Three foster children were all adopted by Miss Fairchild at various times. Miss Fairchild lived alone on a secluded farm which she grew up on. She prided herself on cleanliness. The girls were made to do all of the chores to keep the house clean and punished if things were not up to Miss Fairchild’s standards. Jessica, Norah and Alicia are as close as sisters now that they are older and will do anything for one another. When the body of a child is discovered on Miss Fairchild’s property, the three of them return to the town they grew up in to help in the investigation. When they were young, a fourth girl was brought into their home but soon disappeared. They never knew what happened to her and it’s been weighing on them all of these years.
This is a twisty, wild ride. Between the gaslighting, abuse and manipulation by Miss Fairchild to these young girls, you will feel so shocked and appalled. It’s literally insane the things that are said and done to groom them to her liking. The story flips between present day, when the girls were living at the home, and with a psychiatrist transcript of who we don’t know the patient.
The ending twist is enough to keep you thinking well beyond the ending of the book. I love a thriller that keeps me thinking.
Thank you, St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review this title! This is my fourth read by Sally Hepworth and ties with The Good Sister for my favorite.

ABSOLUTELY one of my favorite reads ever. This is dark, thrilling, with complex characters that will continue to keep you guessing and turning pages.

Darling Girls was incredible!! I recommend this book and audiobook to everyone. I read the ARC and then listened to the audiobook. The narrators brought it to life in a different way that I thoroughly enjoyed!! The story left me guessing and that isn’t easy to do. I fell in love with so many of the characters. I cannot wait to read another Sally Hepworth book.

This was my first from this author and definitely won’t be my last. I love a good book that weave back and forth between past and present. This book had me hooked from the start.

It’s a hard balance for a book to be rooted in trauma but also witty and funny. With Darling Girls, Sally Hepworth manages to do it well. This book is a sad tale of childhood fosterdom, and tells the story of how three foster children become three adults who were once in the foster system. There’s a lot of character building in this book - learning the vices that each woman uses to make her feel a bit more human without truly sharing herself with others. Because neither Jessica, Norah, or Alicia let people in. Whether married, working with foster kids, or using sex transactionally, these women are just doing their best to get through each day.

So when they’re called back to Wild Meadows, the foster home they lived in together as young girls, because bones were found under the house, it’s a shock to them each, and gives an opportunity for them to bend, break, or blossom.

I loved the character development in this book, and the way the chapters were broken down. It set up the story in such an interesting way and made it thrilling and complex as I, the reader, tried to put together the pieces of the story being told.

There were moments where I thought “aha! I’ve figure it out. This is obviously what happened.” Then I’d hear more of the story and think “oh, never mind. It was something else,” then moved on to “these things can both be true!”

But the real kicker was that’s just what the story wanted you to believe.

I really enjoyed this book. I appreciated the moments of love and loyalty, those moments of light in the darkness. This wasn’t a happy story, but it did have happy pieces, and I really liked that.

I really enjoyed this book. The three main characters have such distinct personalities and Hepworth does a great job of carrying those voices through the story from their childhood and their adulthood. The author does a good job jumping from the story in the past to the present day. I really liked the twist.

As a heads up, this story does deal with some heavy topics.

Darling Girls is one of those books that will stay with me. It kept me guessing from start to finish. One of my favorites from Sally Hepworth to date!

3.5 Hepworth has been one of my favorite authors for years. while this wasn’t my favorite by her, I overall enjoyed it and I flew through it. I think I had a hard time buying in to the characters in the beginning which made it difficult for me to buy in to the story overall, but I got there, especially as we got to know the childhood versions of the characters more. the abuse in this was very difficult to read and at times felt like it bordered on “trauma porn” which was really my main issue with the book. I do really appreciate that Hepworth interviewed actual women who lived in foster care as well as social workers to base some of these experiences off of. overall, a decent fast-paced thriller that I do recommend, but definitely proceed with caution if reading about abuse is difficult for you! thanks to @netgalley for the gifted digital copy ✨

Yes yes yes yes yes! This was such a great thriller. It was tense, it had twists, it had me guessing! Just so good!

Jessica (a professional organizer), Alicia (a social worker), and Norah (with an H) all grew up in foster care at Wild Meadows with their foster mother, Mrs. Fairchild. As we meet the girls in their 30s, we learn that something atrocious has happened at Wild Meadows and it forces each girl to face the trauma that they faced while in foster care. Through past and present timelines, we learn about each girl and see a twisted, tortured story unfold.

Literally my only few small reasons for not giving 5 stars is because I got confused on timelines a couple of times and felt like the girl’s names at the beginning of the chapters were sometimes wrong (some chapters focused on 1 girl but some focused on all three). This book also switches between 1st and 3rd person and it kept throwing me for a loop.

Other that those small things, this story had me HOOKED. I was obsessed with the background of each girl and how it led them to the issues they had in the present. I think Sally (maybe unknowingly so) also showed what it is like in the foster system more often than not, which is something that I believe isn’t talked about enough. I was guessing all throughout the book and loved how everything wrapped up. Another win for me from Sally!

I really liked this one. There are 3 women - Jessica, Norah, and Alicia - who grew up together in the same foster home. The chapters rotate among their perspectives, along with a 4th POV that slowly reveals itself.

The women are thrust back to their past when the home they grew up in is torn down and the remains of a human child are discovered.

The women face the cruelty of their foster mother and their individual struggles when they return to the small town to help police try to get to the truth.

I really enjoyed the different perspectives as each woman was very different and unique. The revelations are well done and I was speculating all along the way. I recommend this book, especially if you've enjoyed other Hepworth titles in the past.

