4.5 stars rounded up! This book is absolutely WILD.

This book is a thriller, but it’s not really an “edge-of-your-seat” nail biter. It’s more of a story, with everything falling into place as the story is told. However this story is so compelling, and I could not stop listening.

The relationships between the sisters really warmed my heart. They each went through trauma individually, and then had a traumatic experience together and they stuck by each other and loved each other unconditionally. They stood up for one another and protected each other, and I just really appreciated this part of the story.

The ending COMPLETELY shocked me. Just when you think the depravity has reached its maximum, it gets so much worse! I was definitely bamboozled by an unreliable narrator!

The narration was great. I’ve listened to hundreds of audiobooks and this is the first time I’ve listened to an Australian narrator, and she did a wonderful job!

Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook.

Instagram post coming 4/9

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this advance copy!

I received a complimentary egalley of DARLING GIRLS by Sally Hepworth thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley. I also received the advance listener copy thanks to Macmillan Audio!

DARLING GIRLS follows sisters and foster care survivors Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. The three came together under the care of Miss Fairchild. On the outside their home situation looked good, but behind closed doors their life was a struggle. Even so, the three become friends and family, doing their best to avoid Miss Fairchild’s anger. When a body is found under the home where they lived with Miss Fairchild, the trio is asked to come back and answer questions, either as witnesses or suspects.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I started this book and part of that came from not really initially liking any of the women in the present day. As we got more of their backstory with the switches between their POVs and those of their younger selves, I really wound up feeling a lot for these women and the way they were brought up. Working adjacent to foster care myself, it is certainly a broken system and the horror in this one was that such a situation isn’t something that would be out of the realm of possibility.

I think the author did a good job of balancing the narrative between past and present and bringing various secrets to life. There were certainly theories I developed as I was reading. Some proved to be close to accurate, but I stayed hooked the whole time to find out the answers!

DARLING GIRLS comes out on Tuesday!

I quite enjoyed this one, and it’s not what I was expecting! I often gravitate towards stories with untraditional families, which we certainly get with these three foster “sisters” and the abusive Miss Fairchild. The alternating points of view with each of the characters contributes towards making the pace move along, even with a bit of repetition. We see both moments from their past, as children, and present day as adults with the ongoing mystery of the found bones. Understanding how their childhood experiences manifested into the women they become is especially fitting for the psychological aspect. Overall, this is an entertaining read! My biggest complaint is the ending. Each person’s narrative unravels the mystery to the point it makes the ending more predictable, but there are still plot twists here and there.

The audio narration of this book was also well done, especially Miss Fairchild. The pace was in keeping with the storyline, and the tone was on point.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an early audiobook edition of “Darling Girls” by Sally Hepworth, narrated by Jessica Clarke. Jessica did a good job with the various characters who were telling their story. I had read the summary of this book a month or so ago and passed on reading it. Then I received a nudge to read it again and decided to give it a try.

This is a story about three young girls who end up in foster care. Jessica went to Miss. Fairchild’s when she was very young, Norah a few years later, and Alicia shortly after that. At first Miss. Fairchild seems to dote on Jessica but eventually loses interest. When Miss. Fairchild needs money she takes in Norah, then Alicia. The girl’s life in foster care was riddled with mental abuse and neglect, but the girls were afraid to say anything, as Norah knew some foster homes were worse and they would most likely be split up. They survived by supporting each other until one day they were forced to say something.

The story goes back and forth between then and now. Now all three are grown, each with scars from the time they spent with Miss Fairchild. The sisters remain close to one another, even 20 years after leaving Miss. Fairchild. When a body is found under the foster house they were in during demolition, the three return to the town they thought they had left forever. The author did a nice job of introducing adult mental health issues in each of the girls as a result of their time spent at Miss Fairchild’s and weaving those stories into the overall story. The characters are well developed and the pace of the book is good. There are twists and turns, but not sure it is a strong “thriller” story. The story feels like one that could take place in anywhere, U.S.

I really did enjoy this book! This was my first Sally Hepworth book, and it did not disappoint. I take pleasure in a good fast faced thriller and for me this was a good one. Told with multiple POV and about secrets, murder, sisters and love. As we learn more about these Darling girls and their dark abusive childhood that they shared together in their foster home, you are in suspense trying to figure it all out what actually happened. Each chapter keeps you captured and pulling you and turning the page, especially with the cliffhangers that the author uses so well. And the ending was great, and surprised me, which to me is the true test of a good thriller, which again this is. Now that I have read and enjoyed this one, I most certainly am getting to her other books!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Many times I read early copies of books right before (or even after) their publication dates, but I finished Darling Girls almost a month before its publication date! Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the recent ALC widget via NetGalley which motivated me to listen to this audiobook right away. I followed along and occasionally read from the ARC I received from St Martin’s Press, too. All opinions are my own.
Darling Girls is about sisters who spend time in the same foster placement. While not biologically related to each other, they form a tight bond in their time together. The book switches between a current storyline with flashbacks to what was happening in their foster home. A portion of each chapter in the present includes a scene where one character meets with a psychiatrist - who is talking to the psychiatrist? The plot has an underlying mystery, too: a body is found in the foster home - whose body is it? As you can imagine, past secrets start coming out, both in the psychiatry sessions and in the investigation of the crime scene.
I was immediately sucked into this read and had trouble stopping to go to sleep, which is always a good sign. Darling Girls will be available April 23rd, and I recommend both the book and the audiobook - the Australian narrator Jessica Clarke does a particularly good job. Surprisingly, no content warnings are listed in the book, but I’m happy to answer questions if you have any hesitations based on my review.

