For fans of Freida Mcfadden and John Marrs!!! Absolutely LOVED this book! This is my first read by this author, and I will definitely check out more books by her. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Once in a while you stumble on an amazing book that pulls you in due to the great narration. Jessica Clarke does that in Hepworth's Darling Girls. Her australian accent feels perfect for the book!

I love Sally Hepworth! Everytime she publishes, I want to pick her up to enter her world.

Brief synopsis: Three young girls once lived on a farm with a foster mother named Miss Fairchild. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild, and they thought they were free. But the reach of someone with such power is long, and even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When bones are discovered buried under the farmhouse of their childhood, they are called in by the police to tell what they know.

My thoughts: The setting of this book was intriguing, a dead body found at three foster sisters’ old foster home.The story travels back and forth in time from when Jessica, Norah and Alicia are children to the present when they are contacted by the police regarding the remains of a child found buried under the pool at the old foster home. There are also chapters with one woman speaking to a psychiatrist but we aren't sure who it is until the end. I enjoyed getting to know the three sisters at the center of the mystery. Of note: all of the characters in the story are unreliable, flawed and complex adding to the mystery.

Darling Girls is full of tension, twists and turns and a mystery I wanted to solve.

Trigger warning: Hepworth includes difficult topics in Darling Girls, including foster systems and the sexual abuse/harassment of children and adults.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for sharing Hepworths latest domestic mystery filled with sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder.

I have been a fan of Sally Hepworth from the beginning, some better than others to me. This one knocked it out of the park to me. The characters were rich and flawed with an unreliable and unknown narrator thrown in there. I was left guessing until almost the end. Really well done.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for this audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED this book!!! It hooked me immediately and I could not put it down! This was so well done and I immediately ordered a hard copy to send to my best friend because I knew she'd love it too! This narrator absolutely nailed it and I loved the audiobook just as much as reading the ebook!

5 star read for me!

I am a big fan of Sally Hepworth, and this was no exception. This was at times hard to read, but only because the subject matter was tough. It is terrible to think of kids entering the foster system, only to be mistreated. They girls form a very special bond, and will do anything to protect one another.

The matriarch in the book is awful. Even when you hear her backstory, you still hate her. Maybe a little less though. The ending was expected, but a really good twist. I finished feeling very satisfied.

Three girls bond as sisters when raised in a horrendous foster home. Jessica came as a toddler and she and Mrs. Fairchild had a maternal child relationship until Jessica went to school and Mrs. Fairchild wasn't her whole world. Norah came later and was always a strong individual so she came in for most of the abuse Mrs. Fairchild handed out. Alicia came last when her beloved grandmother died leaving her without a home.

Mrs. Fairchild insists the house always be spotless. Sometimes there was food, sometimes not. There was verbal, psychological and physical abuse. But the girls never told anyone as they didn't want to ever be separated. Mrs. Fairchild started taking in babies but she would get tired of them and make the girls take over their care. Finally she adopted a toddler named Amy but again she got tired of her when Amy started transferring her affections to the girls. Mrs. Fairchild started abusing Amy and the girls decided they had to tell someone. But when the authorities come to save Amy, there is no trace of her and Mrs. Fairchild said the girls made her up. Amy is never found but the girls are taken away to a group home where they finish growing up.

Now years later, bones have been found under Mrs. Fairchild's house. They are the bones of a small child. Jessica, Norah and Alicia return to the town to help the police. Mrs. Fairchild is still there and she tries to incriminate the girls. Who was the body and what happened?

Sally Hepworth is an Australian author. Her thrillers focus on various family relationships and are full of twists and turns. This one follows the same formula and readers will be fascinated at this tale of abuse and murder. Each of the girls has made a life for herself, one a social worker, one a home organizer and one moving from job to job. This may be the final piece that makes their lives whole. I listened to this novel and the Australian accent of the narrator grounded the book in its location and added interest. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

I enjoyed every minute of this well- plotted, well-paced novel by the super talented writer Sally Hepworth. I had already read her previous book, The Soulmate, and thought it was excellent. I liked Darling Girls even more.

Three main characters are all courageous, likable, and inspiring women. They were foster kids were raised by an abusive foster mom, and the wounds of their childhood have made them all troubled as adults. They are all working on themselves, and trying to heal and support each other, and I was rooting for them the whole way.

Miss Fairchild, the foster mother, is a narcissist, and accurately represented. Anyone who has spent time in the company of a narcissist will recognize how realistic this character’s behavior is. Sally Hepworth knows her human psychology for sure.

There are also four lovable dogs in this book who add humor and to balance out the sad scenes. There is one chapter where the dogs are farting in the car. I was falling over with giggles as I was reading that part.

Thank you so much Netgalley, St Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio, for giving me free digital downloads of both the written book and the audiobook. Having both forms of media is my favorite way to experience a book, because I can absorb every sentence book by reading and hearing it.

The narrator of the audiobook was terrific, and I love hearing an Australian accent. I need to get more audiobooks read aloud by Australians.

Considering I wasn't a fan of Hepworth's The Soulmate, I was surprised by how much I actually liked this one! I found Darling Girls to be so gripping, and was intrigued by the alternating viewpoints, as well as the flashbacks to the sisters' disturbing childhood. The mystery of the human remains added some twists and turns as well. While I did feel that the story wrapped up a little too "happily ever after," in the closing chapters, the final little twist made for a great ending!

