I am always excited for a new Sally Hepworth book and enjoyed “Darling Girls.” There was a good flow between the different character viewpoints and the past and present storylines. I really liked the characters of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. It was easy to sympathize with them, but they also had unique personalities that made them likable. There were well timed twists and turns up until the last page. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of ”Darling Girls” in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was not invested in the story. At almost 25% of the way through the book, I was still having trouble identifying who the main characters were. Unfortunately, it did not hold my attention long enough to finish it. This is disappointing because I feel that it would have been interesting if I wasn’t sorting through so much to get to the main details of the book.

This story was incredibly written. When I say I felt connected to the characters, I felt connected! I felt angry for them. I felt sad for them. I felt just as confused for them. Page after page I kept diving in for more. I couldn’t stop guessing throughout the entire book. The last chapter left me shell shocked!

The foster care system/families, multi-POV of the three main foster girls (Norah, Jessica, & Alicia), emotional/physical abuse and a mystery of who is at fault for the bones beneath their old foster care house is what can be anticipated for Darling Girls.

My first Sally Hepworth! This was definitely a page turner especially with the multi-POVs and before/now timelines that had the reader on their toes as the past unravels where the present divulges into the mystery of who is at fault. As the beginning sets up, I was fully invested as a reader to learn more about the girls and how they grew up with Miss Fairchild. However, as we approached the middle, it had lost quite a bit of steam. There was a lack of character depth to each character which felt repetitious in the character's actions/narrative throughout the rest of the story. Also the ending left me a bit unsatisfied? I wish there was a bit more grit and suspense.

As always, my biggest thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley and Sally Hepworth for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for my always honest review. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

I am a huge fan of Sally Hepworth! I loved this book so much! The past/present timelines, the characters were lovable, the mystery in this book, and OH that ending was unexpected! This is definitely tied with "The Soulmate" as my favorite Hepworth book!

Great book I love all of her books and the jaw dropping twist always keep me in ahh I did have a little hard time bouncing back and fourth from present to past or before with each character but all in all I really enjoyed this

Sally Hepworth does it again with a well written story, wonderful characters and a plot twist you don’t see coming.

Holy guacamole! This story has so many twists and turns that at least one of them will take you unawares. Probably more. You will follow these three foster "sisters" closely as you try to figure out what happened and what will happen. Couldn't put it down!

3.7, so rounded up to 4. I didn't know what to expect, but I've enjoyed some of her other books. This one fell flat as a mystery, and the characters were a bit underdeveloped. I liked it enough to finish it, but the ending was disappointing. Thank you #netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While the story kept my interest I was a little disappointed in this one. Other books by this author were more compelling, more mysterious. There are a couple of twists though. One of them I was starting to figure out along the way. So I was sort of unimpressed with the big reveal. However, in true Hepworth form, that big reveal may or may not be the only big reveal. I don't want to spoil anything but the epilogues tie up the story nicely. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an Advanced copy. I will definitely keep Hepworth on my must-read list.

Sally Hepworth did not disappoint with another amazing book jam packed with twists and turns! It even had some snarky humor. I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend this book and well all of her books!

Darling Girls is a whirlwind, mind boggling, heart wrenching novel that makes you second guess everything.
A Multi-POV thriller that keeps you on your toes. Each backstory to tie together the whole story of a who-dunnit after a body was found under the Foster home the main characters lives in for a period of time.
I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves a great plot, character development with plenty of twists.

Thank you for the early advanced copy! I was very invested in the setup of the story and couldn't wait to dig into the mystery it promised. The pacing at the beginning hooked me right away, and I was sure the body under the house was going to be Ms. Fairchild. The final twist about Ms. Fairchild was great. Turns out she was the real monster all along!
But then things kinda slowed down once we found out she was alive. It felt like the story lost its steam in the middle.
Rating this one was tricky because it had me glued to the pages, but it also left me feeling pretty disturbed. I liked how the author switched between past and present with the foster children storyline—it kept things interesting. However, I think they dwelled a bit too much on the abuse stuff, and I wish she'd spent more time developing the characters. Overall though, the story flowed well, and there were some surprises I didn't see coming mixed in with the stuff I could predict. It's definitely a book that'll keep you turning pages, even if it's a bit heavy at times.