I knew I was a Sally Hepworth fan but after this one, she’s a must-buy going forward. How does she continue to churn out these unique layered stories? This was an enthusiastic five stars from me. This novel features one of my favorite plot devices in a way that I didn’t see coming and nothing makes me happier in a book! The description felt heavy and make no mistake the content is tough to read at times but it’s handled well and there’s a good balance to the tension. Loved the role of the dogs in offering levity and comfort.

This book kept me interested enough to keep reading, especially towards the end.
The plot has to do with three foster "sisters" growing up with a troubled foster mom. The way the story is told is interesting as it goes back and forth in time, and there is a present-day mystery that stirs up the past.
Interesting read, especially if you like thrillers.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this advanced reading copy.

"A thrilling page-turner about sisterhood, secrets, love and murder by Sally Hepworth, the New York Times bestselling author of The Soulmate and The Mother-in-Law."

Sally Hepworth is a never miss author for me. Her books are creative and her twists are original and well written. I really enjoyed the character development in this title. Learning about the characters, Jessica, Nora, and Alicia, and how they became the people they are as adults was the best part for me. The troubling portrayal of the foster care system was heartbreaking. You really root for these girls, even when they are making questionable decisions. I highly recommend this book (and all of Sally Hepworth's books)!

This book was WILD.

I say that with every mystery thriller because I never guess what’s going to happen and then it blows my mind at the end 😂.

There are a LOT of characters in this book, and you’re getting POV from the three main women, both in the past and in the present. In addition to someone talking with a therapist that you don’t really catch on who it is until later (unless I missed something but it wasn’t until 50% in that I caught on). Audio can give a bit rough with all these changes and there’s only one narrator so recommend ebook or print for this one.

The story is fast paced, clever, and I was able to sort of figure out part of it at around 80%, until the last chapter TOTALLY threw me and WHEW what an ending.

There were times where I felt like there was just TOO much side stuff going on with the MC’s. Like each character was dealing with the main plot while there was something very dramatic happening in their personal lives. The story was quite stuffed.

But if you’re a big fan of mystery thrillers, I think you’ll like this one. It had me guessing the whole time.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Sally Hepworth's Darling Girls is a captivating novel that explores the intricate bonds of sisterhood and the enduring power of family. With her signature storytelling style, Hepworth weaves a tale of love, loss, and the complexities of human relationships.

The story centers around the Cunningham sisters, Anna and Lily, who have been inseparable since childhood. Their lives are seemingly perfect, but beneath the surface, a dark secret threatens to tear them apart. As the truth unravels, the sisters must confront their past and find a way to heal their fractured bond.

Hepworth's characters are beautifully drawn, each with their own unique personalities and struggles. The sisters' relationship is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and readers will find themselves rooting for their reconciliation. The novel also delves into the complexities of family dynamics and the enduring power of love.

Darling Girls is a poignant and uplifting story that will stay with readers long after the final page. It is a testament to the human spirit and the resilience of the human heart.

I always enjoy novels by Sally Hepworth. They offer the perfect balance of being a thriller without keeping me up at night. I especially enjoyed the multiple timelines.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my honest review.*

I will always, always read anything that Sally Hepworth writes!

Differing timelines done exquisitely well. Several points of view so that you know what is going on in everyone's devious little minds. Looks into therapy sessions where you don't know who is being counseled.

Everything always works so well together in Hepworth's novels and the twists are usually ones that I never thought of and cause audible gasping!

4.5 stars

When a body is found under the home they grew up in, foster sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia must travel back to Wild Meadows in Port Agatha to be interviewed by the police as key witnesses.

But seeing their foster mother Miss Fairchild triggers memories of abuse and instability. Will seeing her again stir up memories and secrets they hoped would remain buried? Are they witnesses or key suspects?

I always get excited to read a new Sally Hepworth novel! She has a way of introducing interesting characters into a compelling domestic situation with enough surprise twists that never seem contrived or forced and always leave you wanting to turn the pages.

Darling Girls lived up to my expectations! In fact, it’s one of my favorite Hepworth novels.

I equally enjoyed each of the sisters perspectives. They all had past trauma they were dealing with, but the trauma was seamlessly woven into the plot in a way that enhanced the current story and never felt like it slowed down the narrative. We not only get POVS from each of the three sisters, but we also get their POVs from the past as well. Hepworth did a skillful job of integrating the past and present in a complimentary way that made the pacing smooth and engaging.

To amp up the mystery, there are also chapters scattered amongst the sister’s narratives of from an unknown person speaking to a psychiatrist telling the story of their past. Is this one of the sisters? Or is this someone else?

I half physically read, half listened to the audio for Darling Girls. The audiobook narrator helped bring the different sister’s voices to life. For Norah, she perfectly captured her brashness, for Jessica her soft-spoken, people-pleasing tone, and for Alicia her firmness in taking charge. I’d highly recommend the audio!

*Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio & St. Martin’s Press for the digital and audio arc. All opinions are my own.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia became sisters by choice as they were put into the foster care sister. Left to the manipulations and twisted thoughts of Miss Fairchild. Fast forward and the girls are grown up. A body has been discovered buried underneath the house and the girls are summoned back by the police. The trio all carry mental scars of the emotional damage dealt by Miss Fairchild. The story is told from multiple points of view in the past and present

Definitely a twist or two at the end

Who does the body belong to? Who was the killer?

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC. This review is my honest opinion.

The story of the 3 sisters was fascinating and sad all at once. I really was shocked by the ending although some of it was a bit predictable from the story progression