Thank you, Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for the advance copy of "Darling girls" by Sally Hepworth.

This suspenseful novel was written in a multiperspective view of 3 foster sisters in the present and past tense. They had to face their old childhood trauma when brought under investigation of a body discovered at the home of their foster mother. The horrors of their past abuse and their current hardship help bring justice to the crime being processed.

This book, at times, was hard to read when discussing how poorly the foster mother treated the children. It sad the reality that some children endure when thinking they are getting placed in a loving situation, and it ends up being worse.

Thank you again for the advance copy for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley & St Martin's Press for allowing me to read an ARC copy of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth.

Three adult foster sisters (Jessica, Alicia, & Norah) are called back to Port Agatha when bones are discovered underneath the home they grew up in. Who's bones are they? What happened to the deceased? And was anyone living in the home responsible?

The book was fast-paced with short chapters. The chapters are separated by the POV of each sister in past & present timelines. In between those chapters, the reader also gets chapters from the office of Dr. Warren a psychiatrist. The past goes through how the girls lived and were treated in a foster home under the care of Miss Fairchild. The present shows how the sisters are coping as adults while trying to understand the discovery of bones underneath the Wild Meadows home.

I enjoyed the characterization of the sisters; each one is unique. Jessica is highly organized & independent; Alicia is sweet and caring; Norah is funny, street smart, and takes no shit. There were different emotions in this story. Norah was my favorite character. Some banter in the present day between the sisters was funny; however, the past and the present findings were tragic and sad. There was a lot of character growth with the sisters.

The following triggers are in this book: foster abuse, child abuse, domestic abuse, drug abuse, and sexual abuse.

I wouldn't exactly say this is a typical mystery/thriller book. This is more women's fiction with some mystery in it. I think the way this story is advertised could make a difference in the audience and ratings in my opinion. In the author's note, Sally Hepworth said she wanted to write a book about sisters born from different wombs. She also did some homework on the struggles of broken foster systems that she wanted to share with readers.

Overall I enjoyed the book, especially the characters. I recommend this book for those who like light mysteries (ie. Rachel Hawkins) or read mostly literary fiction. I give this 3.5 Stars but rounding up for GoodReads and Netgalley ratings.

What a brilliantly written suspenseful story. Sally Hepworth knows how to add those continuous twists and turns while also delivering last page shocks! I loved the multiple pov and alternating timeline. This story follows three girls: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia as they are brought back to the scene of their childhood trauma when a body has been found under the house of their foster mother. But their foster mom was anything but kind. Her motives were sinister and have had lasting effects on the three girls turned sisters. The girls suspect they know who’s body is under the house but with no one believing them 25 years ago, will anyone believe them know? Highly recommend!

Thanks, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press, for the early review copies of the e-book and audiobook via NetGalley. (Available 23 Apr 24)

This is my first from this author, and I was warned it wasn’t her best. Listening to it put me in a bad mood: nothing really happens except misery and mistreatment. I shifted to the e-book to be able to skim it faster to be done with it. The plot seemed slow, and most of the story focused on an abusive foster home situation. I wasn’t a fan of the ending, either.

4.5 stars!!

Okay, so first of all, going into this, I have my own biases and triggers with difficult foster/adoptive kids. If you’ve worked with or been a part of that world you know how tricky it can be. This book covered so much. It needs one big TW, but it was INCREDIBLE.

It took a minute to figure out where we were going with the plot, but the backstories were all very intriguing so it kept me moving forward. Once we hit the true plot I couldn’t stop. My blood boiled at so many points in this book.

Most of the twists and turns were small and wonderfully psychological, but that ending twist almost made me throw up. What a dramatic and totally unforeseen ending.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia grown up in a foster home named Wild Meadows, outside of Melbourne AU. Miss Fairchild is their ‘evil’ foster mother. As they grow up, they are forced to clean constantly, have minimal associations with people outside and have no friends. The story is told from the three girl’s points of view, and goes back and forth in time. Very easy to keep track of (which sometimes is hard for me).
The story begins with all three girls now adults and they consider themselves sisters. They each receive a phone call from the police, asking them to come to Wild Meadows. The bones of a child have been found buried on the property.
This is when we begin to hear about their past, their lives and how they got to Wild Meadows as young girls.
Trigger warnings- this book has physical and mental abuse, as well as alcoholism and sexual abuse. They were all written appropriately for the book, and did not leave me uncomfortable.
So many twists and turns! As I was reading this, I thought I figured it out, then no, then I realized who was who- wow!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

WOW! This one shocked me throughout. I gravitate towards thrillers because I enjoy trying to piece the puzzle together. BUT anything with harm towards children (or even the vulnerable) disgusts me, so it was a little hard to get through sometimes, and what was surprising is -for the most part- there isn’t anything that was especially graphic or repulsive in comparison to other books I have read, it was dark in the manner of emotional abuse, manipulation, narcissistic behavior that took place.

I liked the alternate timelines, I find that keeps my interest rather than being presented with all the information up front and it keeps up with the shock factor. The way the story is all wrapped up in the end, I feel it all comes together, although it is beyond disturbing when it is revealed what actually occurred.

There was a bit of emotional rollercoaster that took place reading about childhood traumas and understanding why people behave the way that they do, but even that was worked out by the end of the book. I even felt guilty for being suspicious of some characters.

