This book grabbed me from the beginning anything having to do with young girls kind of raised in an orphanage or in a different situation is totally up my alley I was intrigued by what these young girls went through. Was there a missing girl was there not a missing girl? Did they imagine that there was someone else really a gripping story Sally Hepworth has done it again great book highly recommend.

The narrator of this audiobook was fantastic! I usually only really enjoy one specific narrator of audiobooks but this one was really great! She really did a good job of acting out the story line. Thank you for this copy!

Creepy foster home!

Miss Fairchild lives on a farm, Wild Meadows in Port Agatha. She fosters children in need. On the outside, she seems like a good person helping out.

The first child to arrive is Jessica. She got there when she was five. Years later, she is joined by Norah who is eleven, and then by Alicia who is twelve. These three girls will endure trauma that will mark them as adults.

Twenty-five years later, all three girls are contacted. The body of a child has been found buried under Wild Meadows' property and they are all called back to talk to the police. The three return to their childhood town where they will relive the worst time of their lives.

The novel is narrated by the three main characters and also by an unknown narrator who is getting therapy sessions. It also alternates between past and present.

The plot was engaging and the girls, because of their flaws, were humanized making the reader empathize with their current situation.

Jessica Clarke did an amazing job narrating Darling Girls. Every time Miss Fairchild said Darling girls it gave me the creeps!

Sally Hepworth has become an auto-request/buy for me.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth shows that although the outside of the house made look Idyllic, it is anything but on the inside:

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are often told how lucky they are. How lucky they are to have been taken in by Miss Fairchild, to save them from some horrible situations in life. How lucky they are to live in such a beautiful home on a beautiful estate. But living with Miss Fairchild did not feel very lucky at all. Miss Fairchild had rules, Miss Fairchild was unpredictable, and Miss Fairchild was never to be crossed or there would be consequences. The girls were able to handle it till one faithful day where they needed to get away. Now 25 years later the home is being destroyed but in the process a body is discovered under the house, and now there are more questions about what happened in that house.

This is the first book by Hepworth and I now need to check out all of her backlist as once you start this book the mystery hits you full force and does not let you go till the end. Hepworth does a great job of keeping this high till the end as you question what is happening in both timelines and what each timeline is going to reveal, this is what makes this book a great domestic suspense book. I think that people need to realize that this is a domestic suspense book and not a straight-out mystery or thriller. For me a domestic suspense book has different parameters than the other two genres, often in domestic suspense things unfold a bit slower and I could see that not being appealing to everyone.

I'm a big fan of books that have the multiple timelines and POV, when i realized that this book was going to have those aspects to it, I knew I was going to love this book. I think that this created a well rounded book and no one was left out. Plus it gave insight as to some of the reason why the girls grew up into the women that they are today and the way that they cope in their everyday lives.

I think Norah (I made sure to have the h there, lol) was my favourite character, i just loved her don’t care attitude about things but made sure that all the girls and women had a voice. She did seem to be the one that was least affected by their time with Miss Fairchild and was often used as the comic relief in the book. In both timelines I could not help but feel sorry for Jessica and what she had endured. But i loved the aspect that the girls became sisters in this book and stuck up for one another and have stuck together even into adulthood, though that is probably a coping mechanism in itself.

The Manipulation factor is on point in this book and the methods that all the characters use in one way or another from subtle to blatant but I was here for both. And the manipulation stems all the way to the end of this book, and the ending is one of my favourites that I have read this year.

Excellent book and one to pick up if you are looking for a domestic suspense book, if you like manipulation as a main aspect in a book and man that ending was on point. Really can’t wait to check out other books that Hepworth has written, which do you recommend?

Enjoy!!!!

This was a really good thriller. Sally Hepworth really makes me feel immediately immersed in the book and really feel like I can't put it down.

This book was just okay for me. I felt that it was very slow and dragged on quite a bit throughout the story.

I did enjoy the perspective of all three of the main characters. I also enjoyed getting past and present perspectives.

Sally Hepworth just never disappoints. I went into this one completely blind and so glad I did. I loved everything about this book, even though at parts it made me so emotional. I love Sally’s style of writing and the way she makes you feel like you’re a part of the story.

I really do just love Sally Hepworth.

This was a great story of sisterhood, abuse, trauma, and unsolved childhood mysteries. If you thought Ruth Ware’s the lying game was lacking depth this is exactly what you are looking for.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

I just finished reading Darling GIrls by Sally Hepworth. Thanks to Net Galley and ST. MArtin's Press for the advanced copy in return for an honesy review. Here are my thoughts.
I can honestly say that Sally Hepworth has done it again...this story is about sisters born from a different womb but connected in such a way that they are each other protectors and best advocates. The story follows these sisters from when they were fostered into the same home owned by the absolutelu awful Miss Fairchild. WHile staying with her, they are horribly mistreated until they find a way to leave.
Years later they are forced to return to the place they hated when a body is found and they need to speak to the police. There is a mystery to solve: Who is buried underneath the home of Miss Fairchile, and how are the sisters connected.
The mystery is slowly unraveled and there are many surprises along the way. What i loved about this book was the bond of the sisters which was inspriring, the imperfection of the sisters. They each harborured their own secrets and trauma, and the storytelling. I am never dissapointed with Sally Hepworth's story telling. Her plot twists and character reveals are always delightfully surprising and this story was no different.
I loved the ending. It was....awesome. I kind of figured it out, but I was stilll surprised by it. I have learned that every character that Sally Hepworth introduces in her stories has a purpose, so I knew that in some way all the characters would have a part in solving the mystery. I also loved how they trauma of the sister's chilhood made them resilient and strong and paved a way to happiness.
While the middle of the book is a little slow, it was worth plugging through to get to the end. I definite must read for lovers of this genre.
Happy Reading.

Hepworth gets me with her twists and turns yet again!

Anytime I see a new book from Hepworth on the horizon, I know it’s a must read for me. Some of course are better than others, but if there’s one thing I can count on, it’s the wild twists and turns you don’t see coming.

I love how this story switches back and forth between present day, the past, and even further into the past. Having these three different storylines really help shape readers to understand why each character acts they way they do in present day.

DARLING GIRLS covers a lot of topics, with the main plot centered around foster care. While I am not an expert in what foster care is like, knowing how delicate of a topic it can be, it really seemed like Hepworth did her research to truly understand the nuances and everything that goes into fostering children.

The characters are well-written, engaging and painted authentically in their own flawed ways. There was never a question in how I felt each character would react to a situation!

I was sort of surprised how dark this story was. There are a ton of trigger warnings so please check out other reviews to see if this story is right for you.

Big thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC/ALC.

Content warnings: child abuse, death, emotional abuse, drug abuse, addiction, kidnapping, sexual assault

I loved The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth when it came out and so I knew I needed this book as well. While I still like The Soulmate more this was still a great book for people that like contemporary thrillers. Give it a try!

A masterful blend of character-driven drama and plot twists.

>Darling Girls delves into the complex lives of three foster sisters: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia.
>The foster sisters were raised by the enigmatic Miss Fairchild. Their idyllic past shrouded in secrets.

>When a body is found under their childhood home, their lives unravel. They become witnesses—or perhaps even suspects—in a chilling murder investigation.

>As the layers of secrecy peel away, we see the bonds between the sisters tested. Their loyalty, love, and shared trauma shape their choices.

>The novel explores themes of identity, trust, and the haunting power of the past. Prepare for twists, revelations, and a journey into the shadows.

🎧Jessica Clarke’s performance is gripping. She breathes life into each sister, weaving suspense and emotion.
Themes: Sisterhood, trauma, love, and murder intersect in this unputdownable tale.

I love Sally Hepworth, and I've read most of her books. This one has been called grittier and darker than some of her others. If you love Sally Hepworth, definitely read this one!

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for a review.

I love Sally Hepworth’s books, and this one is no exception! All I can say is, wow - that ending!

Check for trigger warnings before starting this story.

This story is told from the perspectives of Norah, Alicia, and Jessica. They were foster children who ended up together in the same placement. The story begins when they are contacted by the police because a body has been found buried under the location of the foster home they grew up in. The police have questions. This brings the girls back to a time and place that they never wished to return to, and back into contact with Miss Fairchild, their foster mother. Let’s just say, they don’t have fond memories or a wonderful relationship with Miss Fairchild.

The story bounces back and forth between the past and the present. The reader really gets to know Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, and all of their secrets and traumas. I really liked getting to know them and their stories. This book was hard to read at times, but handled very well by the author.

I really thought that I knew where this was headed. There were a lot of twists and turns - but the ending will take your breath away!

Thank you to NetGalley, St.Martin’s Press, and MacMillan audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this fantastic book! The audiobook and narration is incredible. This one is already out, so pick it up. I highly recommend this one!

I wouldn’t necessarily label this a thriller but more a psychological mystery. Cleverly plotted and executed this novel sucks you right in and you find yourself flipping the pages so fast to figure out what exactly happened at that farmhouse. Told in multiple pov from a dual now and then timeline that comes seamlessly together at the end. Three children are brought to live at the farmhouse with miss fairchild for differing reasons. But as those children live life in the farmhouse they develop a lifelong unbreakable bond with one another as they navigate all that happens on the farm. Until one day they are able to break free of the confines of the farm. However years later a discovery on the farm has brought them back to the town they said goodbye to years ago. Will the girls end up getting their answers?
A must read! Clever, masterly crafted, emotional read that may just be my favourite by Hepworth!

loved this book! at about the halfway point i literally could not stop until the end. the character development was top notch which is so important with multiple POVs and timelines. definitely will be recommending this one!

I loved Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth! I was extremely excited to read this since I loved all her previous books! Hepworth is one of my fave thriller authors! This novel is about three sisters; Norah, Jessica and Alicia, and their foster mother Ms. Fairchild who all lived at Wild Meadows. I really enjoyed the three POVs of the sisters and the audiobook narrator Jessica Clarke was great! The writing was engaging as we learn the secrets of their past through alternating timelines of now and then. I loved the reveal at the end and how it all came together. I’m eagerly awaiting Hepworth’s next book!!

I definitely enjoyed this page turner from Sally Hepworth. Every time I thought I had it figured it she managed to throw another twist my way.

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 ARC.

Another just OK thriller for me. Some of the content was harsh to read (tw: child abuse) and it felt a bit overdone. It was interesting enough that I didn’t tap out but it would be a book I would revisit.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!