First, I love Sally Hepworth, so I was so excited to get an ARC of this title. This title started out a little slow and didn't feel like the typical Sally Hepworth novel which was leaving me perplexed, but it still drew me in and I could not stop reading. I was invested in these sisters and the mystery. I'll be honest, I'm a bit of a lazy reader and usually don't have much of an inclination to be an arm chair detective, preferring instead to just go with the story and let it unfold for me. However I kept trying to puzzle out for myself what had happened with that ending leaving me reeling!! This is a book I will be recommending to everyone for summer reading!

Told from alternating viewpoints with one being a patient speaking with a psychiatrist, this story was incredible! I’m not surprised though because Sally knows how to draw us in and keep us going until the very last page.

Three girls put into a foster home with Miss. Fairchild, experience life through abuse and heartache. Jessica, Alicia and Norah grow up to all have issues – who doesn’t but, these issues are due to their life of being in the foster care system, especially with regard to Miss Fairchild. Their lives as children was hard and it still gets to them. Years later there are bones discovered under Miss Fairchild’s house. The girls take a trip and speak with detectives on the case. And life becomes even harder. Whose bones are they though? Is it the sweet little girl they helped take care of that suddenly disappeared or another foster child? Though trying to act as though they’ve moved on, they haven’t – their lives are still entwined into the terrible years that they dealt with Miss Fairchild.

This story was so good and well developed. The plot, the characters and the tension was perfectly placed. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, once again Sally kept me intrigued and wanting to read more. Most definitely recommend for the elements of suspense and mystery perfectly intertwined with a story of hope and recovery. Four stars for this gem!

This is unlike the thriller I expected it to be. It is more like a family/generational suspense, told in dual timeline. I really enjoyed all three of the sister characters, and the Mommy Dearest villain was fun to hate. There was good character development, and the story kept me interested throughout. Overall, it was a good, solid suspense novel!

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is a thriller about three foster sisters that were raised together by Miss Fairchild. As adults, they had a lot of issues due to the way they were treated by Miss Fairchild. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, they go back to help figure out what happened. While there, they have to face the way they were treated, and the way they are as adults now. I have read several of this author's books now, and this is definitely one of her best. I really enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Ever since the mother in law I’ve read all off Sally Hepworths books. Darling Girls was a fantastic read. From the first lines I was sucked into Darling girls. 3 foster sisters Alicia,, Norah, and Jessica return to their childhood foster home of Ms. Fairchild after a body is discovered . Secrets and murder which sister did it…

Title: Darling Girls
Author: Sally Hepworth
Source: DRC via Netgalley (St. Martin’s Press) in exchange for an honest review
Publication Date: April 23, 2024
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

Other books by this author: The Good Sister, The Younger Wife, The Soulmate

Why did I choose to read this book?

This book was emailed to me directly from St. Martin’s Press without me even having to request it! Of course I was going to read it because Sally Hepworth has a way of reaching inside my brain, finding each and every one of my insecurities and fears, and ripping them out as I read them on the page. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press!

What is this book about?

This book explores gaslighting, emotional and verbal abuse, and the horrors of the foster care system. It’s set in Australia but Hepworth could really be writing about anywhere.

What is notable about this story?

This is the most horrifying book by Hepworth that I’ve read yet. Honest to Christ how does this woman know how to write manipulation so fucking well? Reading about Miss Fairchild and their foster home was like reading a horror novel about a haunted house. These three girls/women (the story is told in multiple POVs and between their past and the present) went through so much and even as adults people in authority weren’t going to believe them. WILD.

The handling of the trauma that each of the girls carried with them was so well done in the writing. I don’t know how to explain it but I really appreciated that I never viewed any of the women as their trauma/behaviors. Right from the start it’s clear that these are not behaviors that they chose for themselves, they are things they do to just get by and survive and in the end they just became a part of who they thought they were. THIS IS SO REAL. If you’ve never experienced the kind of abuse that is in this story I need you to know that overcoming that kind of psychological manipulation is a life’s work and some people never crawl out from under the weight of it.

