My first read from this author, and I will definitely read her again. I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this book. Told in dual voices of each sister, I really enjoyed the character of Fern, and I found her sections very well composed. Fern has sensory processing issues, and while I do not have personal experience with such, I thought Fern's daily life was portrayed with sensitive realism. I quickly suspected what was "really" going on (and was correct), but I enjoyed how the plotting unfolded. I would not quite call this a thriller. More domestic drama or domestic suspense. Or just general fiction. Sometimes the sub genres are very subjective. Recommend this one completely for the character of Fern, and the pro-library vibes within (Fern is a librarian). 4.25 stars.

I would love to give this even more stars! What a great story! Having read a previous book by Hepworth I was aware there might be a surprise or two, but she still caught me off guard! I really loved the characters. Rose and Fern, the twin sisters, were very different. Fern has multiple sensory issues, and still manages to live a very full life, however ordered. Everyone falls in love with her sweetness, including her boyfriend Wally (not his real name, but she calls him this for a charming and funny reason. Rose is very protective of Fern, and the sisters are extremely close. Wally is perfectly drawn, and Hepworth has created an amazing match for Fern. I couldn’t put the book down, having been drawn so totally into their lives, and the end doesn’t disappoint. I guessed some things but didn’t expect others, so that is the mark of a very engaging book!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

More Like 3 and ½ Stars!
I enjoyed this one.
This is my first Sally Hepworth novel and I will definitely be reading more of her books.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press and Libro.fm for my advanced copies.

The Good Sister was an ALC pick through Libro.fm for the month of March so I listened to the audio.

The audio was fantastic. If you are able to get your hands on the audio for this one I highly recommend it.

Overall this book was really good. I was entertained. I thought Fern had a unique perspective and that the story was well written.

Why It Lost a Star ( and a half) - Nothing about this book really shocked me. I was engaged in the story and never bored but there was something missing. I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe I read too many thrillers.

That being said- I still recommend this book to other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the first book I have read by this author, it definitely will not be my last. I immensely enjoyed it, it was a great psychological thriller that had me guessing and guessing until the end.

Fern and Rose are fraternal twins; with that, Fern tall and fair, looks like their mother, Rose is dark haired, shorter and plumper. The twins are shown as dependent on one another in many ways growing up, as we learn through Rose’s journal, by a single mother who can be cruel and heartless. Fern has sensory issues and Rose is the responsible one. Fern relies on Rose to keep her on track and make sure she doesn’t forget things. Rose and her husband, Owen, are having marital problems because she wants a child badly; when Fern accidentally finds this out she thinks about having a baby for her. This is what leads Fern to ask out a library patron, but as she gets to know Wally, she starts to imagine a world with him, and when she realizes she is pregnant, Rose and Owen are more than happy to step in and agree to raise the child. Fern knows she cannot raise a child, she knows about the dark secrets from her past, that she cannot be trusted, especially with something as vulnerable as a baby.

As she gets further along in her pregnancy and more and more reliant on Rose, it is hard for her to know where her thoughts and desires end and Rose’s start. But are things as they seem, is everything her sister says true, is she a danger to others, or does she need protecting?

Great storyline and characters, well written and imaginative. Will definitely read more books by this author.

Wow. This was a really great thriller. And it lulls you into believing it's not really a thriller. For some parts of the story things read like a very quirky chick-lit novel before you start to see some 'darkness' pushing on through. When things finally get upended you won't be able to put this one down. I really loved it, and liked that I didn't see anything coming. I did find the ending to be eerie too, because you get the sense that this person is going to keep trying to get what they think is owed to them.

"The Good Sister" follows sister, Rose and Fern. Rose we find has a happy marriage to her husband Owen. Rose is stressed out though because she and Owen are trying and failing to get pregnant. At the suggestion of her therapist, she starts a diary that has her looking back to her and her sister Fern's tumultuous childhood. We find that Rose and Fern's mother was constantly needing them to show her how much they loved her and would punish at the drop of a hat. Fern we see is a librarian and dealing with a lot of day to day issues (loud noises, crowds) that affect her. The book doesn't come right out and say it, but it's cued up enough for us readers to find that Fern is a highly functioning autistic woman. Fern we find has a good read of people, and she wants to do whatever she can to help her sister Rose. Even if that includes having a baby.

Rose and Fern are very distinct characters I found. Even though they are fraternal twins, you don't get the same sense of one person, two bodies, I have often found in certain books following twins. Rose has a great job, a wonderful husband, and stresses over Fern. Fern, has a great job (though she doesn't like the new supervisor) and is dealing with starting to feel something for a guy who starts coming to the library, named Wally.

The secondary characters add some flavor to this one, but the one that reigns supreme is Rose and Fern's mother. You get a sense of the woman and what she has done to both daughters.

