Reading this book was soooo much fun! The storytelling is very engaging. Just enough interesting information provided to lead your mind one way, next thing you know, you’re questioning what you know and reading on to find out more. There are fraternal twin sisters, one talks about the present, the other about the past. I also loved the setting at the library. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This one kept me up reading through the night. Psychologically intense with the twist at the end. It made me wonder about the bonds between twins, too.

I’m so thankful I was granted a copy of this book to read. I love every book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth so far. This one did not disappoint. Wow, twins! When an author can alter how you feel every time you pick up their book and dice back into the story then they’ve done a great job. This book just gave me all the crazy feelings. I’m so glad the ending turned up the way it did. Everything came together and had me guessing about little bits and pieces of the story until they were revealed.

This doozy of a domestic thriller about twin sisters was a super fun read. The complex dynamic between the sisters becomes even more intense as the story unfolds and readers get to know them. Clever plot twists will keep readers reading at a binge-worthy pace.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.

Wow! This book was great. I wasn't sure what to expect because I did not care much for The Mother in Law. I absolutely LOVED Hepworth's writing in this one. The way she wrote made you truly understand Rose & Fern as characters- especially Fern. I loved that Hepworth portrayed Fern as a person with Autism without needing to flat-out say the character has Autism. The way she portrayed Fern, with high functioning autism, was perfect. I really rooted for this character and the ending made me so happy. The only reason for 4 and not 5 stars was because I predicted the ending early on into the book and there were not enough twists and turns. I highly recommend though! Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

FINALLY!!! A book with a protagonist that is on the spectrum and had sensory sensitivity. What an incredible story. First off, Sally Hepworth did a wonderful job writing from both perspectives. Twin sisters Fern and Rose share plenty of history with their mother and her relationships. While learning about the characters you can’t help yourself and fall for Wally and his loyalty while applauding Fern for following her heart and adapting to a new routine. The twists were somewhat predictable, but it did not ruin the story for me. I look forward to reading more books by this author. Thanks for the ARC!

Sally Hepworth brings Fern and Rose to life in The Good Sister! This book kept me reading late into the night to see what was going to happen next. I love how Hepworth kept me guessing through twists and turns in the story.

This was my first novel by Sally Hepworth and I liked it a lot - so much so, that I read it in less than 2 days.

This novel examines the dynamic of twin sisters, Rose & Fern through present-day tales of Fern and diary entries by Rose. I really appreciated this story-telling method because as the book goes on, the sisters’ narratives grow further apart and the reader is tasked with determining who to believe, the quirky socially-challenged Fern or the responsible Rose.

I recommend this to fans of mysteries and thrillers and look forward to reading more from Sally Hepworth!

I enjoyed this book, even though there were parts that I found creepy (which was the author’s intent). I loved the characters of Fern and Wally. I thought they were so well done, and was what made this book for me.

Sally Hepworth is always on my to-read and this one was no exception. Chapters alternate between 2 sisters: Fern and diary entries of Rose. Fern’s chapters reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant with her sensory issues and had me chuckling out loud a few times. My favorite characters were Fern and definitely Wally! I couldn’t believe this fell under the mystery/thriller genre but it is and I enjoyed figuring it out.

Sally Hepworth is a master at dysfunctional and creepy families. Fern and Rose are sisters. Rose has always protected Fern. But now Rose needs protecting from Fern...

I'm not sure I have read the same book as everyone else who gave this book 5 stars. I was so looking forward to this one since I loved her last one but I just could not stick with it. BOTH sisters drove me crazy, the mom was nuts and I just tried to muddle through but found myself skimming pages so I stopped at 50%. I think that's plenty long enough to know whether or not I liked the book or not. Just wasn't for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rose and Fern are fraternal twins sisters. At 27, Rose is married and trying to have a baby. Fern works in a library and is generally happy despite having sensory overload issues that Rose helps her with. When she realizes Rose is struggling to get pregnant, Fern decides she will have a baby for Rose, after all, Rose has been there for her so many times, including keeping the secret of something horrible Fern did when they were kids.

This was a fast, easy enjoyable read. Fern was very easy to like even though at times she reminded me of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory. I liked her boyfriend Wally quite a bit too. I didn't find this to be super twisty turn-y like I like my books to be and I sort of sniffed out what was going on but none of that stopped me from enjoying it. This was my first read from this author but it won't be my last.

I flew through this one!

Sally Hepworth is at it again with an AMAZING thriller.
The twist was insane, the story was gripping, the characters were lovable and of course, completely worth hating.

I loved it, I highly recommend!

Rose and Fern remember their childhood differently, perhaps because Fern is on the spectrum. Despite their diverging memories--to Rose, their mother was an ogre and to Fern, she was just their mom. Rose's journal details the horrors she experienced while an oblivious Fern depended on Rose for everything. Now, they're grown up, and Fern is a public librarian. Rose works, too, and is married to Owen. Fern hasn't dated much. She's a practical person and often single-focused. When she meets a guy she calls Wally (in the US that would be "Waldo," as in Where's) because of his hat and striped shirt, she has an ulterior motive for asking him out.

