I always love a good domestic thriller from Sally Hepworth. This was another good one that kept me engaged. The switching of timelines helped bring the story all together.

It was really hard at times to read about the abuse Jessica, Norah and Alicia endured. I hate that this is going on in the world. But I'm grateful for authors who find a way to bring up hard topics.

The ending had a great twist and wrapped up nicely.

Thanks Netgalley for my advanced copy!

An enthralling story about the foster system at its worst. Alternating chapters in past and present, examining both through the viewpoints of the 3 girls/women. I couldn't put it down, was glad that it did work out for the girls in the end. A must read.

I was intrigued by this book because I enjoyed _The Soulmate_ but WOW Hepworth loved to remind you how atrocious humanity can be. The three main perspectives were distinct and well written. Sometimes multiple perspectives and times can get overly complex and blend into each other, Luckily, this book never suffered those issues and was an entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I just love books that keep me guessing and this one delivered!! I’m a longtime fan of Sally Hepworth and I think this one might be my new fave from her. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you’re led down a new twisted path. The gloomy scenery of the story along with the characters full of their own dark and disturbed histories made this a perfect spooky season read. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s, and the author for the ARC.

Another twisty, dark domestic thriller masterfully crafted by Sally Hepworth. She’s an expert in complicated family relationships and blindsiding the reader in the end with a final twist that drives it home.

In a delicately woven tale of 3 foster sisters with an unbreakable bond, Darling Girls goes between the past and present, with little sprinkles of some therapy sessions mixed in. When a body is found beneath the foster home where Jessica, Norah and Alicia spent their childhood, old wounds and decades old secrets creep back into the light.

It’s a slow burn but worth the time invested to get to that final moment that wraps the book up with a satisfying conclusion.

I really enjoyed this book, like couldn't put it down wanted to reas the next five pages in any free time. For mystery lovers or those who like a mild thriller this book IS IT. The characters were all believable and well crafted, keeping the story moving forward. I really recommend this book. If you enjoyed other books like None Of This Is True or Before I Go To Sleep this is for you.

Holy smokes did I love this book! A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This story follows Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. Three foster children who ended up in the same foster home together under the care of Mrs. Fairchild. An unpredictable, cruel woman. The girls escape, but in the end over twenty years later the past comes to haunt them. As bones are discovered under the home, the girls must face everything the past had buried. Told from two timelines - present and past - Darling Girls is going to be one of the hottest new thriller reads of 2024. A huge five stars from me and would recommend this book to anyone!

This book catches your attention from the beginning. Different points of view and 3 sisters together in foster care make the book a great thriller. Nice ending and would recommend...

Three girls enter the foster care system for varying reasons and end up in the care of Holly Fairchild. Jessica, desperate for attention and love and would do anything to gain Ms Fairchild’s favor. Then Norah came to the house. Norah was harsh and brass and after a life of abuse, Norah often finds herself protecting Jessica when Ms Fairchild is picking on her because of Jessica’s weaknesses. Soon comes Alicia, the last of the girls to make up the trio of “sisters”. The girls must always be in their toes, watching for the next mental, physical or emotional abuse to come from Ms Fairchild, but at least they always knew they had each other to make things better and watch out for the others.
Now it’s 25 years later and when the home they were raised in is being demolished, a body is found in the ground underneath it and the girls are brought in for questioning. The girls have remained family all these years despite not actually being family and nothing is going to break that bond now, despite what Ms Fairchild might try to do. The girls have a lot to work through as they all have their own issues stemming from their childhood and now they have to go back and face it all again and help the police figure out who the bones belong to, but maybe facing it as adults might help them to understand what happened when their thoughts and memories were so influenced by their fear of Ms Fairchild.
This was fast paced and easy to fly through! I read it all in one day because I couldn’t get enough-I had to know what was going to happen! A dark and intense look at foster care.
Thanks to St, Martins Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I think this is my favourite Sally Hepworth novel to date! Such a intriguing plot and characters that had me on a ride until the very end. I can see the ending being a bit controversial, but it fits with the characters and plot so I hope it stays as is. Sally did a excellent job going from past to present with 3 different characters. Each woman brought something unique to the story. I like Sally's novels because just when I think I have things figured out, I don't. Another really great thriller. TW: child abuse. Thank you to the netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

I am not generally a fan of suspense/mystery/thriller women's fiction, and don't particularly love Sally Hepworth either. But this one was a tingling tale of three women, now in their 30's who shared a foster care placement as children. Their foster parent, a Barbie-like blonde, lived in an old farmhouse. Each of the women suffers from the treatment they received at the hands of the twisted, manipulative Holly Fairchild.

The three "sisters", related only by their shared experiences, are called back twenty-five years later by the police to help solve the mystery of bones found buried underground at the house they shared with Miss Fairchild.

Sally Hepworth is a master at inventing unique situations, although all her books have an evil character at their centers. This book is filled with a plethora of interesting characters. For example, we have four oversized and untrained dogs who generate bad odors, a school administrator who collects porn on his phone, and one of them, Norah, is a sister with tendencies toward violence. (The other two are not stable either.

The chapters vary from "Before" to the present, with each sister alternating narratives. There's also a psychoanalysis going on between the doctorand an unknown patient. The "surprise" ending is what keeps the novel from 5 Stars. It is confusing enough to require you to go back and re-read to make sure you read it right.

For thriller fans who enjoy Hepworth, this is one of her best.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy to preview.

Thank you @stmartinspress @netgalley for the #gifted advance copy!

