Thank you for the ARC #NetGalley #SallyHepworth #MacmillamPublishing

Three foster sisters find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation. Really good psychological thriller with a few twists. Great character development. Which left me wanting more. This would be a perfect scenario for future books involving the sisters.

This was so twisty and suspenseful, so good! Foster sisters Jessica, Norah, and Alicia survived Wild Meadows and the horrible behavior of owner, Holly Fairchild. They each receive a phone call from the police telling them that they found bones on the property and with much hesitation they return! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I haven't found a Sally Hepworth book that I didn't love. This book follows three girls who grew up in foster care. They are called years later as there is a body found at the residence they grew up in. What do they know about this? Fast, fun thriller!

A dual timeline narrative with some trigger warnings of abused foster children.
This one is dark.. I enjoyed reading Sally Hepworth books in the past, but having small children, it is a trigger of mine so I couldn’t finish it. Based on the other reviews the ending is pretty shocking so I might have to go back and read it some other time

My heart broke for the three sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. At one point in this novel I was an emotional wreck and could not stop reading because I just had to find out how things were going to play out. The novel alternates between the present and the past. Bones have been found at the house where the sisters grew up. The question is who do the bones belong to and does it have anything to do with their foster mother, Miss Fairchild?

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing of this novel. The story flowed and I was very invested in what was going to happen to the main characters. I also thought I had figured out the twist in the novel but I was wrong. The ending just blew me away. This was a fantastic thriller and be prepared to be emotionally invested!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book made me feel all sorts of emotions. I loved how 3 main girls were so different and yet they so needed each other to lean on. Child abuse is always a hard topic for me and I had to stop reading couple times but it really shed some light on children in foster homes and how much they need us even they are about to grown out of the system.
Character development was good. I enjoyed everyone's story and story within itself. I love non linear time line. I love it because it keeps us guessing and entertained. I didn't figure out the twist up to the very end. I was not huge on the ending because I felt the building up to it was so strong and I expected something bigger more shocking - but I did not hate it.
Overall very good thriller with twists and turns and with a little humor and wit.

Thank you Sally Hepworth, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC E-book. After reading The Soulmate I was thrilled to be able to read Hepworth latest novel. This story of 3 girls, who are basically like sisters, spans from childhood:adolescence into adulthood. Growing up in the same foster home they endure psychological trauma and abuse by the hands of their foster mother. As adults they are still close and act like sisters and suddenly they are forced to relive theirs time under their foster mother’s roof when bones are discovered beneath the home. Could it be that of a fourth girl they had believed was once there? This had all the elements of twists and turn at every step. I enjoyed it all the way up until the end where I felt like I was left with lots of unanswered questions while getting thrown right back into a plot twist. If you enjoyed The Soulmate this book will not disappoint.

Darling : noun
used as an affectionate form of address to a beloved person – Oxford Languages

Three young women: Norah, Alissa, and Jessica, were all lucky girls. They were brought together by unlucky circumstances and formed a tightly knit bond as foster children. Their sisterhood was what saved them then. Can it save them now? When a body is found buried on the property, the women are called upon to be interviewed by the police. Whose body? Are they suspects? Each woman is panicky and flustered about returning to Port Arthur. Could they be feeling guilty? Or is the thought of returning to the place where they had so many unpleasant memories that has them so upset?

Sally Hepworth’s Darling Girls takes the reader back to when each girl arrived at a farm called Wild Meadows to be under the care of a foster mother named Holly Fairchild. Jessica is the first child to arrive, and she’s a clingy youngster, starving for love and attention. Miss Fairchild obliges, to a point. When Norah arrives, we see a whole different side of Miss Fairchild. By the time Alissa arrives at the home, the other two girls have plenty to warn her about.

The narrative flips between past and present. The adult sisters bear the scars of their years spent enduring the verbal and physical abuse of their supposed caregiver. Initially, there is humor, but this gives way to maladaptive behaviors in each of the women, who have issues with relationships, employment, and other areas of their personal lives. However, one thing does not change. They are sisters, through thick and thin.

Chapters alternate from back and forth among each of the three, plus an unnamed female who meets with a therapist. Eventually, the identity becomes obvious. Ms. Hepworth had me stumped for a while about this mysterious person and her story about her upbringing, but eventually, I figured it out. I did not, however, come up with the whole story! That was clever.

I thought the Fairchild character rather stereotyped and too malevolent; however, there seems to be a psychological explanation, so maybe I’ll allow the author that one. I’m not sure we needed quite so many examples of her horrific behavior, however. The effects, however, were well demonstrated, and I did appreciate the ways in which the women were able to begin healing.

I received a digital copy of Darling Girls as an ARC. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ms. Hepworth.

4 stars

This book was incredible! I couldn’t put it down. It consumed me. This is a book that I’ll definitely be recommending to everyone. It’s one of the few books I wish I could read again for the first time!

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth has been sitting on my NetGalley shelf far too long 🙈

There is a format of chapters breaking up to follow each character wherever they are at that point and this style is a hit or miss for me. Sometimes the jumping around I get confused who did what along the way. But this one I was able to follow along pretty clearly.

The core characters spent time together at a children’s home growing up and twenty five years later demolition of the house digs up a secret from the past. The women return back to a place they used to call home and face the past.

I am very mixed feeling on this one. I was hooked at the start and then the middle seemed to drag a little for me but then the end seemed to come so fast with reveal after reveal. I don’t think I liked a single character 😂 each one annoyed me in different ways.

I would recommend a read if you enjoy Sally and I do think it’s worth checking out because the story is very interesting though I think I feel like the middle was rushed to add meat to get to the ending.

