Told from the first person perspective of Fern, diary extracts from her fraternal twin Rose.
A complicated relationship between the two sisters with Fern, who has extreme sensory issues , heavily reliant on Rose for guidance and support. Loved the portrayal of Fern’s character and her idiosyncrasies as she copes with all life’s issues whilst viewing the world from her own unique viewpoint.
Well written with an intriguing storyline it is easy to feel involved and invested in the storyline. A great read and I’ll certainly look for other books by the same author.

From the blurb I was expecting a fun domestic thriller but I was totally not expecting the sweet romance. Responsible Rose and quirky Fern are twins. Rose has always been the protector out of the two and kept Fern out of trouble in if it means covering up a crime and keeping a dangerous secret. And now Fern can finally repay her sister by helping her reach her heart’s desire, so she wastes no time in trying. But will Rose be happy with Fern’s choices? And will Fern regret her decisions? Read to find out.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The thriller part of it was predictable but the romance came out of nowhere and was what made me love the book. It was so sweet and adorable. Fern was such a sweetheart and I loved her character to bits. I definitely recommend this book if you like a good mix of romance and domestic thriller.

I loved the characters in this book twin sisters Fern and Rose. Rose being the more dominant sister.
When Fern finds out that Rose couldn't have children of her own Fern decided that the best way to help her sister is to have one for her the only problem is Fern doesn't have a man in her life.
When a stranger comes into the library where Fern works she immediately thinks he is homeless and looks like Wally from the children's books and starts calling that name in fact his real name is Rocco and Fern asks him out on a 'date '.
When Fern becomes pregnant she denies that the child is his and under Rose's control she ends her relationship with him.
But all is not what it seems . Can Fern find out the truth about her sister before it's to late?

I loved this book. It follows twin sisters Rose and Fern. The reader gets insights into their pay from Rose's diary entries. We follow Fern in real time. Seemingly devoted sisters. What would you do for the sister you love? Faith has sensory issues so tends to be introverted and keeps herself to herself. She works in a library which she adores, though she tries to keep contact with her co-workers to a minimum. Determined to have a baby for her sister who cannot conceive she meets Wally. What starts out as a cunning plan soon dissolves as they get on well, he understands her limitations and they have great sex! Faith becomes pregnant and from then on she is conflicted, to follow her heart or her sister whom she trusts to have her back? Lots of unexpected turns in this enjoyable book.

I loved this book, a real page turner.
This is a tale of fraternal twins, Fern and Rose. Fern is neuro diverse and has sensory issues and Rose, the caring sister who is there for her, protecting her from their mum's rages, and when the world becomes too much.
The story is told in real time by Fern and the past by Rose in a series of journal entries.
It is refreshing to have a neuro diverse main character. Seeing the world through Fern's eyes and ears will enable more understanding of every day challenges that people with sensory issues have. It also explores how people's understanding can enable them to try new experiences or stop them because you want to protect them. A dilemma that most parents will be familiar with.

This was a really good gripping thriller, easy to read, great storyline about a relationship between two sisters. I really enjoyed this book, and would thoroughly recommend.

This is the most gripping book I've read in a very long time. Following the story of Fern, and her twin sister Rose, and Roses struggle to have a child. Even though Fern has sensory issues she is sure she can have a child for her twin sister, especially as her sister has looked after her their whole life. This story masterfully shows us their past and present, and takes us on a gripping ride through a year of their lives. I don't want to give anything away and spoil the story but I can promise you that once you start reading you just won't be able to put it down. This is the best book I've read this year, it kept me guessing right the way through, and to be able to do that is absolutely worth 5 stars. If you want a book that you just can't put down then this si the book for you.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I couldn't put it down because I had to know what happened next. The story and the characters have just the right amount of complexity and emotion to keep you hooked and I found myself really starting to care about the outcome.

I would definitely recommend to friends!!!

