This book takes us on an absolutely wild ride following 3 foster sisters, who all share an insanely close bond. A story comes out about their childhood foster home. Something has happened and the cops want to figure out what happened, why did it happen and who did it?

This book has multiple points of view and fast chapters making listening to it so much fun.

A lot of twist and turns - many that left me speechless/didn't see coming.

The narrator did an awesome job keeping me engaged and wrapped into this story.

TW: Childhood abuse + trauma.

If you're a lover of twisty, turny thrillers, I feel like you'd really love this one!

A huge thank you to NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for this early listen.
North American Publishing Date is April 23rd

Three sisters are forced back to their traumatic childhood when a body is found on the property of their foster home. They each have their own stressful situations going on but come together to support one another. While not biologically sisters, they remind us that family is what you make it.

The foster mom is a horrible person that manipulates the girls and the foster care system. Throughout the book we get individual POV for each sister as well as someone in a therapy session. The author did a great job of telling three timelines at once. With a less skilled writer that could have become very confusing. I had my suspicions of the twist as I was reading but I still enjoyed the journey!

Jessica Clarke does an amazing job portraying all the characters without being too distracting or disruptive to the story.

If you are looking for a slightly twisted thriller, I highly recommend Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio and Sally Hepworth for the opportunity. I have written this review voluntarily.

I loved that we got a POV from multiple characters and I always enjoy a past/present timeline. This book read more like a family drama with a mystery than a thriller. It was a fast paced story that definitely kept my attention. I was afraid we weren’t going to get that shocking twist that I need out of a mystery/thriller, but the last 3 pages were worth the wait!

I did read the first half and then listened to the second half and the audio for this one is fantastic. The narrator really brought the story to life and I would highly recommend reading it this way!

As this story unfolds, you really feel for these young girls, children, orphans, who are sent to live with a foster mother. All is not as it seems to be, well, except for the psychological torturing these girls suffer at the hands of their foster mom. The three of them form an inseparable bond because of it. We meed Jessica, Norah, and Alicia as adults when the remains of a human are found under the home they grew up in. What exactly happened at their home, Wild Meadows, who belongs to the body that was found, are the girls involved? As the story evolves and the way these girls were punished comes to the surface, is it any wonder they turned out the way they did? This one is a slow burn and keeps you rivited to the end. The narration is well done.

I absolutely LOVED this book!!! The twists and turns kept me on my toes the entire time. And the ending?! I didn’t expect that at all!!! Such a great read. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Sally Hepworth has once again created an intriguing and suspenseful thriller. Three women who were fostered together as girls learn that a body has been found under the house they stayed in. An investigation and much chaos ensue as the women try to come to terms with their difficult pasts. This has multiple time periods and lots of layers, which all come together for an unpredictable conclusion. The characters are very raw and real and it’s interesting to see them develop through the book. Fans of Liane Moriarty and B.A. Paris will enjoy this.

LOVED Darling Girls! This was the psychological thriller I needed from my TBR. Just the right amount of slow burn without an overly complicated plot to follow.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are sisters in every way that matters except blood. Bound together by trauma, each sister is grappling with current issues when they receive a phone call dredging up their past.

The remains of a young child have been found under their old foster care home. As the police bring the women in for questioning, each relive the abuse they experienced under the care of their foster mother Miss Fairchild. They also struggle with current relationships and missteps that are keeping them from moving beyond their past.

The plot builds slowly, but hold on it picks up quickly. The ending has a very Silent Patient vibe that I did foresee and yet it was incredibly well executed. The audio production was fantastic and I quite enjoyed the Aussie accents.

