This is a dual timeline, multiple POV story about three foster sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. We see each of them get placed at the seemingly idyllic foster home of Miss Fairchild in the past, but the girls are not necessarily as lucky as people keep telling them. In the present, the home has been sold, and, while it was being demolished, bones were discovered. Now the sisters must go back to the town they left behind and remember all that happened there and answer for it.

I feel like Sally Hepworth has almost created an entirely new genre of family drama mystery. I’m not saying no one else writes them, but the author really has mastered this very specific niche. I loved seeing the way the sisters took care of each other even though they were so different. I also really enjoyed how each sister was fleshed out and how I was able to sympathize with all of them. As the mystery unfolds, there were lots of little twists along the way. Some I guessed, but some came as a complete surprise, and the ending of this story is definitely haunting whether you see it coming or not. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the way the author played with the concept of being lucky and kind of turned it on its head.

Even though there were multiple POVs, there was only one audiobook narrator, but she did such a great job that I had to double check that there weren’t more. I loved listening to this one and would definitely recommend the audio format.

Darling Girls is the latest domestic thriller by best-selling author Sally Hepworth. In this story, she trains her lens on the complicated issues of love, trust, sisters, and parenthood, all framed by the fraught foster system.
This is the tale of three young girls who are placed, one by one, into the Wild Meadows Farm, home of Miss Holly Fairchild, a seemingly lovely lady who affectionately refers to them as “darling girls.” But all is not what it seems, and the girls find that forming their “sisterhood” is the key to surviving the mood swings and ensuing maliciousness of their foster mother.
The story evolves into a compelling look at the many faces of love, partnerships, and mothering. Told in two timelines, and from the POVs of sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia, it illustrates, with wise and witty prose, the lifetime effects that damaged adult carers can have on children and how those children then function as adults. In her signature style, Hepworth deftly weaves these themes with a bit of criminal activity tossed in, making this a mystery investigation, also.
The main characters are well-drawn, with humor and pathos, in a compelling narrative that is hard to stop listening!
This is a smart, thoroughly enjoyable domestic thriller by the masterful storyteller Sally Hepworth. I recommend it to readers who enjoy fresh contemporary writing with depth and heart.
I enjoyed the audiobook tremendously! Narrator Jessica Clarke really brings the story and characters to life!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an early listen to the audiobook. This is my honest review.

I absolutely LOVE Sally Hepworth’s newest psychological thriller. Bones are found under the former foster home of three sisters and they are forced to go back to be interviewed and figure out who it is and what happened. Sally Hepworth writes amazing characters with such deep and twisty stories. I think this is my new favorite of hers. I loved the way the sisters stuck together and always had each others backs. I loved how Ms. Fairchild’s story progressed and how we figure out the truth at the end. It was devious! Loved it all and would highly recommend. The narrator did a fantastic job voicing all of the characters with different inflections for each one. I feel like she really got it in terms of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC of this story.

Darling Girls
By: Sally Hepworth
Narrated by: Jessica Clarke
Macmillan Audio
Mystery & Thrillers, Women's Fiction
Pub Date: April 23, 2024

Darling Girls is a powerful dual timeline thriller, set in Australia, about three foster sisters' traumatic childhood experiences with their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. The story also weaves in the lives of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia as adults when something mysterious is found at the location of their childhood home. Hepworth writes boldly to deliver a narrative that quickly draws in her readers and never slows down the mystery and suspense.
Clarke's narration is superb and on point with the book's tone, events, and characters.

Hepworth thoughtfully put in background research prior to writing the book, and describes it in her acknowledgements. Whether a fan of Hepworth or new to her writing, lovers of good thrillers will want to strongly consider this book.

I received a gifted advance listener's copy from Net Galley and Macmillan Audio. My review is my own.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is her darkest novel to date, focusing on three foster sisters who return home to one of their past foster homes after a body is discovered on the property. For the three women, they will need to confront the past abuse, lies, and secrets they have been avoiding for years since they escaped the brutality of their foster mother.

This novel is not as light as Hepworth's past novels. Sometimes it feels like Hepworth's novels are light thrillers, focusing on family drama and dynamics while the main character works through a rather difficult dilemma, but this novel is a more traditional thriller with very dark elements.

