Alicia, Jessica and Norah appear like your average grown women but underneath the facade they have some deep trauma dating back to their childhood. The women grew up together in a foster house but it wasn’t a happy ending aside from the bond the three women were able to form. When bones are discovered underneath that fateful house, they’re thrust back into the past and forced to face their demons. And secrets. Whose bones are they? Who’s responsible?

I adore this book. I adore Sally Hepworth. I adore all the feelings she was able to invoke with one book. So many feelings especially in the last 50% of the book. The way everything came together in the end was simply beautiful and truthfully not one I saw coming. A beautiful story about family and friendship which is always an added bonus for a mystery/thriller. Overall, a 4 star read because it was a pretty slow start but once Hepworth hooks you, SHE HOOKS YOU.

Thanks so much St Martin's Press and NetGalley.

Alice, Norah, and Jessica share a bond as they all were with Miss Fairchild as foster children. Now adults, a detective has informed them that a body has been discovered under the farmhouse of their old foster home. They are unexpectedly brought back to the past and to Miss Fairchild herself.

This book is hard to read at times, and is a powerful reminder of how children need to be protected. Told from multiple POVs in the past and the present, there are so many layers to the plot. You really get to know the main three characters. This a mystery story with an ending that is surprising!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this free digital copy for my honest review of this story.

Oh, my gawd is this a story! This story grabs you from the very beginning and doesn’t let you go. Sally Hepworth has a way of doing that. On the seat of my pants I flip page by page wondering what will happen next. Hepworth incites anger at the broken foster care system, foster care parents, parents who abandon their children to this system and the lives these children live as a result of their lives in foster care. Then she demonstrates the love that the heroes of the foster care system provide.

74% into this story and I am nauseous and furious enough to stop reading but still want to know how this is going to end for these 3 young women. And who wouldn’t want to know about the bones?

In the end the reader has a tangle of emotions for what children in foster care live through, the effects these emotions carry over into their adult lives and how many appreciate the love provided to them by their foster families. Three foster children that grow into strong adult women but with such a strong bond to their foster sisters, possibly even stronger than some natural siblings.

I enjoy Sally Hepworth's books so "Darling Girls" was a must read. The story has a central mystery of whose bones are found under an old foster house and the characters and scenarios are crushingly authentic. Things happened to foster children in this story that were so painful I had to skip through them. Like Hepworth's other stories, I read this in one sitting. Powerful, dark, and disturbing, I highly recommend this for readers of psychological suspense thrillers and Hepworth fans. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this incredibly captivating story!! For fans of Those Girls- Chevy Stevens and The Secrets of us- Lucinda Berry!

Alicia, Jessica and Norah are adults now. Incredibly close sisters who met in foster care in a small farm town. Miss Fairchild (mommy dearest) was their guardian and now they are called back as a body has been found on the property. We then get an in debt look into their time at the farm and what a heartbreaking story it is!

This story was one of my favorites this year and I’ve read 180 books. Gut wrenching with an unexpected twist at the end!

This book is classic Sally Hepworth. Twisty and dark, yet with characters who have depth that you can’t help but root for. Darling Girls, for me, had a lot of quiet tension. There’s obviously the huge questions of whose bones were found under the house and how did they get there. There are also questions about how each of the adult foster children are going to work through their issues. What I appreciated the most is that the reader gets full closure on this book. There are no unanswered questions and you do not have to imagine an ending for any of the characters…the author is gracious enough to tie up all the loose ends in a very satisfying way. It’s very well-written, too…the descriptions are so vivid that I could picture everything in my mind. This would make a great miniseries if Netflix or Amazon Video wanted to take it to the screen!

A few caveats before I tell you to go read this immediately. First, it’s dark and there is child abuse. Reader, know thyself. If certain themes make your stomach turn, go research the trigger warnings on this one. Second, do yourself a favor as you begin reading and jot down a few reminders about who is who. In the early stages of the book, I had a little trouble keeping everyone straight (particularly Alicia and Norah for some reason).

