Sally Hepworth is definitely one of my favorite authors. Her books are interesting and easy to read. I thoroughly enjoyed “ Darling Girls”, which takes place in Australia and captures the story of three little girls placed in the foster system with a less than desirable foster mother. Couldn’t put this book down.

Sally Hepworth is an author worth reading. With each book she writes, she unleashes a mystery from the first page to the last, making you want to read until you've finished the book. I fell in love with her when she released The Good Sister and she is now a staple on my "Must Read Author" list.

Alicia, Jessica and Norah (with an 'h') are sisters, though not by blood, who will do anything for one another. They share a bond that nobody really, truly understands. After a harrowing childhood in the foster care system, with a monster for a foster mother, Miss Fairchild, they are all thrown back in time when they all receive a phone call about a dead body being found at the site where their old house sat. They've told their story once before, but will anybody believe them this time around? Told from multiple view points and different timelines, this is a book you will want to read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth in exchange for my honest review.

Darling Girls by sally hepworth was an addictive read I could NOT finish fast enough.

Three sisters raised by the same foster mother in a rollercoaster ride of unpacking their past while coming to terms with found bones at their childhood home.

This is a book to preorder for sure. I can NOT wait for more people to get their hands on this story.

4.5 Stars!!! An arc from Netgalley and I DEVOURED THIS BOOK. Super dark, but the strength these girls show one another was really powerful and moving. Loved loved loved the ending!!

Thanks to Netgalley for access to this E-ARC! I really enjoyed this. The characters were very well-written & loved the setting. I also enjoyed the twists. Definitely will continue reading this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for giving me the opportunity to receive an ARC for this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I need no other reason to pick up a book other than seeing Sally Hepworth's name on the cover. What else can I say? Another fantastic read that did not disappoint.

IF YOU LIKE.. dysfunction main characters, toxic family relationships and generational trauma, then well, read any book by Sally Hepworth, including 'Darling Girls'. While this one was maybe not my favorite so far from her, I did love every minute of it. Hepworth has such a skill for representing flawed characters that feel natural, real and relatable.

I am sure that the last chapter of this one will be controversial, but I am here to say I loved it! I didn't really think that the final page twists were necessary for this book to be great, and I think that is why it did catch me by such surprise.

I was delighted to receive an e-arc of Sally Hepworth's newest novel Darling Girls courtesy of @netgalley and @stmartinspress.

📚 At its core, this is a novel about child abuse and trauma in its myriad forms, both blatant and subtle, the impact it has on those children as they grow into adults, and the inner power we all have to heal. It is also a story about love in all its different versions: between a parent and a child, spouses, grandparents and grandchildren, social workers and their charges, siblings, new lovers and old flames. Oh, and it is also a fun, twisty mystery about three former foster kids, their foster mom, and the bones of a young child who are found beneath the home they all once shared. Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors, and she has penned another great read with Darling Girls.

🩺 One of the characters has a sixth toe on her left foot. Polydactyly, the medical term for extra digits on the hand or foot, occurs in about 1 out of 500 births. It can be inherited, and is more common among certain ethnicities or communities, such as among Amish and African Americans. It is often associated with other medical syndromes, is more common in males than females, and affects the hands more than the feet.

There are two things I look for in a Thriller: some kind of sympathy for the main characters and surprise. My first wish was fulfilled. The three sisters are loveable yet flawed and show support for one another through their trauma. I liked how the sisters were very distinct characters with different backgrounds. Where I think it was lacking is the surprise aspect. Once we get a few passages in from Dr. Warren's office, you know what will happen. You can also guess that the it is an unreliable narrator and while I did not expect the ending I understood quickly that the patient was Miss Fairchild and that she could not be trusted in her testimonies.

All in all a very enjoyable read with a strong start and ending. The middle was dragging a little bit, but kept me on my toes.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. What can I say.? Another Sally Hepworth book that I truly enjoyed. I have read her entire back list and was extremely excited to get selected to review in advance copy of her current novel. All I can say is five stars all the way!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC of Darling Girls in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were all orphaned as children in the 1990s, and eventually they were all placed in foster care at Wild Meadows Farm. Under the cruel control of Miss Fairchild, the three girls bonded together until the day in their early teens when something so terrible happened that they were finally able to escape. 25 years later, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia each have their personal struggles rooted in that past trauma, but still think of each other as sisters. And then they each get a call from the police that bones have been found under Wild Meadows Farm—bones that may date back to the time they were there with Miss Fairchild. So now they are forced to go back and face their past, and Miss Fairchild, as they and the police try to piece together what really happened 25 years earlier….

For 59 chapters, Darling Girls is a solid psychological thriller. The four main characters—Jessica, Norah, Alicia, and Miss Fairchild—are all well developed. The story moves at a good pace, with revelations and twists at all the right times. There adult trauma was believable, though there were a couple of odd side plots. Still, the flashback scenes to when the girls were in foster care were chilling.