This title contains reference to death (including that of a child), mental illness, gaslighting, child abuse, and addiction.

I enjoyed Sally Hepworth's newest release, Darling Girls, as I have enjoyed all of the other works of hers that I've read. Darling Girls follows three foster sisters as they cope with the abuse they endured at the hands of their foster mother following a gruesome discovery at the house of horrors where they all lived decades earlier. Like Hepworth's other books, Darling Girls has lots of twists and turns, and I devoured the entire book in less than 24 hours. While the subject matter is obviously dark and disturbing, Hepworth manages to handle it gracefully. A perfect beach read for those whose reading tastes skew to the darker side of things! The narrator also did a fabulous job, adding slight sound effects (mumbling slightly when the writing indicated that a character was eating while talking, for example) without overdoing it.

i really enjoyed this book! i devoured this within 24 hours. i wanted to know what was going to happen! this was my first book by this author and now i'm interested to read more! if you've read Sally Hepworth's books, let me know which ones i should check out. i've heard that Hepworth's books are less thriller and more family drama/suspense, and i think this book fits the bill. you're along with the characters learning about their lives in foster homes, and with them again in the future when bones were found under their previous foster home. there were 4 different POVs--those of Jessica, Norah, Alicia: the sisters (not by blood), and an unknown POV. the characters and timelines were distinct and easy to follow. this book also did a great job of being character driven without being boring. the characters felt realistic and true to life.

i was surprised by the twists, and they were realistic too. again, "thriller" isn't the first categorization i'd put on this book, but it had thriller elements. i think the ending went on for a little too long, but understand why. that last chapter though?! shook.

above all, this book is an examination of the dynamics between 3 women who grew up in the same foster home and the effects of trauma they endured. this book gave insight and commentary about how people deal with trauma differently, as well as how the foster system perpetuates abuse. i would recommend this book if you're interested in those topics.

the audiobook narrator, Jessica Clarke, had a great Australian accent to match the setting of the book (and i am just learning now that Sally Hepworth is Australian). her tone and inflection was great. no complaints at all about the audio quality!

i overall really enjoyed this one, although it's not a story that will stick with me long term. this book gave me similar vibes as Bye, Baby which i also loved earlier this year. i would recommend this book if you liked that one, or if you like:
- following flawed characters
- discussions of the effects of trauma & foster care
- sibling dynamics
- past & present timelines
- books set in Australia

Darling Girls publishes in the U.S. on April 23, 2024. thank you to Macmillan Audio, Sally Hepworth, and Netgalley for an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Twenty-five years ago, three girls (Jessica, Norah, and Alicia) were brought to Wild Meadows where their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, took over. Past and present chapters, from each of the girls POV, give insight into how they grew up together and formed an unbreakable bond that was primarily based on their survival.
In their present day, an investigation is underway for a crime that may have been committed while the girls were living with Miss Fairchild. Now, the girls are reliving these memories and some are shared with a therapist, Dr. Warren. The story itself is jaw dropping. It was hard to read about the abuse at times and the horrific way they were treated by their foster mother. However, Sally Hepworth did a great job delivering a mystery/domestic suspense story with a twist!
Thanks NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, & Macmillan Audio for the ARC!
Release date: April 23, 2024

A huge thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this incredible novel. I can describe the book in one word, WOW! The story is filled with numerous twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire roller coaster ride. The story moves along at a fast pace alternating between the past and the present, between the three POVs and the mystery patient's sessions with Dr. Warren.

Darling Girls

4.25 ⭐️

Sally Hepworth is so good at writing a psychological thriller and I was so excited to grab this one from @netgalley!

Told from three different foster care sister perspectives, Darling Girl shows the horrors of growing up in Miss Fairchild’s care. With flashbacks and present day converging, the mystery of what happened in the house all comes slowly together.

This book was so heavy with its topics, but I flew through it trying to figure out what happened. I definitely didn’t see all the twists, which always makes me enjoy a thriller more!

Listened to this in 2 days. The narrator was great!
I always enjoy Sally Hepworth books and I think because of the subject matter it was harder to say I “enjoyed” it. Seeing kids struggle is tough. But I loved the sisterhood that the characters developed. It was a quick listen and I was eager to hear how it was going to all turn out. I loved the twists at the end. Thank you so much for the advanced copy.

3.5 rounded up.

