3.5 stars! I found this book very interesting with some unique twists. Many times throughout the book I found my self questioning “what the heck did she just say?” Literal jaw dropping situations that are so crazy that you need to keep reading to discover what will happen. I listed to the audio version and found the narrower to be likable and pleasant to listen to. Not my favorite Sally Hepworth book, but overall I did enjoy it.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was so fantastic! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was like watching the layers of an onion being peeled back slowly one by one, each one uncovering yet another layer of disturbia. Every time I thought I saw something coming I was wrong. Every twist was so well crafted and shocking. The audio narrator was spectacular. I wanted to lock myself in my room and never leave until I was finished with this book. Unfortunately I have children so that wasn’t an option. 😂

Fans of Shari Lapena and Liane Moriarty will eat this up!!

Thanks so much NetGalley for the ARC!

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?

Told from the past and present timelines in each of the girls’ points of views, it allows us to see exactly where they are coming from and why they are the way they are now. The bond between the sisters was heartwarming, even though they weren’t sisters by blood. A gripping popcorn thriller that will also tug at your heartstrings. I recommend this novel!

I will read every book Sally Hepworth writes. However, this wasn’t one of my favorites. This story follows three girls who grew up in the foster system. The things they went through growing up was quite disturbing and was difficult to hear. I quite enjoyed the format of the book rotating between many points of view as well as past and present. I kind of knew where the story was going so the ending wasn’t as much of a shock to me. Still a solid read from Hepworth! 3.5⭐️

Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advance reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook. Sally Hepworth is one of my must buy authors and this book was no exception. The subject matter of child neglect/abuse and foster care was a bit of a frustration/distraction but it was ultimately necessary to craft yet another excellent book by Hepworth. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this early listening copy! I was so excited to get this early release - I've read 4 of Sally Hepworth's books, and they can always be counted on as a solid thriller. This one was no exception! Darling Girls felt darker than some of her past books, and I really enjoyed seeing the story unfold through multiple POVs and timelines. It had me guessing, and really trying to figure out who was who the whole time. The very last big twist came as a total shock to me, but made perfect sense with the story and characters she built. Overall, a great read/listen!

This is my second Sally Hepworth and I'm sad it took me this long to read from this author. Darling Girls was an engaging mystery that kept my attention throughout. Jessica, Alicia, and Norah were well thought out individual characters. I felt connected to each one. You can tell Hepworth put effort into researching foster care and victims of abuse. Big trigger warnings for child physical and sexual abuse.

I was so close to giving this 5 stars until the final chapter. I absolutely hate the ending. It took a believable story and just demolished it. I hate when big twists at the end of a book negate large plot points. If Hepworth would just delete the last chapter before publishing this book and it would perfect. I'm still giving Darling Girls 4 stars because I did enjoy the rest of the book.

I listened to this novel on audio. Jessica Clarke did a fantastic job narrating. I found her voice to easy to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC.

I very much enjoyed this story. The twists and turns had me keep on listening. I finished this book in less than 24 hours. I enjoyed the narrator as well.

I always enjoy books by Sally Hepworth, but this is definitely a personal favorite of hers that I have read. This genre of books is one that I tend to read when I need a quick read that doesn't require a lot of thinking power and I can multitask as I listen. This book was one I did not want to push the pause button and found myself listening again to portions to make sure I didn't miss anything. From the beginning I was drawn to the story of the girls and want to know what really happened in their childhood. The story follows two timelines, one when they were younger and the second as adults, bouncing back between the two. Often with this book genre, especially if I have read many books by the author, I can find myself losing interest 2/3 through or able to guess the ending before I reached the conclusion of the book. That was not the case with this one. It was so well written, and the story lines and pieces tangled and woven. Although there were a couple pieces, I figured out on my own, there was so much still to figure out and piece together all the way until the end. thank you NetGalley and McMillan audio for the arc of this book.

I adored the accent of the narrator. Such a perfect choice for this book. Set in Australia, the book follows the stories of 3 foster children who become sisters of the heart and the abuse they suffer at the hands of their foster “mother”.
The only issue I had in the way the book changes POV from chapter to chapter was trying to keep everything straight in my head. It all wanted to blur together.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the audio arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fantastic read and narration. The narration made it easy to follow and stay present in the world that was created.

While I figured out the twists fairly early on it was not because anything was obvious. I loved how it was laid out and how you got to know the characters.

