I was really proud of myself for figuring this one out, but of course I should have realized that the true twist would come within the last few pages of the book! This was a dark and twisty domestic thriller about three girls in foster care who go back to the town in which they were fostered after a police investigation begins when bones are found at their the site of their old foster home. Their former foster mother, Miss Fairchild, was emotionally and psychologically abusive, leaving the reader to wonder who the bones belonged to, and how they fit into the story. It was told in the point of view of the three sisters; Jessica, the perfectionist, Norah, the one with rage problems, and Alicia, who has issues with self-worth. The story is also jumps back and forth from the past to now. I found it to be extremely faced paced and kept me enthralled- I could not wait to figure out how the mystery was solved. The twists were great, and I loved the ending. This is a very dark book with difficult subject matter, therefore it might be beneficial to read about trigger warnings prior to reading if needed. The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing all the different characters to life. The narrator kept it interesting, and made me want to keep listening because I couldn't wait to hear more of the story. Overall, I enjoyed my time with this one, and will continue to read any and all Sally Hepworth books in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for an advanced listening copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

When life hands you lemons, be a nasty, manipulative person? This was a perfectly fine thriller. It had intrigue and madness, but also too many characters. I struggled to keep them all straight. The main theme that stood out to me is that there was a ton of unaddressed mental illness in all of them. And in the end, why is all the child abuse happening?!

The audiobook was narrated by Jessica Clarke. She was easily understood at faster speeds, but lacked difference in the character voices.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and author Sally Hepworth for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Good balance between past and present, as well as the multiple perspectives.

While this was a good binge, some moments are heavy considering the subject involved.

Some predictable components to the novel, but still had some surprising twists!

Enjoyed the narrator.

This book is so full of dysfunction it was hard to keep up, but entertaining none-the-less. Without spoiling anything, just know - there are true villains out there in the world, and the one in this book certainly did not get what they deserved. While the exact twist at the end was surprising, a lot of the plot was predictable. I will say it did keep me engrossed, and I finished this book within a few hours. Overall, there was a little bit too much going on for me, but I wouldn't say it was enjoyable; just not my favorite thriller/suspense novel.

I’m a huge fan of Sally’s books and this one didn’t disappoint! It was interesting to get to know the sisters as adults and learn about their traumatic childhood. Mrs. Fairchild had major mommy dearest vibes. And as bits and pieces were revealed it only led to more questions on my end. There are many twists and turns all the way up to the very end!

💙 Foster Care
🏠 Found Family
♒️ Multiple POVs
⚖️ Dual Timelines

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice Level: 🧼 Squeaky Clean

In this novel, a lot happens from the beginning. There is a mysterious character we don’t know about… Jessica, Norah and Alicia were raised by an abusive foster mother, Miss Fairchild, who they escaped and never looked back until bones c are found under the house they grew up raising a lot of questions, also putting them on the spotlight as potential witnesses. It was a wild ride! I did the audio and I have to admit the different characters threw me off for a second. Once the mystery is clarified at the very end it all paid out!

This was my first book with Sally Hepworth. It was good. Felt the story was good but maybe could of been easier with just a 2 person POV. Felt like the book started to drag on for a little bit at one point before it started to get good again. It was a quick read and i enjoyed it, but I cant say I would read it again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and how twisted the foster mother was. For the longest while I could not figure out which character had the sections with the psychologist and once it was revealed it was so crazy and twisted. I really liked the relationship between the sisters and how they leaned on each other. This was a great read.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is a quick read that kept me engaged throughout, and I enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Jessica Clarke.

Content warning: girls experience childhood trauma in the foster care system.

Set in Australia (of course), this is told in dual time (Then and Now) with rotating points of view. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia bonded as "sisters" when each was placed into foster care with Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows farm. Twenty-five years later, a tragic discovery is made at the farm, and local law enforcement requires the women to return for questioning. As the investigation moved forward, long-held secrets are revealed.