THE ENDING TO THIS BOOK IS WILD HOLY SHIT – I’m not gonna spoil it but Hepworth had me right in the palm of her hand and I’m STILL salty about it.

Was anything not so great?

I probably shouldn’t have read this book, but I trusted Hepworth to give me an ending that helped me find closure (MOSTLY, again I’m still salty about it). Everything about this book is exceptionally well done: the writing, the plot, the character development and investment, all of it was well done. I was glued to the pages right until the end.

BUT if you’ve had emotionally or verbally abusive relationships, or perhaps grew up in a household that utilized these techniques to keep you under control, or if you’ve had firsthand experience with the foster care system but not in a good way, please consider this a HUGE trigger warning. I’ve had years of therapy and it still hit me in tender areas.

What’s the verdict?

Five stars on Goodreads. Sally Hepworth is a genius and no one can convince me otherwise. I hope St. Martin’s Press decides to send me whatever she’s cooking up next, because I can’t wait.

A psychological thriller that had me flummoxed until the end! Not only is it a mystery thriller, but its also the story of a sisterhood forged by three young girls who were placed together in a foster home. Listening to interviews by Sally Hepworth, I know she put in the work to understand the impact of being placed in the foster care system and that came through so organically in all the characters in this book. When a discovery is made at their old foster home, the girls return together to fill in any pieces they could for the investigation.
The story is as much about the lives of Jessica, Norah and Alicia as it is about the murder mystery. The character development of where they came from to where they are today flows flawlessly through the book. With multiple timelines and POVs the story delves into their lives, their traumas, their bond forged together by living under the unpredictable Mrs. Fairchild. And an ending that totally took me by surprise!

Sally Hepworth knows how to build a story. I loved the multiple perspectives and timelines. The end was great.

I have yet to meet a Sally Hepworth novel that I didn't like. She is masterful at creating suspense and throwing in twists you don't see coming which is really important for me as a reader of suspense. I like to be surprised. I thought the premise of the book was interesting, and the character development was fantastic- I really felt like I knew these women by the end of the book. I think this might be Sally Hepworth's best book yet. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspense!

Three foster siblings managed to survive their placement with hot and cold Miss Fairchild. Years later, when a body is found under the house, suspicions arise about their time at the foster placement. Full of twists and turns, each chapter seemed to cast doubt on a new character’s involvement in the crime.

A page turner that I just couldn’t put down! Sally Hepworth’s best novel yet. I can’t recommend this book enough for anyone looking for a thriller!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

Loved this book! The characters drew me in immediately. Just when I thought I had figured it out there was another twist I had not anticipated. Another great ready by Sally Hepworth!

Another hit from Ms. Hepworth!! This one was on the darker side, focusing on foster sisters who are forced to reckon with their traumatic past together when remains are found at their previous foster home. I would say this is more of a mystery/suspense than an edge-of-your-seat thriller, but it was deliciously captivating all the same! I look forward to keeping an eye out for Hepworth's next release.

This was such a good read. Twists on top of twists. And oh man what an ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC. And to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Thank you to the author Sally Hepworth, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of DARLING GIRLS. All views are mine.

Slowly, Miss Fairchild became Jessica's entire universe. Jessica became intimately attuned to her moods. She knew how to please her, charm her, how to soothe her. She knew when it was a good time to ask for something, and when to accept that all was lost.

I actually really loved this book about girls no one wants who have to come together and take care of matters themselves. This was a redemption read for me, as I didn't get along well with the last book I read from this author. Honestly, I couldn't have picked a better one. Wonderful, loathsome characters whom I both despised and couldn't get enough of. They are also complex enough to have good impact on the plot, so I was surprised a few times. The ending killed me in the best way. Only a few minor quibbles for this book. Will I read Hepworth's next book? Yes, yes I will!

