The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

Lindsay’s review

Rose and Fern are twin sisters. Rose is strong and determined. Fern is quirky, socially awkward and a literal thinker. Rose has always been Fern’s “protector” which started in childhood and has continued on into their adult years.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these unforgettable characters. The various relationship dynamics were a fascinating and stand-out aspect of this storyline for me. I especially loved, Fern. She is one of the most outstanding characters I’ve “met” in a long time!

There is so much to love about this book! The library setting (Fern works at a library). The unique and intriguing characters. The family dynamics. The smooth and engrossing writing. The changing perspectives. The witty and perfectly paced narratives.

I devoured this book without realizing how quickly I was reading. I couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end. The writing was exceptional and kept me engrossed and curious.

My one teeny tiny critique is that a few plot points near the end of the novel seemed implausible but my intense connection to the storyline and my investment in the characters outweighed that. I loved this author before I started this book and this novel made me even more of a fan. I highly recommend!

Brenda’s review

The Good Sister is another one of those overhyped books but does not need any hype because Sally Hepworth can stand on her own. I have not read all her books but have read her last two books before this one and loved them all. She has established her place and style as a great story writer!! I have been struggling a bit with overhyped books breaking my reading groove and I was worried this was going to be another book that didn’t “live up to the hype”. I had nothing to worry about because Sally Hepworth writing is captivating with characters that are easy to connect with.

I found all of her books well-crafted stories with compelling family dynamics, themes and plots that are brilliantly delivered. Her characters are interesting and unforgettable characters that I still think about, and Fern and Rose will be too. The drama to the stories is engaging and adds enough suspense to drive the stories forward.

The Good Sister explores the dynamics between very different twin sisters. It is well-layered with not what I would call twists but turns to the story that might feel predictable but are perfectly paced and layered to pull the story together. There is a bit of trope here with the good sister and bad sister, however, it’s fresh and exciting, and Fern and Rose are unique, compelling and fascinating characters.

I did have a teeny tiny struggle with buying into some parts of that very, very bad thing Fern did, however I did like how it all wrapped up.

We received like many other reviewers a copy from the publisher.