I didn’t put this book down until I was finished with it! The build up was good. The character development was good and the wrap up was good. I recommend this book!

This was an advanced reader copy of this book. This does not affect my review.

Quite a book of suspense. The only thing I needed was more information on the abuse of the four children. Too much left to the imagination.

It is disturbing the three were not believed when they were still children. I did not expect Mrs. Fairchild's story. Very disturbing how the psychiatrist believed her story.

It had a good twist at the end.

Darling Girls was definitely 5 stars. A page turner and did not disappoint, Absolutely fantastic and had me captivated from beginning right through the end which I was not expecting. It was also emotional and heartbreaking in some parts but in all FANTASTIC and I highly recommend.

An excellent layered and twisty story as you would expect from Sally Hepworth.

Three foster sisters are called back to the house they lived in together to help with a police investigation. I liked the two timelines and thought the plot was balanced well between the past and future and the individual POVs to move the story along. Miss Fairchild makes Miss Hannigan look like Marmee from Little Women. Those three girls were at her mercy and there was no one for them to turn to except each other.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy. I am required by law to disclose this.

This was more of a psychological mystery to me than a thriller. It was a slower burn with plenty of twists and turns at the end. The story is told from the perspectives of three sisters in the past and present as well as entries of an anonymous character during visits with a psychiatrist. It delves into the world of foster care, trauma, gaslighting, abuse, lies, betrayal, the journey of healing, and family bonds that are stronger than blood. The characters struggle with challenges such as addiction, lack of impulse control, and self loathing. There could be some topics that are triggering for some so check the trigger warnings. This was my first book by Sally Hepworth and I'll definitely be checking out her other books.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this ARC of Darling Girls in exchange for my honest review.

If Dante had ever wanted to fill one of his rings of the Inferno with a foster care home, he could have done no better than to use the foster care home found in "Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth. I've enjoyed other books by Sally Hepworth so was extremely pleased when I received an Advance Reader's Copy from NetGalley.

Sally did not disappoint: I read this book in less than 24 hours. The only story that comes to mind that I can compare it with is Cinderella, with an emphasis on the wicked stepmother.

Three young girls, each with different circumstances, find themselves in a dreadful home and each, in her own way, copes with knowing that no one will help them. We learn their histories piecemeal, with multiple timelines revealing their stories.

Somehow Jessica, Norah, and Alicia make it-- albeit scarred-- to adulthood. Probably thinking themselves finally free of their early childhood traumas, something totally unexpected happens. Like a phonograph needle ripping across the surface of a record, they are ripped back into that awful childhood home, somehow threatened again.

Did something even more sinister happen in that foster home? Is one of them responsible?

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is full of secrets, mystery, and sisterhood.

This book focuses on 3 girls who grew up together in the foster care system. Each "sister" has their own unique personality, and each struggle with their own demons within themselves.

Told in alternating timelines, we take a journey to the past as we explore whose bones are buried beneath their old childhood home they grew up in with Miss Fairchild.

This is a must read if you are into a good mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for this ARC.

This is my third @sallyhepworth and my favorite thus far! This used multiple POVs (Jessica, Norah, Alicia and a mystery narrator whose identity was disclosed over the course of the book), as well as dual timelines (present and past). This could be confusing if not done correctly, but it was done so well here! I finished this in 2 days! I didn’t want to put it down! This was more of a mystery than a true thriller, we have bones and work throughout the story to discover who they belong to and how they got there. And just when you think you’ve figured everything out, you find you don’t! The ending of this was top tier endings for me. Similar to when I read “None of This is True” by Lisa Jewell, I finished this and said WTF did I just read? And I mean that in the best way possible! This releases April 23, so definitely check it out!

I've read a few books by Sally Hepworth and I've always enjoyed your work. Not to my surprise I really enjoyed Darling Girls. This book is a psychological thriller, with some heavy family drama. I was here for it. There are many sensitive topics involved in this story. Although it is thriller, everything was written well and not in cringy, poor taste. I always appreicate short chapters, especially when a story has you reading during the night and at any available moment throughout the day. Darling Girls is a definite page turner.
Sally Hepworth will continue to always be on the top of my TBR list.

This might be my favorite Sally Hepworth book yet, and I've enjoyed all her books so far! I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put this down - I read it in a day.

I loved the balance of past / present chapters. Sometimes this can feel a little unbalanced or messy, but it was perfectly done in Darling Girls. Norah, Jessica, and Alicia were all well-rounded, 3 dimensional characters. They were all flawed yet still relatable. It was poignant to see how differently they each reacted to the trauma inflicted upon them, yet how loyal they remained to one another.

I saw the twist coming (summarizing to avoid spoilers), but I enjoyed the ride so much that it didn't matter. A satisfying domestic suspense novel that you won't be able to put down!

