My Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia became foster sisters when placed together at Wild Meadows, but chose to be sisters at heart despite their foster mother Miss Fairchild. 25 years after leaving Wild Meadows, bones are discovered under the house. The girls return "home" at the police's request to find answers.

Please check your trigger warnings before reading this book. There is a lot of darkness, abuse, substance abuse, toxic family dynamics etc. present in these pages.

The pacing of this book was wonderful. I was hooked from the beginning. The POV switches between multiple characters and multiple timelines to slowly reveal the past and make sense of the present. These were easy to follow and were done quite well. The characters had depth and a relatability to them not often found in the thriller/mystery genre.

Overall the book was dark but very enjoyable. I do, however, prefer for truly bad people to get what they deserve. My mother grew up in foster care and had relatable experiences to these women, so I'm biased. The ending pissed me off because it completely changed the reasoning Fairchild to even take in the kids in the first place. Her killing her baby sister for literally no reason makes no sense. Why would she later voluntarily take in more babies? I can appreciate a villain with a good backstory and until the twist she had it. Not that she could be forgiven for torturing girls for money, but at least the foundation of being a terrible person was laid. Instead she is just a villain because she was born evil? This whole ending twist felt rushed and just put in for shock factor and took my rating down a lot.

The narrator was fantastic!

Wow this was a good one. Lately thrillers just aren’t as fun to read but THIS ONE PROVED THAT WRONG! WOW this was so good. I did not expect that ending what so ever!

I initially thought 4.5 ⭐️, but as I started writing this review, I realized I have nothing but positive things and will likely read this again, so 5 ⭐️ from me!!
I loved that I was able to read and listen to this at the same time, so I have a dual review of both audio narration and book.

I had all the feels! I was literally cracking up laughing, borderline crying and angry all at different points. Alicia’s jokes were on point! 😂

Sally Hepworth is truly an amazing storyteller! I was hooked from the beginning. The setting, the plot, the character development, all so great! The sisters were all so different and so well developed, I had a hard time not falling in love with all 3 of them. I even felt for miss Fairchild!

I have a pedi psych background, making the foster children story line more relatable to me, so that part of the story really tore at my heart strings and made me tear up at some parts.

The narration was great! I’ve never actually listened to an audiobook with an Australian accent and I loved it! The performance was perfect for the story line and Jessica Clarke nailed it for me. She was animated at all the right times, didn’t miss a beat.


The pacing of this book was just perfect, it wasn’t slow and it wasn’t fast, and I didn’t want to put it down or to end!! But it did end, and I love how nicely it was tied up.

Looking forward to my next Hepworth novel!!

Special thank you to NetGalley, St.Martins Press and Macmillan audio.

OOH this was such a good one! I loved the found family relationship between the three girls, the way that the past and the future were connected for them, and the unsettling vibes of the house and foster mom. We get the story of the 3 women themselves, their past in the house and current day, as well as the story of the foster mom. I thought I saw some of the twists coming, but I was mostly all wrong and I loved it. I usually find slow-burn thrillers frustrating, but I really liked this one. There were sufficient twists and the story itself was compelling enough for me to keep reading to find out more. There's some heavier content here around child abuse, so please proceed with caution if this is a difficult topic for you.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Darling Girls was creepy, suspenseful, and everything I was looking for. Sally Hepworth has been hit or miss for me in the past, so I'm excited to say I really enjoyed this one. It's much darker than her usual storyline, so please check trigger warnings before reading.

I enjoyed the "before and after" timeline: the reader is learning the story of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, both where they are now and what happened to them in the past. There's also a mystery POV of someone speaking with a psychologist, but we don't know who they are or how they tie into the plot.

This book is certainly a slow burn, but it's well executed with the suspense continually building. I enjoyed the way it all came together!

This is the best Sally Hepworth novel since The Mother-in-Law! Fast paced and it pulls you right in. The narrator was excellent for the audiobook.

