3.5 stars rounded down

I enjoyed this book, but the twists and turns that came at the end didn't enrapture me as much as I would have hoped for. It was still good, but seemed like everything started tying up a little too nicely at the end and almost felt a little rushed as a result. I did ultimately enjoy the final surprise revelation and that is probably what moved this up that half-point from a standard 3 star rating. I liked it, but it was something that I might have read before. I was hooked and I flew through the book in less than 2 days, but was mildly disappointed when the audio credits rolled.

Contemporary suspense — fast and fun!

Once upon a time, three little girls from difficult family situations came to live with a beautiful young princess at Wild Meadows, a country estate in a small town in Australia. Unfortunately, the princess was not a good foster mother, and her darling girls just could not please her. In fact, mummy was a monster.

Told in a shifting timeline between past and present, and with the narrative alternating points of view between Jessica, Alicia, and Norah, the story is engrossing and keeps you guessing. Each girl was affected differently by their time spent with Miss Fairchild. What was always obvious was how the trio had formed such strong bonds of sisterhood and continually looked out for one another long after their shared experience at the house.

I really liked the writing style and the way the characters told their truth. I enjoyed how the details were revealed and the way the secrets and lies were exposed. I both read the e-book ARC and listened to the audiobook version of this novel and highly recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader copies.

Wow. You will be rooting for Norah, Jessica, and Alicia from the first pages. Their story is captivating and full of twists. I did not see the ending coming and the last few pages made my jaw drop!

Damn! And I mean DAAAMMMMMNNNN! Sally Hepworth has done it again with Darling Girls! Talk about a twisted and dark ride full of secrets that keeps you questioning everything and turning the pages as fast as you can. All the stars!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?

I absolutely love the way Sally Hepworth can write about family (found family) dynamics and dysfunctional relationships. This was a clever, deep and at times darker psychological thriller, but I was surprised to discover that there was so much more than just the main plot.

Each character had their own story as they were dealing with their past and mental health issues. I was in awe with the way Hepworth was able to create multilayered characters and then weave their stories together with the main plot while keeping me on the edge of my seat the WHOLE TIME.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?

I read this with Kaley and we both were flying through the pages as fast as we could. This really is a book you won’t want to set down, and we were constantly messaging each other through the whole book with our surprises and theories.

𝗗𝗼 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿?

I highly recommend this captivating and masterfully written story. You won’t want to put it down, so don’t make any plans once you pick this book up!

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

The audiobook was well narrated. The book is full of surprises and keeps you guessing. Sally Hepworth has penned another fantastic book!

Very interesting read/listen. That twist at the end had my jaw dropped on the floor. I hate what those girls went through, but love the relationship they have.

Darling Girls is an excellent, well layered, psychological suspense. The story centers on three women who become chosen sisters through foster care. Each brings a new and different perspective to how they were impacted by the system and by the same situations in a shared home. Their bond was endearing and perfect. And the twists that come with this story hold the reader until the end. Definitely worth the read for the complexities, the different identities, and the suspense/thriller page turning.

I listened to the audiobook which was well done. There was only one narrator, which I would typically not prefer for different perspectives, but in this story it was exactly the right choice. I listened at 1.75x speed with my normal audiobook speed being 1.75x - 2.0x.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audio copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for the ALC of "Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth. This author's audiobooks are becoming must-listens for me. I was gripped by the story of these foster sisters and the drama and mystery of their past. The narrator easily moved between characters and the multiple timelines were easy to follow. I figured out who was being interviewed by the psychologist early on, but that didn't lessen the excitement of the story., I binged the last few hours on a faster speed to get through it in the amount of time I had. The story did not dilute at the faster speed.

The "other sisters" who showed up at the scene were a little bit confusing, but wrapped up satisfactorily at the end.

my favorite part of this story was the lifelong connection the three "sisters" had. That was the most heartwarming part of a sad and disturbing story.

i highly recommend.

Sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia. Not sisters by blood, but sisters in every way that matters. As someone with four sisters, I can attest to the fact that there is an unbreakable bond. These three girls have that bond, a bond that was forged after being fostered in a home by a woman known as Miss Fairchild. They were only three of dozens of other fostered children, but as adults, some of the issues that led them to foster care, as well as living in a less than ideal foster home, has brought them even closer together.

New construction is taking place - in a very old place. It was Wild Meadows, the foster home run by Miss Fairchild. When a body is discovered, the girls are faced with a past none of them want to relive, but they are witnesses to whatever it was that happened that eventually led to that body being discovered. The question is: are they witnesses or or are they suspects in a death that was no doubt a murder?