Oh I flew through this one in about a day. I had so much fun listening to this dark and twisty story of three sisters and their traumatic upbringing in a foster home. Told in a dual timeline with three/four POVs and I was hooked through it all. The end bit dragged just a tad for me - a lot of exposition jammed in a short time - but overall I really enjoyed it and felt like the story and characters were consistent the entire time. I loved seeing the sisters’ relationship with each other through childhood into adulthood and how their lives were impacted so differently by the same experiences. I definitely think this will be a thriller favorite among a lot of people.

Loved the narration too!

Darling Girls is classic Sally Hepworth. Twisty, fast paced, fully realized characters that jump off the page, and great dialogue. Add in a talented narrator like Jessica Clarke and I could not stop listening! Norah was hilarious! She had me absolutely snort laughing- especially the scenes with her 3 dogs (all named after the 1st things they destroyed when she got them. I won't spoil it here, but so so funny!) Darling Girls tackled some very sensitive subjects, but in a way that never stopped being 100% entertaining. Highly recommend!!!

Strong narrator and interesting opening, but I could only listen to about 25% of this. Three sisters come together at the beginning after each receives a call from a police detective telling them human bones have been found at their former home. Turns out that they're foster sisters. Jessica lived there longest and saw a different side of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Until Norah arrived and Miss Fairchild revealed her true colors? Once Alicia arrived as a respite case, I couldn't take it anymore. The cruelty and abuse the children endured was too upsetting for me. I hope she gets what's coming to her, but I don't have it in me to find out.

I was able to listen to Darling Girls as an ARC audiobook from NetGally. I have heard many great things about this one, and love other books that the author Sally Hepworth has writteb.
The audiobook started off really interesting, and I enjoyed hearing each girl from past to present narration. It did get a bit borning for me about halway through and I was hoping for more excitement. The story was an original, and I do think it was good overall.

I absolutely devoured this book. I finished in 2 days, listening every chance I could. This book has some dark content, so make sure you check trigger warnings before reading. With that being said, I loved the different perspectives and the development of each character. I was invested in the women, wanting to know more of their story. This is a page turner until the very last page!

*4.75 Stars

Title: My Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
Publication Date- 04/23/24
Publisher- Macmillan
Overall Rating- 4 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Audio review: The narration was great, engaging and well performed. If you do audio that’s a great way to intake this book.

Review: Finally a good book. I’ve been on a dry spell recently and My Darling Girls broke that. This is the story of the foster care system, sisterhood and bonding through difficult times. All you need to know going into this is that there are two timelines happening. There’s the present adults who have found out that their foster care home is being dug up and through that process bones are found. In the past you follow three girls who survive together through a terrible experience in the foster care system. Throughout the story you don’t know who has died and how they died, was it murder? If so, who did it and who could be the victim?

This was a very entertaining read with a good twist. I wouldn’t call the twist super shocking and for me it wasn’t the main point of the story. Some readers may feel that this is not thrilling enough for them, it does lean heavily into the characters and their relationships which really worked for me. For me, that was the main driver of the story and I wanted to know more about what happened to them and how they survived. Alongside that I was often wondering and thinking about who could have died and who would have been the murderer if it were a murder. So there is wonder happening and a thrill to pull you forward while you are going through a heavy story with these girls.

Sally Hepworths writing also really works for me. The way she tells stories, builds plot and characters is just easy reading for me. I didn’t give it a full 5 stars because I wasn’t obsessed or felt that I would read this again but I did really enjoy it and at no point didI I want to DNF it. I think most fans of Sally Hepworth will enjoy it.

All in all I would recommend this for people who like thrillers that have more character exploration. Everything is building up to one moment and one answer but it may feel slow for some getting there if you aren’t interested in hearing about the journey in the past.

Oh my gosh, you guys HAVE to read Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth! This book is so intense and twisty - I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It alternates between timelines and characters' perspectives, which really adds to the suspense. The topics are definitely not for the faint of heart, but the writing is so gripping. I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and what was going to happen next. From the very first page, I was hooked. The emotions it evoked in me were just wow - I was shocked over and over again. If you love books that get your blood pumping and leave you guessing until the end, then this is absolutely the one for you. Seriously, do not look up anything about the plot - just dive right in. You will NOT be able to put it down once you start! Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio for being able to review this ARC

4⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Setting ~ Australia
Publication date ~ April 23, 2024
Page Count ~ 368 (60 chapters)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 6 minutes
Narrators ~ Jessica Clarke
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ multiple timelines, child abuse

Foster sisters Jessica, Norah & Alicia lived their teenage years with Miss Fairchild, who was not a nice person at all.

Now years later bones have been found at their old foster home and they're heading back to a place they never wanted to visit again.

The alternating POV's give us a good sense of each of these women in the now and in the past. We, also, get a few chapters of psychiatrist visits that gave me mixed feelings at the end.

Overall, fast paced in now and slower in the past, but gripping nonetheless and will surely be a best seller. I love when the author has done research and she tells us about it in the author's note.

I was lucky enough to have both an ebook and the audio. Both ways worked perfectly fine.
Narration notes:
Jessica did a great job even though there wasn't too much of a variation between the characters voices.