WOW. In typical Sally fashion, she throws a wrench in at the last minute that has my jaw dropping. I loved this book! It was twisted and sad at times, but kept my attention and made me question everyone at some point. I love a book where you aren’t sure who to trust and this one nailed it.

I will say I was a bit confused towards the end with all the characters and names - I had to go back and try to remember who was who when it came to the foster babies etc. But it could have been the breaks I had taken during reading that caused it. Overall, I loved this one and definitely think it’s close to The Good Sister in terms of my recommendation of her books. Every loose end was tied up and each character has the ending they deserve - even Mrs. Fairchild (kinda) 😏😏

Gripping, fascinating story with engaging characters you feel for and root for. The book is not done in a hokey, cliche, stale thriller/mystery way. It is much more well-done and richer than a commonplace thriller. I couldn't put it down. Excellent!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: CHILD ABUSE, SEXUAL ABUSE AND INFANT DEATH

If you enjoy a doozy of a story, this one is for you. If you want to be simultaneously intrigued and nauseated within a short span of time, this one is DEFINITELY for you.

Darling Girls follows the story of Jessica, Norah and Alicia, all former foster care children who met during their time living with a Miss Holly Fairchild in a home called Wild Meadows. Jessica arrived first, instantly falling in love with Miss Fairchild and vice versa. But the arrival of Norah, and then Alicia, quickly made Jessica realize, along with the other two young girls, that Miss Fairchild isn’t who she thought she was.

Darling Girls serves all you can want in a suspenseful novel. Regardless of the child abuse, sexual assault and infant death mentions within the story, Sally Hepworth delivers a truly enduring tale of sticking together through hard time. Three girls went into Wild Meadows strangers and exited with a lifelong bond that would only be brought together through finding out exactly what happened all those years ago.

With all of this being said, I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who has a strong stomach for stories like this. As mentioned above, this comes with a plethora of trigger warnings, and any one should proceed with caution when reading this book. This is my second Hepworth novel, and I thoroughly enjoy her stories. She leaves me both intrigued and wanting more, while also wanting to put the book down (but absolutely being unable too).
I would personally like to thank St. Martin’s Publishing as well as Sally Hepworth with entrusting me with this ARC. 4/5 stars!

I’m such a fan of Sally Hepworth. I loved this book, especially the ending! I love a satisfying conclusion.

I really enjoyed reading Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth.
This follows three women Alicia, Jessica, and Norah. All three of them grew up in foster care and ended up in the same home when they were 10-13 years old. All having a close bond as they navigated surviving being raised by their awful foster mother. The chapters go from past to present giving you more details of the history of them in the house. I love how in depth Sally Hepworth writes her characters.

Thank you to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for providing this #ARC Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is April 24, 2024.

“Darling Girls” by Sally Hepworth is a gripping novel that weaves together sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder. The story revolves around three women—Jessica, Norah, and Alicia—who were rescued from family tragedies as young girls and raised by their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Under her care, they grew up on an idyllic farming estate, but their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale it seemed. Miss Fairchild had rules, was unpredictable, and was never to be crossed. When a body is discovered under their childhood home, the sisters find themselves in the spotlight as key witnesses—or perhaps prime suspects. The novel delves into their complex relationships, hidden pasts, and the shadows that linger from their shared upbringing. Sally Hepworth masterfully combines suspense, emotion, and intrigue in this thrilling page-turner.

This book is testament to the obstacles faced by foster children as much as it is a work of fiction. The main characters are a trio of girls forming a self-made family after surviving a challenging foster home together. Though their experiences may seem exceptionally abhorrent at times, they still know they are lucky to be together and not subject to worse abuse. Hepworth gives us 3 girls from such divergent backgrounds and circumstances, and she masterfully blends them into one unit. Even when they might not like each other, they are united in their belief that it is "us against them.' Hepworth also masterfully feeds you background that will have you tripping over your own feet. There was more than one instance of me thinking "No way!' after reading a passage. I compare this psychological thriller to the game Musical Chairs - you will go round and round what is, reaching for false stops, until the chair is pulled out from under you! There are so many twists toward the end that your sympathies will shift like the tides. This is a very clever tale of the muddled mind of damaged youth.

"Darling Girls," which follows foster sisters Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, immediately grabbed my attention and kept me hooked until the very end. I had previously read only one other book by this author, "The Good Sister," which I thoroughly enjoyed, and felt that both the way the story was told and some of the subject matter really reminded me of that other book. The mystery kept me guessing, and I felt the plot and pacing to be relatively fast paced. Miss Fairchild is a truly evil antagonist, and the story, sadly, exposes some of the horrors that can arise in the foster care system. What really stuck with me is the love these sisters have for each other. It is a bond, not by blood, but one that they chose. The ending really brought everything full circle which I greatly appreciated. If you enjoyed "Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate, which is based on an adoption organization that kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families, I believe you will like this story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title early in exchange for an honest review!

Obsessed with this book. This book has everything I am looking for in a 5 star book. The twists, turns, characters- everything was great.

this story follows three sisters who were brought together through their trauma of living with an extremely abusive foster mother when they were younger. From the outside they look like they are living the dream in the picture perfect foster home but what happens behind closed doors is not so picture perfect.

We follow dual timelines of the past and present. We see how they are decades later as well as what they endured while under their foster mothers roof. The description sounded so interesting and sad that it hooked me. The alternating timelines really kept me hooked and wanting to know what happened next. We did get to see from all three women's POVs through the story which I sort of like but it felt like a lot at the same time.
The story was suspenseful and thrilling. Major triggers so make sure to check them out. However it was so heartbreaking to read its something that needs to be brought into the light as well.