I really enjoyed this book, an edge of your seat thriller that I couldn’t put down.There are so many twists and turns. . This is my first Jess Ryder book and I will look out for any more books to come.

book was like a car wreck, the ending happened so fast you didnt know what hit you nor did you see it coming.

The Good Sister

A tense psychological thriller that literally had me on the edge of my seat.

After Josie’s father dies, she discovers he had led a double life and that she has a half sister called Valentina...and that’s only the beginning!

The twists and turns in The Good Sister made me dizzy and messed with my head-I loved it! Four stars from purplebookstand.

I was lucky to be provided with an advanced copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it.

Another brilliant offering by Ms Ryder. Her first novel was so entertaining and thrilling I could not wait for this one, and I was not disappointed!
Imagine having to cope with your daddy dearest's unfortunate death, and then you discover that you have a sister you didn't know about? Your perfect father had a second family that you never knew about.
This sets the mood for this great read, and was really worth the effort. Great read and recommended.

The Good Sister by Jess Ryder
Publisher: Bookouture

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bookouture for the ebook ARC of The Good Sister by Jess Ryder in exchange for an honest review.

Following the death of Josie’s father, she is devastated to uncover that he had a secret life beyond Josie and her mother Helen.
Josie discovered that he had another family, another house, and now she even has a half-sister, Valentina. Both the girls could be mistaken for twins, they have red hair and icy blue eyes. But that is where the similarities end. They are completely opposite of each other, Josie is sweet, reserved, jealous, and thief. Valentina is the care-free, confident, dangerous and liar.
Two sisters. One secret and a lie that could destroy them both. Who will survive?
This book was a quick read, it kept my attention the whole way through to the end. It was hard to put down. It was a tense novel, and I just kept wanting to find out more. The book was written in point of view form, changing each chapter, mainly between Josie and Valentina.
The characters evolved very well. I highly recommend this novel and would rate it 5 stars.
I would definitely read another of Jess Ryder’s novels. I have previously read her book, Lie to Me.

I adored this book. I will be back with my full review

A brilliant book I was hooked from the start it a real page Turner I did not wait the book to end you just get pull into the story your part of it

This is a well written story of secrets and lies. This leads to huge problems for the characters still dealing with the aftermath and, in turn, causes further issues for those characters.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This is a fast paced thriller and I could not put it down. Highly recommend

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookoutre, and Jess Ryder for this ARC. I have read the authors book "Lie to Me" and really like that one. The author seems to have a good approach for psychological thrillers ! I loved that this had a Viking tie in. I've never seen that in a book I've read yet. The characters in this book are so captivating to me, two sisters with same father yet different mothers and yet so many similarities between them, also so many differences. The twist at the end is one I never saw coming, and I pride myself on figuring these thrillers out as I've read quite a few. This is one of my favorite for the year.

Lots of twists and turns but the Viking references spoilt it for me

Josie idolised her Dad, they shared secrets spent time together. She loved him and thought he could do no wrong. Then Josie’s world is turned upside down when she hears that he has been killed in a motorcycle accident…..this is the very worst thing that has ever happened to Josie, up until this point she has had a perfect life, good job, perfect boyfriend, gorgeous flat. Then what Josie thinks is the worst thing that has ever happened to her spirals into the unbelievable when she discovers her father’s deepest secret. Another Life……..with another wife, another home and another daughter, Valentina, she could be Josie’s twin, born in the same hospital in the same week.

Struggling to come to terms with what she has learned, trying to decide if she should tell her mother or not and dealing with the betrayal the stretches beyond her father to her Uncle and his wife Josie doesn’t see what is happening to her life.

I loved this book, the chapters switching between the two sisters. It was fast paced, well written and kept you hanging on by the edge of your fingertips. This is a book I will recommend to everyone I meet, grabbing them by the shoulders shaking them while whispering loudly at them JUST READ IT…..okay so maybe not that dramatically

** spoiler alert ** Josie and Valentina are half-sisters. They share the same father, who was living a double life. While Josie found her father to be an upstanding citizen and the "greatest dad ever," Valentina found him to be distant and shady.

