Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me an early copy of this audiobook. I actually have never read or listened to a book by this author before. After this one, I definitely want to read more.
The audiobook, I actually really enjoyed. I would give this book a 4⭐️’s. There’s multiple POV’s between then and now. Be advised to check trigger warnings on this book. There are references of child abuse and trauma in this story. This book is emotional, dark, and I really enjoyed the twists that I didn’t see coming. I really liked the ending,

The book is a solid thriller. I enjoy this author and this book delivers. The pace was perfection and the book keeps you interested. I enjoyed the sisterhood with the girls and the dual timelines. The narrator did amazing even with so many multiple characters in the story.

TRIGGER WARNING: CHILD ABUSE // CSA

This was typical Sally Hepworth but not nearly as good as most of her books for me... it was also hard to listen to/read because it has lots of explicit depictions of child abuse and CSA. I liked this but not as much as I expected considering the author. It did have a fairly obvious twist and a very satisfying ending.

Darling Girls comes out next week on April 23, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

Is there anything you ARE good at? a little voice said. Not cleaning. Not sport. Not studies. You're not the most attractive, the most talented or the most helpful. What, exactly, is the point of you?

Mini Thriller Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Pub Date: April 23

If you are a domestic thriller lover, then you can just stop here and go pick this book up!

Darling Girls” showcases another brilliantly executed domestic thriller by Sally Hepworth. Hepworth skillfully weaves a psychological mystery through a captivating multi-POV narrative, alternating between ‘now and then’ timelines, which adds depth to the story. The focus lies on three foster sisters, each grappling with their own distinct personalities and past traumas, bonded by a shared desire to escape the grasp of their malicious foster mother. When bones are unearthed beneath their former foster home, the sisters find themselves drawn back into a web of secrets, forced to confront their past as they assist the police in unraveling the mystery.

This book took me by surprise with its wonderfully twisted plot. I prefer thrillers that challenge my mind and feature complex characters over ones that simply terrify me, and Darling Girls delivered exactly that.

🎧 I also gave the audio version of this book a listen, and I found the main narrator to be quite enjoyable. Her accent complemented the story wonderfully, and she skillfully conveyed the emotions embedded within the book. However, I felt that the distinction between the voices of the sisters could have been enhanced to elevate the audio experience even further for me. I would recommend the audio version if you love audio books!

I alternated between listening and reading to this one. I thought the narrator did a great job with the multiple POVs and characters in this one. My only complaint, and maybe it’s not fully edited yet, is that I could hear a lot of mouth noises.

Other than that I loved the plot and all the twists that came with it. The evil foster mother Mrs. Fairchild was a great character.

This was my first book narrated by Jessica Clarke, and I hope it isn't the last. Her voice was so compelling, and completely brought the characters to life. It can sometimes be difficult when there is one narrator for multiple characters, but she gave each girl in the story their own personality that I had no issues following along.

Plot -
Three foster sisters escape a house of horrors as children, and it comes back to haunt them as adults. Jessica was the first to be adopted by Ms. Fairchild, back when things were good and she was Ms. Fairchild's "Darling Girl," but things begin to quickly deteriorate when Norah and Alicia join the family. The book was told in the present with flashbacks to what the girls had to endure as children. They are forced to relive their past when a body turns up under the home they grew up in.

Thoughts -
This story had me hooked from the very beginning. It is told both in dual timelines and three different POVs, which sounds like a lot, but it was so easy to digest. It was fun and fast paced and kept me turning pages to find out more about the girls' past. As I got close to the end, I was starting to get disappointed. I thought I was going to get a really well written story with no plot twist. It felt like one of those thrillers that just unfolds, but boy was I wrong. I did not see the twist at the end coming, and it was a good one.

I highly recommend both the physical book and audiobook to any fun, fast paced, popcorn thriller lovers.

I'm sorry - what. I actually think I feel a bit sick after this book.... so obviously it's a 5 star read for me. I cannot drop a single spoiler, but this book made me emotions run the gamet from grief to horror to shock to some sweet moments - all of these made me want to cry for both good and bad things. Sally Hepworth makes you think you are going down one story path and once you say okay I know how this is going to go -wham bam - no you don't. I was lulled into thinking this was a horrible but unremarkable story at the beginning and now I am left reeling.

Highly recommend the audiobook for that extra hair-raising emotion and also because I think I might have been afraid to pick this back up if I was reading the physical.

Lots of trigger warnings for child neglect, endangerment and abuse (you can tell by the summary). I usually stay away from those (I have 2 kids and am SOFT when it comes to anything thing happening to them), but I went for it anyway and am so glad I finished this in under 24 hours because that's all I had in me.

“When no one pays any attention to you, you can hide quite a lot.”