Each character is well fleshed out with their own personality quirks, thought patterns, and ways they have found to cope with their trauma. There is also great LGBTQ representation! The novel talks about childhood abuse of all kinds however, something readers should be made aware of prior to starting the novel. There are also multiple points of view where some of the chapters take the form of psychologist interviews with their patient, others take place in the past, and the rest in the present, but never did I feel confused about what timeline I was in.

I read through this novel very fast, it was very addictive but this novel is not for everyone. For those who have read Hepworth's work before, this one is very different from her previous novels so trigger warnings should be looked up.

This one was really slow to start. I thought it wrapped up well, but overall it wasn't that thrilling. I thought the characters were mostly well thought-out and I enjoyed watching their lives play out but the stakes just didn't seem that high to me either. It seemed pretty clear who the killer was, regardless of how we got there.

Thanks for the arc! This was my first Sally Hepworth but won’t be my last!

I love an audio thriller and this did not disappoint. I enjoyed the narrator and listened to this in two days. I had to know what was going on!

This book starts out with use meeting each of the 3 “darling girls.” Alicia, Norah and Jessica are foster sisters. We get a quick glimpse into each of their current lives. This later helps us unravel why they are who they are. They’ve been called to address a scandal with their foster mother.

I can only imagine how hard foster life can be. We go on a journey with the girls to uncover what happened during their time there and how it affected the rest of their lives. I couldn’t have guessed most of this story which makes for a great thriller! Great read!

Sisterhood! Secrets! Murder!

Sally Hepworth is back again with another bingeable thriller!

This time around we have a dark, slow-burn into psychological thrills. Readers saddle up for a twisty ride as we get to know our three sisters: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, who were all raised in a foster home.

How was their experience? Not great. What does that have to do with a body that was just found on the grounds of their old foster home? Get ready to find out!

I loved how unique each of our characters were and spending time with their individual stories was just as entertaining as watching them collide. There’s also a forth narration thrown into the mix to keep readers on their toes guessing who it is and where their story goes.

And that’s all you get! This one is way too hard to talk about without the potential to spoil the plot.

"Darling Girls" is a must-listen audiobook for fans of gripping domestic thrillers and compelling storytelling. I absolutely love Sally Hepworth's writing style and ability to paint vivid characters and an engaging plot. Set against the backdrop of the foster care system in Australia, Hepworth weaves a story of resilience, sisterhood, and the enduring bonds that hold us together.

The audiobook follows a now-and-then timeline, skillfully revealing puzzle pieces of the story as it progresses. Through multiple points of view, we gain insight into the lives of the young girls caught in the foster care system, their struggles, and their unwavering determination to survive. The bond between the sisters and their connection transcends time and circumstance. As they come together in the present to solve a mystery from their past, listeners are taken on an emotional journey filled with twists and turns. As secrets are unearthed and truths come to light, the bond between Fern and Rose is tested in ways they never imagined.

Jessica Clarke narrates the story with skill, bringing the vivid characters and engaging plot to the forefront, which keeps listeners captivated from start to finish. The narration added to the story and helped bring the characters to life. Ms. Fairchild gave me Ms. Hannigan (from Annie) vibes......if she were even more deranged.

From the very first chapter, I found myself fully engaged in the story. However, it was the final reveal that truly had me reeling. The author's notes at the end added an extra layer of depth, providing insights into the inspiration behind the story and the author's own journey in writing it. Don’t skip the author’s notes! Another hit for Sally Hepworth and a must read for fans of compelling fiction or thrillers! 4 stars!

I was interested in the premise of this but I just could not get into the audiobook. I found the characters in the book annoying, and not in an intentional way. I just did not enjoy reading about them.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I loved this book! There were parts that were definitely hard to get through but the mystery was soooo good! When 3 girls end up in foster care together, they soon realize that their foster mother is a cruel and vindictive woman. Years later, human bones are discovered under her house. While the storyline is a dual POV and dual timeline, it discusses the girls childhoods, as well as their adulthoods to try to unravel the mystery of who the body belongs to. I finished this book in a day. So good!

ARC in exchange for a honest review, and oh boy, I DEVOURED yet another sally Hepworth novel within a day.
The audiobook format was fantastic, long (9hrs) and my only complaint is my ears got sore from wearing headphones ALL DAY AND NIGHT with the need to finish and find out what happens next.

