This story goes from past to present with the POV’s from each sister Jessica, Norah & Alicia. These three were foster kids that grew up in Wild Meadows (with their manipulative foster mother) and have to return as adults when bones are found on the land. The characters were well developed and it was easy to feel a connection to them. I did not predict the twists and certainly did not predict the twist at the end! This was a fast paced domestic thriller that I could not put down!

This was a usual departure from Hepworth's domestic thriller and I was here for it. She explored the brutality (both mentally and physically) of the foster care system while providing unreliable narrators, twists, multiple POV, and a dual timeline. I will always be a Hepworth supporter and she didn't fail me with this upcoming release.

Jessica, Alicia, and Norah were all placed into foster care for different reasons. Jessica's parents died, Alicia's grandmother was in the hospital, and Norah's family just couldn't take care of her. At around 12 years old, each of them enter Wild Meadows a beautiful foster home run by Mrs. Holly Fairchild. At first glance, Mrs. Fairchild (think Mrs, Honey from Matilda) presents as warm and caring, but begins to show a darker more abusive side as the girls become more comfortable in her care. After years of abuse, the girls finally decide to take a stand and tell an adult of what was happening at Wild Meadows and were displaced from Mrs. Fairchild's care. Years later, bones are discovered under Wild Meadows. The girls are called back to confront their past, aid in the case, and come face to face with their abuser.


Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this highly anticipated book coming out next year!

4.5⭐️!!

This is my first book by this author, and it won’t be my last! This is definitely a slow burn psychological thriller, which is my favorite.

I thought this was thrilling enough where it wasn’t too graphic for the topics in this book, specifically abuse. It was a twisty book, but believable!! Really touches on the nature vs nurture aspect, and how a traumatic childhood affects so much.

Not quite a 5 stars for me, not sure what it mainly is, maybe a tad slow in the middle? But this was a really solid read!!

What a page turner! From the first to the last chapter, each one left little nuggets that kept going throughout the story. I liked the dynamic and perspectives of the three sisters and their POVs.

Oh, Sally Hepworth has officially outdone herself with this one!!!
I absolutely devoured this book in a matter of less than 48 hours. I could not stop thinking about it when I had to do boring things like work and sleep - I wanted to spend all my time reading it! The entire book was perfectly executed, but that final chapter was absolutely mind blowing.

Darling Girls is a perfect psychological thriller following 3 foster sisters who grew up together at Wild Meadows. When a body is found buried on the grounds, the adult women are forced to return back to their foster home to help answer the police questions during this investigation- but a whole lot more gets revealed than just who is buried under the house.
There are plenty of twists, quick and engaging chapters, and characters that are somehow the perfect mix of likable and unlikable that makes you want to read more about their lives.

I cannot recommend this book enough!!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth for the opportunity to read this amazing book in exchange for my honest review. (Now can April 2024 get here already?!?!)

TW: drug abuse, drug overdose, assault, child abuse, murder of a child, sexual assault, rape-off page

This was a really good mystery with a found family of characters and an intriguing plot that had me curious till the end. With a body found at the former site of Wild Meadows, the home of foster parent Mrs. Fairchild, former foster children Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are called in by the police. This begins the introduction of the story following their three points of view, and a mysterious fourth person. We are introduced to each character and then drawn back into the past as Mrs. Fairchild brings them into her home. We learn more and more about the abuse they suffered at the hands of Mrs. Fairchild, as the mystery of the body in present day starts to unravel long held secrets.

I thought the character building was well done for the three main sisters, but with multiple perspectives and timelines the story did start to drag and slowed the pacing until they finally arrived at the police station. Once they start interviewing each of the women, the pacing and intrigue really starts to pick up. I had a hard time putting the book down, and had to keep reading to find out more.

I felt the present day mystery seemed to have less development compared to the story from the past. In a few cases the police investigation came across illogically, and a major twist seems to be undercut by that fact that police should have, and could do a simple DNA test.

Despite those few things, I really enjoyed the book and found it to be a compelling plot. It had characters that I grew to root for regardless of their flaws, except for the obvious one, whom I loathed. I am definitely interested to check out more from Sally Hepworth in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another masterpiece from Sally Hepworth! 10 out of 10 stars!! Compelling mystery filled with great characters!! Each character was well fleshed out, The mystery kept me guessing the entire time, Sally sure knows how to write a great book!! I want to thank NetGalley for the ARC!!

Darling Girls - Sally Hepworth

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Sally Hepworth writes dependably entertaining domestic psychological thrillers that draw you in, almost as though you are a silent character in the story, and her latest offering is no exception.

This story tells of girls who survived a hellish existence in a foster home, where the maternal stand-in is anything but motherly. This foster "parent" is a vile, manipulative and cruel woman, and it takes the foster sisters everything they have to emotionally survive the experience. They get through their somewhat nightmarish existence by creating unbreakable bonds with each other as sisters, although each is uniquely and deeply emotionally scarred by the experience of growing up in such a flawed environment.

With a mysterious murder added into the mix, each young woman is forced to reexamine and relive the details of the time they spent in a home where the only thing "fostered" was ill-will, hatred and cruelty...

Perfect for fans of: Freida McFadden, Nina Manning, Philippa East, Keri Beevis, Natalie Barelli, and Minka Kent.

Until next time, remember, what doesn't break you makes you stronger (or so they say)...

Sally Hepworth has done it again. Darling Girls kept me up late at night reading and guessing what twist would come next. Norah, Jessica and Alicia were foster sisters who stayed close for decades after their stay with Miss Fairchild. Even though I didn’t particularly like the main characters I did care what happened to them. I cannot wait for Sally’s next book.

This is a captivating story that showcases that family is not always defined by blood. Three foster sisters are shown from present and past perspectives to share the experiences they endeavored under the care of a foster mother. It is heartbreaking while keeping me on the edge of my seat. This is my first read by Sally Hepworth and will not be my last.

Rounded up to five stars bc I laughed and cried while reading this domestic suspense centered around three foster sisters. Their story is heart breaking and nuanced and the story itself isn’t over the top. Three girls come together in foster care and forge an unbreakable bond. Twenty five years after their stint at the same foster home, the police call them back to the small town where the home was when bones are found buried under the house. It’s told through multiple points of view and in dual time lines of before and after. I flew through this and couldn’t wait to find out what happened. This is probably my favorite book from this author and I was thrilled when I got this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own

I don’t even have words for this one, but I’ll try. The book follows Alicia, Norah, and Jessica who were in foster care with Miss Fairchild. They dealt with horrible circumstances and treatment from her, and as adults, they get a phone about a body found under the home they lived in.

This story is told in “before” and “now” timelines, and it works so well. It also has therapy sessions intertwined in there. I 100% guessed some things but the ending epilogue threw me. This was a really interesting book and a quick read. I read it in less than a day! I’d definitely recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Possible Spoilers: Thank you for the opportunity to read this new book by one of my favorite authors Sally Hepworth. This book grabbed me from the beginning! This was a riveting story of three girls who spend time at a foster home with an awful mother who had a lot of issues of her own. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia all have suffered by the hands of Miss Fairchild and now as adults must find their way to live as normal as a life as possible. The woman are notified that bones were found under the home they lived in while it was being excavated for a new building. They return to the area together to answer questions and find a way to figure out what really happened. Great story with lots of twists and turns. Being a social worker I was disappointed with the portrayal of the social workers who placed the girls in the home. They were heartless and later we learn one of them was very underhanded and self serving for his own financial gain. Alicia, also a social worker, as an adult, did have great qualities and turned her history into healing by helping other children in foster care. The author did a great job in letting the reader know what the future held for the women and Miss Fairchild (Holly). Definitely recommend.

Sally Hepworth does it again! As a mental health professional, I am extremely touched by the themes in this book: Childhood trauma, mental health, family dynamics, and foster care. I became invested Jessica, Norah, and Alicia from the start. Character development was included perfectly. Not too much to where it gets boring, but just enough to feel connected to their stories. The progression of the book kept me wondering, dropping hints here and there, but never became too confusing to follow or too obvious. Just when I thought the puzzle had been solved and the book was ready to end, the last chapter concludes the book shockingly. I should've expected this!

I’ve enjoyed all of Sally Hepworth’s previous books that I’ve read, but this one is hands down my favorite. I think it’s her best book to date. It had excellent character development, great pacing, and some well-timed twists. I love that the author doesn’t veer to the outlandish, but delivers a well-plotted and well-written read that I couldn’t put down.
Make sure to read the afterword/acknowledgements. I usually ignore these sections but I was glad I read this one.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my complimentary digital copy. All opinions are my own.

Such a great book! I have loved all of Sally Hepworth’s books and was so excited to get this! It was great! I loved the character development and the bond between the sisters. The twist was so good!

We know this: the foster care system needs serious help. Yet, it takes a book like this to bring attention to a problem that has been going on for years.

Three sisters from different parents are living together with their foster mom. They have created a protective bound which helps them cope. Jessica came to Wild Meadows when she was four years old. She’s eager to please and her wish is to be safe and loved. Alicia is a year younger than Jessica. Her grandmother took care of her until she became hospitalized. Now she has to learn how to adapt to her new environment which isn’t easy. Norah is the youngest by a year. She’s beautiful and the smartest but she has a temper which can explode instantly and get her in trouble.

Miss Holly Fairfield makes me cringe. She is the foster mom in control of her “Darling Girls.” I’d say she’s pretty toxic.

The sisters have individual POVs from the past to the present. There are also periodic reports from visits with a psychiatrist.

As adults, each sister gets a call from one of the detectives working on a new investigation. The property of Wild Meadows was sold and cleared to be a McDonald’s restaurant and in the process, human bones were found. Now the sisters are asked to meet at the police station where they will be questioned for a murder that took place years ago. Who did it?

Sally Hepworth has a large following of readers for a reason. Her books are well written and exhilarating. With “Darling Girls,” she wrote what we all know: the foster care system needs serious help. The story is fast paced and each piece brings the reader closer to solving the case. The end – well it hits you like waking up to a loud alarm clock. It’s definitely a good book for group discussions. It's a story that stays with you.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy with an expected release date of April 23, 2024.

Darling Girls is one of the best Hepworth books - it was a compulsive read and kept me guessing to the end. I loved the sisters and their strong relationship throughout. Will be recommending this as a perfect Summer 2024 read.

The Darling Girls were foster sisters, now adults called by the police to come back to the small town where they grew up. It is easy to tell the three sisters apart; one has OCD, one has anger management issues, and the third is now a social worker. Hepworth does a good job detailing the abuses they went through in the foster home and their lives.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this read!

my new favorite Sally Hepworth novel! Such a great story with some amazing plot twists that were completely unexpected!