'The Good Sister' is a interesting relatively fast paced psychological thriller which explores two lives colliding in the most spectacular way. Although confusing at times there is enough to keep you hooked. I especially loved all of the Viking facts that the author included at the start of each paragraph.

A superb thriller from Jess Ryder, just who is The Good Sister ? Josie and Valentina are thrown together when their father Jerry dies and they discover he was living a double life with 2 families. When Josie comes across Valentina whilst in Manchester at her dads house their lives become embroiled together and when Valentina moves to London to be nearer Josie events start to take a turn for the worst for Josie and Arun her boyfriend.As the story develops you start to wonder though who is actually the good sister ?? A great 5 star read that i read in 3 days which had plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very end.Highly recommended.

This was an interesting book. Lots of twists and intrigue. I never knew where it would take me next. I will definitely look for others by this author.

Having read and loved the author’s debut book ‘Lie to me’, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would want to read her second book The Good Sister and wow am I glad that I did.

The story plot and characters were very well written, and I really enjoyed getting to know each and every one of the characters especially the two sisters. There were times throughout the story when I liked one sister more than the other sister, but then again this did keep changing throughout.

This was a truly outstanding story, very cleverly done, I was gripped from start to finish and I literally couldn’t turn the pages fast enough for wanting to see what was going to happen next. There were so many twists and turns within the story that I think I spent majority of the book sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation.

So if you love psychological thrillers, then this book is definitely for you. I truly can’t recommend it enough.

Thank you to Netgallery, Bookotoure and Jess Ryder for the advanced copy of The Good Sister

This is the first of Jess Ryder's books we have read and it's no disappointment. The Good Sister has you hooked from chapter one and as the plot thickens, you can't put it down. I found myself reading it at every opportunity. I was definitely hooked from page 1 and couldn't stop turning the pages.

Josie doesn't know she has a sister until her father dies. Each brought up with different backgrounds and different personalities. Or are they different? It becomes very difficult to tell which sister is good and which is bad.

The story is told from both sisters viewpoint, it's difficult to tell which sister is which, the chapters are not named and this adds to the plot and story.

It's a story of relationships, lies, deceit and family love. It's based around "The deepest secret" which both sisters seek to unravel.

I didn't see the end coming. I didn't want this book to end. Great read and recommended. This will appear in our next book recommendation blog. recommendation

A real thriller with a twist could not put the book down a lot of turns and twists never could imagine the ending,something to make you think A must read keeps you in suspence all the time

Stories about sisters are definitely having a Moment in publishing right now. Good sisters, bad sisters, little sisters, big sisters, there are sisters all over the place; it's clearly a subject which strikes a chord with people, perhaps because the sisterly relationship is one so many women have experienced and can relate to, for good or for bad. (Not me, though. I haven't got a sister.)

Neither does Josie at the start of this book, not as far as she knows. Josie is twenty-four, stable, sensible - she has a responsible job, an affluent background, two loving parents, lives in a flat with boyfriend Arun. When her adored father Jerry, "The Viking", dies in an accident - losing control of his motorcycle on a country road in the middle of the night - Josie's world begins to unravel. She learns that her father had another family - another daughter, Valentina, of very similar age and appearance but very different in personality. Valentina is wild, unpredictable, a troubled troublemaker with a chaotic lifestyle. As the worlds of the two sisters collide, Josie's life too begins to spiral more and more out of control.

I found The Good Sister a very compelling read. Chapters are narrated by both Josie and Valentina - contrary to convention the chapter heading doesn't tell you which, and while it's usually obvious, this enables the author to effectively mislead the reader on occasion. There are plenty of twists and turns here and the eventual denouement is a surprise, though I did guess the identity of one character before it was revealed (the careful avoidance of certain pronouns is always a sign of authorial trickery!).

The late Jerry prided himself on his romanticised Viking heritage, regaling his daughters with stories, and snippets of Viking lore are woven through the narrative. This adds an unusual dimension, though ultimately I did sympathise with Valentina's final verdict on "all that Viking stuff".

There are some great descriptions here. The characters jump off the page and Valentina's chaotic life and living conditions are particularly well drawn.

A cleverly crafted and highly engaging read which I can thoroughly recommend.

Many thanks to Bookuture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Whoa boy! This novel is a deeply scary and chilling psychological thriller that made my nerves buzz with tension.
The Good Sister is a riveting story that draws you in and grabs you by the neck and holds you. Two half-sisters, unknown to each other, encounter each other when their father dies. They learn that they were born just days apart and that their father has led a double life, keeping each family a deep dark secret from one of the mothers. Josie is an even keel, stable woman with a steady job and long term boyfriend. Her mother was married to the father, Jerry. Valentina is a dark, unstable, undisciplined woman. She weaves a web around Josie destroying Josie's life with lies and with pulling her into uncharacteristic situations. Valentina's destruction wreaks havoc until the terrifying end.