The dynamic of this domestic thriller is fantastic and unlike the typical family setting making it refreshing after a long binge of domestic thriller/mysteries. Sally Hepworth kept with her usual genre but this switched it up keeping my interest all the way through with the added twists peaking it into a compelling novel to finish in one sitting/listen

I’m an avid audiobook listener/reader, casually watching tv with subtitles & knitting and listening to a book simultaneously, (skillful, I know) but this book was so enthralling I found myself hands frozen, visually zoned out, just listening intently on the edge of my seat. The final chapter made this 4star into a 5star read!
Thank you NetGalley what a great book to receive an ARC to read and review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

LOVED this new one from Sally Hepworth! The audio was fantastic!

I think I’ve read all of her books except for one and they never disappoint me. This one though might be my new favourite! Lies, secrets, sisters and a twisted foster mother! Definitely check out the trigger warnings on this one before diving it but wow I couldn’t put it down.

There were twists I didn’t see coming and that ending!!
So good!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!!

Darling Girls is a psychological thriller about three girls who grew up in a foster care home where they bonded as sisters for life. 25 years later, the past collides with the present when a body is found under their former foster home. The story of their traumatic childhood is told mostly from the 3 sisters POV and alternates between past and present with pieces of the puzzle being revealed along the way.

It started out a little slow but that was because Hepworth was taking the time to develop multiple characters which I appreciated. The characters were given distinct personalities which heavily reflected on the coping mechanisms they used due to childhood trauma. After characters were introduced, the story really picked up and was hard to put down. There were a couple of twists I didn’t see coming. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I actually did not and was so wrong. It definitely kept me guessing and wanting to read more to see what happened next…in my opinion, this is what makes a great thriller. Hepworth does a great job balancing a very heavy topic with humor and sarcasm, although some was dark humor, it was definitely needed to help keep that balance.

I was fortunate enough to have an epub and audio version and appreciated having both. I listened to the entire story but was thankful to have the kindle version to look back on different characters and to see and understand the multiple POVs and alternating timelines.

The audiobook narrator delivered a great performance from start to finish. She has a very pleasant voice and did well with pace and inflections while creating a believable narration.

Trigger warnings—domestic/child abuse and family trauma

I’m not a huge thriller girl but I do love a juicy Sally Hepworth novel since they tend to be fun and suspenseful but not too creepy / disturbing. That being said, this book felt a lot more dark / creepy than her previous books, so much so that I didn’t think I’d be able to keep reading past the first few chapters but I’m so glad I pushed through! The first 25ish% is pretty awful and unsettling to read since it’s dealing with child abuse but it gets better once the other sisters are introduced and in true Sally Hepworth fashion she pulls it all together for a very satisfying ending and she sprinkles in plenty of comedic relief throughout that helped make the book way more fun/ less depresso. I LOVED these sisters and overall enjoyed this story though I do think it’s my least favorite of all the SH books I’ve read so far.

<i> Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review. </i>

Another hard to put down book that is both thought and emotion evoking. As with her other books, Darling Girls is well written, well thought out, gripping, twist filled, moving and shocking. You won’t be able to put this down.

Three girls, Norah, Alicia and Jessica are placed in the foster home of Miss Fairchild. All seems fine to the outside world, but behind closed doors it is a nightmare. They suffered together under the highly unpredictable, extremely strict, and often cruel and abusive Miss Fairchild. When small infants were placed in Miss Fairchild’s care, the girls would take care of them and try and keep Miss Fairchild happy so they were not abused. The three girls figured that they needed to stick together to get through this. They formed an unbreakable bond. Now as adults they’ve kept that bond alive, always vigilant for one another. They still wondered what happened to the infants that they had to leave behind once they “aged out” of foster care.

The women, Norah, Jessica and Alicia are contacted by police when bones are found buried under Miss Fairchild's former home. Miss Fairchild and the sisters return as requested by the police. Maybe they’ll find some answers of their own. Could this be one of the foster children that was there before them? After all they did find clothes and toys with “Amy” on them in the basement.

Sally Hepworth wrote such a gripping and suspenseful story with this one, that it will keep you guessing until the end. THE END!! Oh boy, it got me. I could have never guessed.

A dark, poignant domestic thriller that follows three sisters grappling with news of a body found beneath their former foster home.

This was my first time reading Sally Hepworth’s writing so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Darling Girls was truly intense, dark and twisted. Hepworth has fantastic pacing, and she keeps the stakes high with flawed characters and well-timed reveals.

The story is told through alternating timelines and includes multiple POVs. The various perspectives were unique and dynamic. Narrator Jessica Clarke’s performance is spot on. I personally loved the Australian accent. I was able to easily follow the changes in character throughout the book.

