This was a little heavier/darker than I was expecting. This story centers around three young girls who in all different ways have ended up in foster care at the same house. The book has multiple POVs and different timelines involving said three girls in this house with their foster mom. There are several triggers that I would recommend you looking into before reading this one.

Alicia, Norah and Jessica are sisters in every way that counts except biologically. They all had traumatic childhoods and found themselves in foster care at the same house with Miss Fairchild. hey only had each other for comfort. They never knew what they were going to get from their foster mom except to know that it was not going to be good. They endured a lot together. They knew Miss Fairchild was looking for something but did not know what it was. Everything changed when Amy showed up at the house. Little Amy who was maybe 2 years old and who they all found themselves getting attached to. Amy who Miss Fairchild was never mean to until she was. Amy who went disappeared after the girls finally went to their school counselor with how they were all being treated.

Fast forward to today, Alicia is a foster advocate. She helps place kids and checks in with them along their journey. Jessica has a successful organization business and is married but not so happily. Norah is still a troublemaker but has ways of getting out of said trouble. They all seem to have it together but alll have their trauma still following them around. Jessica has found herself "collecting" things from the homes where she works. Alicia is too scared to make a move on the woman she loves, and Norah doesn't know what true feelings really are let along how to deal with them. They are all living their lives until they get a call from the police where they grew up stating a body was found. Not only a body but a child's body. Now they are thrown back into the hell they all escaped from and are not sure what will be uncovered.

This is a story about relationships. These women had no one and then they had each other for life. They had a terrible role model and guardian for a while, but somehow they leaned on each other and made it out.

I had a hard time with the flow of this book. I didn't really know where it was going. I also had a hard time reading about the abuse these girls suffered at the hands of their foster mother. I liked the multiple POVs and hearing from Miss Fairchild herself even though we don't understand the context until the end of the book. I like the depth of the relationships among the main FMCs and the length that they would go to help each other.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Slow to start, but once it did it sucked me in and kept me wondering until the very last page.


Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary copy of this novel!

Jessica, Alicia, and Norah end up fostered as young girls with Miss Fairchild. But the longer they are there, the girls come to realize that Miss Fairchild isn’t the supposed loving foster mom they hope for. Miss Fairchild has rules that are meant to be followed. Miss Fairchild expects cleanliness. She expects obedience or else the girls face her wrath. Although, the three girls are not blood sisters, they are sisters to each other because of what they endured under Miss Fairchild. After they were able to get away from her, their past childhood trauma still haunts them today into adulthood. So now, over two decades later, they each receive a call that a body has been found under the house where they were fostered. They must return and face their past.

This novel is a psychological thriller mystery that will keep you turning the pages until the end!!! The novel alternates between the girl’s past and their present to slowly reveal the events that unfolded. This is Sally Hepworth’s newest novel and definitely not one to miss!!! And the ending will have a twist you won’t see coming!!! AVAILABLE April 23, 2024

WOW!! I was hooked on this book from the first page and was unable to put it down. I felt myself trying to guess who done it the whole time and had it wrong the whole time. The last chapter left me speechless. I enjoyed all of the character POV's and how it shifted from current to past. This was a unique thriller and got me out of reading slump

This binge worthy thriller is just what I needed! Three foster “sisters” (Jessica, Norah and Alicia) find themselves at Wild Meadows under the care of Miss Fairchild. On the outside, Miss Fairchild, appears to be a good foster mother but that can’t be farther from the truth. Fast forward and the foster “sisters” are now living their adult lives when they receive a call from a detective telling them a body has been found under the house at Wild Meadows. Now they must return to their roots to face their dark past!

I enjoyed the multiple point of views and the dual timeline. This domestic thriller is dark with multiple twists. The final twist did me in! I’m always a fan of Hepworth’s books but this one is officially my favorite. This book will be published on April 23rd so be sure to add it to your spring reading list. You won’t be able to put it down!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A complex an intriguing mystery that will keep you in suspense until the end. The subject matter is a bit difficult to get through, dealing with foster children and abuse, but it is a mystery story with an important message. While not a page turning thriller this is a great drama with multiple mysteries woven in. The characters are also complex and well written, with no one being the "hero", but the protagonists all coming with their own flaws.

