I absolutely adored reading Fern’s chapters. She was such a likable character. I also liked that Rose’s perspective was told through journal entrees. This was a quick read, but I felt it lacked a lot of suspense and I wasn’t surprised about the ending.

Not what I expected! Really liked the alternating POV between twins/opposites Fern and Rose. Although a little unbelievable at times (as with most thrillers), thoroughly enjoyed.

This was one that I couldn't get into and I greatly dislike the trope of using mental illnesses and neurodivergence as plot devices. Autism, Borderline Personality Disorder, etc. are not formulas and the people who have these are still fully fleshed out people with good and bad traits and interesting, full personalities.

3.5 rounded up

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

The Good Sister was an interesting take on family drama. It has 3 different POV, Fern, Rose, and Rose's journal entries. From the get go, you can kind of tell things aren't as they seem, and you are questioning certain things and events. Fern has sensory sensitivities, and Rose is a manipulator, which all come in to play as things start to unfold.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Fern and Rose are the type of sisters who have spent their whole lives making sure the other is the primary person in their life, at least that is what they both say but their interactions lead the reader to think otherwise. When Rose wants to have a baby but can’t, Fern decides to help. This not-so-little choice unravels both of their lives.
The Fern/Rose dynamic immediately pulled me in. In the same way as the previous book I read by Sally Hepworth, she does an excellent job of capturing families and their relationships in an authentic way, then throwing in the crazy thriller twists I adore. This book is a fun read, even when someone of the relationships made me stressed. I cannot wait to read more of Sally Hepworth’s books!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Such a fun thriller and super exciting. I really enjoyed how atmospheric this was and the author did such a great job with the setting. I loved how well the author writes and great characters developed.

There have been some scenes that have stuck with me because this book was really fun and entertaining. It captured me from the very first page to the ending.

Highly recommend this one for a fun and thrilling read - such a great book.

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
Another edge of your seat creepfest by the queen of family drama with a twist. Who is the unreliable narrator and will good triumph over evil? Read it and see.

My first from this author! I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed this thriller! A domestic thriller that caught me right from the beginning.

Once again, Sally Hepworth has delivered a story that drawer the reader in from the very beginning. I have found lately that I have struggled to be interested in books but The Good Sister drew me in from the start and I found that I was going back to it.

This is a dual point of view story and a dual timeline story based on twin sisters, Fern and Rose. Just when I thought that I had figured out where Hepworth was heading with the story, she turned the tables on me and left me guessing.

If you are in the mood for a good mind bending story, this is the book for you.

I am hesitant to say much more because I don't want to give anything away.

This thriller had components of mystery and family drama that hooked me early and kept me guessing.. Bonus points for the realistic public librarian character! We definitely don't read books all day, even though I would have liked to read this one straight through! Fans of mystery in general and other Sally Hepworth books will eat this one up.

This book was a DNF for me just because it was really unsettling. I'm a fan of thrillers by authors like Liane Moriarty and Lisa Jewell, so if you're looking for something even creepier than their novels then this book is for you. It was well written and I love the characters and how the perspective keeps changing back and forth between the sisters. But the descriptions of child abuse (physical, verbal, and emotional) started right away and just kept coming. I really empathize with Rose and Fern. I would love to see what happens to them, and learn what really happened that night at the river. But I'm okay with reading someone else's spoiler-filled review.

I really love the story teller that is Sally Hepworth. Although I was able to see where the story was headed, I was still flipping pages, unable to put the book down.

Sally writes families in such a believable and relatable way. The sisters in The Good Sister were no exception.

She’s a must read and so is The Good Sister.

The story of Fern and Rose kept me guessing the whole time! Such a good book with an in-depth look at the different dynamics and viewpoints when mental health is involved.

This thriller follows two twin sisters Fern and Rose. Their story is told from both their POV and a set of flashbacks. Fern is neurodivergent and works in a library, she is very dependent on her sister Rose. Their story reveals itself throughout the novel and takes you on a ride. Fern comes to her own logical conclusion that she should have a child for her sister since she cannot conceive on her own. Through this process, she finds a romantic interest in the lovable Wally/Rocco and that some facts she has taken for granted might not be correct.
Loved this thriller!

I hadn’t read a book in two weeks (which is unheard of for me) before I decided to give this one a try. I read it within two days because it was just that engrossing! Mostly I think the character of Fern kept me flipping the pages. I just loved her so much & couldn’t wait to see how things played out for her. It really made me dwell on my own relationship with my sister & how sometimes we can’t stand each other and then other times we love each other fiercely. Definitely would recommend this to other suspense lovers.

This is my second book from Sally Hepworth and I have loved both! I loved both characters especially Fern and I could read about her all day long!

Being a sister myself, books that center on sisters always intrigue me. Being a middle child with both an older and a younger sister, I definitely know how different dynamics can be between sisters. Needless to say, I was instantly intrigued by the synopsis of The Good Sister.

Fern and Rose are twin sisters, but what gave their relationship so much depth throughout the story is their dependence on each other. Fern depends on her routine staying exactly the same and she looks to Rose as her caretaker. Rose, on the other hand, seems to have it all with a nice home and a wonderful husband.

The novel is mainly told from Fern’s perspective as her routine gets completely upturned and she begins to take control of her own life. Entries from Rose’s diary are interspersed between chapters, giving readers a glimpse of what’s really going on behind the curtains of Rose’s home.

The Good Sister is considered a thriller, but it’s not a thriller in the scary sense. It has some dark moments when you think about what family means and the secrets kept within those familial bonds that definitely pushed the narrative. It was pretty easy to discern exactly what was really going on and how it would end, but I still really enjoyed reading this story and going along for the ride with Fern and Rose.

Side note: Sally Hepworth also has a new novel, titled The Younger Wife, coming to the US in April 2022! I’ll be reading/reviewing this one as well and hope to have a review published on its pub date!

A new trend in the mystery/suspense genre seems to be emerging because there have been a lot of books coming out featuring twin sisters, and for some reason, I think I have to read them all. Of course, they all haven't been hits, but I really like where Hepworth went with this story by featuring one of the sisters as neurodivergent. At first, I thought this was a curious choice, but as the story unfolded and I realized where it was ultimately headed, society's overall lack of understanding of neuro-diverse people, and the way they are sometimes treated by government and law enforcement officers really raised the stakes for me.
One detractor I do have was that, as I was reading, I kept thinking about how similar this story was to another Australian twin sister pregnancy thriller that I had read last year. This distracted me and kept me from fully engaging in this one because in many cases it felt like same story, different spin. I do think Hepworth did do a good job of building the suspense and sense of urgency, and I really liked the ending. 3.5 stars

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my copy of the book.

SO good! I love this author - she is consistent but never redundant. Thriller writing at its best with edgy writing, fast paced writing and endings that don't disappoint. Good from the beginning!!!!!