. I enjoyed how well developed and realistic Ferns character was and also found her to be a fun comedic relief!

This book should leave you constantly questioning who can you really trust....

Out today! You’ll want to get a copy of this one!

WOW, what a great fast-paced story!! I loved the way it was written from the perspective of each sister. I started to suspect something not quite right about midway but never saw the end coming. Definitely worth the read. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is an entertaining and hart wrenching novel. The reason for Hepworth's popularity is that her characters resonate with her readers. Hepworth writes what we are thinking. Relationships between sisters can be complex and even more so when they are twins like the sisters in this novel, Rose and Fern. Rose is married, super organized, and an interior designer. Fern is a librarian that favors bright colors and wears her hair in braids, and suffers from sensory issues. She can easily become over stimulated, but Fern works hard to manage the situations that challenge her daily. Although they live separately, Rose controls Fern's life and Fern allows this. Rose confides to Fern that she is not able to get pregnant. Fern decides, without Rose's knowledge, that she should have a baby for her beloved sister. When Fern meets an interesting man at the library she is able to put her plan into place. However Fern didn't expect to fall in love. Hepworth's focus on people suffering from sensory stimulation issues is fantastic. Fern educates the reader in a thoughtful and interesting way.

The Good Sister is part psychological thriller and part women's fiction. It is my first book by this author.

The book is set in Australia and alternates between Fern's 1st person POV and her twin sister Rose's journal.

Fern (28) is a librarian. She has sensory-processing issues. She is hypersensitive to sound, light, touch and smell (so most likely a form of Asperger's).

Rose is an interior designer with diabetes whose husband Owen is away in London.

Something happened to Fern and Rose when they were kids. And this secret has affected them as adults. Their mom was not a nice person. And Rose has had to take care of Fern their whole lives.

I absolutely adored Fern. I love quirky characters. And she was amazing. I also really loved Wally (the guy who lives in his van). The back and forth between Fern and Wally was so good. I also really enjoyed the library workers and patrons. And seeing Fern do her job well was great. Also the relationship between the twins was intriguing.

The beginning of the book did not feel like a thriller at all. But as the book progressed it definitely felt a lot more like a psychological thriller. These genres (women's fiction and thrillers) do not usually go together. But I found that in this case it worked very well.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was really interesting. However, there are clearly certain things that are supposed to be surprises. But I read a fair amount of thrillers and I wish that this book had been more unpredictable. I love amazing shocking reveals. And while there was a bit of that I mostly found that I wasn't shocked by anything. However I think that some people will be surprised. And I think that they will find this book exceptional. But overall it was still a really good read.

“People without sisters think it’s all sunshine and lollipops or all blood and guts. But actually it’s both. Good and bad. The bad is as essential to the relationship as the good.”

As an only child, I imagine sisterhood as sugar and spice and everything nice. I yearn for a built-in friend that will think of me to share their good and bad news. That will consider me their “person”. I mean I rarely pick-up the phone and it sometimes takes me weeks to respond to texts, but I would give her my all in spirit.

Sally has taken this relationship and shown that the good and the bad is not a one or the other; they co-exist. While the relationship between Fern (oh how I love thee) and Rose is the extreme, I also felt that the story spoke to people in general. We all have the parts of us that we are proud to show the world, and then have moments that we do something we are not so proud of... our underbelly behaviour.

Two sisters, who could not be more different, but whose history and future is deeply woven together by sisterhood and secrets… you need to read this book.

Sally is am auto-buy author for me. I discovered her books in 2019 and I have only grown to enjoy her books more now that I “know” Sally on Instagram. She is an author that you can see her humour and personality in her writing, especially Fern’s inner dialogues. Sally is whip-smart, down to earth and hilarious.

Her books are no different. I have read 3/6 and have loved them all. They will have a forever home on my shelf.

Do yourself a favour and pick-up a copy. There is a reason everyone is talking about this book.

