Member Reviews
3.5 stars Having just finished The Mother in Law, I was eager to start The Good Sister. While The Good Sister kept me turning the page, it was extremely predictable. Fern and Rose are twins. Fern is on the spectrum and Rose looks out for her, keeping her safe from their mom and the world. Things take a dark turn when the girls are adults. Don't want to spoil the plot, but the story alternates between Fern and Rose's perspectives and is a fast read. Fans of Sally Hepworth will enjoy this.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
A terrific, edge of your seat thriller. Kept me guessing the whole time. Loved this one!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.
This book is responsible for the worst book hangover I’ve ever had in my life! ♥️ I absolutely LOVED it. I finished it about 3 weeks ago {after sailing through it in one sitting} and I haven’t been able to get it off of my mind. I was going to hold off on my review for awhile, as this doesn’t release until next year. However, I can’t stop thinking about it so I just need to gush to you all about it! ♥️ This is hands down my very favorite @sallyhepworth and what I firmly believe to be her best work yet. This is centered around two sisters, Rose and Fern, and the intricacies of their sibling relationship. Fern may be one of my very favorite characters of all time! She was written so beautifully and @sallyhepworth so perfectly captured the essence of this unique character. Just writing that and thinking about Fern brought tears to my eyes! I finished this book and held it to my heart with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. Friends, I cannot express my love for this book and this character enough. 💕 I’m obsessed. One of my favorite reads of the year, and in my top reads of all time. Preorder this one now, you do not want to miss it!! I’m giving this one 6⭐️, because the full five doesn’t seem enough. I absolutely, wholeheartedly, enthusiastically adored this novel! ♥️ My thanks to @stmartinspress for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.
"The Good Sister", by Sally Hepworth, is a mystery/thriller that really makes you think! Based on the lives of twin sisters, Fern and Rose, the author will make you question which one is really the *good* sister? And you just might change your mind along the way! I really enjoyed reading about Fern and her struggles, and was surprised by the ending.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Another tense chilling novel by this author,Each of her books draws me me in the characters Fern &Rose in this thriller kept me staying up late could not put the book down,Highly recommend,#netgalley#St.martinspress
This was a great book that kept me turning the pages quickly. I enjoyed reading this book and the theme of sister and love.
Wow! Such a great book! Interesting story that drew me right in. So well written with great character development. Such a different story line and the author really pulled it off. I did not want to stop reading. Great book!
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is an unforgettable story of twin sisters. This book begins with Rose's story about an incidence at the lake when the twins were younger. What really happened to Billy? Who or what is responsible for his drowning? Fern has a sensory sensitivity issue and Rose has always protected her and come to her rescue when Fern's senses are overwhelmed. Rose fears the world will take advantage of Fern and that Fern is incapable, with her handicap, of making smart choices. Rose desperately wants to have a baby and Fern, in her loyalty and appreciation of her sister, coupled with her naivety, wants to help. So the story begins. Everything is not as it seems in this thriller. Rose has medical issues of her own. She is an insulin dependent diabetic and has yet to conceive. On top of that she and Owen, her husband, have some issues also. While the world begins to open up for Fern with her newly discovered friendships, expanding roles at work, and a love interest things change between the sisters. Will Fern be able to help her sister be the mother she wants to be? Was their Mom the monster that Rose remembers? Can Fern face the difficulties of being a mature woman without the help of Rose? This book is one of the best thrillers I have read. While magnified for this book it also brings to light some of the issues faced by sisters. In addition it portrays the reality of sensory sensitivity in a realistic way and helps the reader understand the pain and suffering of those afflicted by the disorder. This book is full of surprises. Thoroughly enjoyed this "can't put it down book". Thanks to #NetGalley for allowing me to read and review #NetGalley#TheGoodSister.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle Arc of The Good Sister. I had only read one book by Sally Hepworth before this one and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I like The Good Sister, but not quite as well as The Mother-In-Law. Without giving too much away, it was an unreliable narrator story that I was fine with until the end of the book. The Good Sister was still an entertaining read and I will read more of Sally Hepworth's books.
I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author Sally Hepworth for providing me with an ARC of the title The Good Sister!
This was such a creepy and enjoyable read. Super well written and perfectly twisty. I loved following Rose and Fern throughout this novel. I flipped through these pages as fast as I could and had a hard time putting this down. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
Thank you again for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
The story revolves around two sisters. Rose a funny loving and quirky librarian and Rose the responsible one. However, as the story evolves, you begin to wonder, is everything as it seems? Who is the good sister ? Great writing, great twist and great suspense.
Thank you Netgalley, St. Martins Press, and Sally Hepworth for the ARC.
I really enjoyed this book- it had a creepy vibe throughout that keeps you reading! It centers on twin sisters Rose and Fern, primarily focusing on Fern's POV but with some chapters dedicated to Rose as well. Fern is painted as a little bit off, having been cared for by Rose her entire life. Now, Rose wants to have a baby and Fern is all too happy to do this for her since she has trouble getting pregnant on her own. As the reader gets to know Fern better, they realize that things aren't exactly as Rose painted, and Fern starts to figure that out too..
