Wow, just wow! A five star thriller based upon Fern, who is now undoubtedly one of my favourite characters of recent times.

Fern and Rose are twins, who we learn had a difficult childhood with a borderline psychopathic mother, and they share in a terrible secret. Fern is a neurodiverse character, as she has autism, and she relies on Rose a lot. Rose is having marriage and fertility problems, so Fern wants to repay Rose by being her surrogate. The book is told from the perspectives of both twins, interchangeably.

What ensues is completely gripping, shocking, edge-of-your-seat reading, and I defy anyone not to be rooting for Fern!

An amazing book, my first by Sally Hepworth, but certainly not my last. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I loved this engrossing story of twin sisters with a slightly different take on their upbringing. Well written and thought provoking I was impressed with how sensory issues were portrayed and explained.

What a great book! I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish.
Seen through the eyes of Fern and the journal of Rose, the relationship between the twin sisters is revealed to the reader. I don't want to say too much about the storyline and give anything away as the way it progresses is subtle and clever and a pleasure to read.
The characterisation of Fern is such that you can't fail to like her and it shows a real understanding of her issues. I worked for many years with children with sensory processing difficulties and it was interesting seeing this from the other side as it were.
This book ticked all the boxes for me including empathetic characters and a storyline that kept you reading. I've not read any books by this author, indeed I don't know if there are any others, but based on this book I'm going to read any available.
I don't give many 5 star ratings, 4 is a good read for me, I save 5 for a really great read and this was certainly that. Highly recommended.

A very unique read. Well portrayed characters and an intriguing storyline. Which sister is the good sister?

What a fun and entertaining page-turner! I was hooked from the beginning and the short chapters made this a breezy read. I love the dual perspectives that alternated between Rose's diary entries and Fern's narration; it was soon clear that someone was an unreliable narrator but who? Or even possibly both?

Most of the book was quite predictable after awhile but it was still a compelling read that I didn't want to put down. I also loved Wally and the side characters like the library staff more than I'd expected!

All in all, I really enjoyed this (even more than The Mother-In-Law) so I'm thrilled that I got to read an ARC. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher!

Favourite quote: "Sisterly relationships are so strange in this way. The way I can be mad at Rose but still want to please her. Be terrified of her and also want to run to her. Hate her and love her, both at the same time. Maybe when it comes to sisters, boundaries are always a little bit blurry. Blurred boundaries, I think, are what sisters do best."

I had heard good things about both this author and this book so was looking forward to reading it. I wasn't sure at first if I liked it or not but once I was further into the book I really enjoyed it. I found I liked the characters and it had some good twists that I didn't see coming.
Based on this book I will definitely be reading more by Sally Hepworth in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my ARC.

This is a wonderful book. I am a twin and found it very interesting, the story was good and I had no idea of what the outcome would be . It is well written and the characters are believable. It’s an easy read and i would recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC.
This is my first read by Sally Hepworth and I absolutely loved it, I will definitely be buying more of her work.
This story covers twin sisters Fern & Rose and switches between Ferns narrative and Rose’s journal entries. There are definite Eleanor Oliphant vibes to the story and I feel the author covered mental health in a really sensitive and relatable way. She shows how vulnerable people with mental health can be and how they can be taken advantage of by the ones that you would least expect.
I read this book in a day, I just couldn’t put it down! It’s compelling, with some great characters and great twists. Definitely recommend it!

This book turned out to be a real page turner. At first I found it a bit slow but after awhile I got into it a I flew through it. I really enjoyed it. It was my first book by Sally Hepworth so I’m pleased I enjoyed it in the end. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Fern and Rose are twins they don‘t look alike and certainly have different personalities, one is quirky and the other more considered. They live together with their mother and her on-off boyfriends.
Both of them have varying opinions on occurrences and they are keeping a horrible secret. Which version can we trust?
In adulthood it turns out that Rose is not able to get pregnant. So her sister decides that she will find herself a man, surprise her with her pregnancy and give the baby to her. But soon Fern starts to feel love towards the baby and is not so sure anymore, if she give her one and only to her sister. Furthermore the past is catching up with them and nothing is like it seems.

Sally Hepworth is getting better and better with each book 📚. This was such a high tension, enthralling, claustrophobic, leaving you breathless and speechless kind of read. I loved it and couldn’t put it away. I had to devour it in one unrelenting, nerve-stretching sitting. Fern and Wally are what you call relationship goals, they are so meticulously cute together. I wish I could read more about them.

„The Good Sister“ is the type of book, you wish never ended and will stay in your heart forever ♾. If you like thrillers from Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen your place to go is Sally Hepworth.

Thank you NetGalley / Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this exceptionally good arc in exchange for my honest review.

An engrossing and suspenseful drama about secrets, lies and the complicated bond between sisters

This is a story about twin sisters and their bond,
This is a story about childhood trauma,
This is a story about what it's like to be on the Autistic spectrum, with Sensory Processing Disorder,
This is a story about boundaries,
This is a story which asks what makes a good sister?

It's been a long time since I devoured this book in a day, and stayed up very late to finish it, but The Good Sister was such an entertaining page turner, that I just couldn't help myself! This book had got a lot of hype from my GR friends, so I am so happy that it lived up to, and exceeded my expectations!

So how can a book be a twisty drama, which filled me with a sense of foreboding and unease also be so heart-warming and wonderful? I'm not sure how Sally Hepworth managed to achieve this, but she did! I was addicted to this nail-biting story, and felt deeply worried about the vulnerability of one of the characters, and the danger that they possibly faced, and yet smiled at the humour, the romance and the lovely characters!

