I listened to an advanced reader's copy of the audiobook for Saly Hepworth's forthcoming book Darling Girls thanks to the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review. I enjoyed this one. The book is about three women who were all foster children on a farm under the "care" of Miss Fairchild. Their foster-mother was anything but caring. It was an abusive environment and the three girls (all tweens at the time) bonded and consider themselves sisters.

From the beginning of the book we know bad things happened at "Wild Meadows" and the women are all requested to travel there to meet with the police. The facility had been closed and razed to the ground, And bones were found. The question is whose bones? And what did the girls have to do with it, if anything. The book uses a fairly standard motif of alternating chapters from the perspectives of the three main characters (Jessica, Norah, and Alicia) and chapters take place in the present and "before." I think you can see where this is going. Over time we get closer and closer to identifying what happened and, maybe, whose bones were found.

It makes for a good audio-book and the narration was excellent.

Sally Hepworth always comes through with the twists!

What an evil woman! I received a free copy of the audiobook version from netgalley. The narrator did an amazing job with the characters!

Jessica, Nora, and Alecia were sent to live with foster mother Holly Fairchild from the ages of 10-13. The perspective of each character then and now allows you into their life in foster care and where they are now in their life.

The finding of skeletal remains under their foster house sends the girls back to a time they are trying to forget. The remains kept me guessing until the reveal, but I sure was shocked for the final reveal!

🎧Audiobook review 4.5 🌟 (rounded up)

Sally Hepworth's book 'Soulmate' was one of my favorites this year, so I was thrilled to receive the ALC of 'Darling Girls'. It did not disappoint and she's quickly becoming one of my new favorite storytellers.

In 'Darling Girls', three foster girls who are not related are united by sisterhood. We have dual timelines that I was able to seamlessly transition between to unravel the complex layers of the intertwined lives of the sisters. She did a great job of helping us distinguish between them, which isn't always easy when dealing with so many characters via audiobook.

I was drawn to these women's lives, their challenges, and resilience from the start, as the story sheds light on the harsh realities of their foster mother's abuse. The pace of the book seemed spot on, keeping me tuned in as the plot unfolded. She was able to trigger genuine emotion, and I was concerned for their well-being for a good portion of the book keeping me in a state of angst which I kind of love.

An incredible domestic drama that has a profound emotional impact. Fans of the genre should read this novel because it has a gripping storyline, top-notch narration, and a twist that left me saying 'WTF'.

I'm eagerly awaiting her next book, and I've added a few books from her back catalog to my TBR list.

Thank you Net Galley, Macmillan Audio and Sally Hepworth for the advanced listen copy in exchange for my honest review. It was my pleasure.

It’s a yes for me!!🖤

This book was a bit dark but I did like it & couldn't wait to find out what happened. I did especially feel for the three main girls who were orphans. And there were other characters that I loved to hate.

Excellent read and audiobook! Great characters. Good twists. Fascinating stories. I enjoyed following all 4 characters and their lives. As well as the extras. The cruelty is scary but it fits the story. The timeline of past and present is good, both with troubles and resolution.

The story followed Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. In the current day, the police is investigating the foster care home because they found human bones after an excavation/demolition to the care home. The police contacted each of them and asked to meet up. They were all nervous to dredge up the past because their childhood at the foster care home was rough. In the current day, each of the character does different things and has her own troubles.

There was another mysterious character talking to a psychologist about her childhood. It all leads up to an explosive ending.

This is my third read from the author and I loved it. I didn't only listened to the whole book but also read it too to clarify on some parts. The narrator did a good job and I enjoyed her accent.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read, listen, and review!

Sally Hepworth’s books are definitely a more slow-burn, psychological suspense and this was no exception, but there was more action in here than in her previous books! This one was a little darker and more harrowing than previous books, but an absorbing read for sure. Recommended!

So, so good. I loved this book. It kept the reader engaged the entire time. There are little twists and reveals along the way and I was happy with the ending. There was trope that I am not a fan of <spoiler> (drug abuse) </spoiler> by one of the characters and it started to feel a bit repetitive, but by the end I realized how well it was done to get to where the story went.

All of the characters in this story have some issues they need to deal with and it was interesting to see how their childhood affected the adults they became. I enjoyed getting to know them and seeing how their relationships evolved as well.

This definitely does not have a neat bow ending if you need that and there are major abuse trigger warnings in this one, but if you want a book that keeps you reading this is great. I highly recommend this one and look forward to seeing what Hepworth puts out next.

The audio is narrated by Jessica Clarke and she did an excellent job. If you enjoy audiobooks, give this one a listen.

This was a very well developed and gripping read. I was completely invested from the start wanting to know which character was having a session with their therapist. As the story progresses more and more information is dropped - while I found most of the reveals to be a bit predictable; however, the author still shocked me on the very last page. I never saw it coming. I will defiantly be checking out this author’s back list and keeping an eye out for future releases.

