Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for an advanced copy of Sally Hepworth’s newest novel, “ Darling Girls”. Every book Hepworth has written I have DEVOURED in a few sittings, and this one definitely is binge worthy. The story follows three girls who have all shared the same foster home for a short period of time. The experiences they had in that home have shaped them in who they are as adults today for better or for worse. They receive word that a dead body has been found buried at their foster home, and all go back to face the demons that they thought they buried down. This book was hard to read at points since I have young kids, but I couldn’t put it down. Hands down her best work yet.

OMG! This was SO good, like a good mystery/thriller/suspense novel should be with all the twists, turns, and unfounded predictions! Nope, I never guessed what happened until the last chapter! I am so in love with this book and how the author unfolded the entire story of the 3 sisters: Jessica, Alicia, and Norah. They were raised by a foster mom named Holly Fairchild, who was anything but what anyone would want a foster parent to be. The sisters had a horrific upbringing. Then when they were adults and living various lifestyles with different job careers, one day they find out that the police need to talk to all three because they'd found buried bones at Wild Meadows, the foster home they grew up in.

The journey these girls went on took me on a wild goose chase of a journey and I loved it! Kudos to Ms. Hepworth whose books I'll be looking into and reading more of her work!

This had me hooked from page one until the very last page. I’m stunned. This was my first Sally Hepworth read and definitely not my last!

Sally Hepworth's latest novel, Darling Girls, is a suspenseful exploration of past trauma and the lasting bonds of sisterhood. The story follows three women, Alicia, Jessica, and Norah, who were brought together as foster children in a seemingly idyllic setting called Wild Meadows. However, the discovery of bones buried on the property sends them back to confront a dark past they thought they'd left behind. Hepworth easily brings the reader between past and present timelines building suspense with each new chapter. You will be left constantly guessing about the truth behind the buried bones and the secrets of Wild Meadows. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader copy. I give it a solid 4.5 stars!

4.5-4.75⭐️ which I’ve rounded up

Alicia, Jessica and Norah regard themselves as sisters after their stay together in foster care in the care of Miss Fairchild. They are carrying emotional baggage from that time of their lives.

It’s written in a light chatty humorous tone, don’t be fooled as the storyline is deliciously dark.

It alternates between the present police investigation and the past, the time frames work really well to disclose the story. There’s some great twists and turns.

This is one of my favourites by this author, it’s one that’s well worth reading

I love anything I have read by this author. I love her subtle writing style, full of nuances. This one was slightly different in writing style……not quite as subtle. But, definitely a page-turner.

In this story, Ms Hepworth tackles the foster care system. The main characters are three young girls who meet at one foster home and become “sisters” by circumstance. Their foster home is far from perfect but they are loyal to each other and give each other strength. The narrators change throughout the book from one sister to another. The chapters tell the past and the present.

The author interviewed 12 survivors before writing the book. Each one of them experienced “bewilderment, displacement and powerlessness” at being taken from their home and placed with strangers in foster care. While those foster parents may have been kind, these feelings followed them from childhood to adulthood. Sadly, the home the three girls in the story were placed in, was not a kind one. And, their experience affects their adult life.

The story has a mystery, discovered in the present day. There are lots of twists and turns. The characters are well-developed. The three sisters got closure at the end.

I hope this is not a spoiler: there was a final twist at the end, totally unexpected. Some of the other reviewers did not like this twist. Perhaps it was over the top. But, I thought it was reminiscent of the old Alfred Hitchcock tv series. (Yes, I am old!) Just when the viewer thought it was over, there was that final zing. Yes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Oh my gosh, I read this so quickly. I always find Sally Hepworth's stories incredibly readable. They're addicting. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. All the twists and turns gave me whiplash. Also, I loved the three main characters. Bonus, this left me with the devilish grin that I always enjoy at the end.

But what's it all about?! Let's discuss.

