I loved this fascinating study of foster children, their experiences, their emotional journey, and their coping mechanisms. It carries the suspense to the very end of the novel. It took me on a journey with three foster children who became like sisters in order to survive the challenging situations they experienced in foster care. It got very confusing as the journey unfolded and a death was discovered. It was sad and poignant and devastating. It was a well-written and intricately developed plot that kept me guessing and trying to understand what really happened. Full of lies, obfuscations, and finally the truth after the girls are already sadly damaged. A first-rate author.

First of all, huge thank you to St Martin's Press for the ARC!

Second of all, it needs to be said that I am a HUGE Sally Hepworth fan. I have read most of her books and I always love them. She always pushes the envelope and writes some of the...most insane...characters I've ever read. I thought I've seen some crazy things from her, but they all seem mild compared to this one. Sally may be just a little unhinged LOL

Anyways, I haven't read an ending of a book that good (bad? disturbing?) in a long time.

This book is insanely readable; you won't be able to put it down. I went into this book blind and had no idea what to expect, which I think made things even more shocking. The way that the past and present storylines unfold here show just how truly talented Hepworth is. She kept me curious and locked-in by unraveling clues and twists slowly yet consistently throughout the whole book.

I definitely thought I had everything figured out and still would have enjoyed it even if I was right, but then I got thrown a major curve ball and now I'm doubting everything I've ever known in my entire life. Thanks, Sally.

Have I mentioned that this book is disturbing? Don't say I didn't, say I didn't warn you!

4.5 stars rounded up

Oh boy. This was SUCH a good book. I enjoy Sally Hepworth's work overall, but found myself completely enthralled by Darling Girls. The story of three foster sisters who grew up in a home that looked great on the surface and the lasting trauma they carried was so smart and well-developed that I truly couldn't put it down. Every flashback to their childhood was fraught with tension and I was on the edge of my seat throughout reading this book. Definitely highly recommend!

Excellent book that had me hooked right from the start. We learn of the tragic upbringing of foster sisters Jessica, Norah,and Alicia under the care of Miss Fairchild. The story is told both in past and present and is beautifully woven to keep you guessing until the very end. Sally Hepworth never disappoints. Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Wow!! This book was absolutely captivating. I kept thinking I had something figured out. Nope. Wrong!! I’ll be telling all of my friends and book lovers about this one.. Can we talk about the end? I didn’t see that coming!!

MIND BLOWN - the ending was not as I had thought, even though I thought I knew, what a twist!!!! Absolutely intriguing story and I highly recommend this to those who love a good whodunit.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. Ithoroughly enjoyed it!

I love Sally Hepworth, but it's really hard to explain how I feel about this book. It was engrossing but appalling. Major trigger warning for child abuse. A lot of it was hard and awful to read. I honestly wish she had just left out that last chapter. I don't know, I might have to come back to this review and see how I feel once I'm further removed from reading it.

Three girls from different backgrounds come together under one roof to form a patchwork family bond they thought they’d never have. Alicia, Norah, and Jessica decide to become survival sisters while in a foster home known as Wild Meadows. Miss Holly Fairchild and her home look like a stroke of luck to any youngster who suddenly finds themselves in the foster system. The girls in her care quickly learn of a sinister darkness that lies just beneath the clean and charming facade. Years later, secrets that were buried in that house rip these sisters right back to a place and time they all long to forget.

Don’t miss out on this suspenseful and twisty page-turner . . . due out on April 23, 2024

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Darling Girls for my unbiased evaluation.  4 stars

This was a really hard read with lots of trigger warnings since it took place on a multi-timeline with girls raised in an abusive foster home. It was wonderfully written and a compelling story, and I felt like I needed to finish it to honor the people living this experience right now. The author's note added a lot to the story as well, as always. Sally Hepworth will forever be a immediate click for me.

It's books like these, with the multiple viewpoints and story lines that I can get lost in. This book was amazing and while a few things I guess at before it was obvious or revealed the ride the book took me on was still worth the journey.

First, thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I will not be providing a review, although I have marked the book as 3 stars on GoodReads. Unfortunately, this book was not my cup of tea, although it may very well be for plenty of other readers. I like the idea the author had, but the story fell flat for me and felt predictable. I did like the relationship between Jessica, Norah, and Alicia and would read another title by this author in the future.

Also, FYI - there were a great many errors in the ARC that will need to be addressed. I recently reviewed another title for your company with very few edits and just wanted to make you aware.

A fast paced thrilling ride of a book! I don't think I would have put it down if I had the chance. Told in multiple POVs and two timelines, this book follows three very flawed foster sisters. I loved each of the characters and enjoyed seeing the way their childhood shaped them as adults. I found the various ways of coping very real and very relatable. I was glad to see the characters grow and work through their various traumas.

I think it tells a lot about an author when not only is a great story read, but as the reader, I came away from this book seriously asking my partner if we should go down the foster parent route. I love that the author did her research and spoke with women that had been in the foster care system. Overall a great book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was excellent. It's about 3 sisters that were in foster care as children and are now living their lives as adults dealing with all that trauma. Bones were found at their old house, and they have to go back to talk to the police about their time there. This is a strong story, and I like the twist at the end, though it is abrupt and oddly paced compared to the rest of the story.

Whaaaa. I love Sally Hepworth. One of my favorite all time authors. I always love her books. Not sure what happened to this one but it was not for me.

Positives:
The end did redeem some of the book for me as it answered some questions and tied the plot up nicely.
The special relationship between the three foster sisters was a bright side.
The author's note

Negatives:
A lot of child abuse, both mentally and physically, throughout the whole book
Too many side plots (addiction, extortion, hiding true feelings for someone, corrupt and broken fostercare/adoption system, anger management issues, pornography, sexual offenders, manipulation). Left my head spining.
The ending was suppose to serve as a major shock or plot twist but by that point I didn't even really care about that character at all.

I will continue to read Sally Hepworth's books but I will not be recommending this one to many people.

Starting my obsession with Sally Hepworth was The Soulmate and continuing it is this book! Another twisty masterpiece by this author with amazing character development and an ending that is sure to shock the most avid reader!

WOW! Sally Hepworth is always a go-to for me so I was super excited to receive access to an advanced copy of Darling Girls. In a shifting timeline between present day and childhood, Jessica Norah, and Alicia revisit their childhood at Miss Fairchild's foster home amidst an ongoing investigation about bones found under Miss Fairchild's old house. This was one of Hepworth's best and truly had me on edge and guessing until the very end. A must read!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life. But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?
Beat novel ever.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an advance copy.

Ohhhh what a juicy delicious story this one is!! How fun that there were twists to the very end. Loved the portrayal of the dark side of foster care, while also showing the good side too. This is such a wonderful sisterhood story!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Darling Girls is my second Sally Hepworth novel. I'm not sure what to classify these books as... domestic thriller? mystery? This book is light on the thrills but still full of plenty of unpleasant topics as well as twist and turns. The biggest trigger warnings would probably be around child abuse and trigger warnings. The book follows 3 former foster kids - Jessica, Norah and Alicia - as they are struggling adulthood only for their past foster care life to pop up when an unidentified dead body is found under the girls shared foster home. Told in flashbacks in all 3 povs, this book is loaded with names, details and personalities to keep track of. It's a tall task but the author does a good job at giving just enough character growth to everyone that they almost feel fleshed out. I found myself liking some of the girls more than others and more interested in the flashbacks than the present day mystery. In terms of drama, the flashbacks were more page turning than the slow reveal in the present day.

In the end, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the other Hepworth novel I read but I still plan on reading more. If you are a fan, you will for sure enjoy this.

I seriously couldn’t put this book down and found myself reading it instead of sleeping.

Three girls are sent to foster care with Miss Fairchild - Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. Miss Fairchild was the opposite of a loving and caring mother. Twenty five years later, a body is found buried underneath the childhood home. Police are trying to find out who the victim is and who killed them.

I thought the ending was going to be very predictable but the last couple pages made me gasp! I am normally not a big fan of mushy loving storylines but this was actually appreciated. Loved reading the relationship of the three sisters- even though they were stark contrasts of one another.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth will be published on April 23, 2024.