I'm a big fan of Sally Hepworth, and though I enjoyed Darling Girls, it's definitely not my favorite of her books. This story of three girls in foster care (and their lives as women) is compelling in its depiction of the possible horrors of that system, and I loved the way the personalities and motivations of each of the three sisters were developed. I thought the actual "mystery" of the plot was a bit less successful, and I especially did not like the chapters in the psychologist's office as they were a bit awkwardly written and were a bit disjointed from the rest of the novel. That said, the atmosphere was taut (as is the case in other Hepworth novels) and I'm glad I read it. And one small note - the cover really doesn't work for me given the direction of the books!

Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors because her books just never disappoint! So many twists and turns that I felt like I had whiplash. It was a quick read that fans of Sally and thriller lovers in general will love!

Jessica Lovat, Nora Anderson, and Alicia Connelly had once lived at the Wild Meadows Foster Home under the care of Miss Fairchild. Detective Ashleigh Patel contacts each of the girls to ask for help with her investigation regarding the human remains found during the demolition/excavation of Wild Meadows. Whose bones are they? What do Miss Fairchild’s girls know?

Sally Hepworth constructs a delicious thriller. She is able to move the reader easily from the present to the past so the reader gets a true understanding of the girls’ day-to-day lives at a foster home. Before I know it, I’m well into this thriller and read on with anticipation of what is to come. I also like the first-person retelling of visits with the psychiatrist interspersed throughout the book. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of DARLING GIRLS.

The latest book by Sally Hepworth was on par with other books I've read by her, enjoyable and worth reading when you have time. Each sister had their own story to tell, their own trauma's to work through and their own complicated feelings with a present day Miss Hannigan. The first "OMG" moment of the book was when I first guessed who might be meeting with Dr. Warren. Once you figure that out, the book takes on a whole different pace and makes you stop and rethink what you've read so far. The big twist at the end, will leave your jaw hanging open and realizing the level of deviousness that can live in a person and sometimes we never know the true depth of evil.
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Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This story kept me on my toes the entire time. I could tell that Ms. Fairchild had something wrong with her, but did not expect her to be as fully insane as she was. As an adopted child, it breaks my heart that foster kids really do live in situations like this and much worse so in some ways, this was hard to read. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia formed a bond that no one can replicate with the situations they went through together. This twist at the end was not something I expected and the way Ms. Fairchild played the entire legal system blew my mind. This is one story that you will not want to miss.

Sally Hepworth forever reminding me while I love her. I devoured every page of this book from start to finish as usual with her books.

I’ll admit, her last book had a bit of a slow start and finished strong, but this one.. wow. Right from the start I was invested. The multiple POVs told a different side to the story and even though it switched timelines, the story was effortless. Each of the three sisters kept you invested and guessing what their role was to the main plot. The characters were so well developed you almost felt you knew them by the end of the book. It made the story that much easier to follow excitedly.

The twist you’re expecting.. is probably right, but also you’re wrong. I know that doesn’t make sense, but the ending will leave your jaw dropped. A must read for all thriller fans.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

I was very excited for this new Sally Hepworth thriller. While I found the first half to be a bit slow, the second half really sucked me in and I was eager to see how the story played out. While I figured out most of the plot ahead of the actual twists, I would still recommend this one to any fans of Hepworth’s work!

Fast-paced, mysterious, and a little bit disturbing "Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth has everything I want in a thriller.

The story is about three foster sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. They were raised by a woman named Mrs. Fairchild. To the outside world, Mrs. Fairchild looks like a loving mother, raising foster children out of the goodness of her heart on an idyllic estate. But the picture-perfect life perceived by others may be the farthest thing from the truth.
Decades later, a body is found under Mrs. Fairchild's home, the home where Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were raised. The three sisters are called in as witnesses, or maybe suspects?

