Wow! This book had me hooked and I kept turning page after page wanting to know what happened next. Such a good story! This is the first book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth and I will definitely be looking for her books in the future to read. I never saw the ending coming. I enjoyed the bond between the three foster sisters - Alicia, Jessica and Norah. Their compelling stories and that of their foster mother and what they went through make this such a page turner as you the reader piece together the story. Hepworth keeps you guessing until the very last page and I love books that do that! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read an early release of this book, it was so great!

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
Had me from the very very beginning. I really enjoy Sally’s books she is an auto buy author for me. I could have totally binged this novel in one day if I would have had the time. Lots of twist and turns that kept you guessing. The character development and the past / present timeline really worked to engage you. Darling Girls had just the right amount of comic relief and sisterhood to break up the dark side of the storyline. It reminded me a little of a psychological thriller mixed with the novel “Before We We’re Yours” with an ending you really don’t see coming.

Trigger warnings: child abuse

Publish Date April 23, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley St. Martin’s Press , and Sally Hepworth for this ARC of Darling Girls.

I devoured this book! Couldn’t put it down. The three main characters personalities were fully fleshed out and they each had a distinctive voice. You could feel the love between them. Their relationship was like it’s own character. I really loved the Norah character in particular.

Due to the topic, this book can be hard to read at times but it’s clear the author did her research.

A thriller that hooked me quickly! I always enjoy a story told from different perspectives. Because the girls were so similar, there were times that I had trouble figuring out which story belonged to which character. The last chapter left me in SHOCK.

TW: sexual assault, child abuse

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this E-arc for my honest review.
Incredibly beautiful yet sad story of three foster care sister’s lives from childhood to adulthood as well as the stories of other children as well. A shocking twist at the end to this thriller.
This book is so many genres at once in my opinion and a must read for all! Sally Hepworth writes yet another fantastic story.
Make sure to read the acknowledgments too!!

This was my fifth Sally Hepworth novel, and it went straight to the top of my TBR pile when I got my hands on an ARC.

She is such a gifted storyteller, and this novel is no exception. I have a few of her older books to catch up on, and she’s on my “auto-read” author list. She’s also a delight to follow on Instagram.

For comparison’s sake, I gave “The Good Sister,” “The Mother-in-Law,” and “The Soulmate” five-star reviews. “The Younger Wife” got four stars.

“Darling Girls” was well-written, with a shocking twist ending and satisfying conclusions for the main characters. However, it felt darker, more unsettling, and slower-paced than her other books.

I would give it three stars, but upon reading the epilogue, I’m going for 3.5 stars rounded up to four. It's clear Hepworth did a lot of research and put a lot of care into writing about the traumas that result from horrific foster care situations.

It’s a bit of a slow burn but a worthwhile read.

I received the as an ARC and am greatly appreciative. I became a fan of Sally Hepworth after reading The Soulmate and Darling Girls does not disappoint! Set in the now and then of 25 years ago is a story of a foster family with 3 girls who forge a tight friendship and pinkie swear themselves as sisters. The grooming and abuse they endure together have a prolific affect on each girl as they try function in their day to day adult lives. When a dead body is found buried under the house they lived in all the trauma and hidden feelings resurface along with the tormentor. They are left to deal again with the past and the people that turned a blind eye to their plight so long ago. The life long tight bond between the girls never waiver and their voices finally heard. This really made me think how trauma and insecurities in childhood haunt your adult self. I could not put this book down; beautifully written with all the heartbreak and feels for these girls. Easily 5 stars for this book.

I have enjoyed other Sally Hepworth books but this one wasn’t for me and may be my last. I found the characters very stereotypical: tightly wound perfectionist Jessica, the “helper” Alicia, and the tough guy, Norah. I didn’t find anyone to root for, they were all so flat. I found the dialog unrealistic and would have preferred more descriptive content to the odd side plots (Kevin.) The twists felt obvious and made up on the fly. Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy.

Very appreciative that I received this ARC of “Darling Girls” by Sally Hepworth. It had been a long time since my last Sally Hepworth book and now I know I need to grab some more.

Read. This. Book.

This twisty tale explores so much (check trigger warnings) but especially the relationship and struggles of foster siblings, three girls. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have a bond that is years in the making. I love the character development (which lets be honest is lacking in so many books of this style) and the humor of this book, it’s great when a book sometimes so tough has comic relief.

Sure to keep you sucked in from go. Darling Girls had twists and turns and a shocking ending.

Sally Hepworth has done it again with Darling Girls, a compulsively readable domestic thriller that you will not be able to set down for even a second.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are brought together when human remains are found under the farmhouse where they were once fostered by one Miss Fairchild, a woman who kept them constantly in fear of her unpredictable moods and punishments. Told from the alternating POVs of the women, a disturbing picture emerges of the treatment that they endured as young girls under care. The only positive takeaway is the bond that the three 'sisters' share as a result of their collective trauma, but will it be enough to sustain them as the door to the past is pried open in light of the grisly finding under the house? And just how far will each go to protect the secrets of that past?

Sally Hepworth instantly established herself as a favourite author of mine with her very first book and, in my opinion, she can do no wrong in crafting a brilliant tale of domestic suspense that will keep you glued to the pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

I absolutely adore Sally Hepworth. She always writes in multiple POVs, which I love. This book was no different. The dynamics between the sisters was really interesting. I was fully enthralled in this book and I’m already anxiously awaiting her next one!

