The story starts with Jerry Macauliffe receiving threatening messages on his mobile and so heads out on his motorbike to try and clear his head and has an accident and dies. Jerry is a university lecturer and has been working in Manchester while his family stayed in London and so when his daughter Josie goes to clear out his house in Manchester she gets the shock of her life.......there is another girl living there who is the spitting image of her!

Valentina has always thought it strange that her father disappeared so much for work......but now it has all become clear so what should she do about this sister who has everything that should have been hers in life!

A great story with Josie clearly being the good sister, unsure whether she should tell her mother or not as it might cause too much hurt and Valentina with her sinister motives, but who was sending the text messages to Jerry and why is Valentina now getting them? With so many twists and turns it is definitely a page turner that is well worth reading

There are enough twists and turns in The Good Sister to hold your interest from start to finish! Jess Ryder was a new author for me, so I was looking forward to seeing just where she would take the story. I really enjoyed it. The fast pace moved the story along quickly and kept you guessing.

This is a tale with so many twists my head spun. It is brilliantly written and with such an amazing plot line it is one to read and recommend.

When Josie's father dies she doesn't think she could possibly feel any more devastated. But then she finds out he had a secret life away from her and his wife, a life complete with another daughter, her half sister Valentina.

To look at Josie and Valentina could be twins but the similarities are only skin deep. Josie is hard working, settled with Arun her partner, a sweet and reserved girl. Valentina is wild and fun but also manipulative and dangerous. Valentina begins to install herself in every aspect of Josie's life, leading her straight laced sister into a darker world. But as Josie's life begins to unravel and she learns just how many people have lied to her she begins to wonder who she can trust and who she should fear.

This book is just a mind bogglingly enjoyable read. It's got it all, lies and secrets, families so dysfunctional Jeremy Kyle wouldn't touch them, affairs, double crosses and triple crosses that would make Cersei Lanister applaud. It's told from the point of view of both sisters but cunningly it doesn't always tell you who's point of view you are reading. I have to be honest I thought this was some sort of oversight at first but quickly realised it's an excellent plot device to add further confusion. A tricksy move on the authors part but it works really well and added to the enjoyment of the read. I really liked Jess Ryders debut Lie To Me (a good dozen of my friends and colleagues have read this on my recommendation and it's been all good feedback so far) so was really looking forward to this but I have to say it exceeded my expectations. I can't wait for her next book.

I received this from Netgalley and Bookouture for an unbiased review.

Brilliant! So much so I read it in one sitting. I tried to put it down three times during the night but inevitably picked it back up and didn't stop until it had finished! Needless to say I was exhausted the next day but it was worth it!

The story is told in the POVs of the two sisters however the chapters are not labelled and it was quite confusing trying to figure out which sister was narrating in some chapters. Normally this would annoy me but in this case it added some mystery which I enjoyed.

The depth & length of some of the Viking descriptions bored me slightly but I just skipped over some of it to get to the good parts!

For me this was a vast improvement on her debut novel Lie To Me for which I only gave 3 stars (sorry!) but I am looking forward to her next book

Thanks to Bookouture for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW WOW WOW! I loved this book. It was well written, fast paced and got my heart racing. I was second guessing myself the whole way through - was I right about the characters? Who was good and who was bad? Is it all as it seems? Fabulous twists and turns the whole way - I stayed up late just to get to the end. Thank you for the chance to read and review - one of my favourite books of the year so far!

Josie learns of her dad’s death in a motorbike accident where she finds a mysterious. Soon after she discovers that her dad led a double life and she has a half-sister Valentina , who could be passed off as her identical twin and was born just a few days apart. Where Josie is calm, collected and leads a stable life, Valentina leads a troubled life involving drugs , booze and no job . Valentina turns up at Josie’s workplace and insists on building a relationship with her sister. Is Valentina just trying to know her sister better or does she have an ulterior motive in following her sister?

The book is narrated in alternating chapters with both sisters POVs and a lot of reference to Viking gods and their lifestyles. There were a lot of twists and turns with a surprise ending that I did not expect. Even though I felt something’s were left unexplained in the book it still was a very interesting read and I will look forward to read more by this author.