I thought the writing was great and the flow worked too. We go back and forth from Rose to Fern. Rose's story is told to us via diary format and Fern's is told to us via a more common form of narration. So believe me, you find yourself getting sunk in deeper and deeper as you go alone.

The setting of this book is Australia. I have to say that I was surprised how many times it came up, since no one "sounded Australian" to me. Yes, I know how that sounds and I need smacked. But at times I kept thinking I was reading a book set in Britain.

The ending was really well done and I have to say that I loved how Hepworth ended it. 5 stars!

Fern and Rose are twins. Fern has sensory sensitivities and Rose is very protective of her sister. As Fern becomes more independent, she sees how she can function without Rose. I would file this under mild psychological thriller. I love an unreliable narrator- but the question is: which sister is unreliable?
Hepworth can always be counted on for a well constructed, engaging read. This would be great for book clubs or buddy reads!
Thank you to Netgalley for the copy for review. Put this on your TBR list!

This novel was captivating. To be honest, I spent the first third of the novel trying to figure out who was "the good sister", then the second third of the book second-guessing my guess. I really loved all the twists and turns this novel provided! I also really enjoyed the fact that the author highlighted the normalcy behind one with mental abnormalities, as shown with Fern. The storyline was incredible! I was surprised with the ending, and left wanting so much more. I am already looking forward to the sequel!!

A slow-burn suspenseful story of sisters whose dedication and love knows no limits. Rose and Fern are twins. As kids and now as adults, Rose, the responsible one, has always taken care of Fern, who has a sensory processing disorder. But secrets do strange things to sisters. They either hold them closer together or tear them apart; and in this story, it could go either way...

Thank you to NetGalley, Libro.FM and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copies.

4.5 stars. I really liked this! It was hard to put down even with a plot with a pretty predictable twist. Awesome drama, interesting characters, Fern was delightful. The sensory processing disorder was addressed fabulously and I loved seeing it as a positive in the character and not a detriment. Without the suspense angle, it would have made a delightful romance. Overall, a great quick read that will be a summer hit.

Here is a great read that will hold your attention from page 1. Great characters will have you involved in their real life situations. Excellent read.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was crazy good! Although I expect nothing less of this author. She knows how to hook you right from the beginning.

You have a set of twins, one very independent the other seems to be on the spectrum. Fern is a librarian, she has sensory issues with sound, light, people. You name it, it could trigger her. Her sister Rose helps Fern understand people and life. She helps her get though conversations that Fern may otherwise not understand. However, is Rose really helping Fern or is she causing more harm than good?

This is a great family drama novel.

This book was a very uneven book for me. While there were things I liked, there were also things I did not. I enjoyed the dual narrators and knowing that one, if not both, were unreliable was great. The way Fern was written was really well done. Her struggles with sensory overload were sensitive and informative. She was a character I grew to like and care about as I read.

What I had trouble with was the mother. I don’t like reading about parents being mean or cruel to children. There wasn’t a lot of it in the book, but there was enough that several times I considered not continuing. I did continue, though, because I was hoping the book would improve and be worth the unpleasantness. It did and I’m glad I carried on.

This was a fast read with some interesting twists. It would be a great book for the beach, a trip or a book club.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed this book as it was the perfect mix of drama, family angst and psychological suspense. This is the story of fraternal twins, Fran and Rose who are as different as daylight and dark, but have a very strong bond. Fran is determined to help her sister Rose once she learns of the infertility struggles she is experiencing. Chapters alternate between Fern in the present and Rose's dairy entries, which also include flashbacks to the very troubled childhood the sisters experienced. Just like all good stories, there are lots of twists and turns you do not expect!

I've read many of Hepworth's books before and this one did not disappoint! It's a story of two sisters and their relationship, but the unique POV leaves the reader wondering who actually IS the "good sister" for most of the book. I found that I questioned my own opinion until it was eventually confirmed.

Fern has lived her entire life being mothered by her twin sister, Rose. Fern deals with some sensory issues and is possibly on the spectrum. Fern is very aware of her limitations, so she lives in a self-made bubble in order to accommodate her own needs and live her most productive life. Rose has a very different personality from Fern, but somehow their relationship has remained close. Despite their closeness, their roles have been made very clear - and any deviation from them results in tension in their relationship. When Fern begins to assert her independence, Rose isn't as supportive as Fern had hoped she'd be, she begins to wonder if this is a "sister thing" or possibly something more....