I can't say much more because I don't want to spoil the plausibly twisty plot. Let's just say there's an interdependence between Rose and Fern. <blockquote>"...my sister holds the key to my sanity (even though I never gave it to her.)" </blockquote>Favorite librarian Easter egg, <blockquote>"...is at my bedside again, this time reading a John Grisham novel." </blockquote>

SOLID writing. I might become a Sally Hepworth head after this.

4 stars for The Good Sister!

Fern and Rose are twins who are very close but not everything in this sister relationship is as it seems. Fern has sensory issues and is supported by her sister, Rose. The sisters spend a lot of time together and see each other multiple times a week. Fern relies on Rose but nothing can be believed.

I loved how unreliable the narration was and that you couldn't be sure what you were reading was true until the end of the book. I was second guessing everything constantly and as new information was given earlier parts of the books were shown to be untrue. Fern and Rose were fun characters and I enjoyed seeing how Fern grew throughout the book, particularly her relationship with Rocco/Wally. I did find myself guessing at who was hiding dark secrets and some were easier than others to guess.

I found the twist was easy to guess from fairly early on but some of the details did surprise and shock me. The plot was fairly slow and that was something I didn't like about this book. I found that for a thriller it wasn't as twisty as I normally like, it felt like more of a contemporary novel at times. Once all the twists were revealed at the end it did feel like a thriller with all the secrets that came out but the first half was slow and didn't really draw me in. If this was faster paced and messed with my head more I think it could've been a 5 star read for me.

Overall, this was a fun thriller to read but could be slow and I wish it would've had a faster plot pace. I think anyone who likes thrillers with an unreliable narrator would enjoy this!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with eARC in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

DNF at 20%

Nothing pulled me into this story. It felt frivolous and contrived. The two sisters were very surface level and neither had any qualities that made me think they were sisters. Also, the "slow" sister was not believable at all, I just couldn't continue reading it.

(I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

After reading "The Mother-in-Law" last year, I knew I had to get my hands on "The Good Sister." This novel was EVEN BETTER than the previous one - kudos, Sally Hepworth!!!

Without spoiling anything, "The Good Sister" is about the relationship between twin sisters Rose and Fern. Like "The Mother-in-Law", "The Good Sister" switches between both sisters' accounts, which adds to the intrigue of the story. I found myself initially empathizing more with one sister, then feeling differently as the plot progressed.

Once again, Sally Hepworth did an incredible job of capturing the reality of many familial relationships (for sisters, it can very much be a "love/hate" relationship); however, what I truly appreciated was Hepworth's accurate and compassionate portrayal of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how it can impact all areas of one's life. As a licensed marriage and family therapist, I've made a point of reading a number of fictional stories that feature characters with ASD, and this was probably the best one I've read to date.

Sally Hepworth, you had me sold after reading "The Mother-in-Law," and now I'm a raving fan after reading "The Good Sister." Keep 'em coming!!!

The Good Sister
Author: Sally Hepworth
Genre: Domestic psychological thriller
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 4/13/2021

Description: This book is about two sisters – Rose and Fern. It is told through two storylines representing each of the sisters. Fern focuses on the present-day while Rose’s is a diary entry detailing the past. Fern is introverted and has multiple sensory issues. Rose is the responsible sister who takes care of her sister, has a husband and home. I do not want to say much more than that as I don’t want to spoil anything about this book!

What I liked:
•This is a character-driven thriller which I think is unusual in the genre. The thriller was far more in how the characters grow and learn to understand each other rather than major plot twists.
•I just adore Fern. As someone married to someone on the spectrum, I loved how the author described Fern’s sensory issues in a very compassionate way and explored the complexities of them. The author also presented many of the strategies for managing life in a very neurotypical world.
•The sister relationship is explored quite thoughtfully. I have a complex relationship with my sister and I can relate to complex sister relationships. It felt real and authentic to me.
•The book does play with the unreliable narrator in a way I haven’t seen. The author really reinterpreted what it means to be a reliable narrator and the assumptions we make as readers.
•The ending was perfect and fit the theme of the book. It was also a rather unique ending to a thriller.
What I didn’t like:
•Due to the character development, I was not clear on where this novel was going. Even the description does not give you a clear idea. There were parts of the novel where we read about Fern going to work and having small adventures and it wasn’t clear where exactly everything is going. Fern is such an interesting character I was happy to go on the ride.
•The pacing of the novel is a bit uneven. The first 50% were slow and getting to know the characters. It really picked up the last half of the book. I would have loved a couple more reveals or twists in the first part of the book to really make it a page-turner.

Overall, I really enjoyed this domestic psychological thriller. This is a quiet thriller with a slow burn and great character development. The major twists/ending are thoughtful and unique. I would definitely recommend this to readers who love strong and interesting characters! I also think this would be an excellent Book Club selection as it has a lot of things to discuss around the twist, the relationship of the sisters, and the characters.

This is my first book by Sally Hepworth and definitely won’t be my last!

ARC provided to me by St. Martin’s Press, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely fabulous! Rose and Fern are twins who couldn’t be more different from each other. One of the most marvelously twisty books I’ve read in a long time. The plot is complex, the characters well developed and the storytelling skilled. I had to put it down occasionally, but didn’t want to. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.