The two main characters, Fern and Rose, are fraternal twins and as different as two females can be. Rose has been protecting Fern all her life because Fern appears to be somewhere on the autism spectrum. While Fern is high-functioning and lives alone; she is sensitive to noise, bright lights and smells: basically almost anything that can come across as overpowering. Fern also has trouble with conversations because there are so many nuances to what people say that she has a difficult time understanding the meaning behind their words.

From the title, and the story as it unfolded, I couldn’t help but wonder which one was the good sister. Apparently, something happened in the past that Fern continued to blame herself for. But did she really do it? Because this is a psychological thriller, first impressions don’t always mean anything.

I thought the author did an excellent job of characterization bringing the people in this book to life in a way that captured how complex people really are.

Clever, an easy way to pass the day. I’d recommend to anyone who wants an authentic, entertaining book to read for any occasion.

5 stars!

I have always been drawn to drama involving families – especially mother daughter and sibling relationships. This book was a dream come true for me. The character development was first rate.
As with any book labeled Thriller, I go in with trepidation, doubting every character and trying to find each of the author’s “clues.” This book had me so caught up in the sister relationship between twins Rose and Fern, and the mother daughter relationship between Rose and her mother, that I forgot to look at everything with questioning eyes. The book was told in the alternating voices of Rose and Fern.

At the outset I met Fern and I loved every minute of getting to know her. She is on the spectrum and sees everything literally. I thought the author did a great job of giving insight to the challenges and daily struggles she had to face. Fern worked as a librarian where quiet and order reign. I loved all of her coworkers as they were able to meet Fern where she was.

“…she suggested I “karate-chop” him, which is neither an actual karate move (I have a black belt) nor something I would be tempted to do, since karate has a pacifist philosophy.” Fern

“It was hard to describe what that particular kind of noise – trapped noise – did to me. It filled my brain like a scream, until tears itched at my eyes and my heart threatened to burst from my chest”. Fern

When I met her twin, Rose, it was easy to see that she felt a crushing responsibility to care for and protect Fern. It was evident that everything Rose said was received as truth by Fern. This was Fern’s “person”, the one who was always looking out for her. Ruth recalls how she constantly had to play interference for Fern throughout their childhood so she would never feel the full brunt of her mother’s narcissistic personality. Their mother only cared for herself and used her love as a weapon to keep the twins enamored with her. The memories Ruth shared of their childhood were heartwrenching. Once Fern found out about Ruth’s struggles with fertility, she knew she could help. Fern would do anything for Ruth. She would be lost without Ruth…or would she?

“Giving Fern a diagnosis or help would have made her special and Mum was the only one allowed to be special in our house.” Rose

There was a wonderful relationship developed between Fern and Rocco, otherwise known as Wally. Fern and Wally shared many of the same sensory issues. Rocco played a pivotal role in Fern’s life. His observations of the relationships in Fern’s life opened the gates for her to realize that maybe some of her memories of her past may not be accurate.

I had a hard time putting this book down. I devoured it in 2 days. I wouldn’t really consider this a thriller though. It was far more about the psychological intrigue. There is so much more I want to say, but I can’t ruin it for future readers. It is best to know only the basics. I will definitely be reading more by Sally Hepworth. I loved this one!

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for gifting me an advance copy to read and review.

I really don’t want to give away the plot or synopsis of this book! It is a perfectly executed evolution of a psychological thriller that needs to be experienced by the reader. Sally Hepworth is one of my new favorite authors, and this book is masterfully crafted. This was my first Sally Hepworth book, but I’ve got The Mother In Law on my book cart and I’ll definitely be reading that one soon!

The relationship between the two sisters, Fern and Rose is both endearing and unnerving. I loved Fern and feel that anyone familiar with someone on the autism spectrum, especially what used to be termed as Aspberger’s, is really going to recognize and sympathize with her character. I loved the character Wally/Rocco, too! Truly a perfect, quirky group! I highly recommend this entertaining piece. You’re not going to want to put this one down!

There could not be two sisters more different than fraternal twins Rose and Fern. Rose is happily married, independent and has cared for Fern for their whole lives. We know this from her diary entries, interspersed between the alternating voices of the two women. While Rose is put together and efficient, Fern is quirky and overly literal. She has sensory processing issues and is probably on the spectrum. This doesn’t affect her work at the local library where she is a popular employee.