I recently finished Darling Girls , and I must say, it took me on quite the journey. From the very first page, I was hooked by its intricate plot and dynamic characters. The author skillfully weaved a web of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end.

What I loved most about the book were the unexpected surprises sprinkled throughout. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, another curveball was thrown my way, leaving me eagerly turning the pages to uncover the next revelation.

And oh, the ending! It was nothing short of shocking. Without giving away any spoilers, I’ll just say that it left me reeling and contemplating the story long after I turned the final page.

In conclusion, I wholeheartedly recommend Darling Girls to anyone who enjoys a gripping, suspenseful read filled with surprises. It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions that you won’t want to miss.

I was lucky enough to snag an audio and e-book copy and I'm so glad that I had the chance to experience both. The narrator was wonderful, and I easily followed along with who was who within the story. The sister element is a favorite of mine and this was multi-layered. The past and present timelines were well done and tied the story together and the addition of the therapist notes added a twisty element. This was a story that kept me guessing and still found a way to shock me at the end. Well done.

Miss Fairchild has a had a history of taking in foster girls. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia we raised in Miss Fairchild home but have differing memories of growing in the household. With the discover of a body, the girls must re-examine their memories to face the truths of their past.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth--Thriller fans will likely enjoy this upcoming release (April 23) by Sally Hepworth. Norah, Jessica, and Alicia spent several years together as foster children in Miss Fairchilds' abusive home. Now as adults they still consider themselves sisters bonded by their childhood. Then they are contacted by police about bones being found under their foster home and drawn back into the story of their childhood. Flashbacks are used to fill in the story. I liked that the chapters were short and fast-moving. The twist ending wasn't super shocking but maybe I've just read too many thrillers.

As an avid, long-time fan of Sally Hepworth's novels, I started DARLING GIRLS expecting her clear-eyed, well-written story of what happens when three young women are brought for their perspectives for a murder investigation involving their foster home at Wild Meadows and Miss
Fairchild. Each character is given a voice and I enjoyed the wildly different perspectives and the dual timelines of their past and the current day when police are attempting to solve the mystery of bones found underneath the house where they lived. Hepworth is an excellent writer -- and I particularly savor her descriptions of setting and surroundings. What did me in was the horrific cruelty and unbelievable horrors inflicted on the vulnerable children left unsupervised and undefended under the care of a pretty "Barbie doll" blonde monster dressed to impress. Even knowing that the girls ultimately left the farm and grew up did not help. I wondered if the horrors inflicted on the children might have been better hinted at rather than drawn out in exquisite detail with additional insight on how they moved past that time to arrive in the current day and in creating new futures for themselves now that the past truths are known. Deeply disappointed in how a fascinating story was told. Do not recommend. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Foster families, emotional and physical abuse coupled with a murder is everything you can expect from Darling Girls. I enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s last novel, The Soulmate so much but can not say the same for this novel. The past and future timeline is always a great page turner for me but the depth of the characters was a miss in this novel. I am still a Sally Hepworth fan and look forward to another novel from her in the future. Thanks to Netgalley and Saint Martin Press for the opportunity to read in advance.

This would have been a 5* but I thought there was a lot of repetition of the days spent under Ms. Fairchild’s care. It slowed the book down a bit. Otherwise, great page turner! I found myself fully invested in this book from the very beginning and found it hard to put this book down. I wanted to know about the bones, how they got there and whose bones were buried under the house. I found this to be a suspenseful and shocking read. I enjoyed reading the POV chapters and learning more about each character. I also enjoyed the therapy sections and did not know initially who was talking to the therapist. This book does discuss the mistreatment and abuse of children, and it may be a trigger for some, so please be aware of this.