After all, if crime novels are anything to go by, the only person more likely to commit murder than a foster child, is a woman who is childless by choice.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The concept is excellent and creepy, and the character introductions definitely hooked me!

2. This text lends well to an audiobook, and the narrator does an excellent job.

3. This power play tug-of-war between the character's is excellent. Exemplary psych thriller fare. I'm finding this story hard to walk away from!

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. The metaphors are cliched, heavy, and bad: Her wrath, when it came, was like a runaway train....

2. I rarely say this, but I wish the denouement had been longer! The climax works, but I was left with too many questions at the end of the book. Especially about Jessica, whose character trajectory is wonderfully complex.

Rating: 🧒🏽👶🏻👱‍♀️🙍🏻‍♀️🧑‍🦲 /5 foster kids
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: May 10, 2024
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, audiobook, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🤐 dysfunctional family stories
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 family stories, family drama
👭🏽 young girl friendships
💇‍♀️ girl's coming of age
🤫 family secrets

The final chapter sent this from a 3 to a 4 star book. The book’s strengths were the friendship/sisterhood of the Darling Girls, and the pacing of the flashback chapters. The ending was out of left field in the best way possible.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are foster sisters, having survived a horrific placement because they had each other. Miss Fairchild, on the surface, looks like a caring and loving parental figure, but she is anything but. Her arbitrary rules and hair trigger makes life a living hell for the three girls. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild, but soon find that they have different struggles on the horizon.

As adults, the three receive phone calls from the police that take them back to the place of their childhood. Will what they learn help Jessica, Norah, and Alicia finally move on mentally and emotionally?

Darling Girls is a good, solid read, but not really all that surprising. I find the ending to be predictable and think that the author spends too much time moving between the present and the past. Overall, I am a fan of the author, but this is not my favorite.

That being said, I made my way through the book quickly and was entertained by Darling Girls. Readers who like mystery thrillers with good character development will like author Sally Hepworth.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Jessica, Norah and Alicia forged a bond as sisters in their childhood when living at their foster home, Wild Meadows. As adults, they are still insanely close to each other and their everyday lives - but each has failed to deal with the stress and trauma their time in the foster system and with their foster mother, Ms. Fairchild caused them.

When a body is found in the demolished remains of their former home, the three sisters are forced to deal with their troubled past and the secrets that might have been buried along side the new found body.

As always - Hepworth’s novels are great and make for quick, unable to put down reads. For me - this one was definitely a departure from her last, The Soulmate, and I thought it was a good read - I wished for a little bit more character development and story telling with the supporting characters. A great read for any solid Hepworth fan!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you like:
+ Family Drama
+ Psychological thrillers
+ Hepworth’s The Younger Wife & The Soulmate

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth was a story surrounding 3 young girls who are fostered in a horrible situation by Ms. Fairchild. Now as adults the girls are asked by investigators to come back to town when a body was found burried under the foster house.

The story is told in multiple points of view and jumps from present tense to past tense. While well written, this story was not for me, possibly due to my own triggers with the story involving children and abuse. While it has a twist inside not see coming at the end, it actually made it worse. Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED this book!!! It hooked me immediately and I could not put it down! This was so well done and I immediately ordered a copy to send to my best friend because I knew she'd love it too!

5 star read for me!

Oh. My. God.
Not only did this book move quickly, but it kept me hooked from start to finish. Plus... I feel like my brain was exploding by the time I finished this book, putting all of the pieces together and seeing how it all played out.
4.5 stars

- I really love getting the perspectives of each of the three sisters. Each on brought a very unique perspective to their upbringing in the foster home and it helped keep each chapter new and fresh.
- The twists were TWISTING - even when you sort of put things together, the way things are unveiled is brilliant and reveals even more than you thought.
- The child abuse represented in the flashbacks is very intense and dark, but it sets the tone well to allow the reader to understand just how malicious the situation was
- I appreciate that the characters had depth - they all had their own individual lives as adults with their own issues to work through