It was interesting to meet the women as adults and learn how their relationships developed in childhood. I wonder if the author was in a dark place in life as she wrote this because all of the characters seemed more 'troubled' than in her previous novels I've enjoyed.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the review copies of this novel.

It's not always the length of time that's important.....sometimes you just know.


Suspenseful and unforgettable family drama!

My auto-read author does it again! Sally Hepworth knows how to open her story and pulls you in with an unknown voice at a psychiatrist! Needless to say, she keeps you guessing the identity of this person and how it all ties up with the story until a very twisty ending.

Families come in many different forms. In the case of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, the three "sisters" grew up together under the care of Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows farming estate. Sounds like an ideal place to grow up? Far from it, their foster mother, Miss Fairchild is nothing but strict and disturbing.

Twenty-five years later, the home is sold and then torn down when bones are found...

I enjoy dual-timeline stories and find that Hepworth does this so well. The three MCs are different and easy to remember. There's a good mix of suspense, friendship, and sisterhood. Highly recommend this on audio read by the talented Jessica Clarke.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC.

SALLY HEPWORTH DOES IT AGAIN!

Hepworth is an author that just speaks to me. I love her writing, her storytelling, and her twisted storylines! Darling Girls is a stand out for me in that the characters, plot, and twists had me hooked from page one.

I loved the dynamics between the three sisters and how different they each were. It was wildly entertaining and intriguing learning about their warped functionality and how they were coping with their troubled pasts. Hepworth did a remarkable job manifesting childhood traumas with the sisters' current behaviors and personalities and I loved that psychological undercurrent to the story.

This one really kept me guessing and had me questioning things up until the final moments. I was duped more than once and my jaw may still be on the floor.

There were definitely times when this book was a little hard to read and I became emotional. Hepworth is an all star at connecting her readers to the characters and I felt such pain for the struggles they were facing.

I love how everything came together. I had about 10% left and wondered "how on earth can we tie up all the loose threads out there in this short amount of time"?! But I was wrong to ever doubt Hepworth and everything came together flawlessly without being rushed and with many more surprises around every turn.

The audio for this novel is great. The accents took a little getting used to (Aussie) but the pacing is great and it's such an entertaining read to listen to.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the copy. Don't wait - get this one now!

Okay let me start with: Sally Hepworth and I have a complicated relationship... There are some of her works I loved and some I DID NOT like (looking at you, "The Good Sister" although I'm an outlier with that one, lol) I literally wrote in my last review: "Okay, Sally. Whatever you have next might be the determining factor of my overall opinion of your stories" And the opinion is..... Loved this one so I'll keep going back for more!

Would recommend if you love:
-decades old secrets
-multi POV and multi timeline
-bonds of sisterhood forged by trauma
-mystery with minimal police procedural

This is told from the POV (but third person) of three sisters-by-love-not-by-blood, Jessica, Norah (with an h, this is pointed out 400 times), and Alicia PLUS therapy sessions with a psychiatrist and an unknown person (I figured out fairly early on who the person was and the circumstances of the therapy sessions as well) AND 'before' chapters from the sister's POV from when they lived at the foster home of Miss Fairchild; it sounds like a lot but, for me, was super easy to keep straight, especially because each of the sisters is so different in personality and characteristics.

Trigger warnings for child abuse, bad fostering situations, addiction, SA

This is packed with secrets and had some good twists. I like that each of the three sisters is struggling with their own issues (wait, that sounds bad, not that I liked the struggle but they each had something -- they weren't perfect) but I wished they'd opened up to each other sooner. Some of their 'issues' have more dire consequences than others.

The very last chapter 'twist' was something I actually didn't see coming! Usually the last page twist just for funsies is NOT my thing but this one made so much sense I couldn't really hate it.

I thought the narrator did a good job with being expressive. There was one narrator throughout, rather than separate for each sister. All this meant was that I need to pay attention to who the chapter was from POV of -- BUT with this being third person I don't think it really mattered all that much. Extra thx to Macmillan Audio for the audio widget <3

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on a lovely farm and given a second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

I thought this was a quick read that kept my attention really well. Sometimes it can be hard to keep the characters straight when there are multiple main figures in the story, but the author did a great job introducing the reader to each of the sisters and you could clearly picture them and their personalities in your head. It was easy to understand where they were coming from and their motivations.

I thought this was an intriguing psychological suspense story, with a nice balance of twists to keep you interested. There were some twists that I could see coming, and some that were more unexpected. I thought it was a solid ending, fitting to the story of the book and I also enjoyed seeing how the story moved forward for each character in the future. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was a fantastic audiobook! The narrator was an incredible storyteller, and I didn’t want to stop listening. Three sisters, through the foster system, have moved on with their lives. That is until a body was discovered under their foster home. Who murdered and buried the body? Can anyone be trusted? These characters were all so diverse and all had issues they had to overcome. The writing was captivating, and the story line drew me right in. This is definitely one to pick up!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are the darling girls. These three grew up in what looked like an idyllic foster home from the outside, but in actuality, it was a nightmare. Wild Meadows is run by Miss Fairchild. She has a fancy face for the public and a sinister one for the girls where evil lies just under the surface of her soul.

The story moves from past to present with much frequency offering insight into past traumas of each girl and what their life was like living at Wild Meadows. In the present time, each girl has found their own way of coping as an adult and remain close like sisters.

The mystery of a dead body found on the property of Wild Meadows was interesting, but it seemed to be in the background. I found myself wanting more of the present timeline and less of the past. I think it was necessary to include some chapters on what it was like for these girls as children, but it was too much and I found myself disappointed every time the narrator said the word "before."

Sally Hepworth does a good job of shedding light on mental health awareness and the emotional impact trauma leaves on a person. These women did resonate with me. I enjoyed the narrator with her pleasing Aussie voice and calm tone. Though it still took me over a month to finish it. I think if I was reading this book instead of listening I might have given up before the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advance review copy.

Sally Hepworth's upcoming novel, DARLING GIRLS, is definitely one of her stronger novels as of late. I usually struggle with some of her newer releases because they're such slow-burn suspense stories that take awhile to get into, but they always pay off in the end.

The story is centered around three women, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. As young girls, they were rescued by their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, and are living in pretty questionable standards of living. Miss Fairchild has effectively changed the course of their lives forever with how they were raised and it definitely can be hard to hear about as we dive into each of their stories. Trigger warning for child abuse, just saying! It's hard to really go down the rabbit hole with this one, but use your imagination on how this could go, but the ending really sold it for me. With such a slow burn, sometimes the payoff isn't worth it, but it definitely is in DARLING GIRLS. If you've liked the author's previous works, you'll love DARLING GIRLS. Heck, it may be my favorite one by Sally Hepworth yet!

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @sallyhepworth for the ALC to listen and review!

“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵.”

I ate this domestic suspense/mystery up! There are several different POVS including a mystery person. The narrator nailed all those aspects. The past and present timeline that slowly fills you in with all the information was so well done. I do feel like it was a slower pace but the family dynamics keep me engaged and I didn't mind the pacing. A not so typical family with lots of underlining elements.

Foster sisters who have really had a crazy go at it.
I really love how the girls were portrayed. They are strong and resilient after everything they have been through. To get to see their journey was insane but they kicked life's ass and made a comeback. I love it.

Darling Girls is an adrenaline-fueled psychological thriller that will grip you from the first page to the last. Don't miss the explosive beginning of an unforgettable adventure of the journey of three strong women that will leave you on the edge of your seat. It is the first book I've read from the author. I had a hard time putting it down. The ending was a real jaw-dropper that I didn't see coming. My head spun; it was hard to swallow. This book isn't for everyone dealing with the foster care system and the abuse. It may be triggering. So please read all the TW before reading.