This is the second book I read by Sally Hepworth, so needless to say, I had very high expectations. The content is heavy and I had a hard time reading it. I’m giving it three stars out of five because I enjoy Hepworth’s writing, but it was hard to stomach certain things.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A strong 3.5 for this page turner. It was hard to put down and I do so enjoy stories about sisters.
I've read several of Hepworth's books and she leans hard into the unreliable narrator. Or in this case multiple unreliable narrators.
In Darling Girls we meet three adult women called back to the foster home they once inhabited, after a body is discovered beneath it. The women are somewhat resistant to return. The story toggles between four perspectives some of them "then" and others "now".
Hepworth builds the story well. We meet each of the women in their present day lives and slowly their childhood stories are told. I found Hepworth somewhat uneven-handed in telling Jessica's story more fully than the others. Each woman has some residual demons from the traumas of their childhood. It makes them all the more interesting, but also begins to feel heavy as the book progresses.
Hepworth did a good job keeping the story moving forward, I didn't find it lulled at any point.
I found the ending both satisfying and unsatisfying. While we have answers to some of the most important questions, the reader is left to wonder.
Overall, though Hepworth borrows some familiar tropes, the story is both interesting and engaging. I wasn't prepared for all the twists and turns and that made it all the more interesting.

Narration: I enjoyed the narrator. My only complaint is occasionally the narrator took heavy breaths between sentences. I find that off-putting.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley, for letting me get an early preview of "Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth on audiobook. The audiobook was well done. I have read Sally Hepworth novels before and she is a solid suspense writer. This story kept my attention and I got through it pretty quickly. The book follows three women who used to be foster kids and lived at the same house during their adolescent years. They form a bond and become "sisters" and are brought back to the house they were fostered in when a body is discovered on the property. The book bounces back between the present time during the police investigation and the time they were at the house. The format was well done and I enjoyed this overall, but I have read and listened to better suspense novels by this author and others, so I can't see this one sticking with me long.

WOW. The mysteries of this book lasted until the literal last page. I couldn’t get enough of the main characters, three sisters, and the traumas that surrounded their lives. The twists in this were absolutely shocking. This is will be a top book of 2024. Sally Hepworth does it again.

This was a fast paced story about a foster mother and her relationship with her three adoptive daughters. They’re reunited and their story unfolds when the bones of a child are discovered buried under their old foster home. The relationship between these three girls who become sisters through their foster placements is well developed. The characters are likable and well fleshed out and as the villain is exposed we learn their backstory as well. Excellent writing and narration. A very easy audio to listen too! Highly recommend.

What a fun read! I loved the sisterhood and the twists and turns this story takes you on. I thought I had it figured out multiple times - I did not!

OMG! This was SO good, like a good mystery/thriller/suspense novel should be with all the twists, turns, and unfounded predictions! Nope, I never guessed what happened until the last chapter! I am so in love with this book and how the author unfolded the entire story of the 3 sisters: Jessica, Alicia, and Norah. They were raised by a foster mom named Holly Fairchild, who was anything but what anyone would want a foster parent to be. The sisters had a horrific upbringing. Then when they were adults and living various lifestyles with different job careers, one day they find out that the police need to talk to all three because they'd found buried bones at Wild Meadows, the foster home they grew up in.

The journey these girls went on took me on a wild goose chase of a journey and I loved it! Kudos to Ms. Hepworth whose books I'll be looking into and reading more of her work!

I was able to get both an eARC and an audio version from NetGalley, so I was able to read and listen at the same time which enhanced my enjoyment. The narrator, Ms, Clarke, most definitely added to the intensity of the plotline and believability of the characters. I will be looking for her as a narrator again for sure.

I loved this book from the first to the last sentence. Sally Hepworth kept me entertained throughout this entire story. I loved each of her characters and how they developed throughout the book. Even with chapters changing timelines as well as perspectives, the story was easy to follow.

Twists and turns throughout the book had trying to figure out what really happened to the girls during their childhood as well as the real story behind Amy. Ultimately, I figured out the twists, but that didn't make the book any less enjoyable. I found this book to be clever, unique, and well written.

The narrator for Jessica Clarke did a phenomenal job narrating this book. She was so animated throughout that it felt as if I was listening to a movie or play. She kept me captivated throughout the entire listening experience. She definitely elevated the story.

I will definitely look forward to future publications from Sally Hepworth as well as narrations by Jessica Clarke. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced copy to listen to and review.