I found Fern to be a charming character- she likely has some form of autism which caused her to have strong reactions to some things that would have been bland to other people, but it was really easy to empathize with her. I felt like I really went along the journey with her as she looked back into her childhood and her relationships and started to question the things she had always believed.
While this book was more of a slow burn, it was extremely engaging and there was a feeling that something big could happen at any second. When something big did end up happening, it led to a series of events that was extremely satisfying, and tied up any loose end that remained. I couldn't think of a way I would have wanted it to end differently than it did.
Overall, this isn't your typical thriller but is a slow burning psychological/domestic suspense read, and I would absolutely recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth was such a juicy surprise so I snatched up the Advanced Readers Copy of The Good Sister right away. I devoured this story of twin sisters with a secret in one day. Is Fern my new favorite fictional librarian? Perhaps. Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
CW: for sexual abuse but it is not the main focus of the story.
This was well-written and had some twists that I didn't expect. I liked Fern and Wally's relationship and how he tried so hard to connect with her.
Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book I've read by Sally Hepworth and it was just as twisty as the first. I love when books surprise me!
Rose and Fern are twins who grew up with a sociapathic mother who later suffered a brain injury and at the time of the story (with some flashbacks) lives in a nursing home. Fern is very sweet and trusting, and is a librarian. Rose appears to be the capable sister who takes care of and advises Fern. Fern doesn't think she can live without the support of her sister.
SA:
Fern appears to have some developmental disabilities. At one point Rose said something about Fern not having a diagnosis, and at another time said something about "intellectual disability." At other times, Fern understood language very literally, did not understand social nuances, and did not appear to have a good memory. Despite this, Fern lived independently, worked as a librarian with only a little help. Perhaps none of this matters, and perhaps the point was that Rose had. created this perceived issue in order to control Fern. If Fern did indeed have a developmental disability that cluster of characteristics don't necessarily go together. There were times that it almost sounded like an Amelia Bedelia book which I thought was a little extreme. It is possible that since Hepworth is from Australia, the term "intellectual disability does not mean the same as it does in the US.
I am giving this book 4 stars because I enjoyed the story, and plan to read more books by Hepworth.I just was a little uncomfortable about how Fern's disability was portrayed.
Wow! Readers who love psychological thrillers will love this book! Twin sisters, Rose and Fern have always been close. Fern has sensory issues that make her rely on her sister quite a bit. When Fern meets "Wally" at her library she finds someone who doesn't think she's so weird. Rose is happily married or is she? Rose and Fern have had a difficult childhood that plays a big part in this story. The author carefully crafts this tale in such a way that readers will wonder which twin sister is the good sister.
Rose and Fern are twin sisters but could not be more different. Rose is responsible and wishing for a baby while Fern is a librarian who is quirky and socially awkward. Rose has kept Fern’s terrible secret from years ago and Fern will do anything to help her sister realize her dreams of having a baby. Then Fern meets Wally and slowly starts realizing that her sister has secrets too.
I was thrilled to receive this e-book copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth. I read The Mother-in-Law, one of her other books, last year and really enjoyed it. This psychological thriller grabbed my attention right away and kept me turning the pages. The ending was predictable but still satisfying. A solid 4 stars.
This book is a must read! It was one of the best psychological thrillers I have read in a long time.
Rose and Fern are twin sisters who have an incredibly close relationship. Fern has been very dependent on Rose their entire lives, and Rose has always been there for her. When Fern learns that Rose is not able to have a baby, Fern decides it is her turn to help and wants to have a baby for her sister. As the novel unfolds, Fern starts to notice a new side to Rose and begins questioning things. What if the person you love and trust the most cannot in fact be trusted?
I could not put this book down until it was finished!
Sally Hepworth has become an automatic request for me and I think this might be her best yet. Rose and Fern are fraternal twins and are opposites. Rose is responsible, settled, married and wants a baby. Fern is a quirky librarian with sensory processing issues. The two have experienced everything together, even a difficult past. When a man comes into Fern’s life, everything changes. I’m not sure what else I can say without giving things away, so I’ll leave it at that.
I loved that although this book was written from both Fern’s POV and from Rose’s diary, there is a very developed difference in character voice. I was completely hooked and had trouble putting this down, despite being in the middle of a move! I would absolutely recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys thrillers with unreliable narrators.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for the ooportunity to read The Good Sister
Wow, wow wow.... what a great read!! from page one I was hooked and couldn't put this book down till the last page, what a novel!
this is a story about Two sisters, who are fraternal twins, Rose and Fern.The Story Goes back into the past as we read Rose's diary and to Fern in the present as she narrates about her daily life and relationship with her sister. We learn about their childhood from Roses diary entries and current life from Fern's perspective.
Rose is trying to get pregnant with her significant other Owen, and her sensory sensitive sister Fern, gets an idea in her head that she could have the baby and then give it to her sister who is having a hard time getting pregnant
The story unfolds, and we learn secrets that go back to when the girls were young. We learn about their mother who is now in a nursing home due to a stroke, and the relationship the girls now have and had with her.
I was pleasantly surprised by this novel and how quickly I was drawn in and not wanting it to end.
this is a first by this author for me and I will be looking for more of her books.