I have yet to be disappointed by a Sally Hepworth book - I just love her writing style and Darling Girls did not disappoint! It was a heart wrenching, twisty and gripping domestic suspense that will keep you hooked from the beginning to the (shocking) end. I loved the characters and the multiple POV which kept the story interesting throughout. It was a bit of a slow burn but picked up at the end and left you with a jaw dropping twist in usual Sally Hepworth style! I fully enjoyed my time reading this book and would absolutely recommend picking up a copy!

Thank you so much to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for my early digital copy for my honest thoughts and review.

I've enjoyed the Sally Hepworth books I've read in the past, so was so excited to read her new one early! Darling Girls was a quick, unpredictable story that I read in a day because I had to know what happened. I liked the different points of view throughout the story and getting to know the three girls, though I thought it switched back and forth too often. I would have rated this higher if not for the last ~10%, which was a bit over the top, though the final twist got me! It looks like readers are pretty split on it, so I'm glad I'm not in the minority! Overall, I would recommend this book and can't wait to read whatever Sally Hepworth comes out with next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I’ve had fun with all the Sally Hepworth books I’ve read in the past, but Darling Girls never clicked for me. In the book’s defense, I’ve been sick while reading it, and that’s often a kiss of death for me in terms of connecting with a story. I’ll keep reading her in the future!

DARLING GIRLS by Sally Hepworth is the story of three girls trying to survive.
Jessica, Norah and Alicia are sisters, not by birth but by circumstance. Sent to a foster home run by the heartless Miss Fairchild, the girls survive with only each other for support. As adults they remain close, but emotionally scarred by the cruelty suffered at the hands of their foster mother. Then they are contacted by the police and told that the remains of a child have been found on the site of their former foster home. Told in alternating time times this story of childhood abuse and survival is a page turner until the end. #netgalley

This book was a huge page turner, a psychological mystery and suspense following three foster sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia. The women are contacted by detectives investigating remains found at Wild Meadows Farm where they lived in the 90s with Miss Fairchild, their foster mother. We hear recollections of abuse from each woman with alternating timeline chapters, showing their life at home and the mysterious event that finally saw them out of the home.

I was wholly invested in these characters, this played very well into my empathy and I literally couldn’t put it down. Showcasing very dark themes of child abuse, neglect, and subsequent trauma the girls were subjected to, now dealing with the aftermath in adulthood. I loved the contrast of the sisters, despite the odds they had each other, I liked each of their personalities and the journey they took to heal in the end.

It was a rollercoaster of emotions and I enjoyed it quite a bit despite the disturbing undertones. Darling Girls highlights the exploitation of the foster care system with strong female characters and twisty reveals.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the early copy to review.

3.5 Stars.

This definitely kept me guessing. When I thought I knew the twist-NOPE! Plot twist, again! There were some elements that I didn't think were necessary to the story.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book given the foster kids storyline but I was pleasantly surprised. Although there's obviously sadness throughout the book, I loved the support the sisters provided for each other and how they all were working through their issues. I'd love to read more about the sisters.

I am a HUGE Sally Hepworth fan - so I was beyond ecstatic when I receive an eARC of her newest book (expected release 4/23/24).

Let me just say this - I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN (check trigger warnings) and it’s my new favorite Hepworth hands down.

Darling Girls follows three adult sisters who had been in foster care as children. What they never suspected was that buried underneath the foster home was a dark secret- Human Remains. Jessica, Norah and Alicia are then contacted by the police about the remains, prompting memories to flood back, including the memories of the woman who “raised” them, Ms. Fairchild.

This is a twisty story with true Hepworth elements. If you’re looking for a great psychological thriller add this to your list ASAP!

Twisty, dark, and very satisfying. Sally Hepworth has written another great domestic thriller. Darling Girls flips in the past and present from the perspective of Norah, Jessica, and Alicia who lived together in an amazing estate with their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. All three foster sisters are kind of a hot mess now, Norah has anger issues, Jessica steals prescription pills from her home organization clients, and Alicia feels she is unworthy of love. As the book unfolds, we get a sense that Miss Fairchild may be the source of their emotional baggage. But suddenly they are summoned by detectives to go back to the town they lived in with Miss Fairchild, who sold the house years ago so a McDonald's could go in. But as the builders started to break ground the land, they discover a body of a baby was buried under the house.

Uh, yikes.

And the sisters are not surprised at all by the discovery.

I really enjoyed the pace of the book, and I had a feeling their was some unreliable narration and it paid off in a satisfying way. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC for my honest review.

Sally Hepworth is an auto read for me! This one didn't disappoint. A couldn't put it down. I was rooting for neurotic Jessica, sweet Alicia, and complex Norah and their story of foster care with the evil Miss Fairchild. I enjoyed the alternating narratives and the character development. This is great for those looking for a twisty thriller to read in a day.

TW: foster care, child abuse, death of a child, sexual violence

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

Despite it having multiple point of views, it wasn’t overwhelming, and each chapter was written in a quick way (the pace at least). Sally Hepworth really knows how to catch the audience attention in her writings. Just a trigger warning this book contains child abuse so if you are not comfortable with those this is just a heads up.

