This is the 5th book I've read from this author. I always take her books when offered as they are usually good. This was no exception.

The story centers around a foster home on a farm called "Wild Meadows" run by a Miss Fairchild. Three girls wind up living there and form an unbreakable bond, even while having different backgrounds and personalities. As time goes on it becomes evident that this foster home isn't exactly the protective refuge it was meant to be. The three foster children are now grown adults, and they all get calls to come for interviews at the police department. Some bones were found buried on the property formerly known as "Wild Meadows".

There are dueling time period chapters as the fosters tell their story. There are also interwoven chapters from an unknown woman going for psychiatric visits, slowly revealing her tortuous story. The story percolates along without boring moments, pulling along the reader as the story evolves to its poignant conclusion. This was an easy and quick read, a story that pulled me in by the heartstrings. *Warning: There are elements of physical, sexual, and mental child abuse.

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press for providing an advance readers copy via NetGalley.

Thank you to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for providing this for me to read.Don't count this book out. It may start off slow but it does pick up and you will want to keep reading.

Sally Hepworth does it again. What a twisted plot and cast of characters. It kept me thinking, do I have an unreliable narrator(s)? Can this really be happening? This thriller had me saying so many times, just one more chapter!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of Darling Girls.

I wasn't convinced this would be one I loved based on the blurb, but it was such a pleasant surprise! The depth of character development in the story made this an absolute home-run!

Jessica: Her type-A personality and anxious tendencies were a little TOO familiar 😬 she is definitely my soul sister.

Norah: She was absolutely hilarious and I loved ridiculously inappropriate antics.

Alicia: I loved her as soon as she was introduced. Her kind and relatable personality made her easy to root for.

I've enjoyed several of Sally Hepworth's books and this was definitely my favorite!

Jessica, Alicia,& Norah are sisters of circumstance instead of blood. All three girls ended up in the foster system for different reasons and over a few years ended up living with Ms Fairchild at her seemingly idyllic farm. They adopted each other and became the only family - any of them had. Ms Fairchild's beautiful farm hides secrets that the the girls find themselves dealing with as adults , years after they found a way to flee together.
This story rang true in so many ways , telling children's stories about dealing with their experience with foster care. Like most siblings , the girls grew up to be very different , one of them a social worker. The love between the sisters is compelling combined with a mystery from their childhood that sucks them back into their troubled youths.
Thanks to the author ,St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a suspenseful psychological thriller that dives into the bond created between 3 foster sisters - Jessica, Norah and Alicia. They were fostered by Miss Fairchild, who was definitely not the kindest woman out there. Through the flashback POV's, we see how Miss Fairchild abused the girls at a young age - it is sad and brutal. Now, present day, the 3 sisters are headed back to their old foster home where bones have been discovered.

While this is somewhat slow to play out, there are twists that build the suspense all the way until the end. A few of the twists are predictable, however, I didn't expect the last twist! Overall, a very satisfying read.

I always have really high expectations for Hepworth’s novels and while I liked some aspects this one, I had mixed thoughts on it overall. The mystery is more of a minor subplot than I expected, it’s more of a very slow burn character driven family drama. I predicted several aspects of the plot but some others were a surprise. I appreciated the moments of humor and the bond between the sisters. I loved the found family aspect, and also appreciated the authors note explaining her research for this story.

The pacing was very inconsistent and I found the story dragged at times, especially in the first half of the book. I’ve seen reviewers mention it was too much focus on the dark past but I disagree. The past chapters while definitely hard to read at times, were the ones that really held my interest. The present felt somewhat repetitive and I had a hard time focusing. The subplots for each sister’s current life were very meh and didn’t really have a major impact on the overall story. I did LOVE their bond as sisters and thought that was really well done throughout the book.

The final update chapters were too wrapped up in a nice neat bow for me and the final reveal was slightly OTT. It felt like it was done more for shock value and made some of the earlier plot not make sense.

This was unfortunately my least fav by the author but I’m still excited to read whatever she comes up with next. Thanks St Martins Press and NetGalley for the DRC.

Holy crap. This was a quick, easy read that kept me thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading it. I couldn’t wait to get home from work to finish it. The twist was predictable, but overall, I’d still recommend this to anyone!

Sally Hepworth is just a master at this! This book has everything! Murder and love as well as sicerets and family drama. It is a story many can relate to as basically 3 sisters had a very different childhood than the one that was actually reality. They soon find themselves intwined in a murder investiagtion and things get very tricky. This book kept me on my toes!

Wowwwww. This was fantastic. I read it in less than 24 hours. I was instantly hooked by the girls and story line. The ending was not completely unexpected but still wild. I loved the redemption the girls had at the end as well.

4.5 rounded to 5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martins for the arc!

Jessica, Norah and Alicia share a close bond as foster sisters who lived on a farm with a wicked foster mother named Miss Fairchild. When bones are discovered buried under the farmhouse of their childhood, they are summoned by authorities to tell what they might know.

The Good: The story! So interesting. It is also apparent the author put some actual time and research into the subject of foster children and the brutality many endure. I loved that many of the chapters were quite short and we got to experience different sisters points-of-view. I enjoyed the flashbacks.

