🛟𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀🛟

𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂
Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were saved from family tragedies and brought to a farm estate in Port Agatha, AU. Their “loving”foster mother, Miss Fairchild, was everything but what she was perceived to be by the outside world. Miss Fairchild was manipulative and unpredictable. The three girls break free from Miss Fairchilds grip, although she never was far from their minds. Years later, a body is discovered under the farm estate and the foster sisters are forced to return to Port Agatha. Are they witnesses or prime suspects?

𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼
This is my first book by Sally Hepworth and it sure won’t be my last! This book had so many twists and turns and I enjoyed each of them. Each sister had a unique story and personality, told in present and past, that was woven together to create a multidimensional story. This story has many trigger warning such as, child death, addiction, verbal and emotional abuse, child abuse, and sexual assault. Although, at times a dark story, it kept you turning the page to see how it ends. The ending surely did not disappoint. I highly recommend this psychological mystery. Grab a copy today, out now!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing an ARC of Darling Girls in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I feel like Sally Hepworth is getting better and better with each book. Even with being told from multiple point of views and during two timelines it was not confusing. I could not put down this book as I had to find out what would happen next. Mrs. Fairchild was written to perfection. Add that ending!!! It was such a great way to end the book and had me screeching aloud!
I highly recommend this book any fan of thrillers! You won’t be disappointed!

I really enjoyed this one. The plot twists were well done. The characters were flawed but beautiful and grew so much.

In a twist of horror, a loving foster home becomes a murder scene. Three girls becoming closer than sisters. Infants in and out. A manipulative foster mom looking to fulfill the loss of love from her childhood.

The story unravels and lives are connected forever. The bond of sisterhood beyond the imagination of any blood-relations. The story is good and makes you lift an eye more than once. The twists are good, the characters are strong!

I will recommend to friends.

Sally Hepworth keeps on making great books!

Jessica is the first foster girl living with Miss Fairchild. As she gets older, she has other "sisters" added to her life. Once she has sisters, her treatment changes drastically. She goes from being doted on because she is doing her chores well each day to being a problem and getting punished frequently. Norah and Alicia join her in the house in short succession. They are soon tasked with caring for the foster baby girls because Miss Fairchild is upset they will not bond to her like a mother.

25 yrs later, Jessica receives a phone call pulling her back to Miss Fairchild and what she tried so hard to leave behind. She calls her sisters, Norah and Alicia, and they all go talk to the police about the body that has been found in the remains of the house that is being torn down.

This is a haunting look into the foster system that is difficult to read for many people. It is a wild ride that you both want to be over as well as need to know what happens.

Sally Hepworth does it again! I have absolutely loved all of her previous work and Darling Girls was no different. This had Sally's typical domestic suspense feel but with some darker themes woven throughout and I absolutely loved it. So glad I chose this for my bookclub read and can't wait to hear everyone else's thoughts. If you've enjoyed this author's previous work, definitely do yourself a service and give Darling Girls a read as well. Huge thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for my early review copy!

I definitely enjoyed this page turner from Sally Hepworth. Everytime I thought I had it figured it she managed to throw another twist my way.

4.5 stars
Darling Girls was an excellent book and I really enjoyed it! I have also read The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth and enjoyed that as well. I liked Darling Girls even more.

This is a mystery novel about 3 girls who became sisters in the foster care system. The story is told from each sisters POV and from their foster mothers POV. It also has multiple timelines but they were very easy to follow and outlined clearly.

I absolutely loved Jessica, Norah and Alicia (Norah was my favorite). Their connection, their bond and each of their personalities and growth throughout the story kept me flipping the pages! Their foster mother Mrs Fairchild was a despicable villain and played her part well. I despised her and found myself sadly relating to the girls in many ways. Their story was heartbreaking and so sad but their bond and the way they took control of their adult lives and tried their best to do better was fantastic.

The mystery of the story was a body found buried beneath their foster home and the search to discover who it was and how they ended up there. It was very very good and kept me flipping pages! I love the mystery and the reveal!

This story was overall good in my opinion, and I didn't know what to expect as I progressed through the book. The stories main characters Jessica, Norah, and Alicia who all were raised by the same foster mother, Mrs. Fairchild. It goes from current to past points of view. I sometimes felt it was challenging to keep up with all the characters but figured them out pretty quickly.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an ARC of "Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth.

I am a Sally Hepworth fan so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Darling Girls. Thank you Netgalley & St Martin's Press! I have really mixed feelings about Darling Girls. I found parts of it very disturbing with regard to the child abuse and manipulation, but at the same time I kept reading it and cruised through this one very quickly. I spent most of the book not liking it but decided to add a star to my rating due to the surprise ending. Looking forward to more from Sally Hepworth in the future though!

Sally Hepworth never fails to impress me with her writing. I was immediately drawn into this because she did such a good job of developing the characters. Each character was so interesting and distinct and had a journey I wanted to follow. I loved the relationships between the sisters and watching their story play out and justice be served was wonderful. The scenes with the therapist really shocked me at the end and that final twist really threw me for a loop. Miss Fairchild was a twisted woman but it was very entertaining watching her get what was coming to her. There wasn't a dull moment in this book and it was full of intrigue. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely a favorite from Sally Hepworth! Had me hooked from the beginning and kept me intrigued until the very end. Really enjoyed this one!

🎁 📚 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 🎁📚
3.75/5 🌟

Happy pub day to Sally Hepworth! This was my first Hepworth novel and I read it in one day - which rarely happens to me! It’s relevant to note that I read it on a day I was traveling (the 3 hour plane ride helped) but the book proved to be a compelling page turner.

This one centers around Norah, Jessica and Alicia, three women who spent time as adolescents in the foster care of Miss Fairchild at the idyllic-sounding - but far from idyllic in reality - Wild Meadows estate.

The now-grown women have been close since their traumatic experiences there, and are forced to revisit the past when the police uncover some incriminating evidence on the grounds of the old estate.

I loved the relationships between the 3 (foster) sisters, the relatable writing and the nicely placed twists. Hepworth creates a believable story through well-defined characters and a smooth storyline. I was fully invested in each of the sisters and seeing how their shared trauma plus each of their own unique resilience led them down different paths and made them the adults they became.

It’s definitely a dark look at the foster care system and mental health, but treated in a way that was integral to the story, and not gratuitous. I’ll absolutely be reading more of Hepworth’s novels!

QPTD : If you’re an avid reader of Sally Hepworth, which would you recommend I read next?

This one is out today, 4/23, and it’s a good pick if you want quick and engaging.

My thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced readers copy in return for my honest review.

#bibliophile #stephsalwaysreading#bookstagrammer#bookstagram#tbrlist-#arcreview#darlinggirls#sallyhepworth#whatshouldireadnext

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of Darling Girls. This book centered on three young girls raised in the same foster home. They bonded through their share trauma inflicted by their foster mother, Mrs. Fairchild. Years later, a body is found under the house they were raised in. The three women return to recall the trauma they endured while uncovering who was buried and why. Another great thriller by Sally Hepworth!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6439782375

Sally Hepworth, known for her poignant explorations of family dynamics and complex relationships, delivers another compelling narrative in her latest novel, "Darling Girls". Set against the backdrop of picturesque coastal Australia, Hepworth weaves a tale that intricately examines the bonds between sisters and the secrets that threaten to unravel their lives.

At the heart of the story are Fern and Rose, fraternal twins who, despite their close connection, harbor deep-seated differences. Fern, the quieter and more introspective of the two, struggles with a traumatic past that has shaped her present. Rose, on the other hand, exudes confidence and appears to have it all together—a successful career, a loving husband, and a seemingly perfect life.

However, beneath the surface lies a web of lies and unspoken truths that threatens to destroy their carefully constructed facades. When a shocking revelation shakes their family to its core, Fern and Rose are forced to confront long-buried secrets and reckon with the consequences of their choices.

Hepworth masterfully delves into the complexities of sisterhood, exploring themes of identity, betrayal, and forgiveness with sensitivity and depth. The characters are vividly drawn, each grappling with their own demons and insecurities, making them relatable and compelling. The author skillfully navigates between past and present, gradually unraveling the mysteries that bind Fern and Rose together.

The pacing is taut, keeping the reader engaged as the tension builds towards a climactic revelation. Hepworth's prose is evocative, painting a vivid picture of the Australian coastal setting that becomes almost a character in itself, adding richness and texture to the narrative.

"Darling Girls" is not just a story about secrets and their consequences; it's a poignant exploration of the ties that bind us and the lengths we go to protect the ones we love. Hepworth's insightful storytelling and deft handling of complex emotions make this novel a compelling read that will resonate with readers long after the final page.

In conclusion, "Darling Girls" reaffirms Sally Hepworth's status as a masterful storyteller, adept at crafting gripping tales that delve into the depths of human relationships. Fans of domestic fiction and psychological drama will find much to savor in this poignant and thought-provoking novel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 (rounding up)

• foster care & childhood secrets
• sinister, dark plot
• power of sisterhood

This one took me a minute to get into, but I really got invested in the story and what the heck happened. The trauma and dysfunction these girls suffered... just heartbreaking. A very well-written and character driven suspense. I didn't see the twists coming! Psst: available in KU.

🗣 Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

Darling Girls by @sallyhepworth was quite the wild ride. I stayed up until the wee hours last night to finish it because I needed to know what happened.

The multiple timelines and POVs worked really well here to build suspense and lead us to the big reveal. There was a moment when I literally gasped from shock!

I definitely enjoyed reading this one. This time of year always has me thinking about beach/vacation/pool reads and this is perfect for that. There’s a darker element to it but it wasn’t so detailed or disturbing that I struggled with it. It was done in a way that built the sinister atmosphere but wasn’t too upsetting.

Book Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Darling Girls solidifies Sally Hepworth as the queen of Thrillers/ Suspense!

Jessica, Alicia, and Norah may not be biological sisters, but their time together at Wild Meadows solidified their bond. After enduring years of abuse at the hand of their foster mother, the girls were finally removed. Decades later they can’t escape their past when they receive word that bones have been discovered on Wild Meadows property.

*Disclaimer: this book deals extensively with emotional, mental, physical, verbal, and sexual abuse.

Historically I am not a huge thriller/ suspense reader. I tend to gravitate to books on the lighter side. But when I want to read a book outside of my comfort zone, Sally Hepworth is an author I always turn to.

This book caught me completely off guard. I thought I knew how the story would unfold, but boy was I wrong. It wasn’t until the final chapters, when Sally spells it out for the reader, that I understood who was responsible for the death and the circumstances leading up to it!!!

I am in awe of Hepworth’s writing!!! While I can’t go too much into detail without giving away spoilers, it must be said that she is a brilliant storyteller. Not only is she meticulous and purposeful, she uses every literary element in her toolbox when constructing novels.

Special thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sally Hepworth for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this story, with the intermittent story being told to a psychiatrist, about 3 girls in foster care in a horrible situation and a body found on the premises of the torn down home. Enjoyed watching the relationships grow with the girls, and their present lives intertwining. Good surprising resolution.

Twisty…there’s no other way to describe this story. Did I figure out the main twists? No. Do I suspect the twists? No. Way to keep me on my toes reading this, Sally Hepworth, darling girl!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this story.