Thank you SMP for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

My introduction to Sally Hepworth was Darling Girls and although I found it to be initially slow, I did become more interested toward the end.
In the story, we follow three foster sisters and jump between the past and present, which I liked, but it sometimes felt dragged out. The twist at the end was not something I was expecting, so I enjoyed that element of surprise that made the book more interesting.

This one gets 3 stars from me.

I've nveer read a book by Sally Hepworth , and I am definitely a fan now! I loved the different perspectives and the jumping time periods. It was a page turner and kept me guessing, which sometimes is hard to do.

I've read my fair share of thrillers, and I enjoyed my time reading Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. The story centers on three women—Jessica, Norah, and Alicia—who were foster sisters under the care of the seemingly sweet Miss Fairchild. Their shared traumatic childhood experiences bind them together in adulthood, and when human remains are discovered beneath their former home, they are forced to confront their uncomfortable past.

What struck me most was Hepworth's portrayal of the complexities of sisterhood and shared trauma. The alternating perspectives of the three women offered deep insights into their struggles and resilience. The suspense was palpable, with twists that kept me on edge, and the exploration of psychological abuse was haunting.

However, I did find some aspects of the narrative to be a bit too contrived. The resolution of certain subplots felt rushed, while other times it felt like the plotting should have been sped up.

Nonetheless, Darling Girls is a compelling read that delves into childhood memories, trauma, and the bonds that hold us together. It's a story that will resonate with me for quite some time.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A body was found under a house, and 3 adult women are brought back to the town where they lived as Foster children. They claimed abuse by their foster mother, but no one believed them. The system failed them, the police failed them, and now their foster mother is failing them again. Who is the body? How did it get there?

4 POVs tell this story, the 3 women and a person speaking to a psychologist. The story also brings you to the past and to the present. While there's no big twist, the story kept me interested.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sally Hepworth, and the publishers for this free ebook. This review is my own and honest opinion.

Four stars ⭐️

This book had me hooked like a Lifetime movie on a lazy Sunday—except way darker. Sally Hepworth serves up trauma, secrets, and sisterhood with a side of murder, and I was here for every juicy twist.

The “darling girls” themselves are messy, flawed, and absolutely magnetic.

A binge-worthy blend of suspense and heart.

Highly recommend this one.

I haven't been getting into thrillers as much lately, and had clicked on this one because it was "read now." Unfortunately this one was a miss for me but I can definitely see why others love it. I did like the format of the before and after timelines coming together, but it did start out a bit slow for me.

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘
✷ Dark family secrets
✷ Dual timelines
✷ Emotional thrillers
✷ Messy sister dynamics
✷ Slow-burn suspense with a strong final twist

𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦
This was such a compelling, bingeable read. From the first chapter, I was hooked by the “before and after” timeline and the mystery of whose body was found beneath the house at Wild Meadows. The premise is dark and emotional — three women, once foster sisters in a deeply abusive home, are forced to return when the investigation begins. That setup alone had me glued to the page.

The flashbacks were really well done and added a ton of tension and emotional weight to the story. The scenes with Miss Fairchild were chilling and gave real insight into the trauma these characters carried. That said, I do wish the character development had been a little deeper. While I cared about the story and was invested in the mystery, the sisters sometimes felt flat or underdeveloped. Still, the plot kept me intrigued the whole way through — and I have to say, the last chapter really stuck the landing. It was satisfying in the exact way I needed.

This one might not break new ground in the genre, but it absolutely held my attention and delivered a solid, twisty ride. I definitely recommend it if you like your thrillers with family secrets, emotional weight, and a great final twist.

I love Sally Hepworth. When you think you’ve figured it out, she throws you for a loop. In this novel about 3 foster sisters we learn about their past and present and how a sisterly bond never goes away.

Absolutely not thrilling at all. I didn't connect with any characters and couldn't wait for the book to be over.

I DNF this book. It was very hard to get into for me personally. The beginning was slow and didn't grab or hold my attention.

I'd love to try again in the future, maybe I wasn't in the right mood or frame of mind.

I typically enjoy Slaly Hepworth, so I'm hoping this was just a fluke.

