Sally Hepworth does it again you guys!!! I'm a huge fan and have read all of her books ... she never disappoints!

The Good Sister is the type of book that makes you want to scream. It frustrates you so horribly that you want to throw it across the room. It will have you shaking your head and saying wtf multiple times .... but, you're going to love it!

There isn't much else I can say about this book that isn't already in the synopsis or without giving anything away. If you enjoy domestic suspense add this to your list ....

Huge thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my review copy!

The Good Sister
A Novel
by Sally Hepworth
St. Martin's Press
You Like Them
Women's Fiction
Pub Date 13 Apr 2021 | Archive Date 27 Apr 2021

Great book! Well written. Loved it! Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC.


5 star

The Good Sister is the latest book from Sally Hepworth. I've previously read two of her more current releases, and when this one became available via NetGalley, even though it's almost a year before publication, I had to grab a copy. Sometimes books just line up at the right time, as I had a few free days between reads... then this popped up. Hepworth's novels have made it to the top of my must-read, newly published list of authors... although, I still need to get copies of her earlier novels so I'm fully caught up. A solid 4.5 stars for this one.

This was a rely good thriller. I had never read anything by Sally Hepworth before and this won't be the last. It moved at a good pace and kept me guessing til the end.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The Good Sister is told from the perspectives of twin sisters Fern and Rose. They were raised by their self-absorbed, divorced mother. It was a very unstable childhood that set the tone for their future. As often happens in families, the siblings have different recollections of the same events and I was constantly wondering which was closer to the truth. I have to say I was on Team Fern - she was such a lovable, sympathetic character. And her boyfriend Wally (not his actual name but Fern thought he resembled Waldo when they first met - so the name stuck) was so unique and wonderful. Thank goodness he walked into her library the day they met! 

The Good Sister is the fourth of Sally Hepworth's books I've had the pleasure to read. Fans of novels about sibling conflict, manipulation and deceit will find that for sure. It was a quick read only because I had to find out what happened next - didn't want to put it down.

An absolutely stunning novel by the inimitable Sally Hepworth. I have become a go-to Sally Hepworth addict. Her amazing and vividly descriptive story line and intense characters are a thrilling and intense intrigue into the world of two sisters with a complex relationship. Fabulous story, amazing characters and an awe inspiring story. A must read for psychological thriller fans loving a twisted and complex story. I loved it! 5 blazing stars.

I received this copy for free for my honest review. WOW. I feel like this book started a little slow for me but I couldn’t put it down once it started rolling. I love an unreliable narrator and this book had exactly that. The bond of twins, a sensory disorder, and a baby in the picture. This book had mystery and intrigue and I was second guessing everything I was thinking. I loved Sally Hepworth’s previous book and I can now say after reading two of them, I am an absolute fan and will read anything she writes!

I received an ARC of The Good Sister in exchange for an honest review. I have read several of Sally Hepworth's books and this one did not disappoint. Fern and Rose are twin sisters, who didn't have the easiest upbringing. Fern is on the spectrum and Rose has always looked out for her. Fern is grateful to Rose for all her care and wants to do something to repay her. The plan she comes up with is to have a baby for her. This is a very good story, with a little bit of suspense. Unfortunately, the suspense plays out just about how you expect it to. For that reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5.

I remember when I read my first Sally Hepworth book, [book:The Secrets of Midwives|21853678]. I thought the writing was extraordinary and knew then that I would read every single thing that she ever wrote.

This book was exceptional. Written in a unique and interesting format, the fact that it revolved around two sisters both intrigued and scared me, as my sister is my best friend.

What I love about Sally Hepworth's books are that they aren't the same thing you read every day. They're easy to read, you get involved right away, but it won't remind you of something else you've read, which is truly unique for me, as I read quite a bit.

I highly recommend this, but I'm not sure I'll recommend it to my sister. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

WOW! What a fantastic new book by Sally Hepworth. It was one of those books that made the outside world go away for a few hours -- there was no cooking or cleaning, I ignored the phone and social media and even lost a few hours of sleep but it was totally worth it!