I enjoyed that the author included an extended denouement that traces Jessica, Nora, and Alicia's lives after the shocking outcome that is bittersweet and realistic. I fell in love with the main characters. They were well-developed, deeply flawed, and so relatable. It's well-paced, full of suspense and reveals that unravel into a compelling page-turner. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are foster care children placed at Wild Meadows, a farmhouse owned and run by Miss Fairchild. The trio form an unbreakable bond, and their story shows the strength of sisterhood and resilience of children. The sisters have done everything possible as adults to forget the atrocities they witnessed firsthand at "Wild Meadows." Still, when a contractor discovers human remains under their old foster home, the girls are pulled back to Wild Meadows; they are not happy about returning to the small country town of Port Agatha at first and have to dredge up their painful past but become eager to uncover the truth about who the bones belong to and who hid them underneath the house. Is one of them hiding a secret?

Darling Girls alternates between multiple points of view from Jessica, Nora and Alicia's and parallel timelines. We learn about the girls' time in foster care while a similar plot line follows the investigation into the mysterious bones. There is also an enigmatic character who talks to DR. Warren. I found these chapters fascinating. The character development in this book is unmatched. From the neurotic, selfish and manipulative Miss Fairchild to the neurotic Jessica, an angry and volatile Nora who gets herself in some legal situations and Alicia, an insecure with a vast heart, Hepworth expertly built equally relatable and heart-wrenching profiles. I admire her shining a light on the harsh realities of the failures of the foster care system and how much research the author put into this novel and did it with sensitivity.
I highly recommend you read it; you won’t be disappointed!! I highly recommend both the hard copy and the audiobook. Jessica Clarke did a fantastic job narrating. I found her voice to be compelling and brought the characters to life.

Expected Publication Date in Canada and the USA: April 23, 2024

I want to thank St. Martin's Press, Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Jessica, Alicia, and Norah were raised together by Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows, a seemingly idyllic farm. They were told they were lucky to have escaped their pasts and found a new family. However, Miss Fairchild's rules were strict, and her kindness could be unpredictable.

Years later, when human remains are discovered on the property, the women are questioned by the police, forcing them to confront the unsettling secrets they buried deep within.

The story unfolds through alternating timelines, slowly revealing the complex relationship between the women and their foster mother. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are all well-developed, each with their own distinct personalities and struggles.

Throughout the book, I was deeply invested in the characters and their struggles to overcome their childhood trauma, while the suspenseful atmosphere kept me guessing until the very end.

I really liked this one! Jessica Clarke did a fantastic job narrating the audiobook, bringing the story to life with her engaging voice. Thank you @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the gifted copies of Darling Girls.

4.25 stars
My first Sally Hepworth book but definitely not my last!
If you are sensitive to them, please check content warnings because this heavily deals with topics like child abuse, but wow this was really well done. It was incredibly sad but felt so real. I adored the girls and the shifting perspectives and timelines kept the story engaging, making it was hard to put down. And it’s been a while since I’ve hated a character *this* much- it has a superbly done villain that had me incredibly upset. I want to beat them up so bad.
The bits of romance were really cute and only added to the story. I’m glad that they took a backseat because the rest is so serious, but those moments of kindness/ sweetness added emotional range and depth to the characters. And the found family trope was so good. My heart absolutely melted when Aaron asked about adopting Theo 🥺🥺
About halfway through things did start to get a bit predictable, but the ride was still enjoyable and it wasn't too early that things were boring. It was just early enough that I felt smart lol. That being said there was one twist that I didn't guess at all and I loved it ( SPOILER: I loved that her abuse can’t then be justified that "oh well she was abused as a child". She has been manipulating her whole life and did unspeakable things to kids- no mercy for her. Although it does suck that she won’t get the proper punishment at least she won’t think she can mess with Jessica again.)
I'm really happy with how things got resolved both in the large scale with the mystery and our girls and the Kevin side storyline (f him). The last chapter was SO cute and I had a giant goofy smile on my face while listening.
P.s. the Aussie accents made the audiobook experience even more enjoyable haha
Huge thank you to Macmillan for an early audiobook arc!