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth tells the story of a trio of sister forced to confront their past.

As with all Sally Hepworth books I enjoyed this story quite a lot. It was a little bit predictable but I still thought it was a fun ride. The characters were interesting and the chapters were compelling. I also liked that the chapters were short...made the story feel more fast paced.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Sally Hepworth never disappoints! Her latest, Darling Girls, kept me on the edge of my seat. I literally could not put this book down. It’s suspenseful, entertaining and will hurt your heart as you read what the characters endured. And the twist at the end…shocking!!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Darling Girls, publishing next spring, is the newest from one of my favorite thriller/mystery authors Sally Hepworth. Her more recent book The Soulmate was five stars for me and one of my favorites from this year.

In Darling Girls, three foster sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia, must face their traumatic past when human remains are found under the foster home they shared as children. The story alternates between the present as the three woman return to the town where they were fostered and the past where you witness the formation of their close relationship while they suffer abuse at the hands of their foster mother Miss Fairchild.

A side note: this book could potentially be very hard to read for some depending on their ability to stomach child abuse.

My favorite part of this book was the characterizations of the three main characters. Each woman responded differently to their abuse and display the effects of it differently as adults. Their close relationship and how they can read one another is also really interesting.

There are several mysteries to uncover in this book and by paying attention to the clues, I think the reader can easily discover them ahead of the reveals. A final twist left me quite surprised though, in true Hepworth fashion.

I pretty quickly figured out that Miss Fairchild was the one speaking to the psychiatrist and not one of the three main characters and I knew it would turn out that Jessica was the one feeding information to their foster mother. I think the clues were well placed to figure these things out and I felt very clever for doing so.

I was genuinely surprised by the final twist, but it left me with so many questions. I wanted to understand why Miss Fairchild treated the girls the way she did, but then we find that she is an unreliable narrator for her portions and I guess her motive is that she’s just evil? I dunno. It didn’t hurt my enjoyment of the book though.

I love Sally's way of writing a story that keeps you engaged throughout.
This book starts out with the three main characters all getting a call from a detective notifying them that there were bones found buried under the foster home they all used to live in. Immediately we think, who's bones? Why? Did the girls have something to do with it? The story unfolds with the three girls different POV's going between the past and present and was an engaging, read. I loved that all three girls had their own issues but that they stuck together no matter what happened. They had each other's backs the whole time. There are some trigger warnings and some heavy topics here so read with caution and check triggers.

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

Disturbing…..Dark……and I LOVED it!! “Sisters” Jessica, Norah and Alicia spend their formative years at Wild Meadows foster home, under the care of owner Holly Fairchild. As each girl arrives at the home, Miss Fairchild’s behavior and treatment of them gets more and more bizarre and abusive. She is controlling, manipulative and finds enjoyment over the psychological games she plays with the girls who depend on one another for protection and comfort. Twenty-five years after the girls are gone from Wild Meadows, a child’s body is discovered during excavation under the home. Whose body is it and who is responsible for the death? Still “sisters” all these years later, Jessica, Norah and Alicia stick together in an effort to help the detectives get answers to these questions. Triggers may include foster care and child & psychological abuse. I have never met a Sally Hepworth thriller that I did not love and this one is no exception. In my opinion, Sally can “write” no wrong. Many thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Publishing Group and of course Sally Hepworth for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Look at you, my darling girl.”

I do believe this is my favorite Sally Hepworth book I’ve read to date. It has everything I was looking for and more. I did figure out one of the twists, but was blown away both the last one.

The story flips POV’s to the three fostered girls. Fairly short chapters which I always love. Likable characters. Plot twists. All things I enjoy in a book.

Just when you think you have it figured out you don’t. She makes you feel toward one character a certain way only to in turn feel that way to another character. It was a wild ride and I loved it.

Thank you Sally Hepworth, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my e-arc. Check it out because you won’t want to miss it publish date is 04/23/24.

I really enjoyed this book. This was my first time reading something by Sally Hepworth so I was not sure what to expect. This was an unputdownable page turner. The book tells the story of three foster children and their foster mother and the horrors that happened while in their care. Something happens when are adults that brings them back to town where it all happened. You get the story from everyone’s POV which I really enjoyed.. The final twist at the end I did not see coming. I will be recommending this book to anyone who’s looking for a good psychological thriller.

Sally Hepworth got me again! I love her writing style and how she doesn't waste any time when telling a story. Darling Girls is dark, twisty and a little bit creepy; I was sucked in immediately. I was surprised by the ending, which is somewhat rare for me. Several times throughout, I thought I knew what was going to happen and then I was proven wrong. The only complaints I have is that the jump between timelines and people can be hard to follow in the beginning, and it ends very...abruptly. Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity!

This was another unputdownable book by Sally Hepworth, this one diving into the horrors of the foster care system. Jessica, Norah and Alicia became sisters when they were in Miss Fairchild's foster home and have remained that way into their adult lives. Each of the sisters has a different way of handling their trauma, but when human bones are found beneath the home they were fostered in, they have to face what they thought was left behind. There are so many twists that will keep you hooked and I'll admit that one of them was the one that bumped this up to a five star rating for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.