Predictable sappy beach read that I read sitting outside in one beautiful end of summer day and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I LOVED this book! Such an excellent story of the twisted side of sisterhood. What makes a good sister? And in this story, WHO, exactly, is the "good" sister? So many twists and turns, you never know what's going to happen next.

"From the outside, everyone might think Fern and Rose are as close as twin sisters can be: Rose is the responsible one, with a home and a husband and a fierce desire to become a mother. Fern is the quirky one, the free spirit, the librarian who avoids social interaction and whom the world might just describe as truly odd. But the sisters are devoted to one another and Rose has always been Fern's protector from the time they were small.

Fern needed protecting because their mother was a true sociopath who hid her true nature from the world, and only Rose could see it. . . .When Fern decides to help her sister achieve her heart's desire of having a baby, Rose realizes with growing horror that Fern might make choices that can only have a terrible outcome. What Rose doesn't realize is that Fern is growing more and more aware of the secrets Rose, herself, is keeping."

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

All the stars for this domestic thriller about two fraternal twins!!!

Fern has a quiet life, and that's exactly the way she likes it. She works part time at the local library, and schedules time during the week to spend with her sister. Fern is on the spectrum, and sensitive to loud noises or crowds. She depends on Rose to help her navigate through life. Or does she?

Behind this veneer of sisterly love are secrets galore. When Rose travels to Europe for a few weeks, Fern meets an eccentric stranger at the library, and her world becomes a little more colorful. Suddenly she's more than just content - she's happy. But Rose isn't happy for Fern.

We learn from Rose's diary that the sisters had a traumatic upbringing, with neglect and abuse galore. But what really happened when the twins were children? And who is actually telling the truth?

I haven't read a good psychological thriller in a long time, and this one was fun! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

5 star read alert ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
It isn't even 2021 yet, and I know I have one of my favorite books of next year. Thank you to the always lovely @sallyhepworth and @stmartinspress for the gifted ARC of The Good Sister.
This book was perfect. I don't even know where to begin. From the very first paragraph my attention was grabbed, and I did not stop. While I figured out what was going on early in the book, I didn't care because this book is just so damn deviously perfect! Who doesn't love a good "figure out who the narcisst is". Anyone with a sibling will think twice before they hug them again after reading this one!

This book was fantastic! The characters, Rose and Fern, were well developed and it was easy to get lost in the story and events of their lives. The suspense really builds up with each chapter and had me constantly wondering what twists would come next. I also enjoyed reading a story where the main character is neurodivergent - as someone who works with people with ASD I thought Fern’s character was beautifully written in a way that normalized her “quirks.” Highly recommend!!

A great twisty domestic thriller with unreliable twin sisters as narrators. The author forces the readers right from the beginning to keep guessing and doubting about who really is the good sister among the twins - Rose and Fern. There is a sweet, cute and romantic subplot between Fern and Rocco. Their past and upbringing unravel the complicated relationship between the twins even though they appear outwardly to be in sync. One sister is so devious that she does so many extreme things the readers will shudder to think of.

Definitely an engrossing page-turner with some good twists and suspense!

Trigger warnings: Sexual abuse, Overdose

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy!

I was leery of reading this book because of the word good in the title and I thought it would be another good girl type of book that everyone is trying to write. I’m glad I did not listen to my instincts I read this book in three settings and found it to be creative and exciting full of really fun twists

This was another enjoyable read from Sally Hepworth, although not at the same level as some of her other books which I could not put down (the mother in law is a must read!) Again, Hepworth masterfully develops her characters and leaves you so invested. Where this fell short was, being a suspense novel, I found the story was easily predicted. That being said, getting to the end of the book was still captivating and had me flipping pages quickly to see how it played out with her engrossing story telling. Would recommend for the story not for the twist.

AAAAHHHHHH! OMG! This book! Wow, just finished it and I know my husband is very happy that I will now speak to him after spending most of the day reading it! Just an amazing story. I love Fern and I love “Wally”. I was so hoping that things would work out for them. A good description of a life affected by limitations of sensory, touch, etc... Quite the twist with who you think the good sister really is. Talk about a page turner! Fantastic.

I really enjoyed this book! I was expecting a straightforward thriller, but of course, Sally Hepworth always offers *so* much more than that. I loved the main character, Fern, and I loved the representation of a non-neurotypical main character. Her relationship with Wally was so sweet and tender, and the twists and turns with Fern's familial relationships kept me totally hooked until the end.

Siblings, perhaps the most complicated relationship there is. Rose and Fern are twins with a dark past that includes a tragic death and a toxic mother. Fern, has always relied on Rose for companionship, guidance, and comfort. However, when Fern decides to carry a child for her sister, we realize everything may not be as it seems. I loved the alternating stories and the second half definitely had me turning the page.

I just loved this book! I fell in love with Fern for her little quirks and brutal simpleness, something we could all learn from, and was able to relate to her sensory sensitivity since I have a family member on the spectrum. With all the twist and turns throughout this book I felt protective over fern and was wanting to reach out take over. This story really sucked me in and was such an original. I fell in love with Wally and how much he cared for Fern. The twist at the end made this boom a bit of a thriller for me and I loved it n

The story of fraternal twins Fern and Rose. Fern is on the autism spectrum and has sensory challenges. She works in the public library and avoids social gatherings. Rose is married, a Type 1 diabetic, infertile, and fiercely protective of her sister.

The sisters were raised by a single mom who was a substance abuser and homeless for a period of time. While homeless, the small family would sleep in their car and spend the day in the library. The library became their living room and substitute for school.

The sisters recall events from their childhood very differently. Who is the unreliable narrator? The reader discovers pieces of the puzzle bit by bit as the story unfolds and suspense builds.