The Good Sister was so well written, it just flowed incredibly well, weaving together so many issues in a remarkable and sensitive way. I enjoyed the contrast of the chapters, written from one sister Rose's POV in the form of her diary, with some flashbacks to their childhood, and from her twin sister's POV as the narrator. It was emotional reading about these characters, and trust me, the characters definitely make this book!

Rose, the sensible, protective, responsible sister, who takes care of her twin, supports her and is her person.
Fern, the innocent, quirky sister, with a heart of gold, who has to have a routine, misunderstands social norms, and has several sensory difficulties.
These characters had me caring about them, invested in them, rooting for them! The character growth was amazing throughout the story, and I relished in it! The dynamics between the sisters as they grew up, and as their lives evolved was so fascinating.

I adored the library setting, where Fern worked, and the secondary characters whom I met there.

Did I have an inkling where this book was going? YES! It did have a little predictability that seasoned thriller readers will figure out. Did this affect my enjoyment? HELL NO! I delighted in every step of the journey!

I'm not going to say too much about the plot because it was wonderful discovering it myself! And my review cannot do this lovely, yet dark book justice, but if you're looking for a quick and engaging suspense, which also has family drama, unreliable narrators, romance and some amazingly fleshed out characters, then give this one a go!

Twin sisters Fern and Rose are very close and live their lives relying on the other after a very difficult childhood. However, when they were young Fern did something very bad, and has been paying for it ever since. Things all change when she meets eccentric Rocco, life changes for Fern and therefore for Rose as well. This is a really intriguing book with fascinating characters, particularly the central character of Fern. Very original and a gripping read.

📚 The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth. Publication Date 15th April 2021 📚

Rose & Fern are twin sisters. They have always had a close relationship, especially as their mum didn’t give them the life they deserved and could often be cruel. Once they are grown up, they are still close. Rose had discovered she can’t have a child with her husband and Rose offers to have a child for her.... this leads to Rose meeting Wally and things don’t go to plan! I loved the character Fern ..... I willed for her to do well in this book ❤️!!

I was out my comfort zone with this book as I’m usually a thriller/crime reader BUT I honestly loved this book. Thanks for allowing me to read an ARC.

#netgalley #thegoodsister #hodder #sallyhepworth

https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

Fern needs to have a quiet life. She has sensory perception disorder and her job in the local library suits her perfectly. Her twin sister Rose is always on hand so what more does she need?
Rose appears to live a perfect life except for one thing, she can’t have the baby she desperately desires. Fern sees a way to pay her sister back for all her support.

Salt Hepworth has created a wonderful central character in Fern. Her ability to deal with situations outside her tightly controlled world are cleverly written and you become heavily invested in Fern’s life as she meets a man who has just as many issues with dealing the world as her. At its heart this is an intelligent lovely story, but also something much darker as the twins’ childhood is revealed and you begin to question whether Rose is everything that Fern believes she is.
This is a fabulous book by a very accomplished author, I raced though it and stayed up very late to finish it. Highly recommended.
Thank you to #netgalleyand #HodderBooks for allowing me to review this ARC

Oh my god, I loved this book. I've got a whole video review for it if you want to check it out, but I'll try to briefly jot down my thoughts here.
1. Fern was a wonderful main character and I loved the autism rep. In my opinion, it was done really well and very respectfully. I loved reading about an autistic character, and I loved Fern in general. She's such a lovely person and I loved seeing her interact with her coworkers and friends. Oh and also, she's a librarian who loves her job. A LIBRARIAN.
2. I loved the romantic relationship in this! I know that's a bit of a weird thing to say about a thriller but it was absolutely lovely. Wally (not his real name) was super respectful and understanding, and also very on the ball about... things. I loved reading about him and Fern becoming closer.
3. The thriller/mystery plot was intense. I don't want to talk about it too much because I might spoil something and I strongly believe you should go into this book knowing NOTHING. NOTHING AT ALL. The thriller elements were mind bending and super twisty, and I was questioning myself and my opinions for a lot of this book.
4. The relationship between Rose (Fern's sister) and their mother was a tough one to read about. I had to kind of big myself up to read Rose's diary entries because I knew they were going to be intense. Nevertheless, I'm glad I did persevere because it was pretty great.
5. I loved it, I want to read more by this author, and I think you should read it. Thanks.

After reading The Mother In Law and The Family Next Door I was already a fan of Sally Hepworth. This is another brilliant book of hers, probably the best so far so I would definitely recommend. A clever twisty tale of twins with plenty of jealousy and manipulation thrown in. I actually would round it up to 4.5🌟

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

I loved the portrayal of Fern and Wally in this book. Great read.

I enjoyed this book, mainly because of Fern. She is a great character and so funny and quirky. Rose on the other hand was very unlikeable, even before you realise what type of person she is. Unfortunately, she develops into a bit of a pantomime villain as the book progresses.
It is the ending though that stops this being 5 star for me. I realise that its popular to leave the reader hanging at the end of these types of books but I just find it irritating and it has been done to death now.
Fern and Wally are so engaging. I wish really that the book had just concentrated on them. The crimes were just a distraction for me.

A clever well paced psychological thriller in disguise!!
The story of two sisters who share a secret but whose secret is it?
One sister is clearly "on the spectrum", one is "normal", they are unnaturally close some might say but who is dependent on who?
Rose longs for a baby but it is her sister Fern who is pregnant. Rose doesn't think Fern, due to her issues can handle a baby so who better to raise this child? After all Rose has always taken care of Fern, hasn't she??
A smart story that keeps you guessing all the way to the final page

I had never read a book by Sally Hepworth so when the opportunity arose I took it.

This was a really interesting story and I never really knew who was the culprit due to the way it was written from the different perspectives.

I so enjoyed introducing characters from the spectrum it was brilliant and I loved the idea of the library.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.