The Good Sister: A Novel

Sally Hepworth

Apr 2021 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"A stunningly clever thriller made doubly suspenseful by not one, but two unreliable narrators." — People

Sally Hepworth, the author of The Mother-In-Law delivers a knock-out of a novel about the lies that bind two sisters in The Good Sister.

There's only been one time that Rose couldn't stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be...dangerous.

When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.

Fern's mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of what families keep hidden.

Ratings and reviews

Wow, this was one twisted sister tale! It didn’t take any time for me to get completely caught up in this story. It was so easy to picture Rose and Fern fraternal twins, one of them apparently on the spectrum and the other her protector. What an awful childhood they had. Is it any wonder the issues they faced as adults? My heart hurt for them. While Fern is never officially diagnosed, her condition is pretty obvious. She’s highly functioning and I fell completely in love with her. She was totally charming in such an innocent way and I realize that was due to her autism, but the way this author portrayed her had me loving her, wanting to hug her (even though that would be a no-go) and laughing at the way she inadvertently pulled others into her world. Rose was fiercely protective of Fern. Her whole life revolved around her. She was an amazing older sister and Fern would have been lost without her. I worried about her other relationships and how Fern’s presence affected them. Much of this is written in a journal type of format that gives us glimpses into the past. With each new entry we are given, a clearer picture begins to form. I began to question the title along with the words on the page and soon I was vacillating between who truly was the good sister and why were they not considered good? This has a very thin veil of darkness running through it but the question is to which twin is it contributed to?

I received a free electronic ARC of this novel from Netgalley, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin's Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Sally Hepworth always brings us a good tale with personable protagonists and a well-turned mystery. The Good Sister is no exception - right through to the end she had me puzzled. This was another all-nighter. Rose and Fern are fraternal twins, and their mother was truly psychotic. Rose spent a great deal of her time trying to protect Fern from their mother's unwarranted wrath. The chances of them growing up well-rounded and sane would be astronomical. But after an overdose of Valium and alcohol when the girls were 12, things were looking up. That is a really sad thing when foster care is a giant step forward in parenting. Now 28, Fern has grown up, settled down, and despite her honest lack of social mores, has a fulfilling career at her local library. Rose is married, thinking about having a kid once Owen is back from a job in London. Twice a week Fern comes by Rose's place for supper and they often talk on the phone. Family. What a wholesome thing. Or is it?

I really wanted to love this book because it is well written and yes a page turner. I really have gotten into these psychological thrillers and love the deep dark twisted stuff that comes from it but this one just didn't quite move from being predictable. Don't get me wrong I found myself speeding through it to see just how the author was going to play it out because she does a good job of playing these sisters off. Fraternal twins who are truly opposites, one manipulative the other with a few challenges, the betrayal and twisted plot show just how different these two are. One finding love the other disregarding it when it no longer fit her need. The author gives us the story going between the sisters and things begin to come to light. I haven't read this author before but I do plan on reading more of her. While this one may have been a little tame for my taste it is still one I would easily recommend.

About the author

Sally Hepworth has lived around the world, spending extended periods in Singapore, the United Kingdom and Canada. She is the author of The Secrets of Midwives, The Things We Keep, The Mother's Promise, The Family Next Door and The Mother-in-Law. Sally now lives in Melbourne with her husband, three children, and one adorable dog.