In this story, we follow three sisters: Jessica, Norah and Alicia. While not biologically-related, the girls spent many of their formative years together in a foster home run by Miss Fairchild. Their experiences there bonded them for life. From the outside, it looked like the idyllic place to be a child. Certainly better than the circumstances the girls came from, however, there were secret things happening behind closed doors, as there often are, and Miss Fairchild wasn't necessarily as sweet as she appeared from the outside.

Eventually, the three were able to break free from Miss Fairchild's home, and although they never saw her again, the hurtful memories remained. As adults, they have kept in very close contact, and are all living mostly satisfying lives well away from their traumatic childhood home. Then one day out of the blue, they receive word that a body has been discovered under the home where they used to live with Miss Fairchild. Shocked by the discovery, the three women join up and travel back to that place they left long ago, but are they returning as possible witnesses, or suspects?

I had a blast reading this. It was a super intriguing set-up and I loved learning about all three women. They were each unique and well-developed, and even though they were quite different, their shared history made for very close and believable relationships. This story is expertly-constructed using past and present timelines, both of which I found equally interesting. I think Hepworth did a great job of creating suspense, as well as characters that you could care about. Finding out the truth about the girls' time with Miss Fairchild was fascinating. I never knew what was going to come next. It made me tense, in a good way.

IMO, Hepworth is an incredible, dramatic storyteller. She never fails to draw me in quickly and hold my attention. Although I guessed some things, it made it no less enjoyable, or impactful. In fact, I think I was probably realizing things at the pace in which Hepworth was intending.
The pace picks up closer to the end and I found the conclusion to be fun and satisfying. There were some surprises left in the tank and I walked away a happy girl.

I would recommend the audio format, as the narration was very well done and seemed to fit the overall story nicely. It kept me focused and relaxed. Thank you to the publishers, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I always look forward to the latest from Sally Hepworth, and this definitely did not disappoint.

10-out-of-10 recommend!!

Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors soI couldn’t wait to read her latest thriller. With well developed characters, sisterhood and murder, Darling Girls has it all.

Jessica, Nora and Alicia have all suffered from a family tragedy and ended up in the foster care system. When they are welcomed into an idyllic home by Miss Fairchild, it seems their lives have taken a turn for the better.

Alternating between each character’s point of view and varying timelines, Hepworth builds the drama and suspense. The female characters are depicted as strong women and develop a sisterly bond that brings with it hope and perserverance. With unexpected developments and a twisty plot, Darling Girls delivers a fast moving, enthralling story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

This was a fun ride, one of my favorite books by Sally. Full of surprises and not predictable in the best ways.

Enjoyed it. The story definitely had me guessing until the end. I had to know whose bones were in the basement and who was responsible. I never suspected Alicia, Jessica or Norah. Yes, they all had numerous issues but I didn't think they were capable of killing someone and hiding the evidence. My eyes were on Miss Fairchild. She was a piece of work and treated her foster children awful. You never knew what she was going do. She may have looked like Barbie with all the pink, but she was crazy. The last chapter summed up what a horrible human she really was. I was shocked when she revealed the actual truth about her story. That was the biggest shock of the book. It's hard to believe she was entrusted to take care of children. Miss Fairchild really didn't take care of them and she she only did it for the money.

I liked how the book alternated between Jessica, Alicia and Norah during the present and before when they were foster children. The three girls all have their own problems. Some are probably due to their time at Wild Meadows. They endured abuse and no one believed them. The girls were always there for each other and truly were sisters. Loved Norah's dogs and how they told the police the dogs were the girls' service dogs. The names and the reasons behind them made me laugh.

Definitely recommend the book. It was a good mystery. Enjoyed the characters, story and writing style. At times it was hard to read, with everything that was happening to Alicia, Norah and Jessica as children in Miss Fairchild's house. I loved the relationship the sisters had with each other. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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.

