I wasn't sure what to expect with this book and who was the good sister! I was pleasantly surprised at the twists and turns and the characters that were very different from your usual run of the mill players in a drama.
This book really kept me engaged until the end and I wanted it to work out for one of them - no spoilers!
I think this would make a great film! Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this to review for an honest review, I'll be looking out for more of Sally Hepworths books.
#TheGoodSister #NetGalley

One of the best books I've read on ages. Had me nearly crying, cheering and wanting to throw it out the window all in one sitting!

I loved this book and read it in about 3 hours, not continuous but certainly throughout one day. I thought the characters were brilliantly drawn, Wally sounded absolutely lovely and Fern certainly deserved him.
The relationship between the siblings was very unusual and claustrophobic.
I loved the fact that Fern was a librarian, as I have also been one for most of my working life, her library sounds a wonderful vibrant place.
This was a very good book with a twist that caught me on the hop, I would definitely recommend it.

Memorable quote: "People without sisters think it's all sunshine and lollipops or all blood and guts. But actually it's always both. Sunshine and guts. Lollipops and blood. Good and bad. The bad is as essential to the relationship as the good."

This was such a crackingly good read. I had so much fun with this one, and I think the main reason for that was because of Fern. What a fantastic character she was. So witty and clever on the one hand, and then so down to earth on the other. Some of her comments had me genuinely chuckling out load. I just couldn't get enough of her. Well done to the author for creating such a fantastic and highly memorable character.

As for the story itself, again, it was great. Things were not what they seemed to be, and as the story progressed I found it more and more difficult to interpret the actions of the characters and the developing situations. The relationship between the two twins was extremely interesting, and as more detail was divulged about both of them, there were a few good twists and turns to sink one's teeth into. I must be honest and say that I did see some of the twists and so nothing really caught me totally off guard...okay, maybe one thing, but really this was such an entertaining read that I didn't even mind that the twists were somewhat expected.

Overall this is a fantastic domestic suspense novel. It's a story about the relationship between two twin sisters, their dependencies, their childhood experiences, their love and trust for other another and ultimately about how someone you adore can abuse your trust. I highly recommend this read if you're looking for something to fly through.

Fern and Rose are twin sisters and we follow the story from their individual points of view. Rose's diary records a very unhappy childhood. Fern has severe sensory issues - she has carved a life for herself, working at the library, where she can keep interaction with others to a minimum.

One day she finds a man about to use the shower in the library (obviously that library is very different from those here in the UK!) and Rocco comes into her life. At the core of the story is something that happened to one of their friends, Billy, when they were young, which has clouded their lives, the truth of which from each perspective is gradually revealed.

From all this it sounds like a standard 'we had a problem, we are sisters' sort of story, but it isn't. Fern is an incredibly complex character - I don't know anyone with the issues she faces, but the author portrays her really well, so we are able to empathise. And the reader is taken on a journey as we look at the interaction between Fern and Rose and wonder what is really happening. Its one of those books where you almost don't want to keep reading, because some of the characters are being treated so badly, but you just cannot put it down.

A really good read. Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book started quite slowly but it developed into a great story around twins Fern and Rose. It kept me guessing right to the end. Well worth a read

Really enjoyed this book plenty to think about and brilliant dynamics between the characters I was oblivious to some of the twists and turns so a good psychological roller coaster of a read !

The Good Sister is a brilliant read. We are mainly following Fern, a woman who is almost certainly on the Asperger's spectrum and works at her local library. She is funny, interesting and very likeable - I loved her various comments and observations on life, they made me smile throughout. The story isn't all light-hearted though... I won't give too much away about the plot but Fern knows her twin sister Rosie is desperate to have a baby but has been unable to conceive with her husband, so she naively decides to try and get pregnant for her.

There's a lot of character development in this book, with the reader really getting to know Fern and her new love interest, Wally. Both seem great characters and I really warmed to them. However, the story also has chapters told from Rose's point of view - extracts from her diary which gives a darker side to the twins' lives growing up with their evidently psychopathic mother, and cautions that Fern might be getting herself into a situation she can't handle.

As we read on we realise that Fern and Rose have a very dark secret and things aren't quite all as they seem.

The Good Sister has less 'thriller' elements to it than I expected from how it's marketed - but this was no bad thing. Yes, I love books in the psychological thriller genre, but here I actually enjoyed reading about Fern's day to day life more than the mystery elements. Sally Hepworth did such a brilliant job of building the characters and developing them into people you can actually imagine knowing. Plus, the possibility of an unreliable narrator means you're always second-guessing whether someone is telling the truth...

I absolutely loved this novel and raced through it. It's certainly made me want to pick up more of Sally Hepworth's novels - I really enjoyed The Mother-in-Law too, so if the others are anywhere near as good, Sally Hepworth is likely to become a new favourite author!

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.

I really enjoyed this book, it was fast-paced and I really warmed to Fern and Wally; the characters were very well formed.

You start to question the motives of the different characters as the story unfolds, very twisty!

A rare full 5* from me!
Sally Hepworth is an Australian best selling author. I haven’t read any of her previous books. I’d heard great reviews of this so was keen to try it.
It’s a stand alone, I’d class it as a domestic thriller (classifications are not my strong point). It explores peoples various flaws, vulnerabilities and boundaries. A character study with wonderfully crafted characters. It has a cracking plot too though. It’s absolutely delightful, a light easy read, and thoroughly entertaining. It is also tinged with sadness which adds another emotional layer, and love for an emotionally varied journey through the book.
The book is told from Rose’s perspective mainly through her journal. We hear from Fern directly, she is the main narrator. She is a librarian. Fern is neuro diverse (on the spectrum), I like Fern’s literal interpretation of everything, it adds innocence,naivety and humour. It is really is funny in Fern’s sections. Fern is intelligent and high functioning but seems to forget basics, she is trusting taking everyone at face value.
Rose has always taken on the responsibility of keeping Fern safe, and has been more scarred than Fern from their upbringing with a single parent mother. The time frame moves from the present to their childhood.
Favourite quote ‘most people think of me as Fern’s protector. But the truth is,in her own funny way, she’s always been mine’
This is a rare book for me, in that I just did not want to put it down. It’s a much over used phrase which is why I’ve left it at the end,and not one that often applies to me.

My thanks to Netgalley for my copy of The Good Sister, such a good book, a real joy to read. It has three dimensional, real characters, a believable plot and will keep surprising you right up until the very end, brilliant!

The Good Sister follows twin sisters Fern and Rose – Fern in the present and Rose in the past through her diary entries. The sisters have always been very close – Rose has protected Fern from their aggressive mother as they were growing up and still holds Fern close now in adulthood. Fern has sensory issues and Rose tries to keep her protected from the things that aggravate her. I really enjoyed this book and seeing the way the two women present themselves but also the undercurrent of tension that begins to creep into their relationship was fascinating. Something happened when they were children and Fern lives with the guilt and it stops her being able to form bonds with other people so she relies heavily on Rose. I adored reading Fern’s perspective – she’s so warm and genuine but refuses to do anything she doesn’t want to do. She’s such a brilliant character and when she meets Wally in the library where she works I was rooting for her to see how things might develop with him. This is a gripping novel that has moments of darkness balanced with a lot of light and I loved it. This is the first novel that I’ve read by Sally Hepworth but I now want to seek out everything she has ever written!

I wasn't sure what to expect from 'The Good Sister' and even when I've finished it, I'm struggling to characterise it. I've seen reviews describing this as a psychological thriller but for the most part, it's a rather simple story of 'non-neurotypical girl meets 'slightly odd bloke who lives in a camper van' and dresses badly and then decides to have a baby for her apparently 'normal' twin sister. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

The story is told from the perspective of Fern and through the diaries of her non-identical twin sister, Rose.
Fern works in a library and can't handle too much noise, bright lights or sensory extremes. She's learned over the years how to pretend she's looking people in the eye, but she's not the kind of woman who knows how to follow societal norms - or wants to do so, for that matter. When she mistakes 'Wally' (he's actually called Rocco but he looks like 'Where's Wally?' for a homeless man using the library showers, she realises he's actually quite nice looking and asks him on a date. Neither of them is particularly accomplished at the dating scene but they muddle along.

Rose worries constantly about Fern and hates their mother, who is in a care home after an overdose many years earlier. Rose worries that Fern can't possibly be a fit mother and tries to persuade her to have her baby and hand it over for adoption by Rose and her husband.

The book is an adorable and sweet love story with an undercurrent of looming menace. I can't say too much without giving away things you need to find out for yourself. Let's just say that not all the stories add up so somebody's not telling the whole truth. Dark secrets from the girls' childhood keep popping up but only time will tell what's really going on.

I enjoyed this one a lot and recommend it highly. Well worth a read - regardless of which genre you choose to define it by.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers. I'll want to read Sally Hepworth again.

Note - take care. There are a number of different books called 'The Good Sister'. Make sure you pick the right one.

In one word, wow!

I love it when you just think you've got it figured out, and then the author surprises you again with another turn that it so right, you wondered how you missed it.

I loved the characters in what was a funny, sad, devastating, uplifting family story on sibling dynamics and relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

WOW!! This is the first book by Sally Hepworth that I have read. What a book. I couldn’t have loved the main character more and felt I was rooting for her the whole way through. My heart was in my mouth for the majority of this book. It’s dark, creepy and thrilling. I can’t recommend this enough. I can’t wait to read more by Sally.

I have read a lot of thrillers over this past year and feel like ‘The Good Sister’ is one of those truly original ideas that drives you through a book and after that last page you’re still questioning what you thought you knew. Aka everything you want in a great and gripping page turner!
The plot centres on twins Rose and Fern; Fern is the naive, sweet sister who always sees the best in people and Rose is the protective, practical sister who always has to keep her sister safe. They have assumed their roles since their distressing childhood but when Rose expresses her dream of becoming a mother but is unable to do so Fern feels like it is her time to step up. But as with all good intentions Fern’s plan isn’t fully thought through and she begins to look back at their own childhood and begins to question everything she thought she knew.
This book is a little slow in the beginning just as Hepworth begins to set up the story but as soon as the plot thickens the pace is brilliant and the trickles of truth are expertly inserted in so as a reader you have to know who is telling the truth and who still has secrets to hide.
An addictive domestic drama where you never really know who is the ‘good sister’.

I enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s book The Mother-in-law, so I was extremely excited when I received an approval for her latest book ‘The Good Sister’ on NetGalley. The main characters of this story are twin sisters, Fern and Rose and the chapters go between Ferns POV in the current timeline and Rose’s childhood journal. This book captivated me and I felt myself questioning which characters to trust. The lead up to the ending in this book was exceptional and each chapter unravelled more and more twists. I enjoyed the supporting characters in this book, such as, Wally and genuinely enjoyed reading about Fern’s life. Fern loving books and working in a library also made me enjoy her as a main character. Sally Hepworth really knows how to write domestic suspense thrillers and I can guarantee that if you read this book you will be turning the pages well into the night to find out exactly what happens to Fern and Rose. Currently in Perth WA we are in a lockdown over the long weekend, so if you are bored and looking for books to read during that time, look no further than this great read.
Thank you to @HodderBooks, @sallyhepworth and @Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this amazing book. This book is available now if you want to go get yourself a copy.

Fern und Rose, die ungleichen Zwillingsschwestern. Rose hat schon immer auf Fern achtgegeben, denn sie ist nicht wie die meisten Menschen. Fern hat spezielle Eigenschaften und Bedürfnisse. Sie hatten eine nicht ganz einfache Kindheit und sind schlussendlich im Kinderschutz groß geworden, nachdem ihre Mutter durch einen Anfall einen Hirnschaden erlitten hat. Nun arbeitet Fern in einer Bibliothek und Rose hadert mit ihrer Kinderlosigkeit und ihrer Ehe zu Owen.

Die Autorin hat hier zwei sehr interessante Protagonistinnen geschaffen, man folgt ihrer Geschichte aus wechselnden Perspektiven sehr gespannt. Immer wieder fließen Erinnerungen aus der Kindheit ein und Andeutungen um das erschütternde Ereignis mit Billy. Kann man Fern nicht trauen? Neben den Kolleginnen aus der Bibliothek wird mit Wally eine weitere sehr sympathische Nebenfigur eingeführt.

Sally Hepworth spielt mehr als geschickt mit den unterschiedlichen Sichten, wie man zum überraschenden Schluss des Buches feststellen kann. Das letzte Drittel des Romans saugt einen förmlich ein, die Seiten fliegen dahin, ein düsterer Verdacht kommt auf, aber so einfach kommt man nicht zur Auflösung.

Ein sehr interessantes Setting und ein außergewöhnlicher Plot. Für mich ein herausragender Thriller!

I have that lovely feeling. You know when you find a fabulous author and devour a book in one sitting. I am awake at 5am writing this after finishing it in the early hours. Please spread the word about this book!