Sally Hepworth does it again. A solid five stars of a unique, dark, suspense. I enjoyed this book as much as the others.

An intricate story set in Australia with four points of view, past/present perspectives, and found family bonds made through the foster system.

The three main points of view follow the sisters, Alicia, Jessica, and Norah (with an H), and their time at Wild Meadows under the care of Ms. Fairchild, the abusive, manipulative, foster parent. The past/present timeline allows you to see how they were shaped into the women they are 25 years on and what living in those conditions did to each one.

Called back to Port Agatha where present-day bones were found at Wild Meadows, the sisters are facing their trauma head-on and healing.

Each girl is vastly different in personality and backstory but, no less a perfect fit into the trio. Jessica whose been vying for the attention and love of Ms. Fairchild since 5, when she entered the system wants nothing more than a family and now struggles with addiction. Norah, who has a hard time controlling her emotions but cares deeply about her sisters, and Alicia whose Gran spoiled her until her sudden hospitalization and death, struggles with intimacy and now works within the foster system herself. All three have trauma they're dealing with in the present setting from their past abuse at the hands of Ms. Fairchild, but still, one thing remains true - they take care of each other and will until the very end. I found myself so bonded to each girl, rooting for each one throughout. Sally Hepworth's characters always pull me in.

The fourth POV is sprinkled throughout, and keeps you guessing - is it one of the girls we follow? It isn't revealed until the end.

Sally Hepworth's writing is always amazing, I adore the characters she creates while dealing with dark, sad, situations - there is always a bit of comic relief that's done so well it's not tacky. The plots are original and imaginative while exploring themes that are hard but allows for bittersweet endings.

The narration by Jessica Clarke is spot-on and done VERY well.

4.5 stars!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are forced into the foster care system after immense losses and personal tragedies. So, when they are each individually brought to Wild Meadows, an idyllic farming estate under the care of the beautiful Miss Fairchild, the girls should feel gratitude and luck for this second chance for a happy family. However, nothing is ever as it seems to be. Miss Fairchild has strict rules, a wild temper, and can be very unpredictable – they quickly learn this second chance is no fairytale.

Years later, all three grown women are still working through the trauma of their childhood, when they are contacted by a local detective that states a body has been discovered under the home the sisters grew up in. The lives they have tried so hard to establish, the memories they have tried so hard to bury come crashing back.

What really happened at Wild Meadows? And are the girls key witnesses or suspects to this horrible crime?

Thoughts:

Thank you so much @Macmillanusa and @Macmillanaudio for the advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely LOVED Darling Girls! This was shockingly my first Sally Hepworth novel, and now I immediately need to get on to her backlist novels, asap!

The tumultuous upbringing and stories Jessica, Norah and Alicia experienced growing up as foster children to the unpredictable Miss Fairchild was an absolute rollercoaster, nonetheless. There is never a moment where it feels like you might have it figured out or can predict what will happen next. The ending left me in a whirlwind, in the best way possible.

If you love unpredictable, addicting, domestic thrillers (not involving the typical husband and wife scenario) then this book is definitely for you!

Another Sally Hepworth book that I binged in less than 2 days! Pretty sure I could’ve finished it in 1 day if ya girl didn’t have to work. 😂

Oh god. The way this book made me so angry and frustrated! Miss Fairchild is just a very effective villain. I hated her so much. 😂

So this book is about foster children and their relationship with their foster mom. After all three children aged out, they all went on their lives but still remained to be very close to each other. One day, all of them received a phone call from a detective asking if they can return to the small town where their foster home was because they had found human bones buried under the house… and that’s basically the plot!

For my thriller babes, you would definitely binge this one!!! Short chapters were also a great motivator to keep flipping pages 😂 I love how the story was told in past and present timelines and it didn’t confuse me at all even if I was listening to it in audio!

I love reading about the different personalities of the 3 female leads and how they react to certain situations. This book is also somehow about parenting and fostering children. That being said, I would just like to add heavy trigger warnings for child abuse. It was difficult to read about it sometimes.

Overall, this is another 5⭐️ thriller read for me and I highly recommend it to everybody who loves a good quick, bingeable, and twisty thriller!!

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for the audiobook!

💭Tell me about your current read in 1-3 sentences and I’ll try to guess what you’re reading!

Read as an audiobook narrated by Jessica Clarket.

This was an expertly crafted psychological mystery. The foreshadowing throughout the book gives the reader just enough information to guess some reveals, but keeps others close to the chest. The twists that took me by surprise were satisfying rather than coming out of nowhere, and the increasingly tense atmosphere gave me a building sense of dread throughout. I enjoyed the audiobook format a lot, and the narrator did a great job with the characters and dialogue.

The antagonist of this story was a huge highlight for me. A character who is manipulative, clever, and unhinged is absolutely terrifying if done well, and the author really nailed it here. The main characters were sympathetic and flawed, and I felt that their individual responses to trauma was portrayed in a nuanced way. Heavy content warnings for CSA, general abuse within the foster care system, and substance abuse. Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. This is my honest review.

5/5 Childhood trauma and healing featuring three flawed protagonists and one mastermind of a villain.

"Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth is a women's fiction mystery and psychological thriller. I found it interesting.

This story is about three foster girls taken in by Holly Fairchild, who seems really sweet at times and then is very angry and cruel other times.

In the future, when the girls are adults, they are called back to the town that they grew up in because human bones have been bones underneath the house. The mystery is whose bones they are and who killed that person.

This novel is told from four points of view, each of the sisters and a mystery one talking to a therapist. Each of the sisters shares from two time periods, "now" and "before" - when they were kids. Dialogue feels realistic. The main characters are well defined.

Trigger warnings: extensive child abuse, teen rape, pill addiction, alcoholism, near drowning

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 5/5
Enjoyment - 2.5/5
Narration - 3/5 Jessica Clarke. Sometimes, I couldn't tell the voices of the sisters apart
Cover - 4/5 unrelated
Overall - 4.3/5 rounded down to 4.

If the trigger warnings don't trigger you much, then you may really like this mystery thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Sally Hepworth for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so tragic, and captivating! I really liked how many emotions they bring you through, how you can feel so much hate towards a character and then have some remorse for them at the end: I thought the ending was wrapped up very well

At first I thought this was going to be a retelling of “Annie”, and then it got a little twisted. The storyline was gripping, but not too intense, with a couple of unexpected surprises. This was a quick read for me and I enjoyed it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

This riveting thriller was an audiobook I absolutely could not stop listening to! Jessica Clarke‘s performance kept me wanting to absorb every detail as the stories of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia childhoods with Miss Fairchild unraveled.
Three sisters you can’t help but feel so much empathy for as they try to solve a mystery that has brought them back together where their sisterhood story began, Wild Meadows foster home. I would highly recommend anyone looking for their next favorite thriller to listen to!

''SISTERS, SECRETS, LOVE, AND MURDER... Sally Hepworth’s new novel has it all.''
I am a huge Sally Hepworth fan. I discovered her last year and devoured her backlist. I especially enjoy reading her books on audio. The narration is always top tier. and her characters always so fleshed out and unique. So, I obviously abandoned all my current reads to binge ‘’Darling Girls’’ and it did not disappoint! No one writes a domestic drama/mystery like Hepworth. I really enjoyed how this story centered on sisterhood and found family. I found the ending to be satisfying and SHOCKING! An easy 5 star read. Massive thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth is the master of crafting such interesting characters. In this book we have foster sisters Jess, a home organizer who steals pills from her clients, Norah, an aggressive 👊🏻 single woman who sleeps with men so they'll do odd jobs around her home, and Alicia who grew up to be a social worker. Norah also has dogs named Couch, Converse, and Thong because they're named after the first thing they chewed up 🤣

The story centers around the sisters' lives in their foster home, Wild Meadows, 25 years ago. Of course as we learn more about their childhood, the secrets begin unraveling. Who is the body under the house? And who buried it there?

Without giving too much away, I'd say this was suspenseful, but not overly thrilling. I figured out who Dr. Warren was speaking with, so that twist didn't get me. BUT there was a big twist in the last five minutes.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the chance to listen in exchange for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth is an autobuy author for me and I have never given one of her books less than 4 stars. The author's gift is being able to make her characters so authentic, they don't feel fictional. I think her books are classified mostly as thrillers, but really, to me they are more like character-driven dramas with some mystery thrown in. Always, the plots are fast-paced enough I can't put the book down, which makes it all the more amazing that I feel the characters so deeply and personally. My two favorite Sally Hepworth novels are The Good Sister, and The Mother-in-Law. Those were hard-hitting, and beautiful and extremely enjoyable to read. Darling Girls is so well written, but I just couldn't give it the same rating as I gave The Good Sister and The Mother-In-Law because it was a much more uncomfortable reading experience. Reading about child-abuse, whether active or passive, is extremely difficult for me. I was invested in all three "sisters" the book followed, but so disturbed by their childhood stories, especially Alicia's for various reasons. Seeing innocence be robbed intentionally and maliciously was painful to read. However, the mystery felt very realistic and I enjoyed the sisters' relationships so much. As always, I finished this latest book of Ms. Hepworth's and had to just take a break before starting another book so I could really think about it. How does the author knock it out of the park every time? I can't think of a bad book she has written...or even one I was "meh" about!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy. This book was five stars! I love the narrator point. However, my only complaint is that I wish there was different voices for each of the characters.