4.5-4.75⭐️

I had the audiobook of this women’s fiction read by Jessica Clarke. I didn’t find that there was a big distinction between the sisters voices, but it didn’t stop me managing to follow the story as the chapters were identified to whose POV it is.

Alicia, Jessica and Norah regard themselves as sisters after their stay together in foster care in the care of Miss Fairchild. They are carrying emotional baggage from that time of their lives.

It’s written in a light chatty humorous tone, don’t be fooled as the storyline is deliciously dark.

It alternates between the present police investigation and the past, the time frames work really well to disclose the story. There’s some great twists and turns.

This is one of my favourites by this author, it’s one that’s well worth reading

This book had me guessing up until the very last minute. I thought I had figured it out and guessed what was happening then BAM nope…was so wrong! Loved listening to this book and the voices narrating were excellent.
Thank you Netgally and Macmillan audio for the advanced copy!

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Oh my gosh, I read this so quickly. I always find Sally Hepworth's stories incredibly readable. They're addicting. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. All the twists and turns gave me whiplash. Also, I loved the three main characters. Bonus, this left me with the devilish grin that I always enjoy at the end.

But what's it all about?! Let's discuss.

In this story, we follow three sisters: Jessica, Norah and Alicia. While not biologically-related, the girls spent many of their formative years together in a foster home run by Miss Fairchild. Their experiences there bonded them for life. From the outside, it looked like the idyllic place to be a child. Certainly better than the circumstances the girls came from, however, there were secret things happening behind closed doors, as there often are, and Miss Fairchild wasn't necessarily as sweet as she appeared from the outside.

Eventually, the three were able to break free from Miss Fairchild's home, and although they never saw her again, the hurtful memories remained. As adults, they have kept in very close contact, and are all living mostly satisfying lives well away from their traumatic childhood home. Then one day out of the blue, they receive word that a body has been discovered under the home where they used to live with Miss Fairchild. Shocked by the discovery, the three women join up and travel back to that place they left long ago, but are they returning as possible witnesses, or suspects?

I had a blast reading this. It was a super intriguing set-up and I loved learning about all three women. They were each unique and well-developed, and even though they were quite different, their shared history made for very close and believable relationships. This story is expertly-constructed using past and present timelines, both of which I found equally interesting. I think Hepworth did a great job of creating suspense, as well as characters that you could care about. Finding out the truth about the girls' time with Miss Fairchild was fascinating. I never knew what was going to come next. It made me tense, in a good way.

IMO, Hepworth is an incredible, dramatic storyteller. She never fails to draw me in quickly and hold my attention. Although I guessed some things, it made it no less enjoyable, or impactful. In fact, I think I was probably realizing things at the pace in which Hepworth was intending.
The pace picks up closer to the end and I found the conclusion to be fun and satisfying. There were some surprises left in the tank and I walked away a happy girl.

I would recommend the audio format, as the narration was very well done and seemed to fit the overall story nicely. It kept me focused and relaxed. Thank you to the publishers, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I always look forward to the latest from Sally Hepworth, and this definitely did not disappoint.

10-out-of-10 recommend!!

4.5 Shining Stars

Slightly disappointed that this was my first time reading a Sally Hepworth novel because wow! The writing was truly refreshing to have such an immersive experience in a domestic suspense / thriller.

Three sisters who grew up in foster care together under one roof are forced to revisit their childhood home that was less than perfect, despite their foster mother's best attempts at presenting this way.

The way I flew through this audiobook... I was fully prepared to find the same mundane characters/interactions/twists in this book as I have in so many others recently, but I truly enjoyed the backstories and development of these characters. The anticipation in what had happened in their house so many years ago was a slow but steady climb before all is revealed.

Jessica Clarke did a phenomenal job in her narration of these characters, the POVs were clear and easy to follow.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of Darling Girls.

Ouf, these girls have been through a lot!

This is a shocking tale of sisterhood, heart-wrenching trauma, and narcissistic abuse.

I’m not usually a big fan of slow-burns but I feel like this needed to be as we got to know our characters before the twists and turns took over.

This book kept me guessing till the very end and then finished with a bang!

Highly recommend.