Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth was an amazing audiobook narrated by Jessica Clarke. Jessica did a wonderful job keeping the pace and tone interesting and keeping me engaged from the first chapter. I was able to easily follow the lives of the different characters without getting them mixed up or losing track, which can sometimes be difficult in an audiobook with multiple perspectives. I really enjoyed being able to get the different sides of the characters which really made you feel for each of them in turn. They were relatable and

This psychological thriller takes you into the lives of three foster girls who met when they all lived with Miss Fairchild. There, they struggled to escape her grasp and unspeakable terrors which united them with a now unbreakable bond. Jessica wanted nothing more than a mother in Miss Fairchild, and that is what she got until she became old enough to find friendship outside of the home. Then Norah is brought into the house followed by Alicia. All the girls try to be what is expected, but sometimes expectations can be crushing.

Now adults and 25 years later, the women return to the home of their nightmares when the house is torn down and a body discovered buried under the house. The narrative is told from all 3 women's perspectives as both adults and children as you learn what they experienced and what they overcame to become the women they are today. However, as this unfolds, truths about the past are revealed to leave the reader questioning where those bones came from and who put them there.

I really enjoyed this book and will be looking for more from Sally Hepworth in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion.

When I say I GASPED….

Read this book if you like:
👯‍♀️ Found Family
🔍 Mysteries
#️⃣ Multiple POV
⏳ past and present timelines
🤯 Shocking Reveals

This book was soooo incredibly bingeable and was soooo well narrated that it kept me thoroughly entertained!

This felt different, in a good way, from Sally’s prior stories I’ve read and like her others, this was full of mystery, suspense, and questioning everything especially with the bouncing between POVs.

I truly loved the found family aspect between the girls and their fierce devotion to each other which, with a foster parent like they had, no clue why they were so bonded.

I loved reading and wondering what was coming next, because man, did the foster mom serve suspicion and doubt!

I don’t want to say much more, but dang… Buckle up for a bingeable mystery!

Thank you so much to the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for my review!

Listening to the audio version of Darling Girls, I was pulled into the story early on. There are three girls, Jessica , Norah and Alicia who one at a time, come to be foster children at Miss Fairchild’s home, How very lucky for them to have a wonderful home, Wild Meadows! Initially showered with love, the girls are eventually subjected to harsh discipline, stringent rules, and a foster mother whose behavior is so erratic that it’s hard to predict when the next outburst will occur. Luckily, they are able to get out, remain loving sisters to each other, and never ever look back. All true until they are notified that the unidentified bones of a young child have been found beneath the house.

Going back and forth in time, from childhood to adulthood, the story is told in three POVs, and also during an institutional therapy session for an unrevealed character. The reader, Jessica Clarke, does an excellent job with pacing, tone of voice and just enough dramatization. The plot is a bit slow at times yet the storyline held my interest as the possibility of murder looms large and many secrets are revealed. Who could commit such a heinous act? What haven’t the three sisters told each other? How villainous is Miss Fairchild? Is it possible to recover from childhood trauma?

There are many twists and turns right up until the end. Sally Hepworth can be relied upon to keep the suspense going throughout. Four stars for a creative story line well told. Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this audio Advance Reader’s copy in exchange for my review. It will be available on April 23. I highly recommended it for fans of Sally Hepworth, as well as those who enjoy thrillers .
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I remember seeing this ARC come available months and months ago on NetGalley and squealing! I had so much fun reading The Soulmate last year and really looked forward to Darling Girls. Let’s get into it-

In Darling Girls, we follow three FMCs, former foster sisters who’ve adopted each other into their adult families. They all are having a hard time with their personal lives when they are called back to the small town where they lived in a foster home together when a body is found on the premises. Told partially in the present timeline and partially in flashbacks to their time together in their foster home, the truth behind their childhood home comes to light as everyone works toward solving the mystery- whose body is buried at the home, and who buried them?