Twin sisters, Fern and Rose, depended on each other to protect themselves against their mother. When one of them got in trouble, the other took the blame, no questions asked. When their mothers boyfriends came in and out of their lives, the girls looked to each other for protection.
When Rose has trouble conceiving a child, Fern makes a decision that will change her life. She will have a baby for her sister as a way to give back for everything Rose has ever done for her. She can give Rose the chance to be the mother, theres never was..

Sally Hepworth never fails. She is an auto read, book instantly on hold, scramble to get an arc kind of author. I love how she tells twisty tales that always end the way you least expect it. Of course I loved The Good Sister, and you will too.
I have always been attracted to stories about twins. They can look identical and be completely different. And we all know there is always the better looking, evil twin. At least that's what I find in fiction..lol. Sally Hepworth gave us a pair of twins that are bonded in their sisterhood and in their secrets.
There are so many turns in this book. I wouldn't say it was a thriller, but maybe twisty fiction. It had me guessing, with a Rollercoaster of emotions, but never gave me the suspense and fear of a thriller. But that didn't make it any less good. Its just a really well told twin story.

The Good sister was a suspenseful fast paced read. I loved the narration between Rose and Fern that showed the two stories of the sisters childhood. It weaved an interesting story that you were never sure what would happen next. A great thriller that was fun one. Thank you to @macmillanaudio for my audiobook and @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my advanced copy of the book. Highly recommended.

The first half of this novel is a sweet and gentle tale of love and kindness. Then you start getting a little niggling feeling that things aren’t quite right, but you’re not really sure what the source of the discomfort is. I knew something was wrong, but was all over the place as what was really happening.
I really loved the innocence and sweetness of Fern and her budding relationship with “Wally.”
Thoroughly enjoyed this read. Thanks to the publisher and author for giving me a NetGalley win. It is a winner. #thegoodsister

This book was part mystery /thriller, part family drama with a dash of romance. The story is told in dual points of view --one from 28-year-old Fern and one from the journal of her twin sister Rose. I love a good sister story and these two have an interesting dynamic to say the least. A very complicated childhood!

There were several good secondary characters including a couple of librarians and I enjoyed the book references throughout the story. The author did a great job keeping up the tension until the very end. Though not all the twists were a surprise I couldn't put this down and read it in two sittings. I highly recommend adding The Good Sister to your TBR.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a gifted ecopy of this book.

Yes, the "twist" at the center of this book is pretty easy to figure out, but I didn't see that as the point. I kept reading to see exactly where this intriguing story was going to go.

Rose and Fern are twin sisters, Fern did a bad thing when they were young and Rose has always been Fern’s protector. As adults, that hasn’t changed,

Fern is a bit quirky, she sees the good in everyone. Even their mom who Rose refuses to have anything to do with. She doesn’t understand how Fern visits they psychotic mother weekly. When Rose wants to have a child but isn’t capable, Fern decides she will have one for her sister. But Fern was not expecting to find someone who understood her needs as much as Wally. Rose convinces Fern a baby is not safe in her hands and that she should adopt Fern’s baby. But is Fern really a danger?

I really enjoyed this book. It is told in dual narratives, Fern in present day and Rose in the past. The sisters take you on a journey with them that asks that question, who really is The Good Sister?

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

How far are you willing to go to help a sister?
“The Good Sister” by Sally Hepworth is about two sisters, Rose and Fern who will do what seems like just about anything for the other, keep secrets, have babies and etc. This book starts out sweet and innocent like Fern but starts to twist and turn and your realize perceptions are not always what they seem. A family drama that keeps you guessing and intrigued. Out tomorrow 4/13.

#thegoodsister #julesbookshelf #arc #netgalley #goodreads #sallyhepworth #booksofinstagram

The Good Sister was a captivating tale of twin sisters who remained close through their adult years. I was immediately engrossed in this book because of Hepworth’s writing style and development of characters and plot. Even though it’s a psychological thriller there was a good balance of humor and dark weaved through the storyline to keep the reader engaged. I was completely surprised at the turn of events in the end.