My second Sally Hepworth novel kept my interest. Three women brought up in foster care brought back to their childhood home with the discovery of baby bones buried beneath the house. Dual timeline told by all three girls who all are living with emotional issues as adults. I read via audiobook and enjoyed the narrator. The ending did take me by surprise! Another win for me! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a former foster care worker, this was dark and felt very realistic. A journey few long to take, but many must try. It’s fiction but it’s so realistically written, you’re immersed in the terrors and the dangers. You must get out alive and take others with you to look back. Highly recommend this author and this story.

I have enjoyed previous reads from this author and this book was no exception, despite the VERY dark content. As other reviewers have mentioned, there are several trigger warnings, including child abuse and trauma. I thought the character development was well done and I really liked the sisterly bond between the three main characters. I liked the Dr. Warren chapters and guessed who his patient was pretty early on, which was a win for me because I am not normally a good guesser. I did, however, find the good doctor to be creepy and more than a little bit unprofessional.

Many people didn’t seem to like the twist in the final few pages, but I was fine with it (and I really did not see that one coming at all).

Jessica Clarke did a fine job of narrating the audiobook, although I don't think there was enough differentiation between character voices. This didn't detract from how much I enjoyed it, however.

This is my first novel by Hepworth, and it did not disappoint. "The Darling Girls" follows four points of view, three of which are foster sisters: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. The fourth is a mystery narrator who has a story tied to the house of Wild Meadow Farms where a body was found buried underneath. Primarily, the story follows the three sisters as they recall the trauma of the years spent under the care of Miss Fairchild.

Though we have the mystery of who the body is, we also have a story about growing up in a foster home with an emotional manipulator, where abuse may not be physical, but it was felt. It explores how these children grew up with this trauma and how it affects them in the long run. While the mystery of the fourth narrator is meant to be surprising, it was obvious from the beginning who it was, though her story was quite interesting.

I found the story compelling, though at times redundant. The mystery was always prevalent and the story of the children was heartbreaking. Each character has a unique voice and unique coping mechanisms, and this crime seems to bring the girls back to their trauma so they can ultimately heal. I think this was worth the read, although there were some very triggering moments and a lot of descriptors of abuse. The narrator did a great job, but with four points of view, there was no real distinction in voices or mannerisms.

wow, wow, wow. This blew me away. I felt so attached to all of the main characters and was blown away by the final twist. Loved it

This book alternates from then and now POVs and I liked how it painted the picture of how and why the girls are as adults.

Overall this was a fund read. I was sucked into the story from the first page and flew through it. The only complaint I have is I felt like the ending fell flat for me. I predicted what was going to happen (which is rare for me LOL).

Captivating thriller with major build up to an ending you won’t see coming. Perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Freida McFadden. The audiobooks narrator does have an accent but is very and easy to understand. Highly recommend!

💙DARLING GIRLS REVIEW💙
rating: 4.5⭐️
genre: suspense
read if you liked: Only if You’re Lucky

Jessica, Alicia and Norah became bonded together forever during their time as foster children at Wild Meadows. Under the care of Ms. Fairchild, the three young girls underwent many traumatic experiences together, some of which they’d like to forget forever. 25 years later they receive a call that forces each of them to deal with the childhood trauma and pain it brought all over again. While Wild Meadows was being torn down remains were found on the property. Some secrets can’t be buried after all…

Sally Hepworth always does such a fantastic job of writing about deep, heavy topics. She knows the way to weave family, relationships, drama and suspense into the story in a way that’s compelling. I really loved the different points of view of the three women and each of their stories of their time in foster care were heartbreaking! The past and present chapters really help give the reader perspective of the situation and create that ultimate suspense that Sally does so well that will leave you on the edge of your seat! This one is a bit of a slow burn suspense, but still had a lot of action packed moments. The ending was PHENOMENAL and DARK! I did a mix of reading and listening and thought both were done so well! I highly recommend checking trigger/content warnings before starting this one though as it is really dark!

In Darling Girls, Sally Hepworth weaves a dark and gripping narrative that explores the lives of three foster sisters: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. Raised by their enigmatic foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farm estate, they carry secrets from their past. When a body is discovered under their childhood home, the sisters become key witnesses—or perhaps prime suspects.

Hepworth’s vivid prose keeps the plot moving, toggling between viewpoints and timelines. The story delves into love, betrayal, and the haunting influence of Miss Fairchild. While the descriptions of child abuse can be grim, the mystery unfolds with unexpected twists.

If you enjoy domestic noir and tales of family bonds tested by secrets, Darling Girls is a must-read. Sally Hepworth’s storytelling prowess shines in this suspenseful novel.

This book centers around 3 women who used to live in a foster home together. Through their childhoods they've developed a sisterly bond. Decades after leaving the foster home, bones are found at the old home and they are forced to return and face their painful past.

To me, this book is the perfect thriller! The pacing was great, there were some plot twists/turns, and not to mention some drama with the complicated family dynamics.

One thing that I did not enjoy about this one is that its a bit darker than Sally's usual novels. No fault to Sally or the book, it is purely just my preference/unawareness that lead to me not enjoying this one as much. Just be sure to please check the trigger warnings before proceeding!

I heard so many good things about Darling Girls that I had to check it out myself!

Blurb…a story of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder.

Sally has been hit or miss for me lately due to her history of slow burns. I’m happy to report that while the content of this book is extremely hard to swallow I was truly invested in what happened to these girls. I could not put this one down! Dual timelines and multiple POV’s add to the suspense. This one is a winner for me but I highly recommend checking out the trigger warnings beforehand!

I really enjoyed this one – I do think I’m a teeny bit predisposed to love SH books because of all the little aussie tidbits, but I also just really enjoyed the story. I loved all the characters, the storyline kept me interested and guessing, I liked the end. But caramello koalas trump tolberone every time! no contest.