Fern and Rose are fraternal twins but they are different in every way. Rose is married and trying to have a baby with her husband, Owen. Fern is a loner who lives by herself and works at a library. She has a sensory processing disorder which limits her life in many ways because she has to stay away from situations that might affect her disorder. Because of the way that the twins were raised by a sociopathic mother, they became very close growing up so that they could protect each other from their mother. As adults, they still protect each other. Rose is always there to help Fern and is the person that Fern always turns to first. Rose is the strong twin while Fern appears to be odd and needy.

The novel is told in alternating chapters by each of the twins. Reading Rose's chapters make you see her as the brave protector of her sister who is also helping keep a terrible secret from years earlier. But then when you read Fern's chapter, you can't help but admire her for the way she is approaching her life to keep her disorder from affecting her day to day. The more you read the alternating view of each sister, the more you begin to question the stories that they are telling about their lives. Is it all real or are there other and worse secrets being kept quiet? When Fern meets a man and finds out that she is able to love someone, she also begins to question some of Rose's attitudes toward her.

I can't say any more about the plot at risk of telling more than I should. What I can say is that this is my favorite Sally Hepworth novel. It's a book that will keep you guessing until the end. You will change your mind several times about the real motives of each twin versus the perceptions that they want believed. The novel is compelling and totally unpredictable. The Good Sister is about the ties that bind sisters together...and about the madness that lurks where you least expect it.

This book was a trip. You know there’s a bad sister from the title of the book so you are immediately on the defense on who it can be. You slowly learn the past experiences that took place throughout the book. A pair of twins. One has sensory and social issues. She decides she wants to have a baby to support her sister who cannot. So she does it. But then starts to remember things about her past. And meets someone new. Will she keep the child? Give it to her sister? Had me flipping until the end! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I need a vacation to recover from Sally’s newest (soon-to-be) hit book 🤯

S.H. takes sanity, sisterhood, and co-dependency to a new new Level in “The Good Sister”. I think this is her best book yet, I can’t wait to re-read it to see everything I missed the first go-around. I am SO grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book 7 months prior to its release - I’m only sorry my friends have to wait to read it!

So friends, if you’re reading this add this to you’re TBR list and pre-order it NOW and in the meantime read all of Sally’s other books because I’m pretty sure she’s a wordsmith wizard 🤩

Described as both a suspenseful, psychological thriller and domestic fiction, <i>The Good Sister</i> was a fine read that kept me turning pages right through til the end. The story is multi-layered and unfolds at a slow but steady pace which fit a plot that kept evolving and changing.

At the core of the story are the family relationships – two sisters, actually fraternal twins, but quite different in a variety of ways. Rose is short and diabetic. Fern is tall and is hypersensitive to sound, light, touch – a sensory processing disorder. Each tells their family history from their own perspective particularly as it comes to their mother. Although in some regards it is the story of typical mother-daughter and sibling relationships, Hepworth takes the story in several new directions.

I particularly enjoyed Hepworth’s <i>The Mother-in-Law</i> but somehow this one didn’t quite measure up. Perhaps it was because I figured out where it was going just a bit too soon so, for me, it lost the edginess of suspense. Otherwise, a worthy read!




FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fern and Rose are twins, not identical, as different as two people can be. Fern is fair, slender, and tall while Rose was a shorter, plump child, with darker hair. Eventually Rose was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes while Fern struggles with sensory processing disorder. Rose had been the more outgoing child while Fern had and still does shrink from noises, light, smells and all the things that bombard her senses. Rose is Fern's protector and this protection continues into their late twenties, even as Rose marries and Fern lives in a small apartment near Rose. 

Rose is an interior designer and Fern is a librarian, a job that Fern loves as much as she loves her never changing routine. I'm so fond of Fern, with her colorful clothes, shoes, skirts, and overalls. She is great with both children and the elderly, at the library, but DO NOT ask her to help you with the printer or photocopiers because she'll pretend she didn't hear you or pretend she hears someone calling her in another part of the library. And Fern will discard your food if it's too stinky...I think I might have a bit of Fern in me. 

Rose's diary tells us that Rose and Fern had a painful upbringing, via a cruel, mood changing mother, a mother who always favored Fern over Rose. When Rose and Fern were twelve, Fern did something very, very bad and Rose helped make up a story so that what Fern did wouldn't be discovered. This bad thing is what reminds Fern that she can never really be on her own, that she'll always need Rose to look after her and fix her mistakes. Still, Fern is very good at her job and she is well liked by her co-workers and the library patrons. 

Rose and Fern are so very close, Fern needs Rose to survive, it's as if they can't tell where one really begins and the other ends. But things in the past might not be as they seemed and things in the present might not be as they seem. One of these women wants something so badly that she'll do anything to get it. 

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

Fern and Rose are twin sisters. Fern is a delightful character, probably with a diagnosis of Asperger's,
who works as a librarian. Her sister supplies most of Fern's memories of their difficult childhood, times when they were sometimes homeless, and hungry. Now Rose is married and desperately hoping to get pregnant. Fern relies on Rose not just for memories of their childhood, but as the person who basically steers her life. Fern sees herself as not able to really make decisions for herself, and is dependent on Rose in many ways. Rose at times seems to resent this dependency, but also fights against any moves toward being more self-sufficient shown by Fern. But when Fern meets a young man that she grows to like a lot, she begins to become more autonomous, and to be willing to fight against Rose's dominion over her life. There are glimpses into Rose's journal that give keys to what she is really thinking and feeling, despite what she verbalizes to Fern.
This story is mostly predictable, but is an enjoyable read all the same. Fern's time spent in her job at the library, and her role there, really added to the pleasure of the book for me.
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This is not as good as Hepworth's other novel, The Mother in Law. Hepworth does infertility well, but it's getting kind of old. I'd encourage her to branch out and not have the same "family member carrying baby" as plotline.

Sisters like no other. Who knows how far your sister will go to get what she wants? I like the book and the fact that you didn't know who to believe until the end. It kept you guessing.

This was a great twisty book - part family drama, part thriller. The characters are well crafted and fascinating. I truly enjoyed Fern, the rainbow-clad librarian who begins to date a man she cutely calls, "Wally" after the "Where's Wally" books. Hepworth writes a wonderful character with autism that seems well-researched and respectful. The story has serious tones, since of course, it's a thriller, but there were some really heart warming and fun moments between Fern and Wally. Loved it!

This book was good and held my interest OK although was really I like book plot to a little faster...

Fern and Rose are fraternal twins - raised by a single mother. The story takes place when they are adults - Rose uses her journal entries to give insight into their childhood and consequential issues as adults; Fern simply talks about her day to day life, generously sharing her sensory issues, lack of social skills and her clear reliance on Rose.
The first half of the book lays the groundwork for both sisters' personalities. Rose and her husband, Owen, have separated - Owen has accepted a job in London while Rose remains behind. She delves into past events as a child, detailing a narcissistic, neglectful, abusive mother. During a stretch of homelessness, Nina brings her daughters daily to the library - which becomes a haven for Fern.
Fern is a librarian - and clearly loves her job. Though she is struggling to connect with her new supervisor, following the sudden death of Janet, Fern seems to be the light of the library. While trying to provide assistance, Fern meets "Wally". Rose recently confessed she is unable to have children - Fern decides to have a baby for her. Fern and Wally begin to build a relationship - with humor, compassion, understanding and acceptance.
The author begins to drop hints of the truth as the story progresses. How much does Fern actually distort her reality?

I connected to this book on so many levels. I also grew up with weekly visits to the library - I was obsessed. I loved hearing about Fern's job - all the little touches she provided in strangers' lives, never realizing the ripples of happiness she created.
I also have a sister. It can be glowing and a blessing. When we were growing up, it was in constant flux.

I greatly enjoyed this book. The final journal entry - it was a great ending.