I wasn't sure how to rate this book. I went back and forth between 3 stars and 4 stars. It intrigued me and I was curious throughout the whole book what the end would be. What was going on? What was the true story? That kept me listening and wanting more. Overall though the whole story seemed a little flat. I felt like it could have been better but not sure how to explain it. It was a good story and kept me listening and wanting to know more but at the same time there wasn't anything that made me go WOW! In the end I did like it and maybe because it wasn't the usual who dun it type book that has me questioning things but I think many out there will absolutely love it.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are not related by blood but consider themselves sisters in every way. They were each placed under the care of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, as young children, and they formed a bond that could not be broken - no matter how hard Miss Fairchild tried. As adults, they’ve seemingly moved on from their tumultuous childhood, until they receive a call from local police. The estate they grew up on is being demolished for development purposes and they’ve discovered bones under the house. The sisters head back to the small town where they grew up for questioning and to see if they can help figure out what happened all those years ago. They presume to know who the bones belong to, but they’re wrong - and only one person knows who was buried under that house.

WHOA. Sally Hepworth is a master at psychological suspense novels, so I don’t even know why I’m surprised that this book was so great! There was a dual timeline and alternating points of view, which I always love. There was a smidge of unreliable narration because the women were children for much of what happened and essentially gaslit for a long, long time. This is definitely a dark story (DM me if you want CWs), but so well told. I absolutely loved the ending - I thought the author had wrapped everything up and then she dropped another bomb - it was great. Many thanks to MacMillan Audio for the ALC - the narration was wonderful. I highly recommend this as an audiobook, or adding it onto your BOTM subscription box like my mom did 😉

I love a Sally Hepworth novel! I just feel that the are sometimes marketed wrong - if you go into her books expecting a fast paced thriller, you could be disappointed. Overall, if I had to say the word thriller to describe her books - I would say DOMESTIC thrillers - light on the thrills.

I really enjoyed this one - not my favorite of hers especially after reading and loving The Soulmate last year, but I always get what I expect from a Sally Hepworth book:

Family or Relationship Dynamics
Some sort of mystery or murder or truth that is being uncovered
Well-written characters that are flawed but interesting
A plot that intrigues me and keeps me turning the pages
Some sort of twist or reveal that I don't (or sometimes do but still enjoy) see coming

I especially loved the "sister" dynamics of the three main characters that were raised together in the same foster house. Hepworth does such a great job differentiating the characters and giving them distinct traits that I had such an easy time going from one narrator to the next. This was an interesting story and, as always with Hepworth, definitely worth the read!

Thank you to Netgalley & St Martin's Press for this advanced copy (I tandem read with the audiobook as well so thank you also to Macmillan Audio) in exchange for my honest opinion!

Unfortunately I just don't think Hepworth's books are for me. I have read a few of her books previously and for the most part just felt meh about them. With this one I struggled to connect in any way to the story and was just never hooked.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4

Darling Girls was such a quick, creative mystery/thriller. I am very familiar with Sally Hepworth's books and she is the queen of this genre. She has such an easy to digest writing style. I loved how this book had multiple points of view and multiple time frames. If you are looking for a good twisty thriller, I highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed the audiobook/narrator of this book. It kept me engaged, and it was easy to follow.

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?