Summary: This was an absorbing, captivating read. I read it in an afternoon to the complete neglect of all my other responsibilities. If you like dark psychological thrillers, this one is very well done! Fans of Sally Hepworth will love this one!

To the publisher-thank you for the ARC. Also, well done on the cover. Whoever designs the covers for Sally Hepworth’s books does a wonderful job of making them eye-catching and appealing.

DARLING GIRLS was another winner by Sally Hepworth, who is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me. This multiple POV thriller was a fast, engaging read - the story flowed seamlessly between the different characters and raced to a surprise ending.

Similar to her other books, Sally Hepworth has a way of writing that sucks a reader in quickly. Despite her recent books being thriller-esque in nature, her writing has an authenticity and believability that feels as if her stories could happen anywhere. This is part of the delight of reading one of her novels!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review DARLING GIRLS!

I received a ARC from NetGalley of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. I devoured this book! Definitely a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book for me. Amazing character development and told from multiple points of view. I am a big fan of this author and she did not disappoint with this book! I loved how the book flowed and went back from present to past. I found myself tearing through the pages to see what would happen next. Thank you NetGalley!

This book was amazing I could not put it down. The characters are very detailed and you feel like you are a part of the book

Sally Hepworth has never let me down! This book was multifaceted with many different layers of plot. Darling Girls is focused on three women who spend defining years of their childhood together in a foster home. Twenty-five years later, they receive a phone call from a detective about a discovery of human remains underneath the house that they grew up in. The women decide to go together as best friends/sisters back to the home that traumatized them to uncover lingering secrets of their past.

I loved how the story was told and how it went deeply into the personal lives of the main characters. The author does such a good job of not overshadowing any of the characters. I felt like I could feel the beautiful connection of the women through the pages of the book. Oftentimes, when I read Thrillers, I get so annoyed that authors care too much about making the plot “twisty” and “riveting” that they don’t put enough thought into character development, but I have never had that problem with Sally Hepworth. I love how I can tell that she puts so much thought into how she would write the story, but never overdoes it.

This book was so eerie and ominous that it was so hard to control my eyes. They kept trying to skip ahead because I was so excited to read what came next! The author always does such a good job with introducing topics, lightly, and then referring back to them later on.

The only negative things I have to say is that there were quite a few spelling and grammatical errors. I’m hoping those things get resolved before the book officially comes out, but honestly, the plot was so good that I barely noticed. A five-star read for me would be something that I emotionally connected to and couldn’t predict. I felt like some parts were predictable, but others had me genuinely shocked and honestly pretty anxious about what would come next. I also have conflicting feelings regarding the ending. If you’re looking for that “big twist” moment, then you will definitely love the ending. However, I didn’t necessarily need it to feel confident about my feelings about the book.

If you like a coming-of-age thriller with fantastic character development and emotional revealing of childhood secrets, then you will love this book!

This is a solid 4-star read for me. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for kindly giving me an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. Publication date in the US is April 23, 2024.

I literally couldn’t put this book down from the moment I picked it up. Three sisters who went through foster care together. While not related by blood they have a stronger than ever relationship after what they endured together. It wasn’t the best foster situation and with multiple twists and turns throughout I couldn’t put the book down wanting to know what happened at the end. They are still consistently in touch and all find out that there are bones found under the house they used to live in as fosters. Who do the bones belong to? And will the police believe them? I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Wow!!! The book started off strong and then lost me for a bit as we learned more about Jessica, Alicia, and Norah’s upbringing at Wild Meadows. The twist(s) were worth the wait. I loved the emotional complexity between all of the characters. It gave a haunting portrayal of cyclical abuse that will stay with me for a long while. This was a great 5-star read that I’m excited to recommend to friends.

Loved this book. A different plot and really liked the 3 sisters. I enjoyed the story line and their characters. Finished it in a day. Another great read by Sally Hepworth. Loved the ending as well.

