A review by gwendolyn_kensinger
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. In fact it did everything perfectly. I have no feedback as to what could have made this better. I liked the writing and the character development and the pacing. I loved Fern and Wally, and her job at the library. I appreciated the neurodivergent representation. But there’s just something holding me back from awarding it a full 5 stars. Maybe it’s because while I was reading it I was enjoying myself but when I wasn’t reading it I wasn’t necessarily thinking about it. It was easy to put down and not difficult per say but harder to pick back up. This book should not have taken me 5 days to read, but it did because I was trickling my way through it.

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 fall 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.

The story is mainly told through Fern’s perspective but occasionally we do get some journal entries from her sister, Rose. Rose’s POV shows a bit of their childhood and how she helped Fern navigate the world, including understanding how things worked, what people meant when they asked certain questions, etc. I can completely understand why this is a beloved book by so many of my friends.