At first, I found Fern to be irritating, but she grew on me. Readers who liked “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” will enjoy this book. I especially appreciated the role that the library played in the lives of the sisters – both during their unstable childhood and later as Fern’s employer. The book is a celebration of all that a library can be within a community.

Finished in 2 sittings! I loved this book and was so intrigued with Rose and Fern - the fraternal twins!
Fern has sensory processing disorder which makes her life and world challenging. With a difficult mother, Rose became a protector for Fern and as they grew older that role took on all new meanings for Rose.
Enter a budding romance with "Wally", a pregnancy, deception and just layers and layers of drama and tension and you have a 5 star mystery thriller that is so so good!
I loved this book and could not put it down - I was happy with the ending - and the characters were so well done.
Five solid stars. Thankful for this ARC!

Sally Hepworth delivers a compelling read about sisters, their bond and relationship.
Rose and Fern appear to be the closest of twin sisters. Rose is Fern's caretaker and is very protective as Fern has sensory issues and special needs. Fern is a librarian who avoids people and social interaction. She relies on Rose to help her all the time and is devoted to her.
That's because Rose helped Fern overcome something terrible years ago. So, when Fern learns that Rose is unable to have a child, she knows just how to repay her--by having a baby for her. As luck would have it, Fern meets a not-so-homeless man, Wally, who is more than he appears.
But everything in this read is not as it appears. Soon, Fern begins to come into her own and to develop a level of independence and confidence in herself that was nice to see unfold. Fern will come to certain revelations that will have you rooting for her.
What I loved about this read is how the author took her time to let the story unfold, layer by layer until you get to the creepy truth. This is not a rushed tale but it is one that carries you on a journey that is both compelling and crazy at the same time.
She takes you into the mind of a woman whose twisted truth had me shaking my head in disbelief. This is my first Sally Hepworth read and all I can say is, that I can't wait to read more from her.
This is the read for a rainy day where you put your foot up and savor each page as you descend into mind of a ruthless character. It was creepy good.
#Netgalley thank you.

This book was so good. Rose and Fern are twins.
Fern has sensory processing disorder but has made a life for herself as a librarian.

Rose is very protective of her sister.... Maybe too protective. They grew up with a terrible, terrible mother or so Rose says.

Fern becomes pregnant and Rose convinces Fern to give her baby to get better Fern couldn't POSSIBLY raise a baby with her "condition" .

Rose was a terrible person. We get to see the extent of her manipulations through journal entries.

If you love Sally's past books, pick this up! It's just as good.

I love Sally Hepworth! However, this was a slow slow burn. It was enjoyable, but some what anticlimactic.

Rose and Fern are twins. Fern has sensory issues, and relies heavily on Rose. She will also do anything to please Rose. Even helping her accomplish her one goal.. to become a mother. Rose however has many secrets of her own. Even if it means sacrificing her own happiness.

This is a quick read, that will throw you off with the ending.

Ooooh I really liked this. I really felt for Fern, so much that my stomach hurt a little as I was reading, because I was so worried about what might happen to her. I don't usually feel for characters that strongly! Nicely done.

Twins Fern and Rose were always close, but they clearly had their differences, with Rose being the responsible one and Fern the one who needed looking out for, as she struggled with social interaction and sensitivity to stimulation or touch (think autism spectrum), and as their mother seemed to be a neglectful sociopath. But readers also learn that Rose's protection of Fern is partly because of a protecting a secret: something very bad that Fern did when they were young. Now, as adults, Fern is managing living on her own and working as a librarian, but still with a lot of involvement and help from Rose, but the dynamics start to shift a bit when Fern gains a bit of independence and starts to realize that Rose might have some secrets too. The marketing tagline refers to the "lies that bind" the twins, which encapsulates pretty well the twistiness of the relationship here. The twins seem to be able to read each other and share their own language in the way the stereotype about twins goes, but as the storytelling alternates between Fern's perspective on what's currently happening and Rose's diary entries with her take on their childhood, you start to sense an imbalance in the relationship dynamics, but just can't quite place where it's coming from... Despite the billing as a "thriller" (it's a very slow-burning one) this book reminded me a lot more of Eleanor Oliphant or When We Were Vikings (especially that one, down to the main character working in a library and everything!), where the main character has some kind of interpersonal difficulties, an emotionally traumatic past, a current sticky navigating of a romantic situation, and ultimately a character you will really grow to love as will her colleagues and friends in the story (despite their struggle to get along/understand each other at first). Compared to the other two titles mentioned, though, this one had such a feel of impending doom for so long that it was hard for me to stomach at times. It felt almost wrong to be inside this unsuspecting character's head, and for the author to even be developing a naive, socially inexpert character that could potentially get taken advantage of like this... but I did get super hooked in the end, as eventually I really grew to love Fern, and as the pages practically turned themselves with how psychologically crazy some characters turned out to be.

3/5 stars, received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review; releases in April, and you should keep it on your radar if you're into family/domestic suspense novels; meanwhile, I really liked this author's The Mother-in-Law

I am a big Sally Hepworth fan. Though I initially had trouble getting into this book, I’m so glad I persevered! The story is told from the viewpoints of twin sisters, Fern and Rose, in alternating chapters. Though it was clear something was “different” about Fern, I wanted the author to spell it out. As I continued reading it became abundantly clear why Hepworth had used this framework to develop Fern’s character. The book became engrossing and finally I couldn’t put it down (a rare occurrence for me). The plot twists had me guessing until the very end. In addition to being an excellent psychological thriller, Hepworth does an great job of describing the life through the eyes of a neurodiverse character. For me the best aspect was how Hepworth focused on not only the challenges Fern faced but more importantly the strengths she brought to her job and relationships. This is my favorite of Hepworth’s books. I highly recommend it.