It took me a while to get into this but the last 20% made up for it honestly. I’m not sure I would necessarily call this a thriller, it was more like a psychological character analysis? Either way, still very enjoyable by the end of it!

This is a slower-burn novel. Typically, I don’t love slow-burn but Sally did a great job with this one. I just don’t have the attention span for a slower-paced novel. This one kept my attention the whole time. That says a lot!! The character development was I love the multi-POV and dual-time line. Don’t worry, it is easy to follow along!

I love the sisterhood that developed between the 3 main foster children (Jessica, Norah, and Alicia). They bonded and were there for each other for the rest of their lives. Some of the stuff Miss Fairchild did to the girls was horrible. Unfortunately, there are people in the world who really treat children this way.

I couldn’t figure out who was found buried on the property. I thought it was Miss Fairchild at first. At different parts of the story, I thought it was one of the foster children (Jessica, Norah, or Alicia). It kept me guessing to the very end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Gripping Read That Pulled Me in From Page One – Even as a Busy Mom!

As a mom with very little free time, I rarely finish books quickly—but Darling Girls had me hooked from the start. I found myself sneaking in pages during nap time, in between laundry and staying up late even when I needed the sleep.

The story is chilling and suspenseful, with complex characters and just the right amount of twists to keep me guessing. I appreciated that the chapters were short and punchy—perfect for fitting into a packed schedule. Despite the heavy themes, the writing was thoughtful and the pacing made it easy to stay engaged.

It’s not often I say this, but I was genuinely sad when it ended. If you’re a mom looking for a well-written thriller that grabs your attention and doesn’t let go—Darling Girls is it.

Another excellnt thriller by Ms. Hepworth!! I would definitely add this to the list of her novels that i would recomend

LOVED this one! I read it in less than 24 hours. The Sally Hepworth has a talent for creating memorable plot twists and characters. I love how this plot unfolded and kept me guessing. Definitely a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

Great suspense, not all characters my fav but the twists and secrets kept me interested for sure. Ty for the arc netgalley

Sally Hepworth delivers another gripping, emotional thriller with Darling Girls. The story follows three foster sisters—Jessica, Norah, and Alicia—whose troubled past comes back to haunt them when human remains are found at their childhood home. As secrets unravel, they’re forced to confront the dark truth about their past and the chilling Miss Fairchild.

Hepworth’s past-and-present storytelling keeps the tension high, and the sisterhood at the heart of the book adds real depth. Just when I thought I had it figured out, twists kept me guessing until the very end!

It was slow at first, but after a while I could not stop turning the pages.

Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors. Her stories and thrilling, but the character development is also on point. You tend to care about the characters (or get really, really mad at them!). She’s an auto-buy for me.

Darling Girls will leave you enthralled, but I do feel the ending lacked something that I can’t put my finger on. It felt a bit rushed. Otherwise, I enjoyed this one as much as I have her others!

This was a twisty and turny thriller. Jumping between the girls' pasts, their present and the perspective of 'someone' meeting with a psychiatrist, this book kept me guessing all the way to the end. It wasn't really a murder thriller, but rather, who is reliable and who isn't? What is the truth? A true psychological thriller. All three women carry scars from their time there, evident in their interpersonal relationships outside of the one amongst themselves. Even after it appears all our questions have been answered, a new bomb was dropped. 3.25 stars

I had been wanting to read Darling Girls for a little while now and I finally found the time to do just that. All I can say is I am so glad I read this one. I was hooked almost immediately. I didn’t find this book slow at all. I almost finished it in one night, but 4:30am came around too quickly.

Darling Girls is about three foster children, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, who all go to the same foster home. They arrive at different times, but they end up together. Miss. Fairchild is the woman who takes them in and takes “care” of them while making their lives miserable.

The book goes back and forth from present time to the past when the girls were young. The girls had been able to get out of Miss Fairchild’s care and away from that small town when they got older. But years later when Miss Fairchild’s house is demolished and the ground under the house is dug up a body is found. Suddenly all sorts of questions come up that need answers and the past has to be revisited.

This was my first Sally Hepworth read. I’m looking forward to reading more books by her. I really enjoyed this book. It’s an easy read, but suspenseful with some twists at the end.

This ARC was provided to me by St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for giving an honest review. Thank you!