I am a HUGE fan of Sally Hepworth’s. I’ve read the majority of her books and I’m making my way through the last few I haven’t yet read. I was super excited to get my hands on an early copy of Darling Girls, and while I was entertained, this thriller fell flat for me.

The book started off strong— bones found buried under an abandoned foster home where our main characters spent time as children. Loved the creepy vibes! I enjoyed the dual timelines of the past and the present, and I liked getting to read from multiple POVs throughout.

However, I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters. And, without giving anything away, the ending of this lost me. I felt like it was added in purely for the shock value. I know I’m an outlier in this opinion though— you may still love this new release from Hepworth!

Sally Hepworth has such a talent for writing interesting and unique novels. This is the second novel I've read of hers and I'm a huge fan. Will definitely recommend this book to others.

Prepare yourself for another thrilling domestic tale as Sally Hepworth, the New York Times bestselling author of "The Soulmate," takes readers on an exhilarating ride in "Darling Girls." With its intriguing characters and a web of secrets, this novel is bound to keep you on the edge of your seat.

The story revolves around Alicia, Jessica, and Norah, seemingly ordinary women leading seemingly ordinary lives. Yet, beneath the surface, each character harbors their unique challenges. Jessica battles with OCD, Norah grapples with anger issues, and Alicia suffers from low self-esteem, manifesting in unexpected ways. However, it is their shared bond that truly sets them apart - a bond forged during their tumultuous childhood on a farm, under the watchful and unpredictable eye of foster mother Miss Fairchild.

Hepworth skillfully weaves a tale that seamlessly transitions between the past and the present, immersing readers in the characters' shared history and the traumatic events they experienced. When bones are discovered beneath the old farmhouse, the women find themselves reluctantly drawn back into the clutches of their haunting past. The author masterfully explores the intricacies of their relationships, painting vivid portraits of characters grappling with buried demons and forced to confront what they are capable of when pushed to their limits.

The suspense in "Darling Girls" is undeniably palpable, with Hepworth's ability to create an atmospheric and tense narrative shining through. The gripping plot leaves readers constantly guessing, as layers of secrets and hidden motives are unraveled. The complex dynamics between the characters heighten the intrigue, making it difficult to predict the true nature of their relationships and the extent of Miss Fairchild's influence.

While the story thrives on suspense and mystery, there are moments where the pacing could have been slightly tighter. The narrative occasionally meanders, disrupting the otherwise gripping momentum. However, this minor flaw does not detract significantly from the overall engagement of the story.

In conclusion, "Darling Girls" is a mesmerizing domestic thriller that delves deep into the impact of past traumas and the lengths people will go to protect themselves. Sally Hepworth's intricate storytelling, combined with compelling characters and a tangled web of secrets, makes for an enthralling read. If you enjoy psychological thrillers that explore the darker corners of human nature, "Darling Girls" should not be missed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I'm such a huge Hepworth fan, so I was excited to read this early. This book has a lot of triggers, but similarly to her other novels, the storyline was well thought out. I think it was easy to tell the personalities of the characters apart as well, which can be challenging with multiple POVs.

All in all a good book but not my favorite by the author.

Powerful with a great message. Disturbing elements but delivered well. This was a good read that kept me wanting more. I did notice many gramatical and spelling errors in this ARC but I'm sure they will be fixed.

So - three sisters are called back to the foster home they grew up in because the police found some skeletal remains on the property! This story takes you back and forth from the present time and the investigation to the past when they lived in the house together. Their foster mom was the worst, and whose skeleton did they find?! Unfortunately, #darlinggirls won’t be released until April 2024, but it is available now for preorder. In the meantime you should read another book by @sallyhepworth - #thegoodsister is one of my favorites! Thanks to @netgalley for giving me a copy to review - I stayed up way too late reading this!

4.5 stars

25 years ago a series of unfortunate events brought Jessica, Alicia and Norah together at Wild Meadows, their foster care placement with Miss Fairchild. In the present, they are brought back to Port Agatha due a call from the police revealing the discovery of human bones under the house.

The story is told through Jessica, Alicia, and Norah's perspective as well as an unknown POV who discusses their past with Dr. Warren, a psychologist. I felt connected to the 3 women and really enjoyed seeing female friendship portrayed throughout the book in a positive light.

Even with stories of abuse, the book is not too dark. Sally Hepworth created a gripping ,suspenseful novel that kept me guessing until the end. I wanted to know how the bones got under the house and who they belonged to. This was well written and I read it in a day!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a unique thriller that had me on the edge of my seat until the end. I loved reading and learning about the three main characters - Jessica, Norah and Alicia. All three had such an interesting past and present timelines, that made it hard to put the book down. I’m a very character driven reader, so I loved the depth the author gave these characters and their backgrounds. This story follows the three girls and their time at a foster home with an evil foster mother, Miss Fairchild. You learn about their childhood and then something happens that bring the girls back together in present day. It’s interesting to see how their past childhood trauma affects them current day. While I stayed a step ahead of the thriller and could see some of the twists coming, that did not deter my enjoyment of the book. There were still twists that caught me by surprise!!

I haven’t read a story like this before, and it will be one that sticks with me for a long time. I’m so thankful to have been able to read an early copy through Net Galley. I don’t read ARCs often, but when I saw this one pop up in my email, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Highly recommend to anyone that enjoys psychological thrillers! Thank you again to the publisher, St Martins Press for the opportunity!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an e-book. I loved it so much all the plot twist kept me on my toes.