Cover Image: The Good Sister

The Good Sister

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Member Reviews

Again Sally Hepworth has written a winner
Twin sisters, a tragic event
Twists and turns galore
Couldn't put it down

Thank you netgalley, Sally Hepworth and Hodder and Stoughton

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The Good Sister is a slow burning thriller that ramps up the tension with each turn of the page. Fern and Rose are twin sisters but very different. Fern works in her local library, has dinner with her sister three nights a week. She avoids crowds, bright lights and noises where she can. Her life is carefully structured and to break the routine could be dangerous. When Rose discovers she is unable or to get pregnant, Fern sees this as a great opportunity to pay her sister back for everything she’s done for her. She just needs to find a father. Simple or maybe not as Fern’s plan stirs up dark secrets.

A great plot that will keep you hooked to the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for the chance to review.

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I positively devoured this book, finishing it in just one long afternoon!

The Good Sister follows 28 year old fraternal twins, Fern and Rose. Told from Fern’s point of view and interspersed with extracts from Rose’s diary, the story unfolds brilliantly, pulling you in and demanding you continue to turn page after page. The pacing is perfect and the plotting masterful. Sally Hepworth deftly draws all the characters (including the supporting cast) which really brings the story to life and adds a depth of emotional attachment that is sometimes lacking in domestic thrillers.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’d highly recommend it.

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I cannot tell you how much a ADORE this book! Sally Hepworth is a genius!

I was absolutely riveted from start to finish and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, it did.

Twisty, dark, compelling and with characters that jump off the page there is nothing to fault in this book!

Astonishing.

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This isn’t my usual type of book but I am so glad I read it! I really enjoyed it and didn’t want it to end. I’d love to ready more by this author. Make sure you read it!

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Well, this book was just fantastic and full of surprises. I loved the main protagonist. The story is dark yet funny. Brilliant. Highly recommended.

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The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
I give this book 4.5 stars

Fern Castle works in her local library. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be . . . dangerous.

When her twin sister Rose discovers that she cannot fall pregnant, Fern decides she can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.

Fern's mission will shake the foundations of her life and stir up dark secrets that she long thought were buried.

Told from the 2 sisters perspectives,this book has a creepy and absorbing good verses evil storyline.l loved all the characters and the authors pace and storytelling style were superb. Packed with deception,humour,family bonds,control,suspense and twists.l really wasn’t sure who to believe and ended up staying up way too late to finish it!
Highly recommended

Thank you to Netgalley,Sally Hepworth and Hodder and Stoughton for my chance to read and review this book

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This was my first book by Sally Hepworth and I really enjoyed it.

I don’t want to give away too much detail in case I risk providing any spoilers, but it is a smouldering thriller, a slow burn with a nice twist at the end. There is definitely a sense of the inevitable as you gradually make your way through, and peel off each layer, but I wasn’t disappointed.

The main enjoyment for me was Sally’s characterisation. She writes excellent characters. Even though the plot was a far slower pace than I would normally go for and there were less twists, the characters are what suck you in to this book. Like them or loathe them (I don’t want to spoil… 😉) they are “alive” - I felt I was there with them. How she brings their personalities to life is masterful.

I related to Fern and her sensory processing difficulties and felt Sally wrote this skilfully. She is a master at bringing relationships from the page to life.

Overall I enjoyed the Good Sister, and would recommend to anyone looking for a gradual slow burn where they can invest in the characters.

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The development of family in this novel is amazing and twisting! The relationship between Fern and Rose is so clever and the character development is so well done!

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Thank you for the arc!!

To say I hates the sister Rose is an understatement but god did the author wrote the character well you never saw the master manipulator coming!

I haven’t hated a character so much in a while and I felt so sorry for Fern

Highly recommend this book

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I wasn’t overly impressed with this book unfortunately, I struggled to like Fern or her sister and what was going on. It was too easy to not care.

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This kept my perspective changing constantly with everything that I read in this slow burn. It was the right amount of character development and suspense all at once. The plot was both predictable but also not so black and white which meant you couldn't help but keep reading just to make sure it was what you thought. This was my first read by Sally Hepworth and definitely won't be my last as I have already picked up another book by her today after finishing this one!