Really enjoyed this thriller one of my favorite things about any thriller is when through the whole time your reading it you end up second guessing your own self as to what's going on. The dynamics of these to sisters makes for a awesome plotline and with a shocking ending I definitely recommend this thriller.

I loved her first book and loved this as much. Nice and fast paced the way I like it

My, oh my, oh my. I was not expecting this book at all. From the very start you get a feeling of the mystery which surrounds Jerry Macauliffe. He is receiving ominous, almost threatening text messages but it is not clear who from. And it is in trying to escape from this constant stream of messages which sets in motion a chain of events that will change his family’s life forever. Travelling to the home he used for work to clear out Jerry’s belongings and coming face to face with a sister she never knew existed, his daughter, Josie Macauliffe, is faced with an impossible decision. To confess her father’s infidelity to her mother, or keep new sister Valentina and Jerry’s other life a secret. Whichever her choice she is bound to lose, but the question is, by how much?
Starting each chapter with a short piece on Viking Legend, author Jess Ryder had me immediately intrigued. Jerry Macauliffe was proud of his Viking heritage, something he instilled in both of his daughters, his Viking warriors, and some of the facts which are imparted upon us do inform the story, but you will not know how and by how much until the end of the book. The clues are all there if you wish to anticipate the ending, but the joy of reading this story is in letting everything gradually unfold in front of you for this is a very twisted tale where nobody is quite who they appear to be.
I love the way in which Josie and Valentina, although very alike in looks, could not be more different in terms of character. Josie is giving and caring, and far too trusting. Valentina is an altogether darker character and it is always clear that her motives for seeking to build a relationship with her sister are less than pure. Jess Ryder takes her time in revealing these motives to us as readers, which made me uncertain just how far to trust Valentina. You were never quite sure of whether soem of what she was thinking was memory or just some kind of psychosis or mania. She was one of those kinds of characters, charming and yet manipulative. But was that due to nature, nurture, or something far worse? All I knew for sure was that she was not being entirely honest with anyone and she revelled in the deception.
And that is part of the beauty of this book as it is essentially a tale centred around secrets. Not just the secrets Josie keeps from her mother, or that Valentina keeps from Josie, but also those which are deeper rooted in their respective family’s histories. It kept me as a reader hyper alert, waiting for the next revelation. There is a gradually building tension throughout, and you are permanently poised, ready for Valentina to do something and yet still taken unawares by her actions. The chapters are short and well paced, and as they alternate between the two girls points of view, it takes time at first to work out which one of the two sisters you are with.
There are subtle differences between the two in their ‘voice’, as well as the differences in their circumstances, which make it clear at first. But not telling the reader at the start of each chapter which sister is which, is a very clever plot device used by the author. It means that as you read on, as they start to become closer and their lives start to align more and more, certain things occur where you are never quite sure whether it is Valentina or Josie who is talking. You think you know but you are kept just the wrong side of being absolutely certain. And as for the ending … Well it makes both a metaphorical and literal splash, that’s for sure.
I was thoroughly engaged by this book, invested in the fates of both Josie and Valentina and desperate to know how much of what I was being fed was true and how much make believe. To find that out you are going to have to read the book for yourself.

Gripping and twisty throughout, kept me gripped from the word go. An absolute must read!
Definitely one of the best books of it's genre that I have read this year, a well deserved 5 stars.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the chance to read and review this novel for 5171 Miles Book Blog!

Jess Ryder is a new author to me and yet I was excited to head into The Good Sister, her latest psychological thriller that follows the lives of sisters Josie and Valentina.
After her father's sudden death, Josie finds out that he led a double life that included a secret house, a secret family and even a secret sister - a sister with the same red hair and the same icy blue eyes. But that is where is the similarities end. Whereas Josie is sweet, reserved and jealous, Valentina is care-free, confident and dangerous. But there can only be one sister and another dark secret might destroy them both.

Josie and Valentina's father always believed in his Viking heritage: he was tall, broad, pale and had that stiking red hair. Although his character was only short-lived in the story, the Viking theme was carried on through the entire book. I really enjoyed the historical facts that were given about the Vikings in the beginning of every chapter. Each one of those facts not only broadened my knowledge on Vikings, they also refered to the happenings in each chapter.