Darling Girls is the fifth book I have read by Sally Hepworth, and as before, I was really pulled into the drama in this story. Secrets, lies and murders are the fiber of this story, but equally so are love and sisterhood. There is trauma. There is drama. And with four points of view the story moves at a fast pace, especially as it was excellently narrated by Jessica Clarke. I definitely loved her performance.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Darling Girls is a fast-paced thriller told through the viewpoints of several characters. The three main protagonists are fully formed with strong voices. The antagonist, Miss Fairview is a well written villain. Completely riveting story with excellent narration. Recommended.

I love Sally Hepworth, so I jumped at the chance to review this one. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of the audio, but I did like the story. It's very triggery, check the warnings if you have any.

That being said, I enjoyed having several POVs to follow on this one. I loved the bond of the girls/women as they grew.

Sally Hepworth is quickly becoming one of my favorite suspense authors. This book follows three women, former foster sisters, as they learn their foster home is being torn down.

The characters are well-drawn an interesting and the book has plenty of plot and twists. I cannot recommend this author enough.

Darling Girls is a gripping, difficult read about child abuse. I knew that coming into it, but I thought I'd give it a try after all the reviews. Unfortunately it turns out it wasn't for me.

The characters fell flat, they lacked depth. The only thing that was being portrayed about them was victims of abuse, and we know there's so much more to a person than that. I just felt like it was glorifying abuse and I did not like it one bit.

The plot was not that interesting, and the twist wasn't exciting. I actually think the twist made me drop it one star. Like what was the point… It just wasn't for me, but I can see why it's for a lot of people and all the raving reviews.

🎧 The narration by Jessica Clarke was good, but it did not grip me like other narrators do. I do have trouble keeping interested when someone has an accent I find it hard to follow. I was still able to finish it, but it did take a lot from me to do so.

✨️ Thank you to @netgalley & @macmillanaudio for my free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Every Sally Hepworth book delivers fascinating characters, twisty plots, and surprise endings. This book is no exception. A somewhat darker turn for the author, this book focused on an absolutely hellacious upbringing in a foster home that looked great and rich on the outside, but was filled with darkness and abuse on the inside. Definite Flowers in the Attic vibes from the cold matron of the house who harmed and neglected the children in ways that were sometimes hard to read about, But as always, Sally Hepworth brings a through line of feminine strength, resilience, and hope, particularly from the three foster sisters, as well as a shocking and satisfying conclusion. 4.5 stars.

Oh boy was this a heavy read. It has quite a few trigger warnings such as child abuse, SA, and neglect. But with those warnings, there was also found family, sisterhood, and love. I actually enjoyed the multiple POVs in this when I usually stay away from more than two POVs. The women in this story being as devoted to each other as they are was really heartwarming. They protected each other in childhood and continue to do so in adulthood. I also really liked the uniqueness of a story of children in foster care and the trauma of that. The ending didn’t disappoint at all. Very good!

Thank you, NetGalley for letting me listen to this early release. I absolutely LOVED this audiobook and binged it in a matter of days! 🙌🏻🩷

This book was everything and I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on it!

The author did it again and should be so proud of herself for this work of art!

This book is probably going to best Thriller of the year. It's definitely going to be a hard one to beat! I loved all the main characters in the book this novel was told in flashbacks as well as present time and is told from the viewpoints of each of Three Sisters. All very different in personality, and motivation, this book dove into the tragic side of foster care, and the Deep connections that we can form with people that become our family. This book was both infuriating, as the antagonist was so easy to to hate and feel enraged about. And in contrast the three sisters were interesting, smart, and I just loved hearing from each of their viewpoints. Excellent read the narration was fantastic. I will be recommending this book.

A fun read flipping between multiple narrators and multiple times. The mystery has great twists and surprises and was not predictable, but still fit together perfectly. Really enjoyed listening to this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book at first..but I was HOOKED. The ending had my mouth wide open!! I need more of these sisters in my life. Thanks Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the free audio book ARC!

Darling Girls was my first Sally Hepworth book & I am hooked. This audiobook definitely held my attention, right up to the twist at the very end. While there are some hard subject matters in this one (i.e., child neglect/abuse), I still wanted to finish to find out what happened. Nice dual POV- which I love & plenty of unexpected twists & turns. Excellent narrator for this audio - a must for me to hold my attention. Some books just feel more appropriate for certain seasons & I found this one to be a great summer thriller.

Thank you to #nNetGalley #MacmillanAudio & Sally Hepworth for a free copy of #DarlingGirls