The Bad: There was nothing I would outright label 'bad'. The pacing felt a bit off at times, but the story still kept me intrigued. While the twists were fairly easy to figure out beforehand.. I usually figured it out right before we were told which I don't necessarily find fault in and think was like intentional.

Overall, I have had this one on my shelf for a little while and am kicking myself a bit for taking so long to pick it up. However I did find the first half a bit slow, but still entertaining. It picks up towards the middle and was quite gripping but I found the epilogue a bit unsatisfying.

Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley for my honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
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Darling Girls is not your typical thriller. This was much deeper than that. This story really explored the trauma associated with child abuse and it really packed a punch.
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This is told in a dual timeline of the past, when our main characters were younger in the foster home and in the now, after a body has been found at the site of the old foster house. It’s also told in multi POV – through the eyes of the three main characters – Jessica, Norah and Alicia. I really felt like the dual timeline and the multiple POVs really gave me a great insight into each of the girls and what they lied through and how they became who they are in the present.
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Darling Girls is a bit of a slow burn, but you cant help but keep reading because you are completely captivated by this story and all of the abuse and trauma that is happening. Also, you are constantly asking – whose body was found?! In true Hepworth fashion the ending is quite shocking and it was not something that I ever saw coming. I’m not going to say that I loved the ending, just for the mere fact of what happens (once you read you will find out), but I will say that it makes absolute sense.
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I listened to this one via audiobook while reading the eARC and I will definitely say I loved having the eARC to help keep every timeline and character straight. Jessica Clark was the sole narrator for this one and I think that she did a phenomenal job at distinguishing each character, I feel like this would have been easier to follow if there were multiple narrators. Still a great listen.
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Darling Girls is filled with trigger warnings, and I think that the ending will cause a bit of an uproar. But it as overall a good read, just not as thrilling as past reads and not my favorite of hers. Now I know that I am going o be an outlier on this but that’s okay! Darling Girls releases on 4/23 – be sure to check the trigger warnings and check this one out! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth, Macmillan Audio and St. Martins Press for the ALC and eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth!
I really enjoyed reading this book about 3 “sisters” who all individually came to live with Holly Fairchild as foster kids. The plot goes back and forth between present and when the girls were young. They were not treated kindly by Holly Fairchild.
Twenty fives years later bones are discovered under where the house had been. The girls are all brought back to try to figure out whose they are.
There are many twist and turns in this book and I could not put it down.

Wow! I think I’ve found my new favorite Sally Hepworth novel. This book was so addicting. I enjoyed the multiple POVs as I tried to figure out the mystery of what was actually going on, and the end??? Just, wow… Don’t miss this one!

Thank you NetGalley, the Publishers, and Sally Hepworth for an ARC of Darling Girls! From the first chapter I was absolutely hooked. I went into this book blind because Sally has never disappointed and everything she writes is gold and this one right here proves to be true again. Fair warning, this book definitely has some child abuse trigger warnings, but then there are parts that just make your heart melt. I didn’t know I could feel so many emotions in one book. Darling Girls is about three girls - Jessica, Norah, and Alicia becoming sisters through tragedy. They were rescued from family tragedy and brought to a foster home with Miss Fairchild. They thought, and were told, they are very lucky for a second chance. But life wasn’t what it seemed like at Wild Meadows. Miss Fairchild was unpredictable and do not cross her. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia thought they could finally escape her, but they are brought back later in life when a body is discovered under Wild Meadows. Whose body is that and what happened?!

So much to say but I don't like to give spoilers.

The stories of sisters and their childhood as well as present is well written. The ending was def unexpected.

Sally Hepworth is becoming one of my favorite authors.

This is going to be the thriller of the summer. Grab this book, grab your sister, and dive in. Highly recommend! (TW: for child abuse and neglect)

4.25 stars; perfect mixture of thriller and mystery

Sally Hepworth introduces the reader to an incredibly intricate, dynamic cast of characters and tells the fast-paced, unpredictable story from multiple POVs and timelines. The storyline and experiences portrayed were well thought-out and researched; Hepworth actually took the time to interview numerous women who grew up in foster care in order to ground this novel, which I believe added a unique, genuine angle.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

4,5 rounded up!

This was a compelling read and listen. I was fortunate enough to receive a gifted ebook and audio copy of Darling Girls courtesy of NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio.

Wow! Honestly, I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. The last page left me a bit shook. I could predict a lot happening in this book but the last page literally left my jaw on the floor. Okay Sally Hepworth, you've got me hook, line and sinker. Hepworth has crossed over into my autobuy lane. I've read a few of her novels now and every time I do it's been a fantastic experience.

Darling girls was no exception. It was definitely a slower burn thriller with multiple POVs set in different timelines. I enjoyed it a lot. The overall story wrapped up perfectly. The audio book narrator was LOVELY. I adored listening to the audiobook. I felt like the pacing was fantastic and the accent made it even better. 10/10 would recommend picking this one up in April!

Absolutely loved this book! Told over then and now storylines with several different nattators. When I thought I knew… I didn’t. Fast paced and kept me thinking about the characters and storyline even when I wasn’t reading.