When Rose has difficulty becoming pregnant, Fern decides to have a baby for her. She chooses Wally (real name Rocco) to be the father. She’s not bothered by the fact that Wally is a homeless man who lives in a van and has some mental issues of his own. However, Rose is. She wants to raise Fern’s baby without Wally’s interference. The way she accomplishes this is Machiavellian and leads to a crisis where both women will face long buried secrets and try to understand confusing memories.

The Good Sister is beautifully written, character driven and deliberately slow moving. You can’t help but love Fern and they way she looks at the world. She wears goggles to shade the light and ear plugs to lessen background noise. When she reads aloud to the children’s group at the library, several children begin to copy her equipment because they, too, are sensitive to their surroundings. A simply wonderful story! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for this ARC.

My sister’s obsession

Fern and Rose were sent to foster homes when their mother overdosed and suffered brain damage. When they were eighteen Rose cared for Fern. She loved Fern and wanted what was best for her, or did she?

The book is about mental illness and possessive behavior. It is about two sisters and a smothering love/hate relationship between them and their mother. Fern has always been the quiet reserved twin and Rose is the responsible one. They hold a past secret that they have kept hidden. Something bad happened and Fern thinks it is her fault. Rose wants a baby and can't have one with her husband Owen, Fern gets pregnant to give Rose a baby until with Wally's help she realizes that would be a huge mistake . When it all comes to a head, Fern knows that she has to break away from Rose and that she cannot trust Rose. She has a lot of help from Wally, Carmel, Gladys and others friends including Owen who is no longer with Rose. Then she learns Rose's secret and her betrayal. Quite a twist at the end.
I had a hard time getting into this book, for some reason I just couldn't connect with it. I think it was well written and I did like the characters of Fern and Wally. Rose was annoying and selfish.

Thanks to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Growing up, Rose was always Fern’s protector, keeping her safe from their sociopath mother. When Fern does something truly wrong, Rose covers it up, instilling eternal gratitude in Fern. As an adult, Fern and Rose’s complicated relationship comes to a head when Fern begins to realize her sister as secrets of her own.

Sally Hepworth is becoming a favorite! Her books are great meditations on women and their complexities.

Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Sally Hepworth is such a masterful storyteller. The characters gripped me from the start and I devoured the book trying to figure out what was going to happen next. As a former special education teacher, the way Fern was depicted was so accurate and really enhanced her character. I can't wait to read more from Sally. I will be telling everyone I know to read this book when it is released.

Sally Hepworth does it again. A twisty family drama involving twins. I love that the story was told from the perspective of both twins. Who do you trust? The story was fast moving with some tender moments as well.

Great read! Loved the character of Fern and her relationship with Wally. The writing was addictive and lean and the relationship between the two sisters was compelling.

There’s only been one time that Rose couldn’t stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.

Fern’s mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of what families keep hidden.

My Thoughts: The alternating narration of twins Rose and Fern hooked me from the very first page. It didn’t take long for me to love Fern and be suspicious of Rose. There was something so controlling and manipulative about Rose, and even though her diary entries seemed to point to a different kind of assessment of the two of them, I wasn’t buying it.

The Good Sister, in my opinion, was Fern all along.

As the story takes us through their daily lives, we are drawn in by how Rose manages to spin a tale that reels Fern in, allowing her to control what Fern does in her personal life, including her relationship with the interesting man Fern calls Wally.

Fern’s sensory issues, in which she misses social cues at times, makes her mistrust her own choices, especially when Rose is reinforcing this assessment all along.

By the end of the story, I was wanting to call out to Fern, telling her to only trust herself and Wally. A book that I could not put down, this story earned 5 stars.

***My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley.

I really wanted to like this book but it was so hard for me to get into. I found Fern’s relationship with her sister quite odd and it was hard for me to believe that she would go through the lengths that she did. Unfortunately, I didn’t have it in me to continue. It just wasn’t the right book for me.

This book griped me from the very beginning. What a perfect opening to grab the readers and have them so entrapped within pages. This book was not too heavy, it was a quick read and kept me engaged the entire time. Ferns character was perfect, I couldn’t have loved her more. I genuinely have no complaints about this book. I think it was semi predictable, but in this case I liked that. Rose gave off narcissistic vibes from the very begging for and watching Fern get the confidence to shut that down was everything. Great read, already looking for to the next Sally Hepworth read!