Another Sally Hepworth novel that I couldn’t put down! Three young girls brought together by the foster care system. They might not be related by blood but they are sisters nonetheless. The research put in by Hepworth shows in the building of her characters and it brings awareness to the many faults but also strengths of the foster care system. I enjoyed how the narrative was brought together with its multiple POVs, timelines and the exchanges between a patient and her psychiatrist. The ending definitely left me shocked. This psychological thriller was definitely enhanced with some very unlikeable characters as well as the experiences lived by the characters while in their foster home.

This was very hard to stop listening to. I didn’t want to turn it off. This was twisty and suspenseful. I did find myself complicated at times as to what was going on (trigger warning below) but it didn’t stop me from reading on. The dual timelines was fantastic.

loved! devoured this book in two days! love the twists and love how the story ended especially. Best Sally Hepworth yet!

Emotional, heartbreaking, suspenseful. Full of secrets and lies, mystery and a search for the truth. The bones of a child are found at a construction site where once stood a foster home for girls. Three sisters must go back to their childhood and relive the horrors of their time there. What happened at Wild Meadows and who was the baby buried under the house? Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in return for my review.

I liked the multiple POVs and multiple timeline aspect of this story. I always find that I fly through stories like that, and this was no exception. I would categorize this as a more domestic thriller, but it had its moments of seeming horror thrown in. I will warn people though, that if you will be affected by depictions of sexual and physical abuse, then you should stay away from this story. There were moments of a....I don't know how to explain it...a floating narrator? And I wasn't quite sure who they were/I was a bit confused, but as the story goes along that portion makes a lot more sense. If you're interested in a thriller that follows 3 girls as they grow up in a foster home together, tormented by their unhinged and awful foster mother, then this story is one you'll probably find pretty compelling.

I absolutely loved this one. Hepworth is a wonderful writer. This one one of her top books I've had a pleasure reading
. I highly recommend this one for good story build up and ending. I give it 5 put of 5 stars.

Loved it!

"Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth is a captivating tale that seamlessly weaves together elements of mystery, family dynamics, and the enduring bonds of sisterhood. From the very first page, readers are drawn into the lives of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, three sisters whose childhood on a farming estate was anything but ordinary.

Hepworth masterfully explores the complexities of sisterly relationships, delving into the secrets and struggles that have shaped each character. Despite their shared past, each sister is distinctly drawn with her own hopes, fears, and desires, making them utterly relatable and compelling protagonists.

The novel's setting, an idyllic farming estate, provides a picturesque backdrop for the unfolding drama, but it is the layers of intrigue and suspense that truly drive the narrative forward. As the sisters grapple with the repercussions of a shocking discovery beneath their childhood home, Hepworth skillfully ratchets up the tension, keeping readers guessing until the very end.

What truly sets "Darling Girls" apart is Hepworth's deft handling of themes such as loyalty, betrayal, and redemption. Through alternating perspectives and flashbacks, she paints a nuanced portrait of familial love and the lengths to which we will go to protect those we hold dear.

Intriguing, thought-provoking, and beautifully written, "Darling Girls" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and heartfelt family dramas alike. Sally Hepworth has once again proven herself to be a master storyteller!

This story revolves around the individual foster experiences of three girls: Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. Each comes to live with Miss Fairchild on what appears to be an idyllic setting for a childhood. Miss Fairchild is the foster parent equivalent of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the girls are the recipients. But the story is built as a flashback to that life from their very different present adult lives. Yet events conspire to merge the two timelines. Mystery and Thrillers is an apt description of this book.

Darling Girls is my fourth Hepworth novel, and it ranks up there in the five-point scale.

The novel reminded me of Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews which I enjoyed. The plotlines are similar — domestic suspense with smatterings of psychological abuse.

The story unfolds through multiple points of view over dual timelines…the focus being on three unrelated foster girls who bond with each other in the face of adversity — becoming “sisters” in the process. The story can be disturbing to some as there are scenes of sexual and psychological abuse.

There are numerous characters. But since the narrative unfolds primarily through three points of view, it was easy to follow along. However, there was an unknown emcee that confused me a little. But in the climactic finale, the emcee is revealed tying the whole narrative together into an unputdownable read. Five stars.

I was invited to read a DRC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.