My first ARC thanks to NetGalley! Lost me about halfway through. I thought it started off good but there were too many POVs and the ending fell short for me.

When bones are found under the house where many children were fostered there are questions that need to be answered.

This book flashes back between the past and present day. Jessica, Norah and Alecia are three young girls thrown together due to the loss of of loved ones. They are all orphans who need a home and are welcomed by Miss Fairfield. Four year old Jessica is the first child to be fostered at this beautiful home and farm. It seems like the perfect place to raise a child and Miss Fairchild loves Jessica as if she is her own. Until a second foster arrives which changes everything. Once Norah arrives there is a shift in Miss Fairfield. She becomes temperamental, frightening and no longer seems an ideal caregiver. She however continues to accept fosters. Once Alecia arrives the 3 girls form a sisterly bond to protect each other from Miss Fairfield and her sadistic ways.
The girls eventually break free of life with Miss Fairfield but not without consequences and the shadow of all that happened during their shared childhood.
Motherhood should be selfless. These 3 learn that it can be selfish and evil when paired with narcissistic tendencies. Can they live productive lives and overcome their childhood trauma?

I’m a fan of Sally Hepworth, so when I saw her newest book Darling Girls come up on NetGalley I was quick to grab it! I have now read five of her books and they always draw me in and keep my interest the whole way through. This was about three foster “sisters” who grew up together with their evil foster mother Miss Fairchild. When bones are found under their childhood home 25 years later, all of the girls’ past traumas are brought back to the surface as police try to figure out who they belong to. They find themselves questioning all of their memories and what actually happened. While the story was definitely disturbing and chilling, it seemed more like a mystery than a thriller to me at times. In true Sally Hepworth style, the ending did NOT disappoint and actually took me by surprise!! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press!
Trigger warnings: child abuse and drug addiction

I couldn’t start this book quick enough when I got an ARC from Net Galley. Sally Hepworth has not disappointed and this book was no different. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia’s story of being in foster care was heart breaking but was captivating to read with their sisterly bond. Miss Fairchild was an absolute monster and was easy to hate right off the bat. All the characters were developed so well, including the impacts of life as adults and the way foster care affected them. The twists and turns the story took, right up until the very last chapter made me unable to put the book down. Can’t wait for the next read by this author.

I am a huge Sally Hepworth fan and found this one to be less riveting than her other novels. I loved the characters and the relationship between the sisters, but I felt weirdly removed from Fairchild as a villain. Still, though, great storytelling and will always recommend Hepworth to thriller fans even if this one is a little calmer.

Trigger warning child and sexual abuse!

This book as a solid five for me. It had everything that I need from a thriller. The characters had depth, and were critically flawed, but ridiculously relatable! The plot twists, I did not see coming at all! I can’t help but want to know more of the character’s future. . Sally girl, you slayed with this one! Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read a kindle version of this amazing work of art.

The ultimate story of jealousy and narcissism. The foster system in Australia appears from the writing to have just as many issues as the US system. The book starts off with Jessica, new into the foster system with Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild loves her and gets Jessica to depend on her for affection and attention. Why stop at one foster child when you can make more money with two and so Norah was added. Miss Fairchild is not as taken with Norah but as Miss Fairchild learns about each child she uses their fears against them in punishment. Finally Alicia is added to the mix and the "sisters" bond to stay strong and survive the Miss Fairchild. Then the babies come......

The building of the story and the reflections of the current unfolding as well as the past details really adds to this psychological thriller. The author takes great care in really highlighting the tragedy of foster care, the heartbreak, the bonds, the isolation, as well as the mental health responses as they grow up and age out. The book is an exploration in the past and present timelines of the three women's lives and the ways that Miss Fairchild changes them: all 3 in the present day have clear personal issues that they've developed from trauma.

Well done to Sally Hepworth for the well developed story with a couple of turns in the layout. The book really sheds light on important topics right now of mental health, opioid drug addiction as well as narcissism.

Thank you to Sally Hepworth, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity.