While the story was a little bit cheesy, the writing was compelling. It was a quick read for me. Interesting to read about the foster system in Australia from the perspective of three foster children who are now adults and are very close with each other and consider themselves sisters. I liked how each chapter was from a different character’s perspective and sometimes in the past when they were younger and sometimes in current times. I learned that sometimes you think you know someone but they don’t reveal everything to you. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Three foster sisters get the news that a body was found at the home where they grew up. What unfolds when they return back is an uncovering of traumas and secrets that non of the girls are ready for.

This was such a page turner! Told in alternating timelines, the story unfolds in a way that makes you never want to put it down. There were several twists throughout that were well done and I was fully surprised at each of them. Highly recommend, and I’ll be checking out some of this authors backlist as this is my first!


Due to the current boycott on St Martins Press publications, I will not be posting this review on either Goodreads or Instagram until the boycott is resolved.

This was an excellent book! Sally Hepworth never disappoints. I was really rooting for the main girls/women in this story. It is the kind of book that you find so hard to put down. Superb 5 star book!!

Sally Hepworth's new book Darling Girls has all the trademarks of a good thriller and it successfully weaves in a topical subplot of foster care thus resulting in a satisfying read for lovers of mysteries and lovers of topical fiction. The pacing and characters kept me engaged throughout.

Thanks to netGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Darling Girls in exchange for an honest review.

Not my favorite...

Darling Girls are foster girls that were under the care of Miss Fairchild. A single foster care giver who was manipulative in the worst kind. The girls have grown up and have the baggage of their earlier years. They have remained close but when they are contacted by detectives because a body was found buried, their anxiety levels rise.

The narration goes back and forth in time. Twenty five years have passed and will justice be served?

Sally Hepworth writing style is unique because she does have a twist and it came in the last scene. Giving nothing away. Not my favorite because of the disconnect...and to be honest, I am not sure why. But again, very talented writer full of surprises.

A special thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

it was an interesting story, not very surprising though. i felt like the ending was pretty obvious but it was a fun read

Well, Sally Hepworth has done it again. I was absolutely captivated by this one, reading most of it in one day. It’s bingeable. It’s heart wrenching, It’s twisty. And it has a final chapter that had my jaw ON THE FLOOR. Darling Girls shows off Hepworth’s masterful storytelling skills and her ability to weave a web that wasn’t untangled until the very end. I loved it.

Not only was there a plot that I was completely invested in, Hepworth built characters along that way in such a beautiful way. They felt real, raw, and relatable in a way that it was so easy to understand the decisions they made, both as children and as adults. Using all three POVs, over both past and present timelines, added so much depth to this story.

This is an excellent look on how trauma affects different people in different ways and forms unbreakable bonds by those who experience it together. This could be very triggering to some so please reach out or take a look into trigger warnings. But overall, this was a very well written, immersive read. After how much I loved this one and The Soulmate, I will be reading everything Hepworth puts out.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth – 4 Stars (Kindle, NetGalley)

Darling Girls is a very dark story of foster care, doing what it takes to survive, and reckoning with the aftermath years later. It’s told in a dual timeline – past and present – and the story really drew me in from the beginning. Sally Hepworth’s books are usually a slow burn for me, but I was invested! But like I said, it is very dark – please look up the content warnings before you read!

This is the fifth thriller by Sally Hepworth that I've read. In Darling Girls, she continues her tried and true formula for family thrillers. Three women, Norah, Jessica, and Alicia, are like sisters after surviving their foster care experience. They still carry the psychological scars as adults, and then need to revisit it all again when they get questioned about the events from 25-years ago. Their stories unfold in two timelines, slowly revealing what really happened back then.

This was a quick easy read for me with short chapters alternating among the three girls telling their story and their point of view as more information is revealed. I actually guessed what had happened before the end, but was still impressed with how the story unfolded. I will recommend it to those who enjoy domestic thrillers. This is a dark story which covers hard topics, so sensitive readers should do their research.

Thanks to #StMartinsPress for generously providing me the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I usually listen to Hepworth's books, I love the narrator they use and they are sooo bingeable. This is the first one I read and I still loved it! Hepworth writes page-turning family dramas. This one was twisty and so dark. It had more difficult themes (foster care, abuse of children, sexual abuse etc.) than her usual books but I like the darker side when it comes to books. It is told in multiple perspectives and alternating timelines which made for incredible character development and depth of the story.

I absolutely recommend this book and can't wait for it to come out and see what everyone else thinks! I will also absolutely be listening to this one on audio once it comes out.

This is dark and twisty without feeling too heavy, but may be difficult for some readers.

This suspenseful thriller alternates between past and present as secrets and past trauma are revealed. The first half began a little slow but once the second half and things began to be revealed I found myself captivated. The SHOCKING ending propelled this thriller as a must-read and made the slow pacing worth it.

I can say this twisty thriller left me surprised..