As a parent of a child on the spectrum who also has sensory processing issues, I really admired Hepworth's approach to Fern's uniqueness. She honored her disabilities by making her more "differently abled" rather than "disabled." While at times there were instances that Fern was in danger of being taken advantage of (every special needs parent's worst nightmare!), Hepworth proved that Fern was a capable, whole person and able to make decisions on her own. It was also heart-warming to see how many people in the story appreciated Fern for who she was - the love, care, and respect that so many showed her was just lovely.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

Sally Hepworth has become one of my favorite authors. This book cements the deal. It may seem trite, but this book is a page turner in every sense of the term. A story of two sisters, one reliable and the other needy. I went back and forth on which was which. As a Special Needs Teacher, my heart was drawn to Fern, the sister with a sensory processing disorder, but was she worthy of my loyalty? You’ll have to read for yourself to find out!

I was SO impressed with this story. I love sister dynamics, and I was thrilled to see a main character on the spectrum. There is so little disability representation in this genre that is showcased in a positive manner, so I really appreciated seeing it. I felt myself rooting for the "good" sister, and I really grew to love her!! I felt there was a good amount of tension and the ending was pretty creepy -- exactly what I want in a thriller! Sally Hepworth can do no wrong!

I love a book about twins, and about sister relationships. However, this thriller was maybe less a thriller and more of a family drama. A family drama featuring so many serious issues it'll make your head spin. We're talking sensory disorders, as well as mental disorders, early child death, potential child sexual abuse and infertility. I do like when a thriller or any book really, tackles serious issues, but this one just piled them on a bit too much. So the plot and the characters got covered up by All. The. Issues. Lots of trigger warnings, but ultimately an entertaining enough read.

The Good Sister - 4⭐

Thank you @stmartinspress for my advance #gifted copy and @LibroFM for the ALC.

Super quick synopsis: Rose and Fern are twin sisters that are very close-- some might say too close. From all appearances, Rose is the responsible one and Fern can't be trusted, after doing something unforgivable as a child. But as Fern decides to make a huge sacrifice for Rose, she starts becoming aware that something isn't quite right.

Ooh this was FUN and bingeable. I think it's best to go into this story pretty blind, as to not give away any of the fun twists the story takes. The book alternates POV between Rose/her diary and Fern, who's always been considered a little different by others, with her sensory processing disorder. There were some characters that I seriously loved and rooted hard for, and others I just hated so much. I alternated between reading and listening to this and found both really enjoyable and easy to get invested in Fern's story. The twists were really fun to watch unfold as the story progresses.

Read this if you enjoyed: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

"People without sisters think it's all sunshine and lollipops or all blood and guts. But actually it's always both. Sunshine and guts. Lollipops and blood. Good and bad. The bad is as essential to the relationship as the good. Maybe the bad is even more important, because that's what ties you together."

The Good Sister was a total page turner. I couldn't put it down! This domestic psychological suspense thriller is told in two POVs. From Fern and Rose. They are fraternal twins that have a closeness and bond that may be more unusual than some. Rose tells most of her story from her diary and from memories when they are younger and how they were treated by their mother. It sets the tone for their relationship and why Rose takes such close care of Fern. Fern meanwhile is on the spectrum but is high functioning and has some sensory issues. She lives on her own not far from Rose and has a job at the library. She seems to be doing great. When her issues come into play, Rose is always there to pick up the pieces. But what happens when a man enters the picture for Fern and ends up interrupting the sibling/twin bond that these sisters have?

This is the second book I've read of Sally Hepworth's and I've enjoyed both because of the unreliable narrators. As a reader, you have to figure out who is the reliable one and who to believe. Ms Hepworth does such a tremendous job of creating these characters with their pasts and their present that I was immediately drawn in. But with twins that are dependent on one another and them holding a secret from when they were children, there's even more at play. Twists and turns and relationships are all going to be in effect.

Overall, this story was all about the characters for me. Not just Fern and Rose, but also Wally/Rocco, Rose's husband Owen, the twin's mother, and the people who worked at the library. I was invested in all of them and who they were to the twins. The plot was almost secondary for me. This will be the perfect book for someone looking for a character driven suspense novel that enjoys the unreliable narrator. It's well done, wonderfully paced and I was fully enamored with what the outcome came to be.
4.5 stars. Couldn’t put it down. Great character development and absolutely loved the growth of the characters and where they ended up.

Twin sisters Rose and Fern Castle's lives have been closely intertwined since they were young girls. From their early years, Rose took on the role of protector, given Fern's susceptibility to sensory overload. Fern has gladly accepted Rose's guidance and intervention, believing herself incapable of living an independent life because of her sensory meltdowns. But is protectiveness always well-intentioned? And left unchecked, can it stray into self-serving overprotectiveness and manipulation?

The story is told from the perspective of each sister in chapters that alternate between their childhood and present times, recounting their personal experiences and relationship with a neglectful mother. Filled with twists, turns, and shocking events, The Good Sister is a compelling page turner that is nearly impossible to put down from start to finish.