ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica Clarke does a great job narrating this book! I didn’t feel like any additional narrators were needed since all the main characters are female and I always knew who was speaking. The story has lots of twists that will keep you guessing until the last second of the book! I really liked the England countryside setting for the home and the camaraderie between the foster girls who rely on each other as sisters would. I would definitely recommend if you like mysteries and suspense, and don’t have too many triggers regarding psychological child abuse.

What a story! I love Sally Hepworth books and this one is so good. While the topics are a bit touchy the storyline and plot are real amazing. It was emotional and suspenseful and everything I would want in a thriller.
I think it depicted a true insight into the foster care system and you can tell that Ms. Hepworth did her research.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

Darling Girls

Wow I was so shocked by the ending. The whole story is a messed up but compelling story. I was so captivated by the girls stories of their childhood in Meadow Farms home. I loved the way we had both the present and past time lines as well as Amy’s mothers past together. It made the story go fast and left me wondering the whole time. Definitely wasn’t expecting the ending but loved that we got that last twist to it.

Anytime I am able to read a new Sally Hepworth book I always jump at the chance! This book was a lot harder for me to read, as the topic relates to child abuse and neglect, Overall, I thought it was a great book and very eye opening to learn she spoke with many foster children in order to try to accurately portray their upbringings. The book is about 3 sisters who have an undeniable bond after being forced to live with their narcissistic foster mother. The story follows the three sisters through present time as well as flashbacks to their childhood. The childhood chapters were hard to read and I can not say I necessarily "enjoyed them." The end of the book made me angry, but also had a good twist. Overall, I recommend the book but it also should be noted that there needs to be a trigger warning for anyone who may have suffered abuse or neglect as a child.

I read and listened to this book that I would describe as a literary mystery thriller although the publisher has categorized as women’s fiction.

This author has a true talent in weaving suspense and drama to create a narrative that is both emotional and riveting. The two timelines and multiple perspectives worked very well in this instance. I had no trouble keeping it all straight and bonding with the characters. I enjoyed learning about their histories and present-day challenges. But most of all, I thought the mystery was exceptionally executed. It had me on the edge of my seat towards the end.

The plot involves three women who grew up in foster care together at Wild Meadows Farm. When a body is discovered buried in the backyard of the home in which they lived, it brings them back together and is a reminder of all they went through. The three "sisters" take the opportunity to revisit the past while helping with the police investigation.

Thank you #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth has very quickly become one of my must-read authors. Her books are fast pa ed and gripping. Warning for child abuse in this one. But each chapter keeps you guessing, you will not want to put it down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔:
Woah. Sally Hepworth does it again with another gripping and shocking character driven story! What I really love about all of her books, is that the reader is truly left guessing right up until the very end. While there were aspects of this particular plot I was able to guess fairly early on (maybe because I’ve been on a psychological thriller/mystery kick lately), the main twist in the story I didn’t pick up on until near the ending of the book. To me, that’s a sign of a great story and a good author. Also, without giving away the veeeery ending - just woah. Of course that twist left me speechless!

When it comes to the actual plot points in this one, it needs to be pointed out that there are quite a few twisted and triggering things which happen to numerous of the characters in the book. While I was really captivated, and kept wanting to stay up way past my bed time to read more, I would definitely recommend others check out the content warnings before reading just to make sure this is the right book for them.

Now on to the characters - I found all of the main characters to be interesting in their own unique ways. They each had qualities which made me really like reading from their POVs, but they all also had moments which infuriated me and left me questioning them a little. Having these three strong women characters and the main POVs, made me more interested in the story line.

In the end, I really enjoyed reading this book and will continue to read more from the author in the future. Anyone who loves a twisted character drive book, will really love reading this one.

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆:
- 🔍 Decade long mysteries
- 👥 Character driven storyline
- 😲 Shocking plots

𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: Chianti - Ruffino Chianti🍷

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with both an audio ARC and a digital ARC, in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an electronic advance reader copy.

This novel delves into the lives of three foster girls: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, who reside under the care of Mrs. Fairchild at her residence, Wild Meadows. The narrative navigates between the past, showcasing the circumstances that led each girl to the home, their experiences while living there, and the present, where they are all informed about the discovery of human remains beneath the house, which was sold and subsequently demolished.

While the story begins at a measured pace, introducing multiple characters and establishing a solid foundation, once I grasped each character's narrative, I found myself captivated (and scared at times - ha!) The ending was a shock.

Another great read by Sally Hepworth!

This one just isnt the right book for me right now. I love Sally, but this one didn't land. Thank you so much for letting me try it!

There are two important reasons why Sally Hepworth's psychological thrillers are must-reads for me--there are always characters to root for (missing from many thrillers), and the plots are unique, well-designed, gripping, and often surprising.

In Darling Girls, the story of three unrelated "sisters" who endure the abuse of the same horrible foster mother, I found the childhood scenes, which are interspersed with scenes of their later lives, both disturbing and depressing. But Hepworth is such a skillful storyteller that I'm glad I kept reading. The diabolical foster mother is a memorable villain, challenging the reader to wonder--will she get her just desserts, will she even be alive at the end of the book, what reasons could she possibly have for her outrageous wickedness? The three sisters=of-the-heart, by contrast, all have their flaws and weaknesses, mostly brought on by their childhood trauma, but they are steadfastly supportive to each other, even when their lives have changed and a deadly mystery is discovered on the site where they spent their early days. Many of the secondary characters are also beautifully drawn, with details that make them stand out.

As the story progressed, my mouth dropped open several times as thrilling or horrifying twists were revealed in a convincing and meaningful way. There were also chapters devoted to one character's visits with a therapist, and the identity of that character was not divulged until late in the book, adding to the suspense.

In the end, I found the book uplifting and satisfying, evoking tears more than once, even as the protagonists rightfully suffered consequences for some of their adult behavior. I don't read a lot of thrillers, but I highly recommend Australian author Sally Hepworth's books.

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to write and provide an honest review of this book.

Sally Hepworth quickly became a favorite of mine when I read The Good Sister in 2021. What I love about Sally Hepworth’s book are the twists that I never see coming, how binge worthy they are & the shocking endings!

Darling Girls was no different! It kept me entertained and that ending truly shocked me 🤯 I truly enjoyed the characters in Darling Girls and loved the humor mixed in. Some parts felt a little slow and the pacing didn’t feel consistent, but overall I would recommend this one to Hepworth fans & think this one would be a fun vacation/summer/weekend read!

4⭐️

This was a difficult one for me to rate. Like all Sally Hepworth books it's well written, the characters are well developed, and the plot moves quickly. I liked the back and forth between past and present chapters and the intrigue of trying to figure out who the bones are as well as who the psychologist was interviewing. That being said, the topic of child abuse was very hard to read/listen to. I normally read all sorts of horrific things from murder to rape, but for some reason child abuse just hit me differently. And the twist at the end really left me disappointed. I know that not all evil people get their comeuppance, but I don't want that in my books, especially in a throwaway chapter at the end. It didn't have me shocked and was just a bad vibe to end the book on. I might recommend it to others but with a heavy HEAVY warning on child abuse being a major plot line.

The bond between foster sisters Jessica, Alicia, and Norah is the glue that holds them together to emotionally survive the terror they experience.
Darling Girls was super fast paced at the start and the premise hooks you! I was intrigued from the opening sequence. I did guess the direction it was headed in, but it didn’t take away from the suspense (or the other surprise twists and turns). You will become so invested because the best thing about this book is the character development- it is on point!!
There is some disturbing subject matter so make sure to check trigger warnings. That’s the only reason I wouldn’t go into this one blind. There is a reason this author is so popular. She writes stories that you can’t stop thinking about and characters that seem so real.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I’d suggest that you might want to talk about what happened at Wild Meadows. ”
Here are reasons to read the Thriller book:

Foster Care - Jessica, Norah and Alicia were Foster sisters, although not biologically who were raised at a house called wild meadows
Body Found - And now 20 years later, they get word that a body has been found buried by the house
Return - So they return to the home, to their memories of their foster mother, and become suspects in the case

Even though this book takes place in Australia, and the subject is very heavily grounded in the foster system, the things that happen in this book are not that far fetched. These girls have been thoroughly mistreated so if you are triggered by these things, you will need to check those warnings. There were some interesting twists here but I feel like they were overshadowed by what actually happened to these women through their life. To me it was perfectly fine and even a little uncomfortable.

Three women who grew up together in foster care find themselves under suspicion when a body is discovered underneath their old house and the truth comes out about their foster mother Miss Fairchild who wasn’t quite the idyllic parent everyone thought she was. It kept me entertained and had a good twist at the end, but pretty run of the mill as far as mystery/thrillers go.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this on audio and was very interested in where it was going. The change in POVs and the therapy session were so interesting. However, part way through I knew where the ending was going (even though it did go a bit off the rails).

Overall, a very enjoyable read. I've been loving reading all of Hepworth's books!

Huge thank sot NetGalley, St Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for advance copies in exchange for an honest review.

Darling girls follows three sisters, both in their childhoods with an abusive foster parent, and as adults when they are pulled back to their hometown to be questioned in a murder. There is definitely a lot of really tough content in this book - so trigger warnings for child abuse and the death of an infant.

This was interesting and had me totally hooked for the first half, then I kinda figured out where the story was going. The last chapter had a twist that felt disingenuous, but it at least made the story more intriguing…?

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publishers for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

★★★★★
Sally Hepworth writes some of my favorite books, and it only took reading one of them for her to become one of my auto-read authors. Her ability to create distinctive characters while blending humor into sensitive subject matter is remarkable.

I was thrilled to get my hands on advanced copies of both the audiobook and eBook versions of "Darling Girls." I find it more relaxing and easier to retain information when I follow the digital copy while listening to the audiobook.

This novel has a few surprising plot twists, but the ending makes it phenomenal. I thought my jaw might hit the floor when I read the final page! The story follows three young girls-Jessica, Norah, and Alicia-who form a close bond while under the care of a manipulative foster mother. Despite or because of their difficult childhood, that bond carries through to adulthood. We hear from each girl between dual timelines and unique therapy sessions with an unknown woman.

Sally Hepworth is a cunningly gifted thriller writer!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio/St. Martin’s Press for providing copies of this book through NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

#DarlingGirls #SallyHepworth #MacmillanAudio #SMPinfluencers #stmartinspress
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A solid 3.5 for me!
Although there are some big topics that may be triggering for some such as: child abuse, neglect, abuse of foster children and adoption but the big theme of this book is sisterhood. The three main characters have an unwavering bond that was built from despair and charged with their need to protect each other; from childhood to the present day. Each of the three girls are totally different in nature including their personal coping mechanisms. Their circumstances whoever different all placed them in the "care" of the same monster and together they helped each other survive. I feel what really shined in this book is the character development was spot on for me. The story flows beautifully between the past and present and it truly works with just enough backstory for everything to make sense. It was a definitely a quick easy read.

Thanks to NetGalley, St, Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for the chance to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review,

loved, loved this book. Received this as an arc and glad that I ready it recently. Always enjoy reading one of Sally Hepworth's books and this is a stunner!