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia aren’t sisters by birth, but they became sisters by circumstance when they all stayed in the same foster home, Wild Meadows. Their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, seemed loving initially, but soon enough they found that Miss Fairchild was really a monster hiding behind a pretty mask. When a body is found under the foster home during excavation many years later, the three women must return to Wild Meadows to confront their demons.

Darling Girls is a dark, uncomfortable, skillfully written psychological suspense that grabbed me right away and kept my attention all the way through the shocking conclusion. The multiple-POV, dual timeline structure gives us the perspective of each of the women now and as children, as well as perspective of an unknown patient speaking with a psychiatrist. My heart broke over and over as the girls suffered at the hands of Miss Fairchild, and I rooted for them as women as they struggled with their shared trauma. Although most of the story is character driven, there are plenty of twists too, right up to the very end!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an advance copy of this book.

"Sisters" Jessica, Norah and Alicia. aren't sisters by blood but are bonded together in a sister sense. Raised as foster children by Miss Fairchild, they became unbreakable. When a new foster home ran by Miss Fairchild is being built, a body is discovered. Are the sisters suspects or witnesses? Darling Girls is so twisty and engaging! Told from four character's point of view, it can be easy to get lost if you aren't paying close attention. There are many subjects in Darling Girls that can be triggering so proceed with caution.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I say I’m obsessed with Sally Hepworth, I mean I’m OBSESSED. She has quickly become my new favorite author and I’ve flown through all of her books, each of them better than the last. Darling Girls does not disappoint and she continues her streak of making each book better. I loved the alternating narratives and points of view in this book. I was sucked in from the very first page and could not stop reading until the very last. I can normally guess the twist is Hepworth’s books, but it doesn’t take away any of the enjoyment, but this one I could not. There are several twists that you definitely do not see coming. Hepworth is the queen of making things just the perfect amount of dark, twisted, and disturbing without crossing the line and going too far. I absolutely love this about her writing style. Highly recommend and five outstanding stars for this book!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I could not have waited until summer to read this masterpiece!!

Darling Girls was a delightful fast-paced, and quick read. I finished this very quickly! I had to get to the ending. I was definitely not disappointed. A great option for fans of this genre.

Contemporary suspense — fast and fun!

Once upon a time, three little girls from difficult family situations came to live with a beautiful young princess at Wild Meadows, a country estate in a small town in Australia. Unfortunately, the princess was not a good foster mother, and her darling girls just could not please her. In fact, mummy was a monster.

Told in a shifting timeline between past and present, and with the narrative alternating points of view between Jessica, Alicia, and Norah, the story is engrossing and keeps you guessing. Each girl was affected differently by their time spent with Miss Fairchild. What was always obvious was how the trio had formed such strong bonds of sisterhood and continually looked out for one another long after their shared experience at the house.

I really liked the writing style and the way the characters told their truth. I enjoyed how the details were revealed and the way the secrets and lies were exposed. I both read the e-book ARC and listened to the audiobook version of this novel and highly recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader copies.

Sally Hepworth does it again!! I love her writing, this book will keep you guessing until the very end! I liked the perspectives of the sisters and the then and now time line. The book was paced well and kept me turning pages. Read this!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!
4.5 rounded up!

Sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia. Not sisters by blood, but sisters in every way that matters. As someone with four sisters, I can attest to the fact that there is an unbreakable bond. These three girls have that bond, a bond that was forged after being fostered in a home by a woman known as Miss Fairchild. They were only three of dozens of other fostered children, but as adults, some of the issues that led them to foster care, as well as living in a less than ideal foster home, has brought them even closer together.

New construction is taking place - in a very old place. It was Wild Meadows, the foster home run by Miss Fairchild. When a body is discovered, the girls are faced with a past none of them want to relive, but they are witnesses to whatever it was that happened that eventually led to that body being discovered. The question is: are they witnesses or or are they suspects in a death that was no doubt a murder?

Darling Girls is the fifth book I have read by Sally Hepworth, and as before, I was really pulled into the drama in this story. Secrets, lies and murders are the fiber of this story, but equally so are love and sisterhood. There is trauma. There is drama. And with four points of view the story moves at a fast pace, especially as it was excellently narrated by Jessica Clarke. I definitely loved her performance.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for an e-arc of this novel.

It is a psychological mystery all about a "found" family of sisters and a mystery from a foster home.

It kept me interested from page 1. I highly recommend this book if you like mystery/thrillers.

Publication date is 23 April 2024

I loved how Sally Hepworth switched not only between the sisters, but also switching to Then and Now timelines. Her writing has always been amazing. I was entertained from the very beginning and I didn’t want to put it down. I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars only because I caught on immediately and knew how it would end. Like I said, I was entertained still because Sally Hepworth’s stories are always insanely good! Not my favorite of hers, but definitely still loved this one. Thank you Sally Hepworth, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this digital copy!