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4.5 Stars

I loved this book and found myself totally engaged and fascinated. The characters were so well developed and credible, and the plot so perfectly constructed I had to finish it in one sitting. It is such a great story and very thought provoking...addressing issues around mental health, abuse and those who have sensory processing issues.

The twists and relationships are what make this such a wonderful read. It makes you realise that life, even in the same family, can be viewed very differently. This is a gripping family drama that I highly recommend, Sally Hepworth never disappoints!

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this book was so wholesome and amazing to read about what family will do for each other. This book struck pretty close to the heart for me.

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Fern loves routine, she has her life sorted working in her local library, meeting her sister for dinner three times a week but when she learns her sister is unable to have a baby, she wants to do something amicable and have a baby for her, now to find a father - how hard can it be?

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The Good Sister follows twins Rose and Fern as they navigate through life. They have a tragic secret that threatens to unfurl their entire relationship and lives.

This is a great book! It's one of those that I don't want to give too much away, because I enjoyed discovering things for myself. One of the characters is so lovely and well-written - I would happily read more about them.

There is a sense of inevitability as you go through this book, but I wasn't disappointed when I was right. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy well-written character-driven thrillers.

Thanks to Sally Hepworth, NetGalley, and Hodder & Stoughton for this advanced copy.

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The Good Sister is a fantastic novel about twin sisters Fern and Rose. As twins, they have always been close with Rose looking out for Fern and helping her with her challenges. When Fern discoverers that Rose can’t have children, she decides to get pregnant and give the baby to her sister.
The novel is set in the present day, with flashbacks of their childhood from Rose’s point of view. As the story unfolds, you realise that things are quite different from Fern and Rose’s perspective, but which is the good sister?
I absolutely loved this novel and thought it brought together an amazing group of characters with an intriguing storyline. It highlights the daily challenges of people with autistic spectrum disorders brilliantly and makes this an integral part of the narrative. A fantastic read.

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Well what can I say about this book I usually take 4 days to read books this took me 2 days as I could not put it down it kept me engrossed from the moment I started it to the end.

Fern & Rose are twins, Rose seems more normal than Fern but is this the case you need to read this book to find out.

Rose wants a child but seems to be unable to have one Fern always does everything to help Rose will she even get pregnant to give Rose what she wants.

Fern meets Rocco (Wally) who is a really nice man and they hit it off immediately. We see how this relationship pans out over the book.

It had twists and turns in this book that kept me thinking what is going to happen in the end.

I certainly would recommend this book and well done to the author for this fantastic book.

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The Good Sister was not a book that gripped me I’m afraid,it was a book that just started off slowly and never really got going.Rose and Fern are twin sisters and growing up they had a difficult childhood especially Rose who her mother didn’t like according to Rose,finally grown up Fern works in a library but also suffers from issues surrounding noise and people being to close to her but despite this when Rose finds out her and husband Owen can’t have children Fern think she can help by being a surrogate for her sister unbeknown to Rose,but first she has to find a man and step forward Wally who Fern takes a shine to.By this point in the book I was losing interest in the story to be honest,but I always try to finish a book and I did succeed and the ending when it came wasn’t to bad but by this stage I was just glad to move to my next book.So I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone, and it’s a disappointing 3 star read from me.

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Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Plot:
The story is about twin sisters Fern and Rose who have been there for each other since kids and are now in the prime of their life. Fern has sensory processing issues that makes public appearances overwhelming and Rose was hypoglycemic and has to take care of her sugar levels constantly. Their mother who took care of them however she could has been sick and hospitalized since they were 14. Fern though independent in most ways thoroughly depends on Rose to make decisions in life. Fern gets pregnant with Wally who she's been dating and the one mistake from her past makes her believe that she could not be relied on with anything let alone a child.
Characters:
We get to know their lives from Fern's POV in the present with references to their childhood and from Rose's journal which has the record of most of their childhood and their struggles.
Both Fern and Rose stood their ground and had good character depth be it good or bad.
Writing:
From about 30% of the book I was suspicious about one of them (not mentioning who on purpose) and there was this unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach as to where the story was going. At about 50% of the book it's obviously clear whom to believe and whom to not believe but the rest of the ride was how worse the damage will be at the end of the book. The major twist upon which everybody's life depended on was delivered well and I appreciate how the author was able to keep it wrapped up until then. I would definitely recommend this to those who love Mystery/Thrillers.

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