Thank you so much for the chance to read this ARC! I absolutely loved Darling Girls. It pulled me in quickly, was easy to follow the various character storylines and the twists and turns kept me hooked. I don’t know how I’ve missed Hepworth in the past but adding more of her novels to my To Be Read list now!

Jessica, Norah and Alicia grew up together in an abusive foster home and through their shared experiences, became close as sisters. Years later, a body is discovered under their old foster home and the three are brought in by the police for questioning.

I loved the short chapters and how the story alternated between past and present perspectives of all three MCs. The characters were very interesting, and the book kept me guessing throughout. Definitely recommend! Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC in consideration for my honest review!

First off I loved the formatting of the chapters having all thrree characters POV. These chapters also switch from past and present. I do feel as the 'past' chapters were better and I got to know the characters form into who they are in the future. I also loved the bond the characters had, they have a lot to be upset about but they stuck together no matter what they went through and that carries into the future.

I was so into this story but something felt lacking because even though I enjoyed it i didnt LOVE it

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is beautifully written book about the bond between “sisters” and what they would do for each other. Darling Girls follows Jessica, Norah, and Alicia as they navigate through the foster care system. 25 years ago they lived with Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows in Port Agatha, Australia. 25 years later they are back in Port Agatha to answer questions about some bones found under the house at Wild Meadows. The sisters go from helping to be suspects in the death of a child. This book had me hooked from the first chapter and I couldn’t put it down. I love all of Sally Hepworth books and this one by far is my favorite. Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of the book.

Publication date: April 23rd, 2024
Page count: 368
Genre: psychological thriller
Setting: Port Agatha, Australia

Jessica, Norah and Alicia all ended up in Holly Fairchild’s Wild Meadows foster home. 25 years the home was demolished and bones were found under the home. Law enforcement reaches out to Jessica, Norah and Alicia and we learn about the childhood of the girls- the secrets from 25 years ago are revealed.

This intricately woven mystery kept me engaged, with layered character development as the twists and turns of the mystery unfold.

I will definitely continue to read books by this author!

Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

Like all of the Sally Hepworth books I’ve read, this book was incredibly hard to put down. Nevertheless, this was my least favorite of what I’ve read from the author, and I can’t even exactly put my finger on why.

It may be that this was far more of a drama than an actual mystery, we spend a lot of time in the past seeing our 3 protagonists being abused as foster children. Be sure to check content warnings.

I think perhaps aspects of this were too one-dimensional. The antagonist of the story was sort of reduced to a caricature of an evil foster parent. On top of that, I feel like things wrapped up a bit too perfectly in the end. Like, all the MCs suddenly had their problems and traumas totally addressed.

This was still entertaining to read, and I look forward to Hepworth’s future works.

Another twisty story from Sally! I will say this is slower than her other books, and a little more predictable. There were a couple bonus twists that make up for that though. And the characters were so good I was rooting for all the sisters the whole time. They were very well written. Even the villains were well done and I definitely was hooked to hear their stories. The first 25% was much slower than the rest of the book and from there it gets very interesting especially with the dual (triple?) timelines.
I could actually visualize all of this too so while it is a crazy story, none of it is all that far fetched which does make it a little scarier.

The last thing foster sisters Jessica, Norah, and Alicia want to do is to revisit Wild Meadows; the home where they all endured the abuse of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Until recently, they have managed to stay away from their old home. But when development has uncovered something buried in the basement, the three women are brought back to their old hometown and made to face their past.

This was so difficult to put down. The short chapters kept me wanting to just read one more…and maybe one more after that, etc. The story is told from different POVs across different timelines. The main focus is the POVs for the 3 foster children, both in present day and their time at Wild Meadows.

There were several mysteries sewn throughout the book, and you were kept guessing right to the end about some of them. There were a few twists that were unexpected for me, but they were also not surprising. Even though you knew the women all survived the abuse from Miss Fairchild, I found myself still holding my breath when it was happening.

There was not as much focus on the present day, which is fine, there didn’t need to be. It was interesting to see how all the women were affected from their time in foster care.
Definitely pick this one up if you want something you will breeze through because you can’t put it down!

Another winner by Sally Hepworth! The storyline, alternating points of view, and all of the unknowns kept me guessing all the way through! I liked getting to know the characters and seeing their growth as the story unfolded. Ms. Fairchild was a great villain and I enjoyed disliking her. 😆 If you like books with a twist- this is for you!

This book had the potential to be something really great! I loved the premise and was really excited about being drawn into this world, but I felt quite let down in the end.

The book felt really disjointed, like it was trying to connect and make sense, but it wasn't quite there. It felt like there were holes in the story that could have used some umph.