The beginning of the novel was slightly confusing which made it difficult for me to get into the story. One of the reasons was the alternating POV between Josie and Valentina. The chapters didn't mention which sister I was reading about and I only found out which through the course of the chapter. Although it was difficult in the beginning, there was a reason behind Ryder's not mentioning the names, which only made sense after finishing the book.
Josie was the character that the reader would root for from the beginning, the one who should 'win'. Because she was the good sister, right? Valentina was the bad and dangerous illegitimate sister, the character you would want to 'lose' as a reader. Valentina played her part well, she was batshit insane and the sister you shouldn't believe one word from. Josie, however, was different. I was rooting for her in the beginning, because she was the victim after all. But after about 1/3 into the book, I only had annoyance left for her. Her father's death, his lies, but especially Valentina's appearance made her act careless and make dumb decisions. She put herself in the most stupid situations, which made me only shake my head and role my eyes. It seemed like there was a second Valentina at one point.

The blurb for the this thriller promised a "nail-bitingly tense and unputdownable read that will keep you turning pages into the night". Unfortunately, I didn't experience any of it. The story really dragged and made me look at the "xx hours left in this book" on my kindle more than I can count. Don't get me wrong, it's not that nothing happened. There was some crazy stuff going on but that was not enough excitement or suspense for me. However, in the last 10 chapters or so things finally started to get interesting: lies were revealed and secrets were uncovered, things I never would've thought of. Those shocking twists made me give the book 3 star rating after all.

Pre-order your copy now: Jess Ryder's new psychological thriller The Good Sister releases on August 16th!

This book was gripping and so full of twists and turns as you learn about the family.

Wonderful book and so twisted

The Good Sister by Jess Ryder is the ultimate, dysfunctional family, dirty little secrets kind of story. It was a bit shorter than my usual reading material, a mere 230 pages, but those 230 pages pack a punch.

It was straightforward, to the point, with little pussyfooting around. For a shorter novel, it had great character development, and I enjoyed the added touches with the Viking history.

As the title suggests, this story revolves around a pair of sisters, Josie and Valentina.

When Josie's beloved father dies, she very quickly discovers that he had a secret family. Josie is both disturbed and excited to learn that she had a half sister, Valentina.

They look strikingly similar, but that is pretty much the only thing they have in common. But Josie and Valentina couldn't be more polar opposite otherwise.

Although this is a quick read, it is still full of twists and turns. There are several "gasping" moments. And at one point, I had to go back and re-read the prologue and first chapter to look for clues I might have missed.

It is a little creepy how their lives mirrored each others from childhood. Their dad told them the same stories, called them both Viking princesses, and they even had the same necklaces. It sort of ties in with the mirrored images of the girls on the front cover.

I also enjoyed Josie's boyfriend Arun. Although he held a secret of his own (involving the sisters, of course), he loved Josie with all his heart and was such a good guy.

I teetered between four and five stars. It was such an enjoyable story, so the short length was a bit of a turn off for me. But then I reminded myself that not all good stories have to be long. Jess Ryder's The Good Sister was succinct and well told. Five stars it is.

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture, and Jess Ryder for an advanced copy of The Good Sister. My opinions are my own.

The book has a lot of twists and turns and you were uncertain where exactly the author was going to end up. For instance, was the main character a split personality...etc. However, I had a hard time understanding one point of view from another. The chapters would switch between characters and since both main characters were female it was very hard to comprehend which character was talking till you were half way through the chapter.
The other issue that I had was that the author never clarified if the father was killed, committed suicide, or it was just an accident, that part was not cleared up.
Overall, an ok book that needs some refinement.

The Good Sister, by Jess Ryder, gets an okay from me.

While I enjoyed the twists (and there are a couple of big ones), much of the book felt very Single White Female.

It’s such an overdone plotline that I simply couldn’t believe that our girl didn’t immediately see what was going on. In fact, points to the next author who borrows that plot line and has the main character actually reference the book/movie! (If you borrow it, own it!)

I sort of liked our girl, but she was way too naïve to be believed. Any normal human being would have put a stop to much of this early on.

But, remember those twists I mentioned? While they don’t exactly move it away from SWF territory, they do add some interesting aspects to it. In fact, one of them is one humdinger of a jaw dropping twist.

I admit there was one thing in the book that simply made no sense to me. In fact, it took me out of the book as I tried to wrap my head around it. I finally just gave up, went with it, and finished the book. However, you can tell it still lingers.

An entertaining read. Not groundbreaking or particularly original, but the author does manage to play with your head more than once!

I enjoyed the dynamics between the two sisters. I would have enjoyed hearing more about Valentina's background to try and understand what was driving her. I thought it was an interesting twist at the end and I would be interested to read further books by the author. Overall, they were able to create a good atmosphere and interesting characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers Bookouture for this advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. Also thanks to Kim Nash for organising and allowing me to be part of the Book Blog Tour for this great book!

Josie works as a legal counsellor. She has a nice life, a boyfriend, a nice flat and parents who love her. One day Josie’s father Jerry dies in a motorbike accident. It looks like no one else was involved, and there is talk that it may have been suicide. Josie doesn’t believe that her father would ever do this, there isn’t any reason for him to – loving family, good job – what would make him do something like that. Jerry worked near Manchester during the week and came home to Josie and her mother in London at the weekend. Josie feels that she needs to go and look around the house he stays in during the week, to see if there are any explanations as to what has happened. Her mother doesn’t want to do it, so Josie goes up to Manchester alone.

When she arrives at the house, she can’t believe her father would live somewhere like that. The house is very run down and looks unlived in. The keys that Josie has don’t fit into any of the locks so she breaks in through a window. After a quick search of the downstairs she doesn’t find anything that would suggest her dad was living there, until she goes upstairs. Upstairs she finds a woman who looks almost exactly like her, but almost completely different in personality. This is Valentina and she is also Jerry’s daughter, and Josie’s half-sister. They were born in the same week, same year, and same hospital.

Valentina doesn’t know her dad is dead, but to her Jerry was just someone who sorted her out and gave her money. Valentina’s life is completely different to Josie – disowned by her mother, she has no money and finds it hard to get a job. They are both completely stunned by the fact that their father was living a double life, but this affects Josie more. She decides to keep the news from her mother until she feels her mother is strong enough to cope with it. One day, Valentina turns up in London, wanting to know more about her sister. Josie’s life gets turned upside down with the arrival of her sister. What does her sister really want from her?

This story is told from the perspectives from both Josie and Valentina alternating between their stories. There are also a lot of references to Viking gods and warriors are Jerry believed he was descendent from them. The story begins with a bang when Jerry dies and you just know that Josie is going to uncover something from her visit to his house in Manchester. I didn’t really like any of the characters in the book, but not in a bad way – just because none of them seemed to have any redeeming qualities. Josie begins as a nice person – quiet and responsible. But as Valentina gets her black polished claws into her, we begin to see perhaps what the real Josie is like. Some parts I just want to shout at her to open her eyes and stop being so naïve, but unless we found ourselves in the situation with a long lost half-sister we wouldn’t know how far we would go to build a relationship with them. The only character I felt for was Josie’s boyfriend, Arun. He really tried his best to get Josie to see sense, which obviously fell on deaf ears.

I do think that some aspects of the story could have been explained better. Obviously I don’t want to include any spoilers, but some things just didn’t seem to get a full explanation as to what happened before or after, but it didn’t really detract from the enjoyment of the story. It was a seriously dark, creepy, twisty thriller. I didn’t guess the major twist at the end and really didn’t expect that at all!! I also liked the way the story began and ended with Jerry – that part of the story was explained perfectly!!

My first book by this author – definitely won’t be my last! Five Stars!

Oh a whopping 5 * from me.
I was really mesmerised with this story, enjoying unwrapping every layer of it. I turned the pages very quickly where my eyes were reading like an excited child. It really gripped me.

Josie lost her father to a motor cycle accident to all intense and purposes it looked exactly like that, straight forward until something was found later are the accident scene.
Did he commit suicide?
Did someone drive him to this?
Or were there other mitigating circumstances?

Josie's life wasn't too made, she had her mom, her dad and a good wealthy family background. But then her life was turned upside down

SECRETS
REVELATIONS

I'm revealing now secrets in saying that her father had another family and another child. A half sister, Valentina.

They could have been twins, only days apart when they were born from different mothers.
Josie didn't want for anything, but Valentina was brought up in a less favourable environment .
The difference between the sisters are quite immense, Josie is polite, reasonable, calm, responsible and has a great boyfriend who she hopes to marry someday soon.

Valentin is loud, curt, abrupt, she drinks, smokes, takes drugs, parties and has no money. No job.

Once these two meet up it take a huge leap for me. I could see how manipulative Valentina was, how horrid, but why was escaping me.
Is she after Josie for money?
Does she resent Josie?
Is it pure jealousy and did she know about her fathers secret before Josie learnt of it?
What was the depth of this story.
It was puzzling around my mind constant.

You really understand the emotions that Josie's mom was experiencing, she had lost her husband, what when she finds out about his 'other family'?
How will she react, what will she say, what will she do?
And.....what about Valentina's mother?

This had me up to early hours of the morning, so transfixed was I to this story that I heard the birds tweeting outside.

The ending had me gasping in awe. Truly a masterpiece.

I would like to thank Bookoutour via Net Galley for my copy.