The Good Sister

Fern and Rose are fraternal twins who are just as different as they look. They have always watched out for each other as they have the loyalty you would expect from twins. Rose is responsible and looks out for her sister while Fern navigates through life while on the autism spectrum and managing a sensory processing disorder.

Growing up, Fern and Rose also protected each other from their crazy mother who is manipulative and dangerous—Fern the more favored twin, Rose bullied by her own mother. Bonds between sisters can be complicated and messy but when one twin needs something, the other is always there for her.

As adults, Fern does not remember their mother being so horrible and is often confused about her surroundings, especially due to the sensory processing disorder. Rose would often remind her of the things their mother did that caused such trauma in their childhood. Fern is relieved that she has Rose to help her as she is often naive and forgetful. Plus, Fern can’t be trusted since she did something so terrible as a child that only Rose knows about and helped cover up what happened.

As adults, Fern decides to have a baby for Rose since she can’t have a baby herself and that is where the story begins. It is told in alternating points of views from Rose’s journal entries and Fern’s present point of view. 

The novel is so easily devoured in one sitting as the writing really sucks you right in. You will be trying to fit the puzzle pieces together! One thing I really loved about the book was that for a mystery and thriller novel, the characters were so great. Wally and Fern’s relationship was so wholesome that you just can’t help but to root for them. 

The Good Sister gives readers a bit more than your typical thriller novel. There’s the mystery and thriller aspect as expected but there’s also an exploration of family relationships and personalities, not to mention the character development and growth. Personalities are dynamic in relation to one another, which is so intriguing as well, especially once the truth begins to unravel and how they handle it.

This may be on the more predictable side if you’re a constant thriller reader however, it still constitutes as a fast, entertaining read with great characters. Definitely go into this without knowing too much as it makes the read more fun. This was my first novel by Hepworth and certainly will not be the last.