With the title the reader assumes one sister is good and one sister is not. This is something the reader may ponder from time to time throughout the novel.
Fern likes her life to be very routine. She works at a library and has a daily routine that she doesn’t like to stray from. Too much noise or lights bother her and she doesn't do well in new social settings.
Rose is married with a dog, house, and office job. Their childhood was traumatizing for both sisters growing up. Rose did not receive the emotional support she needed from her mother. Fern feels she is a person capable of very bad things because of an incident that happened in her early adolescent years. Because of this and her sensory issues, Fern feels compelled to lean on Rose for stability. A role that Rose is all too happy to procure.

When Fern meets “Wally” she craves more independence from her sister. I found Fern to be such a loveable character and a fabulous librarian. Her character was definitely developed by someone who loves and respects everything the library has to offer a community. Her relationship with a patron that stumbles into her library is very endearing and really added a great element to the story. Hepworth wrote with great care in regards to Fern’s disabilities. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone close to Hepworth was like Fern.

Rose is trying to get pregnant to save her marriage. Fern sees this as an opportunity to help Rose for all that she has done for her. Fern sets out in a very unorthodox way to help her siste.
I found it fascinating to read that Hepworth decided to write this book after watching the dynamic between her two girls. The push and pull in that relationship the fighting one minute and the dedication to one another the next. Siblings are the longest relationships most of us will have in our lives and is definitely a worthwhile relationship to write about. I don’t have a sister myself, but I do have two girls and see a similar dynamic as Hepworth saw in her girls that inspired the story.

I loved the characters in this- as a sister I could completely relate to the idea that two siblings never experience the same childhood. Although some of the mystery and drama here were pretty easy to guess, the story was so full of drama and suspense that I didn’t mind having some idea of where it was going. And there are some really good lines and clues that felt perfectly paced. And I really adored a main character with sensory processing challenges! Hepworth did a great job describing how frustrating but also “normal” they can be, Four suspenseful and rainbow-colored stars, with goggles and headphones to match. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for this unbiased review!

Rose has always been The Good Sister, covering up the difficulties caused by her twin sister, Fern. Fern is grateful. So, Fern decides to give her sister the one thing she can’t make herself—a baby.

Fern is not “neuronormal”. She is upset by loud noises, colorful environments, and strong smells. Fern has the perfect job for her. She is a librarian in a small Australian town. Escaping into books is how Fern has learned to deal with social situations. To achieve her baby gift, Fern researches rom-coms. Then, she asks out the first free male she sees. Wally lives out of his van and showers in the library’s public showers. But he seems kind enough. However, as the romance continues, Fern is increasingly drawn into Wally’s world.

As an only child with an only child, sisterhood has always seemed mysterious to me. The Good Sister is about both the sisterly relationship and family dynamics in general. And it is so delicious! Like the Kardashians if their life wasn’t so scripted. Rose and Fern have an unusual bond.

I admit I am tired as I write this review. I started this book before bed last night intending to read only a couple of chapters. Instead, I read the entire book in one sitting. It is that good! 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Fern and her sister, Rose, have been each other’s rock. Having grown up in an unstable home, and with their bond as twins, Rose has always been the support for nuero-atypical Fern. While she’s able to hold down a job as a librarian and live on her own, she can’t be trusted with much; their history proves that.

So when Rose confides to Fern that she’s unable to have children, her sister knows she can absolutely step in to carry a child to pay her sister back for all she’s done. It isn’t until much later that Fern starts to realize that Rose might not be the sister she thought she knew.

While the twist in this one wasn’t earth-shattering, I definitely wasn’t ready for how pervasive the deceit was. Fern is such a rich character and being in her head was delightful. I enjoyed her inner monologue and the revelations she made throughout her day. Watching her fall in love was blissful. And seeing how the people around her treasured her when she felt she could barely tolerate them was amusing. Not so much a must-read thriller as a well constructed character piece.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this free copy. These opinions are my own.