Like Hepworth’s previous books, I enjoyed this one! There were a few twists throughout that were entertaining to puzzle out. One part I really liked was the sisters’ support and devotion to each other despite the outside pressure on them to turn on each other! That said, a few of the reveals made the disbelief suspension strain too hard, particularly one right at the 50% mark. It just made a big part of the previous story completely unbelievable! Aside from that plot issue, I did feel fatigued by the lack of character development throughout most of the book. While most of the characters had turned their issues around by the ending, they were all their own worst enemies for the vast majority of the book and it got repetitive along the way. Lastly for criticism, some parts of this book are meant to justify the antagonist’s monstrous behavior. Though this is clarified at the end of the story, it was still hard to stomach.

Overall I liked this book and recommend it to readers who have read and liked Hepworth’s previous books. The audiobook was well produced and enhanced the story and characters! Though this will not be a top-rated mystery for the year for me, I will continue reading more books from Hepworth in the future!

First let me say that I love Sally Hepworth. However, this book didn't do it for me and that has a lot to do with my own personal viewpoints. Was there a lot of "OMG" moments? Yes. Did I enjoy the read? Yes. But I still give it a 3.5 star rating. I might have gone with a 4-star rating had it not been for the ending (don't worry no spoilers).

I really enjoyed getting to know Jessica, Norah and Alicia. I loved their relationship with each other despite their life circumstances and living at Wild Meadows Farm. What I didn't love was how it all played out in the end. I should know better than to read a book involving child abuse as a former case manager in foster care but I did it anyway. And well that's part of the reason I didn't love the book. But ultimately, the end is what did it for me. It could have ended before it did and likely would have ended in more of a 4-star review for me but the ending to me was unnecessary and just felt like there was a requirement for how many times there was a twist.

Should you read it? Sure why not! But if you don't enjoy thrillers where kiddos are involved then skip this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this audio ARC! (Side note - great audio!)

WOW... Just WOW! This is Ms Hepworth's best book yet and she writes wonderful books. This one will blow your mind. A MUST READ for thriller lovers. Narrated by Jessica Clarke. She did a great job.

We start out in a Psychiatrist's office. Someone is telling him about things that happened in their life. Throughout this story you hear more and more about this sad life. About the abuse she endured. About the horrendous things that were done to her.

There are three girls, Jessica, Norah(with a H), and Alicia. These girls are sisters. Not by blood but by life. By their lives as foster children. They were all living with Miss Fairchild. Jessica from the age of four. Norah and Alicia were a little older. Teens/preteens. Miss Fairchild was so good to Jessica until she wasn't. She could be the meanest most cruel person ever. If she found out your deepest fears. Your deepest joys. Anything that she could use against you she delighted in. She would love you dearly until she didn't....

You meet Jessica, Norah, and Alicia as adults. They are called back to the place they had lived. To the town where they had been living and fostered twenty-five years ago. There is a dead body buried under the home they lived in. Bones of a baby girl.

This book will keep you turning pages. Keep you on edge and in tears. What these girls went through is horrible. How they managed to grow up and be somewhat successful is amazing. After all they endured they have to go back to face something more. Something that may do them in. May be the most painful thing yet...

This book keeps you guess all the way. I figured out who was talking to the psychiatrist but that is about all. I came close with who the bones belonged too. But there are so many twists and turns that I was left gasping after the last word. After I finished this book. It's one that you won't forget soon. How Ms Hepworth can outdo this one will be something else indeed. This book is brilliantly written. Told in a way as to keep you turning the pages. You won't want it to end until every question is answered. You will get all of that and more.

Thank you #NetGalley, #SallyHepworth, #StMartinsPress, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this wonderful book.

Five huge stars and the highest recommendation. You don't want to pass this one up.

I very much enjoy twists and turns and this twist was great! It was a little difficult to sort through the information during the break down of the climax but once everything was explained it was great.

Wow! I love Sally Hepworth’s writing style! It is engaging, twisted, and fast paced!

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are all from separate broken homes and they were all fostered by Miss Fairchild. They are all reunited when the police discover human remains under their childhood farmhouse. While the police are trying to solve the mystery of the remains, the story bounces from each girls’ POV to understand their past and present stories. None of them have happy memories.

I love a psychological murder mystery! This one did not disappoint. Even though the ladies had tragic upbringings, I still enjoyed the story without feeling bogged down and super depressed. I felt bad for the ladies, but it wasn’t too deep to not what to read it anymore.

I can’t wait to read her next book!

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

In the book Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth we meet Jessica Alicia and Norah with an H three foster kids that come to live with Miss Fairchild at her home Wild Meadows for different reasons but all victims of her narcissism. They’re all grown and have different levels of success Jessica has a million dollars business Alicia is a caring loving social worker in Nora is a caring dog owner with slight anger issues. They put their life in Port Arthur behind them or at least they thought they did until the day they get a call from Detectives saying a small child’s body was found under the house. They all travel back to their childhood of horrible memories but are still not prepared for the secrets lies and coverups they were told involved in and will ultimately be responsible and putting an end to it. There is a humongous twist at the very tail end of this book that may not blow most peoples minds but OMG if it didn’t blow mine. I listen to the audible book with Jessica Clark narrating and she did a superb job I love books by Sally Hepworth and do believe this one is my favorite although this book covers a lot of emotional and psychological abuse the most acute child abuse is talked about in passing and isn’t really focused on I found this book humorous serious thrilling and well put together I absolutely loved it! I had the Kindle book as well and started reading it there but once I started the audiobook there was no question how I was going to finish I just want to reiterate what a great job the narrator did. I want to thank McMillan publishing and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This book quickly sucked me in with its unique plot, multiple POVs, and suspenseful nature. This was my first Sally Hepworth read and it did not disappoint!!

The story alternates between four perspectives (Jessica, Alicia, Norah, and Miss Fairchild). It flashes back to the past, detailing Jessica, Alicia, and Norah’s time as foster children under the “care” of Miss Fairchild. It does a good job at discussing the psychological turmoil of abuse, the power of manipulation, and complicated relationships.

For the most part, it held my attention, but I did find parts of the story to feel a bit repetitive. Overall, a unique read! I look forward to checking out other works by this author.

Huge thank you to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC! All opinions are my own.

Psychological Mystery! Sisters, Secrets & MURDER!
Oooooo, I HATED Miss Fairchild. Still do. Bye!

Publisher's summary
For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.
But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. 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 thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?
A thrilling work of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ALC of Darling Girls!

Darling Girls
By: Sally Hepworth
Narrated by: Jessica Clarke
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release date: 04-23-24

Three adult “sisters” are called back to their foster home when bones are discovered during the excavation of their former foster home. The girls were badly abused by their foster mother during their time at the home and returning to the town is bringing up those horrible memories and showing them how much that time has affected them as adults. Through the narration we also learn the backstory of the “mother” and the mysterious fourth sister. During the investigation, the girls (and the reader) try to discover if they are correct as to whose bones have been discovered.

I had a hard time with reading and listening to the scenes of the abuse of the girls (and honestly it wasn’t that bad) and I think it was just the headspace I was in at the time. This was a page turner and I stayed up late reading it because I wanted to know what happened. I enjoyed all the twists and turns and the more I think about it the more I’ve decided how much I liked this one. The narrator had a wonderful cadence to her and made the scenes a little less painful to listen to. I am definitely going to her backlist.

A well-crafted twisty thriller. The sisters really draw you in, make you root for them. Seeing how they care for each other and how they come together to overcome their childhoods made me really enjoy this read. I felt like following two timelines helped to accentuate their progression. While the final twist was NOT predictable, I feel like it would have been just as good without it. Highly recommend! Lives up to the hype.

Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this book. Once again Hepworth knocked it out the park and showed us how a thriller is suppose to go.

Three sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, are as close as any sisters, maybe even closer, despite not being blood related. Unfortunate events in each of the girls' childhood caused them to end up in the foster care system and subsequently under the care of Miss Fairchild, where they grew up for part of their lives. Now as adults the sisters are contacted by the police, and asked to answer some questions about their childhood, as it has come to their attention that remains have been found under the house, Miss Fairchild's home, where they grew up. As the sisters return to the town where they once lived together with Miss Fairchild, they are asked to relive the difficult times the had in the home with the authoritarian of Miss Fairchild. As the police ask more questions, they begin to think that Miss Fairchild has painted the girls in a negative light, and suspect they are being treated as suspects. As they work to clear their name they must communicate the truths of their time with Miss Fairchild.

This was a very interesting novel, and a good mystery with some twists at the end I certainly did not expect. The book is written form the sisters' perspectives, as well as through interviews with a psychologist. It is not immediately clear who is speaking to the psychologist, but certainly makes sense at the end. The audiobook was well produced, and easy to listen and enjoy. I would recommend to anyone looking for an audiobook to keep them on the edge of their seat, as they listen.

Oh wow!! Sally Hepworth always delivers!This was so engaging yet disturbing!

Darling Girls is about three young ladies who grew up in the foster system. They were taken away from their family tragedies and sent to live with Miss Fairchild. They were told that they were so lucky to live with her, but were they really? All of the disturbing events of their childhoods come out after a body is found buried under their foster home. Maybe they weren’t so lucky after all.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sally Hepworth's latest psychological thriller, 'Darling Girls,' is a gripping tale that doesn't disappoint. Garnering a well-deserved 4-star rating, this book promises to captivate any reader who dares to delve into its pages. With its intricate narrative structure featuring multiple points of view spanning decades, Hepworth skillfully navigates the raw and haunting realities of the foster care system. One of the standout elements is the choice of an Australian narrator, perfectly complementing the story's settings in Melbourne and Port Agatha.

Throughout the novel, the narrator's performance adds depth and authenticity, immersing readers in the chilling atmosphere of the plot. Hepworth masterfully weaves suspense, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the unexpected and jaw-dropping conclusion. While the story may start off a bit slow, it quickly gains momentum as the main characters are introduced, making it impossible to set aside.

'Darling Girls' is a testament to Hepworth's talent for crafting compelling narratives that linger in the mind long after the final page is turned. With its blend of mystery, suspense, and unforgettable characters, this book is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers.

This was a captivating slow reveal with one final twist. The dual timelines and multiple character perspectives made the way for strong character development. I felt like I really got to know each sister and understand her trauma. At times frustrating, heartbreaking, and also beautiful, this book will have you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to Sally Hepworth, St Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this audiobook!

Wow!!! Wow!! Wow!! I loved this book! It had so many twists I did not see coming. I liked the bond Jessica, Norah, and Alicia had and how the author went into detail about their upbringing and what they went through. I wondered what happened to Ms. Fairchild for her to act the way she did. It all makes sense now! I definitely recommend this book! Then the murder?! Who would have thought it was that person who did it?! I am beyond AMAZED with this author. Superb job!!! I have added this book to my Wishlist because I HAVE to have a physical copy.

👩‍👧‍👧 Darling Girls - Sally Hepworth

4.5 ⭐️ - A slowww burn but so twisty, unexpected, and worth it. There were lots of times during this one where I simply just didn’t know where it was headed. Something felt predictable and then, bam! next twist.

This one had short chapters, changing POVs, and overlapping storyline - a few of my favorite things. I enjoyed the growth of each sister and the bond they formed over time. Toward the end, I thought we were getting a bland finish, but Sally hit us with the biggest twist in the last few pages. Definitely worth the read. Sally Hepworth is now an auto-buy/auto-read author and she doesn’t disappoint. Definitely keep your eyes peeled for this one hitting shelves on 4/2!