This was an absolute 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦-𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳* with an explosive ending. I highly recommend checking trigger warnings as this covers topics that may be difficult for some readers.
𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: 4.5⭐️

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
☑️ stories that examine past traumas and broken systems
☑️ dark, twisted thrillers
☑️ alternating timelines
☑️ multiple POVs
☑️ domestic thrillers
☑️ well-paced reveals and twists

Bonded by the trauma of growing up in the same dysfunctional foster home, Nora, Jessica, and Alicia, now have to face their past coming back to haunt them. The more we learn about their past and Miss Fairchild, the more we realize everyone has secrets.
When bones show up on the land of the farming estate where they grew up, none of the girls are truly surprised. However, there is so much going on and there are secrets upon secrets we (the reader) are not being told.
I thought this was a great page turner and really well paced. The girls try to keep their cool but each has their own level of trauma they are trying to deal with while they are also trying to manage their own mental health issues. This is a great summer, poolside read and one that should certainly be on everyone’s TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait to dive into more works by this author.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Thank you so much NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the free audiobook.

Blurb:
A thrilling page turner of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder.

✨My thoughts:
I had a really good feeling about this one and that feeling was spot on! As soon as I saw sisterhood and murder, I immediately requested the audiobook from NetGalley. It’s ridiculously dark and twisted. I won’t lie… I was really upset over the psychotic foster mother because that is probably the nightmare of foster children. I’m sure of it because I felt sick reading about it, thinking this could very well be the experience of some foster children. I loved the audiobook and flew right through it. I ended up choosing it as an April BOTM choice and I am so happy I did! Darling Girls is out tomorrow, 4/23/24!

Happy reading 📖

Sally Hepworth, you have done it again! DARLING GIRLS may be my favorite yet! A story about found family, mental health, resilience, and healing—this books has some twists and turns and a dynamite ending…

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were brought together as foster children at Wild Meadows, a foster home owned by a single woman named Miss Fairchild. Unfortunately, Miss Fairchild was an emotionally abusive, malicious, and cruel foster mother. She knew exactly what each girl wanted most, and how to take it from them. After two years with Miss Fairchild, the three managed to break away and flee Wild Meadows.

It’s been 25 years since they freed themselves from Miss Fairchild. But when they learn that a body was discovered buried underneath the house at Wild Meadows, the sisters find themselves at the center of the investigation. The secrets held for 25 years may finally come to light, but will anyone believe them?

I loved it!!! Sally Hepworth has become one of my favorite authors. She crafts compelling plots, writes authentic characters, and is a master storyteller. She spins together stories that I don’t want to leave at the end.

Told in dual timelines, the book kicks off with the discovery of the remains beneath Wild Meadows. The foster sisters are all having difficulties in their lives. But the investigation takes precedence, and as they speak with police, they detail their years with Miss Fairchild.

Though the book is narrated by all three sisters, Jessica is at the heart of the novel. She was the first to arrive at Miss Fairchild’s home, and Jessica desperately wanted a mother. Miss Fairchild gave that to her, creating an unhealthy dependency.

When Norah arrives, everything changes. Miss Fairchild is cold and cruel, emotionally abusing and isolating both girls. Jessica responds by trying to be perfect. Norah is much feistier. Alicia arrives last and had a happy childhood. Miss Fairchild sees Alicia as spoiled, and restricts her access to food and comfort. Alicia learns to doubt her own worth.

I found all three sisters to be compelling, flawed, and loveable characters. Norah is the star of the book, with a dry humor that adds levity. At it’s core, this is a book about sisterhood, found family, mental health, abuse, and healing.

Don’t expect Hepworth to let these women off the hook just because we love them—Hepworth is unafraid to give her characters authentic storylines, and she does this boldly and without apology.

One of the best books of the year for me, and it may be my favorite of Hepworth’s yet!

Sometimes I struggle with audiobooks narrated by an Australian actor. Something about their accent (which is lovely) and the cadence with which they speak is more subdued than I’m used to with American narrators. While they have lovely voices, I often find myself struggling to pay attention. I felt the opposite of that about Jessica Clarke’s narration of Darling Girls. Her tone was expressive, vibrant, and perfectly captured Norah’s dry humor and Jessica and Alicia’s more emotional voices. I highly recommend the audiobook for those who enjoy listening to a book!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for my copy. Opinions are my own.