Sally Hepworth has a way of keeping a story moving. The writing is fast-paced and catchy. I love how each chapter is short, but I find myself wanting more after each one ends. It definitely kept me on my toes until the end. And just when I started to think the book could use more twists, the story truly delivered.

However, I did find the book to be disturbing at times. That is expected considering the genre, but there is a lot of child abuse in it, which is hard for me to stomach. It also highlights some of the trauma that foster children go through which is heartbreaking.

While it was often disturbing, the story conveys the deep bond between the three foster sisters, which I found very touching. It helped balance out the heaviness in a successful way.

Overall, I thought this book was excellent with fantastic storytelling and writing that kept me hooked from the first page. If you don't think you can get past the disturbing topics then it might not be for you, but I recommend giving it a try!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book by this author! She does not disappoint!

Darling Girls tells the story of 3 girls, "sisters", that grew up in the foster care of Miss Fairchild. Everyone thinks they had this amazing, idyllic childhood, but there are secrets. Secrets that cannot be afforded to be revealed.

Miss Fairchild is not the motherly figure that everyone thinks that she is.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been able to get away from Miss Fairchild and live (semi) normal lives. As adults, their world is shattered as a body is found under the home they grew up in.

As the story unfolds, you learn of the secrets that were not supposed to be revealed.

Throughout the story there are interview excerpts with a psychologist - I thought I had it figured out who was the patient...but I was wrong.

Suspenseful and a great read! you won't be disappointed!

I love Sally Hepworth as an author and Darling Girls didn't disappoint!

This is told from multiple points of views and I love that format in a book. Alicia, Jessica and Norah are sisters (not bio related) who grew up in foster care together. Through their horrific upbringing they bond for life and are now adults who've been out of their foster home for 25 years. A gruesome discovery underneath their old foster home brings them back to the small town they grew up in and takes them back to the past. There's also a dual timeline where the present and past are both told to give a picture of what happened.

I don't want to give too much away but this was full of twists and completely pulled me in. I read this in two days and couldn't put Darling Girls down! I loved the three main characters and the supporting side characters. There was a good mix of past and present with some present day side plots thrown in to keep things interesting. I found the book flowed well and I was invested in the character's story. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who likes a twisty thriller that isn't too over the top. I'm a big Sally Hepworth fan and would continue to read any new books that she publishes.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is my third Sally Hepworth book and has trumped the list to my favorite of hers yet. While I enjoyed and devoured this the whole way through, the very last chapter bumped this up from four stars to five!

This story, at its heart is about three non-biological “sisters” who were raised together by foster Mom Holly Fairchild at their home called Wild Meadows. In present day, the sisters, in their 30s, find out that a bunch of bones were found underneath Wild Meadows when they were demolishing the property. The story flashes back and forth between the present day girls revisiting Wild Meadows and their hometown for the first time in 25 years to see what’s going on as well as chapters from their past as they recount the horrors they endured as adolescents.

While the thriller aspect of this was twisty and dark (which I love), I think I loved even more seeing life through the eyes of children in foster care. The three girls, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia all were so different and ended up in their situation for vastly different reasons, yet the author did such a great job at make them so fleshed out and real. It was amazing to see and understand that who they were as adults were direct reflections of what they dealt with as children individually.

This book doesn’t come out until next month but I absolutely recommend adding it to your TBR and reading it as soon as you can get your hands on it. This is one you won’t want to miss.

Sally Hepworth does it again with Darling Girls. This is a gripping story about the bonds of foster children and how appearances can be deceiving. Five stars!!!

Darling Girls is Hepworth at her best. Every element of this book hit. I grew to care about these characters and I was really rooting for them. I was shocked by the ending and this has taken the place as the #1 book of hers for me.

You can always count on Sally Hepworth to put an interesting twist in a family story. This book centers on the past and present lives of three foster sisters. They were raised in an idyllic setting, but their lives were far from happy. As adults, they are called back to their hometown. An investigation is underway to identify buried bones found under their childhood home. This is a great twisty thriller, but it also has heart. I kept turning pages and could not predict the ending.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the ARC of this book.