This story centers on sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia who at one time lived with the same foster mother. We see events from their different perspectives, and you can appreciate their relationships to each other as well as how their past traumas shape their adult lives. There is a current timeline, as well as when they were younger. Sally Hepworth does a good job of creating suspense, with lots of secrets and twists along the way. This was a fun, quick read, if a bit forgettable. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-galley. 3.5 stars

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 5/5⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝: This one might just be my favorite Hepworth novel yet—and that’s saying something because I enjoy everything she writes!

My consistent feedback about Sally’s writing is that I adore the way the lies and secrets unravel and weave throughout her storytelling. She lays breadcrumbs throughout for readers to pick up and figure out where the story is going just as she’s telling you herself; but even when you see some of the twists coming, you’re compelled to keep flipping the page. She has a way of creating storylines that slowly come together and always leave me incredibly satisfied.

This was Hepworth’s darkest book yet, and while it had the family drama that I’ve always enjoyed in her books, this one was a bit more sinister. I favor alternating perspectives and timelines in my mystery reads, and each character in this book had their own unique trauma that was weaved intricately throughout. With four points of view, both in the past and present day, it’s hard to put this one down at any point without needing to know what happened next. I finished it in two sittings.

The Author’s Note gives additional insight into her research for these characters, and I found her fixation on the word “lucky” to be really harrowing and memorable.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞: Stories of abuse are always hard to stomach, but Sally balances the tone of the book by giving readers three resilient protagonists while maintaining a highly realistic level of vulnerability.

I’ll admit this wasn’t my favorite Sally Hepworth. Even though the abuse the girls suffered wasn’t graphic it was disturbing. I also don’t like the life choices the women were making later in life. This had some interesting twists but overall it wasn’t the most compelling story.

I've read many a Saly Hepworth novel. They're usually twisted, psychological stories, sometimes slow burners and altogether wild. And I liked them. This one? This one I LOVED. It may be her best one yet. I exists in dual timelines, there are multiple POVs, and plenty of moments that are twisted. But this was her most straight forward effort thus far. Really excellent setting up the store, excellent execution of said story and the pacing was to die for. I flew through this one reading it in two days.

For as long as they can remember, 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?

As said, I LOVED this reading experience. BRAVA!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital advanced copy. The novel is available NOW!

I thought this one was just ok. It was not as good as some of her others that I've really enjoyed. I found it a bit disjointed. The three women came from the same abusive foster home. As adults, as body is found there and it goes back and forth in time telling the story of the past and the present as it explains what happened. I just found I wasn't really invested in the outcome.

Thank you for the ARC. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth was an interesting read. However, it was a little slow at times for my liking. I did figure there would be a twist with Amy. However, I was surprised about a twist with one of the main characters. I think I enjoyed the "then" chapters better than the present day chapters. Al in all, a very enjoyable read. Four out of five stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for the pre-release copy of Darling Girls. I highly recommend this intriguing read.

Three girls, all from different family backgrounds, end up in foster care together. They bond and become sisters. Now, as grown women, each has developed survival traits created out of necessity in order to survive their childhoods and that care. After a body is found, they are forced to return to the place none of them ever wanted to see again.

This story is full of twists and turns and you're never quite sure who is telling the truth until the very last chapter. Read it.

"Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth offers a gripping premise that initially draws you in with its promise of secrets, sisterhood, and suspense. I think that the story succeeds in building suspense and intrigue, and I enjoyed the writing as well. Overall, this is an enjoyable book with a solid foundation and intriguing characters, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of Hepworth's best work in my opinion. The overall mystery fell a little flat for me by the end. I think that fans of psychological thrillers and domestic suspense will find much to appreciate, even if it doesn’t fully deliver on all fronts.

I've read many book by Sally hepworth and they never disappoint. This one had me guessing and questioning everything all the way to the end.

Wow! This one sucks you in from the start. Bodies found? Kids in fkster care that seem to be living the dream but apparently lived a nightmare. The story unfolds thru the foster kid's POV as adults and flashbacks to when they were kids.

Really enjoyed this one! Absolutely addictive and compelling with characters you love and one you especially love to hate.

Darling Girls is a book about what happens to 3 girls in the foster care system who end up in the same house. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are sisters, not by blood, but by choice. All three girls had tragedies occur when they were young, no one to take care of them, and were now in foster care. The house they were placed in was run by Miss Fairchild. Jessica was the first to arrive and she wanted a mother more than anything. She followed Miss Fairchild around everywhere and worked very hard on chores to make her happy. The farmhouse seemed like a perfect setting, but was it? The other 2 girls arrived at different times a bit later. They were not fooled by Miss Fairchild and saw her for the evil woman she was.

One day Miss Fairchild had a 2 year old girl in her arms when they arrived home from school. Miss Fairchild told the girls she had adopted the 2 year old and her name was Amy. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia loved Amy but Miss Fairchild told them not to pick her up or play with her unless she asked them to do so. She wanted Amy to bond with her and only her. When that doesn't happen things take a turn. The girls love playing and holding Amy, but Miss Fairchild punishes them for doing things with her. As they're walking home one day, they see Miss Fairchild in the pool. There are 2 towels laying out, but they can only see Miss Fairchild in the pool. Where is Amy? The girls think they know what's happening and take off sprinting towards the pool. What happened? Did Miss Fairchild do something to Amy? Why weren't the girls ever allowed in the pool?