”Aren’t you a darling girl?” Mum would say as she stood over the bassinet, gazing at her. “How I love you, darling girl.” It made me sick.

Darling Girls was my 5th read from Hepworth and my favorite thus far. Hepworth can write thrillers like no other! This novel is told from multiple points of view- Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, all foster children in the 90’s as well as an account from a Dr. Warren, psychologist. You aren’t sure whom is communicating with Dr. Warren until the end of the story which adds to the suspense. The book is also told in the present day but flashes back to the girls time at Wild Meadows- both time frames essential to the plot.

Darling Girls is a domestic thriller done right. I highly recommend picking it up for your next 5 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This was such a wild ride. I really liked the sisters and the story was cool although the plot twist at the end was lacking for me unfortunately. Overall I really liked it and I liked the narrator too

Thank you to McMillan Audio, Netgalley and the author Sally Hepworth for allowing me to listen to this audiobook for an honest review. This domestic thriller about three foster sisters had me hooked from the beginning. There were so many twists and turns throughout the book, super suspenseful, and the ending was amazing! I really enjoyed these sister's bond and relationship, and the storyline was very intriguing. This was my first Sally Hepworth book and definitely won't be my last. (Review posted on Goodreads)

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC audio of one of my favorite authors! Sally Hepworth's books are always suspenseful and interesting and her newest is no different. It's a story about three foster children who grew up in the same house together (Wild Meadows) under the thumb of unpredictable Miss Fairchild. Years later when a body is found on the property, the girls return to help uncover the truth about the person they lived with for so many years. What follows are secrets that no one saw coming, especially them. This book has it all, including a surprise ending! The narrator was good, but I did struggle a bit with some of her narrative.

Trigger Warning: Child Neglect & Mental, Emotional & Physical Abuse.

Darling Girls focuses on 3 foster children, Alicia, Norah & Jessica (and their evil foster mom Ms. Fairchild whose name is just as evil) after they receive a phone call 25 years later that human bones were found under the house they grew up in. The story weaves through past and present time, allowing the readers to grasp what awful things the girls went through under Ms. Fairchild’s care.

I quite literally listened to this book in under 24 hours. This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I needed to know what happened next. The ending…. I definitely did not see coming. I was 😱😱😱

Thanks so much Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press & Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read / listen to this ARC!

This was a good quick read for me. I thought the premise was interesting. 3 sisters and a sordid past. I definitely would recommend.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia were not born sisters,; they became sisters. Raised on a country estate as Forster children they learned to have each other’s backs. The woman responsible for their care, Miss Fairchild, was far from stable. She expected a lot from the girls and,if she didn’t get what she wanted her punishments were cruel. Now, years later, a body has been found on the estate and the sisters find themselves having to relive their pasts and revisit old wounds. They need to know, who was buried on the estate and why?

Did I just become a full-on Hepworth fan? I think I did! I loved this book! And, having just read The Soulmate, and also loving that book, I now need to read everything she ever writes!

Seriously though, the journey these woman take us on, all told from such unique perspectives, was inspired. The characters are authentic and likable. The mystery at the heart of the story is engrossing and keeps you on your toes throughout. And the ending….. fantastic!

I listened to this in audiobook format. It is narrated by Jessica Clarke. I actually read this before I was offered the audio version. The narrator brought these characters to life for me. I really enjoyed hearing the Australian accent along with this story that takes place in Australia. I highly recommend it!

Huge thank you to Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a Sally Hepworth thriller! This audiobook did not disappoint. There were so many things going on stemming from the trauma these girls experienced in childhood and it was fascinating to see it all unfold!

Alicia, Jessica, and Norah are three girls who survived the foster mother, Miss Fairchild and as adults remain friends and "sisters." The novel flashes back and forth from the past in Miss Fairchild's home to the present when the girls are independent adults. Suddenly called back by the police to their former foster home, they wonder about the bones of a young child found underneath the demolished house.