Darling Girls felt a bit darker than Sally Hepsworth’s previous work but despite that or maybe because of it, this might be my favorite one of hers! Despite a fairly heavy subject matter, there were still moments of lightness and I just couldn’t keep myself from turning the pages.

Three girls being raised by the same foster mother on a remote farm. Now adults, each one with her own issues, they must revisit the farm and their past because of secrets that refused to stay buried.

What an intriguing psychological tale Sally Hepsworth came up with. I was fully invested in both timelines and though Jessica, Norah and Alicia each had their (major traumatic) issues as adults, their relationship is what made this story so memorable for me. Norah and her dogs and all of her shenanigans could be an entire spin-off on their own. I wouldn’t be surprised if Darling Girls gets picked up for a show adaptation!

If you’re already a fan of Sally Hepsworth, make sure you grab this one! And if you’re looking for a messed up, twisted psychological suspense with fascinating characters, this one definitely fits the bill!

Grateful to @netgalley and @stmartinpress for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Dang! Oh my word! The twists! The turns! The big reveal! I. loved. every. second. of. this. one. There were alternating POVs. There were dual timelines. HIGHLY recommend! I don’t really have anything else to say besides you have to experience it for yourself.

Sally Hepworth’s ‘Darling Girls’ was fascinating and entertaining but slow.

I really liked each of the three main characters: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. They all ended up in Miss Fairchild’s foster home through unfortunate circumstances and survived horrors at her hands. One thing I especially appreciated was that we got a firsthand view of how trauma affected each of the girls differently. They each had their own individual struggles in addition to coming to terms with their time at Miss Fairchild’s and the recent discovery of bones underneath their former foster home. However, it didn’t feel like too much drama.

What did feel like too much was the numerous switches between POVs and the past and present. Jessica, Norah and Alicia each had both past- and present-tense chapters, and there were also chapters with a mysterious narrator. There were more past chapters than I thought were necessary. I understand that the author was trying to include numerous examples of how horrendous Miss Fairchild was, but at a certain point, it started to slow down the story. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the past chapters were told from only one characters POV or if there were just less POV switches overall.

Although I really liked the premise of this book and the characters, it just didn’t hit for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my review.

Darling girls was very interesting. It went back and forth through each of the girls stories by chapter. There was a big twist in the middle and at the end. I’m unsure how I feel about it. It was kind of confusing and unsure how it completely tied together. Until the last two chapters though I was sucked in and couldn’t stop reading.

I always look forward to a new Sally Hepworth book!!!This was a great thriller that I read very quickly! I am already looking forward to next year and the next Sally Hepworth book! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

First - thank you to @StMartinsPress and @Netgalley for this ARC! I read Block Party early last year so when I was given the opportunity to read Darling Girls I was excited!

I didn’t know anything about the book - so I will preface this with major triggers for child abuse, sexual assault, and child death. Especially the child abuse. Some of this was definitely difficult to read at times - my mama heart can’t take it. HOWEVER, I could not put this book down. I loved that the chapters were shorter so it was easy to breeze through and flipping between the Now and Then kept me engaged not wanting to stop. And the ending 🤯

I think this might be Sally Hepworth's best book yet. It was delightfully twisty in the best way. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were raised by Miss Fairchild as foster children. And right away the reader learns that Miss Fairchild may not have the best intentions as a foster parent. She kept the girls to task in completing chores, cleaning, and babysitting additional foster children that joined them. Their challenging teenage days with Miss Fairchild are interspersed with current day as they gather together when they learn a body was found in the house where they were raised.

I enjoyed the back and forth between the two different time periods as it helped to explain how the girls grew up and became adults. Interspersed in some of the current stories were visits to a psychiatrist. The reader is left guessing who is sharing their story with the psychiatrist and how that relates to the rest of the book. Sally Hepworth expertly dangles little clues throughout to keep the reader turning the pages and tying all the puzzle pieces together.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
Pub date: April 23, 2024

What a heart-wrench this book is! I know it’s billed as a mystery/thriller, and it was but it also really tugged at my momma heart.

Three young girls, each with a loss of family, are remanded to Wild Meadows in the care of Miss Fairchild. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia each have a terribly sad story and have ended up in the nefarious hands of Miss Fairchild whose moods sway with the wind and cruelty is more predictable. The three girls become sisters, forming a bond that can only be formed under the worst of situations. These girls endure much in their time at Wild Meadows and this is shown through a clever narrative of both past and present tense.

In the present, the girls are each with their own unique problems as a result of their childhoods yet still very close when they get notified that bones were found under Wild Meadows. They’re asked back to the town for questioning bringing up a whole host of issues the girls would rather forget.

A moving story with a thrilling conclusion, Darling Girls is a story that both thrilled and horrified me. Female friendships through thick and thin, mental health, and the well-being of children in the hands of monsters is at the forefront.

Chilling, heartbreaking, satisfying and unforgettable!

My thanks to @StMartinsPress for this gifted DRC.

Fantastic fast paced read. Three person point of view not in first person perspective , that I greatly enjoyed. Darling Girls kept me on my toes. I was constantly wondering what the girls are up to, almost as if I know them in real life. It was hard to put this book down. I was wanting more and more. it was beautifully wrapped up not leaving me asking questions. Emotional rollercoaster of sadness and anger. I loved the different personalities of each character. Thank you publisher and NetGalley for this exciting read!