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One of my top anticipated thrillers of the year and it did not disappoint! Right from the beginning I was pulled in and there were plenty of "woah" moments and twists that kept me hooked until the end.

This was told in dual timelines from the perspectives of each of the three "darling girls". Although this might seem confusing it was actually quite easy to follow. The past timeline (Before) was admittedly my favorite, as I found the pace and storyline of the past to be the most intriguing. Present day timeline seemed to move a bit slower and have pieces of information not quite relevant to the mystery, but I appreciated how it all tied together in at the end. You end up not only wanting to solve the mystery and learn the truth about what happened at Wild Meadows, but also rooting for these girls who have been through so much already.

So many twists and jaw dropping moments, I was impressed. Each time I thought I had it figured out I was pleasantly proven wrong, and I ended up staying up way past my bedtime because I NEEDED to know. It was worth it.

Definitely recommend this one when it hits shelves in April! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my ARC, all thoughts are my own.

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Jessica, Norah, and Allie are sisters in every way, but by blood. The 3 girls are foster-children growing up an idyllic country estate. All starts out well as each girl is taken in by Miss Fairchild, but things quickly change for them as Miss Fairchild grows tired of each girl. The girls have to learn to keep their heads up and help each other. Years later, when a body is found under the estate, the girls must return to the scene of the crime and explore their past.

I have enjoyed Hepworth's previous novels and was looking forward to this one. While it was bingeable and keep me turning the pages, it was cringe-worthy at the same time. There is a lot of child abuse and neglect, which was very difficult to read. I also found it incredibly predictable and I had figured out what had happened almost from the beginning. The only part that was a twist for me came at the very end. I think Hepworth added the last chapter for shock value, but I think it just made the whole story seem so far fetched.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and the quickness of it, but it wasn't my favorite of Hepworth's by any means.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth in exchange for an honest review.

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Sally Hepworth is one of my favourite authors and I had very high hopes for this book but it didn't do it for me. The characters were insufferable and the story really dragged. I ended up skim reading the last third of the book. I was very disappointed in the reveal, if you can even call it that. There were a lot of formatting issues with the e-ARC that I hope get fixed before the final copy is released. Despite this blip in her catalogue I am very much looking forward to reading what she comes up with in the future.

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Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are three girls who grew up in the foster care system at Wild Meadows. They were so lucky, they've been told. But all wasn't as it seemed, and they finally broke free until bones were discovered under the house. Who was involved? What happened?

I enjoyed this story, but it was DARK. Please look up triggers before you go into this profoundly sad story.

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W O W! Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this early!! Everyone run don’t walk to grab this off the shelf when it comes out. I was completely captivated from the beginning and I thought I had figured out the plot twist but at the very end had my jaw on the ground!

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This is hands down my favorite Sally Hepworth book so far. I was absolutely addicted to this story and these characters from the very beginning, and by the end, my jaw was on the floor and my heart was slightly broken.

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia aren’t biological sisters, but they are sisters in every way that counts. They spent their childhoods together as the foster children of Miss Fairchild, who was the perfect foster parent from the outside looking in, but the reality was quite the opposite of the image painted for the outside world. Now adults, all three sisters are dealing with serious issues when they get a call that a body has been found under the house where they lived with Miss Fairchild. On top of their current issues, they all must face the past to find out what happened.

This was incredibly twisty from start to finish. We get the perspectives of all three sisters both in the past as foster children, and in the present. Where this could have become complicated, it was beautifully woven together into a spectacular thriller. There is also an additional perspective of an unknown person in therapy that just added to the mystery and kept me guessing.

I did not see the ending coming at all. While I had some ideas about what happened, I did not put all of the pieces together and I loved how surprised I was.

This story does touch on a lot of sensitive issues and subjects, but in an incredibly respectful way, so if you can handle the content warnings of this book, you definitely need to read it as soon as it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. I leave this review voluntarily.

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I couldn’t have been happier when I not only received the giveaway for this book, but also an approved read on NetGalley (Thank you St. Martin’s Press!). Daring Girls is a gripping and captivating novel that kept me hooked from start to finish. Sally Hepworth masterfully weaves a tale filled with never-ending twists that continually surprised me. The intricate character development and suspenseful plot make this a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend for anyone looking for a thrilling and engaging read.

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4.5⭐️

Darling Girls is an excellent story. As we learn more and more about Jessica, Norah, and Alicia’s lives and their time with Miss Fairchild, we’re left unsure what to think or who to suspect. I could not put this book down- so much so that I abandoned all other plans to finish this in one highly entertaining sitting.

Thank you Sally Hepworth, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

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This twisty, mysterious story is about three girls who grew up in foster care together under one Miss Fairchild. Many years later when a skeleton is found under the house they grew up in, the girls are thrown back into town and have to confront their history. The story is told through the multiple perspectives of the girls. TRIGGER WARNING for child abuse, drugs, sextortion, assault, and murder.

I was SO slow reading this. I think it was a combination of things and not just because I didn’t like the book but it also wasn’t my most favorite. I kind of figured out what happened before the end but the last chapter did throw a wrench in everything (similar to a Freida McFadden book!) so I give it props for that twist! If you’ve like Sally Hepworth books I’m sure you’ll like this one too.

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This really kept my attention throughout the book. I enjoy multiple point of views and this was done well. This is my third Sally Hepworth book and I am looking forward to reading more by her. I definitely recommend this one if you’re thinking about reading it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

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Complicated family dynamics make for such interesting stories and Sally Hepworth is a master at weaving these complex relationships into a thriller you don't want to put down. Her characters are multi-layered and full of depth. This story is dark in the best way and there are always twists I never see coming. Solid read.