This book is like a roller coaster. You strap in. You’re ready. You hear that clink clink clink and you rise. And then it lets you go and you’re in a free fall.

Read this if you enjoy reading about:
🔹A villain that you LOVE to hate
🔹The bonds of sisterhood
🔹Mother daughter dynamics
🔹Long buried murder mysteries

The audiobook is absolutely fantastic as it is set in Australia so the accents are *chefs kiss*. Fantastic. Just utterly fantastic!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and Sally Hepworth for the #gifted ALC and ARC.

I waited a few days after finishing this book to give my review. I'm stiff a little iffy on my rating. On the one hand, I loved the author's craft of a psychological thriller but was a little disappointed in the storyline. I am an educator and see firsthand how fostering children can be a hit or miss. I loved that the kids became as close as sisters and we were able to see the story from all of their points of view. I got lost at the end in what happened. I'm rating it a 4 stars mainly because I'm still thinking about it and processing it, which is probably a goal of most authors!

I enjoyed Darling Girls for the most part. It took me a little bit to get into it but it got better as the book went on. Overall, an okay book for me. The twists weren’t particularly shocking or anything but it was a fine book.
I think that the narrator did a great job, there were so many characters and I never felt confused by who was who or what was going on.

This is a review for the audio version, which had a fantastic narrator. About 3 girls who spent time together in the foster system at times it’s hard to listen through the hardships they endured. But you get to know the characters really well, and the story line just sucks you in. This was a book I could not put down, it kept me guessing until the very end! This is my first Sally Hepworth novel and will not be my last!

All of the thanks to @macmillan.audio & @netgalley for the #gifted audiobook

All of the thanks to @macmillan.audio & @netgalley for the #gifted audiobook

#AudiobookReview 🎧📖
Darling Girls by fabulous @sallyhepworth
Story: 5✨ Narration: 5✨

Sally is one of my favorites to follow here on IG and this book rivals The Good Sister for my favorite of her books (so far).

As I myself am a human who has a history of abuses from childhood onward, who grew up in and out of various systems (ward of the state, juvenile shelter, foster care) - I can firmly attest: Sally did her research and then some!

This book is realistic, it was triggering *and* touching, and I was in a chokehold from the first moments all the way until I was crying happy tears and then GASPING at the ending.

What. A. Wild. Ride. All hail Sally Hepworth! 🙌🏼 She’s outdone herself.

You need this book and/or audiobook. Seriously, get you a copy of this one for your spring/summer breaks and vacations, in bed under the AC, poolside…this is THAT thriller.

I need to show extra love to:
These sisters are in my heart always. I saw myself in all of them. Sally could *totally* write an amazing family saga (with zero murders) that would be RIVETING.

The narrator: @jessicajaneclark knocked it outta the park!

The dog’s names. 😅

The 90210 reference (#TeamBrenda for life).

Some sapphic sizzle! 🔥

How smart I felt when I guessed that one twist…

What I thought was the ending. 🥹

The actual ending! 😱

My conversation with Sally right after I finished the book (y’all, she is the best).

⚠️CWs/TWs: PTSD, death of: mother, father, grandmother, baby, etc., molestation, grooming, suicide attempt, forced pregnancy, child abuse, domestic violence, starvation, drug addiction, overdose, adoption, ableism, prescription, drug abuse, parental abandonment, statutory rape, confinement, graphic, violence, foster care, systems, etc., suicidal ideation, intrusive thoughts, gaslighting, child trafficking, anxiety, attack on page, OCD, and child murder.

WOW!!! Sally Hepworth has officially become the author whose title I look forward to most every year, and again I was not disappointed. I could not put down Darling Girls. The characters were all immediately likeable / relatable to me. Even with the story's villain Miss Fairchild, I found myself feeling sympathy for her during her perspective chapters.

Darling Girls follows the story of three foster sisters who grew up in a nightmare home on a farmstead outside of Melbourne. They were considered "lucky" to have been placed with young, single Miss Fairchild who had inherited the farmstead and needed the money from fostering children to keep everything afloat. The story starts with the sisters all grown up and seemingly doing okay, despite their traumatic and abusive upbringing, but unraveling in their own way when they're told chilling news that mysterious dead body has been discovered in the terrible home they grew up in.

Jessica is the most OCD, organized and successful of the sisters and works as a home organizer. But it's revealed she has a bit of an addiction problem and is caught stealing pills from wealthy clients' medicine cabinets. Norah is an intelligent and gorgeous bomb shell, but clearly has unresolved anger issues. Alicia is a caring social worker who helps ensure foster kids are actually placed and cared for in good homes, but she struggles with relationships and intimacy of her own. The sisters come together to discover the dark truth behind the bones .

Highly recommend as I could not put this book down. Hepworth explores important psychological themes around attachment, as well as the dark moments of physical and emotional abuse. It was heart warming to see how the sisters' relationship formed and they grew to support one another out of this horrible situation. The book's ending was satisfying, even the last twist about Miss Fairchild.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC copy. Definitely one of my favorites from Hepworth, and already looking forward to more.

This was my first Sally Hepworth book, so I have to ask: are all her books this binge-worthy?!

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are each removed from their respective broken homes and placed into foster care. When they are delivered to Miss Fairchild’s front door, they quickly learn to trust each other as they stand united in fear against their new foster mother’s unpredictable mood swings, strict rules, and cruel punishments. Years later, a body is found on the property and they are thrust both into the spotlight and police crosshairs.

I finished Darling Girls in one day because I couldn’t put it down. Sally is masterful in developing a creative plot, while offering readers lovable unlikeable characters. This story highlights the strong bonds of found family and the intricacies of complex trauma.

I did knock one star because I, myself, am interested in becoming a foster mother someday, so I always cringe a little seeing the foster care system used as a plot device. Putting that aside, l thought Sally has given us an incredibly compelling story.

The narrator, Jesica Clarke, did a great job personifying each person. The way she performed some of the voices in the most intense and scary moments felt so sinister. If you’re looking for a mystery/thriller audiobook, I would recommend you check this title out!

I have enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s previous books, but that did not prepare for me this one. I listened to about a third of the audiobook before I had to binge read the second two thirds. I’m never great at waiting but it was impossible with this one. I think this one punched me a little harder because I am a social worker and this is about the layers of trauma foster kids have to survive. I mean it’s also a domestic thriller and mystery about who the dead body under the house was, but it was eerily accurate about foster care and the pitfalls. The book alternates perspectives as well as timelines. When Norah, Jessica, and Alicia were young they were in foster care together at a home that looked perfect from the outside. It was on a farm and even had a swimming pool, but it also came with a foster mother who was difficult to please and creative with discipline. The three sisters (found family not biological) all get calls from the police with a request to return to that town after a body is found under the demolished house. With trepidation they return to try to find what happened but are they witnesses or are they suspects?

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the ebook and the audiobook for review. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and follow along with their current and past lives, ultimately leading to information about what was found at the house they grew up at. All characters were flawed yet not totally unlikable.

Jessica, Alicia, and Norah were foster children with Mrs. Fairchild for many years, growing close and bonding over their upbringing. They remain close in adulthood despite not staying together once they left Fairchild’s care. All 3 lead imperfect lives today and are brought back together when they receive calls from a detective related to a crime that has been uncovered at their former foster home.

I enjoyed the way the story played out. I preferred the ebook. The story was told from 3/4 perspectives yet the audiobook only had one narrator. This gets confusing if you miss the name at the start of each chapter. I am of the mindset that if a novel is told from more than one perspective, each perspective needs its own narrator.

Quite a great entertaining mystery. Enjoyed going on the ride with the characters through their childhood to adult life. Some of the issues like abuse can be triggering so check your triggers.

Twisty endings are my favorite!!

Oofff! What a read! Sally Hepworth definitely wrote a thrilling story!!

I have such mixed feelings on this book. All hanging in the ending of the story.

I love a story with an unreliable narrative and feel like I caught on early that the story would unfold differently than how it was portrayed to be, however there was lots to the ending that caught me by surprise.

I appreciated the deep sisterly bond, the unraveling of the foster babies and their identities.

I did find the ending very difficult to read. And would definitely advise TW:child abuse and drug/substance for those who may have some sensitivity to such subjects.

I wanted to rate higher than a 3⭐️, however the somewhat graphic ending bumped it down a star in my opinion!

I did a mix of reading and listen (I really appreciate the advanced copies) as it kept me flying through the book that much faster. I feel like the narration was great. Loved the Australian accent!

Thank you for the early access. Would definitely recommend!

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth a thriller novel about three girls and their life in a abusive foster home and a body found under the house years later.

What I liked:
* the slow burn was sooo good
*the characters were detailed and complex
* the amount of times I gasped

What I "disliked":
*Not necessarily a thriller but more of a domestic drama. If you already are a fan of Sally Hepworth, you'll love this book. But if you're looking for lots of action and mystery, I'm afraid this is the wrong book.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for this audiobook. I'm excited to see what Sally Hepworth writes next.

This was such a great ALC! I loved the story, but the narrator did an excellent job of differenitating between the characters! She brought these characters to life! Sally Hepworth writes propelling psychological thirllers that are both character and plot driven. In this novel, the characters are raw, flawed, but brave and inspiring. I loved this novel!