The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

Rose and Fern are twins in their twenties who have a close relationship despite having shared a traumatic childhood. Rose is the responsible one, Fern the quirky one. Fern accidentally did something terrible when they were twelve years old, and Rose helped her cover up the mistake and has kept a careful watch on her ever since. But when Fern decides to help her sister achieve her heart's desire of having a baby, Rose realizes that Fern might make choices that can only have a terrible outcome. 
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This story alternates between the POV of each of the twins. Through Rose’s journal entries, we experience some of the terrible past events the twins shared during their childhood, which included a mother who was narcissistic and mercurial. Fern’s POV allows us to follow her as she navigates her day-to-day existence working at a library and engaging with others while being on the autism spectrum and managing debilitating sensory-processing issues. 

And it is such a treat to follow Fern around! Her unique character - its specificity, the humor within it, the heart underneath it - makes this book for me! Fern is so lovable, despite her flaws, that I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt myself emotionally connecting this strongly with a character. And Fern’s internal thoughts and interactions with other characters had me giggling out loud.

Yes, I fell in love with this character, but everything else about this story is on point! The plotting and pacing is solid, and there are some great twists I didn’t see coming!

I can’t elaborate too much more, since I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say that this is a rare suspense novel that made me giggle while, at moments, warming my heart. I also think that in comparison with Hepworth’s last few books, this one is much closer to a true thriller.

I ABSOLUTELY loved this book and highly recommend it!

This hits the shelves April 13!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!