One thing I thought was strange, and although not the *point* of the book, was the relationship that Jessica had with her husband Phil. I’m sure it was to show that growing up in foster care and not having been shown real love and affection, it was hard for her to understand it and give that to someone else, but it was also weird that he was just “patient” with her and didn’t really “try” and work things out as they happened. He seemed standoffish and always looking in on his own life, to me, like how he left the room when the sisters were talking about their upbringing.

If you are a thriller reader, or a fan of Sally Hepworth, I’d def recommend adding this to your TBR! Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for my DRC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. Jessica, Norah and Alicia grew up in a foster home called Wild Meadows Farm, owned and operated by a woman known to them as Miss Fairchild, who turns out to be a wicked foster mother. Years later, after the girls are grown, the body of an infant is found buried under the farmhouse, and the girls travel back to where they grew up.

The plot is told from the three girls’ points of view in both the past and the present, as well as portions told by a mysterious someone who appears to be speaking with Dr. Warren a psychiatrist. This was definitely a page turner (although there is a lot of unnecessary repetition) and some interesting twists and turns. I had much of what happened towards the end figured out, and as I neared the very end I was pretty disappointed that I had and that it all seemed pretty trite . . . but then a huge twist occurred that I would have never seen coming, thus making my overall reading experience a better one.

I’m struggling with this one.

On the one hand, I thought the characters were very compelling. It’s a dual timeline but I found myself equally interested in both stories, which is a hard thing to do. It’s highly suspenseful- a nail biter. I cared about the kids in both present day and the past and was worried about what was in store for them.

On the other hand, this was a tough read. It features child neglect and abuse heavily. And although I don’t think it was gratuitous, and I think the proper research was done, it’s just so hard to read. There are also mentions of sexual assault and rape, as well as a portrayal of addiction and overdose. If you have triggers in any of those categories, please avoid this book.

I liked most of the ending and found it ended on a hopeful note for the girls, which the book really needed. It’s just the final chapter I wish hadn’t been included. I found it extremely off putting for some reason, and also unnecessary. It sort of rendered everything that came before just absolutely senseless, and shifted the view of the story as a whole. It just made the book so much darker after seeing that glimmer of hope. I’m not sure if that even makes sense but I strongly disliked it.

The book flows smoothly and the writing is fine. Will probably read from Hepworth again? I just hope the next book is maybe a little lighter in subject matter.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy.

This is my first Sally Hepworth book and I was not disappointed! I was hooked from the first few pages and the plot kept me guessing until the very end.

3.5* rounded up to 4

Thank you to netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have liked her books in the past so I was excited to be approved for this one.

Darling Girls is a dual time-line thriller about three foster children who grow up with an abusive foster mother. They remain close as adults and consider themselves real sisters. The home is being demolished in present time and bones are discovered under the house.

I think I read too many thrillers because this book was well written and suspenseful but I didn't find anything too shocking about it or the ending. There was an interesting element of an unnamed character talking to a psychiatrist but I didn't think it was too difficult to figure out who it was. Overall, it was enjoyable but not my favorite of hers.

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!

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 riveted to the end. The narration is well done. This might be my favorite by Sally Hepworth. Apr 2024 release

This is a page turner filled with secrets, lies, and murder! Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have an unbreakable bond as sisters that was forged when they were foster kids at Wild Meadows Farm under the parentage of Miss Holly Fairchild. Their childhood memories are filled with gaslighting and terror but the girls survived and nothing can come between them now. As adults, they are lured back to Port Agatha once again when a body is found buried under the house they lived in. Who is the victim? There is a lot to unpack in this one and the ending will spin you around! Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 23, 2024

Twisted mystery about 3 foster sisters and the foster mom that connected them all. Miss Fairchild comes across as eccentric and nutty when Jessica arrives but she slowly becomes strict and abusive when the other two arrive. The girls bond like sisters as they know it’s the only way to survive Wild Meadows.
They return 25 years later when they receive a call from police that the bones had been discovered and Wild Meadows. Each sister is hiding things. Will they all come out? Whose bones? How did they get there? And why did Miss Fairchild take them in anyways?
Really enjoyed the ARC I read. Another good Sally Hepworth!

What on Earth did I just read !?!? 🤯🤯🤯

I absolutely devoured this book! I will say please k is there are triggers for this book in my opinion and the biggest one being child abuse.

Right when I thought this book couldn’t get anymore dark the ending just jumped out and made my jaw drop to the ground! And that alone gave it five stars for me. However the entire book was so incredibly done. I love all the shocking events and turns of events. I loved trying to figure out what happened to Amy along with the three girls. Just bravo on this book 👏🏻

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.

Darling Girls focuses on three girls who were raised together in a foster home, and are dealing with a dark mystery that is bringing their troubled childhood to light. The book shifts between multiple perspectives and timelines. I absolutely devoured this thriller, which is a great non-scary domestic thriller that I highly recommend to anyone who loves the genre.

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.

4.5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book! It is fast paced, easy to read, and twisty. The POV shifts and the alternating timelines worked well, and all the characters were well defined. And that twist at the end... mind blown! This was my first Sally Hepworth novel but it won't be my last!

The only drawback was that it needs another round of serious editing. There were A LOT of typos and grammatical errors. I know this was an "uncorrected" ARC, but for a traditionally published novel, the amount of errors was surprising.