The 3 girls make a decision and are able to get away from Miss Fairchild once and for all. They go into a group home to stay together as they're close to graduating out of foster care. The girls are still dealing with what happened at that farm house, even as adults. When they get a phone call from the police in the town where they had lived with Miss Fairchild, they're surprised. Bones were found underneath the house when it was leveled for a new building and they want to speak to Norah, Jessica, and Alicia. Are the sisters being called in to assist with the investigation or are they being called in because they're suspects?

Darling Girls is a tough read at times seeing what the girls endure, but it's a great mystery. Sally Hepworth is masterful at building suspense and making the reader squirm. I rate Darling Girls 4 stars with a high recommendation. I'd like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of Darling Girls in exchange for a fair review. #DarlingGirls

So, I wasn't a big fan of this book, and it honestly is a shame since I loved Hepworth's other novels. I found there were too many spelling and grammatical mistakes in the book and the development of the characters was too choppy for me. I will say the part that disappointed me the most was the twist ending. While I found the story easy to read, and was extremely fast to read too, I was lost on the amount of characters and what was happening in the before and now parts. I look forward to Hepworth's upcoming books, but this one just wasn't for me.

Darling Girls is the latest release by thriller author Sally Hepworth, and it shocks in more way than one. What starts out as a story of three sisters trying to get closure from the most difficult time of their lives becomes a story of uncovering serious childhood traumas and trying to find the truth.

Alicia, Jessica, and Norah are sisters who grew up together in less than ideal circumstances. Although these women are not biological sisters, the experience of being foster sisters under the care of Miss Fairchild has bonded them for life. So when each of them gets a call from the policy saying that human bones were found underneath their childhood home, the first thing they do is group together and figure out what to do next.

This story surprised me because I really, really liked all three of the main characters. It was really difficult to read the heart breaking scenes of their childhoods and I wasn't expecting for them to be so put together as adults. I mean, that's not to say the don't have problems. Because they definitely do. But they all seem to hold down jobs and maintain their friendships and those are important things to do.

The scenes with Miss Fairchild were so good. I felt so emotional during some of the story and I think that's because of Sally Hepworth's writing. She really focuses in on what's important in the scene and then goes from there.

There's also some humor in this story. I thought Norah was really funny and I loved when Alicia was trying to crack the girls up with jokes in the beginning. It was very sweet and it made it even hard to read what was coming next.

There's no doubt about the fact that this story is filled with topics that are triggering, so please read the trigger warnings before diving into this book. It's a fantastic story that kept me on the edge of the seat. There were times where I didn't know who trust which made for a really exciting ending. If you enjoy dramatic thrillers that are told through both modern day and flashbacks, this story is for you.

Although some of the childhood scenes in the foster home are difficult to read about, they really help add to the story and make this an unforgettable read.

I honestly had no idea where this story was going to go, but I’m pleasantly surprised with this story, the twist and the ending. I really enjoyed that each chapter flipped between before & now for each of the main characters. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but man this was a crazy story. I honestly couldn’t put this one down! This is my first book by this author, and I look forward to reading more of her books now!

I highly recommend everyone to read this, it has drama, trauma, addiction, foster kids, unreliable characters. Most of all be prepared for a wild ride because the twists are twisted!!

Jessica, Norah and Alicia thought they had been rescued into a wonderful new life on a beautiful estate with their foster mother Miss Fairchild. Although they came separately, they soon found themselves like sisters. While everyone thought they had a lucky opportunity, things were very different behind closed doors. Miss Fairchild had rules; quite a lot of them. They didn’t dare disobey. They finally escaped and went their separate ways. Many years later they are each contacted by a detective. The house was being torn down and a body was found underneath. Originally thinking of themselves as witnesses to the horror, they soon wonder if they are really suspects. I couldn’t put this down until I read the shocking ending.

Also reviewed on B&N (1IrishEyes430) and Kobo (IrishEyes430)

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth was not my favorite psychological thriller. With three main female characters who had been foster children to keep track of, in addition to Mrs. Fairchild, their foster mother, plus alternately timelines and conversations between a therapist and an unknown narrator, the story was somewhat hard to follow even though the plot was also slow and plodding at times. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Sally Hepworth books so when I receive Darling Girls, I was thrilled. The concept for this book is fascinating and hearing the author’s thoughts about how she came up with the idea was interesting.

It’s a captivating psychological thriller that explores the meaning of family, friendship, and the lasting impact of childhood trauma. The story alternates between the present day and each characters troubled past. Going back and forth kept me guessing on what the sister’s dark secrets might be and gave clues about the bones under the house.

I enjoyed the development of the sister’s stories and hearing about what tied them all together. Also, the twists are both surprising and satisfying.

This story does not shy away from its exploration of the foster care system and the harsh realities of what children in the system deal with. Fans of psychological thrillers and stories about the bonds of found family will enjoy this one!

Finally a thriller that truly has a suspenseful and shocking ending!

This was definitely Hepworth’s darkest thriller I have read.

This book focuses on 3 girls and their CRAZY foster mom.

I found myself wanting to immediately discuss parts of the story with anyone who would listen.

This book was highly addictive and twisted AF.

Three women return to the foster home and mother that tried to break them as adolescents when bones are discovered under the house. Forcing them to relive the past, the women are confronted with their monster and the scars she placed upon them that have followed them into adulthood.


Holy shit. Sally, sweet twisted Sally. That ending? 🤌🏻 I didn’t see it coming and I sat here with my mouth open wide enough to catch flies - consider me shooketh. 👏🏼