The story of twin sisters Rose and Fern captured my attention right from the start. Sally Hepworth does a wonderful job of developing the characters and portraying a complex sister relationship. This is a well written, family drama/domestic thriller. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to more from this author. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Where do I even begin to unpack this book? We follow two narrators, Fern and Rose, who are twins. Fern is who we would identify as someone on "the spectrum" as she has sensory sensitivity and appreciates repetition and schedules. (As an educator who has taught several students on the spectrum, I immediately connected and empathized with her.) Rose is "the protective," yet manipulative twin who would stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Rose longs for a baby with her husband and convinces her sister (through manipulation) to have one for her. Fern, however, never anticipates how the decision to become pregnant would change her life and force her to deal with the reality of her sister. (I won't spoil the remainder of the book.)

The story being told from the two sisters' perspectives helps enhance the plot and causes readers to question who is sincere and who is the manipulative twin. We receive two different perspectives about significant events in the girls' life. Though it is very clear in the end, readers must determine who has a flawed recollection of their childhood and has been using manipulation (and lying) as a tactic to convince the other twin that everyone else is flawed. It's just unfortunate that others had to suffer because of a one-sided sibling rivalry.


Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eArc in exchange for my honest review!***

I loved, loved, loved this book! Parts of it made me feel physically stressed while reading... but in the very best way possible. I want to spend more time with Fern and Wally, as I found them just absolutely charming.

Recommended for purchase by the Scottsboro Public Library.

Emotional. Mesmerizing. Jaw-dropping. Poignant. Hearty-stopping. Innovative. Transfixing. No matter how many superlatives I use, I will not be able to adequately express how this book made me feel; how compelled I was to flip the pages, completely absorbed by this story. Sisterhood is always a fascinating subject, and in The Good Sister, author Sally Hepworth has taken it to a whole new level. Fern and Rose were so brilliantly drawn, with complex layers that give the story depth, insight, and intrigue. I was entranced by this novel, gasping in disbelief, overcome by emotion, and, at times, chilled to the bone.

I first became familiar with Sally’s writing a couple of years ago when I found a used copy of The Mother-in-Law looking for a new home at my favourite second-hand shop. I was so blown away by the writing that I was shocked I had never heard of this author before. I flagged all of her books as must-reads and then turned to see my giant TBR pile staring at me judgingly and never ended up getting around to any of her back catalogs. Thankfully Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press approved my request for The Good Sister and I was delighted to find that Sally’s storytelling is as wonderful as I remember.

Fraternal twins Fern and Rose share the narration in this dark and twisty soon to be released thriller. The reader is given glimpses into their rather shitty upbringing through Rose’s journal entries, while also following along with Fern during the present day as she navigates a new boss, a budding relationship with a pretty fantastic guy, and annoying patrons who want I.T support for the printers at the library she works at. I was so engrossed with Fern that I totally forgot that I wasn’t reading a heartwarming rom-com featuring a well-written female lead who suffers from a sensory processing disorder.

Around the halfway mark Sally reminded me of what genre I was actually reading when she walloped me with a literary punch that hit me so hard, I had to put the book down and walk away. After that, I had no doubt that I was reading one of the best slow-burn suspense novels I have ever read. I had absolutely no desire to do anything but get to the end and find out just what the heck was going on.

In my humble opinion, The Good Sister is just about perfect. The characters are flawless (shout out to my new OTP; Fern and Wally) and the plot twists are just WOW! Sally Hepworth has reached auto-buy status and I am for reals this time going to out pick up what I can of hers from my local bookstore. I see you TBR pile and no I don’t care what you have to say about that plan. You will embrace the new arrivals, damn it!

While this story is a work of fiction, I think it will ring true with anyone who has a narcissistic sibling. The majority of the story is told from Fern's perspective but you also get snippets of Rose's feelings from diary entries. The diary entries and how those play into the story was brilliant. I can't say too much without ruining the plot but I thought this was a cleverly designed story full of emotion and empathy. Highly recommend!!

Sally Hepworth has talent. Her books are always twisty, curvy, and leave you guessing. The Good Sister depicts the complicated relationship between twin sister, Rose and Fern. Both have issues, but one has much more deep seated issues than initially revealed. At first, I wasn't sure about one of the sisters, but I warmed up to her quickly. She's quirky and direct. I really liked the story and how it all turned out. I liked all the support one sister received, even though she believed she was essentially alone. I also agree that Wally is a better name for Rocco than his given name.