Ultimately this story is about keeping secrets. While it was a fast-paced and easy read, nothing really stood out as being amazing. Everything is pretty predictable: Josie begins to question her identity, Valentina ruins Josie's "square" life, and subsequent chaos ensues.

I found the ending to be the best part of the whole entire novel. Which sister really came back?

In this “twisty, dark psychological thriller,” a man dies and his death sets forth a whirlwind of discoveries. You learn early on that he has been living a double life. Two houses, two families, two daughters. This story is told from the dual perspective of his two daughters. We learn about their families, their relationships with their shared father, and their lives. While they seem to be so different from one another, they share so much. As we travel through this story, we encounter several dark twists. We face hidden identities, murder, and more secrets than I could count. Just when you think you have it all figured out, a new mystery is thrown in the mix right up to the very end.

I liked the idea behind this story. I am fascinated by “secret life” stories, because I can’t even imagine the feeling of betrayal that would come with that discovery. I am also a fan of dark and twisty books that keep you guessing. With books like Gone Girl and Defending Jacob, I couldn't’ look away (even when I wanted to). It was like watching a disaster I could do nothing to prevent. I couldn’t stop I was hoping this book would be the same, but there was something about it that made it drag a bit for me. The story was interesting, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters. When I should’ve felt betrayal, anger, or sadness I didn’t really feel much of anything. I wanted to find out how everything turned out, but I felt detached from the story and even stopped to read another book before I finished this one.

Overall, I thought the idea was good, but I didn’t love the writing. I did think it got better as the story progressed, but it was definitely a slow start for me for at least the entire first half. I think Jess Ryder has potential as an author, but I won’t be rushing out to purchase her other book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Jess Ryder for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

My review can be found on Goodreads.

***3 stars***

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This took me a while to finish. I stopped a little over halfway and took a couple week break from reading all together.

I liked this book, but I just couldn't get super into it. I didn't have a problem putting it down and coming back later.

Josie's character was kind of bland, which I suspect was on purpose. Valentina was the opposite. Wild and crazy and unpredictable. The contrast between the two sisters is very obvious and I'm sure it was intentional, hence the title.

There could have been more action in this book. I felt like it lacked some excitement, and I think authors have to be careful when they reveal the majority of the secret at the beginning of the book. You have the rest of a book to write, so making sure it stays exciting seems like it's a tough task sometimes.

Again, I enjoyed this book, I just didn't love it. I liked how the author revealed the first part of the secret in the first few chapters. It was unique and I wasn't expecting that. That was my only 'oh shit' moment in this book.

The second big reveal in the last few chapters...although a big dramatic reveal considering the situation, it lacked some build up for me and seemed like an afterthought.

Also, Vikings? Really?

A big 'Thank You' to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy. I do look forward to reading more Jess Ryder. This one wasn't totally my taste, but I like her writing style!

Secrets, lies and a dysfunctional family - oh boy! After the death of her father, Josie discovers some startling and devastating secrets that the father she adored had managed to keep for many years.

This should have been much more interesting to me than it was. It was a little cliché for me, I didn't particularly care for the characters and I had to suspend belief a few too many times. Add on a unsatisfactory ending and you get two stars.

I see the potential, so I would certainly give JR another go.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest opinion.**

This book was good. This book is told by two sisters, Josie and Valentina. After the death of her father, Josie finds her dad had a secret, named Valentina, another daughter. Valentina gets in touch with Joise and this is where the story takes off. Josie wants a relationship with Valentina. and proceeds to develop one. The reader is privy to Valentina's manipulation, but Josie is not. This is a good read of that once Josie realizes what she has let into her life, the fight is on. The ending was very good and the book was an enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

This is really disappointing but I went to the end. The shame is the end is great. It's just poor writing.

Josie is living a good life in London. She has a job helping hurting people, which she finds very satisfying. She and her boyfriend Arun are living together in a nice apartment, making plans for the future. She is close to her mom, a highly renowned psychiatrist, and though she doesn't see her dad very often (he works in Manchester and spends his weeks there, only returning to London for weekends and holidays), she has always had a tight bond with him. It was a really good life. 

And then everything changed. 

When Josie got word that her father had been killed riding his motorcycle, she couldn't believe it. He was a capable rider, a smart man, and considered himself a strong Viking warrior. But he was no match for the wet, curvy roads during his final midnight ride. So Josie takes his keys and goes to check out his apartment in Manchester, to feel close to him again and see what needs to be done with his effects. 

Oddly, the keys she has don't fit the lock, so Josie breaks in, and she is quickly surprised to find a young woman living there, a young woman who looks shockingly like her. As the women talk, they discover that they are half-sisters, born just days apart in the same hospital. Their father had two families--Josie and her mom in London and Valentina and her mom in Manchester. As the two sisters get to know each other, their relationship creates issues in other areas of Josie's life. Valentina is definitely more of a free spirit, and her decisions start to effect Josie's relationship, her job, her financial security, and her family. And as Josie keeps digging at her family's past, what she finds could change everything for her and for everyone she cares about

The Good Sister is a twisty psychological thriller that is a roller coaster of family betrayals, lies, and secrets. Author Jess Ryder takes readers on a journey through layers of bitterness and deception, of resentment and pain, of mistakes and bad choices. Each chapter starts with information of the lives and families of the Vikings, and those tidbits are both fascinating and informative of Josie's and Valentina's relationships with their father, with each other, and with themselves. A top-notch story of family secrets and lies. 



Galleys for A Good Sister were provided by Bookoutre through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.

Twisted and suspenseful are the very first words that come to mind when I think of how to describe The Good Sister. At times difficult to follow and even more difficult to comprehend, The Good Sister is Jess Ryder's latest novel about two sisters who have no idea the other exists. The loss of their father causes their chance meeting and begins the downward spiral of their very new relationship. It's a stunning novel, a thriller in every sense of the word that will leave you questioning everything. With unreliable narrators, The Good Sister is the kind of read that leaves you uneasy, you never know what to expect with each turn of the page.

"We are black and white, yin and yang, form and shadow. She is the girl I want to be, yet am afraid of becoming."

Valentina and Josie are sisters; they look alike, they share a father, but everything after that is different. They dress different, they have different personalities, and their sense of self are completely opposite. Valentina sees herself as a product of upbringing, a crass woman with few morals and little hope for life gratification outside of the bottle. Josie is a good girl, her father's easy child, with a study career, a long-term relationship, and a fairly normal family life. Building a relationship between them is impossible, especially with a father like theirs. A believer in all things Viking, he's managed to keep their lives a secret from one another with his cleverness. He's taught them everything they need to know about the warriors, about themselves, leaving them to figure out what to do with that information. I was astounded at the things their father did, but even more so with how the girls each dealt with the information. Their father's lies opened up holes inside each girl, their anger boiling over, their actions no longer thought through. I couldn't put the book down, each tiny reveal sucking me in.

"If I concentrate really hard, I can do it. I've got the props and costume; all I have to do now is be the character."

I loved that The Good Sister wasn't just based on the father's secret though, but more so on each sister and how they are as individuals. The changing POV's, but unidentified chapters, made reading interesting as I tried to sort out which girl's head I was in. As time goes on both begin to read as eerily similar, their lives intersecting too much. For every twist I saw coming, there was another I didn't expect. Jess Ryder feeds you tiny truths in every chapter, leaving the final explosion amidst a sea of tiny bombs. I speculated what the real truth could possibly be from the moment I sensed things were not right. Who really is the good sister? Is either really all that good? Who else knows something? Do they even know the truth? Everything I discovered left me surprised, but satisfied. The Good Sister is so good, because Jess Ryder gives you proof and answers for everything. There are no lose ends, the ending is firm in its conclusion, and the impact the book has on the reader is significant.

If you're look for a good psychological thriller, Jess Ryder has delivered with The Good Sister. Dramatic and unique, it's the kind of book you start and don't put down.