Many thanks to Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

This review is written with thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy of The Good Sister.
When Josie's father, Jerry, dies in an accident, she is understandably devastated. But while sorting through his things, Josie discovers that her father was living a double life: spending his weekdays with another woman, and her half sister, Valentina. Josie and Valentina were born days apart, and the resemblance between them is so striking, they could easily be mistaken for twins. However, their personalities couldn't be more different. As Josie gets to know more about her half sister, she finds herself dragged into a web of lies and secrets. What are her family hiding from her?
Jerry's specialist subject was the Vikings, and he passed his enthusiasm to his daughters. Each chapter of The Good Sister begins with a fact about the Vikings, that is usually pertinent to the events in the chapter that follows. These facts were clearly well researched, and I enjoyed learning about the Vikings in this way, as I felt they added an extra layer to the novel.
The majority of The Good Sister is written in first person, alternating in perspective between Josie and Valentina. This gives Ryder the opportunity to demonstrate their contrasting personalities, so that the reader can learn more about the characters. In some ways, I found this very effective, although at the beginning of some chapters, it was difficult for me to be sure who was narrating. My natural instinct was to sympathise with Josie, the "good" sister, but Ryder's references to Valentina's mental health issues does make the issue a little less black and white. Valentina's diagnosis is not explicitly stated, and I would have liked this to have been explored in more detail.
The Good Sister is a thrilling rollercoaster ride, and as the plot gathered pace, I found it difficult to stop reading! There are so many secrets and lies, not just from the sisters, but from all the supporting characters too, and I frequently had to question which parts of the novel were true, which made it particularly gripping. There are several twists and turns along the way, particularly towards the end, and I could not swipe my Kindle fast enough to discover what was happening.

A unique story, unfortunately the writing did not live up to the plot. I ended up abandoning it half way through,

The story begins with the death of Josie’s father. Soon afterwards, Josie discovers that her father had a secret family and she has a sister. The two ladies look very alike. However, they lead very different lives. Valentina is on the wild side with her all black outfits and love for the party life. She is jobless and basically surviving on handouts from friends and family. On the other hand, Josie comes from a good, stable family. She lives with her boyfriend Arun, has a great relationship with her parents and has a good job. How different can two sisters be?

This book is so full of twists. Everyone had a secret. And just when you think that the revelations have ended, a new secret comes up. I was knocked off my feet/seat a couple of times and kept screaming, ‘Whaaat!’ at each reveal. The twists were that good. Other times, I was just screaming at the characters. It was frustrating how trusting one of the sisters was. One of the characters just annoyed me with her crazy antics. Yes, I was that emotionally invested in the narrative.

The story is told through alternating chapters narrated by Valentina and Josie. Each chapter starts with a Viking fact which I really enjoyed. Some of the facts set the pace/tone for the chapters and hence heightened the excitement of getting into each one. The chapters are not labeled using narrator names so you have to read-on to find out who the narrator is. Towards the end, chapter narrators remains a mystery until later on. I had my suspicions about the narrators but I still enjoyed the reveals.

This book is brilliant and Jess Ryder created a masterpiece psychological thriller. I loved everything about it, the mystery, writing, twisted characters and all the secrets. The final scene was epic. Seriously, it was! If you haven’t read any books by Jess Ryder, you really should. She does seem to like the themes of lies, secrets and deceit which she tackles masterfully. Okay, just read this book.

Another book of dysfunctional families! I'm on a roll--lol!! After Josie's father dies unexpectantly, some secrets come out. One of them being a sister that Josie knew nothing about. (This happens very early on so not really a spoiler) As the two of them realize that they're sisters, they get to know each other. Of course, Josie realizes that she might not have known much about her father after all. Only she wants to explore what really happened with him. Valentina makes her way more into Josie's life, whether she likes it or not. One is good, the other.....well, not so much. As always, one sister had a better life than the other. And one of them just isn't too happy about it. A lot happens between the sisters. I did like some things that happened but I felt that one girl cannot be that naive but I guess you never know. I also, enjoyed the Viking facts/lore at the beginning of each chapter--very interesting. This is my 2nd book by Jess Ryder and she's got a lot of potential, so definitely will look out for her next book.

**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had some conflicting emotions after finishing this book. There were parts of it that I loved, particularly the surprises revealed at the end, and then some parts that I thought were a little bleak and depressing. I do realise the tone of this book is not upbeat and happy, but there were times when I found myself shaking my head wondering if all of the characters had to be so depressing.

I liked some of the characters enough to care about what was happening in the story, so that helped me push on and read until the end even during the parts I didn't find as appealing. I really think the premise of this story was excellent and the writing was top notch, there were just some portions of the book that didn't agree with me.

If you like reading mysteries that never quite go the way you expect for them to, then this book is one that you will most likely enjoy. I have to say, the ending was such a surprise, I couldn't have guessed what was going to happen.

Give it a try--it will probably keep you up at night.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I received an advanced copy of The Good Sister from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review....

