To be fair, I only made it to 40% of this book. However, I found the amount of child abuse in this book unreadable and I could not continue. This book reminded me a lot of Alice Feeney’s I Know Who You Are in terms of its use of child abuse as a shock factor. I know many people love Hepworth’s books, but I could not stomach this one.

I really loved this book. I had never read anything by this author before but I will now. There were lots of twists and I did not see the end coming.

Darling Girls is told in two timelines, with the before being the three girls during their time in foster care, and the present being those girls now as grown women having to deal with repercussions from the past. I thought the timelines were well balanced, with just enough of each to give us a clear picture of all that happened.

I listened to the audiobook, and initially I struggled a bit. All three girls/women have POV parts. The narrator is quite good, but she doesn’t change her tone at all for each character. Consequently, I initially got confused as to which person’s story was being told. To further muddle my brain, the children’s thoughts and dialogue often came off more mature than their age. But once I settled in, the different personalities became apparent.

The story unravels with Hepworth’s trademark combination of drama and suspense.

I loved the connection between these three females, and how this bond gave them each something to cling to over the years.

Read Completed 4/24/24 | 3.75 stars
Sally Hepworth can be hit or miss for me, but I was interested in trying DARLING GIRLS and I'm glad I read it! At some points it felt a bit more drama than thriller, really focusing on the characters of the book and while it was engaging, it wasn't super fast paced or heart-pounding. Some of the pacing was a little off for me at times, but it wasn't in a bad way. It just wasn't quite what I was expecting and there were some lulls, but I enjoyed getting to know the characters and what their stories were.

I don't always love the "troubled kids in a foster home" thriller trope because I feel like it's overly used and honestly, I don't love reading all of the abuse that authors tend to include with it. (Can we have some more nice foster home stories? I know both exist. Though I guess nice stories don't make good thrillers.) I did really love how the sisters came together and bonded so tightly after what they all went through in their lives. I think the one "complaint" I had about the book was that SO much of it took place in the past. We spend a lot of time with the girls as their stories unfold in the past and I always have a little bit of a hard time when we spend more time in the past than the present, but it really was necessary and where most of the plot took place in the book. I didn't dislike it but I did miss spending more time with them all in the present day.

The ending came with an extra punch that surprised me and I was happy to see one more exciting element as the book closed. There were a lot of tough topics in this book which makes it kind of hard to read and rate sometimes, but this one left me with more positive feelings and I liked that we got to root for the sisters and we didn't get left with total despair.

If you liked this, read... No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall, Those Girls by Chevy Stevens

All the stars for that utterly clever and wicked ending!

Oh my goodness! It’s been a while since I’ve had a five star thriller, but this deserves all the hype and attention!

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Synopsis –

Foster sisters Jessica, Norah & Alicia have always been told that they were lucky to have grown up in the Wild Meadows foster home run by Miss Fairchild. But only they knew what it really was. As they left Wild Meadows under dire circumstances & escaped Miss Fairchild’s hold on them, her presence would never cease to exist in their lives. When some human bones are discovered under the building they were fostered in, the 3 sisters become key witnesses in the case. Were any of them killers?

Review -

The narrator Jessica Clarke was exemplary as she multiplexed her voice between the 3 sisters, Miss Fairchild and several other characters. It was an excellent audiobook that escalated my enjoyment.

Holy moly! What a brilliant plot construction and execution of a classic misdirection by the author. As the narratives shifted between the sisters’ POVs from the past and present, I was instantly sucked into their world of foster care and came under the spell of Miss Fairchild.

Hepworth boldly incorporates the horrors foster children endure and portrays their reverberating consequences through the characters of the 3 sisters. There are several elements at play here – sister dynamics, jealousy, an obsessive and controlling care giver with unpredictable behavioral patterns, impossible rules and terrifying retribution, that were hard to stomach.

I loved how the girls become each other’s rocks, developing a strong bond and sisterhood - amidst the trauma and unthinkable abuse they suffered. I cared for them deeply and really hoped they would turn out ok as adults.

The highlight of the thriller is how the present and the past collide, unearthing several secrets, literally hidden under the foster home’s basement. Until that happens though, let me warn you - not a single person is to be trusted nor anything is to be believed. You will end up slapping you forehead if you do!

With themes of child abuse/neglect, gaslighting, avoidant and toxic attachments, Hepworth has delivered an expertly crafted domestic thriller, that is sure to take you on a twisty ride, with a jaw-dropping final plunge into that shockingly cold ice water! So gear up!

A treat for psychological thriller lovers!

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.