The focus is on foster children and how they might fare under foster parents who are abusive, controlling, emotionally unhinged. And a foster care system that might also have social workers not invested in the welfare of children they supervise.
The book becomes a mystery to be solved about the identity of the child who was buried years ago under the house they called home.

The characters are delineated carefully, their stories sometimes horrific. The novel has a twist at the end that is chilling.

Not all sisters are blood related. There’s a special bond that’s formed when you go through something traumatic together.

Jessica is the first Fairfield foster child we meet. Jessica seeks her constant approval and affection even though Ms. Fairchilds methods are questionable and borderline abusive at best. Jessica’s affection and the $ received as being a foster parent do not satisfy her obsession with balancing the books and being loved along with an impeccably clean house.

Then comes Norah who brings her own set of problems. She has a lot of aggression pent up And has trouble keeping it inside.

Alicia joins the girls when her grandmother gets sick. What was initially intended as a temporary custody situation, sadly becomes a permanent foster.

Through gaslighting, psychological abuse, and lies, the girls are made to question their sanity.

Until present day, a body is found underneath the house. Correction. Bones. Are they those of one of the babies the girls were caring for?

This story is told with both present day and the past concurrently. We explore each of the sisters’ experiences and their coping strategies they have developed which may or may not have made more problems.

Darling Girls tells the story of 3 young girls in an Australian foster home run, Wild Meadows, run by Ms. Fairchild. It is told in alternating then and now timelines, giving each main character a voice before and after the event that pulls them all back together.

25 years after leaving Ms. Fairchild’s care, the Darling Girls are living relatively productive lives, or so it seems. Mostly. Ok, Norah is a problem. The characters are flawed and their flaws are shown almost immediately. The author highlights those flaws and motivations and shows how each was a product of their origins.

This was an engaging and enjoyable read. The story unfolds slowly, using the alternating timelines. I enjoyed the opening and ending chapters and how they balanced the story. I love it when a book's title is revealed/explained in the telling.,

The characters felt a little flat and a couple of the interactions required a rather large suspension of belief but overall, this was a good story.

I enjoyed the narrator; crisp, clean narration. I always appreciate when a book set in a county like Australia is voiced by someone with an appropriate accent.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

First off, I love Sally Hepworth, but this one is different with its focus on child abuse and neglect. Hepworth still kept me listening with the short chapters and different perspectives and timelines, but I did find it harder to digest. Miss Fairchild fosters/abuses her “darling girls” in the past timeline, and in the present the girls are called into question when bones are found below the house of their foster home years later. I found myself just wanting to listen to one more chapter to get answers all the way up to the end.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth was such a captivating and wild ride of a psychological thriller! I couldn’t stop listening to it!

Every aspect of the book made you feel something; sadness and love for the children, who despite their horrible upbringing, bonded and really became sisters over. Mrs. Fairchild, their foster caregiver, was a horribly nasty person and you just couldn’t help but LOATE her! Nothing short of awesome writing and character development can make you feel this way!

The ending…. I didn’t see it coming! Completely taken by surprise! It was a great book all together!

The author did a great job of shining light on the flawed side of the foster system. That being said, I would preface with there being trigger warnings of mental, emotional and physical abuse and child neglect.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth knows how to write a psychological thriller. Every time I pick up one of her books I finish it in a day or two. I want to get to the end, but don’t actually want it to end!

There were many things I liked about this book. The sisters bond…I love how they all had each other in their difficult upbringing. The evil villain…Ms. Fairchild. You can’t help but truly hate this woman. And just the story itself. Unfortunately for many foster children, they experience similar things to the 3 children in this book. I like how the author kept the story believable. And the best part, in my opinion, was the ending. It solidified my opinion on one of the main characters and really shocked, I definitely didn’t see that ending and it was perfect for this book.

The narrator did a great job with this audio.

***Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***