But then you get to Chapter 60. Unfortunately, Darling Girls is one of those books that tries to execute the one-last-twist-that-changes-everything ending. I’m not a big fan of that idea generally because it risks making a lie of too much of the rest of the book. And I felt like it was done especially poorly here. In the last two pages, the author completely undermined the explanation for one of the character’s actions and—even worse—failed to offer a new explanation for why that character had done what they did. A disappointing ending to an otherwise good book.

I always get excited to read another Sally Hepworth book! This one was a good one and so much darker than most.
This book follows 3 foster “sisters”. It’s a dual timeline from growing up and present day. They are back together where their foster home is because bones from a body have been found under that house.
The details of them growing up is so sad. Each girl goes through something even into adulthood. There are some really slow parts where not much is happening but overall a good story.
The last chapter is SHOCKING!
Read trigger warnings!

Twisty and turn-y. Alicia, Norah, and Jessica are sisters, bonded and close. Foster sisters who endured abuse at the hands of Miss Fairchild. Who saved each other in the end. The book goes back and forth between the present where the girls are now grown and their childhood with Miss Fairchild. Bones have been found buried beneath the house they once lived in. Who is it? The girls must come together and tell the police what they tried to tell them all those years ago. The past left its mark on all of them. Read to find out what happened. Whose bones are under the house? What happened to the sisters and to Miss Fairchild?

I’m a huge Sally Hepworth fan and have thoroughly enjoyed all of her books. This book had a lot of lead up before getting to the twist. It is very well written and detailed about children in the foster care system - what they can experience, emotions, and coping as an adult. The book alternates between past and present day with viewpoints from the three girls, Ms. Fairchild, and Dr. Warren. At the 70% mark, I couldn’t put the book down. Usually this authors book hooks me from the beginning. It’s worth the read to find out how all the storylines tie together!

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy in exchange for my opinion.
This is the 3rd book I have read by this author and I guess her style is writing in the past and present. It was a bit hard to follow and I almost stopped reading this book a few times. Manly because a fan of reading about abuse, especially child abuse.
I did finish it and MAN I was very surprised by the ending. I really liked the relationship between the sisters and that they always had each other's back.
As I said, this was hard to read at times due to the subject matter, but all in all it was a good book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I love Sally Hepworth’s writing style.. Although this isnT my favorite of her books, I did really like it. The relationship between the three foster sisters is well developed in their characterizations. The child abuse angle was very heart breaking. The viewpoint of the unknown character’s visit with her psychiatrist was interesting, the unknown character is easily identified early in the book. I liked how the story developed, switching from the past to the present.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. This was a fun psychological thriller but the twist at the end wasn’t that surprising. I enjoyed learning about the sisters stories and backgrounds though.

Sally Hepworth books do not disappoint. Her ability to weave complicated personalities throughout all of her characters is so refreshing. What appears to be true on page five is completely different by page one hundred. This is a novel that you want to savor but quickly devour because it’s that good.

After a couple of Hepworth "slumps", I was thrilled to see that she is back on her game with "Darling Girls." The story focuses on three girls brought together by their own individual twists of fate. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were all placed into foster care as children. They were sent to Wild Meadows, where their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, looked perfect from the outside, but was far from it on the inside. Controlling and manipulative, the three foster sisters forged an impenetrable bond as they tried, day in and day out, to escape Miss Fairchild's wrath.

Flash forward to the future. The girls are all grown up and living with their own demons, although they are still as close as ever. Imagine their surprise when a set of human bones was discovered underneath the home at Wild Meadows. The intrigue kicks up a notch as the sisters travel back to Wild Meadows, for the first time since they left, in order to assist the detectives with the investigation. Who do the bones below to? Were the sisters or Miss Fairchild involved? What REALLY happened in this house of horrors from long ago?

This story was fascinating for me. I appreciated the psychological element of it, and how each of the girls had demons that manifested in different ways. Also interesting....there is a mysterious character in the novel who spends her time discussing her past with a psychologist. I was intrigued by this twist, and the additional revelations it provided on the girls' shared history. Also. how did it all tie together??

Overall, this story kept me guessing throughout, and I found the ending satisfying. It should be known that this book could be a trigger for those who have been in the foster care system, or that are either physical or emotional abuse survivors. Bravo to Hepworth for coming in strong and delivering an intense, fascinating novel that explores how our tragic pasts can influence our presents and futures.

Thank you to the publiser and NetGalley for this Advanced Release Copy. Expected publish date it April 2024.

Sally Hepworth is a gem of an author! Her books capture your attention as soon as you open them. I love this one with all of the twists and turns that you do not see coming. The characters are fantastic! Must read!

What a sad heartbreaking story for these girls. Sisters (foster care) with mommy dearest.. this woman and the way that she manipulated the girls and treated them wow. What they have endured in their lives and who they are today. Heartbreaking story to read through.