I can’t say much without giving spoilers except I loved reading a book taking place in Australia, something I haven’t read before. I loved the foster care aspect, unreliable narrators and suspense. I also love how everything didn’t turn out with roses. It showed realistic consequences as well as triumphs for the various main characters.

Think also that I’ve worked in the social service system that reading this I could completely see this fictional story being realistic so to many situations in the systems no matter the country.

I started this before bed last night and then changed my plans for today so I could work on something whilst listening to finish it.

This will be definitely read again down the road and recommended to friends who enjoy this genre.

Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6347481542

In all the books I’ve read by Hepworth it seems she’s very good at diving deep into traumatic events and self reflection. The women in this story had so many things to unpack l, which was very interesting l, and I appreciated the found family narrative. The twist at the end wasn’t surprising but was done well so overall I think it was on par with what I’ve come to expect of Hepworth’s work. I tend to find her books good but not excellent, so if you’ve previously enjoyed her books I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the alc and St. Martin’s Press for the arc via Netgalley.

Wow this one was great! I loved trying to piece the story together! I like how it was told in dual timelines and multiple POV I did guess a few things but I felt like I clicked it in place when the author wanted me to! I really enjoyed this one and will definitely be recommending

I did like this book throughout and was interested in the storyline but I was really let down by the ending. I did really like the narrator for this story.

If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller, this is not the book. It started off rather slow for me and was just a slow burn throughout. The ending, however, made this book a four star read for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and one of my favorite authors, Sally Hepworth, for an advanced copy of this audiobook. Also, Jessica Clark was an amazing narrator.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ Whoa! This book was SO great! I loved it so much!! I am a huge fan of Sally Hepworth and this is her best book yet. (For me anyway)
Wow! It had everything you want in a psychological/domestic thriller. It had suspense, multiple POVs, mind games, twists upon twists, etc. I just absolutely loved it. I can’t recommend this enough. I was fortunate enough to be sent this arc from @netgalley and @stmartinspress. And I loved it so much that when I saw the audiobook for it, I knew I had to experience this book again, but now listening to it. So thank you again to @netgalley and @macmillanaudio. This audiobook was awesome!! The narrator did a fantastic job!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 But I am telling you, when this hits shelves in April, you need to run out and buy this book. I know I will be getting my copy.
Very quickly, for those not familiar, this is a book about 3 girls who grow up in a foster home with a woman who runs the place like an institution of sorts with all her strict rules for the girls. The woman is just awful in every sense of the word. However, now the girls are grown up and there’s been a discovery of a body buried under their old foster home. The three women are taking in for questioning. And that’s all I want to say. Just giving you a small taste. But trust me, you will also love this one. You won’t be able to put in down.
Again, RUN to get this book in April when it comes out. It’s on NetGalley now, request it if you don’t want to wait. It’s so good.
This was definitely ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me.
Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanaufio and @sallyhepworth for this audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed it immensely.
Pub Date: April 23, 2024

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. I was SO excited to dive into another domestic thriller by one of my favorite authors. Right off the bat, I will say this book tackles a lot of domestic and child abuse as a trigger warning. I love the strong bond that the three main foster sisters have. Norah, Alicia, and Jessica have been through hell and back and their stories are inspiring. While the book is dark, Sally always throws in laugh out loud moments which just really give it a special touch. I found this book unputdownable and wanted to know who was buried under the house and who would be arrested - the ending did not disappoint! I recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for the chance to read this early!!

This is a book told in past/present timelines following three women, sisters through fostercare. They still keep in touch with each other all these years later after having dealt with what they went through. When there are bones discovered under the farmhouse they want nothing more than to forget, they are talking with the detective telling them what they know while also confronting the past.

Unearth the truth of what happened, whose bones they could be, unpack the childhood trauma….

TW: abuse

Sally Hepworth is an author I am always excited to read.

I was immediately invested in these characters. I liked that everyone had a small villainous streak, with a sprinkle of a redeeming quality or a trauma that allows you to empathize with them (and rethink your guess at who committed the crime.)

Just when you think the story is wrapped up with a neat bow, Hepworth pulls the rug out from you and produces one final jab. Which made this a fun and quick read.

Never will there be a Sally Hepworth book that I will not be running to read. This is my fifth book by the author and one of my favorites. I keep finding myself thinking about the story of the sisters and Miss. Fairchild. The ending was very well done. Highly recommend!! Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy.