Sally Hepworth Books: Reading Order & Biography

If you’ve ever picked up a Sally Hepworth novel, you already know the pull: a quiet domestic setup that slowly tightens into something dark and unputdownable. But beyond the pages, there’s a writer with a fascinating story of her own — from an ADHD diagnosis she discovered later in life to a career that’s produced nine novels and a Goodreads Choice Award, and this guide pulls together everything you need to start reading her books with the right order, the key facts, and the context behind the author herself.

Novels published: 9 (as of 2024) ·
New York Times bestseller status: Yes (multiple titles) ·
Award won: 2021 Goodreads Choice Award for The Good Sister ·
Nationality: Australian ·
Residence: Melbourne, Australia

Nine novels, one pattern: each book stands alone, but together they trace a writer deepening her craft in domestic suspense.

What is Sally Hepworth’s most famous book?

Overview of The Good Sister

• Published in 2020, The Good Sister follows twin sisters Fern and Rose, one of whom is neurodivergent (Wikipedia).
• The novel won the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction (Wikipedia).
• It’s widely considered her breakout and most acclaimed title (Goodreads).

Other highly popular titles

• The Soulmate (2023) — a domestic thriller about a marriage tested by a neighbor’s death (Goodreads).
• Darling Girls (2024) — a story of three women bound by a shared childhood trauma.
• The Secrets of Midwives (2015) — her debut, often called her breakout in the market (BookBrowse, a book discovery site).

Critical reception and awards

• Beyond the Goodreads award, The Good Sister also won the 2021 Davitt Award for Adult Novel (Wikipedia).
• Her novels are consistently described as “darkly charming domestic suspense” in reviews.

The implication: The Good Sister isn’t just her most famous book — it’s the one that cemented her reputation for weaving neurodiversity into thriller plots.

In what order should I read Sally Hepworth books?

All novels in publication order

• Love Like the French (2014) — a self-published novella, often omitted from official lists.
• The Secrets of Midwives (2015)
• The Things We Keep (2016)
• The Mother’s Promise (2017)
• The Family Next Door (2018)
• The Mother-in-Law (2019)
• The Good Sister (2020)
• The Younger Wife (2022)
• The Soulmate (2023)
• Darling Girls (2024; released in Australia Sep 2023, North America Apr 2024 — Amazon Author Page)
• Mad Mabel (2025) — Wikipedia lists it as her latest.

Standalone nature of each book

• Every Sally Hepworth novel is a standalone story with separate characters and settings (Goodreads).
• No reading order is required; you can start anywhere without spoilers.
• Some minor connections exist in thematic elements (family secrets, domestic tension), but no plot links.

Recommended starting point

• Many readers recommend starting with The Good Sister for its award recognition and accessibility (Goodreads).
• Alternatively, debut The Secrets of Midwives offers a gentler introduction to her style.

The catch: because all books are standalone, there’s no built-in reason to read in order. But publication order does reveal how her voice matured from The Secrets of Midwives to Mad Mabel.

Steps: How to Start Reading Sally Hepworth Books

1. Choose your entry point — Pick The Good Sister (award winner) or The Secrets of Midwives (debut).
2. Check publication dates — If you want to read in order, start with Love Like the French (2014) or skip it and begin with The Secrets of Midwives (2015).
3. Select a format — All her books are available in print, ebook, and audiobook (Amazon Author Page).
4. Watch for regional release differences — Some titles release earlier in Australia than in North America (e.g., Darling Girls came out Sep 2023 in Australia vs. Apr 2024 in the US).
5. Join a reading group — Her books are popular in book club discussions; discussion guides are available on her Amazon Author Page.

The trade-off: reading chronologically gives you the full arc of her growth, but starting with the best known book delivers immediate satisfaction. Neither choice is wrong.

Does Sally Hepworth have ADHD?

Public disclosure and source

• In 2023, Sally Hepworth shared her ADHD diagnosis on the Mamamia podcast “The Moment Sally Hepworth Realised She Had ADHD” (Apple Podcasts show notes).
• She described how her daughter’s ADHD diagnosis prompted her to recognize similar traits in herself.
• No official medical statements are available from her website or Wikipedia.

Impact on her writing career

• In a 2021 interview with Bookreporter, Hepworth said neurodiversity is “part of my family’s everyday life” (YouTube / Bookreporter interview transcript).
• Her son is on the spectrum with sensory processing disorder, and her daughter has ADHD, both of which inform her characters (YouTube / Bookreporter interview transcript).
• The ADHD diagnosis helped her understand her creative process, she said in the same podcast.

Broader conversation about neurodiversity in authors

• Hepworth’s openness adds to the growing visibility of neurodivergent voices in publishing.
• Her novel The Good Sister features a protagonist on the autism spectrum, drawing from her personal experience.

What this means: Hepworth’s ADHD narrative is not just a biographical detail — it directly shapes the authenticity of her neurodiverse characters, giving her domestic suspense a grounded, empathetic edge.

Does Sally Hepworth have kids?

Family life

• Sally Hepworth has three children, as stated in her author bio (Amazon Author Page).
• She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her family and one dog (Amazon Author Page).

Children mentioned in interviews

• In the Bookreporter interview, she identified her son (on the spectrum) and daughter (with ADHD) (YouTube / Bookreporter interview transcript).
• The third child is mentioned in her Amazon author bio but not named publicly.

Balancing writing and motherhood

• Hepworth worked in event management and HR before becoming a full-time author (Fresh Fiction, a book review site).
• She has said that her experiences as a mother deeply influence her storytelling, particularly the family dynamics in her novels.

The pattern: motherhood is a recurring theme in her work, from the maternal bonds in The Secrets of Midwives to the fractured families in The Family Next Door.

What nationality is Sally Hepworth?

Born and raised in Australia

• Sally Hepworth is Australian, born and raised in Melbourne (Wikipedia).
• She lived in Singapore, the UK, and Canada before settling back in Melbourne (Fresh Fiction).

Australian literary scene

• Her novels are set in Australia, adding a distinct cultural flavor to the domestic suspense genre.
• She is a key figure in contemporary Australian fiction, with international reach — BookBrowse reports her books are translated into 20 languages.

International readership

• Her books are published worldwide in English and have been translated into 20 languages (BookBrowse).
• She is a New York Times bestselling author, with multiple titles hitting the list (Amazon Author Page).

Why this matters: her Australian identity is not just a biographical note — it shapes the settings, idioms, and cultural assumptions in her books, giving international readers a window into contemporary Australian life.

Quotes

“I write fiction for a living, I wear accidentally formed a…”

— Sally Hepworth, Amazon Author Page (Instagram bio truncation)

“The Good Sister was the 2020 novel that won the 2021 Davitt Award in the Adult Novel category.”

— Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“I didn’t need much research for The Good Sister because neurodiversity is part of my family’s everyday life.”

— Sally Hepworth, Bookreporter interview transcript (YouTube)

“The moment Sally Hepworth realised she had ADHD… her daughter’s ADHD diagnosis prompted Sally to recognize similar traits in herself.”

— Apple Podcasts show notes

Summary

Sally Hepworth is more than a bestselling author of nine standalone domestic thrillers — she’s a writer who turned her family’s neurodiversity into the beating heart of her most celebrated work. For the reader deciding where to start, the choice is clear: pick The Good Sister for the award-winning experience, or The Secrets of Midwives for the origin story. Either way, a darkly charming read awaits.

Related reading: **Arundhati Roy: Biography, Books, and Activism** · **Emma Thompson Biography: Children, ADHD, and Age Gap**

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