An enjoyable, gripping read and I found Fern to be a charming and refreshing lead character.
It became clear what was really going on fairly early in the story, but that allowed one to enjoy the dynamics and intricacies of the relationships rather than worrying too much about what the 'twist' might be.
I did find I had to suspend my disbelief a few times towards the end. I also wasn't completely satisfied with the wrapping up of the Billy story ... in my opinion the blame wasn't absolved as completely as the characters seemed to feel it was.
Overall I recommend this book as a genuinely entertaining page-turner.

Sally once again does not dissapoint with her newest book. I love how the story is told from Ferns point of view but with her twin Rose’ diary entries scattered between chapters.
Ferns world view is entirely outside of my own - she is on the autistic spectrum and has sensory issues.
Whilst I guessed where the ending was going, it didn’t stop me enjoying both plot and characters.
Thank you to Sally, her publisher and Netgalley for this advance copy.

This turned out to be completely different to what I was expecting and very different to my normal reads. It covered a lot of deep themes including mental health, illness, addiction, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. And, at first I really didn't like it. Yet it was oddly compellingly and by the end I kinda loved it. The reason was main character and twin Fern. Fern is "different" and outside of my world - she has sensory processing issues and lacks social awareness but she really grew on me as I began to understand her better. I loved her view of the world and in particular agree with her astonishment that medical advances haven't come up with "a better way" of having babies and that shaking hands is risky for a person's health. With Fern's first person narrative interspersed with extracts from the other twin Rose's journal it's quickly evident from the different retellings of the same events that one of these sisters is an unreliable narrator? But, which one is 'The Good Sister'?

What an amazing story!!! I absolutely loved it. This book was so enjoyable and so cleverly written. There were moments that had me laughing out loud and moments where I felt so utterly upset for the characters. Sally Hepworth certainly knows how to move our emotions with this wonderful story.

This is a story about fraternal twin sisters, Rose and Fern. Fern suffers from sensory issues and Rose has always been the one that has been there for Fern to rely on, to help Fern cope when situations become too much for her. When Fern learns that Rose is unable to conceive a child that she so longs for, Fern sets out to get pregnant and give her sister the baby she desires. When Fern meets Wally (Rocco), she gets more than she bargained for. She thought she just wanted to find someone to impregnate her but instead finds a man that comes to mean so much to her. The two have the sweetest romance and you just can’t help but be swept away by their relationship. Things take a change of course when Rose begins to get involved. I don’t want to say more than that about the plot because it was such an entertaining read that I don’t want to spoil it for anyone else.

This is such an incredible story and I really hope that it gets the attention and admiration it deserves. It’s got everything in it from suspense, mystery and romance. The character descriptions are so well written, I can picture each and every one of them so clearly especially Fern with her goggles and headphones on, wearing her brightly coloured clothes. I’m hoping it will be a Goodreads favourite this year as it will certainly get my vote. Super high recommendation from me for this one!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the privilege of reading this book early with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twins always seem to be expected to love each other unconditionally perfect mirrors of each other.Who else would you trust other than your twin your other half? What happens though if one twin is the good one and one is the bad? A fantastic tale is the answer. I could not put this down and was totally engrossed by this twisted tale of twins.

I cannot stress enough how much I loved the story of Fern and Rose. The portrait of Fern as someone with high functioning autism was brilliant; I became so engrossed in her character. It was a superbly written story of love, psychological abuse and bravery, I cannot wait for Sally to write her next book.

Well, this was amazing! I have a particular penchant for books that have elements of disturbing/dysfunctional family relationships and The Good Sister has it in spades.

The story is centred on twins Rose and Fern who are as dissimilar as can be. Rose is the responsible, married sister with a high-flying job while Fern is a quirky librarian with a sensory processing disorder. Rose spent much of her childhood protecting none-the-wiser Fern from their sociopathic mother until the day she overdosed and they were sent to foster homes - but just before that happened, Fern did something very bad and Rose has spent the rest of her life guarding her sister’s secret and continuing to protect her into adulthood. However when Fern decides to help Rose achieve her sought after dream of a baby, she starts to uncover some of Rose’s own secrets, secrets that throw everything she’s known and relied on up in the air.