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Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for this ARC to read and review!

Welp, it’s official … Sally has given us yet another fantastic ride! This book just has it all … suspense, twists, secrets, mystery, family drama, heartbreak, hope and a WOW ending! Just WOW! It’s the perfect psychological thriller! And can this author write great characters or what? From loveable innocents to a few completely hateable miscreants, they are all diversely real and raw. I was pulled into their story from page one! Brilliantly written in multiple pov’s and dual timelines … it will split your heart wide open with horrors of the unimaginable but then stitch it back together with the power of sisterhood!

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Jessica, Norah and Alicia were all placed in the same foster home growing up where they became inseparable through the trauma they endured at the hands of their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Years later, they find a child buried on Miss Fairchild’s property. The girls reunite as they realize the police are going to uncover some secrets that they have been trying to keep hidden for many years.

Sally Hepworth is one of my comfort authors. I love how she takes something like a thriller, and then adds in such heartfelt characters that are dealing with such real problems. All of the three women were so likable and my heart just went out to them. I liked the spotlight on the inefficiency of the child welfare system and how Alicia was trying to break the cycle. The alternating timelines added to the intrigue and the suspense and I was surprised by the ending.

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Darling Girls captured and held my attention from the very first chapter. Some heavy topics but overall an outstanding read! Huge thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Publication date April 23, 2024

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Ok.. I’m SHOOKETH.

I love how dark @sallyhepworth books are, but this one might be her darkest yet! I was hooked right out the gate, and absolutely tried my hardest to figure it out the whole time - my brain is exhausted and I love it!

I loved the different point of views of the sisters as well as the flashbacks showing the way they grew up and what all lead up to this point. You will not see the conclusion of this story coming, I literally had to put the book down and just stare out the window. Basically, what I’m saying is READ THIS BOOK.

TW: Child Abuse

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Sally Hepworth is a must read author for me, and Darling Girls does not disappoint. This time a story of the family you make, not the one you’re born into. Jessica, Norah with an H, and Alicia are all foster kids who learn to lean on each other and look out for each other as protection and the only route to survival. Excellent story of bonding and loyalty, repercussions of children lost to the system and problems of not enough resources and looking the other way. However, in true Sally Hepworth fashion, there is a villain that can twist the story and keep you on the edge of your seat. Another great read! ,

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy and opportunity to review this book.

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Jessica, Norah, and Alicia supposedly had a childhood straight out of a fairytale. Raised on a farming estate in the country with their foster mother Miss Fairchild, the three girls did what they could to survive. Now each woman is dealing with their own set of issues as adults—one has a prescription drug problem, one serious anger management problems, and one relationship issues. When a body is found under their foster mother’s home, the three women head back to place they never wanted to see again to help with the police investigation. Stepping back into their past triggers all kinds of feelings for the women, but most importantly they need to know exactly whose bones are under the house.

Alternating timelines between the present-day murder case, and the girls’ early days with Miss Fairchild, we learn how Jessica, Norah, and Alicia’s personalities were shaped by their traumatic childhoods. The bond between the three women is unbreakable, and the circumstances that created it is devastating. Watching the three adult women continue to fight for agency over their own lives is heartbreaking to say the least. Though very different, the three foster girls are all interesting, and as it usually goes Miss Fairchild, our resident villain, is the most interesting of all.

Sally Hepworth does an excellent job with pacing with this psychological thriller. There are several plots twists that will certainly keep the reader guessing. One I figured out halfway and never saw coming, and another towards the end that provides a perfect ah-ha moment. If psychological thrillers are your jam, definitely pick this one up next month when it is released!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and the author Sally Hepworth for the advanced copy of the audiobook. Darling Girls is out in audio format on April 23rd. All opinions are my own.

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I love a great Sally Hepworth thriller. This was kind of a slow burn, not very thrilling but good. It took me a couple of weeks to listen to/read the book. It didn't feel like a page turner. The wrap-up was pretty good and I liked the story right up until the end. I think that last twist did me in.. A good book but not my favorite by this author

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I ABSOLUTELY LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK. I breezed through Darling Girls so quickly, and even at the very end, with yet another brilliant twist, I was left in awe. There's something about a book that has been developed so well with jaw dropping twists with well-liked characters that makes me say, with absolute certainty, that Sally Hepworth is amazing at her craft. She has become one of my favorite authors for sure.

Having read The Good Sister (which I loved), I was excited to get into this book. And even only 20 pages in, I knew I was in for a great masterpiece. This was such a roller coaster ride with emotions, twists, hopefulness, and great hatred for a few characters. The hatred that the author does so well to get you so boiled up that while you're angry, you appreciate how well the author wrote it. When people would say "edge of your seat," I was definitely on the edge of my seat and craved for such justice that this became such an emotional investment. And the book delivered 100% and more.

The book is centered around three girls that grew up in foster care at Wild Meadows, a home owned by Ms. Fairchild. There is dual timeline between the girls growing up there then, and now as young adults. When skeletal remains are found beneath the foster home, they are called by detectives to inquire about the findings. This begins such a thriller that is worth all the time diving into the three girls and everyone else surrounding them. I loved that the twists were not so over-the-top and wow, that last chapter got me. She got me.

**Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy for my honest opinion.
**Expected pub date: April 23, 2024

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This book was quite possibly the best book I have read. I love complicated family dynamics, this story of foster sisters, their love and them sticking together no matter what was refreshing. I love that there was a little mystery too! Highly recommend!

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