Josie and Valentina grew up in very different homes. But they shared much more than either could ever have imagined. Like their revering for their father. In their eyes, he was a free spirited viking hero. Each child had father/daughter relationship that seemed irreplaceable and impossible to replicate. Yet, they slowly learn through their father's death just how little they truly knew about their hero or of one another. The lies unfold and slowly so do their lives after the unexpected departure of their beloved father.

This was an addicting read. From the start, it just unfolds in such a way that leaves you not wanting more, but actually needing more. On the day I finished the book, I had around one hundred pages to finish. The night before, I slept like trash and it was a long Monday at work followed by a birthday celebration. Moral of the story, it was a long, tiring day, yet I stayed up until the sucker was done. No regrets. Time and sleep weren't even an object or thought, just the need to see how it ends. As well, I was pleasantly surprised by the big revelations int his novel. The entire story, I thought I had known exactly what was happening and who had done what, yet the twists weren't as predictable as I anticipated. Another bonus to a delightfully entertaining tale.

One thing that I must talk about with The Good Sister was Ryder's ability to evoke quite a bit of emotion out of me. She had me slamming my nook into my knee, WTFing out loud to my dog in pure frustration. Many a times while reading, I just screamed at certain characters for one reason or another. She had me in a tizzy quite a few times over the happenings. And for this, I am offering a great deal of praise because I absolutely believe this was done intentionally by the author. She captured the reactions of the situation in a realistically frustrating manner. While I was undeniably pissed at points, I know that this was the intent. Very nicely done, Ryder!

Lastly, I found the Viking history tid bits at the beginning of each chapter rather unique and original. Ryder's facts were often related or associated with the happenings of the chapter in some minor way which brought a little something extra to the story.

All in all, it was a really good and fun read. Be prepared to be ticked, but in a delightfully, enjoyable way.

Wow I really enjoyed this book! I've been burnt out on the so called "psychological thrillers" or basically any book that compares to "Girl on the Train" but I couldn't put this one down. It was a fairly short read but it kept my attention. The chapters are quick and alternate between the viewpoints of each sister, but they are not labeled. This confused me at first, then I realized that it was meant that way; it was part of the mystery. Each narrator was revealed in the chapter but it was neat how the author did this - I was also frustrated at time, but I do like how it turned out. Since this book was shorter than most, I was worried that my questions would not be answered, or they would be rushed, but I think the story played out well. I really did enjoy reading this and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a thriller/mystery. Thank you NetGalley for providing me this read!

A brilliant read. I loved the story told by both sisters. Cleverly written that at times you need to figure out which sister is speaking. Lots of twists that I did not see coming. I thought I knew where this was going but I was so wrong. Excellent, satisfying ending.

I really enjoyed 'The good sister'.which is an ideal holiday read. Throughout there are little twists and turns and you are never sure who is the good sister! A brilliant twist at the end

So so hard to write a review of this one without spoilers! Ryder has used alternating voices of two sisters- Josie and Valentina- to tell her tale of secrets and lies. Each is unique. For want of a better description, one is good and one is bad - but which is which? I read a lot of thrillers so it takes a good writer to keep me guessing and Ryder did it. I put this down in the evening because I wanted to read the end when I was fully awake to appreciate it and I am glad I did. I liked the info about Vikings and about Dupuytren's which oddly enough runs in both my mother's and husband's families. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try this one for an honestly good read.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Josie and Valentina are half sisters who only learn about each other after the death of their father. He has been living two lives, one with each of the girls and their mothers. He dies whilst riding his motorbike after receiving texts threatening to expose his secrets, but which ones. He is a charismatic man and has filled the girls lives with tales of his Viking heritage. At the beginning of each chapter a Viking fact is revealed. I loved the details of these although at first didn't understand the reasoning behind them. As you delve deeper into the book they make more sense.

Josie is the quiet sister, has a good job and lives with her first boyfriend. She is a little distant from her mother but adored her father.

Valentina is the wild unpredictable sister, dressed all in black, drinking, drug taking and has a volatile relationship with her mother but also adored her father.

As these two meet and their lives become entwined Josie is influenced by Valentina's unpredictability with disastrous and devastating consequences.

I read Jess Ryder's first novel and thought it was just ok but this book dazzled me. I thought I had it all worked out but I was totally wrong. There are many twists and unforeseen turns and the characters were all well developed. As someone who has witnessed the devastation caused by a brother in law who had two separate families it was very realistic and totally believable. I loved this book

Wow! What a terrific psychological thriller. I was pulled immediately into the plot and it's many twists and turns. I could not put this book down. You do not want to miss this one.