This book really touched me, I think because I really empathised with Fern as a character. Due to her sensory processing issues, she can’t live a typically ‘normal’ life and has relied on Rose since they were children. When that very close bond begins to crack, Fern’s carefully structured life starts to unravel and it was painful to read her warring thoughts when she is questioning the loyalty of the sister she has held in such high esteem for so long.

I really enjoyed that the story was written from both Fern in her monologue and Rose in the form of journal entries, the conflict between the twins’ personalities and characters was so intriguing. At first I was absolutely convinced that Rose was a good sister and was always looking out for Fern but as the story unfolded, I started to doubt Rose and her motives. Naturally I rooted for Fern as she is portrayed as the underdog but is clearly such a genuine and honest person and I loved the careful relationships she formed with the people in her life - especially Wally/Rocco and her library colleagues.

I think this book is beautifully written - it’s heartbreaking and there are twists at every corner that took my breath away but it thankfully ends on a high. From the fast-paced tension to the tender, sweet moments and everything in between, The Good Sister was a definite 5 star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Plot:
I found it really refreshing to read a thriller that didn’t have an obvious crime to solve or a ‘whodunnit’ that needed to be uncovered. This was a creative storyline and one that I really enjoyed. At certain points I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen or where the story was leading to, but the characters definitely helped in this situation, as I was invested enough in them to see it through (in fact I could have happily just read a day in the life of Fern). The dynamic surrounding sisters is something that is definitely 'thriller-esque' and I thought that this book negotiated the complicated relationship between siblings and the rivalry they can harness beautifully. I also enjoyed the dual-perceptions within this book as the author used these to delicately-place information that became the foundations of suspicion and distrust.

Characters:
For me, the character description and development were the highlight of this book. All of the characters were eerily realistic, and it was obvious that the author took a lot of time and care when researching their characters. Fern was adorable! I don’t know if I have ever rooted for a character more, but her view of life was the refreshing tonic I needed. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters throughout the story as they added humour and stability for both Fern and the book overall. I definitely felt uneasy around a certain character throughout this book and this did ring true in the end. However, I was I was still shocked at the twists throughout and I really didn’t see them coming. Although this book did not seem to have an ultimate ‘whodunnit’ I did go back several times to re-read extracts as there were many twists and half-truths to negotiate and take into consideration.

Ending comment:

This was a book about perception and how easy it can be to obscure your own memories, as people will always see themselves as the ‘good guy’ when they only listen to their side of the story. Simply put, I really enjoyed reading this book and I did not want to put it down. It is very rare that you find a comfortable read in my genre of choice and this was definitely that. I found myself smiling at almost all of Fern’s interactions and I was really looking forward to being immersed in her world again every time I opened the book. This will definitely be one of my reads of the year.

Wow, what a fantastic read this was.
Two sisters Rose and Fern, twins but totally different. Fern is on the spectrum and has sensory issues.
Rose is always trying to protect Fern and at times this does annoy her. Something happened when they were children and Fern believes it was her fault.
Fern realises that Rose cannot have children so decides to get pregnant and have a child for her.
This is so cleverly written as we feel how Fern deals with her life, her job and emotions.
Rose's part is written as a journal.
As I work with children with SEND it was very insightful to how they process everything. It really makes you think how they deal with everyday life that we take for granted.
I loved the ending, a total surprise.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder&Stoughton for the ARC

What a superb read. I was suckered in from page one. This starts as the story of two sisters, their upbringing and how they look after each other. Rose comes across as a kind sister who is always looking out for her sister’s wellbeing. Fern comes across as a lovely young lady who can be easily manipulated due to the fact that she obviously has some form of autism/Asperger’s. This is a brilliant read and I couldn’t put it down. The ending did not disappoint either!!

A great book that had me feeling a mixture of different emotions suspense and frustration at times I found myself having to take a break from reading to calm down I was that engrossed

I found this a refreshing and interesting read. Twins Rose and Fern are so different. They are wired so differently, see their pasts in such different ways and live their present lives with a different code of conduct. This gives us not only an observance of human nature but also an element of a psychological thriller.
From the start I really took to Fern. She is refreshingly different and likeable. I found myself rooting for her from early on and so want a good life for her. The book is not long and I read it in two days. Most enjoyable!